The End of the Story

A few years ago, I bought my daughter a Disney fairytale CD with the story of Snow White.  You all know the story of Snow White.  She’s described as the fairest in all the land but the evil queen wants to be known as the fairest, so she concocts a plot to kill Snow White.  Fortunately, she doesn’t succeed & Snow White goes to live in the forest with the seven dwarves.  While there, the queen disguises herself as an old woman and brings her an apple.  Snow White takes a bite of the apple and falls into a deep sleep until Prince Charming awakens her with true love’s first kiss. 

The CD gets very sinister when the old lady old lady arrives on the scene.  The music drops low and slows down.  The woman’s voice is very evil and conniving.  You get this foreboding sense that something bad is about to happen.  And every single time that part came on, my daughter would cover her ears, close her eyes and beg me to fast forward past the “scary part”. 

It got so bad that I asked her one day, “Why do you want me to fast forward this part?”

“It’s scary,” she said, “and I’m afraid of the evil queen.” 

“What happens after the evil queen comes,” I asked her.

“After the evil queen comes and gives her the apple,” she recounted, “she falls asleep.  Then, “she continued, “Prince Charming comes and kisses her.  She wakes up and they live happily ever after.”

“Does that ever change?” I asked her.  “No Momma,” she replied quietly.

“So why are you afraid?  You already know the end of the story.  You already know what’s going to happen.  You already know that, in the end, Snow White wins.” 

God showed me that oftentimes, we as adults are like my daughter.  There is something that scares us.  There’s a foreboding sense around us.  We sense evil and we get afraid.  But listen, we know the end of the story.  All throughout the Bible, God tells us that we win!  He will defeat evil.  We know that the enemy who rules this world prowls back and forth – we know his end is coming.  And we know that he will be defeated. And we know that God has given us his true love that rescues us from that evil. 

It’s funny.  Now, when we listen to the CD, my daughter’s first instinct is to fast forward to the part with the evil queen. 

And I reassure her – I say, think about the end of the story – it will help you get through that fear. 

I think this is a lesson that we can learn too.  When you’re going through storms and temptations – think about the end of the story.  Think about the victory that Jesus has already secured for us on the cross.  And I’m going to tell you something else – we have an advantage over Snow White.  Snow White had to go through that alone but we are never alone. 

We have our victor who travels with us throughout our story and that is what gives us hope. 

Five Stones

I’m sure most of you remember that story of David & Goliath in the Bible.  If you don’t, let me refresh your memory.  David is a simple farm boy.  He is going down to the battlefield to take lunch to his brothers.  They’re fighting the Palestinians and they have brought out their secret weapon – the giant named Goliath.  Everyone is afraid of Goliath and he is taunting the Israelites.  David arrives at the battlefield and sees what’s going on.  “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?” he proclaims.  David has no fear.  He volunteers himself to go into battle against Goliath.  His brothers and the other men try to make him wear a piece of armor.  I can see it in my mind:  David, still a young boy, ambling around in a grown man’s armor.  I can see the helmet flapping over his eyes and his boots are too big so he stumbles and falls over.  When you think about it, it could have been a funny sight.  However, if he would have put that armor on and went before Goliath he would have been defeated. Why? 

It didn’t fit him. 

It wasn’t his.  It also was not what he was used to.  It would have been all wrong.  So instead, David used what he was used to.  He had 5 smooth stones in his pocket and that’s all he needed to kill Goliath. 

Often times we look at other people and we look at their gifts and we say, “Wow, I would love to have that gift”.  I would love to sing like that...Preach like that…Give like that.  Why can’t I speak like that?  Play like that?  I just wish I had what they had. 

But it doesn’t fit you and it’s not effective in your hands. 

Sure, someone else wearing that armor, wearing that sword would have had success, but that wasn’t David’s gifting.  He had 5 smooth stones.  You see, David had experience with those stones.  He’d killed lions & bears in the wilderness using those very same stones.  He had success before.  Because that’s what his gift was. 

Like David, you have in your hand 5 smooth stones that the Lord has given you to go into battle: your own unique gifts and talents. 

What are your 5 stones?  Are you using them to the best of your ability?  Let’s stop envying each other’s gifts.  Let’s stop emulating other people’s talents.  Instead, let’s be comfortable using the gifts we’ve been given. 

Let's Be Real...Rejection is a Natural Part of Life

I know what it feels like to be unwanted.  Rejected.

I’ve been rejected more than I like to admit.  Rejected by men.  Friends.  Hiring managers.  Let’s be real - rejection is a natural part of life.  But it still hurts.  It sucks. And sometimes, it can be hard to get past.  If you’ve dealt with rejection over and over again, it can become a part of you.  It lingers in the back of your mind, reminding you why you’re not good enough.  Reminding you of the times you didn’t hit the mark.

