Don't Believe What you See; Trust What you Know

If I asked you to tell me what you see in the picture above you would probably say, “a dead flower and a live flower”. Wrong.

The truth is, they are both dead. The one on the right still looks alive, but its life source has been cut off. It’s just as dead as the one on the left. It's only a matter of time before this shows.

The same happens when we pray. The medical diagnosis doesn’t change. Your finances don’t get better. That child continues in the wrong course. The marriage gets closer to a divorce. You’ve prayed numerous times, but nothing changes - at least in plain sight. You see, once you pray, God begins working on your miracle. The challenge is that your miracle will happen, but not in your time. God works on His own time because His time is flawless. 

There was a time when Jesus tried to get fruit from a fig tree and found none. In discontent, Jesus cursed the tree. What is interesting about this story is that the tree didn’t automatically dry up. It is recorded that the disciples heard Him when He cursed the tree, but nothing happened to it at that moment. These same disciples had seen Him perform wondrous miracles in the past. Seeing the tree remain visibly alive after Jesus spoke must have stirred some questions in their hearts about Jesus’ power. They went on their way and the scripture tells that the next morning they passed by the same tree and this time found it had withered from the roots up. The disciples in amazement pointed out to Jesus the tree and how it was now dead. Jesus replied and reminded them of the importance of believing what we pray for regardless of what we see. The moment Jesus cursed it, the tree was cut from its life source. It was only a matter of time before the miracle was seen. It had to happen in God’s time. 

In another biblical story, the Israelites were trying to cross the Jordan. The Lord told Joshua to tell the priests bearing the ark of the covenant to stand in the water once they got to the river. Now the amazing part is that when their feet touched the water, the waters began to stop flowing a great distance away. They couldn’t see it, as it was a far distance. But the miracle was already in motion. It was just a matter of time and all of Israel ultimately completed the crossing on dry ground. Imagine if they got discouraged and turned back or, even worse, doubted God. They could have forfeited the miracle and never made it to the other side.

The same happens when we pray. It may look like things are  not changing. You’re still stuck at a dead-end job; that marital situation worsens by the day; the off-course child keeps making bad decisions; that addiction is still thriving; your health seems to continue in decline; the bills keep stacking up and your financial situation doesn’t change…keep your faith. It's only a matter of time before the miracle happens. God already heard your prayer. He has set the miracle in motion. Your job now is to believe and receive in your heart what you have prayed for. Don’t worry about how long it's taking. Don’t get tricked into thinking God did not hear you. Don’t lose your faith. The miracle is already in motion. Healing is on its way; the marriage is already saved; that child’s ways have already changed; you are already coming into financial freedom…like the Israelites, the waters may look like they are not parting, but have faith that the miracle is coming and you will ultimately complete the crossing on dry land.

Amen.

—R Bermudez

No creas lo que ves; Confía en lo que sabes...

Si te pidiera que me dijeras qué ves en la imagen de arriba probablemente dirías “una flor muerta y una flor viva". Equivocado.

La verdad es que ambas están muertas. La de la derecha todavía aparenta estar viva, pero su fuente de vida ha sido cortada. Está tan muerta como la de la izquierda. Es sólo cuestión de tiempo antes de que esto se demuestre.

Lo mismo sucede cuando oramos. El diagnóstico médico no cambia. Tus finanzas no mejoran. Ese niño continúa por el camino equivocado. El matrimonio está más cerca del divorcio... Has orado muchas veces, pero nada cambia, al menos a simple vista. Verás; una vez que oras, Dios comienza a trabajar en tu milagro. El desafío es que tu milagro sucederá, pero no en tu momento. Dios trabaja en su propio tiempo porque su tiempo es impecable.

Hubo un tiempo en que Jesús intentó sacar fruto de una higuera y no encontró ninguno. Descontento, Jesús maldijo el árbol. Lo interesante de esta historia es que el árbol no se secó automáticamente. Está registrado que los discípulos lo oyeron cuando maldijo el árbol, pero no pasó nada en ese momento. Estos mismos discípulos lo habían visto realizar milagros maravillosos en el pasado. Ver el árbol permanecer visiblemente vivo después de que Jesús habló debe haber despertado algunas preguntas en sus corazones sobre el poder de Jesús. Siguieron su camino y la Escritura cuenta que a la mañana siguiente pasaron junto al mismo árbol y esta vez encontraron que se había secado desde la raíz. Los discípulos, asombrados, le señalaron a Jesús el árbol y cómo ahora estaba muerto. Jesús respondió y les recordó la importancia de creer por lo que oramos sin importar lo que veamos. En el momento en que Jesús lo maldijo, el árbol fue cortado de su fuente de vida. Era sólo cuestión de tiempo que se viera el milagro. Tenía que suceder en el tiempo de Dios.

En otra historia bíblica, los israelitas intentaban cruzar el Jordán. El Señor le dijo a Josué que les dijera a los sacerdotes que llevaban el arca del pacto que se pararan en el agua una vez que llegaran al río. Ahora lo sorprendente es que cuando sus pies tocaron las aguas, estas comenzaron a dejar de fluir a gran distancia. No pudieron verlo, ya que estaba sucediendo a una distancia lejana. Pero el milagro ya estaba en marcha. Era sólo cuestión de tiempo y todo Israel finalmente completó el cruce en tierra seca. Imagínese si se hubieran desanimado y retrocedido, o peor aún, dudaran de Dios. Podrían haber perdido el milagro y nunca haber llegado al otro lado.

Lo mismo sucede cuando oramos. Puede parecer que las cosas no están cambiando. Todavía estás atrapado en un trabajo sin futuro; que la situación matrimonial empeora cada día; el niño desviado sigue tomando malos caminos; Esa adicción todavía prospera; Tu salud parece seguir decayendo; Las facturas siguen acumulándose y tu situación financiera no cambia... Mantén tu fe. Es sólo cuestión de tiempo que ocurra el milagro. Dios ya escuchó tu oración. Él ha puesto en marcha el milagro. Tu trabajo ahora es creer y recibir en tu corazón aquello por lo que has orado. No te preocupes por cuánto tiempo está tardando. No te dejes engañar pensando que Dios no te escuchó. No pierdas la fe. El milagro ya está en marcha. Curación está en camino; el matrimonio ya está restaurado; las costumbres de ese niño ya han cambiado; ya estás llegando a la libertad financiera... Al igual que los israelitas, puede parecer que las aguas no se están separando, pero ten fe en que el milagro se acerca y finalmente completarás el cruce en tierra firme

Amén.

R Bermúdez

Seeking and Surrendering

Picking up the small, tattered book, I blew off the dusty cover. It fell open in my hands and I read this preface, one I had read many, many times before.

THE SEEKER

     God is a Father. I a weary child. He is beyond all thought or reach of mine, but if I come to Him, He will lead me blind and weak among the dangers—guiding on, I follow through the strangest winding paths: and He will lead me to His own belief. I trust everything to Him. (Diaries, 1856 {age 23})

Instantly, I remembered why I had used this little devotional guide for so very many years. As before, my heart thudded in my chest and my eyes spilled over with tears. Hannah Whitall Smith spoke my language, expressing in powerful and touching words the cries of my soul, the swirling, elusive thoughts of my brain. Words I just didn’t have. Words I so wished to be true.

And I had forgotten.

For the past several years, I had chosen a variety of authors and different devotionals to accompany me on my yearly journeys with my Father. And, honestly, none had lived up to my pretty high expectations. Because I am usually adamant about finishing the things I start and, honestly, because I already spent the money, I will continue this year’s devotional selection through December. Maybe it will get better. Come January, though, God is Enough, this well-worn classic by Mrs. Smith, will sit on top of my Bible in my chair once again.

