You are a diamond in the making. Did you know ... Diamonds are extremely rare and extremely valuable and their value is a function of the depth at which they are formed. The formation of a diamond occurs up to 100 miles below the surface of the earth. Diamonds are formed under intense pressure and heat. Carbon buildup from dead plants and animals is compressed under the weight of millions of tons of earth over many years under intense heat. Pressure. Heat. Rare diamonds are tinted by colors; the hope diamond for example. This tinting is a result of imperfections that exist in the diamond during its formation process. You could say, a diamond's flaws give it great value. What can take hundreds or even thousands of years to achieve is released within hours. The diamond travels to the surface of the earth in tubes called kimberlites within a matter of hours. The formation process is lengthy, but the activation process is fast. You are a diamond in the making. (...
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Find Your Seat One of the remnants of my daughter and son-in-law's recent wedding was a sign my daughter created to hold the seating assignments for her guests. It was very country-cool, if you know what I mean. This sign had sentimental value to me, so instead of throwing it away, I put it in a spot in our backyard. A month later, looking out the bathroom window, I saw that sign and it struck me. Find your seat. God wants us to find our seats. He wants us seated exactly where we belong; in His purpose, grace, and joy. I think many of us have seasons where we question our vocation, our calling, what we should be doing with our lives; the short lives we've been given. Some call this a mid-life crisis. I call it a quandary of calling. If we've been called to task, then it's only that task that will bring fulfillment to our lives. The only place of true rest is in the seat assigned to us by God. But how do we know when we've found that seat? What signal...
Under the Influence Would you be willing to take, say, a few seconds, place your mind in focus mode, and consider this thought, "Your life has a strong impact on others." Consider that thought again, "My life has a strong impact on others." How you walk, the paths you take, your choices, have a bigger impact on others than you might imagine. It's true to say, people are under the influence of you. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. (The book of Hebrews in the Christian scriptures, chapter 12) I've heard it said that there is no more than six degrees of separation between every human on this planet. I think we all know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone famous. True or not, as humans, we are all interconnected in one way or another. And that interconnection is the channel...
Tattooed Your name has been tattooed onto the palms of God's hands. That's right; God has a tattoo, and that tattoo bears your likeness. "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands ..." (Isaiah 49:16) Engraved, not penciled in. Like a design on a sword's blade. Inscribed, like permanent carvings on a piece of wood. This is not a temporary or seasonal inscription; this is meant to stand the test of storms and time. Bottom line, God fell so in love with you that He "went out" and got a tattoo of you. He's that serious about His relationship with you. Your name is indelibly written on the palm of His hand. That's God's level of commitment to you! Understand this, there is no condemnation for you who is in Christ. It is by His doing that you are safely placed in His hands, and it is by His doing that you remain safely in His care. No one can snatch you from His mighty grip. You would more easily rip the tattoo off of a snar...
The Wedding Twenty years ago, our soon to be married daughter, Kaity, came into this world. Her life has been quite a story. When she was first born, she was having issues breathing; something a new father is never prepared for. I can remember the nights when she would wheeze and cough and the little rubber turkey baster thing the hospital gave us to clear out her throat. It was blue. When Kaity was about seven or eight, she walked out onto our front porch; the porch I was rebuilding. She stepped out and down she went between the support beams. She said she saw an angel. I don't doubt it; someone was holding her. Someone walking into a hole tends to fall face first. She didn't. She landed straight up and was fine. It was around that time that Kaity met Paul, her fiance. They were in pre-school. He was born on valentines day; and that was appropriate, because that was when he proposed to her (at least that's how I think it went down.) He said he was going to marry...
Activated They can remain silent for years; inactive for decades. They meld into our society and live undetected. Just like most others, they have every day jobs and occupy themselves with ordinary activity. Blending, learning, being a part. Highly unnoticed. Until that day comes; the day of activation. And then everything changes. Mr. or Mrs. mild-mannered loses their milk-toast personality and trades it in for purpose and boldness. The ordinary is no longer ordinary and the daily grind becomes a daily mission. Around every corner is a hidden opportunity waiting. Every chance encounter holds the possibility of becoming a brush with destiny. And who are these mysterious sleeper cells, these quiet ones who hide in our midst until their obscure calling and activation is alerted? Well, it's you. Know it or not, like it or not; you're not ordinary. You weren't made with average in mind and your purpose holds nothing less than spectacular. How do I know that? Beca...
Signed Charles Darwin may have thought he had a clue when formulating his now famous Theory Of Evolution, but he knew little of the human cell and its incredible complexity. In fact, the more recent scientific discoveries of the intricacy of the human cell have caused some modern scientists to question and even discard Darwin's writings on evolution by natural selection and trade them in for "Intelligent Design". In April of 1953, Watson and Crick published their findings, a molecular structure of DNA; the double helix. This was something not grasped by Darwin when he wrote Origin of Species in 1859. DNA is a highly structured, complex molecule that carries our genetic information. The wonder of how DNA is constructed, how it allows itself to be copied in reproduction, and the specificity of its instructions may lead us to think that this is not the result of an accident or chance. Perhaps, there is even intelligence in its design? On the contrary, given the shee...