The Hey You Lady

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. – 1Corinthians 12:7 This is possibly the biggest re-gifting faux-pas ever. Especially since it’s true: Christmas, 2005: A friend of mine got tired of her husband taking pictures on his 35mm camera, and developing 20 pictures of his thumb, and 4 pictures of what actually were passable photos of what he was shooting. To top it off, he always had double prints, and had a hard time throwing away the 40 prints of his thumb, because after all, he paid good money for the developing. For his Christmas gift that year, she bought him his first digital camera. He was thrilled! He took more pictures than ever before, and could delete the bad ones without the guilt of having paid good money for developing. And his wife was thrilled – no more pictures of her hubby’s thumbprint! June, 2006: The wife was going on a “weekend away” with her girlfriends. Her loving hubby said, “Why don’t you take my digital ca...

I apologize for this post being so long overdue. Here is an update to the "Prove It" dilemma from back in September: The shiny new promotion that I sent my application for never called me for an interview. (My company hires for promotions from a "ranking list", interviewing from the candidates in the top three ranks of applicants after initial qualifications testing and screening interview. Apparently, I don't rank high enough for consideration.) I guess I didn't have the right key to Door #1. That left the options of "more of the same", or the demotion and pursuing God's call for my life. About a week or so after the "Prove It" post, I was given the opportunity to interview for the demotion. I thought, "Wow ... this is really happening! " The managers in the office where I was working really, really, REALLY wanted me to pursue more of the same, because "You're good at what you do." I was afraid to tell t...

2 Corinthians 12:9 -- But [God] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (NIV) The thing that you think is holding you back might be the very thing God will use to make great things happen. Can you think of any examples of this from your own life? From the lives of others? www.bibleleague.org

Several people have said that when you start to journal, write down something every day. It doesn't have to be the 3-page entry. Start simple, perhaps three ways God has specifically blessed you or specifically worked in your life today. Here are my answers. (Of course, there were countless more, but I'm listing only three here.) An awesome assistant at my job who stepped up to the task of organizing an area of my new workspace, without my having to ask, and with minimal direction from me, which frees me to fit in to my new job more effectively Knowing that my very good friend has people she can count on and turn to when she needs to feel loved Allowing myself to be used by God to encourage a colleague during a meeting where she was feeling anxious What about you? What are your answers?

When anyone strives to follow God's will in his or her life, there's a certain amount of trust that you need to have in the Almighty. In Jeremiah 29:11 God tells us "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." OK...... God's plans for us are good...... I can hang with that....... We can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. But what about the times that I'm not sure I'm living my life in line with God's plans? What if I want something a little more solid than a promise? What if a "sign" from God isn't enough? What if I want to see some solid proof ? And if I need "proof," do I really trust God? About six weeks ago, I felt pretty sure that I was heading down the road that God has for my life. But to continue on this road would mean that I would be making some tough decisions ...

Without question, I would want to get my journals. Hopefully I would have a blank one to record my experience of watching everything else burn down. Nowadays, blogging seems to be a popular way of people keeping journals. E-mail is the preferred way to correspond between family members at a distance. But with the way electronic media (computers, discs, etc.) changes at seemingly a moment's notice, how much of what is communicated by computer will be even readable in five to ten years? Face it, it really wasn't that long ago that computer storage discs were 3 1/4" discs encased in plastic of the color of your choice. And some of the computers now don't even have the disc drive to play them! In case you have haven't heard, America has men and women serving in the front lines of a war. In past wars, our soldiers would communicate with loved ones by what is now known as "snail-mail." Those precious letters penned by the hands of young men in life and death s...

In reading the Bible, especially in a lot of the Old Testament books, you often come across lists of names. Lists of genealogies and families; lists of people who were assigned different tasks. In some places, the lists seem to be endless. And for many of the people listed, that's the only time they're mentioned in the Bible. "These are the family members of so-and-so." And that's the last you hear of them. Back in the day when "Burnt Offering" wasn't just for dinner, people chose the names of their children very carefully. For example, one name that became well-known a few years ago, but certainly didn't make the top 10 baby name list, was Jabez . The Bible says that his mother gave birth to him in pain, and gave the child the name Jabez, which sounds like the Hebrew word for "pain". Even today many people carefully choose the names for their children, partially for what the name means. I have a cousin whose parents named him Jeffrey (...