But for today, I flipped eagerly through the coffee-stained pages and ended with glancing at my scribbled notes on the inside of the back cover. When I am reading, I love to write down subjects and verses that particularly touch me or ones that I want to study further or use in my writings. I like to remind myself down the road of particular things God is teaching me or ways He wants to refine me or use me. Most of my books are pretty marked up.

At the top of that last page, in fairly large print, I had scrawled:

Aug 29-

Prayer of Total Surrender

Curiously, I flipped back the pages and searched for that date. Here is what I read.

Totally Consecrating

Lord, I am Yours, Yours wholly and Yours forever! I am Yours by the purchase of Your blood, and I give myself to You now as a living sacrifice—body, soul, and spirit—to be as clay in Your hands.

I give you my heart, Lord, to love only what You love, to hate what You hate, to endure all things, to suffer long and be kind, to be not easily provoked. To think no evil, not to seek my own, help me, oh my God!

I give You my mind to be wholly devoted to Your service and perfectly under Your control, to think only those thoughts that will please You, to devise only such plans as You suggest, to yield the management of all its affairs to You. To bring every thought to the obedience of Christ, help me, oh my God!

I give You my body to be used by You—my eyes to see only what You would have them see, my ears to hear only what You would have them hear, my feet to go only where You lead, my hands to do such work only as can be done in fellowship with You, my tongue to speak only words that please You. I give my time to You, Lord, to be all Yours. Help me, oh my God!

I give You my children, my husband, and all whom I love, to be disposed of according to Your will. I leave to You the ordering of my whole life, and with Your help will follow You wherever You lead. I will give You the control of my feelings and of my prejudices. I submit in short my whole being and life—all that I am, and have, and will be, to Your control; and ask only that Your will may be perfectly done in me, through me, and by me! Take me and keep me, oh my God! (Diary.1859)

Wow. I needed this, I said out loud. I need to make this declaration. 

And there, right by August 29, I had penned “2007” and the words, “I needed this.” And my all-knowing and gracious Father had led me right back to this prayer of consecration again, one I needed then, one I needed now. He is so kind. And He wants all of me. All the time. Still.

I thought about life since 2007, sixteen years of some pretty difficult and ugly life (and death) situations and circumstances. Also many beautiful ones. I am so thankful I was safe in my Father’s protective arms. In joy and sorrow, He was always near. And for much longer than just sixteen years!

This is not a one-and-done surrender. Too many times I find myself untying myself and crawling off the altar. How often I try to go it alone, impatient at perceived delays in getting what I want! How often do I chase after false saviors or fall into idolatry? I get busy. I get lazy. I get careless. I am broken. I am messy. I am easily fooled. No matter. I am His child and He still wants me. He patiently calls me. He forgives my wanderings. Oh, I need to give myself to the loving Father every day.

Did you need this reminder today too? Did you need to remember Whose you are and tell Him you do?

Hannah Whitall Smith, such a faithful woman of God, will be happy to remind you too. I have learned a lot from her honest and insightful writings.

Maybe you will want to read through God is Enough with me next year.

Let me know.

We can be Seekers and Surrender-ers together.   

He is waiting.

—Eileen Hill

Yoked with Christ for Joy in Heaven

In Luke 10, Jesus sends out His disciples to prepare the way before Him. He tells them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Today, may we be jointly yoked with Christ, laboring as sons and daughters in our Heavenly Fathers vineyard. Now, in mercy, Christ has redeemed us from the worthless way of life we had learned from our ancestors. He has atoned for our sin and purchased us with His own precious blood, employing us in a new ministry, the Ministry of Reconciliation. We have been made fishers of men, ambassadors of the Living God. God now makes His appeal for others to be reconciled to Him through Christ in us.

As we number our days, we remember Jesus’s words as recorded In Luke 15. Jesus tells us that there will be more rejoicing in heaven for one sinner that is lost that for ninety-nine righteous who need no repentance. Invest in the lives of the lost. Their reconciliation to God through Christ brings more rejoicing in heaven than any other worldly achievement we could take part in.

Commissioned in His name, our message is two-fold. First, we proclaim peace with God through Christ Jesus and His finished work on Calvary. Loving as He loves us, we bring good news of great joy to all peoples from every nation. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is hope in Christ for the sinner who repents. Second, still in love, we must warn of the horrible consequences and ultimate consequence of rejecting Jesus, the appointed Judge of the living and the dead.

As we go out, we do not go alone. We take on Jesus’s yoke, uniting us to His gospel and His Father’s will. We serve trusting in His faithfulness to keep all His promises, especially to save from sin and death. By taking on His yoke, we receive help from the Holy Spirit who helps us keep pressing onward with Him to the prize. 

With every breath may we joyfully serve the Lord of the Harvest. No eye has seen or ear has heard, nor mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Today, choose to serve Christ in building an eternal kingdom that will not pass away. Let’s be yoked with Christ for joy in heaven.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

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

Rejoicing and the Presence of God

Have you ever sat to rest and thoughts of a current challenge, concern or hardship were invaded by thoughts of God’s goodness, faithfulness and power? It’s been happening to me a lot lately. Something inside of us is intrigued when reminded of the realities of God’s nature. The energy stirred by thoughts of our Creator and King’s steadfast love, kindness, might and consistency eventually comes out of my body in some way – tears, raised hands, audible words of gratitude, a dance, a song of praise – rejoicing with resolve to trust and obey. 

I admit the rejoicing gets a little embarrassing and seems random at times. I know these thoughts preceding rejoicing are certainly not random; what I feel compelled to do in response often seems to be. The embarrassment is definitely a fear response, an internal attempt to protect myself. Oddly enough, embarrassment also centers self which is the opposite aim of the invading thoughts of God that are clearly a grace to center the Holy One, instead of me or my circumstances. The Holy Spirit is empowering us to obey the Word of God’s command to “rejoice in the Lord always!” (Philippians 4:4). In these precious moments, faith and hope are activated, joy is restored, and we are delivered from our desperate state, whether or not our circumstances change. 
It’s like the Holy Spirit acknowledges our despair, exhaustion, fear, frustration, confusion, etc. (Psalm 34), and the strength of the Master of the Universe is made perfect right there in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). An accompanying reality tough for me to come to grips with is that we are still weak after God shows up. God’s strength and our weakness, God’s joy and our despair seem to be held in this redemptive tension that occasionally makes me very uncomfortable yet is still so good. We are being made perfect, and God shows up in all perfection — Holiness and Glory…AWEsomeness. Hallelujah! This is joy. God’s presence. (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬)

—Anyah E. R. White

People Are Not Your Source

It's often easy to become discouraged when people with whom you have held extensive conversations and planning choose to shift their support to different efforts and leave your cause in a state of “hold.” It is particularly discouraging when those people have been equipped and in a position to influence a commonly agreed cause, yet they decide to focus in other areas, leaving your efforts and passion left as if it is nonexistent or not important. I once experienced a situation at work where a great cause was identified, and many conversations and planning took place to find ways to work for said cause and make a true difference. The conversations were radiant, with an array of ideas that promised a great outcome for developments that had once been in place, but had long been forgotten. Each discussion fueled the passion, and it seemed like we were all moving together in the same direction. But then folks started showing lack of passion, and the organized follow-up was less and less each day. Many ideas were started and left halfway finished. Other ideas that were born during the hype of the planning simply remained tucked in an emotional closet and never came to fruition. On a couple occasions, under the heat of disappointment, I even felt like giving up and voiced feelings of disappointment. Is this it? I often sat thinking about all the passion that once was there and how it all had diminished so drastically. No more meetings. No more text messages. No more passion. Those who at one point were key proponents of our combined goals remained around. The difference is that now it seemed as an uncoordinated team of horses all pulling in different directions. There was no support for the ideas and developments we once dreamed of together. If God was the driving force, does this nonsupport from others really matter?

