DEBTS PAID

     June 18th of 2015 began the first day of Ramadan which holds profound meaning for the world's 1.5 billion Muslims. This sacred one month fast is actually for the same purpose Christians occasionally fast: the desire to know God in a deeper more intimate way.

Year after year, Muslim's and Christians realize their need for forgiveness and this Holy Month is a reminder to people of all faiths of our common humanity and commitment to justice, equality, and compassion.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask God's blessing on my Muslim brother's and sister's and as a Christian I would like to thank the ONE who paid my debt and set me free.

Lessons from Nature... GROWING PATIENCE IN LIFE'S GARDEN

Remember Veruca Salt, the spoiled rich kid in the movie
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?  I hate to admit when it comes to having patience, I totally understand her.  She wanted everything life had to offer and she wanted it NOW, and if she didn't get her way ...look out.

We live in an "On Demand" world and want life to operate like the click of a remote button.  Truth be told, I allow this same attitude to spill over into my prayer life, and when I have to wait on God I can get anxious, impatient and discouraged. 

Unfortunately, God does not operate on Central, Pacific, or Eastern time zones so if you  are waiting for a prayer to be answered you might as well take a lesson from nature.

The amazing Chinese Bamboo plant starts from a tiny seed, just like most plants, but here is where the similarities end.  You water it, protect it, and care for it and nothing happens.  Nothing.  Not the first year.  Nothing the second or third year.  Nothing the forth year. 

But WAIT.  The fifth year the little seed begins to grow.  In fact, it grows 90 feet in just 6 weeks!!

Life often works in similar ways.  We can pray and work for years on a dream, a relationship, a job and nothing seems to get better.  Instead of having faith we start to second guess ourselves.  We might be tempted to dig up the seed and plant it somewhere else, wondering if all our nurturing is worth it.  We begin to think our hope will be realized in greener pastures.  HOLD ON! 

Realize you can trust God with your most heartfelt desires if you don't give up.

God promised Abraham and Sarah a child in their old age but they had to water their bamboo seed for 25 years before God answered their prayer. They waited long past the time where this miracle was biologically possible.  A young shepherd boy was anointed to become a king but David watered his bamboo plant 20 years before he finally sat on the throne of Israel.

  God loves us enough to want us to grow deep before we grow tall.  Like any good parent his main concern is what is growing within our heart so when our prayer is answered we are mature lacking nothing.  Patience is not easy to grow and cultivate but if you want God's best you will learn to wait patiently and keep watering your bamboo seed.

Scripture Reading: 

 Isaiah 40: 28-31
Psalms 25:  3-5

 

Making ordinary... EXTRAORDINARY

Inside the gardens of the Hampton Court Palace grows the world's oldest and largest grape vine.  The plant began as a small cutting and was planted in the castle gardens around 1768 where it is still growing strong today. This amazing plant is known world wide as the "Great Vine."

 At 229 years old, this magnificent plant measures 12 feet around it's massive base and the longest rod stretches beyond 120 feet.  This giant  produces an average of 700 bunches of sweet black grapes each year, weighing in at a staggering 705 pounds!
 
In the early years, the grapes were used only for the pleasure of the Royal Family, but in 1930, George V began sending the grapes into local hospitals. By 1933, visitors to the gardens could purchase the grapes and part of the proceeds were used to buy specialty baskets made by soldiers blinded during the first World War.

So what makes this extraordinary?   A branch does not grow fruit for itself but for others.  

On the last night  Jesus spent with his disciples before His death, his final instructions to his friends was the parable of the Vine and the Branches.  "I am the Vine; you are the branches.  Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much fruit." So what is this fruit we are to bear as disciples in 2015?  Simple things; like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

On the surface we might be tempted to believe we have this covered.  But in reality do we love those who are different then we are?  Are we kind to anyone who disagrees with us?  Are we faithful to our commitments?  Are we in charge of our appetites or do they rule over us?  I personally can say" No Way" to each of these unless I'm connected to Jesus, the Great Vine. I have found when I make a conscious effort to begin each day reading the Bible or watching my favorite preacher online I grow a little more fruit each day.

