Silent preparation

There are some of you who are asking some big questions of God right now.  

Maybe you have a lot of unanswered prayers like Zechariah and Elizabeth did.  Check out their story in Luke 1.  It's a beautiful telling of God's answer in the middle of their mess.

When we read the wonderful stories of the Bible, especially the pretty story of Christmas we forget that these people are just ordinary people living their lives, regular Janes and Joes doing life, doing the work that God has called them to.  

We forget.  Until we take another look at their story behind the veil of words.  That's just a fancy way of saying, reading between the lines of the unwritten part of their hearts, the parts that the Holy Spirit teaches to your spirit.

I would be unprepared if I ignored the words that weren't written.

We pick up the story in the middle of those days where priests had it all together, and took their turn at living holy lives in the the middle of their doubts, fears, and tears.

Yes, I said tears.

What does that have to do with preparing for Christmas?  Well, I don't know about where you are in this preparing season of Advent but today in the middle of these days, God has some undoing to do.

I just had one of the biggest emotional confessions before a dear friend and God that I've had in a while.  I realized something in my tears.  

One..that our tears sometimes fill in for the silence of our hearts and no matter what, how many or how long, God understands and catches each and every one.

Two...when God calls you to show up to the calling He has given you, there is some preparing that needs to be undone before He can bring new birth into your doing.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were quite the model couple of strength through all these years of service to God.  On this certain day recorded in Luke 1, Zechariah's ministry was at an all time high.  It was his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to offer sweet incense at the altar, laying before a Holy God the concerns of his people.

Zechariah had prayed for this day.  I would venture to guess that he even dreamed about how this day would go down his own prayer journal.  What an honor to pray for the problems and concerns of the people, and that he would have all the right words flowing from his compassionate heart.  His big break came, at last he was before God, and behind the veil of prayers.  

Elizabeth, his strong-supportive-solid-prayer-warrior-rock, was on the sidelines praying too.  With confidence, he enters the secret place of the temple, prepared with just the right gumption in his heart.

I haven't even addressed the unspoken needs relating to Elizabeth's barren state that might have been on the forefront of Zechariah's heart.  Think about this, if you knew you were going to meet God with your most raw and open prayers, knowing by the public approval that your prayers would be heard by a Holy God, be honest, wouldn't you say a little prayer for your deepest need too?

Or is that just me?

Zechariah was unprepared for what was about to happen.  Something holy occurred as the cloud of incense made way for an angel.  The holy host brought the element of surprise and alarm to his mix of utterances.  Zechariah's response was captured in words of "deep emotions." 

Is it just me or does the suggestion of deep emotions not evoke the presence of tears?  Face to face with a holy messenger would certainly bring a heart felt wave of emotions, including tears.  

Even though Zechariah was a priest, please don't tell me he never cried.  Pastors aren't machines with cold hearts that never cry.  Haven't you ever cried when you were afraid?  Or confused? or bewildered? 

Here the man was going into the Silence to pray some of the most heart felt prayers of his life, and before he could get every request out through his simple words, he was face to face with God, the Giver of all words and emotions.

What could have prepared him for that?

"Fear Not!"  "Why do we fear the worst from God, when he loves us completely and always gives us what is best."  ~Liz Curtis Higgs. 

And...."why are we so eager to pray away the very life circumstances that teach us the most about who God is?" ~ from my unspoken place.

The angel then proceeds to make a holy delivery of good news, the-once-in-a-life-time-prepare-your-world-to-be-rocked-to-the-core good news.  "Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John." ~ Luke 1:13

Blinking, without words, Zechariah gasps, his very breath is stolen before he could get to his request on the list.  His eyes were brimful of tears by this time, with shock and awe in his heart.  Then the angel goes on to describe all the awesome and life impacting ministry that God would soon birth.

"He will make ready a people prepared for the Lord."  There's that "word" again...prepare....for the Lord's work.

Which brings us back to this ordained time behind the veil.  What is God preparing you to do?  That's the good news of Advent, that God prepares our hearts to receive Him.  Some of you, you need to admit it for the first time, and you know by reading this, that's it's time that you accept Jesus as your Savior.  

Let this preparation time in this Christmas season begin with the gift of salvation.  The rest of you...what is God calling you to now?  And how are you preparing your unspoken parts of your heart for more room for the Savior to work during this Christmas season?

