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Posts Tagged ‘Formation’

A Beautiful Call Out

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 8, 2025| 2 Comments »

This past weekend, I had the absolute blessing to be with pastors and their wives in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I am privileged to lead a ministry called The Strengthening Project (Proyecto Fortaleza en Español). This ministry exists to pour into pastors and their ministries by strengthening them spiritually and renewing their marriages. Given my field of study, I focus on the spiritual progression side of our ministry and we have others on the team that focus on the rest.

Our theme this past weekend was, The Love of God – Our True Foundation. I spent time reminding the couples that God truly loves them. As pastors, we know this truth in our minds and we certainly tell our people regularly, but often we do not slow down and listen with our hearts. I challenged them to use the retreat as a time to be still and deeply reflect on just how much God loves them. Our sessions were well received and the emphasis on slowing down and reflecting resonated with each of them.

After one of my sessions, one of the men there, a dear friend of mine who lives in the Domincan, asked me very directly, “How do YOU do what you have just shared with us.” Being a bit caught off guard by his question, I answered by saying I have many opportunities to attend conferences and retreats like the one we were leading – the difference is that there is a monetary cost when I do. That is why we offer our retreats to pastors and their wives at no cost to them – we know the people we are serving would not have an opportunity like what God provides through our ministry if we did not exist.

I could tell that my answer did not satisfy my friend. As I pondered his question, it dawned on me, he was not asking “how” I do it but “if” I do it. I looked at him and said, “In English we would say, ‘Do you practice what you preach,’ – is that what you are asking?” He smiled and said, “Yes, that is what I am asking.”

In that moment I felt conviction and a bit like a hypocrite. It is much easier to tell people about the importance of slowing down and spending time with the Father. But for a type A personality that is overly task oriented and time sensitive, it is much harder to practice than to tell other people to do so.

And so . . . one of the first places I knew I needed to get back to is a place of making time for being still and resting in God’s word as I listen to His voice.

The second is here – – this platform of Clay In the Hands has been, since its inception, a place I have shared how God is speaking to me, a place where I can encourage others to grow in faith, and a place to be authentic as we seek Jesus together.

Thank you Russell for calling me out graciously and with a smile. I now have a renewed commitment to spend time daily with the Father and to share my thoughts here. May we continue to walk in The Way together.

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Brokenness to Beauty

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on October 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

God is truly the God of redemption. He is in the restoration and redeeming business. My experience shows that He does not go to work uninvited, but when we turn to Him in our brokenness, He is there. One of the most humbling aspects of grace is that no matter how many miles we wander away from a close relationship with Jesus, it only takes one step toward Him and He is there. The Psalmist described this beautiful idea in Psalm 139:7-12.

Where can I flee from your presence? What a powerful image of grace that should bring relief, peace and hope. God is always near – even when we don’t realize it. And He is always ready to bring about restoration and redemption when we ask.

Scripture reminds us that we are dead in our shortcomings and sin, but because of His great mercy, we are offered a new life – a restored life – a redeemed life in Christ. Jesus came, died and rose again to offer us that redemption. All we have to do is trust Him.

No matter how broken you may feel or how far you have wandered, turn to Jesus for His redemption and restoration. He is ready to create something beautiful from the pieces of your brokenness.

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What Is the Last Thing God Said To Me?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on October 15, 2024| 2 Comments »

Isn’t it interesting how fast life happens? As I sat down to put these words together, I realized how long it has been since I have offered any thoughts here. I get busy and priorities get bumped around like a pinball against the bumpers of an annoyingly loud pinball machine – if I allow. All of us get pressed into the rat race and we, once again, buy into the “do more, get more” mentality of the culture. Then a question comes along that stops us in our tracks – – “What is the last thing God said to me?”

Which immediately begs the question, “Does God still speak to us at all?” I believe that God does still speak – through His word, through others and through that still, quiet, inner voice. God is at work all around us each and every day. I have come to see that the issue of hearing from God is not that He is not communicating but rather that we are not paying attention.

When I slow down and consider what God is saying to me, it is intimidating. But it is an exercise that forces me to get serious about listening and reflecting on God’s interaction in my life. It should come as no surprise that as I have forced myself to pay attention and listen, what God has been saying to me for months now is, “Slow down! Breathe! Just trust me and be present with me.”

Even as I type these words, a mix of calm and peace and stress all swirl together. There is a true sense of relief and peace that comes when we slow down and become present with God. But, there is the constant nag of the pressure of getting things done that is incessantly calling for our attention. It takes effort on our part – discipline to slow down.

For me, I have committed to slowing down daily to listen. As you slow down and listen today, what is God saying to you?

