An Opinion is Just an Opinion and Not Much More

I once heard it said, "Two Christians, three opinions," and I think it is true because untested opinions are very cheap to build and easy to maintain. It is difficult to have one's views challenged, and usually costly to let go when we need to change. We need to be careful with opinions.

Opinions are volatile and filled with all kinds of twists and turns. The equality of all opinions is now one of the mantras of our culture. Unfortunately, like some food at a church potluck, you might not want to return for a second serving. Holding tightly to unfounded opinions will cloud the truth and cause the fracturing of even the best relationships with God and man. We all hear many opinions and give voice to almost as many. Opinions can be right and useful, except when they are not.

One of the best gifts humans have is the ability to make up our minds about things, to have preferences, and to pick our favorite food, colors, books, pastimes, music, or friends. We all have and give opinions, spoken or unspoken, which affect how well we interact with almost everything around us. Opinions can be the equivalent of calling Punxsutawney Phil a meteorologist, or they can be the reasoned and measured thoughts of an expert witness in court, giving a dependable place to engage more truth.

Here is what Cortney Warren, Ph.D. has to say about opinions:

"…an opinion is not a fact. Alarmingly, most humans believe that their opinions are facts. We incorrectly assume that our thoughts are correct. I mean, if we think it, it must be true, right?

Wrong. The truth is that a fact is a statement that can be supported to be true or false by data or evidence. In contrast, an opinion is a personal expression of a person's feelings or thoughts that may or may not be based in data. Indeed, many of our opinions are based on emotions, personal history, and values—all of which can be completely unsupported by meaningful evidence"

As a body of believers, consider how Romans 14 should work among us as we coalesce around our doctrine and how we live Christ together.

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.” ESV.

We all have opinions, but it would be spiritually healthy to take time to know if our opinion is just a preference, an unfounded perception, or just based on another influencer's ideas before you judge someone else by it. Here again, is Cortney Warren with a word of advice:

“… So, the next time someone tells you that they have a strong opinion about something, understand what their opinion is based on. Is it based on measurable data with some compelling outcome? Or is it based on reactive emotional preferences and impressions? If it is the latter, take it with a grain of salt before you value it. And if you have a strong opinion about something that you know very little about, try to figure out why before you give strong credence to your belief.”

If you want my opinion…that's pretty good advice. Lol.

—George Davis

Are You Awake?

Living life among hubris-laden humanity is a tedious thing. Not at all like the rivers of living water or kingdom-authorized living promised to us by Jesus Himself.

We know that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, yet it appears that pride and its cousin, unbelief, are typically invisible chains felt but not discerned. The longer I wrestle with this and feel its effects on those around me, the more my soul cries out: how long can this go on? Must we continue to endure the half-light of gospel words, shallowly understood and lived with conviction equal to toast soaked in a bowl of warm milk?

Recently, I have heard the heart cry of the Father to our church expressed as "wake up," and I think it signals not the gentle nudge of "wake up my little darling" but the shout of, stir yourself, arm yourself, get fully awake, alert, and oriented to the situation at hand. It is the invitation to join the great battle with principalities and powers afoot at our door and throw off the desire to keep warm and unaware of adventures that await the humble in heart.

I have heard a call to wake up, which I must do. How about you? What have you heard from our beloved, and what is your answer to Him? I'm willing to bet my life that there are mountains to still be taken, promised lands to be owned wholly, adventures in God to be had, kingdoms to be subdued, and great victories to be won. And I would rather have a victor's crown to cast at the feet of Jesus than a well-worn pillow with no stains of intercessory tears on it.

Each of us has the power to become fully alive in Christ. The cry has gone out from His throne room, the invitation given to fix our eyes on Him. If you stir yourself from slumber, go into a private prayer place throughout the day, seek out others who are awakening, and find ways to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Shake off the things that put you into pride or unbelief. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and in due time, He will lift you up.

— George Davis

For further thought:

Asleep in the Light lyrics written by Keith Green

Do you see, do you see all the people sinking down?
Don't you care, don't you care are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb not to care if they come?
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done

Bless me Lord, bless me Lord You know it's all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts no one even sheds one tear
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds and He cares for your needs
And you just lay back and keep soaking it in

Oh, can't you see it's such a sin? 'Cause He brings people to you door
And you turn them away as you smile and say
God bless you, be at peace and all heaven just weeps
'Cause Jesus came to you door you've left Him out in the street

Open up, open up and give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries so how can you delay?
God's calling and you're the one but like Jonah you run
He's told you to speak but you keep holding it in

Can't you see it's such a sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can't fight
'Cause it's asleep in the light
How can you be so dead, when you've been so well fed
Jesus rose from the grave and you, you can't even get out of bed
Jesus rose from the dead, come on, get out of your bed

How can you be so numb not to care if they come
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done
Don't close your eyes, don't pretend the job's done

Come away, come away, come away with Me my love
Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love
Come away, come away, come away with Me my love
Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love
Come away, come away, come away with Me my love
Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love

The Thief

I had to spend a significant part of Monday repairing damage a thief did to our church mailbox. Someone thought they would make off with money or checks sent to the church. Our Vineland police say that what we experienced is becoming common in our area. While spending valuable time repairing someone’s damage is frustrating, not intentionally seeing and stopping the perp that Jesus called “the thief” has a much higher cost in terms of lives and valuable eternities. Unfortunately, the Thief is much more subtle than a drive-by with a prybar. Perhaps that is why his shenanigans go often unnoticed and largely unresisted by those given the power to do so.

Jesus made some bold claims about this fella (the cosmic Thief). And the good news is that Jesus was there to see the Thief’s fall from heaven and the sad, prideful build-up that made it necessary. When our Savior took on human form, The Thief threw his bitter worst at the unwavering Son of God and, ultimately, had to withdraw in fear from His blazing resurrection authority. The blood of the beloved of heaven was enough to purchase, for those who call on Him, eternal life given as a gift and freedom from the tyranny of the Thief. To top it off, Jesus clearly gave His brothers and sisters the power to tread upon the works of the Thief, stopping him in his tracks.

