Faith

Questions

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We are asked questions constantly in life, about everything and anything.  We get questions about family, work, food, home, where we are and what we are doing.  Often it gets overwhelming and we have so many little questions or less important questions such as “how are you doing?” that they become more like a greeting and not a question seeking a real answer.

When we are asked questions of deeper importance or questions that require time in thought we tend to get uncomfortable and unsure of our answer.  When we dive into our faith journey we we all come to the moment when we hear the Lord ask…“Whom shall I send?” when we do hear that question it will be important to spend time in prayer and conversation to know when it is your turn to answer…

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?’  And I said, ‘Here am I.  Send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while driving the north shore of Maui)

He Gives Us Strength

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“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:12-13

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 on the north shore of Maui)

Continue To Increase

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“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:3-8

(This photo was taken in the fall of 2014 while driving the north coast of Maui)

His Faithfulness Endures

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“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.  All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you.  They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.  The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.”

Psalm 145:8-13

(This photo was taken in July of 2014 on a lake in central Minnesota)

Work

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This is an area in life that has challenged me often…not the doing of work but wondering if what I am doing is the work I am supposed to be doing.  Is this the right place, the right type of business, how is what I am doing contributing to the lives of others…I have tried to control things more than I should and as a result I have made poor choices.  The messages and the beliefs of so many people about career and work seems so far away from honoring God but I do not know enough about their entire lives to make that assumption…maybe they have it figured out better than I do.

In the end I have held many positions at a few different places and after many years of internal debate I have come back to the verse below.  I have narrowed my focus to one thing…work is not about me or what I see in them it is about what God needs me to be doing to help spread the Good News of the Gospel!  I trust in Him and wherever I am I strive to make a difference in the lives of those around me.

“Whatever you do,work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Colossians 3:23-24

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at a rest area honoring the expedition of Lewis and Clark in South Dakota)

He Is The One

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:15-17

(This photo was taken in the fall of 2014 at the Nakalele Blow Hole on the north shore of Maui)

Love and Fatihfulness

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“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Pike’s Peak in Colorado)

Comfort

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As we travel on the journey of life there are times when trouble will come and we will suffer, during these times we also will be comforted by God…as we learn from these experiences we are better prepared to share the comfort we receive with others.  We are comforted so in turn we can comfort others…we are blessed so that we can be a blessing.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

(This photo was taken in the summer of 2012 in northwestern Wisconsin)

Wait Patiently

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“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil.”

Psalm 37:7-8

(This photo was taken in the summer of 2014 on a lake in central Minnesota)