And these are the hard life questions that I am also asking myself, those unspoken parts, the exciting parts of where I need God on a daily basis, to undo what has been done to be all that He wants to do, in me and through me.

The season of preparation looks different for each of us.  But might I write a little hope for you?  When you pray for God's wholeness in this season of preparation, give Him room to work His wholeness in this Christmas season.

God want's to do some incredible preparations through your undoing, your broken relationships, your messes, the whatever need in your life that will speak to the unspoken parts of someone else.  God is a God of His words and He holds our hearts.  

He is the Hope for the broken world we are in the middle of.

God has heard your prayers, He has not tarried in answering them.  In this time of advent, as we prepare for the celebration of the Savior's birth, may we all gather in our prayers, our hearts, our tears, and our belief in the miracle of Christmas.  In the miracle of the birth of Christ as a tiny baby, who came to earth as a gift of God's grace, to bring a hope and healing to our hearts and our hurts, to our lives.

God promises hope in this time of preparation.  Receive it with graceful silence and awestruck wonder.  

Let Heaven and nature sing...

My prayer:  Oh God, helps us see the wonder of your miracle birth, Jesus, in this time of preparation, to bring hope alive in our hearts and hurts, again.  Remind us of the wonderful story of your Words.  And in the silent nights, the lonely hours, the dark times of our problems, God may you meet us here with the hope of Jesus.  Each and every time.  Today.  Tomorrow, and for all eternity. Lord, Jesus come.

Let Heaven and nature sing in our broken and unspoken places.

When you want to be the BEST!

Photo credit:  Cindee Snider Re

Ephesians 3:17-18  "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.."

What does it mean to let Christ dwell in your hearts?   And to experience the fullness of God?

It means to let the Holy take up residence...live...hang out ...all the time...play outside with you, sit down and have coffee with you, and play video games with you. To engrave God's truth on the mother board of your operating system, the tablets of your heart.  To allow holiness to change you and your behavior.

Paul's prayer is that believers would wake up, and be strong in the Lord, filled with the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge...which means we have to know what His word says.  

We have to make time for Jesus and read the Bible.   We have to be doers of the word and we have to allow truth to influence our behavior.

We have to spend time with God, to get to know Him.  You can't have a relationship with someone you don't spend time with.  We can't live like we want after reading it.  The Bible is packed with wisdom that shows us how to be holy.  Isn't that what our Best Friend in the entire world would want for us?   

We were created in His image so we should follow as closely to the Master Designer as we can.  Ephesians 5:1 is one of my favorite verses "Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children."  Copy that!  No cutting necessary, only paste it in your heart!  

Dwelling on Truth will have some positive affects in your thinking, your language, your actions.  God gives us the perfect example to model in His Son, Jesus.  So when you are looking for something to influence your faith, the Bible with all of it's wisdom works perfectly to guide, shape and sharpen your faith.  

We have to walk with God and allow Him to walk with us.  Daily, all day, not just once a week in a pew in a Sunday morning.  

You think you are too busy and don't have time to meet with God on a one on one basis?  If so, then you are too busy NOT to consider what God has to show you and the ways you should go.  You would have a lot of time if you dropped the other 19,000 ways you tend to divide your day.  

Ahem...now I am really stepping on some sore toes aren't I?  So what do we do about this?  How do we choose what's better?

We seek first...

We seek first Him to be our First.  In everything.  In our homes, jobs, and especially in our minds and hearts.  Only looking to the Perfect source to learn how to copy and absorb His perfect behavior.  And then you keep coming back to the same source, same Teacher to learn and apply it until it becomes your nature.  

It's the better choice, the holy choice, the choice of the saved and sanctified.  Choose the wiser option.  
Choose Holy, choose Better.  It's the Best for you!  

How do you be the best "whatever"?  Learn from the Best in everything!

What my cat never learned

I was trying to train my cat once.  He never got it right.  Each time I did sit ups in the middle of the living room he would try to claw my arm flesh off.  Evidently I was crowding in on his run-of-the-entire-house-territory.  Even 30 minutes on 3 days a week was a great bother to him.  I tried to teach him to obey me, but he wasn't interested.  Instead I obeyed his cat-rules and just gave up.

My dog however would do anything for a leftover ham bone, or a poison mouse pellet.  She would learn to behave when she wanted either one of those.  She did behave, and was easy to train.  A very owner-compliant personality pet.  No, I didn't really feed her those pellets.

One pet practiced disobedience regularly the other sought to bring her best obedience each and every opportunity.  