When Jesus was about to be crucified, He went to a place named Gethsemane with some of the disciples. Bear in mind that these were people who had been with Him throughout His ministry. Not only had they held intimate, passionate conversations with Him but they shared many goals and wanted to work together for many causes. These guys were His support group. On that night, Jesus went to pray and asked them to wait while He went to pray. After a distressed time in prayer to the Father, Jesus came back and found them asleep. He questioned their actions and sternly instructed them to watch and pray as He went back to pray again Himself. He came back a second time and the same thing had happened. The disciples were once again asleep. I assume Jesus offered a similar rebuke. It is recorded that He went back to pray, again. Upon returning a third time, Jesus found them still sleeping. At this point, the scripture reads that He simply said to them, “Sleep on” (Mark 13:41, KJV). At this point He knew that He was not going to get their support, and He simply just let them continue in inaction as He went forth to accomplish what needed to be done. He didn’t stop loving them. He didn’t stop supporting them. He actually went to die for them. But realizing He was not getting their support, He simply said, “Sleep on.”

In many ways, Christians need to adopt this attitude. Not everyone will be supportive of our efforts and some may only be able to offer what we think is a diluted version of support for our deep passions and ideas. Like Jesus, we are called to go on and continue on our calling. People are not our source. God is. Fulfill what needs to be done and never stop loving our brothers and sisters, regardless of how much we believe they supported us or not. In this manner, we obey our heavenly Father and promote His kingdom as He has already instructed us.
God bless.

—R Bermudez

Las personas no son tu fuente

A menudo es fácil desanimarse cuando las personas con las que has mantenido intensas conversaciones y planificación deciden desviar su apoyo a diferentes esfuerzos y dejar tu causa en un estado de "suspensión". Es especialmente desalentador cuando esas personas han sido equipadas y están en condiciones de influir en una causa comúnmente acordada, pero deciden centrarse en otras áreas, dejando tus esfuerzos y pasión como si fueran inexistentes o no importantes. Una vez experimenté una situación en el trabajo en la que se identificó una gran causa y se llevaron a cabo muchas conversaciones y planificación para encontrar formas de trabajar por dicha causa y marcar una verdadera diferencia. Las conversaciones fueron radiantes, con una variedad de ideas que prometían un gran resultado para avances que alguna vez existieron, pero que habían sido olvidados durante mucho tiempo. Cada discusión alimentó la pasión y parecía que todos avanzábamos juntos en la misma dirección. Pero luego la gente empezó a mostrar falta de pasión y el seguimiento organizado fue cada día menor. Muchas ideas se iniciaron y quedaron a medio terminar. Otras ideas que nacieron durante el revuelo de la planificación simplemente permanecieron escondidas en un armario emocional y nunca llegaron a materializarse. En un par de ocasiones, bajo el calor de la decepción, incluso sentí ganas de rendirme y expresé sentimientos de decepción. ¿Es esto? A menudo me sentaba a pensar en toda la pasión que alguna vez estuvo allí y en cómo había disminuido tan drásticamente. No más reuniones. No más mensajes de texto. No más pasión. Aquellos que en algún momento fueron defensores clave de nuestros objetivos combinados permanecieron presentes. La diferencia es que ahora parecía un equipo descoordinado de caballos tirando en diferentes direcciones. No hubo apoyo para las ideas y desarrollos que alguna vez soñamos juntos. Si Dios fue la fuerza impulsora, ¿realmente importa esta falta de apoyo de los demás?

Cuando Jesús estaba a punto de ser crucificado, fue con algunos de sus discípulos a un lugar llamado Getsemaní. Tenga en cuenta que se trataba de personas que habían estado con él durante todo su ministerio. No sólo habían mantenido conversaciones íntimas y apasionadas con él, sino que compartían muchos objetivos y querían trabajar juntos por muchas causas. Estos chicos eran su grupo de apoyo. Esa noche, Jesús fue a orar y les pidió que esperaran mientras él iba a orar. Después de un tiempo de angustia en oración al Padre, Jesús regresó y los encontró dormidos. Cuestionó sus acciones y les ordenó severamente que observaran y oraran mientras él mismo volvía a orar. Regresó por segunda vez y sucedió lo mismo. Los discípulos estaban nuevamente dormidos. Supongo que Jesús ofreció una reprimenda similar. Está registrado que volvió a orar, nuevamente. Al regresar por tercera vez, Jesús los encontró todavía durmiendo. En este punto, la Escritura dice que él simplemente les dijo: “sigan durmiendo”. (Marcos 13:41) En ese momento sabía que no iba a obtener su apoyo, y simplemente los dejó continuar en inacción mientras avanzaba para lograr lo que había que hacer. No dejó de amarlos. No dejó de apoyarlos. De hecho, fue a morir por ellos. Pero al darse cuenta de que no contaba con su apoyo, simplemente dijo: “sigan durmiendo”.

En muchos sentidos, los cristianos deben adoptar esta actitud. No todos apoyarán nuestros esfuerzos y es posible que algunos solo puedan ofrecer lo que creemos que es una versión diluida de apoyo a nuestras profundas pasiones e ideas. Como Jesús, estamos llamados a seguir adelante y continuar con nuestro llamado. Las personas no son nuestra fuente. Dios es. Cumplir con lo que hay que hacer y nunca dejar de amar a nuestros hermanos y hermanas, sin importar cuánto creamos que nos apoyaron o no. De esta manera obedecemos a nuestro Padre celestial y promovemos su reino como él ya nos ha instruido.

Dios bendiga.

R Bermudez

Christmas in August

Sometimes, God quite unexpectedly and purposefully changes my mind and turns me gently around. Does He do that to you too? That happened this past week as I was writing this month’s blog. Suddenly, I was pulled in a completely different direction than I had been heading. This blog kind of wrote itself…

It’s because three things happened.

First, I was opening mail for my “boss,” the dear, legally blind lady I care for. Recently discharged from rehab due to a fall, she has been unable to attend her little church outside of Bridgeton. When she misses, the elderly and efficient church secretary sends her a Sunday bulletin to keep her up to date on the congregation and all the happenings.

“How many now?” she asked eagerly as soon as I retrieved the bulletin from the envelope. I smiled, knowing just what she meant.

“1,769,” I responded incredulously.

This faithful, generous flock of way less than 100 mostly senior saints has already donated 1,769 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, the Christmas gift initiative from Samaritan’s Ministries that sends tens of thousands of colorful boxes chock full of gifts for marginalized children across the globe. After this past Sunday, the number of these boxes from that congregation has probably increased once more.

And this is August!

Now I can’t speak to the quality of the contents of all those boxes. I do know, however, what my sweet boss puts together each year in the ten shoe boxes she donates. I am the one who orders, shops, and helps her package them up. She stuffs them with a variety of nice gifts. And we love doing it. It gives us both great satisfaction and joy thinking we are going to put a smile on the face of a child thousands of miles away, a child loved by our Savior, a child He wants to bless. 

