Minibikes and Omnipotence

Minibikes and Omnipotence

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27 ESV

Our God is a God who speaks to us, even when we least expect it. When I dropped off my son's bike at school the other morning, the Lord surprised me with one of the most poignant and convicting messages. We (well, at least I do) sometimes get so wrapped up in fear and anxiety with our present situation and faith-testing trial that we forget our God. 

I wonder how different our life would be if we lived like we know deep in our heart who our God really is, an omnipotent (all-powerful) God who loves us enough to die for us? How would that peace (the one that transcends all understanding) manifest itself in our daily life? I can only image how different our outlook and response to life might be. 

Just a thought to ponder on today as we stop and take a God breath.

"You have no idea of the power that under girds you." ~ God

Jumbo Jet Suspended in Mid-Air!

Jumbo Jet Suspended in Mid-Air!

God is moving behind the scenes even if we don't see the results.

Patience is something I struggle with, especially when I have been praying for something for days, weeks, months, and even years.  It can be hard to trust and wait on God in his perfect timing, when you don't see any confirmation in the flesh.  

When I saw that jumbo jet, seemingly suspended in mid-air, my heart stopped as the Lord spoke tenderly to my heart. 

Take a minute to watch my vlog today and be encouraged: The Lord God hears your prayers and working all things out for you good, despite what you see in the natural. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

~ Romans 8:28 ESV

My First Deep Waters: Lift Your Gaze Vlog 

God is not impatient. Why should we be?

My first vlog post! Praise God! And thankfully God's not impatient with us. If that's the case, then why should we be? That's the message from my vlog today.

Stop, take a breath, and give yourself time to be still and know that he is God. For he is the Creator of the Universe, our Lord and Savior. He is the one who speaks to our hearts to comfort us. 

Rest in him today.

And remember, he's the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for him? (Jeremiah 32:27)

Bigger isn't always better

Image Source

In our culture of super-sizing, bigger isn't always better. Size isn't important at all, especially when it comes to faith. That is, the amount of our faith not in the situation, not with the problem, and/or not in the person. Rather, faith in (knowledge and understanding) of whom we are praying to. So, faith is a clear comprehension of who our God is, not how big our problems are. As we see from the image above of the foggy path ahead of us, "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1 ESV).  We need not worry about the fog or trying to figure everything out. God has that part already figured out. 

Source Image

We only need such a small amount of faith in our HUGE God.  Faith the size of tiny grain will suffice. Jesus said, "if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20 ESV). Even Jesus tells us to not be concerned with the size of the mountain (our problems), but rather focus on the source of our faith, our very BIG God, who can easily move mountains, because NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE for GOD (Luke 1:37 ESV).

"For whatever we focus on gets bigger: if we focus on our problems, they get bigger, if we focus on our God, then our God gets bigger than our problems." (Deep Waters: Lift Your Gaze by Kim Clark)

Make sure you and your family are focused on the right thing for 2018. May the Lord continue to richly bless you and your family in the new year.

The Gift

Image Source

It was something everyone had wanted for so long. Each person had their own idea of what the gift should look like, what color the wrapping paper would be, the size and shape of the present, and the perfect colored bow.  They even smiled every time they thought about it. It gave them hope.

It was going to be beautiful once they received it!  They couldn't wait. Patiently they longed for it. And they even prayed for it. 

Then it came...not in the packaging, wrapping, or shape they expected,and the bow definitely wasn't right! And goodness, the delivery was ALL wrong! It wasn't supposed to come like this! It was promised to be perfect! And this clearly wasn't!

The waves of disappointment washed over each person and some were even angry! Enraged enough to murder! All because their gift didn't come as they envisioned it!

The gift came in the form of a baby, born from a virgin, unwed mother in a foul-smelling stable with animals mooing and snorting all around them.  

Then to make matters worse, the first people to be notified of this momentous occasion that everyone had been praying for centuries was not the nobles nor the religious leaders and scribes. Rather, the angelic host birth announcement came to a band of uneducated, dirty nomads who-hadn't-bathed-in-months caring for some dumb, smelly sheep in the middle of nowhere. That's who heard it first. Those were the Savior's first visitors to call upon him.  Not his extended family, not the rabbi's or religious leaders, but a rough-looking group of unshaven, stinky shepherds. That's who, in a excrement-filled stable of animals, first welcomed God in the flesh into this world.

That how, where, and through whom God chose to give mankind the greatest gift of all humanity.

What is your gift you are waiting for?  

Maybe it will also be delivered in a packaging, form, or wrapping that you are not expecting?  

