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Thoughts Tag

11 Sep

Posted at 04:04h in Weekly Blog

I want to dwell at the feet of God. I want to live in awe of Him. Don’t you? So what’s stopping us? While that seems like a simple question, the complexities of life keep getting in the way. The simple answer is nothing. Living in awe of God is a choice. We make it; we do it. But to put aside the obstacles we face and experience genuine awe and a relationship with Him, we need to understand what those obstacles are and how to overcome them. God’s rulebook, His Holy Word, gives us all we need to know. Think about the story of Mary, Martha’s sister. Mary lived in awe of the Lord when others did not and, and she experienced a deep and abiding joy because of that awe. Look at Luke 10:38-42: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has...

21 Aug

Posted at 03:52h in Weekly Blog

I want to talk to you today about living in the present. Focusing on the present. Yes, the future matters, and planning and setting goals is something we should do, but it’s not something we do at the expense of the present. And yes, we need to acknowledge and learn from the mistakes and successes of our past. But once again, we shouldn’t dwell on the past to the extent that it takes us away from the present. Matthew 6:31-34 tells us: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” If we seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, if we pursue a relationship with our Heavenly father, He will provide us with what we need. If we become so focused on our future needs or our past failures and stop living in the present moment, we...

30 Jul

Posted at 03:34h in Weekly Blog

When you think of winning, what do you think about? I often think of sports. The winning goal, the winning shot, the winning home run. Winning is the ultimate goal for every athlete. It’s the reason for doing what they do. Well, love for the game or sport should play in there, but we live in the age of winning. Winning isn’t just for athletes though. You and I are given the opportunity to win every day at something much more important than sports. We get to win at life. What we need to realize is that life is not a competition and winning is not a solitary pursuit. I know, our society says we have to be the best, do the most, and work the hardest to win. But that’s just not true. God put each of us on this earth to do three things: be in relationship with Him, be in relationship with others, and to win the lost back to God. So if those are the things we need to do, how do we win at life? We focus on three areas: Gratitude and Thanksgiving Gratitude is a natural reaction to fully understanding and embracing the Divinity of God. When we...

23 Jul

Posted at 03:31h in Weekly Blog

“And it will be said: ‘Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people’” (Isaiah 57:14). You lose your job or your hours are cut. Your relationship takes a turn for the worse. Illness strikes. The house you are renting is being sold and you have to find a new place to live. Your new neighbor’s baby screams all night. Your car breaks down and you don’t have the money to fix it. Feeling the anxiety yet? I did just by writing that list! All of these issues, problems, obstacles seem like massive roadblocks in our lives when they happen. And they usually happen when we are least prepared to deal with them. But how we deal with them is what really matters. Some of the roadblocks we face seem like they will knock us to our knees. And they should. We get so caught up in solving our own problems that we forget they aren’t just ours. Everything we have, everything we are belongs to God. Including our problems! In fact, some roadblocks are gifts from God. No, really! There are times in life when we are heading in the wrong direction. It feels right for...

09 Jul

Posted at 03:21h in Weekly Blog

Have you ever tried to explain faith to someone who is completely unfamiliar with the concept? It can be a difficult conversation if you aren’t sure of your own faith so it’s important to have a good grasp of the subject. I can’t even count how many times I’ve talked to others about the importance of faith, the role it plays in our lives, and how it strengthens our relations with Jesus. The dictionary defines faith as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something” or “strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.” I agree with part of that definition, but I think they’ve got part of it wrong. I do have complete confidence and trust in God, so by that definition alone I have faith in Him. And I have a strong belief in God and the mandates Jesus gave to each of us. What I disagree with is the assumption that no proof of God exists. Let me share some of the proof I’ve seen: •             I’ve seen biblical truths come to fruition in my life and the lives around us. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will...