Remember your prayers
Remember what you pray for; God answers them. Sometimes we forget to look back on things and remember how and why we made a petition to God. Go back, remember that moment, and see where God has brought you. It may be exactly where you want to be.
6 March 2010 | 12:24 pm
What makes us
I just read a chapter in a book that made reference to Isaiah 45:3 in regards to how God uses the dark moments of our lives (even the ones we've brought on ourselves) to lead us to blessings that ultimately reveal his grace.
I've been thinking about how our pain, troubles, sins, and failures can ultimately take us home to the things we've always wanted. It may be that the things we find shameful about ourselves are the very devices God uses to draw people to us. It is strange and wonderful to be able to tell someone anything about yourself and have them hear it, take it, and move on with you. God seems to give one person a puzzle piece that fits right into someone else's. There is something good in that which I cannot really define and completely comprehend, but love.
This is short because it is simple. The things that make us what we are were put there to help us find just what we need. We may or may not see it coming. I like it when it just shows up and surprises you.. the beauty is in the waiting for it.
jm
I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Isa 45.3
21 February 2010 | 7:35 pm
Haiti
This is going to be short. Pray for the people in Haiti. Pray for those who have lost family members, homes, and are in need of food and water. Finally, pray that the people Western Hemisphere continue to pour support into Haiti long after all this has past.
18 January 2010 | 9:01 pm
Excited with Patience
I think that our imagination functions at it's best when we're waiting on something big. For me, it's waiting for graduation on Thursday, a flight to a foreign country to do missions later this month, and finding out where I'm going to be working next year. In a time when I want to be impatient, I'm really getting excited about the possibilities that are in front of me. There are great people I could meet, new events I have the opportunity to experience, and different roads I can travel in a short amount of time.
As it turns out, the joy in thinking of all these possibilities is without end. Often we forget that amazing things can happen because we only expect an average outcome to occur. When we expect the least, we cut God out of the equation (I would say we're cutting out hope, because the two are directly related; but no God means no one made hope). This digression could be extended for a few paragraphs but it's more beneficial to say it only once this way:
Christ rose from the dead and sent the Spirit to empower and guide us. Therefore we should know that if God wills it, the extraordinary will occur.
We have no reason to not hope and dream for the good things that may come. Even when bad ones are evident and taking their toll on our lives. Regardless of one's situation, there is always a new day ahead that can bring the unexpected and expected if we're willing to open our eyes. Yes, due to our fallen nature it's difficult to continually look at things this way (I fail to more often than I'd like). But in the light of Christ, endless possibilities are abundantly found.
12 December 2009 | 3:01 pm
What the future holds.
So I'm moving closer and closer towards graduating in December, which means making decisions on where I want to live, and where I want to work. Unfortunately, I'm realizing the full gravity of the situation and don't necessarily like it, but know that it's something I have to deal with. There are some scary things that come along with graduating, because it means starting a new phase in life (as much as I hate to admit it). For me it means that I may not have as much time to write music and play with a band as much as I'm able to now. For others it may mean the start of everything they've been working for over the past four or six (or insert number here __) years. It is slightly terrifying. Not like zombies everywhere terrifying, but enough to shake up your mind a bit. I think it's scary for one real reason: It is sometimes unsettling to see that the decisions you make can alter or change the path your headed down very quickly for better or for worse. Granted, this is something the words "responsibility" and "consequences" have taught us for years, but those words seems to have been reinstated with more power at this point in life for me...which is okay.
I think there is a tendency for us to look at a place we may be going and wonder if we will have success there, or if the right things will come our way (a family, career, wealth, anything). I say that because I have started asking that question myself, and have been realizing at the same time that it is a ridiculous question for me to be asking.
I don't know what the future holds, but I believe it's good because I believe God is good and faithful to those who are faithful. God blesses us in both good and bad situations, no matter where we may go (So why do we worry?). Having Christ as our truth, guide, and focus is what truly matters today. I am becoming increasingly aware of the fact that we are just passersby taking in the view. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but the view is there to serve a purpose. And despite what it makes us feel or think, it is important to know and remember that God is with us wherever we go; offering protection, guidance, and grace.
13 October 2009 | 3:33 pm