Like every lesson Jesus taught, this is only part of the lifestyle he asks us to live.  He tells us to grow so we have fruit to give away.  Ordinary people live for themselves....EXTRAORDINARY people learn to abide in the vine so when the harvest is ripe they have much to give.

Scripture Readings:

John 15: 1-17
Galatians 5: 22-26  

SOUL FOOD

Our bodies are a lot like a city and the circulatory system is the superhighway that keeps our metropolis running.  Blood is the vehicle that transports life giving oxygen and nutrients to its destination.  If these highways are blocked our vessels stop working. Thankfully we know what it takes to keep our bodies healthy so we try to exercise, eat right, and have regular check ups.

1 John 1:9 draws a spiritual parallel  that teaches us  how to keep our souls healthy.
 "If we admit that we have sinned and confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from our unrighteousness."

What an awesome promise!
Yet how many of us in the 21st century  consider ourselves sinners?

 In an  article published in USA Today, Cathy Lynn Grossman asked the question, "is sin dead?"  Her report raises some important issues about what many people believe about sin.  The people interviewed tend to toe the traditional line of thought "that there is sin" but interpret that reality in their own way -I have to do what's best for me; I am not as sinful as most.     We like to point our finger of judgement at those who make us feel better about ourselves but look at our own failures as harmless mistakes.  Many of us know what sin is; we just don't believe it applies to us anymore.  The new spirituality is happiness, not holiness, and God is no longer our reference point.

Maybe we need to do some soul searching by asking ourselves a question and answering it in our minds once and for all.  If we no longer recognize ourselves as sinners and are too sophisticated to need God's word (the Bible) as our moral compass why did Jesus have to die on the cross to atone for our sins?

Instead of making our own rules and judgements let's rethink the parallel and take advantage of the promise.  The same way our physical blood cleanses our body of poisons, the blood of Christ continuously purifies us of sin every time we confess our weakness.  Admitting we have sinned keeps our spiritual vessels open.  You don't have to wait for an appointment to talk to God.  He listens to us, anytime or anywhere. Whenever we mess up God is ready to forgives us, even when it takes years or a lifetime to get it right.  Don't make the mistake of believing you are too far gone for God to forgive you.  Abortion is NOT the unforgivable sin.  Homosexuality is NOT the unforgivable sin.  Murder, lust, envy, greed etc. are NOT unforgivable.

Pride might be the unforgivable sin.  Don't allow it to hold you back from a healthy relationship with God.  His mercy is new every day.

Scripture readings:
Romans 3:23
Romans 8:1
Proverbs 28:13
  


 

GIVE GOD YOUR PAINTBRUSH

Did you know that before one stroke of color is applied to a painting the canvas must be prepared and made ready for the process?  First - it must be stretched, pulled, hammered, and stapled to fit securely over a frame; a difficult process for the beginner and master alike.  Next, a sizing is applied as a sealant to protect and preserve the material to stand the test of time.  Last, a coat of ground is then spread over the surface to provide a uniform texture, color, and level of absorbency for the paints being used.  If any of these essential elements are skipped, or applied out of sequence, the finished product will crack, flake, and peel rendering a poor result.

This New Year each of us has the opportunity to begin again as a blank canvas in God's hands, ready to be made new.  

Maybe for you, last year stretched you to your breaking point, pounding your life with one problem after another, and you don't see much hope for your future.  If that describes you, your in the best place of your life!  Yes. God stretches us. "Consider yourself fortunate when all kinds of trouble and trials come your way, for when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure."  God knows we can not grow and mature without developing perseverance to carry us through the many storms we all eventually face in life.  His plan is to make us perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  He strengthens us so we don't crumble and fall away in the process.

