Leap of Faith

Category: Leap of Faith

  • TRADING THE URGENT FOR THE IMPORTANT: Redefining Endurance

    Photo by Volker Thimm

    This has been a season of both ridiculously intense stress and intensely deep growth. Several things have been redefined for me. One of these is the nature of endurance. Until I damaged my knees, I was a distance runner. I preferred running on a circular track. Because I didn’t have to worry about road hazards, I could focus my attention completely on my breath and let my mind and soul take flight. As often as not, my soul would find itself nestled in the arms of my loving Father pouring out my heart to Him. I would run until all the distractions, demands, and worries of life fell away and all that was left was peace.

    Running was a joy-filled encounter with the Jehovah Shalom. It was soulfully cathartic! In many ways distance running is a picture of endurance. Unlike sprinting, which relies on bursts of intense speed over short distances, distance running is about steady continuous movement and what it takes to sustain that movement, ideally without killing the runner. This is the heart of endurance; doing what it takes to keep moving forward without being destroyed in the process. Centering on, resting in, and communing with God is the foundation of that endurance process.

    Photo by Najman Husaini

    We are a world of sprinters these days. Like cockroaches with ADHD, we sprint in darkness from one thing to the next without ceasing, never seeing or experiencing beauty. As a result, diagnoses of PTSD and clinical burn out syndrome are accelerating at an alarming rate. Between the onslaught of personal and global trauma, too many of us find ourselves in a never-ending battle of trying simply to endure one thing after another. We subsist on a diet of distraction. This is slowly starving our souls to death. As an endurance strategy, sprinting isn’t cutting it. We must find ways to endure without losing everything that makes life worth living in the process. But how?!?

    Jesus and the disciples were at the home of Simon the leper. A woman came in and anointed Jesus with a very expensive perfume. Ignoring the loving intimacy of this act of worship, the disciples argue that the perfume should have been sold and the proceeds used for the poor. Jesus’ response is somewhat jarring.  “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a good thing for me. For you will always have the poor with you; but you will not always have me (Matt 26:10-11).”

    Photo by Mareefe

    In reading this challenging passage, one could be tempted to interpret Jesus’ response as callus and uncaring towards the plight of the poor. I believe this is a gross misinterpretation of Jesus’ words. Rather I believe Jesus is alerting us to the difference between the urgent and the important. This is a critical distinction when it comes to endurance. It could be the difference between running the race set before us or allowing our souls to die.

    Anyone who has ever flown on an airplane is familiar with cabin depressurization procedures. When traveling with a child, I put my mask on first and then help the child. Is this because my life is more important than the child’s? Certainly not. The child’s situation is unequivocally urgent. However, it is critically IMPORTANT that I put my mask on first. If I pass out, we BOTH die. It’s the same with the continuous flow of urgent things we face every day. We must attend to the important before we can address the urgent. If we don’t, nothing survives.

    I am learning to identify and prioritize the important over the urgent. I have come to understand that I have to put on my air mask or I won’t survive to resolve anything, no matter how urgent. Like every good runner knows, long distance running requires sufficient oxygen. Jesus is our oxygen. I have to breathe in the Holy Spirit like my life depends on it!  Because here’s the reality, IT DOES!

    Photo by Ingrid Santana

    All of us who are weary and struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD and burn out, need to come to Jesus to find rest for our souls! We NEED to be led by the Shepard to green pastures and quiet waters. We absolutely MUST cast our cares on Him who cares for us intimately and passionately. It’s ESSENTIAL that we dwell in the beauty of the presence of Jehova Shalom, the Lord our peace. Our survival hinges on having the kind of intimate relationship with Jesus that causes us to pour out the expensive and limited oil of our time and attention on Him. It’s the only way we will survive long enough to deal with the urgent.

    That doesn’t mean we ignore the situations in our lives and the lives of those around us. We don’t stop caring about the urgent. Rather, focusing on Jesus opens the door for miraculous to happen in our lives. It enables us to deal with the urgent in ways we wouldn’t be able to otherwise. When we trade the urgent for the important, we have the resources to meaningfully and effectively address the urgent. We can run the race that is set before us with endurance. We may even find joy in the running.