My pastor and really good friend Chris Logan recently asked the question on his blog, "What makes for a good day?" When you get to the end of your day, what allows you to be able to say: "Today was a good day"? Is it that the day went smoothly? Is it that you had everything go the way you wanted? Is it that the day was problem free? When I look back at the best of the "good days" that I have had throughout my life, the one thing they all have in common is that they were spent, at least in part, with people who were uplifting. Whether I was with a group of people, or one or two others, or even reflection time alone with God, the "good" part of the day was the part that was invested in the relationships. "The reality is that we live in a world where we deal with problems, and conflict, and struggles, and frustrations, and heartache." Many people (ok, ALL people) at one time or another ask the question, If God is so good, why does he all...

I recently had the opportunity to teach the youth group at my church. Now, I am not accustomed to being around teenagers for any longer than 10 minutes at a time, so it was a bit of a stretch for me to actually willingly volunteer for this task. The topic was “What happens after we die?” The youth leader got a list of questions from the group and emailed them to me. Being teens, the questions ranged anywhere from “Do we get what we want (video games, etc.)?” to “How do you know if you are going to heaven or hell?” All the questions were serious, but the youth leader admitted that some were a bit out-of-the-box. (A complete list of the questions is available upon request.) To make the lesson interesting, I had one of the group choose a question out of a basket, and I answered it. The first question was “How does God judge us for entrance into heaven?” I told a story about a man who died and was met at the gates of heaven by St. Peter. “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it...

As Christians, we rejoice when we accept Jesus into our hearts. When Jesus lives in our hearts, the heart of Jesus lives there also. When we act from the heart, whose heart are we acting from?

Yesterday afternoon I stopped by White Point. There I have a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean, the Palos Verdes shoreline, and Catalina Island, and nothing man-made to interrupt the scenery. Genesis 1:2 says that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Perhaps that’s why White Point is one of my favorite places to visit when I want to spend time with God. It had been a couple of months since I had taken the time to quiet myself and listen for God’s small, still voice. I wasn’t feeling troubled, but at the same time I didn’t sense the communion with God that I enjoy. As I stood at the railing over the bluffs, I wondered why I had allowed so much time to go by? I had been so busy with work, home, and church. I felt as though I hadn’t had any deep God time in so long. I hadn’t spent much time in prayer; hadn’t journaled; my latest blog posts were taken from journal entries that were months old. My God time had been limited pretty much to church activities, and singing to what...

Reflections on how it might have been after Jesus died ... from Peter's perspective: I’m thinking I should get a new boat. Not that there’s anything wrong with this one. I’ve had some pretty awesome experiences with Jesus on this boat. But now, my Lord is … dead. I never thought it would happen. Not like this. I remember the first time Jesus noticed me. It was about three years ago. I was on this same boat, cleaning my fishing nets. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!” I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but I was ready to find out. I knew that there was something different about him, and it was something I wanted, even longed for. He loved people, more than he loved himself, it seems. I a while back, The Twelve, as we’re sometimes called, were with Jesus by the Sea of Galilee. We spent most of that day being followed by throngs of people, many of them wanting to be healed. And Jesus healed a lot of people that day. We tried to get away to a mountainside, just to get ...

My friend John asked for suggestions for blog topics. Knowing that he tends to have deep blog posts (with the exception of the Pirates song), I suggested "integrity" for his next topic. (Click here to go to John's blog. But finish reading mine first, ok?) Since I needed to post something on my blog as well, we agreed to blog on the same topic. And post it tonight. I suppose I could have backed out, and chosen a different topic, or not blogged at all, but then, what would that say about my integrity? Not quite sure where to start, I went to dictionary.com, and found out what "integrity" is, and found out that it's defined as: 1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. 2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished. 3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition. It came as no surprise that my picture was not next to the word ... I don't always stick to moral and ethical principles ... I'll be honest -- I...

Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping? Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie? Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend? Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or ZANE GREY book? Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church? Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events at the last minute? Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to...

At the close of the Good Friday service, you challenged us to meditate on what it would have been like for the disciples to see their Leader put to death. So, I put myself in the place of Mary (Martha and Lazarus' sister), and came up with the following: ______________________________________________________________ AFTER JESUS DIED - Mary What a Passover this has been! Martha and I have had so much preparation to do. This year’s celebration meant so much more than in the past. We’ve had so many blessings! When our brother Lazarus died, we hoped Jesus would be there to say good-bye before we had to bury him. Those two had always been such good friends. Martha and I even sent someone to find Jesus to tell him that Lazarus was dying, but he didn’t come right away. And when he did arrive, it was too late. We had already buried my brother. My sister was very gracious to the Teacher when he arrived to our home. But not me. I couldn’t help but think that if he had been here sooner, Lazar...

