What Happens Today

Ifs and Buts I once had someone tell me that I should stick to playing piano and not sing. It was said very nicely, but still, when you lead worship and someone tells you your voice is not where your gifting is, it hurts. God has called each one of His children to task. He's prepared good things for us to do, not because He needs slaves, but because He loves to make people happy. You do something good for someone and not only are they happy, you are also happy. It is more blessed to give than to receive. I think most of us have heard that, even outside of the context of church or scripture. It's true. There is much good to do in this world, and many hands available, but it seems there are so few who actually jump into the mess to help clean it up. Why? Maybe we're like Moses, called to speak, but not a good speaker. Remember the story? The LORD calls to Moses from a burning bush and tells him to go and speak to the king of Egypt, to Pharaoh himself. Moses' r...

An Adventure God has got us on an adventure. And that's a perspective. In this life, we can look at our challenges as difficulties, the Murphy's law attitude, or, we can embrace the promises of God and see our difficulties and plan changes as what they really are for the child of God - adventures. As Chuck Swindoll said so succinctly, "life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it". True. The delayed flight, the cancelled appointment, the unexpected surgery. Our challenges are many and varied. Yet God has a hand in them all; they are a part of this grand adventure the child of God finds himself on. My wife and I were recently scheduled to fly to Manila. We packed. We prepared. We arrived at the airport early. We were denied check-in. I was denied check-in. A big mess- up on the ticket. The name on my passport didn't match the name on my ticket and the ticket had to be re-issued with the correct information. That was confirmed by the airlines as b...

DNA Hidden away in every living thing is a genetic plan; a blue print holding the design of a finished product. From a frog to an oak tree, from a squirrel to a rose, from a bird to a human; inside each of these resides the genetic material that instructs an organism how to grow and reproduce. Inside what starts out as a small and vulnerable creature, lies the instructions to carry that creature to its full destiny - a road map to its purpose and maturity.  I took a walk in the woods recently. Surrounding me were tall, immovable pine trees. Their strength was massive and I had to strain my neck to see the end of their height. They are impressive creations. But they don't start that way; their beginnings are far less remarkable. With barely a thought, I could easily bend or even uproot a pine sapling. It rises insignificantly above the forest floor; threat-less and barely worth a glance. It is cute. It is soft. But what it starts off as is barely...

Old Hymn, New Song I've had an old hymn on my heart lately. It's a beautiful song written by C. Austin Miles, penned in the early 1900's. The lyrics for the chorus of the song go like this, And He walks with me and He talks with me And He tells me I am His own And the joy we share as we tarry there None other has ever known You may recognize this song titled,  In the Garden. The words were written in a damp cellar (not in a garden) after C. Austin Miles had had a vision of Mary visiting the tomb of Jesus after his death. The melody and the verses are just as powerful as the chorus.  I'm sure many could tell of what this song means to them and how it has impacted their lives. What jumps out to me, though, are the words, And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known . None other has ever known . At first, the line of the song seems untrue. Many have known depth of relationship with Jesus, haven't they? Isn't this something that we, ...

the end of the line Some of us are naturally stronger than others. There are those who can accomplish great things because of their strong charisma or keen business sense; the Bill Gates and Donald Trumps of the world. Their elite training, personality makeup, and drive bring them to places that many of us do not go. Their natural boundaries and limitations seem to go beyond the horizon; beyond what we can see. Then there are those of us whose boundaries are not so elusive. They seem to be in front of us at all times, mocking our weakness and deflating our self-esteem. The weak hit their natural limitations sooner, sometimes much sooner, than the strong. But whether your boundary is seemingly limitless, or whether it is easily in view, God has given each of us the opportunity to cross from our strength into His strength; from the natural to the super natural. At some point in our lives all of us reach the end of the line, where the train called  my ability can go no further...

His Selection "... we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world ..." We can choose to rejoice in the day, even if it's a rough day. We have the choice to stand in one of two places. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God works all things together for our good. I'm going to choose the God working all things together for your good. What about you? What will you choose? Loss or gain? As His child, both options are open to you; they really are. This life is not a series of random events as Darwinism would have us believe. Natural selection is replaced by spiritual selection; you are a chosen child of God, selected and adopted. He walked into the orphanage, saw you, and said, "I want this child, I choose (your name here)." We are chosen. We are not at the mercy of the cosmos, we are in the hands of a sovereign God; a loving, all-powerful, sovereign God.  Family time can...

This is My Ugly Pour out your heart to him - psalm 62:8 Empty it completely. Leave nothing behind. Not one drop of bad attitude, not one secret sin, not a single dream or feeling of accomplishment. God wants it all, not for His sake, but for yours. You see, you can be honest with God. That hidden sin that nobody knows about? He sees it. The attitude you have towards your children, boss, or pastor? God hears it as if you were yelling it out at the top of your lungs. God knows it all, and he wants you to know He knows it all. Exposing our hearts has never been easy. Opening up can be scary. Who likes to be rejected? Our past hurts and rejections has helped to pay the salary of many a psychologist. But as any good counselor will tell you, holding it in, bottling it up, is a sure recipe for impending explosion. So pour it out; pour it out before God. The psalm I quoted at the opening actually begins with the words, "Trust in Him at all times, O people." One of the great...