faith perspective

Just Pray

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Sometimes every day feels the same as the one before….we fulfill our “responsibilities” of each day and before we know it the day is over and we need to get to bed so we can get up and start all over….

We fill our lives full of routines and distractions

The alarm goes off

Where are my keys

The car needs gas

Traffic is not moving

I’m so tired

My deadline for a project is tomorrow

Where should we eat lunch

My computer just locked up

What’s for dinner

Stop at the grocery store

I haven’t seen that person for a long time

What time is it

I don’t have any clean clothes for tomorrow

I’m so tired

Did you hear that story on the news

Did we win the game

I am going to bed…. 

Then it starts over again…and different things get added to the list and some fall off depending on the day…no wonder we feel tired, worn out and exhausted.  The thing is we really do have free will to choose to live life differently.  It is up to us to decide that we are really going to pursue the life that God has intended for us.  The hard part is that means we have to let go of some things and start spending time with God every day…not just on Sunday for an hour.

If you feel like there is something more or you feel like there is something missing in your life or if you are realizing you haven’t even stopped long enough to think about it…now is the time.

STOP everything that is routine and distracting and pray to God for wisdom, guidance and courage to pursue the things he has planned for you…just pray, once a day, every day or all day long about everything and anything.

God loves you, he is with you and he would like nothing more than to hear from you.  To show you just how much he wants to be with you he sent his one and only Son into to the world to be sacrificed for you, so that you could turn to him anytime…don’t fill your time with everything except God.  Start each day with God and everything else will be ok.

Peace.

Holy Week…The End of the Beginning?

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I need to share this song and the lyrics with you today as this recording by David Phelps, a Christian artist, says all you need to know about Jesus Christ and how he came, he lived and he died and how he did it all for you!  During this week may we all spend time reflecting on how much Jesus suffered for all of us and I hope we strive to live our lives in a way that is worthy of his sacrifice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=kU-l973MRZg

Words and Music by David Phelps

I was taking a trip on a plane the other day, just wishin’ that I could get out.
When the man next to me saw the book in my hand and asked me what it was about.
So I settled back in my seat. “A best-seller,” I said, “a hist’ry and a myst’ry in one.”
Then I opened up the book and began to read from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John…

He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem.
Angels gathered ’round Him underneath the star singing praises to the great I AM.

He walked on the water, healed The lame, and made the blind to see again.
And for the first time here on earth we learned that God could be a friend.
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong, the angry crowd chose Him.
And then He walked down the road and died on the cross and
that was the end…of the beginning.”

“That’s not a new book, that’s a Bible,” he said, “And I’ve heard it all before.
I’ve tried religion, it’s shame and guilt, and I don’t need it anymore.
It’s superstation, made-up tales, just to help the weak to survive.”
“Let me read it again,” I said, “But listen closely. This is gonna change your life.”

“He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem.
Angels gathered ’round Him underneath the star singing praises to the great I AM.

He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see again. 
And for the first time here on earth we learned that God could be a friend. 
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong, the angry crowd chose Him. And then He walked down the road and died on the cross and that was the end…of the beginning.”

“The end of the beginning?” he said with a smile. “What more
could there be? He’s dead. You said they hung Him, put nails in
His hands and a crown of thorns on His head.” I said, “I’ll read it
again, but this time there’s more.

And I believe that this is true: His death wasn’t the end but the beginning of life that’s completed in you.
Don’t you see, He did all this for you…”

“He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of
Bethlehem. All the angels singing praises to the great I AM.
He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see.
And for the first time here on earth, did you know that God could be a friend?
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong, He was the one the crowd chose.
And then He walked and He died, but three days later, three days later, three days later…
He rose! Three days later He rose!

You see, He came, He lived, and He died, but that was the end of the beginning.

When we ask…Why?

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When you stop and think about events and things that occur in the world and in your own life there is always the natural tendency to ask Why?  Why did this happen?  Why did that not stop?

The questions are normal and if they are asked with positive intentions like when you are seeking to understand, it can be very fruitful to pursue answers for these questions.  Unfortunately, we live in a dark and fallen world and more often than not these questions are being asked in order to seek something else…Blame!  Once again the evil in this world has used a natural God given gift…the ability to seek to understand…and turned it into a hunt for Who is to blame for this?