Ever think about what obedience isn't?

Obedience not easy because it goes against our natures to behave.  We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it.  I use this way of thinking about sleeping in on a Saturday.  This drives our self-will.  This gets us our own way.  This can be selfish and self-serving.

So if it's so hard then why do we even try if we know we are going to mess up all the time?  There are days I wish I could talk to my cat about this.  He certainly didn't care about learning any new cat tricks or pleasing me.  My dog on the other hand would eagerly tell me why she obeys with such joy and obedience.  Her answer?  Because of that bone or treat that I promised her.  The rewards of what obedience brings was worth it cost her.

How do you obey God?  Do you obey Him to get what you want?

This faith journey is all about our obedience response back to God.  And if we were honest with ourselves, I think we know the right things to do and what our holy response should be, we just choose to think that it's not important to God.

I believe that obedience is the key to living in the center of God's will.  

I do know that obedience is not always easy, but the rewards are always worth it.  It's hard, especially when it requires you to follow God in uncertain places.  Equally hard when you only have a few pieces of life's puzzle pieces.  

Extraordinary moves of God begin with acts of obedience – Anonymous

If we say we love God then obedience will follow.  Even when we don't know what the immediate results are or what the outcome will be.  The fact that we are being obedient to what God is leading us to do is our reward.

What about when it doesn't make sense?  What about when you aren't sure what to do?  I have found that every time you ask God to reveal truth, He always will.  He never disappoints in the faith training department.   When we trust the Master and fully believe that He has everything under His control and wants what is best for us, isn't obedience just a little easier?

That's what I tried to teach my cat, he never got it.  He didn't trust me.  My dog, however, trusted me completely and would do anything to obey.  Over time her training was quite easy, she was willing to learn because her obedience brought great rewards.  My cat only got a little catnip reward once in a while at Christmas.

1 Peter 1:14 "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:  "Be holy, because I am holy."

Our reward, our holy response comes with our hearts of obedience.   

Grace therapy

There's a friend in my life who just gives me a lot of grief with the comparisons she always gives. 

I try my best but still she points out that something is wrong. Her words echo… "Not good enough."

I could dress my best and she will whisper, "Nice, but not as nice as hers."

I mess up and let my clumsy words tumble out and she says, “well, that hurt, I could have said it better!”

The list of unwholesome negatives goes on and on.

Who is this girl?  If you and I were friends with her, wouldn't we want to put a stop to that relationship?  Let's be honest about her...some days she lives a little on the snarky side.

And when I part company with her, I am the one who comes away feeling like I will never measure up.  Day after day of spending time with that "friend", well it can wear a friendship out.  

Want in a little secret? ...yeah…you guessed it….. that "friend" is me, my negative self-talker friend.

Am I the only one who is at the back of this line for a little grace?

Ashamedly I have had these conversations with myself all too often. 

Those around me say, "Give yourself a little grace." Yep, sounds good, but it’s hard to do. I think what they really mean is that "please just give yourself some slack and don’t be so hard on yourself". And that maybe true, but I don’t really think that is God’s answer. Only God is the Grace giver.  And only His truth can combat this daily battle.

Is it about giving ourselves grace or is it really about receiving grace from God?

Grace says, "Yes, you messed up. But I forgive you.”

Grace says, “Yes, you have lost weight, but I loved you 50 lbs ago. I am still bringing you into my perfect beauty.”

Grace says, “When you bow to others to approve you then you don’t make room in your heart to live from MY approval.”

Grace says, “Even though I know you are kind of a mess sometimes, I give you my Fullness generously.”

God’s.Grace.Matters. God’s grace changes us.

So where in the Bible does it tell me to give myself a little slack?

Ephesians 4:29  "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

God's words to me:  "My child, every time you compare yourself to the next whatever and you come away putting yourself down, that is unwholesome.  I know each time that slips out of your mouth, I know each time you allow that to slip into your heart, and each time it bounces around in your mind.  And when you do that you are telling Me that I am not enough.  Let me remind you....I AM."

You see Grace is just that, a gift that we need daily.  God's grace therapy is needed like a bottle of spilled pills to medicate our lives, each time we are tempted to put ourselves down or when we whisper criticism in our heads.  When snarky falls on our hearts we need to know that we have to get back up to receive God’s grace therapy.  When this broken record keeps playing in our minds, we need to apply wholesome truth to ourselves.  

