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Archive for the ‘Hope’ Category

Inconvenient Love

Posted in Community, Grace, Hope on March 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Bobby seemed like an old man the first time I remember meeting him as a kid.  It was strange because I had been taught to address adults with sir and ma’am but Bobby was just always Bobby.  He would stop by our house periodically and stay for hours – just talking to my parents – particularly my dad.  I didn’t understand it at first.  I didn’t realize that my parents were showing him Jesus’ love and grace through their actions.

You see, Bobby was in his 50’s or so, but he had the mind of an adolescent.  He was known all over town but he was lonely because few people would have anything to do with him.  And honestly, I can understand that because if Bobby had you cornered, you could not get away for an hour or more – at least not without being rude.  So people avoided him.  When they saw him coming, they ducked out of sight.  If they saw him approaching their homes, most would not answer the door.  He really didn’t have anyone.

My parents took the time to show Bobby respect and offer him something many would not take the time to offer – love and dignity.  That is what Jesus would have done.  That is what Jesus called my parents to do and so they did.  Through their actions, I was taught that showing God’s love is not always convenient.  It rarely fits our schedule to stop and take time for someone needing attention.  But it is part of what it means to be a follower in the Way.

I am so incredibly blessed to have grown up in my parents’ home!  Much of what I learned about what it means to be a Christ follower I learned from them – sometimes by verbal instruction, but more often by mere example.

Thanks Dad and Mom!  You are at the top of my list of heros!

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I’ve Got This

Posted in Hope, Motivational on March 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

What are you worried about today?

You may be concerned about safety.  After last week’s horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan that would be understandable.

Or maybe you are worried about the economy.  Retirement is out there somewhere but will there be enough or will I have to work until I die?

There are any number of things we could concern ourselves with today, but I want to remind us of one simple truth – God is in control.  Matthew 6:25-26 says this:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

In the midst of all that is going on around us, remember, God is saying, “I’ve got this.”

Be blessed today!

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Sharing Hope Through Gentleness

Posted in Grace, Hope on March 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I use Bible Gateway for my online Bible.  Anytime I need to look something up, it is there to help.  Last night I went there to do a little reading and on the home page they list a verse of the day.  Yesterday’s verse was this:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,   1 Peter 3:15.

What an amazing reminder.  Our entire approach to how and why we should share our story is found here.  We share our story to explain the hope that we have in Jesus.

I don’t know how often you stare hopelessness in the face, but when you do, there is no mistaking it.  You can see it in a person’s eyes.

The writer of 1 Peter reminds us that for those who follow Jesus all out, we have a hope that makes a non-believer curious.  A hope that allows us to hear a bad report from the doctor and yet still know that God is in control.  Don’t think for a second that the hope you have is not obvious to others.  It is obvious because it is not the cultural norm.  It doesn’t make sense to a person who doesn’t follow in the Way.

So this verse tells us that we should be ready when someone asks us how on earth we can still have hope when the world around us is falling apart.

But don’t miss the final instruction from this verse.  The writer says we must be ready and willing to share our story and to do so with gentleness and respect.  I have used this cliché before, but it is true – people don’t care what you know if they don’t know that you care.

Our sharing of our stories must be done through a relationship.  We must be gentle and show love and respect to others.  Quite honestly, just as much hope will be communicated through that gentleness and respect as will be relayed through your telling of your story.

As St. Francis is credited with saying, we should tell others of the love of our Savior and when necessary, use words.

Show hope through gentleness and respect today.

Be a blessing!

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Listening For God

Posted in Formation, Hope on February 23, 2011| Leave a Comment »

How does God speak to you?  Yesterday, I mused about the possibility to God communicating with us through text messaging – how cool would that be?

I have been wrestling with this topic for the past week.  I think God speaks to us in many ways.  God uses the Bible to inspire and teach us how we should live.  I have felt God moving in me through the words of pastors and teachers.  I have heard God through the wise words of friends.  I have felt God’s presence through nature.  There are many, many ways God speaks to us.

Regardless of how God speaks to you, I know two things for certain.  The first – scripture must be the test of what we feel God is saying to us.  God will not tell you something that is contrary to what is in the Bible.

The second thing I know for sure is this: you will never hear a thing if you aren’t listening.   How well do you listen?  Do you make time to slow down long enough to hear?

Listen to this passage in 1 Kings 19:11-13, about Elijah hearing from God:

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

I love the phrase, “for the Lord is about to pass by!”  What a breath-taking image.  God is about to come near – are you ready?  As Elijah was waiting to hear from God, there were a number of amazing things that happened and Elijah looked for God in those things but God was not there.  Elijah finally heard God in a gentle whisper.

Sometimes God has to shout to get our attention.  But more often than not, God speaks to us in gentle whispers – nudges – simple impressions, just to let us know we aren’t alone.

God is about to pass by – are you listening?

 

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What If God Used Text Messaging

Posted in Formation, Hope on February 22, 2011| 2 Comments »

How lazy I have become.  Yesterday, our youngest son had gone to spend some time with a friend.  When it came time to pick him up, I drove to the house, pulled into the driveway and picked up my phone.  I sent him a text to tell him I was there.  As I keyed in the message, “I am here” I thought about how lazy I am that I can’t get out of the car and go to the door.  But that is how we live our lives these days.

As I have thought about the message I sent my son yesterday, I began to wonder about a world in which God communicated with us through text messaging (I know, my mind is a scary place sometimes – you should live in it!).  What would God say?

As I pondered this thought, I came up with what I think would be God’s most common text message to the world – “I am here.” Unlike me, who was too lazy to go to the door and needed to announce that I had arrived, God would send the message to remind us that He has never left – God is always with us!

