Let’s face it, there is so much that we just simply do not want to do that we are responsible for making sure gets done. So we push our feelings aside, and we do it anyways.
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Worship
I must admit, I have been accused a time or two of being a bit scatterbrained. Usually, this is a red flag that says I have too much going on and am having trouble keeping it all organized.
When Jesus‘s disciples signed up for their Facebook accounts and entered their relationship status, they all chose the option, “It’s Complicated”.
When giving a bottle of water in the name of Jesus is against the law, but you’d do it anyway.
Have you ever stopped to really wonder what eternity will be like? I don’t just mean look like, but how will it feel to be in one place for all time?
At the beginning of last year, there were many message titles referencing 20/20 as perfect vision. Is hindsight 20/20?
Sometimes you try to think of every possible thing to talk about because you don’t want to let the person on the other end of the phone go.
From time to time, I can be overheard saying the words “peace out.” This is simply a way of saying goodbye to someone who I am particularly familiar with and who knows my more playful side. It is both a light and sincere goodbye—see you later, and be well.
Have you ever looked into a mirror and thought, “Oh my, I look like my mother?”
Jesus didn’t just perform miracles to gain more viewers and get more likes on YouTube—he did them to point us to something much more important. These signs were meant to inform us of the ways in which we should be adjusting our behaviors.
After purposefully and goofily blending two words together, I said, “Is that even a real word?” To which someone responded, if it has a meaning, it’s a word.
I overheard a chiropractor say that sometimes people just need to be reset. This week, we are going to prepare for the journey through Lent as we reset our faith.
People say things like, “all good things in time,” or “good things come to those who wait.” You might have heard the well meaning answer to the lack of God’s response to your prayer: “It’s not a no; it is just not right now.” Well, none of these responses truly satisfy the Spirit like an actual answer to our longings. If we could learn the art of waiting, we could master faithful longevity.
We have spent the past couple of weeks talking about surrender and what it is and what it means. Now the question is, how do I do it? Let’s not wait for the storm to learn how to surrender. Let’s learn together now so we are prepared when that day comes.
Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, and when we surrender to the will of God, that light shines in our hearts. It is no mystery then, that the same light that shines in our hearts touches those around us. Surrender is never just a personal decision.
We will never be able to fix a problem if we deny one even exists. If we cannot surrender to the truth, we cannot surrender to God. If we can’t surrender to God, we won’t be able to understand how sweet the truth can be.
Coming out of the Christmas holidays, a lot of us have received things that are shiny and new. With this newness comes excitement and joy. However, that excitement is oftentimes short-lived, and we find ourselves a month later looking for something new once again. The challenge for us, as we face a New Year, is not how to start the journey outright, but how to continue the journey faithfully.
We have spent all of advent preparing to receive Jesus Christ. Now, like his parents, we must prepare to let go. What does it look like to let go of something that has been a big part of your life, whether a good part or bad, in such a way that it blesses others?
Let your light shine. Let your spirit soar. Throw open your mind. Hand over your heart. Here it comes – love. It shines in the darkness. It sings in the shadows. It will not cower and cannot be contained.
It was the hope of the saints, the call of the prophets. It was the fire in the belly of the Baptist and the courage of Mother Mary. Lamp in the window, beacon on the hill, star in the night sky. Love, you lead us home.
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“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.”
– a quote from Henri Nouwen