The apostle Paul said of the Thief, “We are not ignorant of his devices,” which begs the question: “Is it possible that someone is stealing the mail belonging to you, me, our families, or our church?” How might the Thief be taking our provision right under our distracted attention? Is he breaking into your and my protected spaces with accusations, fiery darts, intimidations, speculations, bitterness, unforgiveness, and the like?

Let’s engage in the spiritual fight as Paul laid it out in his letter to the Ephesians. Look for the Thief’s smudgy fingerprints around you and your loved ones; be on guard and call it out with the authority of the Word of God and our testimonies.

We have mighty tools at our individual and corporate disposal. Let’s care about destroying the works of the evil one. Our commander certainly is on the job to guide us to victory. Stand fast and stand your ground wherever and whenever the Holy Spirit shows you where the Thief is killing life, stealing destinies and provisions, and attempting to tear down the works of Father’s kingdom all around.

—George Davis

Things Have Been Hard Lately

Our guest blogger this week is Kary Garretson. Kary and her husband, Chris, pastor Redefined Community Church in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. RCC is a little over a year old and is drawing people to our beloved. They recently baptized 35 new followers of Jesus. Thank you, Kary, for allowing us to share your blog. 

If you would like to read more from Kary, she blogs at: https://www.karyanngarretson.com/blog

—George Davis

Things have been hard lately.

Not like, oh I am so busy, things are hard.

But like gut-wrenching, when is this ever going to stop, one thing after another, not enough time, money, energy, care to deal with all of the things that need dealt with to make my life even appear together. 

Loss, not enough, things keep getting taken away, I’m-feeling-a-little-like-Job-over-here, has been my daily story for months now. 

And the moment I get through one thing, another one pops up. 

Man, I am exhausted. 

What my family and I have gone through in the past year is enough to make any sane person just give up and walk away.

 If I look at the things going on around me, it just all looks.. impossible.

But you see, here’s the thing. God gave my family a word, His word. 

God gave us a vision. God gave us a promise. God gave us a direction. 

And a funny thing about God that I am learning is that He doesn’t speak like the world speaks. 

The world speaks loud.

The world is constantly screaming at us that we need to do this - not that, wear this - not that, say this - not that. One thing is cool one day and the next day it’s not. One day we feel & even look like we have it all together, but the next day we have totally failed. One day we are at the top of our game, but then, just like the tide changes, the world changes the definition of success and we are behind, again.  

God - on the other hand – speaks quietly and when He does, He never changes it. He never takes it back.

He speaks and it lasts. 

He speaks and it is what you need, when you need it and when you wake up in the morning, it is still there.

The wisdom. The direction. The next step. It is all wrapped up in the typically very short, very succinct thing that God last said. 

And even when it looks like what God said isn’t going to work, even when it looks like God was wrong (if you are brave enough to think that way), even when something happens & nothing is going according to plan, and you don’t know what to do - God’s word still stands. It’s still there.

Strong. Lasting. Forever.

When everything is crashing down around me & it looks like I should just give up on the promise, God’s word speaks louder than the voice telling me to just quit. God’s word makes me keep going. God’s word makes me keep hanging on. God’s word makes me look for a way out that I wouldn’t have seen unless I looked because He promises it would always be there. 

 And guess what? When I look for it, I find it. 

When it looks like I am up against a wall and stuck in a total failure and all of the hope for something to be different is lost… if I stop, and remember that God’s ways are not mine, and that means He always has a different way that I haven’t thought of, and I ask Him to show me His way, He does. 

I was having a conversation with my son, my 16 year old who was going through a hard time. He was being treated unfairly. And it wasn’t just a feeling, it was straight up unfair. My momma bear instincts came out and all I wanted to do was drive over to the person who was treating him unfairly and give them a piece of my mind. My heart was breaking for my kid. Because I knew that this was one of those moments that he was going to remember. 

This was one of those pivotal life moments that he was going to look back on and remember the way that he was treated and this moment had the potential to derail him. It was one of those times in life that he was being presented with the opportunity to get bitter. To be a victim of harsh, unfair treatment and stay stuck there. And all I could see in that moment was my kid, looking back on this time years from now and realizing that this was the moment where it all started to go wrong. 

I was devastated for him. I was starting to panic. It was all too much. All of the things going on in my life, and then my kid going through this hard time. I could feel the weight of it all starting to pile up on me and I felt like the air was sucked out of my lungs. 

This was it. This was the thing that was going to push me over the edge of what I can handle. This was the definition of too much. If it wasn’t too much before, it definitely was now. 

But then, I stopped. And I just said to God, “I need You.” 

It really was the most un-fanciest prayer ever. I just said, “Please don’t let this be his story.” Don’t let this be the way he looks back on this time in his life. Don’t let this be the moment that derails him, that he has to heal from. 

And God, in His infinite wisdom, allowed me to see a small sliver of light. There is another way. 

This could either be the moment that derails him or the moment that catapults him into his destiny. My kid had a choice. Use it to push you forward or allow it to be glue and keep you stuck. 

So I presented my kid with the choice. And I saw God in action, producing the way out that He promised in His word. 

And I remembered the word He spoke over my family, over my son. And I could breathe again. God stays true to His word. When He speaks, it doesn’t change from day to day, moment to moment, according to our circumstances or the tide or people’s ever-changing opinions or our ever-changing culture. 

It lasts. It produces fruit. It accomplishes. 

And so this season. 

While I sit and wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled, for His words to come alive in my life, I can breathe. 

Even when it gets harder. Even when little, silly things or big, hard things add up and pile on top of me and I feel like there’s no way out. 

Even when the world screams so loud and everyone has their opinions and their voices seem to drown out God’s promises… they can’t. 

Because His voice is the only one that matters. Because He not only has the way, He IS the way. And when I am at the end of me, it is just the beginning of Him…

“He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater

He sendeth more strength as our labors increase

To added afflictions, He addeth His mercy

To multiplied trials, He multiplies peace

When we have exhausted our store of endurance

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources

The Father's full giving has only begun

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision

Our God ever yearns His resources to share

Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing

The Father both thee and thy load will unbear

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure

His power no boundary known unto men

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.”