I am still loved, chosen, cherished by the King. I'm going to get back up and stand firm for Him again by guarding wholesomeness in my mind, body, and soul.  

Only God's grace can change. 

Only grace can quiet the voice within us that pushes us toward wipe-out.

Only grace can reclaim us so that it sustains us. 

Only God's can gracefully return us to where we belong again.  

Only Grace brings us wholeness in Him.

Only God's wholesome grace can benefit.

Only God’s grace therapy tells me the truth about who I am.

It's time to still our hearts, to quiet ourselves and instead listen to grace.  Wholesome Grace Therapy.

Shhhhh….Listen...Do you hear it?

Five Minute Friday {Prayer}

Prayer is our language to God.  

Prayer is power.  Prayer is worship.

God honors our prayers.  

He loves the bold ones, the timid ones, the soft and the loud.  

He hears the quiet stillness of our hearts when we lean in to hear Him.  

He strains to hear our words of praise.  

Our first step of faith is received in a prayer.  

He loves to tell us His whispers.  He longs for us to wait for His timing.  

He loves to hold our dreams tight until he deems them right.  

He wants our desperate hearts.  He hears our tears and fears.  

In prayer, we can let go and let Him grow. He plants passion within our prayers to inspire us.  

Bold prayers honor God.  He loves to draw us near; he loves to keep us in His grip.  

Prayer reveals His truth in our hearts.  

Prayer does not prepare us for the battle; prayer is the battle.

"We take for granted prayer is the preparation for work, whereas prayer is the work."  Oswald Chambers

Take a look in God's word..it's loaded with prayers of those who talked with God.

    

Love Music - Love Monday {Proof Of Your Love}

Don't be a clanging symbol.

This week's song from For King & Country is getting high remarks.  People are wanting to hear it more and more.  So am I.  The Message version of 1 Corinthians 13 certainly brings the song to life.  Infusing God's words into song lyrics is always a win in my book.


The song centers around the perfect love of God and because of that love, we are to give it out to everyone we meet.  But not only give love, but live love.  God's love has to be center.  It has to be our why.  It must be our motivator to be the "why we do what we do" and our compelling reason for reaching out to everyone.  Christ's love is all and if you doubt that, read Colossians.  Paul has set that truth straight.  Because Christ's love is all, then we as followers of Christ, must and are called to, speak love.  If we don't share with the love of Christ, then we are just clanging symbols...making unnecessary noise.  Make your noise in name of Love.   

If I speak with a silver tongue
Convince a crowd but don't have love
I leave a bitter taste
With every word I say

If I give to a needy soul
But don't have love then who is poor
It seems all the poverty
Is found in me

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-7, The Message)

Dear God, may the words of my mouth be always filled with your Love.  

Hemmed In

The Craftsman knows His craft.

I am often filled with awe and wonder when I absorb and remember who God is and that He loves. I long to understand more of God as we spend time together. My early morning devotional time is birthing a great awakening of my soul. There is revival waiting in all our hearts if we allow God to speak to us through prayer and reading His Word.

He lovingly created and crafted us to need Him and made us with a void that only He can fill. The problem is that we try to fill the void with all the things of the world. I have to fight the tide of sin that begs to distract my attention and intention.

Psalm 139 is a great get-to-know-God chapter which acknowledges our Creator from the beginning as the only One who knows us and searches our hearts. He knows our movements, our oh-so-familiar habits, not to mention our wayward ways and hurtful tongues.

He knows us because he made life. 

He also knows our actions, all of them, 

the ups and downs, the ins and outs, back and forth motions. 

He knows. He monitors. He keeps track. 

He knows our thoughts, even before they are spoken. He created our word-filled gray matter that formulates our sentences as we verbalize and communicate. He knows all our words, be they kind or helpful, full of love or hate, the unspoken, He knows them all. He knows the intentions and the meanings, and how each one will fall on each heart.

He keeps. He binds us neatly into His care. Verse 5 reassures us our Maker has a pattern of order and protection. "You hemmed me in---behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me." He's got you. You are kept in His hands, safe from the frayed areas of life. He's got your perimeters, your fringed areas, and the folds are neatly tucked into his love. You can't stray too far for His hands to grasp you, or reach, nor can you fall apart or disintegrate without his knowledge. If you are worn or needing a patch, He knows and provides His Providence.

He surrounds you. 

