God Favour

You have the favour of God Dear Reader. Do you believe this to be true? By virtual of the breath in your lungs along with your abilities to feel, think, live, love, laugh, cry, you prove that His hand is upon you. Reject this truth and I ask you this, which hand gives to you generously? Which one crafted and shaped you for magnificence and glory? Who is it that sustains you when trouble is at your doorstep and enters into your abode? Who? I tell you that God sees you and you, Dear One, are one of His favourites and again this, His favour is upon you.

I know God, His love, His strength. I know that He favours me, fortifies me. There is more, so much more than this. It is not enough for Him to know me, that is childish and self serving. Having my needs met when I cry like an infant who cannot stand hunger or discomfort was acceptable when I could not see past myself. As a faithful adult, I advance, Hebrews 5:12-14 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." Here we arrive at next. As you read earlier, it is not enough for God to know us. Next is us knowing HIM. We must be weaned from milk and grow our spirit on solid food Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." How do we do this Dear Reader? How do we learn about Him and become skilled, mature, discerning, trained? It starts with desire, a burning desire to know The One that made you, made me. From there we seek insatiably, hungry for soulful satisfaction. Look at the verse from Hebrews above. "You ought to be teachers..." Are you there yet? Have you studied your subject? Do you know it well? Does God grant you favours when you do not know the answers because He knows you are devoted to Him? Good parents, we do this for our children, don't we? We give them what they need depending on their state of physical, emotional, spiritual, social, economic development. Are you still in training or have you matured into teacher? At what level of advancement are you? Do you have the POWER by CONSTANT practice, to DISCERN and DISTINGUISH what is good and evil in GODS sight? You, are you ready of solid food? Favour God and you will have all of your needs met and so much more. Study the principles of the oracles of God. We need you as mature teacher Dear Reader. We need you to model this for the children amongst us. 

Transversing Thought to Thing

How do you get from here to over there? I took my son and mother out for breakfast. I looked out of the window from the booth we were seated in and happened to notice a crane boom and jib (I looked up crane parts for this writing piece so I could sound well informed!) gliding smoothly through the air. This caught my imagination. Someone somewhere conceived of building something big. This someone had a vision and had to come up with a way to make it so. In their imagination, they had a thought and had to transverse dreaming airways to make the thing. In other words, think it and believe it is possible and make it into a real, tangible, touchable, seeable existing object. This is known as faith. Faith is defined as: complete trust or confidence in someone or something; a strongly held belief. Look around you Dear Reader. What is in your hands, under your feet or behind, in front of your eyes? What can you touch, feel, taste, experience that was made by YOU? I am typing on an Apple-not the eating kind. This apple has taken a huge bite in the technological and marketing worlds and it all started with ideas, thoughts that wanted to become things in the hearts and minds of the imaginator's (this IS a word, I looked it up). I am sitting in and out of nature as I type. All around me is the man-made. I am on a cushioned chair in a gazebo with gardens and pressed concrete around and in front of me. I feel gusts of pleasant wind moving my hair, hear the sound of chimes as they connect and ring clear, notice the sounds of birds calling and cooing, the buzz of an industrious bee. It is here that I am reminded of our wonderful God installed creativity. God thought it, spoke it and made it so...thats how you and me came to be Dear Reader. Imagine imagining humans? Wind, birds, bees and the synchronicity of all of the elements to bring it all into being? This is eyebrow raising stuff-kindof on the unbelievable side and yet this is what we experience and forget to remember! It is the wonder of what can be and all that is required is faith plus this...a willingness to transverse the space between what we think and making the thing come to life. Do you have ideas that haven't made themselves into realities yet? Is there something you conceived that you call, inconceivable, a pipe dream, a wannabe thing that will never see daylight? How come? What is holding you back? Look around you again Dear Reader, if you think it than you can be it. Walking past you is your opportunity! Grab hold of it, make it into the stuff of real life. Do it now. You CAN, do it now.

Blocking Grace

The countdown is on

Off you go

Have you heard the expression, get out of your own way? You have a goal in sight because you have immersed yourself in some planning. The excitement builds because you can see, hear, taste your burning desire. On paper, it all makes perfect sense. End goal is in place, intermediate steps are established and off you go! Off you go... Off you...