    Photo By Luna Lovegood

    And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking away from all that will distract, focusing our eyes on Jesus, the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity, who for the joy of accomplishing the goal set before Him endured the cross (Heb 12:1-2 AMP)

  • LEAVING ANXIETY BEHIND: Finding peace in the midst of trial

    Photo by Johannes Plenio

    Things in our lives have been relatively quiet for a while. I am allowing myself to embrace the idea that we might be through this season of trial. Not just through, but actually learning to experience the peace that passes all understanding. The path there was not as pretty or as fast as I would have liked it to be.

    The worst part of a season like the one we have come through is the compounding effect of taking hit after hit without time to recover. It reduces your resilience to ashes and it’s fertile ground for anxiety to grow. In fact, somewhere in the middle of this season I developed an anxiety disorder.

    I’m a thinker by nature, so it’s very difficult for me when emotions get in the driver’s seat. A full-blown anxiety disorder let me know that emotions were not only in the driver’s seat, they had taken control of the whole car. They were messing with the signals, knocking the mirrors out of position, and stripping the gears at every opportunity.

    Anxiety fixates you on the things that make you anxious, intensifying everything hundredfold. More times than I would care to admit, anxiety made me afraid to leave our house. It’s extremely hard to be out in public when your emotions and nerves feel like a frayed live wire bouncing around a puddle of water.

    Photo by Mikhail Nilov

    When I did go out, things didn’t always go well. Once at Costco, I burst into tears at the checkout counter. I was utterly and completely mortified. Having to explain to the very concerned checker that I was crying because I have an anxiety disorder and I had reached my limit for being out in public, was almost worse than the anxiety itself. I thought I was seriously broken, like unfixable broken. It terrified me.

    There are a lot of things that are helping to get me through the anxiety of this season. God’s presence in my life; the grace, mercy, and love that He pours abundantly into us, has been my foundation. I have the blessing of my family and the love we share, a good counselor, supportive friends, and a good church. In addition, there are three things that helped me recover that I want to share.

    1) I’m not broken beyond repair. I am wounded and grieving. I have good reason to be grieving. I need to stop fighting it. I need to let grief do the work that God gave us the gift of grief to do. I need to let God heal me.

    The thought that I was broken beyond repair, immobilized me. I have come to realize that, however intense and seemingly out of control the emotions I am experiencing are, they aren’t an indication that I am broken. They are an indication that there are things I need to address. They are legitimate and normal. Realizing this was a massive relief. Understanding that God was using these emotions to heal me was liberating.

    Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi

    2) I must utilize the resources God has given me. Instead of fixating on anxiety, I can fix my eyes on Him. Jesus is always available to help us for however long the storm rages.  Short storm, long storm, it does not matter. He is always in the boat with me. I just need to recognize this and ask for His help. (Matt 8:23-27)

    The single most powerful weapon against anxiety is the Word of God. Instead of fearing the storm, I get to practice taking Him at His word. I get to stand on His promises. He is faithful to keep His promises. He will not let me down and He will not let me drown.

    3) I can turn everyone and everything over to Him.

    It’s incredibly hard to move forward when you are carrying the weight of everything you should have surrendered to God. I don’t have to figure it all out or try to bring it all under control. I can give it to the God who can speak to the storm and calm the waves (Mark 4:35-41). I can cast my cares, concerns, and anxiety on Him. (1 Peter 5:7) I can surrender everything that is creating anxiety in my life to the one who offers to relieve my burden.

    Photo by Tara Winstead

     “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” Matt 11:29-30.

    Anxiety began to leave when I started practicing casting my cares on Him and obeying the command in Phil 4:6-7 to bring everything to Him in prayer. Anxiety is being replaced by the peace that comes from God. A peace, not like the flimsy peace the world gives, that disintegrates at the first round of attacks. But real peace that rebuffs the attacks, peace that passes all understanding, the peace that Jesus promised us in John 14:26-27.

    There are still days where anxiety jumps in the driver’s seat, but they are getting less and less. I am getting better at letting Him take the driver’s seat since I discovered there’s not enough room in the car for anxiety and God. I am beginning to feel tendrils of hope sprouting in my soul again. It’s nice.

    I am coming to understand that the way to survive and even recover from an anxiety disorder is to turn everything over to Him, and learn from Him. I am learning to let Him teach me whatever lessons seasons like this have to teach me, and to keep my eyes fixed on Him. I am learning to receive the peace He gives. I am learning how to leave anxiety behind and embrace life even in the midst of the worst trials.