-Benjamin William Hastings

And so you, my friend. 

If you find yourself in one of those moments, or like me, a whole set of these seasons, just remember that when we “reach the end of our hoarded resources, the Father’s full giving has only begun.”

He hasn’t left you. 

He hasn’t forgotten you.

Turn your heart and eyes to Him and He will “giveth and giveth, and giveth again. You can count on it.

“For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, Making it bear and sprout, And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me void (useless, without result), Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:10-11 AMP

“I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].”

Philippians 1:6 AMP

“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 AMP

“God is faithful [He is reliable, trustworthy and ever true to His promise—He can be depended on], and through Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:9 AMP

“And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19 AMP

Wisdom from Above

I have a friend who is also an elder of a local church. We have some great discussions. Our talks contain comments, questions, and pushbacks. We share revelations, challenges, and viewpoints that push us to go deeper and improve. I need friends like that. Everyone does.

My friend once told me that the Lord showed him something about me. He said the Lord showed him that I was an agitator. I thought, “Oh, boy, that doesn’t sound good.” He shared that, as he continued to seek the Lord about it, he realized that I’m not the anarchist type of agitator but rather an old-school washing machine agitator. He came to believe that God uses me as the part that keeps the water moving so that the laundry around it can get clean. It was a timely and needed insight into some of my introspection and a real chance for my friend to grow in sharing the results of his listening prayers for me.

I want more of us to experience the benefits of wisdom from above when we and others pray and Father chooses to speak truth to us. Discussing viewpoints gained in intercession takes us from the realm of knowledge (what we think we know) and moves us into the nectar of God’s wisdom for our lives and situations.

One translation expresses I Corinthians 1.18-25 like this:

To preach the message of the cross seems like sheer nonsense to those who are on their way to destruction, but to us who are on our way to salvation, it is the mighty power of God released within us. For it is written:
I will dismantle the wisdom of the wise and I will invalidate the intelligence of the scholars.
So where is the wise philosopher who understands? Where is the expert scholar who comprehends? And where is the skilled debater of our time who could win a debate with God?

Hasn’t God demonstrated that the wisdom of this world system is utter foolishness? For in His wisdom, God designed that all the world’s wisdom would be insufficient to lead people to the discovery of Himself. He took great delight in baffling the wisdom of the world by using the simplicity of preaching the story of the cross in order to save those who believe it.

For the Jews constantly demand to see miraculous signs, while those who are not Jews constantly cling to the world’s wisdom, but we preach the crucified Messiah. The Jews stumble over him and the rest of the world sees Him as foolishness. But for those who have been chosen to follow Him, both Jews and Greeks, He is God’s mighty power, God’s true wisdom, and our Messiah. For the “foolish” things of God have proven to be wiser than human wisdom. And the “feeble” things of God have proven to be far more powerful than any human ability.

All this is to say: we can know the scriptures well and mostly have worldly wisdom active in our view of ourselves, our situations, and others. We need Holy Spirit-imbued insights, God’s wisdom if you will, to be added to our “knowledge.” Could allowing our brothers and sisters to share the insights or thoughts they glean from their prayer or the storehouse of what Father has already taught them be a better way to grow deeper in God? Would we benefit from prayerfully considering that heavenly wisdom might offend our sensibilities or challenge our comfort level of how God works? Might we allow God’s wisdom to offend us freely and cause us to search the Word even when we initially deem it foolish or suspect?

So, what if our “wisdom” needs to be “agitated” to lead us to a better discovery of ourselves and our beloved? I say, let’s build a community where we make it easier to let Father Himself agitate us, stir our faith, remove the stains of our human way of trying to live. Let’s let Him show us how to add wisdom to our knowledge of the Word and also enlarge the place where we allow one another to have in the narrative of our lives.

Just some thoughts along the way.

—George Davis

I Still Want to Dance in the River

Today, I asked of my soul, when was the last time you had a good soak in the rivers of living water that Jesus promised in John 7:37-39. Soul, do you regularly feel the life-giving flow that comes to those who hunger and thirst for their beloved? Can you identify the people around you who are willing to sell all to find the pearl of great price? Who are the others that are willing to seek the water of life with you? How do you get next to those who dig personal wells and let the overflow of life water spill over to water you and others?

I must confess that this last season of my life has felt more like living and working in a drought rather than getting soaked at the water park with my friends. Like many believers before me, I know I must tend my own heart, and that I faithfully do, but I if I am to sustain having water to share with others, I must be in the river with many others who do the same so that the overflow of life is obvious, shared, sweet, real, and refreshing.

I hear my own my soul cry out for the living water Jesus promised, and my soul intercedes for a growing family of water seekers to rise in pursuit of Him at Living Faith. I want to do life with those who hunger and thirst to move past the nominal and sink roots into the river so that our leaves do not wilt when life or culture’s dryness threatens our faith and passion. I realize, that after all these years, I still want to dance in the river of my beloved’s life-giving waters, and I need the encouragement and strength of those in my spiritual family who also want to sink deep roots into the well whose water satisfies and overflows with life.

We are not meant to be like the dried-up plants in individual containers on the sale rack at the big box stores.  We are meant to be a garden whose leaves do not fade and are a resource of life for the nations. To be that we must dig individual and collective wells and learn how to let the rivers of life flow more freely. We need the Word truly mixed with faith, deeper understanding of the joy of repentance, obedient and listening ears to the whispers of God’s spirit, and resolute commitments to follow Him whatever the cost.

Would you join with me in asking your soul some hard questions about your own level of life and how you will seek more?

May Father give us all a desire to do what it takes to personally and corporately be open channels for the river of life so that our deserts bloom into gardens all around us. Then, we’ll get to dance in the river of Father’s life and delight. Oh, that would be the best fun.

—George Davis

Hebrews 4.2  ESV

For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

Why all the Mystery, God?

I confess when I am in a hurry, mysteries are a bother. But, on the other hand, when I have my truest priorities aligned, I love to figure things out and pull the obscure together into a compelling whole. It is the Father's perfect will to help us find the breadcrumbs that lead us to better understand Him and ourselves with greater insight and spiritual authority.

