control

i'm sure you're like me, you can say, "God, i give you control of this situation." and then you feel at peace with it, successful in your accomplishment. verbally, it's so easy to do. and maybe you're successful, for a bit of time. gradually though, you start pulling back the control a little at a time, until the stiuation is now completely under your own control, no longer trusting in God.

visualize with me...it's almost like playing tug-of-war with God. i give Him the rope (control of a sitatuion). little by little things become uncomfortable, i become vulnerable, and i take pieces of the rope back until i am pulling against God. literally playing tug-of-war with God. pulling, pulling, pulling on the rope. game face is on. anchoring myself to the ground. determined to win this competition.

but today,

God

stopped

pulling.

this morning, i heard Him loud and clear. He said to me, that it wasn't a game. He's not going to fight me for control. it's all or nothing.

and i know He's there waiting to take control back;

i just have to release it to Him.

must have music

if you don't already own these, go buy them....

"church music" david crowder band

"alive again" matt maher

you can thank me later

routine

lately i've been thinking how i, okay we, all get stuck in the routine of everyday life. get up, go to work, come home, make dinner, relax, go to bed. repeat five days per week, while changing it up a little on the weekends.

it's routine.

it's easy.

there's no guessing to it.

we interact with the same people. have the same expectations out of everyone, just living our easy, comfortable lives.

but shouldn't there be more to our routine?

if our lives are centered on Christ and the Word, shouldn't it be reflected in our routine? maybe that means going to really tough places inside ourselves and letting God and others in. maybe it means we change up how we talk with one another. maybe it means we reach out to that person we pass by daily, but never acknowledge.

God said, "never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

He needs to be part of our routine.

let's let Him in...

slow it down

yesterday, i had a converstaion with a fellow believer. we were talking about the "Our Father," and how easily we breeze thru the words without actually thinking about them anymore. it's that part during worship that you know is coming up, you recite the words from memory and continue on with worship.

we started talking about how we need to slow down and think about the words,

"Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name."

to process them,

"Thy Kingdom Come.
Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven"

to use them as a call out to God,

"give us this day, our daily bread."

to apply them to our own lives,

"and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.

and know that God is there,

"And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil." Amen.

listening.

manners

mind your manners, isn't that what we're all taught from a young age. say "please" and "thank you". but don't you and i go thru our days without actually saying it when we need to? such as: "Lord, thanks for the food i have before me," or "thank you God that my car started this morning," or "thanks for bringing that to me."

why don't we remember to do that?

take for instance the book of colossians. paul has been converted, imprisoned, and is writing letters for the followers of Christ. check chapter 3, verse 15-17. how many times is thanks or a form of that word mentioned?


wow, so a man in prison is telling us to give thanks, be thankful, have gratitude.


he's in prison and he's telling us this!


do you get it?


paul continually mentions it to make a point.


therefore, that letter that paul writes it to you and i. once our hearts are set in the right place, we can give thanks.

so if he can remember to give thanks while sitting in a cold, dirty prison cell-
can't you and i do the same?

what if....?

what if we stopped worrying?



what if i lost weight?



what if we all had enough money to pay the bills?



what if we all listened more and talked less?



what if i trusted more?



what if we forgave ourselves as easily as we forgive others?



what if we stopped underestimating ourselves and our God and started living life to the fullest?

"some people come into our lives and quickly go. some stay awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same." -unknown

have you looked for God deep within your personal relationships?

does He have a presences there?

i was reflecting back this evening and thinking what a "God thing" it was that i have the close group of friends that i do. granted, i can't emphatically say that each one was entirely God led. sometimes, i think free-will was involved because i just don't think i was listening every time God was trying to lead me.

take for example my relationship with my best friend. we both ended up in a summer college class on linguistics. yes, it was as boring as it sounds. the professor spent many a weeks trying to analyze my last name and change the pronunciation of it. anyway, she sat up front, always asked questions, and was attentive. i, on the other hand, was in the back of the room, didn't pay attention, and goofed off (for those of you who know me, you find this hard to believe, i know). the summer passed, with neither of us really acknowledging each other, just sticking to ourselves, avoiding the opportunity to meet new people. the following autumn, we ended up in more classes together and quickly pushed those preconceived notions aside to get to know one another. and the rest is history...

i have comfort knowing that,
God knew i would need her in my life.
He knew she would need me in her life.
i know He purposely put us together.