After talking about what items she still needs to purchase in order to finish up her boxes for this year, it occurred to me to pop up the Operation Christmas Child’s website and read her some stories of children who had received boxes in various needy countries in the past. I wish she had been able to see the short testimonial video clips of some of the smiling, grateful folks who had been gifted a shoe box as children. They explained what it had meant to them. We had to be satisfied, because of her eyesight, for me to just read their words.

This was the second impactful event of the week.

We both wiped away tears as we heard about Jaki from an under resourced orphanage in Guatemala who shared a toothbrush with ten other little girls. She received a shoe box and in it was her very own toothbrush. She was overwhelmed, amazed that someone so far away would think of her. Care.

A little girl named Nadia was overjoyed to find Barbie in her box. Unselfishly, she shared it with all the other little girls in her village, passing it around night after night so everyone had a turn to love and play with a real doll. She barely got to enjoy her gift herself, but she was glad to make others happy. Precious!

Our favorite story was about a young boy named Yves of Rwanda who found a wool scarf in the shoe box he was given, the very first gift he had ever received in his life. Disappointed, he tried to trade it for a soccer ball his friend had happily discovered in his shoe box. Yves lived in the tropics. Nobody needed or wanted a scarf. He packed the impractical gift away.

Then, three years later, Yves and his whole family were evacuated from his war-torn country to Buffalo, New York, one of America’s chilliest cities!  

Receiving the scarf was no coincidence, Yves says with a big smile. “Jesus is always a step ahead, waiting at the end of the line to keep me warm like a loving father does. The scarf not only kept me warm; it warmed my heart.”  

So many touching stories of how these gifts of love have changed lives and paved the way for Gospel conversations.

What beautiful children! What a powerful, tangible way to demonstrate the love of Jesus, to represent His care and concern for these little ones who may never even have heard His Name. How we loved that each box we would donate would contain His story and an invitation to personally know Him, the God Who rescues, the God Who is near. The God Who is good, great, gracious, and glorious. He is also generous.

My friend wanted to fill up ten more!

Later that week, I took a break from writing my blog and ran a couple of errands for my mother-in-law.  As I strolled through Walmart, I suddenly took notice of the cardboard bins filled with school supplies crowding the aisles. All on sale. Not really having a child heading back to school or even a little grandchild in need of these supplies, I hadn’t given a moment’s thought to these items. But my Father had. He somehow stopped me in my tracks and I immediately pictured a pile of empty green shoe boxes just waiting for such treasures in my fanciful head.

Incident number three.

I grabbed erasers, pencils, pencil sharpener, markers, tablets, pens, and more. How excited will a child somewhere be to get a bunch of these school supplies that many of our kids simply take for granted? That WE just take for granted?

Now I wanted to fill up ten myself!

So they are the three reasons I was compelled to write this blog this week.

Back to School stuff is on sale everywhere. Charming Shoe-y hasn’t even made his annual appearance at LFA yet to make his appeal. And I am not suggesting we need to compete with any other church. But I am proposing for you to get ahead of the game and begin now to collect necessary gifts for your boxes. Somehow money gets tighter and the days get busier in December--even though your compassionate hearts long to meet the needs of children beside your own.

Can I humbly suggest you spend a little now? And then each pay week, spend a little bit more? It will be wise and even fun to start now to plan a budget, to look for sales, to include your children in the process of shopping for a child somewhere who will benefit greatly from their own thoughtful sacrifice. Haven’t you always intended to do that? Watch the poignant testimonies online with your kids. Maybe let them contribute some money from their piggy banks. Pray together as a family for the child who is to receive their special gift.  Prayer is the best thing you can put in that box! What a beautiful family project! What an important lesson on generosity you all will learn! What a valuable insight into the heart of the Heavenly Father Who loves all the children of the world and wants them to come to know Him.

I don’t want this blog to be a page filler, an easily overlooked cheap advertisement or an emotional appeal to guilt you into a contribution. Rich and Barb don’t even know what I am writing about. Neither does Franklin Graham! I just want you to experience amazing joy and satisfaction. I long to encourage you, even prompt you, to self-check your heart and make sure yours is in tune with your Father’s. He is all about children. He wants them to come to Him. And I think this is but one pretty effective way for that to happen.

Won’t you consider filling a shoe box?

Or ten?

That will make Shoe-y smile for sure.

And a child (or ten!) on the other side of the world will too.

After all, it is August…

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.(1 John 316-18 ESV)

—Eileen Hill

In or out of Touch?

We must beware of becoming out of touch in our attempt to be holy. If becoming holy is becoming more like Christ, a godly person should be defined by being in touch with those around them. Let’s look to Jesus and be reminded that being “not of this world” is precisely the way of remaining IN-timately present to those within it.

As days get darker, we must beware of the yeast of the Pharisees. There is a false righteousness that exalts men and separates people not unto God, but from each other.  As men are lifted up, boundaries are drawn between the “us” and “them” groups. The pride of the Pharisees “shut the door of the kingdom in people’s faces” (Matthew 23:13.) Alternatively, as Christ is exalted, all men are humbled and are drawn unto Him. This is because in the face of Christ we see Emmanuel, God WITH US.

Brothers and Sisters, people listened to what Jesus had to say because He dwelled among them. He was WITH them. Are we with the Samaritan woman, the one with five husbands, enough to drink from the same watering hole? Are we close enough with the tax collector to be invited over to his home to break bread? If the Spirit of God dwells in us, we will desire intimacy with those around us. His Spirit makes us “not of the world” and in turn, makes our love toward those walking in darkness “not of this world”. His love draws Him near, even to the sinner. Jesus did not pray for His followers to be removed from the world, He sends us INTO it!

Jesus speaks,

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers,[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:43-47

As we seek to be set apart unto our Lord, do we understand that true holiness leads to a love that will compel us to dwell in dark places? His sheep will follow their shepherd, even unto Samaria and the ends of the earth, as they are filled with the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. May those walking in darkness see a great light in us as we share the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. May His Spirit lead us to be so present in our relationships that we can touch and be touched by those who did not expect it. We must get this close to people for them to see Christ in us. Let’s stay in touch.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

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

Companionship:...With God?

I am blessed with brilliant, fierce, life-giving friends who are fun, lovers of God and others, and full of grace and wisdom – just my favorite kind of human. We trust each other, care for each other and each other’s families. We have opened our hearts and homes to share and hold space, to bear witness and celebrate; support, comfort and encourage; to warn and push. We hold each other’s secrets. We honor each other’s sanctuaries and are welcomed inside, free to ask questions, declare truth or disrupt – all in and by way of LOVE. They are my people. I am allowed to be messy, awkward, desperate, and undone; and so are they. I can be funny, irreverent, expressive, and brave; so can they. We have not only witnessed so much of each other’s life but entered in and experienced together – college and grad school graduations, new jobs and first homes, loss of grandparents, marriages, babies – mundane daily routines sprinkled throughout high highs and deep dark lows. Their companionship is safe and fulfilling. God has and is currently using our friendship to help me walk in the freedom He has won for me. My relationship with them satisfies a basic human need. I was intrigued to read David’s similar description of God’s companionship. 

The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning. – Psalm 25:14 ( AMP)

We can have companionship with God! Amazing! (And daunting at the same time). What does it take? How is it maintained? How do we contribute? I just kept reading Psalm 25 over and over again and the chapters around it looking for clues. Thankfully I think David gives clues and helps answer these questions. I know there has to be more. This is just what has been uncovered before me so far. David starts by saying in verse 1, “Unto you, O Lord, do I bring my life. O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and I’m confident in You”. We can keep showing up, bringing our whole selves, responding to God’s permanently extended invitation to His presence and being honest about everything, every time. 