God seems to like making things precise or obscure. Sometimes He does both in the exact moment, sermon, divine interaction, service, or story. Proverbs tells us that "it is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings" (25.2). I imagine that Jesus' statement about His teaching has caused students of ministry to scratch their heads and wonder why. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others, I speak in parables, so that, "'Though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' (Luke 8.10)

Is it possible then that the seeking, more than the easy gathering of information, is to be part of finding the narrow way He mentioned? Is it possible that we must go slowly to go fast when it comes to God's mysteries because His truths are not "sale rack" truths, easily bought, at the moment, and then discarded like yesterday's junk mail? Instead, His truth and gifts of wisdom are of eternal worth.

There is so much that our Father gives us that costs us nothing, but one must invest themself, with great struggle, at times, to understand what we are to know. Proverbs calls it "buying truth." But, we are also told not to sell it once we get it. There is still an unfolding mystery behind everything my Father has done and is doing. I love that I get to talk with Him about everything and sense His joy at discovering freshly understood truth.

So, if someone wants to understand the mysteries of God, to go deeper into His heart, there is a time-price to pay. There is a thinking time to invest in and a deeper relationship to be gained through prayer. There are things God will keep hidden from those who only want someone to spoon-feed the Word to them. Living in God in a crazy world can become a parabolic mystery. Therefore, we must search out all that we don't understand in God in submission to the Holy Spirit and the Words of God, both written and spoken to our hearts.

I remember asking, why all the mysteries, God? I now see that it's because He raises us to be Kings and Queens under His authority. Searching out things is what we are all made in Christ to do. It's part of our new nature, and it is our inheritance to gain knowledge of Him, learn continually, enjoy delving into more than just the surface truths, and one day rule with our beloved.

Slow down, my soul, enjoy the mystery, let the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth, and continue to become what you should become—a child who lives with the glory of Kings.

—George Davis

In Search of Mentors

In the culture in which I work, one hears about mentoring quite a bit. It is assumed that everyone could benefit from having a mentor, and I certainly agree. It is also assumed that every leader could or should be a mentor, and I’m just not sure about that.

In the Christian context, mentoring requires large doses of patience and humility, the ability to see the potential in someone and build them up, a willingness to live transparently and authentically. Helpful mentoring takes massive doses of intercession. If one truly wants to be a mentor to someone, they must like being with the person they wish to mentor and be willing to give their best lessons and understanding away for the joy of helping someone else along their journey. Mentoring takes heart, prayer, and time. Not every person in a leadership position is healthy enough to do it well.

Likewise, not every person is ready to be mentored.

To be mentored takes large doses of patience and humility, the ability to see something worth learning in another person’s life, and a willingness to live transparently and authentically with them. A mentee should enjoy being around their mentor. My best mentor, Denise, says that a person who wants a mentor should look for someone going in the same direction, at a similar pace, and should seek to be a friend, first. I think that is great advice.

Look for a spiritual mentor who won’t try to “fix” you but who is able take your hands and put them in the hands of the Holy Spirit. As author, Brian Simons states, “good mentors teach us how to hear the Holy Spirit for ourselves because the Holy Spirit will take us further than any man can”. When you look for a mentor, remind yourself of this simple verse found in in Philippians 3.17 “Keep track of those you see running the same course, headed for the same goal” (the message translation).

If you want a good mentor, pay attention to those around you and gravitate toward those who are walking in the same direction as you know you need to go, maybe only a step or two ahead. Look for the ones who see your potential and will help you go a little farther by their gift of themselves. Look for those who encourage you by their walk in God. Talk to God about your desire for a mentor, ask Him to help you find people who will invest in you and trust that He will bring them your way. He will. He did and still does for me.

Your Father knows what you need before you even ask Him, so start your search for great mentors with Him.  He loves to give you what you need to grow up in Him.

—George Davis (one who has the privilege of good mentors)

Paying Attention to What Father is Doing

Recently we had a missionary couple join us for a couple of services. If you weren’t intentionally looking to connect with visitors, you might have missed them. Thanks to a growing number of people who are watching out and caring for our new guests, I ended up meeting Scott for breakfast, which led to a long talk about our Father.

God used Scott to reawaken something in me, something that once burned bright a few years ago but was now smoldering in my heart. It is a passion to be where my Beloved is, not where I hope or would like Him to be. It is the passion to intentionally invest my life, not just “drift” my life. It is the call to come and follow Him without regard to the cost.

 Curiously, in our discussion, we found out that we had a common spiritual ancestry. The same people who tried to influence me to Christ also touched Scott’s life. We heard the Gospel lived and preached from many of the same people in our little Seabrook community. We both wasted years in doing our own thing. We both were drawn to the savior by grace alone. We’ve both seen things on the mission field that left us wondering, “Why not here, Lord?”. We both are not so impressed with the churches we build from human effort, not just in the US but all over the world. We both know there is more. We both want more. The deep in Scott called to the deep in me.

What’s the point? Pay attention to those whom God brings across your path. Look for the gift they bring to you. Don’t be foolish enough to think that every new acquaintance brings a Holy Spirit gift to warm your heart. Just maybe you carry the gift they need. Simply join the dance of loving our Father and let that love splash where it may and on whom it may.

The truth is, we can slowly drift in our hearts. The wear and tear of life can distract from really living in Christ. True life is only found in the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. Pay attention, stir up your gifts, look for the many ways our Beloved appears to us. Get in touch with your slumbering godly passions and live again.

Join me in engaging the visitors who come through our doors. They may have a gift to give or a gift to receive from you. Let the life of Christ bloom among us. Let’s live Him loud.

—George Davis

Essentials

Ok. Time to simply remind myself of some life essentials.