And if you’re not careful, rejection can grow into fear - paralyzing fear that prevents you from moving forward.

There are people working the same job after 20 years because they have been denied promotions for so long, they’ve given up trying.  There are people who have resigned themselves to singleness – given up on love because they are afraid of being rejected once again.  Fear of rejection can become a jail cell – imprisoning you to a lifetime of mediocrity and settling.

When it comes to living a fulfilled life in Christ, it is important to recognize that rejection is one of the tools that Satan uses against us.  John 10:10a tells us that the thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy.  Think about it for a minute.  Think of how rejection steals your hopes.  Think of those times when rejection killed your self confidence.  Remember – rejection aims to destroy your purpose.

When dealing with rejection, it can be easy to focus on the ones who don’t love us, don’t want us, and don’t treat us right.  Unfortunately, that leads us to neglect the One who does love us, who does want us, who does treat us right. Don’t let rejection push you away from God, let it push you towards Him. There is hope in the second part of John 10:10 – “But I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

The battle we fight is not a physical one – it’s spiritual.  Refuse to let Satan use rejection against you.  Instead, look to Jesus who can restore your hope, remind you of why you’re valuable, and empower you to fulfill your purpose.

Chosen by God (A Valentine's Day Message for Single Women)

LeAnne always dreaded school dances.  She enjoyed getting a new dress and hanging out with her friends but she hated the slow dances.  She felt a great amount of anxiety waiting for a boy to ask her to dance.  It was enough to make her feel like throwing up.  And every time, without fail, her friends would get asked to dance and she would be left holding up the wall.  Standing against the wall, LeAnne would watch the other couples sway to the music with sadness.  They called her a wallflower but she didn't feel like much of a blossom.  As a single woman, it may be easy to fall into the same feelings of despair as LeAnne.  Valentine's Day can be especially hard.  During this season of love, it seems as if everything is targeted towards couples: commercials, movies, products, songs etc.  How do we as single women avoid falling into the trap of being a wallflower?  We can have our own love affair with God.  In God's love letter to us, He tells us all about his love for us.  First of all, it is everlasting and nothing can separate us from His love (Rom 8:38-39).  As a matter of fact, God created us each individually while we were still in our mother's womb and He ordained all of our days before one of them ever came to be (Ps 139:13-16).  He even knows how many hairs are on your head (Matt 10:30).  And knowing that we would be sinners, God sent His Son to save us even while we were still in sin (Rom 5:8)! Just as LeAnne desired to be held and danced with, God wants to hold us (Ps 63:8) and whisper sweet nothings in our ear (John 10:27, Matt 10:27).  Ladies, God's love for us is so high and deep that we cannot fully grasp all the ways He loves us.  Oftentimes as single women, we spend so much time longing for a relationship that we miss out on the greatest relationship of all - one with God.  GOD CHOSE YOU!  He wants to be your friend, your confidant, your love - your dance partner.  He loves you and desires to show you just how much.  He wants to know - Is He enough for you in this season of singleness?

An Unlikely Person

Read Joshua 2, Joshua 6:22-25 and Matthew 1:1-5

The story of Christ’s birth is indeed a miracle. That God would use a virgin to give birth to our Savior will never cease to amaze me. However, in Matthew 1 we witness another miracle of Christ’s birth – the inclusion of Rahab in the family tree.

In Joshua, we learn that Rahab was a prostitute who kept two Israelite spies safe as they snuck into Jericho to spy out the land. Because of her faith and assistance to the spies, her entire family was spared from death when the Israelites arrived to take the land. We don’t hear about her again until Matthew 1:5 when we learn she was one of Jesus’s ancestors.

We aren’t surprised to see great men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Solomon in Jesus’s genealogy, but a prostitute from Jericho? What was God thinking? Why would He include such an unlikely person? The answer is her faith. Rahab was familiar with the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Amorite kings. She believed the Lord of the Isrealites was “God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:11b). Not only did she have faith, but she put that faith into action by assisting the spies. Thousands of years later, her name is made known not only as a great woman of faith but as one of Jesus Christ’s ancestors – how awesome is that?

The story of Rahab proves God can use us regardless of our past. He wants use us to accomplish great things. We just need to trust in Him and take our next step of faith.

Recovering from a Fumble

Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75
Acts 2

There’s 20 seconds left in the first half of the game, and the home team is down. The quarterback steps back, ball in hand. He senses someone coming and in a panic, he fumbles the ball. A player from the other team recovers it and runs down the field to score a touchdown. With his head hung low, the quarterback makes his way to the locker room.