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Wake Up Sleepy Head

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on May 1, 2024| 1 Comment »

I remember as a child hearing the words, “Wake up sleepy head.” That was my mom’s way of beginning the process, gently, of waking me up. The process became less gentle the longer I hesitated. Sometimes we drag a bit getting ourselves up in the morning. But today, we need to remember that it’s time to wake up.

One of my readings earlier this week has continued to stay with me and on my mind. I have been reading through the book of Romans for some time now. On Monday, I picked back up in chapter 13. In this chapter, the apostle Paul reminds us that we should do our best to love one another. In fact, his words echo the words of Jesus in that loving God and loving others is the heart of the law. So Paul emphasizes that we are to love others as part of following Jesus.

And then he says this in verse 11:

“And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”

Understand the present time – the hour has come to wake up. Those words have resonated through my soul like never before. Is it possible that I have gone to sleep? I am afraid the answer to that question is yes – I have at least been dozing off. It is time to wrestle with what it means to really love others and do some soul searching to make sure I am actually doing it.

As I look at our world, I see a lot of sleep walkers. The alarm has been going off for a while. It’s time to wake up and be about doing what Jesus called us to do – the deeds of the light, as Paul goes on to say. May we live today with the full understanding of this present time and wake up to the reality that our world needs Jesus.

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A Different Holy Week

Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope, tagged , , , , , , , on March 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

How will this Holy Week be different from all those before? Or will it be different?

Perhaps, you focus on Jesus and His sacrifice every year. Perhaps, life halts for you at the cross while you stare up at the horrific scene and fully realize you have some responsibility for putting Jesus there.

There is an understandable tendency for believers to rush to the empty tomb. We read the resurrection story and we relate to Peter and John as they ran to see for themselves what they were being told – that the Savior was not there. Likewise, we rush to celebrate the empty tomb.

Make no mistake, it is good and proper to celebrate the resurrection – and come Sunday, we will!

But there would be no empty tomb apart from the rugged cross. The cross, by itself, would just be a terrible means of execution. But when we take the two together, we truly have something to celebrate.

That is why we must not rush to the empty tomb without first pausing at the foot of the cross.

Let the weight of the scene come to rest fully on your heart. Jesus endured torture, humiliation, rejection and death all because of love. It was the price of my sin and your sin that cost Him everything. How majestic the love that paid the ultimate price for us.

May this Holy Week be different. May our eyes be opened to the depth of His love and may our hearts be forever changed.

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Living Hope That Drives

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational, tagged on January 21, 2015| 1 Comment »

This evening, we will begin a Bible study working through the letter of 1 Peter.  So this morning, I decided to look back over the first 12 verses of chapter 1.  We most likely won’t get through it all in one sitting.  In fact, we could spend several sessions just giving a background of the man Peter.  But as I sit with my coffee, I get to verse 3 and I pause, letting the idea of a living hope surround me like the smell of the brewing coffee coming from behind the counter.

I sip my coffee and watch people come in and go out of Starbucks, and I wonder . . .

Does that guy have a living hope?  Does the young lady in scrubs, grabbing a coffee before heading to the hospital have a hope that is alive and will drive her day?  Do the two DPS troopers sitting at the table next to me know that even in the midst of all the bad things they will see today, God is bigger than the evil of this world and that fact offers hope?

Peter’s words in verse 3 say: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead . . .”  A living hope.

The Reformation Study Bible defines hope this way: In the Bible, hope is not uncertainty or wishful thinking, but a confident expectation of future blessing based on facts and promises.  I find this understanding of hope extremely meaningful.  Hope is not some fanciful wish that my life will somehow become perfect – no struggles, no stress.  It is not a childish belief that all my problems will be magically removed.

Rather it is a “confident expectation” that God is really who God claims to be and that God will hold true to the promises of his word.  It is not a wish or half-hearted belief that God might be God and I am going to hedge my bets and put a little trust in God just in case scripture is true.  Hope is knowing God is in control and God has a plan – and not just any plan but a plan that includes a meaningful life for you.  Jesus does not promise a life without problems but he does promise a life of fulfillment when we truly follow him on a daily basis (John 10:10).

I don’t know about you, but that is the kind of hope I want – a confident expectation that God is who God says he is.  A hope that truly transforms my attitude and drives my actions each and every day.

Is that the hope you have?  I wonder . . .

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The Biggest Crisis of the Church Today

Posted in Church, Community, Hope, Leadership, tagged , on January 19, 2015| Leave a Comment »

This past week, a friend asked me a very difficult but insightful question, “What is the biggest issue or crisis the church faces today?”  I did not have to think too long about my response.  Not because it is an easy question but because I have been wrestling with it for quite some time.

