All 3 of these reasons can be summed up with the word “Reflection”! We end up reflecting other people’s ideas – for sure at least in how we look. Never really concerned about out Mirror’s Image.
Tag: Faith
Our life of 12 Stones!
My family starts our journey to our new home back in MA today. It has been a year long journey with many more upsides than downsides. So many people have come alongside our family and have helped set up these stones with us to remember what God has done!
As we start “our” new, our desire is to remember where we have come from and not forget that God is the one that got us this far! The dreams and victories, along with the valleys and hard times are all part of what God has for all of us. The journey was sweet and hard, great and vigorous, blessed and challenging, but worth it all! We are so grateful to God!
Today we think of the the twelve stones that Joshua set up in the river, he said something really amazing…
“Let these stones be a reminder to the next generation of when God…”
Our prayer for us and for you today…
“God let our lives be stones of remembrance for all people to see and remember that God Can and He Will because we remember when He did!”
Pearls from the Rough…
Over the last 18 months of my life, I can truly say that the definitions of life, love, passion, cause, purpose have all been rewritten. A painful process, but the kind of pain that comes from stretching muscles to the limit. The kind of pain that comes from recuperating from a surgery. The kind of pain that tells you it may hurt now, but it will not hurt forever!
So in that, you begin to look for little joys that you probably have never done before. I would like to share with you one of those times. 4 months ago, I took my 9 year old daughter and 4 year old son for a walk. We started off walking on the cart path of a local golf course. (If you know me, you know that I am NOT a golfer…therefore I would like to publicly apologize for walking on the course, I didn’t know that was not allowed. I am sorry!)
Now on the inside I was quietly hoping that we would find a golf ball or two left over from the last several fall outings of 2016. Can I just share with you that not only did we find a golf ball, but we found 9 golf balls. None of them were on the fairways, the green, the tee boxes – not a one. All of them were found in the rough, the weeds, the woods, far away places from the playable grass of the course. But what joy we felt, as we climbed under trunks of fallen trees, moved aside piles of old thatch, and weeds that were just waiting for warmer weather. As we walked home, having stood all of the cold we face, the joy that my son and daughter and I had. Oh they were dirty and crusty, but the joy just continued as we cleaned this little white golf balls as if they were pearls harvested from the ocean. Oh, the joy!
As my family continues on in our journey of “next steps”, I think of that little excursion to the golf course. I just wanted to find one little golf ball, but as we found the one, the search intensified, and we found 9… My hearts turns to the scripture and the words of Jesus…
Matt. 13:44-46, “44 The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”
Now let me assure you, I am pretty sure these little “pearls” we found only have a value of about $2.00 a piece maybe if they were brand new… But the lesson is surreal and powerful! Life may not be what you or I think it should be right now, but there are little pearls that the Father has hidden along the way, and sometime the way is not the “normal playable surface”, it is in the rough, it is in the hidden places of the world, it in the torn down branches of your world. But as I am finding, the world around me is small and normal, but the world that I have looked at for so long is so big and ready to search out the pearls that our Heavenly Father has laid out for them to find! I only wanted to find one pearl, we found 9! He is such a “GOOD, GOOD FATHER!” He gives extravagantly, He is generous, and gives out of His abundance!
So how about it? Will you join the Father on getting off the beaten path, the playable surfaces, and get out in the rough and the hidden places to find some pearls? They are there, you have to just take a risk and take a chance, don’t be afraid to dream about the pearls that He has for you!
There you will find joy! There you will find peace! There you will find Him!
Where is Peace?
This question plagues so many… Families of Muslim or Christian Faith in Syria. The athlete that has to “hang up the cleats” too early in his or her career. The High School Senior answering the question, “Now what?” The patient that just finished the visit with the doctor who gave the answer they were wishing wasn’t reality. The dad who is looking for the place where salary and purpose merge to take care of the family. The mom that said good bye to her son years to early. The daughter saying goodbye to 89 year old hero dad. The man or women that sits in obscurity longing to be loved and accepted for the reasons that their heavenly Father created for them.
Get the idea… We are all looking for peace! All of us in our little journey on this earth. We are looking for the place where calm and certainty override the intersection of doubt and fear.
Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
It is interesting that Jesus starts off in John 16:1, “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.” He then goes on to say that many things will happen to us, some will even be killed for our faith in Christ. Then He promises the Holy Spirit! Jesus in John 16 describes Holy Spirit as “The Spirit of Truth”. All that the Spirit of Truth gives is given from Jesus! Where is Peace? In Holy Spirit thru Jesus!