After a talk with his coach, the quarterback returns renewed. He performs better in the second half than in any other game. He throws with accuracy and runs with speed. He leads his team to victory and is carried off the field. He didn’t let the fumble of the first half stop him from winning the game.

Peter is a lot like this quarterback. In Matthew 26, we see Peter at his lowest point. Just hours after Jesus has been arrested, Peter has denied Him three times in public – a virtual spit in Jesus’s face. When the rooster crowed, Peter remembered Jesus’s words and began to weep, realizing what he had done. Peter, up to this point, was a model follower of Christ. He was chosen by Jesus to become a “fisher of men,” he recognized Jesus as the Christ and he was the only disciple with enough faith to join Jesus for a walk on the water. How could he ever recover from such a fumble?

Fast forward to Acts 2. Jesus has ascended to Heaven and the disciples are worshipping together. Others around them, wondering what’s going on, begin to deduce that they are drunk. Peter steps up and begins to preach to the crowd. He shares the Gospel and 3,000 people were saved! Those 3,000 shared the Gospel with others who shared the Gospel with others. And the cycle continued until someone eventually shared the Gospel with us, leading us to Christ! Can you imagine if Peter had not recovered from his fumble?

We all fumble in life – no one is perfect aside from God. What’s important is how you get back up and recover – repent, ask God for forgiveness and forgive yourself. Imagine what you can do once you recover from a fumble!

Tuning In

Read Job 33:13-14


I like to listen to a local talk show on my drive home from work. The station is close to my job so when I first tune in the signal is extremely clear. The further I drive from my job, the less I can hear and understand the show. Finally, I get to a point when I’ve driven so far away I’m forced to turn the radio off.


If I told you the radio show ended because I can no longer hear it, you’d think I was crazy. The show is still on the air. I’m simply too far away to tune in. The same is true with God. He is always speaking to us, but the further we move away the less we can hear His voice. And if we move too far away, we may stop hearing from Him altogether.


The presence of sin separates us from God and causes His signal to go fuzzy. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”


So how do we remain close to God and put ourselves in a position to hear His voice? We spend time with Him in prayer. We read His Word and submit all areas of lives to Him. We attend church and allow believers to share what they’ve heard from Him.


God is always speaking. We just need to be tuned in to hear His voice.

Everyone's Invited to the Party

Read Acts 11:1-18

Derrick always had the best birthday parties. His dad would clean out the basement and hire a DJ, and his mom would cook tons of food. When Derrick brought the invitations to school, the students chatted about the outfits they'd wear and rehearsed their dance moves. In the midst of their excitement, Janet began to cry.  She was the only girl in class who had not been invited. Janet had always been a little different. She was rarely included in fun events because no one could relate to her. Janet was sad because she knew the fun the other kids were going to have that she was going to miss.
As Christians, we often treat those around us just like Derrick treated Janet. We leave out those who are different because we feel like we can’t relate. It’s easier to socialize with people who share the same background, interests and values. It would be uncomfortable to reach out to those who are different, so we don’t. But the Bible tells us in Romans 10:12-13 that “there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God desires salvation for everyone and we should, too (1Timothy 2:4).

The more we get to know God the more we learn about the abundant life He wants for us on Earth and the party we’re invited to in heaven. God has invited all men, women and children to join Him, so let’s take seriously our responsibility to deliver the invitations.

Focus

Matthew 14:22-33


I enrolled my daughter in a gymnastics class when she was two. There was a point in class when kids were allowed to have free play and could play on any piece of equipment they chose. Children scattered to swing on the uneven bars, jump on the pommel horse and tumble on the mat. My daughter, however, would always gravitate towards the balance beam. Each week, she’d approach the beam cautiously. She wanted to get on the beam but she struggled with the fear of falling off.

Initially, she’d get on the beam and ask me to hold both of her hands as she walked. The first few times, she only made it halfway across the beam before asking me to take her down. But with some practice, she eventually made it across. Once she’d mastered walking across with me holding her hands, I felt it was time for her to master walking across alone. My daughter was terrified. It took a lot of convincing to get her to let go of my hands so I could walk to the other side of the beam. Once on the beam alone, she slowly shuffled her feet, making her way to the other side. Standing at the other end of the beam, I locked eyes with her and encouraged her to keep moving. I held out my arms and let her know she could do it. Things went well for the first five steps.

And then she looked down.

She took her eyes away from mine and looked at the floor. She was only one foot off the floor but I’m sure that felt like 50 feet to a 2 year old. Immediately she panicked, yelling, “Help me Mommy; I’m up here all alone!”

