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  Listen to the song. We pray for blessings We pray for peace Comfort for family, protection while we sleep We pray for healing, for prosperity We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering All the while, You hear each spoken need Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things (Chorus) ‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops What if Your healing comes through tears What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise We pray for wisdom Your voice to hear We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love As if every promise from Your Word is not enough And all the while, You hear each desperate plea And long that we’d have faith to believe Chorus When friends betray us When darkness seems to win We know the pain reminds this heart That this is not, this is not our home Chorus What if my greatest disappointments Or the aching of this life Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy What […]

In my last post, I discussed how God uses a carrot and stick approach to draw us to Himself. I spoke in generalities, which I hope was useful for understanding. However, what’s important is application in each of our lives. How far will God go in my life to bring me to Himself? Unless we see God mirrored what we experience in our lives (the carrot) and unless the insufficiency of our world to truly satisfy is clear to us (the stick), we won’t be drawn to God and follow His Son in executing His plan for us. God truly has a plan for us. It’s not the bed of roses, worldly success, prosperity plan that is far too often preached. It’s a plan that includes more of Him and less of the world. It replaces temporary pleasure with eternal satisfaction. It substitutes fun with fulfillment. It can look miserable and foolish when, in fact, it’s great and glorious. It can seem fanciful, when it’s the only thing that’s real. If instead of God we seek riches, we will never feel rich enough. If we cling to youth and beauty in place of mature growth in Him, we will […]

I think as Christians most of us realize that we were created for a relationship with God. We know that God wants that relationship to be voluntary on our part. Just how far will God go to carry out this end? Consider this. Jesus told us not to fear more times than He told us anything else. We can assume being fearless is important. Yet, we live in a world with storms, disease, violence, destruction, wasps, snakes, spiders, ISIS and the IRS. How are we supposed to be fearless? We tell each other that God has a wonderful plan for our lives, but His plan for His son was humiliation, rejection and painful death on a cross. How can we expect a better plan for us? God said we, His followers, would do greater things than He did. He did some pretty awesome stuff. We can’t seem to get out of bed, lose weight, raise kids without criminal records, pay bills or invite people we know really well to church. Is there an explanation for all this plain madness? I think there is. It came to me in the middle of the night last night. I didn’t eat anything […]

5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” John 14 The followers of Christ were first called “The Way.” It seems now a more proper name than “Christians” who now seem to include people who don’t believe Jesus is THE way and some who are only slightly sure He’s one of the better ways. I realize that it is the highest political incorrectness to suggest that there is but one way, or one truth or even one life. I think we might have lost the name, The Way, when becoming a Christian became politically correct and the exclusiveness of Jesus became incorrect. Maybe it’s time we stand on incorrectness and those who don’t like it be damned. For in fact, they are. It seems as Christians we have tried too hard to be nice, to avoid offense. When we have chosen to be tough, […]

Sunday at church we had a pot luck lunch. Logistics forced us to set up tables of 8 chairs each. The congregation sat at the tables during the service and afterward for the meal. In the above picture, many were still getting their food. Just about each table was filled.  This accomplished something I have been advocating for many years. I wished we always sat at tables.There are many reasons. Sunday I was in position to look over the entire congregation and how they reacted to the tables. What I saw strengthened my argument that we should do this more often. I am not the only one to think this way: http://www.morethancake.org/archives/2604 http://franconiaconference.org/worshiping-around-the-table/ Made the meal possible. First off, it made having the pot luck possible. The early church ate together. It’s a church thing. Facilitates conversation. A circular table naturally facilitates conversation. I saw lots of it on Sunday. It’s so much more natural to talk to each other when we are face-to-face than when we sit in rows. Enhances community.  Although, as my grandson pointed out, many people sat at tables with friends and family, there were many who were sitting with people they didn’t know. I bet there are some […]

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. 47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. Mark 8 We are in the middle of what is forecast to be a week of stormy weather. It’s important that we know about storms, the dangers, the effects and  the opportunities. How we understand and handle storms is critical. Seek Shelter.  It’s elementary that during a […]

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy,and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 At various times yesterday I spent time with my wife, my daughter, my grandson and my great grand-daughter. They are treasures. They put faces on the “heavenly treasure” Jesus spoke of. I think we err when we consider “heavenly treasure” to be solely good works that we store in heaven instead of money we store here. It’s obviously foolish to invest in things that we can’t take with us and that “moths and vermin” can destroy. However, it’s a better motivation to put a face on the treasures we are storing up. It inspires us not only to treasure these people, but to do all that we can to ensure they are with us in heaven. I have known and know many who are busy storing up treasures here. They fear the destruction of their treasure. As the end draws near they begin to […]

We have just finished celebrating the most significant day in history, Resurrection Sunday. The church going, family gathering, dressing up and egg hunting is over. Today I call your attention to what is a more personally significant day. I call it Make Up Your Mind Monday. It might not be literally Monday. It begins, actually, the day after you come to the realization that Jesus came, died, rose and will return one day. That realization prompts a decision, a response, so what? All that Jesus did makes no difference unless we incorporate it. I saw a lot of joyful responses to what Jesus did yesterday. It’s great to be appreciative and thankful. It’s not, however, what Jesus asks. His requested response is at once simple and comprehensive: Follow me. It’s not just to “accept him” or call ourselves “a Christian.” It’s not being just being baptized or joining a church or going “up front” at a church service. It’s following. Following isn’t a one time thing. It’s not something we can check off a list and be done with. It’s a continuing process. It’s not something that can be compartmentalized to one day a week or prioritized anything other […]