Think of Jesus as the sizing that protects you when fear and discouragement are beating down your door.  "Do not be afraid I am with you!  I am your God let nothing terrify you!"  Jesus promises to make us strong and to help us.  "I will protect you and save you."  We don't have to depend on ourselves or rely on what we think we know. When we invite Jesus into our everyday lives he shows us the right path and leads us into his best for our future.  The Holy Spirit is like the ground...giving comfort, guidance and hope to face each challenge that comes into our lives.  "A disciple may have many problems, but the Lord saves him from them all."

 Like an artist, our Heavenly Father is preparing you as His masterpiece.  He does not want bad things to happen to you, but when they do, He uses the bad things to build greatness within you.  None of us can grow into the people we were meant to be if we only experience good times and success.  Our greatest struggles can be our greatest triumphs when we allow God to be God.  Trust his brush strokes.  Thank Him for the bad and the good.  His plan for your future is bigger and better then anything you can imagine, or any resolutions you make for the coming year.  Give God your paint brush and expect miracles.  Nothing is impossible for God.

Heavenly Father,
Let me be like a sheet of new canvas in your hands.  I  know you want the best for me. Whatever comes my way, I will trust You to make this year my best year yet.  Amen

Scripture Reading:
Psalms 34: 18-19
Proverbs 3: 4-6
Isaiah 41:10
1 Peter 5:7-10

 All scripture verses used from (GNT)  

BONE DRY

Images of skeletons, like those pictured above, are meant to represent only one thing...DEATH.

Yet, in God's book, this Valley of Dry Bones was not an omen of doom but a demonstration of His power to transform, renew and resurrect nations and individuals. The story unfolds as God commands the prophet Ezekiel to speak to the bones and say 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord' and I will cause you to breathe and come to life. The young sage did as God commanded and the bones began to rise up and fit together, rattling as they rejoined each other. Tendons grew over the bones, and flesh over that, but there was still no breath in them.  God said to Ezekiel "O mortal man! Say to the breath and spirit: 'Thus said the Lord God: Come, O breath from the four winds, and breathe into those slain that they may breathe again." The entire valley, stood before him, a vast multitude.

Sometimes our own lives can seem like a vast valley of dead dreams, past mistakes or lost opportunities.  God's question to us is the same as it was to the prophet. "Can these bones live?" or in modern terms, 'can anything be done with this mess I've made of my life?"  God's idea of resurrection is not just referring to an "after life" experience.  His ultimate desire, no matter how dry and worthless you feel, or how dead in sin, He wants to breathe life into you.  How does he manage that today?  The same way he resurrected the army of dry bones thousands of years ago.  Speaking the word of the Lord over your life will make you rise up and conquer whatever situation you are facing today.

God's word is full of power and when he speaks, powerful things begin to happen.  You can find God's voice in the pages of His book, the bible.  Open your mouth and speak to the dry, dead, and brittle areas of your life about all God promised you and watch your life come together. 

Beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise that heals a heavy, burdened heart. 

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

  September is the month that foreshadows the promise of waiting in expectant faith.  Unlike January that urges us to make unreasonable resolutions, the autumn season carries in the air the excitement of a life full of hope.

In September we begin to look forward to the arrival of chilly nights, the aroma of burning leaves, hot cocoa and our favorite hoodie, knowing in a matter of weeks, the days will get shorter and nights longer as autumn begins her yearly harvest.

Since nature declares the glory of God, maybe September can teach us something about faith.  The Apostle Paul explains it this way..."What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen.  It is believing that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead." Hebrews 11:1 (Living Bible)   

Instead of stressing about how and when God is going to answer your requests, start believing.  Get excited! Faith is your direct connect to our heavenly father.  Let's take our Que from this spectacular season and remember before any evidence of falling leaves, or apple trees loaded with fruit, and fields dotted with pumpkins we can anticipate (with total assurance) the miraculous changing landscape. When we operate in faith the thing we hope for, even though we cannot see it, is waiting up ahead.

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 11: 1-6