“No,” I told her, “I’m here with you. You just need to look up and see my face.” I encouraged her.

Slowly, she raised her head and looked at me. She was still shaking in fear but as I cheered her on, she was able to make it across and jump into my arms to celebrate.

As I reflect on that day, I am reminded of Matthew 14:22-33 when Peter walks on the water with Jesus. As long as he focused on Christ, Peter walked on water with no problem. But once he looked at the circumstances around him (the wind and the waves on the water), he began to sink and called out to the Lord for help.

Like Peter, there are times when we focus on our problems instead of focusing on our Savior. This can be a dangerous trap. Getting caught up in external circumstances will turn the focus away from Christ, which can cause us to sink below our problems instead of overcoming them. And the Bible tells us we will overcome this world as children of God (1 John 5:4)!

So what in your life are you focusing on instead of Christ? What is causing you to sink below your problems instead of overcoming them? I encourage you to turn your eyes above, focus on Christ and watch how your perspective changes your position.

Temper Tantrums

Philippians 4:11b: For I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.

I took my two year old daughter to the zoo a few weeks ago. Before our trip, I mentioned that she would get to see zebras so she that she would have something to look forward to. Her excitement built as we drove and she asked me every so often, “Are we going to see the zebras?” “Yes,” I answered, “we’re going to see the zebras.” Upon entering the zoo, she asked me, “Are we going to see the zebras Momma?” “Yes,” I told her, we’ll see them, but we’ll see other animals along the way too.” The first animals we approached were the grizzly bears. My daughter was initially upset because her focus was on getting to the zebras. As she concentrated on the bears, however, her excitement grew. She growled at them as they lazed near the water. She stared intently at them and made pawing motions every time they changed position. She was having a blast. When it was time to move on, I attempted to put her into the stroller so we could go. She, however, threw herself down on the ground, kicking and screaming in protest. I finally got her seated and as we left the bear cage she asked, “Are we going to see the zebras Mommy?” “Yes,” I reassured her, “but we’re going to see other animals along the way too.” The next animals we approached were the elephants. Once again, my daughter was upset that we weren’t at the zebra cage. I pointed out the elephants’ trunks and the way they threw dust onto the backs to keep themselves cool. Eventually, her excitement began to build and she pretended she had a trunk and imitated the trumpet-like sounds of the elephant’s call. When it was time to leave to go on to the next area – well you can predict what happened here – yes, she threw yet another temper tantrum – this one more violent than the previous one. I again had to get her seated so we could move on to the next animal. “Don’t you want to see the zebras?” I asked her. “Well, we have to keep moving if we want to see them.” This happened two more times as we visited the giraffes and the kangaroos until we finally made our way to the zebras. “Zebras, Zebras!” my daughter exclaimed ecstatically. She marveled at their black and white stripes, the way they ate grass, and at the baby zebra sleeping under the shade of a tree. We’d finally made it to see her beloved zebras and when it was time to go home, she was happy and satisfied with the trip.

On my way home, God pointed out that there are times when I throw temper tantrums just like my daughter. “God, why did you tell me this was going to happen in my life and it hasn’t yet?” “God, why do others have the things I want and You haven’t blessed me with those things yet?” “God, why am I struggling when it seems others around me aren’t?”

There are thousands of promises from God in His Word. As a Christian, it can be difficult to read those promises that haven’t come to fruition yet. Just like my daughter who was given a promise before it came to pass, we’ve been given promises from God as a glimpse into what will be. We must be willing to praise God for what will be while enjoying where we are in the here and now.

The danger of throwing temper tantrums is that while you are on the ground thrashing around complaining about what you don’t have, you’re not able to enjoy what God has blessed you with presently. Be careful not to miss out on the beauty of your present blessings.

What in your life has caused you to throw temper tantrums with God? How can you turn that complaint into praise?

PARENTAL LOVE

1 John 3:1: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

I knew what love was prior to becoming a mom. I loved my family. I loved my friends. I’d even fallen in love a few times. But once I gave birth to my daughter, my heart experienced love in a way it had never before. From the first time I looked at her, my love for her was indescribable. I knew that I would sacrifice everything I had to make sure she was safe and taken care of. I knew that I would go out of my way to give her what she wanted in life. I knew that nothing would remove my love for her. She was beautiful to me – probably the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life. And not just because of her exterior but because she was a part of me. My heart beams with pride whenever she masters something new. My heart aches whenever she is in pain. My heart literally melts into a puddle onto the floor when she tells me she loves me. I cannot accurately put into words the depths of my love for her. And even when I have to discipline her, it doesn’t diminish my love for her – it reinforces my love for her by teaching her right from wrong. When I look at her – her personality, her movements, her physical traits – it feels like I’m looking at a mirrored reflection of myself.

