prayer

Life by the Spirit…Joy

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What is true Joy?  What does it look like?  How does it feel?  For me Joy is something that results from a sense of hope and peace.  As a simple example think of a the Joy a parent feels when an infant or toddler settles down and falls asleep…before that moment the home was busy with the child eating and having play time.  Depending on the age, the child may have been moving around from place to place in the home finding many things it should not be getting into…so when the moment comes at the end of a day and a child has fallen asleep there is a sense of peace.  As you look at the child sleeping peacefully you may begin to think about the future and what may come…that would be hope…hope for a better tomorrow, hope for what they will become.  The combination of this hope and peace result in Joy.

I use this example because in my experience there usually is more Joy in the world when little children are around…why?  Because there is hope for the future and often, not always, the adults nearby are less concerned about other things and they may be more at peace.  Now I understand that this is not always the case around young children and when there is not Joy it is on the adults to choose the attitude that creates Joy or they can choose the attitude that creates stress.

So how do we find hope and peace to create more Joy?  Let’s start with hope…hope is about goals and dreams.  What are your goals?  What are your dreams?  If you are not sure or you haven’t thought about it much, take some time to identify them.  Author John C Maxwell writes in his book “Developing the Leaders Around You” to fill in the blanks on 2 statements to help identify your dream…

If I had _________________, I would ________________.

The idea is if you had unlimited resources (such as time, money, etc) that you would pursue your dream.  After you figure out what your dream is pray about it.  If you know your dreams then offer them up to God and be open to God telling you he has a different goal or dream in mind for you…don’t worry it won’t be something you don’t enjoy…he made you, specifically for his plan for your life so you will like it if you let him lead you.

“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

The peace that leads to Joy comes directly from trusting that God is in control and no matter what happens in the end he his holding you and if you let him, he will lead you to places you never thought possible.  For me 2-3 years ago a thought about writing a blog about my faith…huh yeah right…yet here I am.  It is not perfect and it doesn’t have thousands of followers but if every post can impact just one person then I have done something he wants me to do.  I pray more of us will choose hope and peace and that we all will choose to experience more Joy.  Amen.

Life by the Spirit…Love

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Why is Love one of the first fruits?  Because all that we are and all that we have been given is because of God’s Love.

His grace comes from Love

His mercy comes from Love

His forgiveness comes from Love and

His peace comes from Love.

The apostle Paul understood this and wrote about it extensively in 1 Corinthians 13.  Many people know of these verses because they have heard it read at a wedding or maybe you had it read at your own wedding.  Hearing it and even knowing what it says is different than striving to live it in your everyday life.

Love is doing things for other people, not because you have to…because you want to.  All of the writing in 1 Corinthians 13 is about the behaviors of Love…having patience, kindness, not being rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, not keeping record of wrongs…behaviors of Love…it always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.  These behaviors and ways of living are all choices that we all have.  God gave us free will because he Loves us…it is up to us to choose Love.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

                                                                                                                                John 3:16

People say what a terrible world, why does this evil happen, how can God let this happen…God doesn’t do bad things to people…people choose bad things and yet through it all God still Loves us.  So when I start thinking this way in my life I try hard to remember the only way I can make any difference in this world is by changing myself and my behaviors towards others…that is Love.

Tomorrow I will explore Joy.

Peace.

Life By The Spirit

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In the coming days I will explore what I think it means to live by the Spirit.  In the Book of Galatians the apostle Paul is writing to the people in Galatia about how to live a Spirit filled life.  Because God has blessed each of us with free will, we all have a choice regarding how we are going to live our life.  What attitude are we going to have?  What perspective are we going to take, a positive one or a negative one?  Nobody else can decide these things for us unless we allow them too…that happens to be a struggle for many of us.  We let the words and actions of others dictate how we feel and act.  When we meet with God daily and begin to seek life in a new way and let the Holy Spirit flow through us the results can be transforming.  In the picture above what would life be like if you decided to go through that opening…….?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

                                                                                                                                Galatians 5:22-23

I will be back tomorrow to discuss the first fruit…Love.

Peace.

Faith Is a Journey

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Even when we feel like asking like a child “Are we there yet?” …we need to continue on the journey of faith.  Just like going on a trip you will have highs and lows, sweet surprises and unfortunate disappointments.  You will encounter unexpected events as well as amazing grace.  The title of this blog explains my perspective of the journey.  Remember to “Take Your Faith With You” wherever you go.