it comes down to believing that that God puts relationships into our lives for the greater good, His greater good. it's up to us to accept them and in turn learn from them.

because i know, that without certain people in my life, i wouldn't be the person i am today. nor would i have overcome or made it through the things that i have. yes, i am even grateful for the people who have come into my life for only a short period of time.

so it's up to us now to....
look for chances that God is giving you to connect with others (acts 14),
see relationships as intentional,
allow His presences to be known.

grace and peace

that sucks....

how many times have you and i thought that, "this sucks"?...or something similar to that...

man, this day sucks!

this situation sucks!

etc, etc, etc.

it bogs us down, puts us into self-pity, and inspires more thoughts just like it.

then i began to think of what God thinks, being on the other side of those comments.

for instance, when we complain, "man, this day sucks!" God thinking, "wow, thanks! i thought i was doing good today."

do we actually take into consideration those on the other side of our words?

i know i don't think of it as often as i should.

and so maybe the next time i'm complaining, i can think of the greater One first

uncomfortable?

what's the most uncomfortable situation you can imagine yourself in? what does it look like? what do you look like? sounds? smells?

in acts 8 (v. 26-40), philip ends up talking with an ethiopian eunuch. the eunuch is traveling in a chariot and must be someone of importance. he's also found by philip reading scripture. after talking together, philip baptizes the eunuch. talk about an uncomfortable situation in which philip was able to spread the Word.

now go to acts 10, peter is with a roman centurion, cornelius. cornelius is said to be a follower of God (v. 2). then peter is sent to talk with him. they talk, peter baptizes, the church is spread. peter's uncomfortable situation puts him with non-jews and yet he was able to overcome.

this makes me think of a friend of mine, she lives with alopecia. currently, she has no hair (and i must say the most beautiful bald lady i know). i think of her in uncomfortable situations. i know she has more patience than i would when dealing with this. people come up to her all the time wondering what stage of cancer she might be in. for me, this would get old all too fast! i would be frustrated and would want to wear a shirt that says, "i don't have cancer!" you know though, i don't see her doing that. i see her embracing this opportunity to listen to others and then spread the church.

isn't that what it really comes down to?...spreading the church

so i ask again, what's your uncomfortable situation?

can i and will i allow Christ to use me in that situation?

can you and will you allow Christ to use you in that situation?

...because when it comes down to it,

we're just like philip.
we're just like peter.
i'm just like my friend...

"i wish grown-ups could remember being kids"

this quote appeared on my starbucks cup today and it made me think...about why it's important and if it's worth it. i know that it can be argued either way, and yet i've come to one conclusion. i do think it's beneficial.

it's to enjoy the simple things in life that make you smile.

it's to look at the world through their younger eyes and see things how they see them.

it's because time goes so fast. kids want to grow up too quickly, while adults want to slow time down.

it's to help someone who's struggling with issues the same way you did.

i saw this today in middle school, where kids struggle for acceptance and affirmation from friends. when things are topsy-turvy it's considered "drama". i wish i could give them all the hind-sight for them to realize how this molds and shapes each other. for them to know that you might not always remember what was specifically said, but you will remember how someone made you feel.

and maybe that's the point of all of this. to let them all know how awkward the middle school years are, but to let them know they're not alone. even when they feel the world has checked out on them, there is always one constant in their life.

i'm grateful for that constant in my life...

...nightmares and faith...

have you had those dreams that haunt you and continue to haunt you hours after you wake up?

what do you do with that?

this morning, i have experienced just that. during the early hours of the morning, i had such a nightmare. hours later, i can still vividly recall details from this dream, events from a childhood trauma (that i have worked thru and healed from). as i awoke i had questions on my mind....i wake up wondering why did i dream this? and years later i still am left wondering from time to time, why did this even happen? was this dream from God or is satan tempting me in my sleep?

i realize that i have to rely on faith. faith that God saw me thru this before and He can see me thru this again. and with that, i am given peace and the weight of this haunting is beginning to lift.

i know i'm not alone doubting or wondering who is in control. peter needed his faith restored from time to time. i think of when he walked on water with Christ. see matthew 14:25-31.

i still don't think i'm ready to walk on water (literally), but i have comfort knowing that when i am, Christ is there to walk with me. until then, i pray "Lord, save me" (v 30).

i pray that He will do just that,...and save you too....