I want to:

Love and enjoy the love of my beloved, the one who gave himself for me

Truly know, love, and give my life for the human I pledged to love my entire life

Actively intercede for my children, and their spouses, and their children. Bringing them daily to Jesus

Live openly 

Conduct my life in humility so Father does not have to oppose me

Be bold in my call and anointing

Care for whomever Father bring across my heart

Do what I can to serve, in the name of my beloved, wherever I am

—George Davis

Growing as a House of Prayer

One of the things that Christians throughout the centuries have done is to align themselves with the persecuted and those bereft of assistance from any other source but God and his people. Prayer, uttered in faith, to our God who sees and hears is practiced as a last resort, and that is such a shame because we are powerless without Father’s work within us. 

Today, I yield my blog space to share the story of what is happening to our brothers and sisters in Nigeria in hopes that as we grow into a house of prayer, will learn to pray with passion for our brothers and sisters worldwide.

Pastor George

In Nigeria, a Christian is killed for their faith every two hours; that’s nearly 13 Christians a day and 372 Christians a month.

They’re sobering statistics—each number is a man, woman, father, mother, son or daughter who die violently just because they follow Jesus.

Research for the 2022 World Watch List reveals that in 2021, more Christians were murdered for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country. Last year, Nigeria accounted for nearly 80% of Christian deaths worldwide, with more than 4,650 believers killed. The death toll once again makes Nigeria the world’s most violent place for Christians—for the second consecutive year.

“We can document that 4,650 Nigerian Christians were killed during the previous reporting period for the 2022 World Watch List,” says Open Doors CEO David Curry.“ Those are just those we know about—and can report. They were tracked, targeted, raped and killed . . . because they were Christians.

The epicenter of jihadist violence 

The numbers paint a horrific picture of what’s happening in Nigeria.

Today, persecution in Nigeria is—simply put—brutally violent, as Islamic extremist groups work to carry out their agenda to Islamize the world’s seventh-largest country. Leveraging the country’s political instability and poor economy, these groups have turned Nigeria and the surrounding Sahel region (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Niger) into an epicenter for jihadist violence.

“Generally speaking, there is no single part of Africa that is spared of Islamist insurgency,” says Illia, Open Doors analyst for Nigeria. “The phenomenon—the issue of radicalism—is now expanding and gaining territories. Radical preaching and teaching continue to lead to hostility towards religious minorities, such as Christians.”

In Nigeria, people are living their lives under constant threat of attack from several main groups: Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militants and criminal gangs who kidnap and murder for ransom with few consequences.

An ongoing and horrific insurgency

In 2015, Pastor Andrew’s village was attacked by the Islamic extremist militant group, Boko Haram. The group destroyed Pastor Andrew’s church and set fire to the entire village. Villagers fled for their lives and went running into the brush to survive. In the panic, some children were separated from their parents and left on their own to care for themselves.

“We saw how the fire consumed the whole village,” Pastor Andrew said. “The persecution was so much that I never imagined we would come together again to worship in the church.”

Pastor Andrew’s village is one of many Boko Haram has attacked since it was founded in 2002. Despite attempts and claims by the Nigerian government to bring down Boko Haram, the extremist group has long been one of the world’s most infamous terrorist groups. The group exploded onto the scene in 2009 during a failed uprising in northern Nigeria and in 2014 generated world attention when they kidnapped more than 300 girls from a finishing school in Chibok.

Boko Haram doesn’t hesitate to specifically target Christians. They see Christianity as a great evil with ties to the West and frequently target churches, often attacking villages where Christians are the majority religious group. To them, Christians are outsiders to be killed.

“The Christians realized that the attacks were against their faith,” Pastor Andrew said. “But after losing everything, they realized God is all you need.”

Kidnapping Christians with impunity

Although Boko Haram targets Christians, they also go after anyone who doesn’t share their narrow view of Islam. That means they often also target more moderate Muslims, or Muslims who don’t come from the same school of radical, hardline preaching they claim.

Continued targeting of Muslims is one reason Boko Haram split into factions in 2016. Now, there are two rival groups, one claiming allegiance to ISIS (now known as ISWAP, or the Islamic State Western Africa Province) that does not attack Muslims and one still primarily known as Boko Haram that continues to attack mosques and Muslim civilians. However, both share a passionate hatred for Christians.

ISWAP has quickly become a formidable force. Most recently, on Friday, January 21, 2022, ISWAP attacked Piyemi village in Borno State, Nigeria. An estimated 21 houses and shops were burnt after being completely looted, a church was destroyed to its foundation, several people were killed and 16 others were kidnapped, including 15 girls. A week earlier, they led an attack on nearby Kautikari village, where they opened fire on villagers, killing three people. They went on to kidnap four girls and loot and raze two churches.

Four years ago, the same group kidnapped Leah Sharibu and 100 other classmates from their girls finishing school in Dapchi. Nightmarishly, Leah’s story is just one of thousands of stories of persecution that happen every year in Nigeria at the hands of extremist groups like ISWAP and Boko Haram.

Middle Belt clashes that impact thousands

Over 38 million people belong to the larger Fulani cluster of ethnic groups found in pockets across 19 Central and West African countries. They speak a variety of languages, including Hausa, English, French and Arabic and are the world’s largest nomadic group. The Fulani people roam a wide territory for their cattle to graze. Among the Fulani, less than one percent are professing Christians; almost 100 percent of them follow Islam. Traditionally, the Fulani are herders, driving cattle across the wide grasslands of west Africa. But climate change and desertification have driven them south, often setting up conflicts with settled Nigerian farmers—many of whom are Christians.

There is an extremist faction of Fulani that goes beyond being just simple herdsmen. Pastor Jeremiah’s village was attacked by Fulani militants in April 2020, and it’s part of a massive wave of violence against Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. In this region, militant Fulani herdsmen push their cattle through the regions where Christians have lived for generations. When these radicals attack, they do so with brutality, burning down homes and churches to gain more land and wipe out the Christian presence in the region.

Pastor Jeremiah described the attack on his village: “We heard gunshots close to our vicinity, so we told our women and children to go to the next town while the men stayed guard. About 15 minutes later, armed Fulani surrounded our town. They came bearing automatic weapons, shooting anyone in sight, and torches to burn down the village.

“It was impossible to protect the town against such heavily armed men, so everyone fled. Some ran deep into the bush, others to the rocks and others tried to run to the next town. The radicals shot at me while I was running. Some of us didn’t make it out alive.”