Galatians 5:22 & 23 shows us the fruit of the Spirit. “The Holy Spirit produces this kind os fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Did you see it? Peace! The 3rd in the list! Peace is in Holy Spirit! The Spirit of Truth! The Advocate! God’s Seal! Our Guide! Intercessor! The Witness of the Father! Our Teacher! On and on the list goes!
Peace comes from a life lived in the Spirit of Truth – The Holy Spirit! Often that “gentle whisper” found in 1 Kings 19:12. You know it, that gentle nudge of direction or guidance that proves right and steady.
Peace comes in the form of a gentle voice from heaven – as found in Matthew 3:17, “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” And the reminder in Deuteronomy 31:6, “He will not leave you nor forsake you…” You’ve heard or seen it. That “vote of confidence” that comes in the form of a card, a check in the mail, an email, call or text. Holy Spirit using someone else to let you know that you are loved and that you are important and not forsaken!
Peace comes from that place where you and Holy Spirit meet and you know Jesus touched you. Like the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:44, “She came up behind Him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.” Peace that comes when Jesus unexpectedly heals you, sets you free, or sets you up for success!
Peace comes when He gazes at us with love and contentment! Song of Solomon 8:10 (ESV). “…then I was in his eyes as one who finds peace.” The wink from heaven when you are blessed in a way that you never saw coming!
Are you searching for Peace today? I want you to know that Peace is right there for you! All you have to do is stop and receive it. Maybe a word, maybe a gesture of love, maybe just a stop in the busy schedule for a place of intimacy, or maybe just realizing how much He loves you!
John 14:27, Jesus says…
Peace was granted for all mankind when Jesus stretched out His arms and died – “overcoming the world”. I am reminded today, of Isaiah 49:16, “See, I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands.” How much peace is that? That the Son of God has not forgotten about you! Your name is on right there on His palms! Thomas saw the hole from a nail, but Jesus sees your name and mine!
Peace is in His Hands!!!!!
Deep Calls to Deep
My son was walking through the house today singing, “Deeper, Deeper, I want to go Deeper…” Man that just stopped me in my tracks – COLD…
God, right now I don’t feel as though I can go much deeper. Deeper is cold. Deeper is hidden. Deeper hurts. Deeper is scary. I am not sure what I will find there. I am not sure what You will find. Deeper brings great fear to my heart and soul right now. God I want the easy answer, the surface to be redone, not the inside to be redone.
But Lord, I want You more! I want to be a reflection of You more than of myself! I want to be like You Jesus!
Okay Lord, I give up! I give You the deep of me! The place that is cold and hidden. That place that is protected from other people that have cold and hidden places. Lord, can You remove the fear and replace it with LOVE? Lord, can You remove the pride and replace it with LOVE? Lord, can You take the unknown story, and fill it with the assurance that is only the Joy of my Salvation in you? Lord, can You take that deep bitter root, that I keep trying to kill in my own power? Can You kill it so that it is really dead – no life – no resurrection? Lord will You take those moments of immense fear and anger and regret and pity – and turn them to LOVE and JOY, TRUST and FREEDOM, GRACE and MERCY?
Lord, what I really crave right now – not an assignment, not a job, not a place, not a person – I really crave – LOVE – so deep – YOUR PRESENCE – Jesus, You are love – Jesus, You are my deep desire! Lord, I desire Your grace, Your mercy, Your LOVE to cover me!
Yet Jesus, I need You to know something. There is this deep flow in my spirit that continually tries to consume me. It’s life source is not from You, but from the enemy of Your dreams and desires for my life. It continually desires to place me ahead of You. It so wants to be the object of affection that is fleeting and selfish. This flow is not like a spring formed in the mountain that flows to the mountain side – cool and refreshing, pure and untainted, filling and from a life giving life source. This flow is more like a murky stream, ill-colored and smeared with sinful flesh, smelly and life draining, filled with fear and unknown consequences that only lead to death. Take this flow that comes from the enemy of my soul and make it new. Take the life source of this stream and reroute it from You – my true Life Source. The Creator of the heavens and earth. The Author of all cool mountain springs. The Creator of me. The Author and the Finisher of my Faith and Lover of my soul. As You clean the life source of this spring, take out all the impurities of my mind and heart from this spring. Make my soul clean and pure before You and You alone! Fill it with You – Jesus – Love – Faith – Grace – Mercy!
Jesus, call me to the deep waters, take me from the shallows. I want to go there in the midst of being displaced. I will trust You in the midst of my questions. Call me to the place I can only trust in You. Call me to the place that scientists marvel at Your attention to detail and beauty. Take me to the place where the pressure is so great, if it weren’t for Your Presence, I would burst. Take me to the secret place where Your Spirit hovers and covers all. Take me to the place where You are. I want to go there, just You and me. I want to lay in Your arms and just know the intimacy of My Father’s Love – for me. I want to experience Your Love in a way that only your presence can flow through me!