Think about when you are going to take a trip…do you plan and gather resources?  Typically you pack a bag, at least one.  Sometimes people make a checklist to be sure they have everything and sometimes people just grab a few things and head out.  Do you bring a map or I guess now it would be a GPS capable device as a guide?  When you are on the trip do you spend time regretting not taking a turn or trying to change something that didn’t go well on the trip?  Or do you continue to press on…knowing that things will be ok, looking for ways to improve yourself and your decision making in order to have a better experience for yourself as well as others with you on the trip.  Do you find that when you are lost or not sure where to go that the map/GPS is helpful in guiding you to a better situation?

For me every day is another day on the journey to discover more about and engage in faith with life.  I start by consulting the guide book or spiritual GPS called the Bible.  For any thoughts of worry or concern I offer them up to God in prayer, this helps me remember to keep a positive perspective on the events in my day…it reduces stress, frustration, etc…I also pray to help me see his work in the world and to bless every interaction with others in my day.  Just stating such a prayer each morning helps me remember God throughout the day.  When others share good news or bad news I praise God either for the blessings of the good news or for wisdom to see what he wants us to learn from the bad news.

Through it all, as a human, I stumble and sometimes I fall down completely…I still get mad, I still feel frustrated and I still feel sadness at times…I am not a robot.  We all still have all of our emotions…the difference is how we choose to respond to those feelings and emotions and whether or not we share those feelings and emotions with God.  After all, he created us…he knows us better than we could ever imagine.  The hard part is learning to trust him more and more and including him in your daily walk for every situation good or bad.

The more I have engaged in this behavior the more I am amazed how he guides me to do more for others and how wonderful you feel when you really stop focusing on how everything affects me or makes me feel.  The focus on self alone is the work of evil and will keep you from God…he created each of us for far more than we could know and the only path to discovering that is to walk with him to ask him questions, to speak with him.  To take direction from the spiritual GPS…here is a good instruction to start with…

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be people of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

                                                                                                                            1 Corinthians 16:13-14

After that start reading everyday…the book of Proverbs is a great place to start in the Old Testament.  I pray that each day we all can work on inviting and trusting God to guide us and be with us every step on our journey to the life everlasting.  Amen

A Place Where You See God

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If you stop and think about it, where is that place in your life?  Is it a physical location or something different?  Is it in an act of kindness you have experienced or seen happening to another person or in a story you have heard about other people?

Sometimes it can be hard to find him…when I think about it and realize I haven’t seen him or been aware of him…I have learned not to ask God to show himself in some way but rather give me eyes and ears to see your work in the world.  For me, the key is where are we focusing our attention…if we are self-focused we will miss just about every opportunity to see God’s work in the world.  As we learn to focus on a relationship with God and others first we begin to acquire a new perspective.  This type of change in focus requires a commitment to change your routines and habits in life.  If we just try to work it all in to our current schedule and life we will fail…I speak from experience.

For many years I was consumed with my work and the company I worked for and my “position” in the social stratosphere.  I would work in “my time” with God on the weekend before getting down to business.  This life created several false idols for me, because deep in my heart I had not surrendered and committed myself to Jesus.  When I finally stopped pursuing my plans, my ideas for how things should be and truly dedicated daily time in devotion and worship…I finally started to see opportunities to connect with the world through God.  Some would argue that I have given up on living my life…my response is…you are correct in that I have given up trying to live my life my way and instead I am trying to live my life the way God has intended for me.  Of course, I am human and still make plenty of mistakes and have trouble with temptations but my life has never had more joy, more peace and contentment.

So where is it?  Where is the one place in your life right now that you see God?  Where is it that God has cracked a door or a window in your life and you just need to open it and step through trusting that no matter what happens God will be at your side and if you commit to meeting with him daily you will begin to experience life in a whole new way?

May God’s peace be with you

A Hymn and a Prayer

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When I awoke this morning a hymn and a prayer began playing in my mind.  This is not the first time this has happened.  It comes from my childhood and is another clear indicator to me that even when I was not paying attention to God he was working on and paying attention to me.  What an awesome God!  I share this particular hymn and prayer with you today:

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul. 

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy. 

Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

Amen

When You Don’t Know What To Do…

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Pray.  When things aren’t going your way…Pray.  When you are feeling great and everything seems to be falling into place…Pray.  When you are exhausted and worn out…Pray.  When you are energized and you feel like you can take on anything…Pray.