We get so caught up in the Why becoming about the Who did this…that we lose all sight of the opportunity to learn from things that happen.  The world tells us the Why is all about Who is to blame and if we just punish that person or group of people then these bad things won’t happen anymore…that is just not true.  Yes people are a big part of everything that happens, however, it is important to remember that all people have the same gift in common…free will.  So you can keep focusing on Who is to blame your entire life but that is going to be a life full of negativity, bitterness and anger and that is not the life God has planned for you.

Recently, I made a decision to leave a position I had been in for several years.  It was comfortable and I knew what to expect.  I didn’t pursue the move, it came to me so I was hopeful and looking forward to something new, even though I had nerves about leaving what I knew and what I was very comfortable doing.  The change ended up having unexpected events occur shortly after I started and these were unexpected even for the people I was working with…so needless to say I began to ask Why?…Why did I make this move?  I should have just stayed where I was, doing what I was doing…you see I knew who to blame…me…so I began the negative self-talk and thoroughly began to punish myself in my mind.

Then I did something I have learned to do over the last several years…I asked a Why with positive intentions…I asked God to help me understand What he wants me to learn from this situation and he answered like this…

One of my devotional books by John C. Maxwell had an entry about “A Growing Community”…it mentions that if you’re in an environment that is doing nothing to help you grow you are going to have a hard time reaching the potential planned for your life.  The kind of place that can help you grow should look like this:

  • Others are ahead of you
  • You are still challenged
  • Your focus is forward
  • The atmosphere is affirming
  • You are out of your comfort zone
  • Others are growing
  • There is a willingness to change
  • Growth is modeled and expected

I had become to content with my surroundings…so content I had not written on this blog very much for the last few months.  My lesson is I need to keep seeking growth so that I can become everything God has planned for me to be for him in this world.  One important step in faith is to share what you have learned…I pray this post can help at least one other person who reads it.

Peace to you this day.

What Can I Give?

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Often when we think of giving, because we live in a material world our thoughts lead us to the monetary value of things we can give.  Or we believe the more costly the gift the more the person or people will know how important they are to me.  We easily fall into this trap because we see it happening around us and we see it advertised on TV and in events everywhere.

My personal favorite line from a jewelry store commercial…”Let her know how much you care by buying this diamond crusted, gold covered….”  Non-essential material things do not show a person how much you care for them.  You want to know the best gift you can give to someone you truly care about?  The one thing in every relationship that only you can give to any other person and typically it is worth way more than you give it credit for…what is that greatest gift?

Time.

God knows how special Time is…every day you get up is the gift of Time from him.

Your time is the one gift only you can give to others…stop and think for a moment who you have been giving your Time to in the last few days and weeks.  Maybe it is exactly the people you should be spending Time with or maybe you are now thinking of somebody that you have been missing and know you need to spend some time with…no matter which it is, don’t forget that the One who provided you this ability to give time to others also would like some time with you.  When I woke this morning I could hear the following hymn from my childhood playing in my mind as a message from me to God…

Here I Am Lord — Music & Lyrics by Dan Schutte

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard My people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin,
My hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear My light to them?
Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have born my peoples pain.
I have wept for love of them, They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak My word to them,
Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them,
My hand will save
Finest bread I will provide,
Till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give My life to them,
Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.

 

With whom will you spend your greatest gift today?

Peace.

Nature, Faith and Life

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From time to time I come across an image or a scene of nature and it automatically can be associated to life…not sure why this happens or how my train of thought gets there sometimes but wanted to share a recent one.

In the picture above, that is a picnic table under several feet of snow on a deck.  This amount of snow can come over many days from several different storms or as it has happened this winter it can fall all in one or two consecutive days!  It will be several weeks or a few months before this table will once again be free of piles of snow.  With the gradual warming in temperature (we hope) and the longer days of spring not far off it will eventually melt away…if we go out and give a hand it will happen much faster.  Either way the snow will be gone at some point and we will be able to sit out at that table in our swimsuits eating ice cream in the warm afternoon air…hard to imagine looking at the picture but nonetheless true.

In our lives we can get buried under problems, worries and fears.  They can come down on us over many days or very quickly.  Depending on our attitude, these problems, worries and fears can take several weeks or months or even years to melt away…if we chose to be bitter and angry and “cold-hearted” that definitely will make the melting take longer.  If we try to be positive and we are willing to accept help from those qualified to help us in our lives the problems will melt away sooner and we will once again be able to enjoy the blessings in life.

