Embracing the Struggle, and Leaning on God in Silence

So, what DO we do when things don't turn out as we thought they would? We took the step of faith and everything didn't fall right into place... What happened? Did I miss something? Did I miss God?

Somewhere along the way I think I was duped into thinking following God meant everything was going to go just as I anticipated "by faith" it should go. That somehow following God or doing His will was somehow hitting the heavenly "Easy" button and everything should go smoothly, especially when I take that step of faith. "If God is in it everything will fall into place," I believed.

While there is truth in that - God does take care of His people - there is no guarantee of not having difficulty along the journey, at least that has been my experience. Honestly by now, I feel I need to be real with myself and my experiences and instead of looking for the easy road, anticipate the difficulty, the struggle, the journey. Maybe that seems like a lack of faith to some, but my faith isn't as big and bold as I used to think.

But there is something to the struggle... it is in the struggle that we find new strength. Hopefully it's His strength. It's in the struggle that we cling to Him, and we gain confidence as we see Him provide and lead and comfort us time and time again.

I also believe I am seeing another truth play out in my life in regards to going through difficulty - It seems we gain confidence in Him through our silence.

In the past I have tried to move God's hand and favor through heartfelt prayers and hyped up faith. Over the last few years I feel a deeper strength that seems to come through silence, peace, and the Sacraments. I believe that peace and rest in difficulty has also come through a greater experience of His real, personal love for me.

So, what do we do when difficulty arises after we have made a move of faith or tried to make a change for good?

Actually I was hoping someone else had the answer. :)

I'm not sure what else to do but embrace it, knowing God uses difficulty to mold us and shape us into His Image. Difficulty is part of life. He never said we wouldn't experience it, but He did say He would walk with us through it.

An Anglican priest and friend of mine recorded these words as part of a song once, "It is in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and rest shall be our strength."

So, I will (try) to quietly receive the difficulty, and trust His wisdom and peace will come through silence.

Just in (His) Time

If there was ever any concern, when our newest addition comes later this month, we will now *officially* be able to bring her home from the hospital...

God provided us with a new-to-us BIGGER vehicle this weekend!

[We now have eight seats instead of the seven we had in our old vehicle - just enough for our growing family]

;)

Heart Thoughts

As my family and I sit down for an epic movie adventure (tonight its our beloved Narnia: Prince Caspian), I thought I'd share some heart thoughts.

I took a walk Saturday to talk with the Lord and enjoy the morning air. Of course, for March 2nd, I was surprised to reach the pinnacle of a nearby hill to see the above. It was a chilly walk.

As I walked, I had many thoughts swirling through my mind. Thoughts mostly consisting of the future. Questions, ideas, etc.

Yet, it's different from other times in my life. My thoughts are a [little] more tempered with Scripture, and experience. I'm more aware of what God can do.

And more importantly, more aware of who He is.

He has revealed His love and nature to me in ways that I never knew before. As a result, I feel more equipped for the moments and days ahead.

I'm not going to get into the specific thoughts running through my mind, at this point. But I will give glory to God for providing His direction, will, counsel, love and presence.

With Him, I and my wife can be a peace knowing He orchestrates our future.

Sunday Reflections

So many thoughts traveling through my mind. So many things God is doing in our lives. It truly is a great time to be alive. Or maybe better said... In Him, I truly find passion and excitement, and life itself.

I recently finished the book The Mansions of the Heart by Thomas Ashbrook. [I am about to finish my second book of the year almost 2 weeks early, which is a wonderful accomplishment for me!] The book Mansions has had a tremendous impact on my life and on my wife as well. We both have been deeply affected and challenged and encouraged by God speaking to us through the book.

Some of the most significant results from the book are a greater hunger to know God, an understanding about where we are at in our walk with Him, and a greater commitment to drawing close to Him... abiding in Him.

The book gave language and a map to some things that had been in my heart for years. It gave me vision for a closer walk with Jesus that I have longed for. It also gave me insight on how to get there. I am so thankful for what God is doing in our lives as a result of that book.

As I have been learning to abide in Christ, to commune with Him and not just talk at Him, I have seen some good changes in my life. Changes I didn't even ask for. Isn't it interesting that the closer I get to Him, the more He changes me to be like Him.

And, the more I see how far I have to go.

As I have drawn nearer to my Lord, my sin seems to have taken center stage as well. It's like my heart is naked before Him, and He is revealing it's depths to me.

The depths aren't so pretty. In fact, they are rather ugly.