I have learned over time that prayer can be so much more than a list of thanks for this or that and please bless him and her…this is not to say that these types of prayers are not important, they are.  However, they should not be the only prayers we say.  One of the greatest joys of being a believer is the relationship you can develop with God.  Like any relationship in life it takes time and effort on our part.  Think about your best relationships in life…typically those relationships are with people you see often or people you speak with daily.  The same can be true with God.  If you make it a priority to spend some amount of time reading the bible and speaking with God every day I promise you will begin to feel a difference in every aspect of your life and when you are unsure about something or someone…talk to God about it he will help you see your way through.  As one of my favorite bible verses states…

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

                                                                                                                        Philippians 4:4-7

So when life has you questioning “What do I do now?”…Pray

Peace.

Mission Trip Day 8 – The Challenge Is To Take It With You

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This is our last night together.  Our group has bonded very well this week.  We have laughed together, sang songs of worship, served the homeless in shelters and out on the street directly.  We have cried together, shared stories of our encounters with people in need.  We have been silly together and have genuinely been shown kindness from several people along the way.

When you make a commitment to step away from your daily grind and focus only on where you are and what you can do to help others it gives you an opportunity to learn so much about yourself and what gifts God has given to you.  This Mission trip experience is unique and wonderful and the best way to honor what we have done together is to make the next commitment to use what we have learned in our home community.

This is one of the biggest challenges of faith and one of the many reasons I started this blog in the first place.

The youth in our church are so amazing.  They are so much better than me and my friends were at that age.  They are kind, generous, enthusiastic and totally filled with the Holy Spirit.  I am so impressed with their ability to step up to challenges of faith.  I hope we all take this time together and truly change the way we live our lives when we return.  It is too easy to slip back into our old habits and fill our schedules with busy time and forget we need to leave time for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you lift up this week we have had together as a reminder to us that we need to continue what you have shown us.  I ask that you give us the courage to make a change in how we live our lives.  Lord, thank you for the blessings you have placed in us and around us, please guide us to the next challenge of our faith and strengthen us to do your will…I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

Friends and Friendships

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I read a quote on a P.S I Love You poster hanging on the wall, it states:

“Friends are like a beautiful garden.  They require regular care.”

How true that is.  Friends are very much like a garden.

You could also add that you only get out of it what you put in to it!  A garden can be a beautiful thing to look at and bring joy to you and others.  If you spend time working on them every day.  You start by making sure they have a good foundation or growing environment.  You provide soil that is full of good nutrients and holds the moisture.  When you put in the flowers you need to give them space to grow.  Then there is the routine of watering and most importantly pulling out those stubborn weeds.  With regular care your garden can grow and prosper.

When I consider my friends and my friendships I would say that the ones I give the most “care” or time too are definitely the relationships that are doing the best and have grown the most.  In my best friendships I am aware that they have a good growing environment and are given space to change and grow.  I often attend to them with phone calls, emails or a text message.  Most importantly, I try to always be available when the “weeds” of life are becoming too difficult to deal with by themselves.

I have also learned that sometimes God brings friends into your life at just the right time to be messengers.  Some friends are only in your life briefly; they serve a purpose in God’s plan and move on while others are with you much longer.  God himself also wants to be one of your lifelong friends…all you would need to do for that to happen is give your friendship/relationship with God some regular care. 

Meet with him every day in a quiet and peaceful place or room…there are no rules regarding how long to do it and no right ways or wrong ways to meet with him…just find a place that feels right to you and talk to him…as I stated at the beginning…you will only get out of it what you put into it!  Talk to him, he is waiting to hear from you.

Peace be with you.

Prayer and Speaking to God

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My next experience of faith was in college.  One of my best friends lost his brother in a plane crash.  I didn’t know what to do or where to go…something told me to go to the Catholic Church some of us had started attending occasionally in our third year of college.  It was at night and the door was locked…I went over to the living quarters and knocked and asked if I could get into the church to pray because I figured that is where I needed to be.  The pastor looked me up and down, probably thinking a college kid asking to get into the church at night in a college town…he declined my request.  Well now what.  Feeling rejected I walked over to my car in the parking lot and looked back towards the church.  The moon was shining with some clouds passing by right behind the steeple…I looked with wonder and then I started to speak…

God, I don’t know what to do or what to say but please help my friend and his family during this sad time and this tragic event…help them anyway you can.  I don’t know what I can do but I know you can help them.

It’s my opinion that this was my first real prayer because it had an attitude of belief behind it that wasn’t there when I would “recite” a prayer during church when I was younger.

What was it like the first time you truly spoke to God?