Sitting on your hands or you rump

I laugh here, because it is at this point in the established plan that many people find themselves sitting on their hands or alternatively, their rumps. We can do this in a number of ways. It can be physical, as in instead of taking off toward your destiny, you lie down, eat some extra calories or find some other leisurely way of casting off your dream. An alternative to this may be activity and a great amount of hustle and bustle, creating the illusion of accomplishment that really is just a displacement of that thing you said you wanted, you know, the end goal you spent hours crafting from the self help book that asked all of the life altering questions. You answered the questions alright, but you have yet to answer the call.

The call is to action

The call is to action dear reader and you, you have some work to do, don't you? Now, settle down and think for a moment. What was that end goal again? Bring it back to life. Give it arms, legs, movement, breath. Who are you as you live into the destiny you could see, hear and taste not so long ago in your imaginings? That is the real you, the one that longs to come on out and exist in time and space as reality. How to keep this real you alive is the question and the quandary.

What are you afraid of?

Are you blocking flow, the grace of movement that will woo you toward her/him? What keeps you rigidly held in place, unable to gravitate toward grandeur? Come on now, be honest with yourself, are you afraid? What are you afraid of dear reader? The Bible tells us three hundred times, three hundred times, to have no fear or worry. It also tells us to trust in God:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

I don't know what your "them" are, the people or things that you dread that block you in your steps toward your ultimate end goal. What I do know is that you block Gods grace when you fear and doubt and you release his might when you take steps toward being you:

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" ( 2 Timothy 1:7).

Dig into Gods strength, it will give you power. Live into his love, it will fortify you when you engage yourself in the challenges that life will throw your way. Have some self-control, disciplining yourself to stay the course for your own cause because God calls you forth and you must, you simply must, go.

Nurture & Thanks

There is a plant in the corner of my bedroom that gets its nourishment from the light that streams and sometimes dimly enters the space via the window. Every once in a while, I pour water from my drinking glass into the soil of the plant, recalling that this too, is required for its continuance. It is rare that I consider the plant, except for when I move it out of the way to vacuum around it. It is there, unseen most of the time...it is a living thing and with little to no care, somehow it graces me with its healthy presence, its ever growing green long fingered shoots reaching for what, I do not know. People are living beings, with little sunlight and water, they can be maintained, in the corner of the room, or the attic of our minds. I am deeply grieved as I recognize that so many of the people I love have experienced this putting aside by would be care givers. Fathers and mothers, absent from the roles of nurturer, givers of not only light and water but nourishment for the soul. Without the soulful nutrients, character strength and the development of emotional intelligence are stilted. Without growth and development, the living being must fend for itself, half a plant really, with shoots extending to God knows where and no roots growing into the deeper parts of who they are and were created to be. My understanding of the condition makes it no less painful to realize. Our aliveness requires spirit Dear Reader. We are all but dead as we live and breath, soak up sunlight and water if we have not a spirit of life within us. Maintaining life is not living life. What is left of us when food and drink, creature comforts cease to satisfy? Who are you when all is stripped away and you are laid bare?

The plant in my room gets what it needs and I have not once heard it ask, water me, bring me closer to the light. It depends on me to give it the basics and yet, my basics are so simple and come not from me. I do not make water, sunlight, soil. Somehow someway it converts all it receives and has aliveness within, cultivated and nurtured by Someone. You, human, who do not make what you need and yet are maintained by your minimal contribution to your subsistence, Who do you give thanks to for your existence? What gives you aliveness and are you a half plant or are you willing to gratefully soak up The Son, drink deeply from Living Water and become alive with Spirit? God Almighty is our strength when we are in need. He provides without our asking. Won't you repent, turn back to Him today and thank Him for all of you, all you have and all you are? Do this today Dear One, go and give your thanks. 

Undivided Heart

A stunning promise from God

"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them. I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19). 

Oh to have an undivided heart Dear Reader. Would this not be magnificent? The clarity of purpose would be so significant as to make you and me powerful movers in the world. Think of it. You have single minded focus and because this is true, you can do anything and do it well. 

The push and pull of being a human in fleshy form with a spirit trapped there, can make a person feel like a wish bone. Hardening of the heart seems a necessity when dealing with the circumstances and challenges life throws our way and yet, the spirit calls for a softened heart, one made of flesh rather than stone. How do we do this? How can we possibly stay tender, available, and soft hearted in the face of vulnerability to attack and dismantling? Would it not be much easier, much more satisfying to say to hell with it, to hell with you when we are hurt, disappointed, dismissed? 