The militants went from house-to-house and set everything ablaze. Miraculously, Pastor Jeremiah’s church survived the fires. But his village and church is one of thousands that has suffered at the hands of militant Fulani.

Pastor Jeremiah in Nigeria captures the fear and trauma in Nigeria that our family lives with every day: “When we go to sleep at night, we are never sure we will make it to the next day.

Our Nigerian family needs our prayers

Now is the time for us—as brothers and sisters in Christ—to raise up our Nigerian church family in desperate prayer. Our Nigerian family lives each hour under threat of attack, kidnapping or death, simply because they believe in Jesus as Savior.

Let’s pray for the government in Nigeria, that they would quit turning a blind eye and instead support Christian Nigerians.

Nigeria was removed from the U.S.’s new list of “Countries of Particular Concern.” Pray the international community would recognize the insecurity in Nigeria that is allowing violent extremist groups and armed bandits to continue and even increase their terrorist activity.

Let’s pray for those who are harassing, terrorizing and murdering Christians, that God would work in their lives and that their hearts might become flesh again (Matt. 5:44).

Let’s pray for the widows and children growing up without one or both of their parents, that God would comfort them and hold them close to His chest. Pray they’ll feel His supreme peace in the scabbed pits of their hearts.

And let’s pray for those who are being persecuted or who live in fear of persecution, that they might feel God’s abundant comfort in their valleys, His amazing hope in their storms and for their souls to be made whole again amidst painful struggles and unbearable loss.

Taken from:

https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/stories/every-two-hours-a-christian-in-nigeria-is-killed-for-their-faith/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Open%20Doors%20USA&fbclid=IwAR1QgHuc31XAhoQmXQUM_c5Zu8M4fQyKg665CrBZWqq1zc9V0-44H69BTpI

The Light in the Tunnel

Tunnels are necessary things although the scenery is not very good. They can be fun if you don't spend your time lamenting that you cannot see the trees, the sun, of grazing cows on the hill. You can try to make it without taking a breath, sing songs, look at license plates, contemplate the tonnage of the rock or water over your head, notice how many wet drippy places are inside, and, if it's long enough, wait for your tunes or GPS to reconnect. Tunnels can be cool, if you accept them for what they are and sort of make peace with the experience and keep heading toward its end.

The Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson is not my favorite tunnel - while I am in it. But I do like that burst of sunlight just as you are expelled out of the gloom and smog. Into the midtown skyline and energy. I wonder how many travelers, each having their own similar but distinct experience in that Tunnel, have made their way in and out over the years.

Funny, sandhog workers drill, chisel, blast, and dig a way for us.  Some lose their lives in the process. A vision is cast, sinews are employed, and the rest of us find a useful path to traverse. We use tunnels because they are there and speed us along in our journeys. Many trust them like yellow brick roads through an uneasy forrest while we hum to ourselves "lions, and tigers and bears, oh, my".  

Next time, go a bit slower through your tunnel, physical or otherwise. Embrace the experience, knowing its not strange - well, yes it is if you remember you are driving your car through a mountain or underwater, or through a problem or a season- but be thankful for the useful, transitional thing that it really is.: a way to the light and the shortened distance to where you want or are supposed to be. Into the light.

"Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends. If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn’t touch your real treasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back. So don’t throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It’s still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion."  The Message, Hebrews 10.32ff.

—George Davis

The Essentials

I recently finished a book, Essentialism, by Greg McKeown. The main concept of the book is the importance of living a life that really matters by embracing what is essential – knowing who you are and what you were made to do – your gift to the world - and guiltlessly saying “no” to others' non-essential requests.  It’s not so easy in the real world.

The concept that Essentialism proffers brings me to a certain sad revelation about the context of my life, the work I am called and gifted to do, and how I must navigate the cultural and work environments of my life if I am to remain spiritually alive and flexible in spirit. I know that a drive to be authentically and powerfully the son of my Father and fully alive, is the nuclear core of my life but that is not enough. I must also allow myself to be trained to live, as Jesus lived, doing, and saying only what my Father is doing and saying. Perhaps the lens of defining what is essential and eliminating more of the non-essential is another weapon to help me live out, with passion, my life in Christ. I intend to take the journey.

There is a wisdom to be applied in remodeling one’s life. Stories of remodeling work that end up catching the building on fire or dropping people from roofs come across our paths. In my early days of residential work, I can still remember times when I scampered to put out a fire or prevent a collapse or pick myself up off the ground because I was moving too fast or not considering the environment of my immediate actions. No sense in doing that again. Especially in the context of spiritual family.

I guess the bottom line is to know what the main thing is. Why am I constructed like I am? What is the main thing that, if I were to do it faithfully, would give me that “my yoke is easy, and my burden light” experience that releases confident joy and that ability to dance in the rain? A life not constrained to only endure but to express the power purchased by the victory of Jesus.

These are some of my essentials…to know my Father more intimately, to love myself more honestly, to celebrate what I bring to life, and to enjoy the sound of all the dropping non-essentials and celebrate them as victories.

—George Davis

Bazaar

It doesn’t take too many pages of Bible reading to grasp the picture that we humans are caught up in something way larger and more complex than we can fully imagine. Like tourists navigating an outdoor bazaar without knowing the language or customs, we stumble through, distracted here and there with that look that welcomes another to take advantage of you. Having been that neophyte, I know the difference that a trusted guide and interpreter can make in the overall experience.

 In Stara Zagora, my friend Tunde, was such a person. He knew what I did not know and shepherded me appropriately. He let me stretch on my own, make some missteps, yet kept a watchful eye to guide me from the normal pitfalls an adventurer like me easily makes in a foreign place. I have always needed those people who knew more than me and freely gave me the benefit of their lives without trying to conform me to something that my Father never meant for me to be.

To be honest, I don’t see enough of that kind of shepherding in the church organizations I’ve known. Yet, I can identify a truck load of people Father sent my way to guide me. I also have the benefit of the Word of God and other writings penned by lesser authors. Historians, as well, to remind me of the continuum of valor and treachery that is the human experience. I can learn from and be guided by all these sources together. I do not have to be a cosmic traveler, bumbling through the Turkish bazaar of life unless I am too proud to trust my trusted God who speaks in voices that sound like a child, my friends, my wife, Tunde, a host of other sources, or even me.