Earlier this week I pondered what if someone stood on a corner with signs saying "He Is Risen" and "Hallelujah!" The signs were made, and I recruited some youth from my church to wave the signs. Not only did they wave the signs, they unashamedly shouted, "JESUS LOVES YOU!" "JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR YOU!" "HE IS RISEN!" "HALLELUJAH!" "HONK FOR JESUS!" Drivers honked their horns and waved. One guy driving a pick-up truck shouted and pumped his fist in agreement as he drove by. I know this guy. "THAT'S MY NEIGHBOR!" A broken-down car chugs by. "GOD HAS A CAR FOR YOU!" Someone drove by in an old, beat-up looking motorhome. "GOD HAS A HOME FOR YOU!" A man riding a bicycle whizzes by. "GOD CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR PROBLEMS!" "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at ...

The Garden A while back, I read a work by Max Lucado called "Come Home, God Is Calling". In Chapter 3 of the piece (starting on page 9) is a reflection of Christ's arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion ( John 18:1-9 ) As I read it, I placed myself in the story. I was there, with the disciples. I witnessed the soldiers - speira - no fewer than 200 men, all of them armed, all of them surrounding us. "Who are you looking for?" Jesus asked. They answered, "Jesus from Nazareth." "I am he," Jesus said. When Jesus said, "I am he," they moved back and fell to the ground. All of them. I moved back and fell to the ground (in this scene as it played in my mind). When Jesus speaks, Satan falls. Why then, if I were with the disicples and with Jesus, did I fall back? Why didn't I remain standing? Because I am a sinner. Yes, I've been saved through faith in Jesus, saved by grace. But I am also human, tainted ...

Signs of Easter I was driving home today and found myself "thinking outside the box"..... You know those signs that people get paid to hold and wave back and forth on the street corners? The ones advertising everything from PIZZA to TAX RETURNS DONE to CARS FOR SALE to CELL PHONES.... What if.... On Easter Sunday, two people dressed as ANGELS waving signs that say "HE IS RISEN!" and "HALLALUJAH!", and someone dressed as the RISEN JESUS waving from a street corner. It might not be "politically correct" to promote Christmas. But I haven't heard any uproar about promoting the RESURRECTION of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Inscription on artwork: "For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. - Romans 14:9" Artwork "Risen" by David Sorensen

I was held captive, with no way out except to give in and self-destruct. I cried out to you, and you set me free. I asked you, "Will they be coming back?" As You embraced me, you said, "Yes, they will, as sure as I'll be with you when they return." The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. -Deuteronomy 31:8

One of the greatest spiritual needs we have as Christians is to simply “need” God. We need the assurance of the unconditional agape love of the Father and all that it implies: Nothing -- and He does mean N O T H I N G -- can separate us from His love. As long as we continue to allow God to fill our needs, we will enjoy the comfort and security of his refuge. And no matter how far we stray from the protection afforded to us in God’s fortress, He will joyfully run to us with open arms and say, “Welcome Home!” If God’s fortress is such a safe place, why would anyone want to leave? Why would anyone walk away from that kind of love? One reason may be that we believe that “something, somewhere, out there” can fulfill a need that we think we have. Often, that perceived need is a selfish desire; sometimes we believe that “out there” the need can be met faster or better than God can. Whatever it is, if it is a need that we look to have fulfilled away from God, we risk falling into sin, and sepa...

I recently had the privilege of watching the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean. It sounds a bit strange, since the Pacific is to the west, and the sun rises from the east. But from a cruise ship off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico, every direction is the Pacific Ocean. Those that know me well know that one of the places I feel closest to God is when I am gazing at the ocean. When I listen to the waves crashing against the shore, I can't help but think that the sound is the same as when God put the first waves in motion thousands of years ago. When I catch a glimpse of sea mammals migrating along the coast, I marvel at the wonder of how they just know when and where to swim each season. And there is nothing like the colors displayed by the sun setting (or rising) in concert with the clouds, and it's a brand new light show every morning and evening! While God has filled our world with these natural wonders and more, what marvels me even more is how such a creative God, the Creator o...

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 -- A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? (NIV) There may be days when work feels like a curse. There may be other days when you feel great satisfaction in what you do. Believe it or not, both come from God. How can you make God a bigger part of your work life? This is something that I have struggled with, and I'd like your input. Whether you're an office worker, or farmer, or constructin worker, or medical professional, or race car driver, or professional surfer, or student, or stay-at-home mom... or whatever you do for income... How do YOU make God a bigger part of your work life?

Acts 20:36 -- When [Paul] had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. (NLT) Sometimes very simple acts share your faith very powerfully. Praying with a spouse, a friend, or your family will bring the presence of God into their lives. How is your personal prayer life? How is your prayer life with your spouse? With your family? Let me know what you think.