I am blessed to be a mom because it’s given me a glimpse of God’s love for us:

1. God made us in His image and when He sees us, He seems Himself:
Genesis 1:26-27: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female, He created them.”

2. God will give to us when we ask:
Luke 11:13: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

3. God feels our pain and can recount all of our hurts:
Ps 56:8: You keep track of my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. Are they not recorded in your book?

4. God will not remove His love from us:
Rom 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5. When God disciplines us, it’s not because of the lack of His love but rather because of the depths of His love – He wants us to know right from wrong:
Hebrews 12:6-7: For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

6. God gives us the chance to repent of our wrongdoings and will forgive us when we sin:
1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

7. God’s unending love for His children is displayed in His ultimate sacrifice:
John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

God made us in His image and created us to fellowship with Him as his children. When we begin to view God as our Heavenly Father, we begin to understand his love for us. How great is the Father’s love for His children!

THE BROKEN ROAD

Not too long ago I fell in love with a song by Rascal Flats called “God Bless the Broken Road”. This beautiful song tells the tale of a man who upon finding love reflects on all of the broken relationships of his past. Those heartbreaks of his past became the “broken road” leading to his true love. Here are some of the lyrics:

I set out on a narrow way many years ago,
Hoping I could find true love along the broken road.
But I got lost a time or two,
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through.
I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you.

Every long lost dream led me to where you are.
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars,
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms.
This much I know is true – that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.

A few months ago, I imagined myself singing this song to the man I would marry. But as I reflect on it today, I realize I should be singing this song to Christ. All the pain of my past – the heartbreaks, the failures, the mistakes – all that brokenness of my life has created a path that led directly to Jesus. God called to me during my lowest period – He loved me and used my pain to restore my hope in Him.

In Philippians 3:13b-14, Paul writes, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” That sounds great, right? But we all know how difficult that can be.

If you’re a visual person like me, I imagine the path that leads to Christ is much like a mosaic portrait (see picture below). A mosaic is a picture made up of small pieces of broken stone, glass, or tile. Individually, those pieces aren’t worth much and may even bring harm to someone holding them. But when pieced together, they create a beautiful and often expensive piece of art. Think of your life as a mosaic – all those broken pieces of your life, all those hurt places, those places you’d like to forget – instead of trying to hide them, think instead of how God can piece those together and make a beautiful, very worthwhile life.

*Image courtesy of Yahoo Images

RECALCULATE YOUR ROUTE

A few weeks ago I ventured to a new part of town for lunch. I am horrible with directions so I plugged the address of my destination into the GPS and took off. As I traveled, the GPS showed me step by step directions as well as the amount of time if would take me to get there. As I drove, the GPS told me about 30 seconds before I had to make a turn so I knew it was coming up and I could get ready for it. Fortunately, I made it safely to the restaurant and enjoyed my meal. When it was time to go back to work, I followed the same procedure: I plugged my job’s address into the GPS before driving off. But on the way back, I ran into some construction. The GPS told me to make a right turn but the road was blocked so I had to keep going straight. I was a little nervous because as I said before, I’m horrible with directions and I didn’t want to get lost and make it back to work late. But, thank goodness for the GPS – as I continued straight on the road, a message came up that said “Recalculating”. It was working out a new route for me to take. See, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is programmed so that if the driver deviates from the original route, it will recalculate the route to make sure the driver still gets to their destination. So whether I miss a turn, can’t make a turn because of construction, or am forced to make a detour, the GPS recalculates itself so I make it to where I’m going. As long as my GPS is functioning, it’s virtually impossible for me to get lost.

Just like the GPS, God has to recalculate our routes from time to time due to detours, wrong turns, or missed turns.

A detour is a temporary deviated route when the main way is closed – this is something you don’t have any control over. For example, Betty planned to go to school to earn her master’s degree in education. The program typically takes 2 years to complete. However, her mother fell ill and she had to drop down to part time status, thereby prolonging the program.

A wrong or a missed turn, on the other hand, is a situation where something or someone distracts you so that you focus on the distraction and make a crucial misstep or miss a crucial step towards your destination. For example, Mark devised a plan to buy a home within the next year. He wrote out a budget and figured out how much he needed to save each month to reach his goal. Three months into his plan, a new casino opened up down the street and he ventured out one night to give it a try. By the end of the year, he’d gambled away all of his savings – thereby missing the opportunity to purchase a home.

