Archive for the ‘Passion’ category

How to Win the Race

July 26th, 2010

Sometimes I learn about God and about a life of faith in the most unexpected places.  Often in the most mundane places.  I find that so often God speaks to me in the boring parts of a glorious life.  I guess it’s no wonder that Jesus commanded us to “consider the lilies,” (Luke 12:27), is it?

Just a couple days ago, God spoke to me in a mundane part of my life.  I was at home and getting ready to go upstairs to get something (I don’t remember what that was any more).  As I got up and headed towards the stairs, Mischief – one of our cats – decided to race me.

But Mischief didn’t know where I was headed.  He headed out at top speed, knowing that he would win the race to the downstairs bathroom.  And, of course, he did win – sort of.  Except that I didn’t race him.

I Didn’t Get Sucked into His Race

I knew where I was headed and just kept going to my destination.  I let him win his little race with no competition.  After all, winning that race was of no value to me.  I had no need to win a race to a place I wasn’t headed.

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Why I Love Weddings

July 21st, 2010
"Doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it is...

Image by bdentzy via Flickr

I have to tell you, I think weddings totally rock!  There’s such excitement and anticipation.  There are all kinds of people showing up and sharing their lives – sometimes even family and friends from other countries.  It’s just a powerful thing.

A few days ago I was at a wedding.  Actually, to be more specific, I was in a wedding.  It was a blessed event and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Weddings Remind Me

Weddings remind me of things.  They remind me of the value of marriage.  They remind me of the vows I took with my wife.  They remind me that there’s something special about marriage – that it’s ordained by God and is one of the ways that the Holy Spirit forms us into the image of Jesus.

Weddings speak to me of how humanity was created in the image of God.  Of how God created us for relationship.  Of how God commanded dominion of the earth.  Weddings are a cool thing!

But there is always one part of the wedding that just totally messes me up.

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Beautiful Things

July 5th, 2010

Sometimes our desire to build our relationship with God needs to be tempered.  It’s good and important to do the things that help us to be spiritually effective.  To turn from evil and embrace good.  To embrace God.

We most certainly ought to offer God our very best.  But sometimes we forget the most important part of our relationship with God.  God.

The very foundation of our relationship with God is God.  He is the source of our hope.  The source of our joy.  It is God who works in us as he wills to do his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).

It is God alone who works in us.  God makes us beautiful.  God makes us whole.

Take joy in that.  Receive hope and energy from the Holy Spirit when you feel to drained to go on.  Persevere!

Know that God is able to do all that he wills!

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The Very Best

June 30th, 2010
22nd place ribbon for a race

Image via Wikipedia

There’s a flip side to when we don’t settle.  We get the very best.

Think about it for a moment.  If we don’t take “second best” or maybe even “fifth best,” we get the very best.  Every time.  It’s like math – it just works out that way.

We fill our lives with “second best”

Any time we start trying to fill our lives, we end up getting short-changed.  Any time we grasp or pursue or try to take for ourselves, we lose out.  It’s just how it is because only God has the very best for us.

If we want God’s best, we need to take a look at our lives and see if we’re filling them with things other than God.  Other than his plans.  Ask ourselves, “Are we leaving space for God to move.”

Because if we’re not, we can’t have the very best.  We’re full of all the other stuff.

God has the very best for you.

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