    Photo by David Alberto Carmona Coto

  • KNOW YOUR TRAVELING COMPANION: Redefining Hope

    My first post of 2022 was “Hope for the New Year: Part One.” Part two never came. In fact, it took over a year for me to write again. Last year truly felt like being in a tiny boat in the middle of a raging sea trying to survive one giant wave after another as my skiff filled with water. I felt like all my bailing was just forestalling the inevitable moment when my boat slipped permanently beneath the waves, taking all hope with it. Worse yet, slipping beneath the waves didn’t seem like such a bad idea?!

    After ministering to the crowds, Jesus and the disciples got in their boat and set sail. Storms on the sea of Galilee can come out of nowhere and violently change the calm waters into a roiling tumult. The disciples found themselves in one of these dread-full storms. Many disciples were fishermen by trade and veterans of the sea. Storms were something they faced year in and year out. This must have been a killer storm because they completely melted down. They become so panicked that they woke Jesus up and accused Him of not caring that they were about to die!

    Jesus’ response was “Why are you afraid you men of little faith?” Jesus rebuked the storm and a “perfect peacefulness” came over the sea. The disciple’s response? “What kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matt 8:23-27)

    Why did Jesus call the disciples ‘men of little faith’? Was it because they were afraid? Or was it because they didn’t rebuke the wind and the waves themselves? I dont think so. I think the real reason was because they didn’t turn to or trust Jesus for help in the first place. I can almost hear Jesus saying ‘Guys I was right here in the boat with you. When things got rough, all you had to do was wake me up and ask for help. Instead, you panicked and accused me of not caring. Do you know me at all?’ Whatever Jesus may have been thinking in that moment, it’s pretty clear that the disciples didn’t really know their traveling companion.

    As I have looked over the events of last year, it has occurred to me that the storms weren’t my real problem. Like the disciples, my REAL problem was I didn’t fully know or trust the One with whom I travel. Would I need to be in a state of hypervigilance and panic if I recognized that Jesus is ALWAYS in my boat with me? If I truly understood the magnitude of His power to calm the storm and preserve my life would anxiety have drug me to the depths? If I rested secure in His love for me would the possibility of slipping beneath the waves even be an option? What would my seas look like if I recognized and truly trusted that all I have to do is ask Jesus to speak to the storm?

    Just before He went to the cross, Jesus promised the disciples that though He was going away He would send a comforter, a companion, who would remain with and in us forever (John 14:16-17). On another occasion Jesus promises that He and the Father will make Their dwelling place in us (John 14:23).  God is ALWAYS with us. Regardless of the storms raging around and over us, we need to know Who we are traveling with. We need to trust His presence and ask Him to release His power into our situation.

    Photo by

    Being people of faith doesn’t mean we don’t experience fear in the storms. It sure doesn’t mean we take them on ourselves (see “Redefining Strength: Building on Solid Ground). Being people of faith means getting to KNOW the One we are traveling with on an intimate basis. It means spending time in His presence, drinking in every word that He speaks. It means listening in the depths of our souls for that still small voice. It means recognizing Jesus is ALWAYS in the boat with us. He is ALWAYS willing and able to address the circumstances we are facing. Being people of faith means ASKING FOR HIS HELP and TRUSTING Him to act on our behalf. Knowing our traveling companion is the true foundation of unwavering, unbreakable hope.

  • REDEFINING STRENGTH: Building on Solid Ground

    If you had told me that it would be this long since my last post, I would not have believed you for a millisecond. For me, writing is essential. It’s not just a creative outlet, it’s a deeply important aspect of faith. It enables me to give voice to God’s presence in my life. It allows me to converse with Him and pour my heart out. The fact that I stopped writing for so long speaks to just how devastating last year was. For most of it, all I could was put my head down and try to walk through whatever happened next.

    I wasn’t up to the task. Last year utterly broke me. It shattered me in ways I didn’t think possible! I felt like I was drowning and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Honestly, there were days that drowning was FAR easier than struggling to stay afloat. In January of this year, I was diagnosed with PTSD.

    I am a strong person. I have always counted my strength as an asset. Faith in Christ and my strength in the face of adversity formed the foundation on which I based my life and my hope. Last year made it abundantly clear that, as a foundation for life and hope, MY strength is little more than a self-aggrandizing delusion. Eventually everyone reaches the end of their capacity to withstand the pummeling and they hit the canvas.

    Face down on the canvas, praying that someone would throw in the towel, I was forced to reevaluate everything I thought to be true about myself and the way I operate in faith. The conclusion I came to is that anchoring any part of my life or hope in my own strength is one of the worst forms of hubris imaginable. It’s ludicrous!

