God is always with you
God will always love you
He will never leave you
He will never abandon you
More than feelings…
Your faith is based on more than just feelings…it is about connecting with the living God. When we pursue faith based on feelings often times the good feelings go away after something changes for us; so typically we will quit or stop pursuing it because it doesn’t feel good anymore.
When you seek to connect and engage with the presence of God in your life and you continue to grow your faith in that way…you won’t stop when things don’t feel good in life. In fact you will find yourself seeking your relationship with God in more ways and at more times than you ever have before. I have found that growth in faith is strongest when I pursue something that makes me a little uncomfortable or is slightly outside of my comfort zone. It takes courage and a willingness to open yourself up and trust that God who is right by your side will be with you no matter what happens.
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be people of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
I have also learned that to grow in faith it is important to connect with community. Your community could be a few people that you gather with for a meal on a regular basis or it could be large gathering at worship service. Maybe your community is in your neighborhood…the important thing is to find your communities of people that can help provide an environment that nurtures faith and walks the journey of faith in life with you. Jesus said…
“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:20
Your feelings are an important part of who you are, they are just not the only thing involved in developing your faith and relationship with God. As I have said before we were never promised that life would be easy or free from pain. Pain and suffering is present in the world because of sin and sin is present because we were promised free will. In the end your faith and life come back to that…free will. We have a God that loves us and wants to have a relationship with us…we just have to choose to pursue that relationship on a daily basis…using more than just our feelings.
May God’s peace be with you.
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In the New Year…
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Psalm 51: 10-12
Peace be with you all through this New Year!
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A Christmas Message
Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and Christ
As I sit in the glow of lights from our tree I think back to Christmas time when I was a child. As a kid I enjoyed the lights, the music and family gatherings and of course, the presents. As I and my faith have grown I realize that Christmas is the time of year that I really began to connect with my faith. As an adult in the mind and a kid at heart I still enjoy the lights, the music and the family gatherings…I now enjoy the giving of gifts far more than receiving. Where we live I enjoy the snow (most years) and even the cold. The change of season is natural, to me it is God showing us his love using nature. All that was alive in summer has passed on but it will all be reborn in springtime. The world is covered in fresh new snow and we see angels in different forms everywhere. Most of all it seems to be the one time of year that people actually live life at a slower pace and often take time to recognize Jesus Christ and his coming into the world.
At Christmas time I pray we see and feel a sense of…
Hope – God made a promise to you and everyone to love you and to never leave you…believe him and trust him with every area of your life.
Peace – Be content when your basic needs are fulfilled and share with others if you have been blessed with abundance…practice patience.
Joy – Wear a smile more often and make an effort to help others find their smile…focus on the positive as often as you can.
Love – Life is more about how you treat others than how they treat you…you can’t control what others will think, say or do so why waste time worrying about it…do all that you can do with love.
At Christmas time this year put Christ in the center of your life…with Christ you will know Hope, you will know Peace, you will know Joy and you will know that the Love of Christ in your heart will help you overcome anything this world can throw at you.
May we all see and know God’s blessings in our lives this Christmas and carry them with us all through the New Year!
Merry Christmas!
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Manning: a man of faith
Priorities of life for Peyton Manning…Faith, Family, Education then Football
The most important moment in quarterback Peyton Manning’s life was NOT when he surpassed the NFL record of 509 touchdown passes. It wasn’t any of his league-record five MVPs. It wasn’t his Superbowl championship. And it wasn’t being named player of the decade of the 2000s by Fox News and Sports Illustrated.
The most emotional and dramatic moment of his life came when the Denver Broncos quarterback accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord.
“My faith has been number one since I was 13 years old and heard from the pulpit on a Sunday morning in New Orleans a simple question: ‘If you died today, are you one hundred percent sure you’d go to heaven?’” Manning writes in his book “Manning.”
“My heart was pounding,” he writes. “The minister invited those who would like that assurance through Jesus Christ to raise their hands, and I did. Then he invited…
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Fruit
May we all give and receive the fruits of the Spirit this Christmas season and into the coming year…
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control
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Uncomfortable Places
The places one can have experiences of growth and pure joy are the places that start out as the most uncomfortable. Often times to get to an uncomfortable place you have to step outside of “The Status Quo” of life in this world. Routines and doing things the same way with the same people every day can quickly turn into ruts. At first, the routine becomes comfortable we may experience contentment…however, if that continues for an extended period of time it can turn into a rut that we feel stuck in.
Society has many certain paths that are seen as normal or “the way you should do things” sticking only to these paths is typically the path of least resistance and the simplest to follow. These often are also the least challenging for your God given potential and if you spend time with God consistently you will learn that he is always with you even in the uncomfortable moments. As with everything in life you must have a balance of challenging, uncomfortable paths and being a contributing member of society. The uncomfortable places I am referring to involve issues of charity vs justice for the hungry and homeless…or choosing a role of work that is serving others instead of trying to climb the corporate ladder for personal wealth. Society tends to look away from the hungry and homeless and working to become a Director, VP or Executive is seen as ambitious. If we pursued justice for those who need a hand in life with that same determination we could impact so many more lives.
The bible teaches that we should be working to be living sacrifices…
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2
Challenge yourself…look for that uncomfortable place that is in your community. Pray about it and stretch out of the status quo…you may find a new path that transforms your life and the lives of many others in ways you never imagined.
Peace be with you.
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Hold On…
No matter what happens…no matter what other people say, think or do that hurts you…hold on to your faith. The prince of this world will constantly try to deceive you, knock you down and tell you that you are better off chasing after the things of this world…don’t listen to him.
Don’t believe you are all alone and don’t give in to the temptations that lead you away from your relationship with the One true God. God has a plan for you and he is with you right now…he knows your joy and your sorrow and he is working out the best for you. He never said this would be easy, you must trust in the Lord. Open your bible and read one of the highlighted verses…they are words that spoke a special meaning to you once before. He keeps his promises…he always has and always will.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
The love of God is unchanging and never-ending and if we do nothing else we must hold on to that in faith. These words are for me as much as they are for anyone else who reads them today; I am working hard to hold on…
God’s peace be with you.
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He Is Always With You
The definition of the word promise includes the word ‘assurance’…when we give or receive a promise it is intended to give peace that something is going to happen or will be done. When a promise is broken it takes a big toll on trust in a relationship. As I continue on my faith journey there is one promise that has continued to be true ever since it was made thousands of years ago…it is assurance that we do not have to face anything in life alone…unfortunately as humans with free will we try to face many things alone. I share today’s thoughts with you so no matter where you are today you will remember no matter how bad your circumstances are you are not alone…God is with you…look for him and listen for him…
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
May we all find peace today and see how God is working in our lives right now…because…He is with you!
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Small, Simple Acts Of Kindness Really Can Go an Incredibly Long Way. This Woman Is An Inspiration.
Blankets suddenly started appearing on park benches in Boston last February. Attached to the blankets were notes, which read the following:
“These blankets are not lost! If you are cold, without shelter, and looking for comfort then they are for you! Please take one. Enjoy, and know that you are important.”
Each also had a $5 dollar gift card packed in that could be spent on food.
The blankets were a great gift for those without homes that had to endure the cold winter.
But the mystery of who put the blankets there still remained. Until now. As media attention around the blankets rose, someone told the press about Cathy O’Grady.
“It was me,” she admitted. “Somebody squealed on me… but I’m not bummed about it. If I can motivate other people to help out, that’s the purpose of all this.”
O’Grady, an accountant from nearby Watertown, has been heading…
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Take Your Faith With You 