Learning

Transformation

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What does it look like?  How should it feel?  What is different?  I certainly can’t answer these questions for others as this is a process of spiritual growth and the cornerstone of the spiritual life is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  For me it is still going on, as I have mentioned in the past, I am a slow learner.  This process is about the change of perspective…when the bible talks about the dying of self and the rising of my focus on Christ, it is 100% in contrast with what I see and experience in the world.  I have spent a significant amount of time talking about the Fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22 because for me these behaviors are the keys to transforming my life.  There are plenty of days and moments when I get derailed and the desires of the self bully there way into life…hey I’m only human…it is not about that we will make mistakes, what is more important is how we respond when the mistakes happen.  That is one way things can be different in transformation.  Have a talk with Jesus about it for yourself and look and listen for ways to change and to be transformed.  Amen.

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“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:2

(This photo was taken in September of 2014 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

His Sacrifice = Grace

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We can have a personal relationship with our Creator.  We are redeemed.  We have been saved from wrath.  The punishment we all deserve has been delivered onto Jesus Christ.  We are forgiven.  All of this has been completed because of the grace of God and His love for us.  Jesus gave up everything and suffered the worst things this world can deliver…to save us.  Let us give thanks to Jesus for His incredible sacrifice and let us live our lives in pursuit of the Fruits of the Spirit in our thoughts, our words and our actions.  Amen.

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“For is is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

 

Perseverance

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Don’t quit…don’t give up…get up…keep going…keep seeking…keep trying…believe.  Here we are back to talking about attitude and perspective.  Attitude is formed over a period of time by experience and observation.  The things we chose to take in with our senses have significant impact on the formation of our attitudes.  Things we chose to read, what we chose to listen to, etc.  What is interesting here are the words…we chose, what we decide to spend our time on plays into our attitude.  We can develop the courage to persevere in difficulties and tough times or we can be stagnant and let those times defeat us.  To be clear none of this occurs in 140 characters or less…it takes time!  My personal definition of perseverance is be patient and be persistent and believe good things will come.  If you are unsure what to do about this, may I suggest a book?  Start with the bible and a sincere prayer to God and as the song says, let Jesus take the wheel.  Amen.

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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

James 1:2

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Humility

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I don’t know how it works…I don’t understand…I don’t have the answers…accepting things even when we don’t fully understand them.  This can be a hard thing.  Even just reading the first three statements above can feel uncomfortable.  To know the basic understanding of something is the first step.  C.S. Lewis in his writings has spoken about it in this way…when we are tired and hungry, eating a meal will do you good.  This is the basic understanding.  Understanding how food nourishes the body using vitamins and proteins within the food is not necessary knowledge to know that when you are hungry a meal will do you good.  Similarly, he continues, knowing and accepting what Christ has done to save us is the basic knowledge of faith.  Understanding how it fully works is not required to know that Jesus Christ loves you and died to save you.  When we can accept that we will not fully understand everything all the time, we can still go and do the right things for the right reasons.  I pray we are humble and faithful in our every day lives.  Amen.

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“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Proverbs 11:2

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

God’s Time

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God is always working for our good.  Even when life seems hopeless and we feel the darkness of evil surround us…God is with us.  Reach out to Him in prayer…true, honest, sincere prayer that is delivered with belief that He is there listening to you.  If your heart doesn’t truly believe in God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God than your words are just sound.  We get frustrated because God does not respond the way we want or the way we think He should…that is not trust in God.  God does answer our prayers and He does provide us guidance.  The only reason we miss it is because the self is powerful and stubborn and won’t get out of the way.  God created you, He knows all about you and what you are going through in this world…He loves you, surrender your situation to Him and listen…He is caring for you in a far better way than you can do yourself.  I pray we all do a better job of giving ourselves to God’s time in the New Year.  Amen.

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“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9

(This photo was taken in December of 2018 on Paradise Island, Bahamas)

God Came Down

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The coming of Jesus Christ, to be born as a baby here on earth was miraculous for many reasons.  The most difficult part to comprehend is that God, the Creator of the world, the beginning and the end of all things, loves us so much that He took the form of one of us, to save us from our sinful ways.  When we read in the bible about the people of God in the Old Testament, it seems like the people and God go back and forth.  The people are suffering, God does something to help them, win a battle, defeat an enemy, free them from slavery and the people are thankful and grow closer to God…and then time goes by and they wander off again.  The cycle repeats itself several times…much like many of us in our faith journey.  In the New Testament, God changes the cycle and does something that has changed the relationship we have with Him forever.  God came down from heaven and became like us in order to reconcile us to Him…think about that for awhile…the Almighty God, Creator of all things came down from heaven to become one of us because He loves us.  As we think about the past year and the year to come, I pray we reflect on God’s love and the amazing things He has done for us.  Amen.

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“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100:5

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Forgiveness

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To begin to seek a new nature, to desire to be different than we have been, to seek kindness and compassion and a servant attitude…first we must turn toward Jesus Christ on the Cross and confess our sins.  Be humbled and speak the wrongs we have committed against others, in our thoughts, our actions and our words.  We all have to go through this step on our faith journey and more than one time…we live in a fallen and broken world filled with sin and evil and none of us can stand up to it alone.  God knows this and He sent His Son to take the judgement we all deserve so that we can be reconciled to Him when we are willing to admit our faults.  Confess and be forgiven, this is part of God’s plan for you.  Amen.

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“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Hope For The World

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The birth of Jesus is proof of God’s love for us.  God chose to send His Son to save us.  We will have struggles, suffering and difficulties in this world, yet our hope in goodness, kindness, compassion and love comes from our belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  We can’t control what other people will do, say or think and focusing all our time on trying to change someone else will only lead to frustration.  We can only control how we respond to others and the attitude we choose to present to the world.  Let us choose love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.  By faith, we can be the hope for the world by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and His saving grace for everyone.  May the peace and love of Christ be in us all today and in the New Year.  Amen.

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“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Romans 5:3-5

(This photo was taken in December of 2018 at Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas)

The Season To Celebrate Jesus

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As I have said in the past music has a way of touching my soul and the hymns of Christmas, the traditional spiritual hymns that tell the story of the birth of Christ are the most powerful source of peace for me.  The Savior will be born and He is coming to save all people.  This morning as I woke up the hymn “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was playing in my mind with the phrase ‘O come let us adore him’, it gets me thinking about what Jesus did for me and for you…being born as a baby, what He gave up and what He went through to save me and to save you.  I encourage you to find your favorite Christmas place wherever you are put on some of the hymns of Christmas and give thanks to Jesus Christ this Christmas Season.  Amen.

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“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;  for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”

Psalm 95:6-7

(This photo was taken in February of 2013 while on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Begin With Jesus

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How can we start or restart focusing on our Faith journey.  We can grow up going to church or not, we can be someone who attended Sunday school or catechism classes or not.  We can be someone who has very little exposure or experience to organized religious practices…none of this matters when it comes to your Faith.  Faith is bigger than religion…religious practices, worship services and activities at church are things we do as a part of our Faith journey.  They can contribute to our learning and our spiritual growth along the way.  Our Faith journey is more, it is everything, everyday and every interaction with others…and it begins with Jesus Christ and your relationship with Him.  No matter what is happening, where you are or how you feel, turn to the One that God sends to save you, to strengthen you and hold you up…begin again with Jesus.  Amen.

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“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he provided purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty of heaven.”

Hebrews 1:3

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