And yet, I have hope that He is revealing the wicked things in me to heal me, and change me, and give me that new, soft heart He has promised.

As I have read my second book - the autobiography of Peter Daniels, Living on the Edge, I have been challenged in other ways as well. I desire to be a man of action and abiding. I have been dreaming and imagining the future, mulling goals... some of my favorite past times.

Only, this time around I know that in all my mulling and praying and planning, it is God who establishes my steps. The answer of the tongue is from the Lord. I plan my way, but He guides my steps, and I go where He leads. I trust His leading more than ever.

So, there is much to be thankful for. Much in my heart. Much unknown. But that's OK, when I'm getting to know Him.

Mansions

One specific goal I have this year is to read 12 books - one per month. Mansions of the Heart is proving to be a wonderful way to start the new year. It seems to be a book that is drawing me to a place in God that I have never been...

...and it's got me pretty excited to go there.

Looking Back to Look Ahead

Liz and I were talking a few days ago about the year that was. We began discussing the various events that had occurred in our lives... paying off a chunk of debt in less than half the time we set out to do, getting laid off, starting a business, a new (old) job, visits from distant family, training a puppy then giving him away, broken appliances only to see God provide bountifully, and the list went on.

Though some things might be seen as negative or not good situations, we were able to look back and see God's hand in all of it. I'm thankful not necessarily for the difficult times in and of themselves, but for what God did in us through them. Or, even better, that He was with us through it all.

We looked back and ultimately were able to say with all our hearts, 2012 was a good year. We are so blessed; God showed His hand in our lives through His voice, our friends, His provision, love, and more.

As we pondered the year ahead, the typical New Year's resolutions weren't our first thought. Something seems different this year - it seems we are on a continual resolution with the Lord.

What I mean to say is that God is changing us, and speaking to us on an ongoing basis. Resolutions mean change, and this year it seemed we have been on a journey of change and growing throughout the year. We just want to keep going. Keep changing as we walk with Him. God knows I need change.

Not that He hasn't changed us or walked with us before, it's just... something is different this year. I can't quite put a finger on it, but maybe God has brought us (all by His doing) to a place of surrender that we have never been in before.

Or maybe not. Not sure.

Either way, I want to walk closer to Him this year than ever before.

And, there are a couple of resolutions that came to mind... one of them being to read more! I really would like to read more, but usually I read a book long enough and intense enough that I get the gist, pull out what I can, then lose interest. So my goal? 12 books this year. One per month, which is incredibly ambitious for me.

God is so kind and good to us. I am so thankful to be on this journey with Him. I am nothing without Him.

I know it's cliche, but, I don't know what this year will look like, I don't really know what the future holds... but I know who holds the future.

And in His hands is the only place I want to be.

Thank God In ALL

Just a little reminder [for me!] tonight...

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. http://bible.us/1Thess5.18.AMP

Passenger

God is writing His story. As a follower and a bond-slave of His, I have the wonderful privilege of allowing Him to write His story through me.

It requires surrender. Complete surrender.

Surrender isn't natural to my flesh, as I by nature want to keep control. But through surrender, God becomes the director of my day.

And He makes a much better director than I do.

Time to get out of the driver's seat.

Thirst

What do you thirst for?

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? http://bible.us/Ps42.1.ESV

Trial

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. http://bible.us/Jas1.2.ESV

Have you thanked God for your trial yet today?

Hope

http://bible.us/Ps62.5.ESV

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

In Christ, we have this amazing hope. We have a future and a hope. Living in His arms gives such hope for the morn, no matter what we face...

He is our strong tower, our hope, our refuge.

Impossible?

The moon was rising beautifully over the hills near our home tonight. Creation has a wonderful way of pointing us to our Creator.

I'm reminded tonight that the God who by His words formed the earth, moon, sun, planets, solar system and the billions of others out there, that God is more than capable to take care of little old me.

I'd say my impossibilities seem to not be so impossible when I think about how truly great He is.

Thank you Jesus.

Friend

I've had a thought over the past couple of days...

I'd like to hear Him say, "Well done." Even more I want to to hear, "I call you friend." -- (via my twitter feed)

I've always longed to hear Jesus say those words, "Well done." Lately, however, I feel like I have been preoccupied with a greater goal - that I would know Him.

I can serve Him and do His will and still not know Him as well as I could. But if I know Him more, if He and I could really call one another friends, if I could know His heart, His thoughts, and intimately walk with Him, I believe I would be achieving a greater goal. And, I would naturally walk out His will as well.