The good news is that God can recalculate Betty’s & Mark’s routes provided they consult their GPS – God’s Positioning System (the WORD) – to get back onto track. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

It is impossible to get lost as long as we are consulting God’s Word and following His directions for life.

THE PERFECT STORM

I recently took a road trip to Orlando. The weather was perfect as we left home. The sun was in the sky and the traffic was light. As we continued on our trip, however, the sky started to darken, the wind started to blow, and rain threatened to fall. About an hour into the trip, we drove right into the storm. The rain was falling so hard that traffic came to a near stop. It was hard to see out of the windshield. The roads were slippery. After about ten minutes, the rain lightened up and traffic returned to a normal pace. The clouds were still out but the fog was clearing, making it easier to see the road. Relieved that I’d made it out of the storm, I traveled along for another ten minutes before the storm suddenly reappeared. Visibility diminished, the road filled with water and traffic slowed. Like before, the sun was barely peeking out from among the clouds but it was there nonetheless. After another few minutes of driving through these conditions, the storm lightened. The sun came out a little more this time and the rain stopped completely.

For a full hour, the storm came and went in this same fashion. Frustrated, I questioned God why He allowed the storm to last so long. Why hadn’t the storm passed me by already? God responded that life works the same way. Storms come and go intermittently throughout our lives. Heavy rains, low visibility and slick traveling conditions can make life almost unbearable. But just as we’re about to give up, the rain lets up and the Son becomes visible again. I thought it was interesting that no matter how hard it rained or how heavy the clouds looked, I knew the sun was still there waiting for me to pass through the storm to the other side. And I knew that the rain couldn’t last always – it never does. The storm always lets up, the rain always stops, and the sun always shines again.

It is hard to have hope in the midst of the storm. When rain is pouring down on you, thunder crashes above, and lightning relentlessly threatens you, your first reaction may be to cower in fear. But Jesus told us He came to give us peace. "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Jesus did not promise that we would be exempt from tribulation as children of God. Instead, He told us that He has already overcome the world – we already have victory through Christ. That means that whatever storm you’re facing, Jesus has already overcome it. Just like the sun was ever present during my rainy road trip, the Son is ever present during our storms – it’s our responsibility to put our trust in Him, knowing that he has already conquered those things which threaten to push us off the road.

FREEDOM IN CHRIST

Consider the following hypothetical situations with me for a moment:

You’ve been kidnapped and are being held in a locked room. You are given the basic essentials – food, water, a toilet. You notice that the key to the room is sitting on the floor next to you. Do you remain in bondage or release yourself?

You’ve been falsely accused of a crime and thrown into jail. After a short time, the district attorney comes by and tells you that you’ve been cleared of all charges. He advises you that you can leave at any time. Do you stay in jail or do you leave?

Obviously, you would release yourself in both of these situations, right? So why do we insist on remaining in spiritual bondage when Jesus has already secured our freedom?

Paul writes to the church of Galatia, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.*”

It’s like being set free from a kidnapper and then running back to him to be enslaved once more. That would be absurd – just like it’s absurd to stay in spiritual bondage when Christ has made us free.

I am one of the few people who tuned in to the summer miniseries on NBC titled, “Persons Unknown”. The 13-week series told the story of 8 kidnapped people placed into a deserted town surrounded by an electric border. For weeks, they fought to escape to no avail. Finally, during the series finale, they found their way to freedom. For a short while, they enjoyed their freedom – some went back to their normal lives while the others lived under cover of new identities. Unfortunately, by the end of the finale, they were enslaved again. The finale was disappointing to me because I’d invested so much into these characters’ freedom and it felt hopeless to see them back in bondage in the end.

I’m so happy that doesn’t have to be the way our story ends. John 8:32 & 36 tells us, “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free…So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” We don’t need to persevere in sin when we’ve been given the Word of God (the truth).

Enslaved by low self esteem? Read Psalms 139:13-16 and discover that you were wonderfully and fearfully made by God Himself.

Enslaved by anxiety? Read Philippians 4:6 and learn how to address anxiety (by prayer and petition).

Enslaved by loneliness? Read John 14:16 about how Christ sent us the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) who is with us always.

God’s Word addresses all of our needs – He is able to free you from any form of bondage – no matter how great or small. Your freedom is important to Him – you must read His Word to understand just how much.