No matter what you are going through today – never forget that God is with you.  Call out to God – the response will be “I am here.”

Be blessed today!

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I Be Blessed

Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope on February 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This morning as I lay in bed praying and thinking about the day, my thoughts drifted to how I have been blessed.  I have a decent place to live – in fact, in comparison to most of the world, I live in luxury.  I have a wonderful family – loving wife and three amazing sons.  I have friends who love and support me.  I have never had to worry about whether or not my family would have enough to eat.  I am truly blessed.

But here is what makes me feel blessed all the more – I don’t deserve any of it.  God has blessed me so that I can in turn be a blessing.  I have not been blessed out of anything I am due – I have been blessed simply because God loves.  The blessing is not in what I have but whose I am.

LaPinsky Phillips has been mentioned here many times – he is a dear friend whom I cherish.  His response to the question, “How are you?”  is always, “I be blessed.”  I have written about him here.  I would encourage you to link to that post and scroll down to the comments.  LaPinsky explains it best himself.

Today, I be blessed!

How about you?

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What To Do, What To Do?

Posted in Community, Hope, Missions on February 8, 2011| 2 Comments »

I realize that part of it may be jet lag, but this began last Thursday, long before the trip home from Romania.  For the past several days, I have woken up between 4 and 4:30, and been unable to go back to sleep.  For those of you who follow my ramblings, you have heard me say that it seems God wakes me from time to time just to talk.  And of course, I am really perceptive – normally it only takes 3 or 4 days in a row before I begin to pick up on the fact that maybe I should spend the time in prayer.  Well, maybe not 3 or 4 days, but I am not always the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to this area.

I am not sure I have pinpointed exactly what I need to be learning from my early morning encounters but I do know this: God allowed me to be a part of an amazing Red Page Ministries team serving in Romania this past week and I am forever different because of the experience.  I was humbled to work with students who are truly hungry for the Gospel.  Here in the states, our students hunger as well, but it is rare to find a group of so many students, gathered together at one time and place, who are all seeking God with a passion for a real and meaningful relationship.

 

My mind has been racing since we left Sinaia wondering what comes next?  What would God have me do?  Where is God leading in relation to what our team has just experienced in Romania?

I have to be honest, I have been home less than 24 hours and my head is still spinning from it all.  So it is going to take me some time to process the experience and begin to work through who I have become because of it.  I will continue to work through my thoughts and emotions and continue to seek God in this.  As clarity comes, I will be sharing here.

But until that time, here is something I do know that affects today – this moment: God does not call the equipped, he equips the called.  You and I are called to make a difference in our world – not some day, this day.  How are you going to make a difference in the life of another today?

I would love to hear what God does through you today!

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A Castle and Worship

Posted in Hope, Missions on February 1, 2011| 4 Comments »

Romania is a very unique country – full of history and beauty.  This morning, after breakfast, the students moved into their first small group Bible studies.  I had the chance to listen in on one of those for a few minutes.  I am not sure if it was the intimidation factor of having an American leading the group or if it was just that they loved listening to Kimberely’s southern accent or a combination of both, but they listened intently as the discussion was begun about worship.

After the small group time, we all loaded up and drove a few miles away to tour Peles Castle.  It was an amazing display of craftsmanship and history.  I learned that Romania was ruled by a monarchy for a brief time – from the late 1800’s to the mid-1900’s.  This castle was built by the first king of Romania.

 

As we toured through the rooms, looking at all the ornate woodworking and attention to detail of just about every aspect of the structure, I thought about all the people it must have taken to construct such a masterpiece.  What commitment!  It took somewhere between 300 and 400 people nearly 30 years to finish – to make it a home worthy of the king.

Now, the property is leased by the state and stands as an historical reminder of a day when Romania was different.

All of this made me think about why we are here in this place this week.  We are here to lead students to a new understanding of worship.  It took nearly 30 years of unfailing commitment to complete the Peles Castle.  All to honor a king with an impressive summer home.  How much more should we be committed to brining honor to Christ?

That is the heart of worship – giving of ourselves to please and honor God!  Have you worshipped today?

As I write this, the group is spending the afternoon on the slopes of one of the most popular ski areas in the country.  I am still not feeling well, so I decided staying in might be the wiser thing to do.  But after dinner tonight, the group will meet again to continue thinking about worship.  Jeff Scott will be speaking through an interpreter about what worship must have looked like in Jesus’ time.  Pray for God to speak through him this evening.  Pray that the hearts of the students will be open to what God has to say.

Pray for a movement of God to begin here in this country through these students!

 

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Where You Belong

Posted in Formation, Hope on January 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last night was our first OnCampus worship service for this semester out at South Plains College.  It was amazing!  We had a good number there – lots of new faces.

The band had a new look and sound and when I heard them, I knew immediately that we are in for a great semester.

One of the songs they sang broke in.  It melted away all the things that were on my mind and reminded me that I needed to stop and rest in God’s arms for a bit.

Here is the song:

 

 

Take some time to rest in God today – it is where you belong!

Be blessed!

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The State of the Union of the Church

Posted in Church, Hope on January 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last night, if your TV was on in your home, most likely the images being broadcast into your living room were those of the State of the Union address.  As I listened to the talk about where we are as a nation I began to think about the state of the union of the church.

As a whole, where are the churches of America?  Where do we stand in the area of life transformation?  Are we as Christ followers closer to being who God wants us to be today than we were last year?

How about in the area of caring for the poor and underprivileged?  Are we, as the church, doing our part to care for our communities?

What about in the area of simply showing the love of God to our neighbors?

I believe the church in America is a long way from where we need to be.  It is time that we stop going to church and we resolve to be the church God expects.

It is time we take seriously what it means to bear the name “Christian.”

It’s time!

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