 One translation of Psalm 95:7-8a reads: “For we are the lovers he cares for, and he is the God we worship, so drop everything else and listen to his voice”. In the sad but hauntingly beautiful chapter 30 of Isaiah, we find these words to countermand the obstinate steering of our own way through life: “Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Too much of modern Christianity is based on sanitized and institutionalized discipleship that produces anemic believers. It reminds me of the car dealership my grandfather managed. There was a beautiful Corvette just sitting there to capture my young 14-year-old fancy. One day he tossed me the keys and said, “Would you go warm the Vette up? Someone is coming for a test drive. Don’t take it out of gear, but just sit in it and listen to it purr.” Oh, the imaginary roads I traveled behind the wheel of that beast although I never drove one inch.

Unlike that experience, I know I am made for more than idling Christianity. I have a trusted guide in the Holy Spirit, a wonderful Savior, and loving Father. I have beacon lights all around; the guardrails of scripture, the experience that others have in God, and an overcomer’s heart. So, get me out of the parked, beautiful muscle car and take me to the bazaar where I was meant to walk with abandon and spiritual authority. Not imagination only. Remind me to live a life of adventurous abandon within the broad guidelines and wisdom of my King. A life not in someone else’s discipleship box but lived following my master, the one who called me to be with Him as His disciple in the first place.  Anyone want to come along?

—George Davis

Refreshing Awaits

I married a gardener. A lady that likes to dig and plant. Someone who understands seasons, watering and waiting, imagining how things will look growing together within the frame of nature’s canvas. She delights in simple things like sprouting and blooming and seems to know the gentle power of working within God’s design.

 I am better because I know a gardener, but I didn’t think so at first.

 Growing up, I perceived gardening to be a joyless intrusion into whatever else I wanted to do. We had a vegetable garden that never seemed to love us back. A large yard with a very small mower. Shrubs and hedges that begged to be put out of their misery and mounds of leaves that no one took time to jump in. Gardening was another chore on a day when I wanted to ride my motorcycle, hang with friends, or fish with my brother. I wish I had not harbored that perception so late in life.

Fast forward to a property my gardener and I purchased in the winter of 2017.  An acre of land that the previous owner had turned into one big flower garden with no lawn. What delight we had as we watched the vibrant play unfold in arrays of color planted before we came. I was amazed as my gardener kept showing me the latest plant or bud and that she knew the names of things I can’t remember seeing before. Our Father in heaven invited us to name our property “restoration” and, for me, it was a beautiful time of slowing down, learning that my Father thought up different seasons, learning how to sync physical labor with natural patterns, and l seeing with new eyes. It restored my soul. And I grew closer to my beloveds because of it. God Himself had waited a long time for my soul to enjoy siting and walking with Him in the “cool of the evening” and I felt like I came to understand more of both my gardeners love for me.

Peter, on the day of Pentecost, challenged people to repent, be converted, so that their sins could be blotted out, and that times of refreshing might come from the presence of the Lord. Coming to times of refreshing as individuals or as a church follows the process of gardening. Break up the ground, plant seeds in the ground, wait for the seed to release life, and then enjoy refreshing new things.

At LFA, in this season, we are in the middle of this process. We are turning our face toward Him, repenting, being converted, becoming transparent and unafraid to admit our need and areas of failing, watching new life break forth, and waiting for a new season of refreshing to come. We want to catch and enjoy all there is for us each step of the pattern that God wove into nature and invites us to embrace. Let’s not rush ahead by being impatient and trying to force grow our plant. Times of refreshing will come in due season and others will see His blessing in and through us.

 I’m glad I married a gardener and that we, together, follow and are loved by the master gardener who knows how to tend our heart-gardens until they are refreshed and display His beauty.

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

Avoiding Death, Enjoying Life

It’s strange to note the range of conversations one can have in a week when you are involved in people’s lives. An average week ranges from discussions about marriage defeats to victories, a loss of financial security to financial blessing. There are moments of excitement when someone finds new love or the burden of grieving with someone who loses a life-long love. Life is best lived with the heart engaged with God in all of it.

Sometimes our hearts are stirred in intercessory conversation with God for someone on their way to emergency treatment or for someone’s life to be spared from destruction. Other times we share joyful thanksgiving when we see Father showing up to give mercy and grace to someone we know and we see something good is about to break forth. However, it’s still a crazy world out there, and the sheer weight of caring for people around us does tend to weary and numb the human soul.

One of the conversations Denise and I had, with a young couple from another state, caused me to think about the pastors and leaders I have known over the years. I’ve seen good people who became tired people. Soldiers on the front line who cared too long in the weary campaign of life and death and did not notice that, in not caring for their own soul, the enjoyment of their Savior became more duty than life-giving. Their life and dreams atrophying on the vine.

This young couple, by comparison, is choosing a different path. Both have a pastoral gift on their lives and after a stint in pastoral “ministry” have noticed some “fault lines” in their lives that they, out of passion for Jesus, know they must address. These beautiful people simply don’t want to lose Jesus in serving Jesus, and they have chosen the better way of sitting at His feet to be taught and loved some more. I predict an ever-expanding life of adventure and fruitfulness for them if they keep stirring their passion to be the real deal before God and man.

The apostle Paul put it this way:

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.” Philippians 3.13-15 ESV

This is how we stay fresh, green, and curious in life. We keep running to be alive in God in Christ Jesus. It’s more important than what we do and what people think or expect of us. When we do, our story has an ultimate victory and a long line of people who get stirred for more in God in ways that our sheer duty can never produce on its own.

In this way, we change our whole conversation from death to life.

—George Davis

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

God Helps Those Who Help Themselves - and Other Lies I've Come to Believe

One of the verses that came alive in my spiritual journey is found in John 8:32

“and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ESV 

“For if you embrace the truth, it will release true freedom into your lives.” TPT 

“Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.” The Message 

And that led me to ask, “If I am not free, then what are the lies that keep me bound?”