I know we do not have the capacity to hold space for God’s infinite vastness like we may hold space for one another. Praise God that God invites us into His presence. There we have the opportunity to renounce our limiting thoughts and expectations for the purpose of “allowing” God to occupy that space…His space…ALL space and be, however HE chooses, even if it makes us uncomfortable, scared, confused, offended. We can be curious about Him, His ways, and His manner of being rather than insist that God resume occupying our tiny God boxes. I think David may have been learning to do this. Psalm 24:3-6 says, “Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand with him in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart does not lift it up himself to falsehood…he shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek him who seek your face, Oh God of Jacob. Selah,” and Psalm 26:8, “Lord I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.” Oh to be with our Glorious God, in friendship!

—Anyah E. R. White

It's God's Word on the Line...Not Yours!

I recall raising my son a couple decades ago. When his legs had not strengthened enough to give him walking ability yet I would remove any obstacles from his path and place pillows and cushions all around to prevent any injury as he made his way through. Whenever he lost something as precious to him as a pacifier, dad (me) would miraculously find it and save the day! More importantly, I made a discipline to always come through and deliver on any promises I made to him. I knew this would instill in him a sense of responsibility later in life. This is exactly how our heavenly Father works with us. There is no path He won’t clear for us; no miracle that He would deny us; and more importantly He will always keep His promises. Nigerian gospel singer Sinach said it best when she wrote the lyrics for her song, Way Maker.

God will always help clear our path, especially when we face adversity. That job we seem not to land; that boss that keeps making our lives difficult. The financial burdens that sometimes overwhelm us; recurring relationship quarrels that seem to keep friendships and even marriages from thriving. These are all paths that our Heavenly Father is clearing for us. The scripture tells us that certain things (like some paths) are impossible “humanly speaking’” but “with God everything is possible.” (Matt. 19:26) So, no matter how difficult the path may seem or how impossible it feels to get through, we rely on the fact that God will make a way, or at least show us one. I just traveled to SouthEast Asia (I am actually writing this blog from Manila, Philippines), and I was a bit concerned with how it would go down when I arrived at the immigration department in the Manila airport. Concerned with the fact that I had never traveled out of the country and taking into account the current overly active security measures throughout the world, I prayed fervently that everything would go smoothly. Glory be to God; the process did not take longer than 10 minutes once I reported to the immigration officer. He asked for my documentation, scanned the proper documents, took my picture and I was on my way. It was that simple! My wife and I were both impressed at how easy the process was for me. Was it just luck? I don’t think so. It was my heavenly Father making the way. Whatever path you are facing that seems too difficult to get through, trust God. Pray and believe. He is the Way Maker.

I was involved in a car accident during the winter of 1997. The driver of the car I was in lost control of the vehicle and hit an incoming truck head on. We were transported in a helicopter to a nearby trauma center where I endured six days of intensive medical care. The doctors diagnosed a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the chances of healing for me were very slim. Lucky for me, I had my parents and family around me constantly praying. I endured extensive medical treatment, including physical and cognitive therapy, but to the glory of God the doctors were able to discharge me. Shortly after, I was back to my normal self. Not only was I able to get back to a normal physical state, but I was able to finish college without any cognitive issues regardless of the injury my brain had suffered. The doctors called it a “miracle,” and so do I. But I expected nothing else from my heavenly Father. We face many hurdles in our lives that only miracles can overcome. A medical diagnosis; marriage failure; children off-course; financial lacking and instability, etc. In the natural, it seems impossible to overcome. But we serve a supernatural God. Psalm 77 tells that our God is the God “who performs miracles.” Nothing is impossible for Him. Our job is to pray; His is to perform the miracle. I once heard a preacher allude to the fact that we have to pray like it depends on God. And if it depends on Him, He will not let us down. We cannot try to manufacture the miracle on our own. We have to trust His power and pray that our will aligns with His in holy expectancy of the miracle we are hoping for. He is our Miracle Worker.

As a classroom teacher, it is normal to hear kids making promises to each other. It is a known fact that if you interlace your pinky fingers as you promise something and utter the words “pinky swear,” it is a promise that cannot be broken. Failing to keep a promise after you’ve “pinky swore” is frowned upon among children and even some adults! Our God does not need to use His sovereign pinky finger to assure us that He will keep promises. He chose to have His hands and feet nailed to a cross instead. The Bible is filled with promises our heavenly Father has made to us. These include: to strengthen us (Ephesians), take care of all our needs (Philippians), to answer our prayers (Matthew), to work out everything for our good (Romans), and that He will protect us (Psalms). What more can we ask for? If He has promised strength, total care, answered prayers and total protection; why would we fear anything or any situation? In the face of any obstacle or situation, I think these four promises alone cover it. There is no problem too hard, no need too great, no prayer He won’t answer, no predicament that won’t turn for our good, and no situation where we will be left at the will of harm. Whether it is a problem at work, at home or anywhere! A need in your professional, financial or personal life; a prayer you seem to have been praying for years, a situation that looks like it's working against you; or a feeling of loneliness whether personal or situational…remember His promises! He has promised to look out for us always! Our job is to believe. He will do the rest. When you pray, receive what you have asked for.

It is His word on the line, not yours…He is the Promise Keeper!

R Bermudez

Es la palabra de Dios en juego... ¡no la tuya!

Recuerdo criar a mi hijo hace un par de décadas. Cuando sus piernas aún no se habían fortalecido lo suficiente como para darle la capacidad de caminar, yo quitaba cualquier obstáculo de su camino y colocaba almohadas y cojines alrededor para evitar cualquier lesión mientras avanzaba. ¡Cada vez que perdía algo tan preciado para él como un chupete, papá (yo) lo encontraba milagrosamente y salvaba el día! Más importante aún, hice una disciplina para cumplir siempre con las promesas que le hacía. Sabía que esto le inculcaría un sentido de responsabilidad más adelante en la vida. Así es exactamente como nuestro Padre celestial trabaja con nosotros. No hay camino que Él no nos despeje; ningún milagro que Él nos negaría; y lo que es más importante, Él siempre cumplirá sus promesas. La cantante de música cristiana Sinach lo dijo mejor cuando escribió la letra de su canción, Hacedor de Caminos.

Dios siempre ayudará a despejar nuestro camino; especialmente cuando nos enfrentamos a la adversidad. Esa posición de trabajo que parecemos no aterrizar; Ese jefe que sigue haciéndonos la vida difícil. Las cargas financieras que a veces nos abruman; Peleas recurrentes en las relaciones que parecen impedir que prosperen las amistades e incluso los matrimonios. Todos estos son caminos difíciles que nuestro Padre Celestial nos está abriendo. La escritura nos dice que ciertas cosas (como algunos caminos) son imposibles “humanamente hablando” pero con Dios todo es posible. (Mat. 19:26) Así que no importa cuán difícil parezca el camino o cuán imposible se sienta atravesarlo, confiamos en el hecho de que Dios abrirá el camino, o al menos nos mostrará uno. Acabo de viajar al sudeste asiático (en realidad estoy escribiendo este blog desde Manila, Filipinas) y estaba un poco preocupado por cómo sería cuando llegara al departamento de inmigración en el aeropuerto de Manila. Preocupado por el hecho de que nunca había viajado fuera del país y teniendo en cuenta las actuales medidas de seguridad demasiado activas en todo el mundo, oré fervientemente para que todo saliera bien. Gloria a Dios; el proceso no tomó más de 10 minutos una vez que me presenté al oficial de inmigración. Me pidió mi documentación, escaneó los documentos correspondientes, me tomó una foto y me puso en camino. Fue así de simple! Mi esposa y yo quedamos impresionados de lo fácil que fue el proceso para mí. ¿Fue solo suerte? No me parece. Fue mi padre celestial abriendo el camino. Cualquiera que sea el camino al que te enfrentes que parece demasiado difícil de atravesar, confía en Dios. Ora y cree. Él es el hacedor de caminos.

