Sudden Changes

Last week I experienced something no one should ever have to experience. A loved one suddenly choose to slip out without notice or warning; taking all belongings and leaving emptiness in the wake. It's a devastating feeling. It rocked my world. Surreality surrounded me. I walked in a haze filled with tears for hours. My thoughts filled with questions like, "Are you kidding me?" "What now?"

Like the single flower pictured below I felt somewhat alone.

But I reached out to family and friends within those hours and found that God has many ways to encourage us when we are down. Before I knew it people from all sides were surrounding me with their presence, their text messages and their phone calls. What I thought was a lonely existence became a mass of support like the bluebonnets in these other pictures.

I was not alone and am not alone. Even better than that, my God is faithful and He is my ultimate defender. As I sat in a variety of church services last week, I felt God's presence and His direction. It was the weekend we get to celebrate the path Jesus opened up for us to enter  heaven. We get to die on earth one second and immediately enter into a new life in paradise and  heaven if we accept His sacrifice on the cross. And that's exactly what I felt God telling me.

This weekend I celebrated the beginning of a new life, a new goal. God has something else for me to do. Human "will" caused the change, but God's "will" is ready to work everything for His good for His kingdom. (See Roman 8:28) It's not what I would have chosen or ever desired. But I look forward to the new things and goals that God has for me that may rock my world in a glorious way.

I still have those moments when the raw emotions come to a head and tears flow out unannounced. It takes me a few minutes to rein them in and bring them to a halt. Then I remember the lesson I've received and joy fills my heart once again. Starting something new is a little scary, but God is in this with me, so I shouldn't be fearful in any way. And, the fact is that any rocking motion eventually does settle down and becomes a smoother ride once again.

Defying Impossibilites

I have often heard that nothing is impossible for God. In fact, I have quoted that phrase. And while I know this to be true in my head I must confess that unfortunately I have occasionally not given God the credit that He can actually pull off the impossible. I'll blame it on doubt rearing its ugly head causing me to dare to question the abilities of my awesome God.

Then it occurred to me, if man could see the impossible before his eyes would it make it easier to believe beyond any doubt that God can do anything, even the impossible? And what would this example be? What could possibly be an example of what looks to be the impossible actually being reality?

Then I remembered a feat my brother is known for.

He loves to stack rocks. Now that doesn't sound like anything worthy of demonstrating impossibility. I mean, how hard can it be to stack rocks? One on top of the other, with the smallest one on top, right? That's how I would do it. Not exactly how he did it in the photo to the right
.




But what if the rocks are odd shaped? And what if they stand in a river? Not a peaceful river whose current is hard to detect but a river with enough force to create lovely little waterfalls as it moves around the rocks in its path.




 Seeing is believing.

My brother is a mere man, yet look at these photos that show off what he can do with patience and effort.

If man can create such beautiful creations then our Almighty God can do anything He wants; even taking what we see or think as being impossible and making it a reality as strong as the ground under our feet.

Nothing is Impossible

I have often hash-tagged the phrase "there is always hope". It was my way to bring light to the fact that God works is ways we don't think of. This week I read Joel Rosenberg's blog and found a true example of these words. In a land where Christians are being killed and radicals of the Muslim religion rule with a heavy hand there are untold numbers of people looking into the Christian Savior, Jesus.

This is incredible.

I don't know about you, but I figured Iran had fewer Christians now than they did this time last year. And those that remained were still being hunted down to be killed. Little did I think that there would be much spreading of the gospel. But, God uses all things to advance His kingdom, even the actions of the enemy.

We often hear in the news that Isis continues to recruit new members. But the actions of these people cannot overcome the way God moves. Yes, the terrorists are planning to change the world to be under their control. But, in reality their actions are doing nothing more than causing their own countrymen to wake up, turn away from the country's religion and walk into the loving arms of Jesus.

Even in the heart of evil activity God can be triumphant. And Joel Rosenberg's article talks all about it. Take the time and read it here.

Where Is God?

It's at Christmas time that we are reminded of the silence between God and His people from the end of the Old Testament to the birth of Jesus. In fact, it was 400 years of silence. Can you imagine how the people must have wondered how God could allow so much evil around them? Armies traipsing through their country, taking over, bringing order but also destroying their peace at the same time. Syrians, Greeks then the Romans. Don't you think they would have asked where God was in all their misery?

Because we have 20/20 hindsight, from our perspective we can see that it was for a purpose. Without the Romans, there would not have been a census to send Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem thus fulfilling prophecy. (Isaiah 7:13-14) And, only with the Romans did Jesus die on a tree thus becoming sin so He could save us from sin, and again fulfilling prophecy. (Matthew 16:21) Later, Paul used Roman law to make his way to the capital of the greatest empire to rule the world. From there he reached many Gentiles. For this, I am thankful.

In recent days, I have reflected on the terrible things happening around the world. Crazy killings and bombings. Destructive forces that seem to be unstoppable. Are we going through another time of silence from God? Are we once again asking where is God? Is the church praying regarding the crimes being done to our fellow brothers and sisters around the world? You may wonder, is God even listening?