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh. That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Ezekiel 11:200

This is a stunning promise. It is a directed perspective. It is a driver, a force, a way of being that keeps the human inside of a being. You have met them, have you not? The stone hearted, the selfish, the ones that put themselves first, and dare not contemplate others for fear of losing something of themselves? They are of this world. They belong here, with all of the trappings, minus the spirit. They go and do, live and lust, and it is all for naught. Useless worthless endeavouring, that feeds the appetite, at the expense of the satisfying of the soul. Emptiness. 

You have met the others too dear reader. Those whose eyes speak of eternity. The ones that listen with a keen ear, and a heart that longs for love and freedom. Mercy and gentility emit from them, and you cannot help but fall into them, knowing that their heart beats in unison with the very heart beat of God. 

The undivided heart honours God

Love one another

The undivided heart is the one that honours God with love for fellow man. It places a premium on care, attentiveness, kindness and generosity with an end in sight, a single minded focus on the grand vista that glistens on the horizon. 

What is your heart made of dear one? Is it tender, undivided and filled with a new spirit? Is it starting to harden day by day, solidifying into a heavy mass encased in the cage of your chest cavity? God promises to remove the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. God is a Transplant Specialist and is willing to perform this surgery on you. 

What will it be dear reader? 

Your new spirit awaits, what will it be? 

Willing

How willing are you to give what you want to get Dear Reader? Think on this: you feel love for another and at the same time, you resent them for not giving you what you crave. What do you do? What monologue plays out in your head or streams out of your mouth when no one is around? Should "they", the person you want from, give you this, show you that because you feel entitled to have what your heart desires? What about understanding? You have a point of view, it is on solid ground. This point of view makes sense, is logical and all you really need is for the other person to just SEE this and give in so that agreement can be established. Last of these examples. You are disappointed because what you wanted and what you got are two different things and there is some blame. There is a culprit and you have been insulted and overlooked. While no one is counting, this isn't the first time and there is little doubt that it will be the last. Do these scenarios feel and sound familiar? Which one is a recurrent theme in your life? Which one shows up often and with more than one person? Which one has become a way of being, an anticipated course of thought and action, repeated over and over again? How have you managed to keep this going Dear Reader? What have you been willing to do to maintain this status quo of yuck? Lets be clear. You play a role in the roles you play. Repeat performances can dull the senses and the question becomes, What would you like your outcome to be and what are you willing to do to ensure it happens? Here we are, with a decision to make. There is a noble way that calls us forth. It is an awareness that leads to rapture and it is this: Give what you want to receive. Love the one that doesn't love you. Understand those who cannot see or want to hear your point of view. Forgive the one you blame and take the responsibility of caring when it is the last thing you want to do. Wisdom speaks thusly: "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life." St Francis of Assisi. The noble way asks what can I do for you? How can I show you love, understanding, forgiveness? Be willing to give what you want to get, silently, sweetly, and without being self-seeking. Give love, give understanding, give forgiveness for the sake of the other and ultimately, for the edification of your soul. 

Look of Love

Mark 10:21 "Jesus looked at him and loved him." This singular verse is plucked mid-story from the Gospel of Mark. I tilt my head to the left as I type Dear Reader, contemplating. Jesus looked upon a young man with love and then He challenged him. Mark 10:22 "At this the man's face fell. He went away sad..." What does this bring up for you, what are you considering now? The heart breaking human story has always been unrequited love, has it not? Where does loneliness, grief, sadness and heartache come from if not from this, love given that is not returned? Note in the story snippets above, that "Jesus looked at him and loved him". He loved the young man knowing what his spiritual condition was, what he was attached to, what he clung to for his own comfort and stability. The challenge Jesus gave him was too great and the man chose to trust what he had rather than "inherit eternal life" Mark 10:17. I am piecing verses together Dear Reader. You may or may not be familiar with this story and I invite you to open your Bible and read it for yourself. Here is my driving point. Jesus loves us where we are. He has answers to our questions and they call us to heavenly realms, far beyond our human imaginings. He asks us to trust that where He leads, we are safe to follow. Not only safe, but richly, abundantly blessed. Jesus models love that surpasses understanding because He gives it and clearly, it is not always returned. His love is more often than not, unrequited and yet, He continues to love. Now this is where we get serious, you and I. Do you love like Him? Do you love when it is difficult and more than likely will not be returned? Do you love with attachment, clinging to what you know and what you anticipate as a ROI, return on your investment? How do you love Dear Reader? The challenge before each of us is to love, like this 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." Gods love is never failing. What is your love like Dear Reader?