Fear be gone! I am going to tread the water of the unknown. Loneliness be gone! In the mystery of your presence, my faith in You sustains me. Pride be gone! I am Yours, and You are mine!
Let my trust not have the boarders this world tries to place on You! Spirit Lead Me! Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander. Let my faith be made stronger in the presence of You Jesus! Love cover and transform me! Grace abound in the deep! Lead me to the place where Your sovereignty is the only source!
Lord I call on You! I will keep my eyes on You! My soul rests in Your embrace and Your work in me!
I am Yours! And You are mine!
The Last Gift…
Going to bed the morning after Christmas, I received the best gift ever. My son left his music on the floor. 3 pieces he is writing, with a song written by Steven Furtick & Wade Joye “Unstoppable God” (click title to see video) – in which he desires to be the first worship song he learns to play on his guitar!
Isaiah, I am so glad you believe Jesus is Unstoppable! Keep writing, Keep Winning, Keep doing it right, Keep on swinging for the fences! I am so proud of you son and I love your faith in Jesus!
Thanks for a great gift!
Before the Details…
This verse struck me this morning. God has simply told Abram that he is to leave everything and everyone he knows and to go to a place that God would show him. He takes his nephew Lot along for the trip, and Lot ends up taking the “best” land and but then Abram has to rescue him from being a “POW”. Abram ends up in the presence of the King of Salem who blesses him, along the same lines of what God inentionally spoke to Abram. Then in Gen. 15 God begins the intense elevation of His promise to Abram!
Abram is concerned about the future of his family name, the inheritance, his place in Israelite history – but God looks at him and speaks that He has it all under control for Abram’s best interest.
If we read into Gen. 16, we see that Abram and his wife try to take all the details under control and it ends up hurting some people close to them. Ultimately our world today sees the consequence of their decision. (Another blog about this later!) But God continues on with the promise The He gave Abram.
I want to key in on this powerful declaration in Gen. 15:6, “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him a righteous because of his FAITH!”
It was Who and what Abram believed in that won the declaration of righteousness in Abram. It wasn’t his ability to do or be, it was The Who of his life. We clearly see that even in Abram’s faith – he made some not so good decisions. But all that was trumped because of Who he believed in!
Before all the details of his journey were revealed, Abram believed God would see him through! FAITH!
What are you believing God for today! Not your dreams, desires, and wishes, but what God has already given you, promised you, whatever the details are or are not – is your FAITH in He who gave you the dream or yourself as you try and figure out the details on your own?
FAITH – “The substance if things hope for (our dreams and His promise!, the evidence of things not yet seen (The Details)! Heb. 11:1
What If?
Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What if?”
History has asked the question… just read certain accounts of President George Washington, General Dwight Eisenhower, President Abraham Lincoln, on and on. There have been so many moments in history that were “Almost History.”
(I strongly encourage you to check the book “Almost History” by Roger Bruns. Click link to see.) “Close Calls, Plan B’s, and twist of fate in America’s Past” A gripping read and some pretty powerful accounts of ALMOST!
As I read through this book, the question – “What if?” began to swim from end to end of my thoughts.
- What if I had never married Jen?
- What if I had never said yes to following Jesus Christ?
- What if the doctor’s report that said we would never have children, really was the truth?
- What if I had swerved left instead of right on Highway 73/75 and ran into the __________ instead of the ditch?
- What if I had shared the love of Jesus with the young man walking down the street in October of 1998?
- What if I had supported that Missionary, instead of buying some more baseball cards?
The “What Ifs” really can go on and on! As I have destined to live life with CHRIST’S PURPOSE in 2020, I realize this decision won’t take away the “BAD” “What Ifs!” But it will keep me lined up with what God has in store for my life!
In the movie “Bucket List,” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, there is a powerful scene about ‘Faith and God’ (Click the link to view.)
Carter tells Edward that “Maybe your head is in the way?”
Edward responds, that “We live and we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round.”
Carter tells Edward, “What if you’re wrong?”
Edward, ‘Do you know something I don’t.”
Carter, “Nah, I just have faith.”
Hebrews 11:1, says this – “FAITH is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”
- What if we lived by Faith and not by what we see with our natural eyes?
- What if believed that God wants to use us to change the world?
- What if we really decided that God is who He says He is?
- What if God really did what He said He would do through us?
The answer to that ‘What If’ – would absolutely change our heart and souls! WE would be different! We would be living for Purpose for sure – God’s Purpose!