The message in a recent sermon I heard was: Do not mistaken God's silence for His absence.

My question now, is there a reason for the apparent silence? Is God planning something big again? The last time God was silent Jesus came as a baby. Is His silence leading up to Jesus' return? How bad will things get before they can get better? Another blogger wrote about God and His answering prayer, read it here.

The peace that the angel called the shepherds to have (Luke 2:10-14) is here for us today. My peace comes from knowing that God is watching it all. And those who are guilty will one day know the truth about God and His power. There is always hope in knowing that God has a plan and one day we will get to see it unfold.

Miracles in the Midst of Tragedy

There has been so much coverage on the attacks in Paris that I'm sure there is probably nothing new to discuss. It brought back memories of being downtown one night and hearing the sound of gunfire. As I remember, the sound bounced off the buildings, so it was hard to tell where the shots were coming from. I didn't know where to run. I can't imagine the fear and confusion the people of Paris must have felt as the sounds of multiple shots and explosions filled the night air.

When 9-11 happened the attacks were spread out, but just as confusing. The thought of all those attacks happening in one place almost simultaneously grips in a way that we did not have to deal with here in the U.S. And, may we never have to experience.

Nevertheless, I see the lesson from both tragedies as the same. In both situations there are stories of how people survived even though they should have died. If God still needs you for a purpose then nothing can stop Him from using you. He knows your time and will not let man stop Him from achieving His objective. Take the following two examples. I remember hearing of a man who jumped up and rode atop the debris as the World Trade Center came tumbling down. Miraculously, he survived. The second example occurred when I watched the news coverage of Paris. I saw a shooter taking aim at a woman on the ground, shaking his gun before he fired then walking away. The woman was reported to have said the gun jammed, so he left. He didn't attempt to bring her more harm. She also survived, miraculously.

What was the purpose of these two examples of surviving a tragedy? I don't know, but for right now I would say it's to show the world God is still in the miracle business. May all the world look to God for more miracles and comfort in this time of much needed direction.

Nothing New

I'm sorry I haven't shared anything in several weeks. Frankly, I am struggling to stay focused enough to finish the editing of my first solo book, as the woes of my circumstances threaten to overtake my emotions. Staying focused on God has been my saving grace.

God has been faithful, and through Him I find joy and direction. But still the struggle is daily. The other day as I read my devotional reading I came across a rough draft of a note of encouragement I apparently wrote several years ago. Wouldn't you know it was like I wrote a note to myself.

The first scripture I encouraged the reader to look at was Psalm 138. The verses felt like they were written for me. That's when I realized that nothing I am going through is new to God. He has been here before. Nothing that happens in today's world is new to Him. He's seen it all. He made the human body and knows how delicate it can be. How one wrong thing happening within can trigger all kinds of changes. Changes that send out ripple effects to everyone around.

Again I find that I need to stay focused on Him. Only then can I find my way through the muck and foggy state of my current situation. I encourage each of you to do the same. You don't have to be going through awful situations to look to God for direction. But I can tell you that by doing so, you will find a peace that you are not alone and that someone bigger than you or me is on our side. Let me know how it's going for you.

Navigating The Wilderness

I have been given a vision of promise for the future. A goal from God, so to speak. Have you ever been given such a word? Maybe it's the vision of a particular ministry or outreach you will be a part of. If so, then you know what I mean about seeing the possibilities of what will be.

Recently I was reading Acts 7. Stephen is speaking to the Sanhedrin and reminding them of Israel's experience in leaving Egypt and traveling to the promise land. At first the Israelites knew where they were headed - a land where sustenance would be found and the harshness of the Egyptian life could be forgotten. But they took their eyes off the promise and let the worries and discomforts of the wilderness they had to traverse cause them to look back to Egypt as though it was a good thing.

They were so unhappy with being uncomfortable and not knowing what lied ahead that they preferred to consider leaving a God who provided shade in the heat of day, light overhead in the dark of night, and, how can we forget, manna. They wanted to return to poverty and beatings. They even wanted to worship a golden calf rather than the God who had proven Himself over and over again.

You're probably thinking, "How could they ever do such a thing?" The place these people left was awful. Who would even look back when there's the promise of freedom, peace, joy, happiness just ahead? Well, I'm here to say that I was convicted of doing the same thing as I read Acts 7. Now granted, I'm not traveling away from the same terrible things the Israelites experienced. But, I was lingering on the "what if's." My understanding from God was that every time I thought about a different word or action I would've, could've, should've taken I turned my eyes from the promise land and looked back to Egypt, so to speak. I don't want to do that.

I want the better life of the promise land. Don't you? What goal has God given you? Are you just starting out? Know that there will be a wilderness before you get to the final goal. Hopefully, it won't be forty long years for us, but it may feel like it. So no matter what comes our way, let's keep our eyes on the promise of the future and leave the lesser way behind us. May God have greater mercy on you and I as we work to maintain the right focus on the goal He has set before us.