No matter how you look at them both situations need a center piece…

One needs the sun and the other needs The Son!

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.”

                                                                                                                Colossians 3:15

Peace to you.

He Is With You

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No matter where you are, what you are doing or how you are feeling right now God is with you…

The cross in the photo above shows that all areas of our life are connected to our faith even if we don’t think about them that way.  Every act and interaction is on a string somewhere on the cross.  The hardest part of faith sometimes is courage…courage can be rare in this world.  You can come across many people and sense only fear, anger and bitterness.  I am learning that courage…real courage is truly an act of faith.  Believe God is on your side and no matter what you face each day trust him to hold you in the palm of his hand.

There is a song by a group called “Love & The Outcome” that is entitled He Is With Us and the message in their lyrics state this truth very well.  As usual, I also have a bible verse to share regarding how God is with us…

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

                                                                                                                Isaiah 41:10

As the song states He is with Us, Always…Always.

Peace be with you.

What is your Spiritual Gift?

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We all get into routines in life and several days begin to look the same.  Depending on what you choose to focus on in life, this repetition can become mundane and begin to feel like a rut you have created for yourself.  God has created each of us with a purpose in mind and that purpose also came with a spiritual gift.  This gift is something that comes naturally to us and sometimes it gets overlooked because it comes to us so easily.  This doesn’t have to be something complicated to figure out…we typically make things much more complicated in the world than necessary (I speak from personal experience).

In the Bible, the gifts of the spirit are as follows…

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a person’s gift is prophesying, let them use it in proportion to their faith.  If it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully.”

                                                                                                Romans 12:6-8

Think about moments in your life where it was easy for you to provide for another…not financially, there are far greater needs in the world than money.  The gifts described above are all related to our interactions with others…what have we been given that we can share with other people?  Many of us go about the business of “our” lives first and wonder why we get discouraged so easily?  One of the best ways to cure your discouragement or disappointment is change your perspective…

Begin by approaching your situation by thinking what can I do that helps others…don’t be so quick to think “nothing” it simply is not true.  You are a valuable part of God’s world…you are his creation…and I have heard it said often “God don’t make no junk!”

Look at the list of Gifts…one of these does apply to you…you just need to spend time praying that God will guide you to opportunities to use it and then be very aware of invitations or things you may read or just hear about that are happening in your community…there is a place for you…do you believe it?

The Gifts given according to grace:

  • Prophecy – calling for action based of God’s truth
  • Service or ministry – serve and meet the needs of others
  • Teaching – explain truth so others can understand it and apply it
  • Encouraging – to strengthen and inspire others to be their best
  • Giving – to generously share what you have been given by God
  • Leadership – to govern by steady and earnest effort
  • Mercy – to show compassion for others and to do it cheerfully 

I pray we all spend time in prayer asking for God to guide us to our gifts and we begin to use them to make this world a better place for others.

Peace.

What Path Are You On?

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Life is full of choices and decisions.  We all have been given the gift of free will.  The hardest part of this isn’t necessarily making a decision, rather it is holding yourself accountable for what happens after your decision and being open to changing things as you move forward in life.

Look around you…take inventory.  How are things going in your life?  If it is not good from your perspective…look in a mirror…that is the best place to start to make a change in your life, start with you.  On the other hand, if things look ok or pretty good from your perspective, give thanks and praise and begin to think about how you can share and support others.

No matter what your result, good or bad, we all have made decisions in our past that have led to where we are today…right now.  I encourage you to think about what those decisions have been so you can identify what has put you on this path.  If it has been bad look for ways to improve on your current situation…I caution you here, do not believe you can go back to change a decision that occurred in the past to make things better now…instead, live in the present, learn from the poor decision and make new decisions to improve things going forward.  If you can identify decisions in the past that have been good and led to great things learn what you can and share to help others.

This reflection can be helpful because sometimes when we look back things have changed and what we thought was a good or bad decision at the time it was made might be different now and we can learn things for life going forward.  None of this is easy…we were never promised easy…we have always been promised Hope…and you can have Hope every day, if you choose to believe and follow Jesus.  As always the bible provides instructions in this matter…

“Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

                                                                                                                Matthew 7:13-14

I pray we all ask for wisdom so we can make decisions that will lead to Life.

Peace.

A New Creation

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

                                                2 Corinthians 5:17

“For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

                                              2 Corinthians 6:2

Peace to you and Happy New Year!