The Reason for the Storm

The rain has been unrelenting for hours. Even though it is still early afternoon the dampness seems to have enveloped even the light trying to shine through the ever present clouds. The small crevices under any shelter available still seem almost aquatic because the humidity is so overbearing. The continual crash of raindrops occasionally descends to a quiet as another rumbling distant thunder strike rolls by like a stampede; shaking the ground, as well as your soul.

Has your mood ever felt like this? Have you gotten to the point where it seems logical and even a bit comfortable to pull your knees close to your chin while warming your face with the reflected breath of your exasperated sighs? Have your tears flowed to the point where they no longer seem the exception? That role is now occupied by a grim smile. Even in that place of desolation God is able to reflect in the darkness a glimmer of hope that lights the world. It seems that we sometimes “need” to experience pain to gaze again with fresh wonder on the blessings that abound, if we take the time to look. They are hard to see as we wallow in our pity, but if we will respond to the gentle touch of our spirit and gradually lift our head to peek over our embraced knees, He is there to open the clouds and remind us the sun will someday shine again. It may not be an overwhelming rush of healing to your soul, but it will be enough. The sobbing will be reduced to tears, the tears to a whimper, and the sighs with an inflow of gradually building peace. If you will distinguish his efforts from your personal anguish, the single ray of filtered sunlight may be the hand offered to help you stand again.

Weak Minded Conformist

For me personally, In my life, the hardest obstacle to overcome in my search for God was myself. As long as I treated my quest as an attempt to “add to MY knowledge” I was unable to bridge the gap of faith. The entire life of Jesus was a picture of contrast and contradictory thinking. The Jewish people were longing for a Messiah who was strong and would move them into what they felt was a position of power. Jesus’ ministry was to emulate love and become a servant leader, seemingly the embodiment of weakness. Pride, power, domination, intelligence… they are fleeting. Love is encompassing, everlasting and overcomes.

It certainly doesn’t appear that way at first. It can even be taken advantage of and easily abused. In the end it is true and right. Even those who seek exploitation will admit in their hearts that Love and forgiveness, gratitude and humility are powerful. Again, for me, those attributes were hidden behind pride. I could not begin an authentic faith journey until I changed my paradigm from adding God to my circle into moving myself humbly into His circle. It has not been a walk that “I” had the ability to effectively travel. Until I submitted myself to an admittedly flawed system of worship and sought out broken people who were also on this journey, I could not grow.

Pride is the centerpiece of today’s society. My passage has moved me to the fringe. From this side of the “gap of faith” I find it amusing and also troubling that most view me as a weak minded conformist. As a Christian I am called to love even those who mock and ridicule. I have to admit, it is a heavy burden. But now that I have seen the truth of how things really work it is impossible to go back.

What are you doing today?

1.With every decision or conflict that you face, always make the decision in light of what your future self would advise you to do. Looking backwards you normally find that the easiest option was not the correct one.

2.Every day that you do not take a step towards bettering yourself is a step down from the summit your life could have become.

3. The overall success of your life will be determined when you are done.

4. You are not the one who will set the grade.

5. The quality of your decisions will be greatly influenced by who you ask for help along the way.

6. If you do not ask for help you will not meet your full potential.

7. Who you ask for help is the most important decision you will ever make.

Psalms 1:1-3
"1.Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."

Grace written by Bono of U2

Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything…

…She carries a pearl in perfect condition

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

You are what you eat

Joshua 1:8 New American Standard Version

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."


What you dedicate your time to, where you spend your money, what you read, even the thoughts you allow to circulate through your mind; they are shaping you into their form. You cannot spend your time worrying and being critical without moving your identity towards being a scared and skeptical person. Conversely, if you spend more time reading about the Grace filled life of Jesus, and honestly trying to put those thoughts into action, it cannot help but move your life into a more positive condition. As you increase the percentage of that which is you into more positive areas, the more healed you will become.

The Choice by Max Lucado

He placed one scoop of clay upon another until a form lay lifeless on the ground.

All of the Garden’s inhabitants paused to witness the event. Hawks hovered. Giraffes stretched. Trees bowed. Butterflies paused on petals and watched.

