Archives For faith

Columbus Day

October 12, 2015 — Leave a comment
image courtesy clement127 @ flickr

image courtesy clement127 @ flickr

As holidays go, Columbus Day has often felt like a strange celebration. For me, though, Columbus Day has become something of an annual reminder of this truth:

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9, NLT). 

Whether you think of columbus as hero, villain, or some hybrid of the two, the story of his journey and ‘discovery’ seems like a great reminder of how we can plan a course and destination for ourselves…only to find other circumstances being used to bring us to an unanticipated new world of possibility and adventure–something far different than we may have initially imagined.

My prayer for my family and for the teams I get to be part of is that we would be found trusting the Holy Spirit to determine our steps; that we would look upon life’s unexpected detours as divine opportunities for adventure which just might redefine the way we see the world and our place in it.

 

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From what you have…

April 2, 2015 — 1 Comment
Image Courtesy: 401kcalculator.org
Image Courtesy: 401kcalculator.org

As the people of Israel make their journey out of Egypt toward the land God promised their forefathers, there’s a moment in the book of Exodus when Moses receives instruction on building the sacred space of the Tabernacle. The furnishings are to be ornate and the finishes opulent. Where will these things come from?

This is what the LORD commanded: from what you have, take an offering for the LORD… (Exodus 35:4b-5a; emphasis mine)

The people give so much precious metal, stone, fabric, and other expensive gifts that they actually have to be told to stop giving because their gifts are too much! Amazing!

But think about this for a moment: how could a group of wandering, refugee slaves be in possession of such great wealth?

Continue Reading…

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afraid: finding victory

July 22, 2014 — Leave a comment
image courtesy: digitalemu @ FreeImages.com

image courtesy: digitalemu @ FreeImages.com

 

Fear is one of those things that can keep us ’stuck’—hindering us from knowing the life of fullness and adventure we yearn for and found in Jesus. In two previous posts, we’ve looked at the reality that decisions made from a posture of fear are seldom great, and examined some of the symptoms of living from a place of fear. What can we do to live more in the freedom of joy and purpose God has for us rather than the prison of fear?

In my own life, I’ve found the following to help in avoiding leading or living from fear: Continue Reading…

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This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it–the LORD is his name: Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:2-3

Posted on July 19, 2014 In Scripture , , , ,
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afraid: symptom-checker

July 18, 2014 — Leave a comment

check.001In the last post, we looked at a story wherein someone living from fear loses the thing they were trying most to protect.

The truth is, if we’re living from a posture of fear, we’re not only avoiding the fullness-of-life-now God makes available to us, but it’s possible we’re living in a place of disobedience and rebellion: Scripture is clear that fear is not for us to own; save the fear of God, it seems to me every other time fear is encountered in Scripture, there is a call or reminder to see that fear broken by God’s reality and activity. Fear positions us to be pulled away from God’s best.

How can we know if we’re living from a position of fear?

Here’s a bit of a ‘symptom-checker’ that I’ve found helpful, though I’m sure it’s far from exhaustive: Continue Reading…

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