Maybe it's in a form a trial, illness, or painful relationship? 

Whatever the form, God will give you the gift that is best for you at this time in your life.  

Image Source

Trust him with his gift to you this holiday season as you gaze into the stable, find the manager, and fix your gaze on glowing baby, your Lord and Savior. 

"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32 ESV)

Merry Christmas dear friends as you remember the true meaning of Christmas: "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14 ESV)

"Would you annul my judgement?"

Image Source

I was desperately praying for someone I love.  Praying God would be merciful with them. Praying this would be the final stop in the valley of the shadow of death and they would repent, turn from their sin, and run to God.  

After days and weeks of fervent prayer and fasting, on one of my runs, I heard the Lord speak to my heart...

"Would you annul my judgement?"

Sheepishly I hung my head low as the tears of sweat seeped into my eyes. The tears, like the Lord's words, burned. I wiped the sweat away from my eyes and bit my lower lip.

Then I heard...

"Am I not their eternal father?"

My stomach sank as the Lord continued...

"Would you interrupt an earthly father disciplining his child?"

I looked away as if I could avert his gaze, but Lord pressed...

"Would you question his ways?"

I just shook my head and murmured, "No."

My shoulders drooped as the Lord spoke...

"Then why are you questioning my ways, asking me to truncate the process, and lift the consequences?  These are the very things I am using to bring them closer to me."

My only recompense was silence.

"I've got this. I am big enough to work all things out for good, including this situation.  I am that BIG of a God."

"Trust me."

Smiling, I walked the rest of the way home, my gaze lifted, and prayers were now, "Your will be done, my God, your will be done."

Image Source

At Least Peter Got Out of the Boat!

Image Source

Judging others is so easy, just focus on their weaknesses and then self-righteously point out their failings. I know I can tempted by this sin as I focus not on my God, my Lord, and my Jesus, but on my fellow man.

Image Source

I look to Peter in the boat during a storm in the middle of the night and I am grateful for his example. Of all the disciples, he was the only one who got out of the boat!  He was a little messy in his leadership, but at least he took action. How many of are frozen in fear and don't get out the boat even when we hear the Lord calling to us, telling us to take that first step of faith?

Peter always seemed to come up wanting (like me), yet still pursuing His Lord. Out of the twelve in that boat, Peter was the only one who got out a perfectly good vessel and asked Jesus help him walk on water in the middle of a storm.  He had his eyes on his God in the flesh, not on the storm.

Image Source

Only when Peter diverted his focus from Jesus to the piercing pain from the waves and howling wind, he started to sink. Isn't that like us? As soon as our trial becomes too intense, we can't seem to tear our eyes from it; it consumes our entire lives.  We forget our God. But what did Jesus do with Peter? He had mercy on him, grabbed his hand and lifted him into the boat.  Then Jesus asked him, "Why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:22-23 NIV).

Isn't that just like us?

When I look to God and Jesus, there is NO doubt I come up short.  When I look to my fellow man (even Peter), I quickly point out the speck in their eye while they have to duck to avoid my plank that is about to clobber them (Matt 7:3 NIV)!

Leaders are not perfect, they are obedient to their calling.  I think we can so fervently point to other's weaknesses and then justify our own. I believe this grieves God.  "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23 NIV).

We can look to our leaders both in the church (like Peter) and outside the church and condemn them in self-righteousness like a non-believer, and forget Jesus's new commandment, that:

 We love one another.  

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  

By this everyone will know that you are my disciple, 

if you love one another.

(John 13:34b-35 NIV)

I think of Simon Peter, that despite his flaws, Jesus promised to build his church upon him. Peter, who denied Jesus three times during our Lord's darkest hours, sank in the storm waters when he took his eyes off Jesus and then sheepishly acknowledged his love for his Lord publicly not one but three times.

Image Source

Are we all like Peter?  

Aren't we all in desperate need of forgiveness and grace that only comes from the cross of Jesus Christ?  

Aren't we all like wicked sinners who are slow to forgive and show love to those who have sinned against us? 

Aren't we all in desperate need to God's love which is only accessed through belief in the shed blood of Jesus Christ?

And don't we need to show that love to others when they (just like us) don't deserve it?

Let us get on our knees, pray to God for one another especially those who have sinned against us and our leaders, and show Christ's love so that the world can see who we really belong to.

We are Christ's children and a great price was paid for us.  We bare the mark of our Redeemer.  We are covered in his blood and washed clean.

Let us keep our focus on God and show love.  And maybe even a little fruit...

Image Source