“You will love me, nature,” God said. “I made you that way. You will obey me, universe. For you were designed to do so. You will reflect my glory, skies, for that is how you were created. But this one will be like me. This one will be able to choose.”

All were silent as the Creator reached into himself and removed something yet unseen. A seed. “It’s called ‘choice.’ The seed of choice.”

Creation stood in silence and gazed upon the lifeless form.

An angel spoke, “But what if he … ”

“What if he chooses not to love?” the Creator finished. “Come, I will show you.”

click this link to read the rest...
http://www.maxlucado.com/static/email_archive/2010/03.13.html

Listen

Recently I have been working through an ongoing instruction on Obedience. It seems that almost every day something will give me pause as I am shown how far our world seems to have traveled from the blessing of compliance with the will of God. I pride myself in the ability to ascertain the still small influence of the Holy Spirit that is sometimes unnoticed in the busy day to day… Notice I said pride. Pride is perhaps the loudest voice that tries to drown out God, even when we are prideful in our piety (especially then). I find myself viewing these lessons through the paradigm of my life. I have found it sad that others are so vain as to think themselves important enough to be able to live life without the need for Holy guidelines. He smiles patiently as I think this and moves knowingly onto my next lesson. At some point I have finally begun to comprehend that each of these messages has been meant for me. I am humbly appreciative of the persistence of a resolute teacher. This should have been fairly obvious but I am imperceptive while I am feeling superior. I am glad I serve a God who will continue to turn up the volume until my self-centered deaf ears cannot help but hear.

A New Day

Silence... Even the wind seems to momentarily lie down in quiet reverence. All around the trees and hills are clothed in inky darkness. The entire world is hushed in hallowed expectation of the coming day. Shapes begin to emerge from the coal black into a midnight amethyst. Slowly the colors surface but the transition is respectful, giving each their turn, like a gentleman departing so the next can take its place. Deep sapphire is next in line, dazzling but muted, deferential to the coming day. It seems that all creatures have stopped to admire God’s revealing of His next miraculous appearance. Somewhere at the edge of hearing, a rooster cries out with his all to rejoice the coming of a new sunrise. I watch in anticipation to the East for that rising radiance as the other colors crowd behind the glowing ruby and brilliant orange. Finally, they burst forth in a dazzling entrance of celebration. Painting the landscape like a spreading wave of beauty the land begins to glow in worship of the dawn. This will be a day the Lord has made, exult in it, and give it your all. Live not just the length of it but the breadth as well. It is worthy of the awe-inspiring entrance. Be kind and generous to everyone you meet in an attempt to show God how much you appreciate the gift you have been given. Shout out like the rooster and begin, today is a new day!

Can You See Him?

I walked out of the hunting cabin this past Saturday evening into the quiet stillness of a country night. The only clouds anywhere were the living, temporary wisps drifting away from me silently as I breathed. I noticed across the starlight lit field that Mars was just breaking the tree line on its way to join the stars above my head. As I followed it’s soon to be path towards the heavens I was stopped in my tracks by the beauty of the clear night. There are stars in the sky! Not just the hundred or so that appear over our city streets and subdivision lights. There are countless stars to see without the help of any telescope. The immensity of the heavens came crashing down on me and tears fell from my eyes as I immediately felt as if in the presence of God himself. In that almost, but not quite audible, powerful voice I “felt” Him say, “This is what is available to you once you clear the distractions from our relationship.”
How easily we lose track of our relationship with Him in the business of every day. We pretend we have close contact. On Sundays we speak with others about what we feel and how we worship. How clouded is the sky before we forget to even look up anymore? How often do we speak glowingly of the stars from memory? Is it possible that our enemy knows this as one of our weaknesses and slowly blows in the haze of business and distraction, imperceptive to us, until we can no longer “see” the wonder of our God? Take a moment and truly look around. Is your life so full you don’t have room or time to live? Focus on what is important. Ask God how to put yourself back in that country field, looking up at the sparkling clear sky in childlike wonder. How great and awesome our God is, if we take the time to really look.