Estuve involucrado en un accidente automovilístico durante el invierno de 1997. El conductor del automóvil en el que yo estaba perdió el control del vehículo y golpeó de frente a un camión que se aproximaba. Fuimos transportados en un helicóptero a un centro de trauma cercano donde soporté seis días de cuidado médico intensivo. Los médicos diagnosticaron una lesión cerebral traumática (TBI) y las posibilidades de curación para mí eran muy escasas. Por suerte para mí, tenía a mis padres y mi familia a mi alrededor orando constantemente. Soporté un extenso cuidado médico, incluso terapia física y cognitiva, pero para la gloria de Dios, los médicos pudieron darme de alta. Poco después volví a mi estado normal. No solo pude volver a un estado físico normal, sino que pude terminar la universidad sin ningún problema cognitivo, independientemente de la lesión que había sufrido mi cerebro. Los médicos lo llamaron un “milagro”, y yo también. Pero no esperaba nada más de mi Padre celestial. Enfrentamos muchos obstáculos en nuestras vidas que solo los milagros pueden superar. Un diagnóstico médico; matrimonio fallido; niños fuera de curso; escasez e inestabilidad financiera, etc... En lo natural, parece imposible de superar. Pero servimos a un Dios sobrenatural. El Salmo 77 dice que nuestro Dios es el Dios “que hace milagros”. Nada es imposible para él. Nuestro trabajo es orar; el de él es realizar milagros. Una vez escuché a un predicador aludir al hecho de que tenemos que orar como si dependiera de Dios. Y si de él depende, no nos defraudará. No podemos tratar de fabricar el milagro por nuestra cuenta. Tenemos que confiar en su poder y orar para que nuestra voluntad se alinee con la suya en santa expectativa del milagro que estamos esperando. Él es nuestro hacedor de milagros..

Como maestro de clase, es normal escuchar a los niños haciéndose promesas entre ellos. Es un hecho conocido que si entrelazas tus dedo meñique con alguien mientras prometes algo y pronuncias las palabras "juramento meñique, es una promesa que no se puede romper. ¡No cumplir una promesa después de haber "jurado con el dedo meñique" está mal visto entre los niños e incluso algunos adultos! Nuestro Dios no necesita usar su dedo meñique soberano para asegurarnos que cumplirá sus promesas. Él eligió tener sus manos y pies clavados a una cruz para mostrarnos. La Biblia está llena de promesas que nuestro Padre celestial nos ha hecho. Éstas incluyen; fortalecernos (Efesios), cuidar de todas nuestras necesidades (Filipenses), responder a nuestras oraciones (Mateo), obrar todo para nuestro bien (Romanos), y que él nos protegerá (Salmos). ¿Qué más podemos pedir? Si ha prometido fuerza, cuidado total, oraciones contestadas y protección total; ¿Por qué habríamos de temer algo o cualquier situación? Ante cualquier obstáculo o situación, creo que solo estas cuatro promesas lo cubren. No hay problema demasiado difícil, no hay necesidad muy grande, ninguna oración que él no responda, ningún predicamento que no resulte para nuestro bien, y ninguna situación en la que seamos dejados a la voluntad del mal. ¡Ya sea un problema en el trabajo, en casa o en cualquier lugar! Una necesidad en tu vida profesional, financiera o personal; una oración que pareces haber estado orando durante años, una situación que parece estar trabajando en tu contra; o un sentimiento de soledad ya sea personal o situacional… ¡Recuerda sus promesas! ¡Él ha prometido cuidarnos por siempre! Nuestro trabajo es creer. Él hará el resto. Cuando ores, recibe lo que has pedido.

Es su palabra la que está en juego, no la tuya... ¡Él es el Cumplidor de Promesas!

R Bermudez

There's Time

We are so very different. My whole life, she has done things I wouldn’t dream of doing.

And that day wasn’t any different.

My free-spirited big sister knelt by the granite stone and pulled a soggy note out of a sandwich bag. The bag had been shoved rather inconspicuously between two faded and tattered fake daffodils that stood like worn out sentries. It was a Memorial Day weekend, and we, laden with pungent and perky red geraniums, were dutifully making our annual pilgrimage to Chestnut Grove cemetery, to our parent’s gravesites. Despite my protests, my sis set down her plant and began to read out loud the much-too-personal letter she had “found.” Though the moisture of spring rain and early morning dew had blurred the ink, there was no mistaking the anguish penned so neatly on that single page.

A dear and precious loved one gone. Years of alienation and angry words wasted and regretted. Apologies. Brokenness. Grief. Declarations of affection. And finally, sad resignation that there had been no reconciliation and the torturous realization that it would never be.

There was no more time.

I felt horrible; we had violated something private and sacred. Hastily, my too-curious sister stuffed the sheet back into the sodden plastic. We looked at each other with tear-filled eyes, ashamed and silent, as we contemplated the heaviness and the profound truth of the moment, of the message we had read.

For the anonymous author, there was no more time to restore the broken relationship. There was no more time for anything with this person beneath the sod. No more time to laugh. No more time to cry. No more time to sing or dance or work or celebrate or visit or worship or pray or talk or play with that beloved. No more time to simply do life together.  

I have experienced that reality too many times.

I remember my niece’s funeral a few hot summers ago. Greg had the difficult privilege of officiating at her informal memorial service. Choking back his emotion, he lamented not having enough time with his cousin. Nearly the same age, the two had been very close all their growing up years. They had made different life choices along the road to adulthood, and their paths had diverged. “I always had in my mind that when life calmed down and we were old,” I remember Greg saying, “we would be sitting in rocking chairs on the porch, catching up, laughing, and enjoying each other like we always did.”

But there was no more time.

For me at age 17, there was no more time to tell my daddy how much I loved him. Neither did I later have more time to laugh with my wonderful neighbor. There was no more time to help and understand one of my oldest and dearest friends. There was no more time to learn from my wise brother-in-law. There was no more time to hold my sweet grandson.

Two weeks ago, I sat weeping in the familiar pew of my former church. We were attending the funeral of a very special friend, a precious lady who now was sitting at the feet of Jesus. We had visited, cooked, served, worshipped, prayed, chatted, hosted, mourned, and shared life for many years. But our paths also had diverged, and life was busy for both of us. It had been way too long since we had taken the time to connect. I was guilt-ridden and devastated. This was a woman I loved.

Again, there was no more time.

As I listened to the courageous husband’s beautiful eulogy and heard the hope-filled message of the pastor, my mind kept whispering to me. There’s no more time. You are too late to renew and enjoy that friendship.  Suddenly, I heard my Father’s voice of authority overriding the one in my head.

“There’s time.”

I was surprised. Almost immediately, I pictured in my head the awesome glories of heaven and there I was with Cookie, my friend, catching up! And we had time. We had all of eternity.

