What Happens Today

Family - The Joy, The Pain, The Struggle God puts us in families.  And He puts family in us. It's inescapable. Whether your family is by birth, adoption, or friendship, a powerful knitting has happened. Family is a gift and a great teacher. In His wisdom, God has placed us with certain individuals. For those of you whose families are by birth, you didn't have a choice; but God did. He knew what He was doing. Whether you're a parent, a spouse, or a child, you are placed. At times it may seem hard or even ridiculous to try and find good out of the struggles we as families can go through. But we must search for a way to see the good; for it is there. Without the challenges of teenage children, I would not have learned patience. Without seeing an adult child suffer, I would not have learned compassion. Without raising a toddler, I would not have learned to teach. I've learned companionship and friendship from my siblings. I've felt support from my parents. I...

A word of encouragement for you ... Be still and know that He is God. Whatever you're going through, He is God. He rides above your storms and He is Lord of all. And bottom line, when all is said and done, He is good. He is good to you and His intentions are good. He always has your best in mind. His heart towards you is for your good. In your life, He will leave no stone un-turned; He will not leave you as you are - He loves you too much for that. His goal is you, conformed into the image of Jesus, made like Jesus. This will glorify Him and bring honor to Him. And this worth, this value, this precious jeweled reflection will be carried with you into heaven and your reward will be great. The trials you suffer through are not in vain. They bring both temporal and eternal rewards. "I discipline those I love," says the Lord, your God. I am your reward, I am your portion, and you are Mine. I love you my son, my daughter, my child.

Today I would like to thank my guest blogger, my daughter Kaitlyn. Here is a moving account she wrote for one of her college courses. Enjoy. Take a look at the classroom we are sitting in. I’d bet that everyone’s homes are bigger than this room,  right? Imagine living in a room half this size with 6 or 7 other people. This is a reality for people in  Haiti, a country size of Maryland that is home to 9 million.  Today I’ll be talking about Alexandra, a girl I  sponsor in Haiti, and how meeting her and the people of Haiti has profoundly influenced my life.  The way of life in Haiti is one of gratitude. The people are happy just to talk with you, to braid hair, and  to laugh. Despite the lack of a common language, kids crowd around you; they are just happy to sit and  have you hug them. At church and at meals, everyone just seems to slow down- it it less about a  goal or destination, and more about enjoying those around you and just being grate...

  Hold on to Peace Here is a word that the Lord gave me regarding peace. In the midst of a day splattered by a rotten attitude, He gave me these words of encouragement. Take them as your own. Peace; hold on to peace. Don't let what's around you, your circumstances, your situations, rob you of the peace that I give. It's not worth it. What can a man give in exchange for peace?  Nothing. It is a gift from Me. It can't be bought, it can't be earned. It can only be received. It is a gift only I can give.  All other promised peace is a counterfeit. Only I can give real, lasting peace.   But you must hold on to it and not succumb to the forgeries; not bend to the temptation to worry or take things into your own hands.  When you know that the battle is mine, trusting in my desire and ability to love you sufficiently, then you will make way for My peace. For my peace is a river that flows, a shelter that covers. My peace surrounds you.  ...

While the Gardner Works My backyard had become a mess. Thorn bushes and weeds growing at will, slowly overtaking my lawn. My yard had grown smaller and smaller as the attacking weeds made their onslaught. That's what neglect will do.  But this year, I was on a mission. I have no idea where the desire or drive came from; it just showed up. I was going to fight the weeds, the trees, and the thorns. It was a challenge; a large task that caused cuts and soreness. But I couldn't help myself. I kept going back weekend after weekend, like a warrior determined to defeat his enemy. I had a personal vendetta. Very cool how God uses the natural to illuminate the spiritual to us.  The summer is drawing to a close, and I find myself getting discouraged. Not over my backyard battle, but rather over the battle inside myself. Perhaps you've found yourself in the same place asking the same type of questions. When will I finally become the person God wants me to be? How long will t...

Incurable There are certain scriptures that cause me to marvel; put a smirk on my face and a wonder in my heart. Jeremiah 30 contains some of those scriptures. Recorded in this prophetic chapter is this verse, Your wound is incurable,     your injury beyond healing. God is being blunt; stating the fact - our current condition is, alas, tragic. Hopeless. Beyond any cure we can conjure up. On the surface such a statement doesn't leave much hope; possibly wants to make us hang our head and say, "What's the use?". And truly, without God, there really is no hope. But with God ...  This scripture brings a reality to the fact that a healing of the heart may seem too great a task. How can the depths and intricacies of our hearts even be plunged, never mind navigated and healed? It seems too great a task to take the wounds of the years, the hidden hurts and fears, and eradicate them as if they never happened.  The broken heart seems incurabl...

Don't Give U p "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."  - Paul's letter to the Galatians. Sometimes our efforts can seem fruitless. If we're honest, we' ve all felt that way. We put in, we invest, we care, we do, and little seems to change. But that's just our human perspective, for God has made a promise. The thunderstorm echoing outside my window reminds me of His promise: For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. God's purpose and plan will be accomplished in you because your heart is good ground and He is sowing into that good ground. So do not lose hope. But h...