Saturday, April 26, 2008
Never Give Up
Never give up. Victory is just around the corner. We are called to persevere!
James 1:2-4: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything
Monday, April 21, 2008
Hoping For the Right Connection
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Daily Dose of reality
Perspective makes all the difference. We live in a world that is driven by individualism and success. Almost from birth we are saddled with expectations and goals. We are to have the perfect job, marriage, life.
Thursday I was returning from a trip to the
A Mocha espresso with an extra shot of caffeine. that should wake me up. I grabbed a table and looked at the mornings headlines. As my mind started to wake up I overheard two guys at the table in front of me. They were reading E.M. Bounds book, Prayer. The one gentleman said to the other, “There are so many expectations in life. So many things to keep up with, the mortgage, family, car payments, education… Is this really the way that God wants us to live?”
He’s right, there are so many expectations. The world spins so fast that sometimes we just want off. When we see ourselves as the center of the universe we are always in danger of spinning out of control. It is only when we see Jesus as that center that everything begins to balance out. I say "begins" because it happens over time as our relationship with him grows. It takes effort on our part.
Scott Stapp from Creed wrote a song called "You Stand Here With Me." In this song he says, “I’ve learned the world is bigger than me, you’re my daily dose of reality”.
My daily dose of reality is found every time I read the bible. Every time I talk to him. It puts me and my life in perspective. It changes my thinking from I am the center to understanding that God is and that he is in control. Man does that take the pressure off! Have you had your daily dose of reality?
"Stand Here With Me"
You always reached out to me and helped me believe
All those memories we share
I will cherish every one of them
The truth of it is there's a right way to live
And you showed me
So now you live on in the words of a song
You're a melody
You stand here with me now
Just when fear blinded me you taught me to dream
I'll give you everything I am and still fall short of
What you've done for me
In this life that I live
I hope I can give love unselfishly
I've learned the world is bigger than me
You're my daily dose of reality
You stand here with me now
On and on we sing
On and on we sing this song
'Cause you stand here with me
Monday, April 14, 2008
Peace Like A River flows
I can remember as a boy. A bunch of kids from the neighborhood made up a young troop of adventurers who would run all over town on our bikes. We traveled through the streets, the fairgrounds, the dump and back alleys. It was almost as if everyday was another episode of Indiana Jones. We never really got into big trouble. But we lived each day as if the world was open to us for the first time.
As the summer grew hotter we had to find new ways to cool off from the
We would race to the springs. Climb the side hill to a little waterfall and step into the water. Leaning into the falls the cold spring water would run over our bodies, cooling us from the summer heat. It not only cooled our skin, but it felt as if the cold water was flowing through the core of our bodies. What an incredible feeling. Refreshed and drenched we would jump on our bikes and continue the day’s adventure.
I realized today. That is the exact feeling you get when you forgive others. All the weight of un-forgiveness is washed away as the spirit of God that lives inside us, flows through the core of our being and sets us free. The heat of the hate and anger is washed away and the freedom that Christ gives us flows through us just like standing in that waterfall. Forgiveness brings Peace Like a river flows.
Oh, The bike back then. It was a 5 speed Schwinn Stingray, with a stick shift. It was the coolest thing on the road. Isn't life great!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
One more turn Please
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
You just never know
It is almost as if everyone is at one of those viewing sites at Mount Rushmore with those viewing binoculars you slip a quarter in for an up close look. For a lot of years I marveled at the view I was getting from my Lens. You could see so much! You could determine where you would look and what you would focus on.
Then one day I had a strange idea. "I wonder what other people are seeing". I mean, I just assumed everyone was seeing what I was seeing. After all it was so incredible. There could not possibly be anything more spectacular than the view I had from my lens. "I wonder what other people are seeing". If you have a thought twice it must mean something right?:) So I decided to have a look. I looked through the lens of others around me. I saw it!
Sorry I can't tell you what it was, you will just have to look.
You Just Never Know