Now I am no theologian, and I can’t attest to the validity or the reliability of my imaginations or my day dreams. But I can tell you that my heaviness and shame disappeared in that very instant, and I began recalling and even yearning for the joys of heaven in a whole new way. Certainly, my focus there will be my King. Certainly, I will be singing praises and worshipping my God forever. But, thankfully, so will lots of people I love who have gone on ahead of me. What a precious, comforting thought!

I’ve often eagerly looked forward to a reunion with those God has called home before me conceptually. But imagining spending time with them? Catching up? Getting to perfectly love one another? To perfectly worship, serve, and obey our majestic Father together? Forever? How cool will that be! How beautiful.

I believe there will be time for that.

So I have been reminded once again: time is precious. My life here on earth is like vapor, like grass that quickly fades away. Is that a good reminder for you too?

Psalm 90:12 (NKJV) prompts each of us then to cry, “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” Or as the Living Bible renders it, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.”

Ephesians 5:15 also has something to say to us. “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.”

I think we spend our days well, I think we are living wisely when we live our lives on Kingdom Mission. Our loving Father has equipped us and commissioned us to know Him and make Him known everywhere we go. He wants Heaven filled with our coworkers, our family, and our friends. And don’t we? Don’t we want them to join us in the joy of our Lord forever?

Let’s get out those invitations! Let’s support Camp Grace! Put up the antenna and throw out the bobber. Open your eyes and ears. Say yes. That’s how our panel last Sunday so plainly challenged us. Let’s not selfishly waste our limited time on our own selfish desires and comforts. Let’s make time for those we love and those we don’t. Let’s live for something bigger than us, something eternal. Let’s live to please our King!

There’s time for that.

After all, He doesn’t want anyone to be out of time.  

Nor should we….

—Eileen Hill

Light in Darkness

Seasons are changing. Days are getting shorter. The darkness is closing in. The reality that we are made of dirt is apparent. Dust to dust. 

Fellow Christians, why fear the dark? Do not lose heart. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

He was afflicted in every way, but not crushed. He was perplexed, but not driven to despair. He was persecuted but not forsaken; He was struck down but not destroyed. Through the darkening political, social, and economic climate, His light grew. He remained filled with love for His Father and His neighbor. He produced fruit in season and out of season. The darkness of the cross and grave could not overcome His light. Even death could not hold Him.

By the power of Christ in us, we can do the same. We can remain aglow in the darkness. Jesus said,

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

We are given over to death so that the life of Jesus can also be manifested in our mortal bodies. We have this treasure in jars of clay so that the glory of God, who shines light in the darkness, can be made known to all. By the mercy of God, He has given us this incredible ministry. 

Paul reminds us to not lose heart,

“Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

When the lesser lights go out, Christ shines the brightest. May we seek to grow in our knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. As we do, the darkness will more deeply reveal the Light.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

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

Rest

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

Rest is hard sometimes. I am constantly noticing this struggle around us. I have personally struggled really badly with resting this year. As believers in Jesus, we are to submit to God in our work and in our rest. As I grow, I am realizing that I have “done my best” to submit my work to God rather than submit to God in my work. We know our best isn’t good enough. Our righteousness is like filthy rags, right? What we think is right, what we think is good is not necessarily what God declares right and good. So often we commit personal best to do what we perceive our responsibilities to be, in our own strength. No wonder we find ourselves in weird cycles of unpunctuated work, exhaustion, and numbing, feeling like we are failing! Scripture clearly tells us to trust in the Lord and in the power of HIS might (Ephesians 6:10), not ours. We believe that our work is unto the Lord, for this glory. However, I think a nasty lie, a perversion of this truth, can sometimes slip into our minds, leading us to believe that we must “work for the Lord”, for His approval, for His pleasure, and for our satisfaction. Our “sacrifices” of postponing rest, forgoing stillness, and solitude are not just unhealthy; they do not glorify God. 

Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. There is an entire commandment dedicated to rest. Our Father takes rest very seriously. Just as we do not get to determine what constitutes good, profitable work; we do not get to define rest. What rest looks like for us as citizens of the Kingdom of God, collectively and individually, is dictated by the King. Set the day apart! It is sacred! God declares it so. 

We were challenged in this week’s sermon to ask God a pertinent question when seeking Him about our calling: What are You doing? How can I help? We don't know what we are supposed to be doing with our lives, what work is truly right and good and profitable, glorifying God, until we seek the Lord. In the same way, we don’t know good rest unless we are directed by Him and obey His instruction. 

The Israelites had a Sabbath issue. In Isaiah 58, God graciously tells them His heart for Sabbath and for service to others to redirect them from ritual and tradition to Glory and Holiness. This issue keeps coming up for me too. Sabbath is a discipline yet to be formed in me. If I am completely honest, I am becoming frustrated with myself. The past month I have been focused on a growing to-do list, people and projects vying for my attention and effort. People are in need of love and support. The projects need to get done. I firmly believe that I have been led by God to help and do. Where I have not been led by the Lord is in how to recover and refresh from that work. Most times I just keep it moving because, you know, life is “lifeing”. Our Creator worked to wield the universe into existence by His Word then rested on purpose. God is good. Everything God does is good. God is perfect. Everything God does is perfect. God is glorious. Everything God does is glorious. God RESTED. Rest is good and glorifying to God when it is led and informed by the Glorious. I encourage you to join me in inquiring of the Lord about our rest. I have crashed and burned multiple times this year already because I didn’t do this. Thankfully, I only crashed this week (no burn). I’m not so quick to pick up the pieces this time, though. I am not running to sweep up the mess and resume my regularly scheduled programming. I am being as still as I can, even asking God: Is this stillness still enough? Am I quiet enough? Is my environment quiet enough? What needs to be turned off, shut down? I am desperate to obey because disobedience is causing suffering I don’t think God intends. 

God commands rest. I am now, while writing this, realizing that because God commands rest, rest should be planned and guilt free. Rest from holding and juggling all the things, carrying the mental load of households and organizations; rest from mindless scrolling and Netflix; rest from jumping from one crisis to the next. The practice of Sabbath is of God and is done to the glory of God. Inquire of the Lord and Rest well, friends. 

—Anyah E. R. White

Our World Didn’t Need the Sun

My wife recently gave me a “newly-weds” gift set that includes a journal with a number of suggestions for activities that couples can engage in to add to the joy of being together. It includes ideal “dates” and games to play as couples that one normally doesn’t imagine or think about. One of these activities includes preparing a meal while blindfolded! As a self-proclaimed Chef, I truly enjoy cooking and love a challenging recipe to recreate and videograph for my social media platforms. Cooking comes second nature to me, and I have no problem recreating sometimes difficult recipes with new and exciting ingredients. A challenge like “preparing a meal blindfolded” intrigues me. A dish like Spanish rice, for example, needs to attain a certain color as it cooks. When adding ingredients and spices, one normally needs to put the right amounts to reach the proper taste in other recipes. How could I use exact amounts without looking at the measuring spoon or not being able to read the print on the outside of measuring cups. Will I be able to know when enough water has evaporated so I can lower the heat and the food doesn’t burn? It would definitely be a challenge to create a proper meal without being able to see what I am doing. It could turn into a failure. How can anyone properly create anything without seeing what they are doing?

But wait a minute; didn’t God create our world in the dark?

If you carefully read Genesis, you will discover that on the first day, after creating the heavens and earth (this is by no means a small feat), God commanded for there to be light. (Notice this was AFTER creating heavens and earth). He then divided the light from darkness and called them Day and Night respectively-on the first day. What’s amazing is that He didn’t create the sun until the fourth day. What does this tell me? God created earth and heaven first. He then created light, the skies, land and vegetation before creating the sun itself. How could there have been light without the sun during the first few days? Well, He didn’t need the sun. He was and is light! 1 John 1:5 (KJV) reads, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” How else could such mind blowing creations like earth and heavens even be possible! Let that stick to you; “in him is no darkness at all.”