The funny thing about believing a lie is that the truth, when you first hear it, sounds like a lie. It’s comfortable to believe lies, especially the ones that run deep and support a bevy of other lies. We often construct systems around us to soften the effects of our internal lies until we live the children’s poem, “There was a crooked man, who built a crooked house…”.

So, enter, the hope of John 14:15-17.  The Holy Spirit. 

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”  ~ESV 

“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!  ~The Message 

“Loving me empowers you to obey my commands.  And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you. The world won’t receive him because they can’t see him or know him. But you know him intimately because he remains with you and will live inside you.  ~TPT

So, grandma’s truth, culture’s truth, the church’s (little “c” means: what we call church instead of the real Church), and even the “truths” I bolted together to help me survive, must all come under the Lordship of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

He alone is the Spirit of Truth, and I receive Him as such. However, sometimes His forays into correcting the lies I have believed and baked into my life, sound, themselves, like lies. I guess it just feels easier to keep motoring along with the perspectives that I’ve welcomed, from all over the place, rather than invite truth brought by the Spirit of Truth.

Imagine that! An ability to live a life of freedom by learning what is truly true. All of it provided by our good and perfect Savior, the Father of all truth, and the one who comes alongside us to lead us firmly and gently away from the lies that have warped our perceptions and keep us bound.

In a sense, if I could extract any truth from the lie that, “God helps those who help themselves,” it might be this, helping myself is realizing that helping myself will never take me to the freedom where sweet abandon to His truth in the Holy Spirit will ultimately take me.

So, I will lay down the lies I’ve been told and have been reinforcing in myself whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit speaks by following His voice into all truth. He’ll always take a willing heart to the freedom afforded by the truth. That’s the ticket. I’ll help myself to it.

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

The Next Shiny Thing

I‘ve spent a lot of time reading Proverbs over the years. The succinct wisdom shared in pity statements helps me drink in the nectar of others’ contemplative observations and take the time to downshift in hopes of going further not faster. In Proverbs, I am reminded to seek wisdom and buy truth and, when I gain them, to never trade them off for lesser, passing things.

Easier said than done.

Shiny things just call and look so…shiny.

Sometimes the next shiny thing comes along with beauty, so alluring, we fail to see the dark overtones which foretell destruction and loss. For a time, the pleasure of that thing eclipses good sense and draws us into the idea that diligence and fidelity is antithetical to one’s deep enjoyment of life. We can be fooled into living as though comfort and ease will bring the same results as planting, building, saving, and investing in God’s kingdom. 

Sooner or later, left unchecked by good counsel or thoughtful introspection, “an arrow” comes along to pierce so deeply that there remains little hope for life to continue or flourish. Poverty comes to claim its reward. The result of pursuing a string of the next shiny things. 

So, what is the hopeful cure? Pick up Proverbs, the book of wisdom and find out. Bring it into your prayer life. Ask for the gift of wisdom. Talk with God and others about how to gain wisdom, and once you get some, treat it like the precious thing it is, something that will make your life better.

Then, you will be a son or daughter who is wise and brings joyful honor to your Father in Heaven.

[Suggestion:  Read a chapter a day – there are enough for each day of any month – and see how it changes you and your outlook about what are the true riches waiting for you.]

— George Davis

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

Sometimes It Just Happens

Sometimes it just happens. I am in the middle of an absolutely beautiful, enjoying the ride, loving the view, kind of day, and the storm clouds crash in with rains that beat against by spirit. My anxiety tries to crescendo and my soul presses against the reigns of my spirit in an attempt to gallop off in panicked flight.

In those times, my reactions determine many things in a moment. War or peace scramble to invade my inner atmosphere. Today, it’s not even six in the morning and I’ve already cycled through this familiar scenario- three times! Peace is so much better than war. 

I didn’t even make coffee yet. 

What I’ve also noticed is that something beautiful is simultaneously going on when the thought storms hit. In the rains assailing my soul, there is peace for the having. This peace comes in a song, a scripture, a memory of a person or a time when Father’s grace became clearer for a moment. It is gossamer grace, fragile as a butterfly but sturdy as iron. The smallest whisper sent to brace my soul with His presence and truth if I would give it an opportunity to land on my heart.

The psalmist wrote simply of this process. Grasping the grace of presence and promise, David wrote:

“Hear my cry, O God;
    listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth, I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent forever
    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
For you, God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.”

Psalm 61.1-5 NIV 

This may be one of those days when my circuits scream that I am overloaded, and things come at me with major storm intensity. While my inner man longs and trusts for the sun to shine on my face once again, I will take the thought storms on, one by one, keep them from bunching together, and look for the path where grace flitters and gently leads me to the rock that is higher than I. There the light of His promised love shines brightly no matter what arises, and I find a strength strong enough for today and beyond.

[If you want to learn more of how to grasp the grace of God in the middle of your storms, there are people at LFA who would be happy to share what we’ve learned along the way - just drop an email to let me know you would like to learn more about holding on to the grace that leads us to the rock!]

—George Davis

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

Unescapable God

One of the things I enjoy most about God is his willingness to engage me where I am and to lead me to where I was made to be. From my perspective, he is always pulling me out of places where I get stuck and even places where I try to hide from life or his dealings with me. It seems I am never really lost from his sight, nor am I able to crawl in a hole deep enough to drop off his radar.

He is the unescapable God both in this life and the next.

A poet once used his pen to describe the beauty of being fully seen by God, even when we don’t want to be seen. These words comfort and challenge my soul. They help me know that I am seen, even when I can’t clearly see myself. They remind me to reject trying to hide who I really am from the God who sees all. They challenge me to embrace the one who embraces me.

See what they do for you.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave,  you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!

O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
    Get out of my life, you murderers!
They blaspheme you;
    your enemies misuse your name.
O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
    Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
    for your enemies are my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

~Psalm 139 

May we pursue and get to know the God who sees us, knows us, protects us, searches for our true selves, and even hears our frustrated prayers regarding our enemies, until his blessing or correction comes our way to take us deeper into everlasting life!

—George Davis