Are you willing to trust Him to teach you how to truly love? 

Treasures in Jars

Where do you keep your treasures? Is there a special drawer, box, closet, perhaps a safe that you place your treasures Dear Reader? What do you consider a treasure, worthy of the special care you give it, storing it away for safe keeping? Consider the vulnerability of your treasure. Is it subject to theft, breakage, rust, tarnishing, wasting, rotting, disintegrating over time despite your efforts to protect and preserve it? 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

The imagery in the verses above is stunning. We are like fragile jars of clay with the all-surpassing power of God inside of us. Our treasure is HIM. Allow me to point out something that is quite breathtaking. He loves you and I so much that He is willing to reside in us, take up residence in these clay jars that we call bodies. Let me point out an obvious fact here Dear Reader. Trouble will come into your life. It has before and it will again or perhaps, I need not say this at all because you are currently living a troubled life? Do you feel crushed, abandoned, destroyed? Are you despairing? When you are pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted and feel struck down, do you stay there? What do you do with what happens to you and all around you? Are you shattered? You are a treasure to God. God formed and shaped you from the clay of the earth. He breathed His life into you and He will never leave you nor forsake you. It is you, Dear Reader, that He loves and it is to Him that He wants you to turn when trouble comes your way. If you wonder about others, how they manage to remain hopeful, joyful, faithful when circumstances and situations would suggest that they react otherwise, ask them these questions: What sustains you? How are you being who you are given what you are currently facing? Don't be surprised at their answer. Listen and learn from them because the information may save you from much unnecessary heartache and pain. You are Gods treasure, is He yours? Trust Him today and you too will have all-surpassing power, the power of God residing in you, sweet little clay jar. 

Coles Notes

The Bible is one big book. It is called the Good Book and for good reason but alas, this Dear Reader is for you to discover solo. Might I suggest for this undertaking that you pray, prior to pouring over the wisdom to be found there? If you have never prayed, I offer you this quick lesson, the Coles Notes for prayer. It can sound (yes, out loud is best), something like this: Dear God, wherever you are, I have heard there is some good stuff in this Book of Yours. If you don't mind, could you open my eyes to see and my ears to hear? This is new to me so I would appreciate your help. Oh, and I heard that Your Son is a big deal...can He be my tour guide, pretty please? After this prayer, be prepared for the best adventure of your life. The supernatural will take over and you will be astounded and amazed with what you read and learn in the Bible. I recall someone saying that they asked God to have the stories in the Bible come alive for them while they read. I asked the same after hearing this and I have to tell you, it works! When I read, I can see in my minds eye all the characters coming alive. I can see meaningful glances, quick quips, playful nudges and shoves along with deep sorrow, despair and weeping. There is also laughter, singing, dancing and joyful,  awe filled wonder in shining eyes. The characters in the Bible are quite colourful and since nothing is new under the sun, Ecclesiastes 1:9 "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." we can see in our modern times, characters filling our TV and other screens that resemble those that came before us. Not so pretty sometimes to watch and oh so elevating other times, we humans have our human ways and it shows. Now, this piece of writing was about the Good Book and I'm going to be very generous with you today! I have already given you a prayer for prior to reading the Bible and now, here are the Coles Notes. God loves YOU and wants YOU to know HIM. He already has your number, He made you and there is no escaping Him. He sees and knows all and you have no secrets from Him. The Book is about His love, His willingness to extend Himself to YOU, for YOUR sake. Can you believe this Dear Reader, a whole book written with YOU in mind? Amazing, right? Now go get yourself an autographed copy if you haven't one already. Gods hand print is all over it, all over YOU. All you need is His Love. Go get some of THAT today, in His Word. 

Love Boomerang

Love Boomerang

Emotional boomerangs
A boomerang is: a curved flat piece of wood that can be thrown so that it will return to the thrower. In action, once the boomerang has been thrown, it will "recoil on the originator". Recoil has several meanings, one of which is: rebound or spring back through force of impact or elasticity. I have never thrown a boomerang, have you dear reader? I have imagined throwing one and pictured myself ducking quickly to avoid decapitation upon its return to sender! I am fairly confident that with practice, throwing and catching a boomerang would be very entertaining. With this in mind, I see each of us, you and I, throwing our own emotional boomerangs all over the place.