* Galatians 5:1

The 5S Method

I took a continuous development class at work called “5S” and it dealt with ways to organize your space. I’ve always maintained an organized workspace but oddly enough I can’t say the same for my personal space, so I was excited to learn a new technique. Here are the 5 S’s from the class:


1. Sort – distinguish any unneeded items and remove them
2. Set in Order – keep needed items in their correct place
3. Shine – make things clean and remove all that hinders visibility
4. Standardize – create a consistent way of implementing tasks
5. Sustain – maintain & consistently apply established procedures

This is great stuff! I’ve already started putting some of this into practice. As I review each step, I can’t help but relate this to my spiritual walk also:

1. Sort – evaluate your heart, mind, and life to determine unnecessary emotions, practices, mindsets, habits, and even people, and remove them. Galatians 5:24 – And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

2. Set in Order – prioritize your priorities – the Christian walk isn’t about self promotion, it’s about lifting Christ on high so others may follow Him. Luke 9:23: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

3. Shine – make an effort to cleanse and purify yourself, removing anything that hinders visibility. What is it that stands between you and God? God calls us to be holy as He is holy and He calls us to be the light of the world. Matthew 5:14-16 – You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

4. Standardize – create a consistent way of living the Christian life. Studying God’s word, praying daily, assembling yourself with other saints, serving others, paying tithes…these are practices that every believer should adopt – a standard – as they continue their relationship with Christ.

5. Sustain – Isn’t it great to know that God will sustain you? That you’re not in this alone? God has promised throughout his Word to sustain us. Webster’s Dictionary lists four basic definitions for sustain:

a. To support weight/To bear a burden: Matthew 11: 28-30 – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light!

b. To endure suffering without yielding/To keep going: Only two words needed here: THE CROSS!

c. To supply necessities/To provide: Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

d. To uphold as valid/To confirm: Romans 5:1-2 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

As a born again believer, we have a responsibility to crucify our flesh daily, deny ourselves & follow Christ, strive for holiness, and consistently keep up the practices of our faith but Jesus promises to support us and provide for us as well us uphold us before the Father!

Oh, What a Promise!

People leave. Friends move away, spouses separate, coworkers get relocated, loved ones die. There are people I no longer speak to who, 10 years ago, I thought were going to be in my life forever. I’ve had my heart broken in situations that I thought were permanent but turned out to be temporary. I’ve witnessed deaths of people I thought were invincible. People leave. But God promised “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.* It’s funny how often we take the promises of God for granted. Who else can promise you that they will never leave you?


If you’re like me, you’ve seen The Color Purple at least 25 times. One of my favorite lines from that movie occurs when the young sisters, Celie & Nettie, are being dragged apart. As young Nettie is taken away, she reaches out to her sister proclaiming, “Nothing but death shall keep me from her.” In other words, “No matter what you do to keep us apart, I will find my way back to her!” God’s promise is that “Nothing, not even death, shall keep Me from you.” Paul writes “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, not height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”** Oh, what a promise! God promises that His love is everlasting.


Generally, we tend to think of His love comforting us in times of pain, supplying for us in times of need, and blessing us in times of faithfulness. But God’s love also remains in times of disobedience and times of anger as well. Who else can promise to stick around when you curse them out in anger? To love you unceasingly when you ignore them? To remain faithful when you cheat on them? I think of the many times I’ve cheated on God – with other people or with possessions. The times I put those people in front of Him. And He waited patiently for me, loving me in spite of. I think of the times I’ve yelled at God, demanding an explanation for the situation I was going through. And God understood my anger, continued to love me, and waited for me to calm down. I think of the times I’ve been disobedient and crawled back on my knees to God begging for forgiveness and God, with arms open wide, continued to love me. Oh what a promise God gives us when He states He’ll never leave or forsake us. I think of all the people who’ve left my life but God has remained a constant – even when I wasn’t consistent with Him. And I know when I cheat on God again, or curse at Him, or ignore Him that He’ll STILL love me and will STILL be with me – oh, what a promise!



*Hebrews 13:5b
**Romans 8:38-39

PERSISTENT FAITH

PERSISTENT FAITH



Persistent –Continuing steadfastly in spite of opposition.


Obituary: Woman, age unknown, name unknown, died today after suffering over 12 years from an unidentified disease which caused her to bleed uncontrollably. After spending all she had on doctors who were unable to find a cure, she resigned herself to the local leper community to spend her last days. Those who knew her describe her as a nice person who just “couldn’t catch a break”. She died just after sunrise this morning – there will be no memorial service.