    There’s nothing wrong with a positive self-image. It’s just not a good foundation upon which to build your house. Aside from being fragile, our self-image is constantly in flux as we change and grow. That may be fine for the walls in our building, but if our foundation is in constant flux, our walls will never stand. 

    Piece by peice, God is putting my life and soul back together. Part of this process has been spending time studying 2 Corinthians 11 and 12.

    Chapter 11 catalogs the adversity Paul endured in service to Christ.  It’s a morbidly impressive list. Paul got the crap kicked out of him and yet his response was “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that reveal my weakness” (2 Cor 12:5). WOW! Talk about turning my perspective upside down.

    In chapter 12, God makes it clear that human weakness is the channel through which His strength flows.  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is being made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). By boasting in his weakness, Paul allowed the power of Christ to completely enfold him and dwell in him. I like the idea of the power of Christ enfolding and dwelling in me. After all, my strategy up to this point has been a complete failure, so why not! I’ve got nothing to lose.

    Paul’s attitude turns the cultural value of self-sufficiency, and if I am honest, my attitude, completely on its head. Being pleased with my weakness is like living in a foreign country. However, as I have pondered the last year, I have concluded that having my life turned upside down, has given me the correct perspective from which to understand the heart of these chapters.

    I have come to believe that humility and an honest evaluation and acknowledgement of my weakness opens the pathway for God’s strength to manifest perfectly in my life. Operating from human strength is NOT an asset. It is a devastating deterrent! It blocks God from manifesting His power on my behalf. Acknowledging my weakness is the ONLY path to His strength and the ONLY way through adversity to victory.

    Now that I understand that my choice is between my little raindrop of strength and His ocean of power, I will gladly drown in His power every time! If I have to die to self to be present with God, bring on the grave y’all! So, while I never want to go through a season like this EVER again, I am learning to sing the Lords song in a foreign land. I am learning to be;

    “well pleased with weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecution and with difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak in human strength, then I am strong; truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength” (2 Cor. 12:10 AMP).  

    I now KNOW, in the depths of my soul, that a foundation based on anything except God’s strength is a false hope that leads to only to death, hell and destruction. If the price of a truly solid foundation is weakness, then let me be as weak as a new born babe!

  • SACRIFICIAL LOVE: A Celebration of Easter

    What is love? For centuries people have sought an answer. Poets have extoled its virtues. Psychologists have studied it. Is it a feeling, an action, a choice to commit regardless of the consequences? Is it a biological imperative driven by chemical reactions? How we answer this question plays a critical role in how we live our lives.

    When I was 20, I made a choice that deeply and directly affected my life, and the lives of three other people and indirectly effected several others. I was single, pregnant and completely on my own. When I discovered that I was pregnant there were two things I knew immediately and unequivocally. I would NOT have an abortion and I had exactly NOTHING to give this child. I couldn’t care for or feed myself on a regular basis, much less a child. In addition, I had a mountain of emotional baggage that made Everest look like a casual climb.

    I prayed for guidance. The answer I got back was adoption. That was the hardest and the easiest choice of my ENTIRE life.  

    It was the hardest choice I have ever made, because even though she was unplanned, she was NOT unloved or unwanted.  There was nothing I wanted MORE in life than a child and a loving, happy family. The further along I got, the more I loved the child that was growing inside me. Feeling her move, discovering her responses to everthing from music to food, forged a bond with her in my heart long before I saw her precious little face for the first time. Letting go of this beautiful, perfect little girl that had shared my body for 9 months, this baby that represented everything I hoped for and so deeply desired out of life, was the single most heartbreaking choice I have ever made.  It wounded me in ways I am still trying to fully understand 36 years later.

    At the same time, it was utterly simple. When they placed her in my arms for the first time, I realized just how profound a task raising this child would be. I would be responsible for every aspect of her care, nurture and development. That realization hit me like the comet that wiped out the dinosaurs. There was NO DOUBT in my mind or soul that I wasn’t up to the task, not even a little bit.  So, I let her go to a couple that could give her all the things I could not. 

    What that taught me is that love, at its core, isn’t about my happiness. Love is other centered not self-centered.  It’s about what is in the best interest of another, especially if that other doesn’t have the power to act on their own behalf. Over the years God has refined this understanding of love. I have come to believe that the essence of love is self-sacrifice. Love doesn’t sacrifice the object of its affection on the altar of personal happiness.  It sacrifices itself for the benefit of that which is loved.