Impact
Choose an emotion, a sentiment, or a character trait and think of someone who embodies what you have selected to focus on. There are two directions you could go in with this, positive or negative. Have you fixed in your mind the person? What dominates in your thoughts when you closely observe them in your minds eye? What feelings come up for you? Does a smile lift the corners of your mouth? Do you picture laughter and play in their company? What impact do they have on you? Conversely, are you currently frowning and dreading them because they are mean spirited, critical and generally miserable to be around? We all have impact on one another and their is rebound. What is sent out into the world recoils back, there is a return.

Potential weapon in your hand

Now turn your gaze inward. What emotions, sentiments and character traits dominate in your personhood? What do you send out into the world that will come back full force and impact you?  Who do people see you as? Do you need to duck dear reader? Is your boomerang dangerously spring loaded? Will its force upon return threaten your well being? Knowing we have impact and a potential weapon in our hands is critical in this life we live with other human beings. Each of us carry our own boomerangs. Choosing what to throw out into the world means we also choose what comes back at us. You may not see it at first, but I assure you dear reader, that when Love is your boomerang, Love is your return. Love sent and received begets much more of the same. Don't take my word for it, try this for yourself. 

Evidence to the Contrary

Evidence to the Contrary

What do you believe?

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for (Hebrews 11:1-2).

Is the wisdom of the ages something you seek dear reader? What did they know that you and I have yet to learn? How willing are you to dive into the lives of those who successfully navigated every difficulty you now encounter? Does stumbling and falling, perpetually skinning your knees and scarring your heart appeal more? Do you pridefully cling to self solution or are you willing to humble yourself, avail yourself of the learning made so readily available to each of us?

As the solution, how are you doing?
Look all around you. Look into the eyes of those you love. Look into your own eyes, reflected in the mirror you get ready in front of before you start your day. What do you see there? Do troubles and difficulty cloud your vision? Does your mind wander to and fro in wild attempts to fix and solve and patch together broken relationship and unresolved difficulties? As the solution, how are you doing?

Calling out for help

Praying in faith

Do you call out for help or are you self sufficient? In your weakened state, how is that pride of yours helping you make it all better and shooing the troubles away? Faith is this: knowing that God is there when all evidence points to the contrary dear reader. When hell has broken loose in your life and you feel as though you have no where to turn, he whispers turn to me. He has promised his peace and presence to his faithful ones and it is then and only then that his power and might is revealed in the heart and actions of man. I go and do, after I believe and not a moment before. I act as though it already is which means God has the answer, the solution, the fix because I can't see around corners but he can. God sees around galaxies for goodness sakes! Who am I to limit The Visionary and the Resolution Maker? My evidence of God comes each time I pray in faith and he answers in astounding and unfathomable ways. When I look around me, there is evidence that believing is fool hardy and contrary to faith. I know better.

The ancients were commended for their certainty in Gods promises. Their hope was in him. Where dear reader, do you place yours?

Fierce Faith

How do you cope Dear Reader? What happens in your head and in your heart when adversity and trouble enter into your life? Faith is a pretty little thing when all is well and you haven't a care in the world. Faith becomes something quite different when the boat is rocked violently from side to side, is taking on water and threatens to capsize, tossing you like a bit of fluff into the raging sea...

"Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." Matthew 8:23-26. Notice the storm, how it came up without warning and was furious. Now picture a face, your face, marked with fury. Is this you when adversity and trouble come to you? What about fear, dread, despair? Imagine the faces of the disciples as wave upon crashing wave swept over the boat, soaking them, stinging their squinted eyes. They were afraid that this might be the end for them.  Isn't this how it feels Dear Reader, when we have no control over outcomes? In a raging storm, we recognize that we are small and circumstances can seem so mighty that we could go down with the water laden ship. I call your attention once again to the disciples. They followed Jesus onto a boat and when trouble came,  they woke a sleeping man, crying out for help. "Lord, SAVE US!" These words were yelled into the wind and noise of storm. In trouble, in adversity, we can panic and in desperation we shout someone please, save me, save me from this-I don't think I can survive.

"Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" They knew, didn't they Dear Reader, what manner of man this was? Why pray tell, did they wake Him and shout Lord, SAVE US! if they did not in their heart of hearts believe that He could and would? As for you, what are you facing? What threatens to capsize you, destroy you, take you down? Who do you call on for rescue? You of little faith, why are you so afraid when you can call on The One that calms and restores peace? Jesus is in your boat. He is peace and rests in the knowing that no storm is too big for Him to handle. Go to Him on your knees and cry out, Lord, save me...and He will.