There are so many issues facing the church today – immigration, abortion, homosexuality, denominational bias and in-fighting.  But over the past few months, I have come to believe the greatest crisis we face today is perceived irrelevance.  The world does not see a need for the church – the body of Christ serves little or no purpose in the world in a growing percentage of minds around the globe.

Is it possible that post-modernity ushered in post-christianity?  When culture accepts the lie that there is no absolute truth, where does that leave the church?  The answer – – it leaves the church in a state of perceived irrelevance.  A culture that does not value truth sees no need for a system of organized beliefs.

We should not be surprised by the state in which we find ourselves as evangelical Christ followers.  What troubles me though is putting my finger on how we got here.  And more importantly, where do we go from here?

These are mammoth issues with no easy answers but I think complacency has something to do with how we got into this mess.  We have become too comfortable over the years.  All the years that church involvement was the social norm lulled us to sleep.  We did not have to work at reaching people and sharing the hope of Jesus – they were coming to us.  But regardless of whether you agree with my thoughts, the real issue is what do we do about it?

I believe that the first thing we should do in any situation where we face struggles is to seek God fully.  2 Chronicles 20 tells of a king named Jehoshaphat who, when faced with opposing armies coming at them from all directions, gathered the people together and in the presence of all gathered prayed to God.  And here is key point to his prayer: “We don’t know what to do but our eyes are on you.”  Maybe, when we find ourselves facing situations, we should whisper this prayer.

The church is not irrelevant.  It is God’s plan for communicating the hope of salvation to a world with no hope.  The church must continually be finding ways to share God’s truth in relevant ways.  The truth never changes but the way we share it must remain relevant.

As overwhelming as all this sounds, I have to be honest – it invigorates me.  God calls us to partner with him to reach our world and we have been gifted with talents and passions that, when used for the Kingdom, bring life and hope.  We can make a difference in our world.  We can affect change in the situation in which we find ourselves – – but not by our power and skill.  We are able to have impact because the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world.  (1 John 4:4)

God is still in control.

Will we be faithful?

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Do the Simple Things First

Posted in Hope, tagged , on December 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

It is official.  We have moved past Thanksgiving and are now in the midst of the Christmas season.  Many have been in Christmas mode for weeks but I am one of those that does not want to short-change Thanksgiving by rushing past it too quickly.  So I am just now letting my thoughts move to Christmas.

As we begin this season together, let me offer one observation that I believe will make a huge difference in the season for us.  Do the simple things first.

We tend to rush to party planning, gift purchasing, sale catching and calendar juggling right off the bat.  Our minds (and the rest of us) get pulled into a completely different state and it is very easy to lose our focus on the reality that God became human in order to reach out to us and offer us deliverance.  We fall into the rat race and before we look up, we have survived another Christmas and its time to figure out how to pay for it.

Let me offer an age old tip to preventing this kind of Christmas season – do the simple things first.

  • Slow down
  • Spend time with God
  • Read scripture
  • Pray

Jesus said that when we do the simple things first – when we truly seek God and his righteousness – the rest of life will take care of itself.  When our focus is on Jesus as the light of the world and the savior of our lives, all the things that would normally overwhelm us take on new meaning or we realize they make no difference at all – either way, we will approach those things with the right attitude.

This Christmas season, don’t survive it – really live it.  And do that by doing the simple things first.

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Walking Through Holy Week

Posted in Community, Formation, Hope, tagged , on April 2, 2012| 1 Comment »

Yesterday was Palm Sunday.  A day we remember as the day Jesus entered Jerusalem with his face set toward the cross.  The people who lined the streets on that Sunday had no idea of what was coming.  In fact, they were welcoming a king – the savior of the world who would restore Israel to its rightful place and banish Rome forever.

They cheered and sang praises.  They laid their coats down in the road as a sign of submission and praise.  It was a day electric with excitement and anticipation.

BUT . . .

Those same people, just a few days from then would be the same people yelling “Crucify him!”

This week we will be thinking about what Jesus endured that last week of his life here on earth.  Yes, Easter is coming.  The day of the resurrection is coming but between now and then we have to pass through some of the ugliest territory ever known to mankind.  We have to pass an open doorway and overhear plots to kill Jesus.  We have to look into the face of Judas as he decides to betray his friend and master.

We have to stand in the crowd as Jesus is tried and hear the screams of the people as they call for his execution.  Then we will witness that horrific event on Friday, when Jesus was beaten and murdered.

Yes, Sunday is coming, but we must not rush past this week.  True, it is not for the faint of heart, but it is necessary for us to linger here just a bit – pausing to remember.  Stopping long enough to feel the gratitude we must feel for what Jesus willingly did for each of us!

Stay with me!

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