    We are approaching the celebration of Easter, the greatest example of love in all of history. Jesus chose to lay aside His power and divinity and live in the muck and mess of life with us. He was “a man of deep sorrows who was no stranger to suffering and grief” (Isaiah 53:3 TPT). He gave up His personal happiness to bridge the chasm of sin that lay between us and God. He who never sinned, became sin and bore the penalty, so that we could experience reconciliation with God and live in God’s gracious lovingkindness and abundance. He sacrificed Himself to restore the brokenness our sin caused. He did this even though we despised and rejected Him. He sacrificed Himself for the benefit of that which He loved; us. 

    Love is more than a feeling, more than a biological imperative. It is more than an action or a commitment. It is the self-sacrifice of a sinless man hanging from a cross of shame, bearing the consequences of OUR sin so that we could live our best lives, even if it cost Him His own.

    May this Easter season be the beginning of your experience of REAL love. May it be the restoration of whatever wounds you are carrying. May you come to know personally and intimately, the one who gave His life for you and me. Turn to Him. Invite Him into your life. Accept Him as Lord and Savior. If we accept this gift, we will come to understand what REAL love is and it will transform and restore every fiber of our beings now and for eternity.

  • FINDING HOPE IN ADVERSITY

    Photo By Engin Akyurt

    By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. How can we sing the lords song in a foreign land? Psalm 137:1, 4. 

    COVID has created a lot of disruption and aversity in our lives. We are in a season of dissatisfaction and distraction and there is no real end in sight. If you are like me you are tired. Tired of COVID. Tired of face masks. Tired of restrictions. Tired of conflict. Tired of politics. Tired of social distancing. Just plain tired of it all. On top of being tired, I am grieving the loss of all the things COVID protocol has taken from us. COVID isn’t going away and we can’t get away from it. In a very real way, we are captive to it.

    I doubt any of us were prepared for just how unrelenting this season would actually be. Most of us have sought distractions to take our minds off it. Healthy distraction can be a good thing. It provides some relief from adversity, especially adversity over which we have no control. Too much distraction or unhealthy distraction however, can negatively effect motivation and mood. Distraction may provide temporary relief, but it is like candy. It only satisfies while we’re consuming it and too much of it … not good!

    In 605 B.C. Babylon conquered the Nation of Judah. This began a 70 year long season of adversity for the people of God. Jerusalem and the temple were sacked and destroyed. The Israelites were killed or carted off to captivity in Babylon. They lost their homes, possessions, loved ones and their freedom. It was devastating. (This gave me a bit of perspective on the season we are going though. It may be long but at least its not 70 years!)

    Psalm 137 was written during the Babylonian captivity. It is the poignant outcry of people trying to deal with adversity in captivity.  God’s people cried out “how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” In essence they were asking, how do we find satisfaction in long term adversity? How do we find joy and meaning in prolonged captivity? How do we find fulfillment when we have little to no control over our situation or our lives? They were asking the same questions we are asking today.

    I found my answer to this question in the lives of Daniel and his friends; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

    In the beginning of their captivity, they had virtually no control over their lives. Every aspect, from their education, to jobs, to how and who they would worship, was dictated by their captors.  Even things as basic as what they ate, were decided for them. Yet, to a man, they determined that they would not defile themselves even if it cost them their lives.   

    Instead of just going along to get along or being ground down by the realities of their captivity, they choose to cast their lot with God. They chose to trust in, lean on and be obedient to God in all things, regardless of their situation. They sought His guidance and listened to His voice.  They followed His plan and relied on His protection. In their 70 years of captivity God protected, prospered and raised them to positions of power and influence.  By seeking God and allowing Him to reign in their lives, they were able to thrive in the adversity of foreign captivity. Their faithfulness even laid the foundation for the eventual return to Jerusalem. 

    In this season, we have the SAME OPPORTUNITY. When we follow their example, prolonged adversity gives us a unique opportunity. We get to trust in , lean on and be obedient to God in ways that would not be possible under any other circumstances.  It gives us the opportunity to see God work powerfully on our behalf. When we choose to throw our lot in with God, prolonged adversity becomes an opportunity to grow! To grow closer to God. To grow stronger and more resilient. To gain experience and wisdom.  To grow more Christlike.