This is a pretty depressing summary of a person’s life. While this obituary is fictional, this could have been the end to the story of the woman with the issue of blood had she not reached out to touch Jesus*. Put yourself in her shoes for a moment – during those times, a woman was considered unclean while she was menstruating. Her husband could not touch her, she had to separate herself from her community, and she wasn’t permitted to enter the temple to make sacrifices for her sins**. In addition, the text tells us that she spent all she’d had on doctors, to no avail. Can you imagine being alone, sick, broke and isolated from God? Have you ever been there? Traveling through life unsure of what tomorrow holds and wondering what’s the point of today? If you have, then you know how easy it can be to give up hope. Yet, this woman persisted. In my mind, I imagine her moving slowly down the road, people staring at her as she passes. Yet, she persisted. Blood running down her legs onto her sandals. Yet, she persisted. Weak with the constant loss of blood, I can see her hunched over as she makes her way to Jesus. Yet, she persisted. Just as she’s about to pass out from exhaustion, she reaches out to touch Jesus’s garment and is instantly made whole.


What’s the issue that’s been plaguing your life for days, weeks, months, years, decades? Have you spent all your time, energy, and resources on that issue, to no avail? Has that issue left you alone? Sick? Broke? Isolated from God? What’s blocking you from reaching out & touching Jesus? Other people? Doubt or fear? Pride? As we read this story, we can learn from this nameless woman of faith. Sick for 12 years, she did not give up – she persisted. She did not let her lack of health, her lack of community, or her lack of money stop her. She knew that Jesus was her only hope for healing. And instead of the ominous obituary above, she reserved a place in the Bible as a woman of faith:


And a woman who was there [in the crowd] who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years…when she heard about Jesus she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched his cloak because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from suffering…He [Jesus] said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5:25-29, 34)


How would your obituary read if you left this life today? Would it be a sad retelling of issues that plagued you to no end or would it be a testimony of persistent faith?



*Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48)
** Leviticus 15:19-30

The RESET button

Reset – To put into proper position again


I joined Weight Watchers about a month ago and I’m now realizing why I’ve not been able to drop these pounds over the years – I get too easily distracted. Losing weight is all about consistency – consistently eating well and consistently exercising. My first two weeks on the program, I lost 9 pounds! On the third week, however, I vacationed in Florida and it’s gone downhill since then. I’ve since gained back 5 of the 9 pounds I’ve lost. The problem was that once I got off track, I wasn’t motivated to get back into my routine of healthy living.

My faith walk tends to mirror my struggle with weight loss. I take a few steps forward & then I take a few steps back. I realize that Christianity is not a competitive race where we’re all challenging each other to see who reaches perfection first, but it is about forward movement. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul states that he is “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. Forward movement. There are times in my faith, like my commitment to weight loss, when I become stagnant and stale. I stop going to church. I don’t pray like I should. I engage in sinful activities & it doesn’t bother me. In Weight Watchers, they call it “hitting the plateau”.

So what do you do when this happens? How do you motivate yourself to get back on track? Well, my Weight Watchers meeting leader suggested that I hit the RESET button. Here’s an example to put it into perspective: Let’s say you’ve just washed your hair and are in the process of drying it with a blow dryer. All is going well and then it suddenly shuts off. What’s happened is that the dryer’s internal cutoff switch has turned it off to prevent overheating, which could be harmful to the user. While that’s happening, you shake the dryer and hit it a few times with the palm of your hand, to no avail. Dismayed, you are just about to give up when you notice a little red button sticking out from the plug – the RESET button. You push it and the power immediately returns. Hallelujah!

Isn’t this how God works when we hit spiritual plateaus? When we’re not living as holy as we should be & we don’t seem bothered by it? Or when we get comfortable in our walk and aren’t concerned with making forward progress? God allows an auto shut off to occur in our lives. We lose our job. That perfect relationship ends. A loved one gets violently ill. We can’t seem to make ends meet no matter how hard we try. At the time that it happens, we can’t see that God was aiming to get our attention. That He wanted us to hit the RESET button and get back on track. That He realized the path we were headed down was meant for our destruction. Was that boyfriend or girlfriend a distraction from your relationship with Christ? Was that job taking you away from your true purpose in life? Would an abundance of money take your eye away from the cross? Did you find that you were on your knees more than ever as a result of your ill loved one? It’s wise to ponder just what God is up to when He initiates the auto shut off in your life. And once you realize it, it’s even wiser to hit that RESET button on your faith walk: open your Bible & start studying his Word again, get down on your knees and open the dialogue with God again, go back to church and seek out the support of the saints, start paying your tithes.

It’s almost embarrassing the number of times God has had to shut something off in my life to get my attention and I’ve had to hit the RESET button. And just like my struggle with weight, God is showing me that it’s about being consistent. I’m not going to achieve perfection as a Christian, but I can make forward progression the more consistent I am. I pray for strength to ignore distractions and I am thankful for the ones He’s already removed from my life.