What about the parts of your life that you can't see or are unknown? He knows those too. He's already been there working out your tomorrows, the next worries that will hit your life. The next problem-filled hour, the next breath. He has the answers and has a well laid out pattern with your name on it. He knows the cloth fabric from which you were made. He created your substance; He was in your beginning. He's seen your starting point.  

He crafted you so beautifully in the inmost parts.   

He knows. He keeps your path behind you clear, and He has seen your winding journey ahead and insures your safety. He knows many minutes you have left.  He knows how long it will take to bring you Home.  He's mapped out your entire purpose-driven life. He knows the mountain-top moments that await and has already been in your valleys. He is the oasis in your deserts. He knows.

He hovers and dwells. 

So when God's Word says you are not alone, you can believe him. He doesn't abandon His own. He lives inside if you are a believer. He camps out and stands as a sentinel watch over you. He has you carefully hemmed by His grace and mercy. He lovingly protects, prevents, limits and actively orchestrates the all the fray and fringe areas to keep you enclosed because he loves you. Like a craftsman to his craft... He is loyal and dedicated to keeping close to us.

It feels right to be within his protective plan-filled hands. His hemming weaves a closer-knit relationship and provides a brightly colored layered of tapestry of protection.  God is not just on your borders, He is in your muddled middle too holding with His helping hands. Those strong hands are over and under you…surrounding you.  His hands bring deliverance, protection, power. It’s no wonder that David, the author of this Psalm, says next, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me . . .” (Psalm 139:6). I can't fathom.

God loves you and knows all about you. 

God has hemmed you.  

Stay in Psalm 139 a while.  

Are blown away yet?

 Search me, O God.

I Hope So!

What does godly hope mean to you?  

When I say the word hope, what comes to mind?  Sometimes hope is a word that I use so casually.

I hope to lose 100lbs by the end of the month.

I hope that the bathroom is clean when I get home.

I hope that piece of wood that I just hit with my tire doesn't have a nail in it and make my tire go flat.

I hope that....

The other day, I realized that I had been using the word hope in place of wishful thinking.  I had to stop and think of what real hope meant.  I discovered that it means more than wishing I had just won a million dollars by clicking a link on Facebook.  Hope is not a gimmick.   

My hope is interlaced with trust.  

My faith is built on my trust in God.  Hope is a by-product of my faith.  The deeper my trust is in God's unseen, the more hope I have.  So hope, in a sense, is expectation, reliance, or confidence in God for whatever happens next, for whatever.  

Hope is vital to trust.  Trusting and hoping go hand in hand.  They are critical in my response to God and through faith, hope and trust is what anchors me to His heart.  God wants me to have faith.  He wants me to trust Him even when I can't see what He is doing.  He desires my trust the most.  Trust is born out of my confidence in God and his history of faithfulness.  

Waiting or hoping with expectation encompasses and strengthens my faith that connects me to God.  While I wait for God to work, I only want to keep my eyes trained on Him.  With love I follow.  With hope I wait.  Under the scope of faith, it really can't be separated on its own.  If I say I trust God, but yet try to design my own solutions to my own problems then my trust rings hollow.  My faith is shallow. I have a false hope.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me."

John 14:1

Hoping in God is the only true hope.  It is Heaven directed and is hinged on my belief in Jesus, the son of God. I can experience the benefits of hope as I pass time in this earthly wait.  I can expect and put full trust, hopeful trust in my promised salvation.  I will falter; even stumble as I journey through this life as I am buffeted by trials.  Hope lifts my perspective from my weary heart to His glorious view.  Hope tells me I am not in this alone. The roughness of my journey becomes less significant.  As I cling to the hope of heaven, I expect that in my life journeys, deserts or not, God will transform as I follow I will learn and love Him more.   

"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain."  Hebrews 6:18-19.

Let godly hope give you courage to keep holding your head up high as you endure suffering and sorrow.  Chaos in life will always be with us; at times it will press in close.  However, the godly hope, the only dependable one Hope source in God, will keep your heart open and soul anchored in the Light of His Presence.  Jesus our Hope is the only hope we have.  All other hopes are just wishful thoughts.  

What does hope mean to you?

Simple Math

Adding the numbers

I didn't pay attention in math class.   I really don't like to crunch numbers.  Maybe the real truth is I wish I cared more about math equations and calculations.  I admire those who have amazing math skills beyond my comprehension. 