    As we continue through this long season of adversity, let’s follow the example of Daniel and his fellow captives. Let’s trust in God’s ability to bring us through whatever comes. No matter how long it lasts, GOD WILL bring us to the other side. Lean on Him for strength and rest and He will enable us to soar like Eagles. Be obedient to Him and to His word and He will bring blessing in the midst of our captivity. 

    Take comfort in the promise of Rom. 5:3-5. “ Exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardship, knowing that hardship produces patient endurance and endurance, proven character and spiritual maturity: and proven character produces hope and confident assurance. Such hope NEVER DISAPOINTS.”

    Let this season of adversity be one in which we allow God to do His transformative work in us. Draw close to Him and take comfort in His steadfast love and care. Then we will know how to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land. Who knows, we too may be laying a foundation of hope and blessing beyond imagining!

    Recommended reading Psalm 137, Dan. Chapt. 1, 3:8-28, 6:18-28

  • THE PROMISE OF A NEW YEAR

    Photo by Rakicevic Nenad

    2 Corinthians 1:20 “For as many as the promises of God are, in Christ they are all answered with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ our “Amen” ascends to God for His glory.”

    The end of 2020 is something we have ALL been looking forward to with great anticipation. With all its chaos, stress and difficulty, 2020 couldn’t end soon enough. Yet with each new challenge, it seemed like 2020 would NEVER end.  Well, 2021 is FINALLY here! The promise of a new year is always exciting.  The possibilities a new year holds, makes the change in the calendar cause for celebration and hope. Coming out of the year we have had; the possibility of hope seems that much more exciting and vital.

    Yet despite the change in the calendar, little else has actually changed.  We are still dealing with COVID and all its myriad of physical, social and financial issues. Though last year’s tragedies have highlighted racial issues, we have yet to send the demon of racism back to the pit of hell from whence it came. We are still dealing with added stress in work, finances, marriage, family life and relationships in general and yet…

     We cannot afford to abandon the promise of a new year! 

    Each new year holds promise because time itself is a gift from God.  He gives us each year, and every year he gives us, is a year filled with the potential of what He can and WILL do in our lives. The hope of that potential is something we need to embrace ESPECIALLY after the year we have had.

    One of the ways we can embrace this potential is to remind ourselves of the promises God has made to us. So, what are some of God’s promises to us?

    • God promises His presence. He promises that whatever we face, He will be with us. He will never under any circumstances desert us or leave us defenseless. As we walk through this coming year, we can be assured that He will be beside us guiding and protecting, comforting and consoling us. No matter what, He WILL bring us though.

    Psalm 23:4

    Heb. 13:5-6

    Psalm 55: 22:

    Isaiah 41:10-13

    Isaiah 43: 1,2

    Psalm 46:1-3

    Psalm 18:2

    Psalm 55:22

    Psalm 9:9

    • God promises to bring GOOD out of every situation we face, even the worst. Whatever crap life throws at us, God will use it to grow a garden of beauty and repose in our lives. He desires to give us a life of abundance, regardless of the situations around us.

    Rom 8:28

    Jer. 29:11

    John 10:10

    2 Thes. 2:16-17

    Deut 30:9, 19-20

    1 Kings 8:56

    Psalm 23:2-3, 5

    • God promises to care for us. He will provide for us always. He promises to ease our burden and bring us a peace that transcends circumstance.

    1 Peter 5:6,7

    Matt 6:25,26

    Phil 4:6

    Matt 11:28-30

    John 14:27

    Isaiah 57:19

    Psalm 85:8

    Phil 4:7

    Psalm 128:

    • God KEEPS His promises

    Num 23:19

    2 Peter 3:9

    2 Cor. 1:20

    This coming year is overflowing with potential because God gave it to us and He is with us!  If God is for us, who or what can stand against us? NOTHING!! So, embrace the promise of the new year. It’s real! We have His word on it!

  • THE VALUE OF LIFE

    God said, Let us make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness…In the image and likeness of God He created them: male and female He created them. (Gen 2:26, 27 AMP)

    I avoided watching the George Floyd video. I have lived through enough violence in my life, that seeing it affects me deeply. A trusted friend suggested I needed to see it, so I watched. I was horrified by what I saw! It gutted me! Seeing a police officer, sworn to protect citizens and uphold the law, murder a man in such a brutal and indifferent manner shredded my soul! Now, everyone wants to put their spin on it.  ‘He was a lifelong petty criminal with a history of drugs.’  ‘He was a Bible believing Christian with a history of ministry’

    The fact is, neither of those things matter. If he had been a full-on enforcer for the worst gang in the country, responsible multiple deaths, his murder was still unjust and wrong. It is not a police officers’ job to execute punishment for crimes by kneeling on someone’s neck until they are dead. His life was not the officer’s to take.  

