My Thoughts - My Journey

The opening chapters of the Old and New Testaments bring to the forefront two couples: Adam and Eve in the Old Testament and Mary and Joseph in the New. Their stories emphasize the concepts of family and community. Adam and Eve were created to enjoy each other as husband and wife. Their family was in community with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Sin had not yet broken this beautiful fellowship between man and wife and God and humanity.  Soon, however, sin did enter the world, but Mary and Joseph's family began the restoration of the human race back to God. In their community, God placed His Son Jesus to restore God's fellowship to humanity (community) and humanity's fellowship with one another (family). Nothing was wrong with God's original plan-it was "excellent in every way" (Genesis 1:31).  Let us start this year by asking the Lord to restore to us our fellowship with Him in any area that has been broken by sin. Then let us ask Him to restore family ...

Perhaps you have experienced God putting a word or message on your heart, but you weren't sure how to convey it to others in the clearest, most concise manner. Well, this morning while I was getting ready for the day I went to YouTube and was prompted to look up Francis Chan's new 2017 videos. I scanned a couple and almost immediately this one stood out to me as if to say...."This is the message for you this morning." The more I listened, the more convicted I became. This mes sage encapsulated so many thoughts, questions, and issues that I have been tossing around lately.....and even through conversations that I have recently shared.  As a believer and follower of Jesus, I know this message from Francis Chan is on point and is one that needs to be heard and shared over and over. It is a message that will leave you questioning where you are in your walk and where do I go from here. Please, take the 50 minutes to listen to this message and allow it to penetrate and mo...

"Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’" Luke 11:1 Not in every home, but in most.....here in America, we bow our heads and say grace and ask God to ‘give us this day our daily bread.  And then? We hop in our cars, run down to the grocery store and buy a loaf or two. We ask Him to keep us safe and warm. Then parents buy their kids the best car seats available, and we crank up the furnace whenever we feel chilly. It is so easy in our culture to provide the answer to our own prayers. But in the mission field, when people will pray for God to give them their daily bread, not knowing if they will have enough food to feed their families that night. Their prayers are bold. They ask God for things they can’t always provide for themselves. I have recently been thinking of this and how so many times I feel I am asking God for what I already can and do take care of myse...

Many times, hopefully, in our conversations with God, we will ask for Him to guide our footsteps. Are we just mouthing words that "sound" like a good idea in theory OR do we actually mean what we are asking for? Are we REALLY willing to release the tight reins we hold on our lives.....can we even do that? Yes, we CAN do it, but it takes immense REAL faith and trust in God and we must really believe that He will not let us down. No matter if we put our faith in Jesus or not, w e don't really have any control over our lives; therefore worry and stress only hurts and complicates our time here....it offers zero in how things will turn out. Releasing the reins, giving up what we consider as "our control" opens up the door for a deeper, loving relationship with Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit living within to truly take over your life and feel the overwhelming peace from within. Either we believe or we don't...."And we know that God causes EVERYTHING to work to...

Sometimes I believe we have become "too big for our britches" as my grandmother would say.  We read God's Word, pull out (or look up) several different translations - gather a variety of commentaries and lexicons so we can explore the "original" language in which it was written. We have many now getting Bible degrees...Not to be ministers, Bible teachers, or missionaries....but just so they can "better" understand God's inspired Words.  I'm not saying education and checking-out all the available study materials isn't a good thing...Believe me, I am all for high education - BUT....As my daddy used to tell me, "We have too many people going to these Preaching Schools - they are going to educate themselves right out of the Bible." Well, I think my daddy could have been on to something. For those of us hungry for knowledge, understanding, and Truth - It might pay us to spend more quite time ONLY reading God's Word...p...

"Whatever you did for one of the least of these … you did for me." Matthew 25:40b Some of us might be called to minister to the homeless, others to adopt, others to fight for the unborn, others to help orphans, others to encourage the persecuted.....and countless other possibilities. Cultivating a sacrificial lifestyle often starts with one simple step, such as ministering to someone in our community. We must be willing to let God stretch us beyond what is comfortable and eas y. He will open our eyes to the ways in which He desires us to become His hands and feet to those in need.  Throughout history, the Christians who’ve made the most impact for God’s kingdom rarely lived comfortable or convenient lives. Their mighty acts for God required enormous personal sacrifice and a willingness to venture far beyond the realm of the easy and convenient. If today’s Christians are too busy, who will take up the torch of Gospel-centered rescue work in this generation?  We MUST...

What a difference a day makes! The gray is gone and is now filled with the most beautiful bluest of blue skies. The snow from yesterday is slowly melting away and the snow from the trees falling to the ground as it disappears.  And such is life… Some days it feels like the weight of what just landed on top of us is going to break us apart, but through prayer, faith, and God‘s everlasting love and healing in our lives… our today has sun shining in it and little by little the burden, at least for now, drifts away.  And because of His everlasting faithfulness to us, we can see His glory and His beauty in both the gray skies and the blue.

What a blessing and honor it is to serve a Father Who loves each of us so much.  What a treasured blessing to have our Savior walk along-side us in this journey we call life.  What a joy it is to know and feel the Holy Spirit as He lives within and gives guidance to all who are open to His leading.  What a peaceful joy to know that He is in control.  What a comfort to be assured that He has our back and that He will cover us with His protection.  What an amazing reality it is to k now that He will take away all of our pain, sorrow, and tears because as believers we know that all will come out good....no matter the trials that we are currently walking through. In the end, oh yeah....for us, their will be no end!  As our short vapor of time spent on Earth fades, we will become a eternal.  Eternal in Their presence and eternal with all believers who have gone before us and will travel after.  Isn't it amazing...Spread the word!   Amen! †...

No matter what is going on in the world around us....what is our first action/reaction as believers supposed to be? Cast judgment? Point out their wrong? Turn our back? Speak negative words to them? Talk negatively to others about them? We are to love....simple as that....LOVE!  Our image before the lost of this world is supposed to reflect the Light of our Savior Jesus the Christ. Show His love, His passion, His sorrow for the hurting and lost of the world. The lost do not need someone standing on their "high and mighty" pedestal looking down with contempt. That is not the way of Jesus and will never bring the lost to Him.  Love.....Just Love! All else will fall into place.....Amen! †