There are other numerical conundrums that amaze me too.  It's the numbers that increase when the power of the gospel is combined with the power of prayer.  I call it the Ato41 principal.  

Let me take you there…. The room was electric that day when the Spirit whooshed in to fill the hearts and minds of those who gathered.  Different tongues were heard to the highest volume of praise.  There was so much noise that outsiders thought the crowd had drunk too much wine.  

Contrary to the obvious confusion, the day was Pentecost and the gospel message collided with seeking hearts.  It was fifty days since Jesus had rose from the dead.  People had returned to their normal schedule.  Blanks from their wandering minds had been filled in with the “we’ll never know what that was all about” answer.  But there were a few good men left to lead in faith by having hope in the promised Helper who was still yet to come and empower them to grow the church.  Thus, on this day of combined prayer, fasting and waiting, the Helper showed up and showed up big time.  As a result of all the words spoken that day, many numbers repented and many numbers were baptized.  Many, as in 3000, numbers were added to the faith fold that day.  In a matter of moments, numbers were added to take a step of faith.

Working in ministry with Christian radio, there are a lot of people who come up to me and say, "Thank you for what you do."  I don't do anything except remain faithful to the call God.  With your support, God gives the opportunity to speak to you with a word of encouragement.  I don't get caught up in the numbers of listeners on paper, or Internet stats.   But I do know that every listener is a number indicative of God's story.  

the number of...
lives impacted by the power of the gospel.

restored marriages.

dedicated dad's leading. 

loving mom's tendering.

missions extended.

wayward hearts returned. 

I am all about these numbers and so is God as he brings change.  I love to be involved in God's stories.    

Here is your chance to get involved in the supporting the work of God in increasing the numbers of changed lives.

Music Monday [Under Fire]

I have a secret addiction to the music of Abandon.  Yeah...I know.... since were friends...now you know.  Read the lyrics below and see why.


They try to trip us up
They try to make us doubt
Make us question what this life's about
Our minds are criminal
They try to steal the soul
This moment's pivotal who we chose to follow

(Chorus)
We are under fire but we know, we know
The truth in our hearts
We are under fire but we hold, we hold
The proof of who You are
And though we haven't seen Your face
We know that we walk by faith
We are under fire
But it only burns, burns all doubt away
All doubt away

They tell us we're all fools
That our minds are weak
How can we put our hope in someone we can't see
They come with ridicule
To say that You're a fake
But we are not alone, You endured the same

We're chasing what's real
We're chasing what's true
We know it's God
We know it's You
We know it's God
It's got to be You

Sometimes you have to shout it.  No...every time you need to shout about your faith. Always be ready to give an answer to the hope that you have found in Jesus Christ.  Whether you are aware of it or not...the world is hurting, and searching for answers.  Do you have hope?  It can only be found in Jesus.  It's real, it's true.  


Don't let the popular sway you.  Don't be drowned by doubt because your feelings tell you something different.  Be strong in your faith and continue your commitment to the gospel.  Live your faith like it is real.  Be a God chaser.  


Do you come under fire for your faith?  

Dear Valentine's Day....

Nice to meet you again. Can I just say right off the top that... I kind of dread your entry this time of year? Not trying to be a negative Nellie here....I just don't like the pressure you put on me to buy your heart shaped chocolate filled boxes and love-filled greeting cards. Will there ever be a less calorie version of Valentine's Day for us "weight watchers" out here?

Love on flip side. However, I do want to say thank you...despite your huge push of commercialism and your constant taunting of your chocolate covered fares. Even when your calorie laden treats are all up in my face, you remind me that:

Love is a verb. That love should be shown everyday, not just on the 14th day of the second month of the year.

Love is shared. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to share that God's love is the biggest, the best, the most sought after love one could pursue. You see Valentine's day it's really about God and His ultimate expression and demonstration of real love.

Love is honored. Thank you for reminding my husband that he should love me like Christ loves the church. As great as he is... sometimes he needs that reminder. I need the reminder to honor him always.

And lastly,

Love is patient. Thanks for being patient with those who are still waiting for the "perfect" someone. Even though we both know, deep in our hearts, those perfect people don't exist, thanks for allowing them to dream. And please, if you could, give me an extra dose of love to show those who are broken hearted today. God hasn't forgotten about them according to Ps. 34:18 and neither should I.

Say "I love you" today. Thanks for reminding me it's more about the Love that I can show, rather than the calories attached.

How are you going to show love today?