    IF, by the laws of this country, George Floyd had been CONVICTED of crimes worthy of the death penalty, it is the job of the court system to determine and dole out punishment. No one deserves the cruel and unusual punishment exacted by that officer. Likewise, it doesn’t make his death more unjust or more wrong if he was a Bible believing minister. It might make it more tragic but not more unjust or wrong.

    The value of human life isn’t based on good behavior or devalued by bad.  A person’s character may be tarnished by bad behavior, but our value as human beings is a constant based on being made in the image of God, plain and simple. It can’t be changed. It can’t be enhanced or diminished. Our value is inherent, meaning it is a permanent and essential part of being human. It can’t be taken away. 

    George Floyd was deprived of the basic human right of life by an act of depraved indifference.  His value as a human being made in the image of God was blatantly ignored.  It is wrong on its face.  How George did it did not live his life does not determine his value as a human being or justify taking his life.     

    Whenever we start defining the value of human life based on something other than being made in the image of God, we are on DANGEROUS ground. We have missed the point. Defining the value of another human being based on good or bad behavior, the colour of their skin or any other category we want to use, is a trap from the enemy. It is evil incarnate. Left unchallenged, it will ultimately lead to the subjugation and destruction of all humanity under the heels of hateful and evil people. It MUST be rooted out and opposed in all its forms!

    Mr. Floyd may have committed a crime.  If he did, he deserved to be tried in a court of law. If convicted he deserved to be given a punishment equal to his crime.  He did not deserve to be deprived of his value and dignity as a human being. He did not deserve to be murdered in the street in the brutal, depraved and racist way he was. We need to value and protect human life and treat each other with dignity even, and perhaps especially, in difficult circumstances. When we are in situations of conflict, we need to protect the rights and dignity of all people or no one will have either. Every life is valuable. Every life matters, without exception.

     

     

     

     

     

  • WALKING BY FAITH: a 2020 Survival Guide

    “However, we possess this precious treasure, the divine light of the Gospel, in frail, human vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of power may be from God… We are hedged in and pressed on every side, troubled and oppressed, but not crushed, we suffer embarrassments and we are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair. We are pursued but not deserted to stand alone; we are struck down to the ground, but never…destroyed” 2 Cor 4:7-9 AMP

    With COVID being such a BIG part of our daily lives, these words have taken on a new meaning. We are painfully aware of the frailty and vulnerability of our bodies. If you’re sheltering, being hedged in is not a metaphor, it’s a reality. Social distancing can lead to almost total isolation for those who are sheltering alone.

    COVID is pressing in on EVERY side, oppressing the whole world. We are struggling to find a way out. We are working to understand how to contain its spread and heal those who have been infected. It can all seem so devastating. However, we have a promise from God, Himself. He promises that that we will not be crushed, or driven to despair. We will NOT be deserted or forced to face this crisis alone! We will NOT be destroyed!

    But what if we’re not experiencing these promises? How do we get to a place where we can live this victory?

    “For we walk by faith, not by sight, living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises.” 2 Cor 5:7 AMP

    Walking by faith is something we all aspire to do. But let’s face it, it’s one of the hardest things for us to accomplish. Part of the reason it’s so hard, is that walking by faith means that we aren’t in control. Few of us are overly comfortable with being out of control. I know I am not!

    I recently experienced a visual disturbance in my brain that caused me to see double. For over two weeks, walking anywhere was a major trial. The only way I managed it, was to walk eyes closed. This worked well enough in our house. I have lived here for almost 20 years. My body has the muscle memory of every inch of our home. I subconsciously know exactly how many steps from our bedroom door to the top of our stairs. I just had to trust my bodies internal direction.

    Walking in our house was one thing. Walking outside was a whole different problem. Every evening my husband and I go for a walk together. We have done this almost every night since we were married. Our nightly walk is something I LOVE. I was unwilling to give it up. So, I closed my eyes, placed my hand in my husband’s hand and let him lead me through our evening walk.