Church service torrow. Another opportunity to know Him more.

Great God

What a day, God provides!

Did some tree trimming work with a great family in Tennessee, the Bates family.

Great experience, great family,

Great God.

By the way, the pic here? Maybe I should start a convenient store?? ;)

Listen

Ignore the balloons... supposedly they're there for inspiration too?

As mentioned before, God is carrying us through a difficult season. A faith-testing season, a character building season... A good season.

These series of three inspirational quotes were on my iGoogle home page today. With what the Lord may be doing in our lives, all I can say is wow, Wow, and WOW! When pressure is on and difficulties arise, it seems we can sense Him all the closer in those times, and, if we are willing to listen, He also seems to be speaking so clear.

Maybe this is one of those times.

What about you? What are you facing? What is He speaking to you?

Or, maybe better, are you listening?

Male, or Man? Part II

As part of my journey in manhood, I recently picked up a book I've had for a while, Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge. I started reading it after a conversation with a friend regarding manhood, as he had recently gone through a study on the book.

I'm not too far into it but am liking it so far. I'll check back with a personal review once finished...

To Manhood.

Love Fuel

Yesterday I had the great opportunity to share from the Word of God at The Chapel. God orchestrated the morning in a beautiful and amazing way, a way that floors me and built my faith. Praise Him! He is so kind and gracious and loving towards us, to put it lightly.

This pic is a snapshot of one line in my notes from my message. It hit me while I was preaching on His love yesterday, that without love, there are no promises. His love for His people is the fuel that feeds these promises. Love is the motivation behind such great promises...

I have healing,

I have provision,

I have forgiveness,

I have authority,

I have protection,

I have favor,

And more,

...because of His love.

Without His love for us, there would be no promises for the Christian.

Yea, and it just so happens that God is love.

Agape

I have been preparing this week to preach this Sunday at The Chapel. God has been doing such a work in me lately by lavishing His love on me, that it's difficult not to want to share Sunday on anything else... so I won't :)

In my preparation, I was looking up the Greek word for "love" in Strong's Concordance. Most of us are familiar with "love" in the new testament being translated from the Greek word "agape," which is true. But as I dove into the meaning of the word, there were some enlightening aspects to this "agape" love that caught my attention.

One of the aspects of this "agape" love was that Strong's stated, "Love can be known only from the actions it prompts as God's love is seen in the gift of His Son." It then references 1 John 4:9,10...

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Wow.

If love is only shown through actions, God showed us the greatest act of love, by sending His Son to die in our place. How many times have we heard this?! Yet, it is so fresh and new for me this morning.

If love is truly something that can only be seen and displayed through the actions of someone, then God's actions were greatest...

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

God doesn't just tell us He loves us, no, He proves His great love for us by laying down His life for us.

For a recovering perfectionist, I am so thankful that God truly loves me this morning, and that He showed it! He shows me His love through more than mere words, but in action too. I find rest, hope, strength and peace in His love, and pray you do today as well.

Walking with God

I have a brief, few minutes to share what God has been doing in my heart.

Let me first say, that God is so loving, so kind, so gracious toward me. As His child in Christ, I feel Him taking me by the hand lately and walking me through life. He is both walking with me and leading me. It's so intimate, so kind, so personal.

The fact that God is even mindful of me is astonishing.

But to sense Him actually walking with me, and even better, sensing His love and delight toward me... It's unexplainable. It's unfathomable!

How can God love me?!

As I have wrote recently, it has been hard for me in the past to believe that the all-powerful, all-mighty, perfct and holy God would delight in imperfect me. But through Jesus, He does. I have been grafted in, I can partake of His love, I am beloved and part of the family. It was He in His love who chased me down even before I ever knew Him!

And the fact that He is even walking with me through this life is truly amazing.

How can this be? God with me?

That's it. Simple, yet miraculous. Seemingly common, but all so real to me lately.

I'm so grateful.

Inspiration Station

"Inspiration Station?" Not sure where that came from.

But, I have found a source of some daily inspiration - my iGoogle home page.

For those who may not be familiar with the iGoogle page, its basically the home page for Google that you are used to, but with your look, design, widgets, and flair. As you can see, I have some inspiration staring me in the face each time I launch my browser now, with verses and quotes changing frequently (Google is my home page, which defaults to my iGoogle page as long as I stay signed in).

So anyway, as we daily walk with the Lord and seek to fulfill the dreams He puts in our hearts, it doesn't hurt to have a little inspiration to lift us toward those dreams.

iGoogle... who knew?