    At first, it was difficult. I was scared. However, it didn’t take long before I was moving along comfortably at our normal pace. Why? Because I trust my husband. I know his love for me. I know the quality and composition of his character. He takes his vow to provide for and protect me, wild child that I am, very seriously! No easy task I can assure you! I was able walk beside him blindly, confident in my safety, because I know he cares for me affectionately and watches over me carefully. The same is true when it comes to faith.

    To walk by faith, we need two things.

    1) We need to put our hand in God’s mighty hand and trust Him to lead us. If we allow Him to, He will guide us safely through, not just COVID, but all of life!

    2) Walking by faith requires that we get to know the One we are trusting with our welfare. We need to know God LOVES us! To walk by faith, we need a RELATIONSHIP with Him.

    We need to know the quality and composition of His character. We need to believe that He protects and provides for us every minute of every day. We need to know that He cares for us affectionately and watches over us carefully. When we know this, we can cast the whole of our cares; all our worries, anxieties, and all our concerns, regarding the COVID situation and all of life, onto Him and walk by faith. (1 Peter 5:7)

    When we know the One making the promises, it becomes easy to live our lives trusting CONFIDENTLY in those promises. Because we KNOW Him, we are able to walk by faith not by sight.

  • MANAGING MARITAL STRESS: a 2020 survival guide

    Photo by vera Asric cropped

    Photo by Vera Arsic

    With social distancing being the order of the day and tons of folk working from home, couples and families are finding themselves spending non-stop time together. No matter how much you love your spouse and kids this non-stop togetherness can get stressful! That stress can lead to conflict.

    In our home we have two very strong willed, very different personalities. My husband’s means of coping with stress is “a place for everything and everything in its place”. My coping mechanism is doing creative projects. The two styles couldn’t be more in conflict! Creativity does NOT lend itself well to “everything in its place.” According to Joe, it’s more like chaos in motion. He’s right!

    In addition, we have polar opposite processing styles. My husband is a sequential processor. I am a random processor. That means when there is a task to be accomplished, he progresses through the steps in an a-z sequential order. Whereas I pop around the steps in a very random way.

    Each style has its strengths and weaknesses. His style makes him world class at logistics. If it takes careful planning to execute, he’s your man! The weakness is, if things can’t be executed sequentially it can really throw a wrench in his works. Because I navigate situations randomly, constantly changing variables don’t throw me off as badly. However, I can miss important details by popcorning around a situation.

    The thing is, it takes BOTH styles to manage life on a normal basis. In our current environment, having BOTH styles is a HUGE blessing! So, if we are operating with polar opposites, how do we make the most of our differences?

    1) Keep in mind that God brought us together as couples for a reason.

    He knows our personalities, strengths and weaknesses, better than we do. He paired us with our spouses deliberately. Our combined differences as people are our strengths as a couple. Our spouse’s polar opposites may be the exact balance needed to mitigate our weaknesses. So, value and respect what you each bring to the table.

    2) Marriage needs to be other centered.

    In the book ” Sacred Marriage” author Gary Thomas suggests that the true purpose marriage is to become more like Christ. Put bluntly, marriage isn’t about meeting my needs. It’s about loving my spouse in the way that Christ loves me and making the needs of another my priority. Managing my chaos may not be the best for my creative process, but it’s good for my husband and our marriage!

    Phil 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with an attitude of humility, regard others as more important than yourselves.”

    3) As married couples, we aren’t in this alone. We are a threefold cord with God at the center.

    Eccl. 4:9 says “Two are better than one.” There are going to be times in all this where each of us will falter, fail and fall. Being married means that we have a companion to lift us up when we go down (Eccl 4:10). We have our combined strength to resist the being overpowered by the problems and stresses. “A cord of three stands is not easily broken” (Eccl 4:12). We need to lean into and on each other and center ourselves in God.

    4) Most importantly, we need to extend each other GRACE.

    In the devotion “Love Sex and Lasting Relationships” Chip Ingram defines love as “Giving the other person what they need most when they deserve it the least”. This is the ESSENCE of Grace. It is EXACTLY what Christ did for us. He gave up everything, including His life, for the most undeserving people ever! In this time of non-stop togetherness and high stress, we need to extend each other this same kind of grace.

    This kind of Grace isn’t easy, but we don’t have to muster it out of our own resources. The Holy Spirit lives in us. He is equipping us with everything we need for life and godliness. He will teach us how to walk in this kind of grace. If we surrender our will to His, He will enable us to give grace even when it’s the last thing we want to do and our marriage will be stronger when this is over!