In the face of that severe medical diagnosis that does not go away regardless of how much you declare healing; that child that although you raised him in the Word, has made decisions as an adult with terrible consequences, including jail time; your spouse and her actions have led your marriage to fall apart, your income seems to dwindle and that mortgage or car note looks more and more impossible; that addiction seems like it's clinging onto you; you have a great educational and professional background yet cannot find employment, or you feel you’re at a dead-end job; that venture you undertook seems to be failing regardless of how confident you were in it…

It feels dark, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on the viewpoint), I once experienced divorce. It totally changed my life. Although it was eventually proven that it was the best decision, it was an emotional wreck. Driving to my new “living quarters” was especially difficult in the afternoons. It literally felt like daylight “dimmed” at 4 p.m. each day as I drove to my new home, and it felt darker and darker as the day progressed. When I woke up at 6 a.m. the next morning, it still felt dark. Through many struggles and much, much prayer, I kept my faith in the Lord. About ten years later, God shined His light on me and gifted me the gift of a true, God-given, wife. She is not only everything (I mean everything) I always wanted in and from woman, but she is a fellow Christian believer, and we are now going on two years of marriage building a powerhouse for the Lord. While there have been some struggles, the light always shines through and we feel God’s grace, mercy and power in each part of our lives.

If your world feels dark today, remember there is nothing impossible for God. Muster some strength, and in the middle of that darkness rejoice! I know it's easier said than done, but the truth is that God can create something out of nothing in the darkest moments. Yes, that means even in the darkest moments of our lives! I’d like to think our heavenly father likes to work especially during our most difficult times so that way we are certain to give Him all the honor and glory when we finally see the light. It's easy to praise and worship Him when our bank accounts are overflowing; or when we are in tip top shape and our health is great; when our marriage is thriving and our children are walking upright. Even easier if we have that dream job or our endeavors seem to be successfully blessed. But will we sing the same song of honor to the King, when it feels as dark as midnight at ten o’clock in the morning? The psalmist says, “the Lord will enlighten my darkness.” It implies that we will go through turbulent times, often filled with what we perceive as darkness. But we rejoice in the fact that God our Lord is not only light, but will enlighten that very darkness in our lives as He fulfills His promises and gives us beauty for ashes. In Him is no darkness at all.

R. Bermúdez 

Nuestro Mundo No Necesitaba el Sol

Mi esposa recientemente me regaló un conjunto que incluye un diario con una serie de sugerencias de actividades que las parejas pueden realizar para aumentar la alegría de estar juntos. Incluye “ideas para citas” y juegos para parejas que uno normalmente no imagina ni piensa. ¡Una de estas actividades incluye preparar una comida con los ojos vendados! Como estudiante de cocina y chef autoproclamado, realmente disfruto cocinar y amo una receta desafiante para recrear y tomarle videos para mis plataformas de redes sociales. Cocinar es una segunda naturaleza para mí y no tengo ningún problema en recrear recetas a veces difíciles con ingredientes nuevos y emocionantes. El desafío de “preparar una comida con los ojos vendados” me intriga. Algunos platos como el arroz Hispano por ejemplo, necesitan adquirir cierto color mientras se cocinan. Cuando se agregan ingredientes y especias, normalmente es necesario poner las cantidades correctas para alcanzar el sabor adecuado en otros platos. ¿Cómo podría ser exacto en las cantidades sin mirar las cucharas de medida o sin poder leer la impresión en el exterior de las tazas medidoras? ¿Podré saber cuándo se ha evaporado suficiente agua para poder bajar el fuego y que la comida no se queme? Definitivamente sería un desafío crear una comida adecuada sin poder ver lo que estoy haciendo. Podría convertirse en un fracaso. ¿Cómo puede alguien crear algo correctamente sin poder ver lo que está haciendo?

Pero espera un minuto; ¿No creó Dios nuestro mundo en la oscuridad?

Si lees atentamente el libro de Génesis, descubrirás que en el primer día, después de crear los cielos y la tierra (no es poca cosa), Dios ordenó que hubiera luz. (note que esto fue DESPUÉS de crear los cielos y la tierra) Luego separó la luz de las tinieblas y los llamó Día y Noche respectivamente - en el primer día. Lo asombroso es que Él no creó el sol hasta el cuarto día. ¿Qué me dice esto? Dios creó la tierra y el cielo. Luego creó la luz, los cielos, la tierra y la vegetación antes de crear el sol mismo. ¿Cómo podría haber habido luz sin el sol en los primeros días? Bueno, Él no necesitaba el sol. ¡Él era y es luz! 1 Juan 1:5 (RV) dice: “Dios es luz, y en él no hay oscuridad alguna”. ¡De qué otra manera pudieron ser posibles creaciones alucinantes como la tierra y los cielos! Deja que eso se te quede; “en él no hay oscuridad alguna.”

Ante ese severo diagnóstico médico que no mejora por mucho que declares sanidad; ese hijo o hija que aunque lo criaste en la Palabra, ha tomado decisiones de adulto con terribles consecuencias incluyendo la cárcel; tu cónyuge y sus acciones han llevado a que tu matrimonio se desmorone, tus ingresos parecen disminuir y esa hipoteca o pagaré de automóvil parece cada vez más imposible; esa adicción parece como si se estuviera aferrando más a ti; tienes una gran formación académica y profesional pero no puedes encontrar empleo o sientes que estás en un trabajo sin salida; esa empresa que emprendiste parece estar fracasando, independientemente de la confianza que tuvieras en ella...

Se siente oscuro, ¿no?

Desafortunadamente, o afortunadamente (según el punto de vista), una vez experimenté el divorcio. Cambió totalmente mi vida. Aunque finalmente se demostró que fue la mejor decisión, fue un desastre emocional. Conducir a mi nueva “vivienda” era especialmente difícil por las tardes cuando salía de trabajar. Literalmente se sentía como si la luz del día se “atenuara” a las 4 p.m. cada día mientras conducía a mi nuevo hogar y se sentía más y más oscuro a medida que avanzaba el día. Cuando me despertaba a las 6 de la mañana siguiente, todavía se sentía oscuro. Pero a través de muchas luchas y mucha, mucha oración, mantuve mi fe en el Señor. Unos diez años más tarde, Dios me iluminó con su luz y me otorgó el regalo de una verdadera esposa dada por Dios. Ella no solo es todo (me refiero a todo) lo que yo siempre he querido en y de una mujer, sino que también es una creyente cristiana y ahora estamos en dos años de matrimonio construyendo una potencia para el Señor. Si bien han habido algunas luchas. No obstante, la luz siempre brilla y sentimos la gracia, la misericordia y el poder de Dios en cada parte de nuestras vidas.

Si tu mundo se siente oscuro hoy, recuerda que no hay nada imposible para Dios. Reúne algo de fuerza y ​​en medio de esa oscuridad; ¡alegrarte! Sé que es más fácil decirlo que hacerlo, pero la verdad es que Dios puede crear algo de la nada en los momentos más oscuros. ¡Sí, eso significa incluso en los momentos más oscuros de nuestras vidas! Me gustaría pensar que a nuestro padre celestial le gusta trabajar especialmente durante nuestros momentos más oscuros y difíciles para que de esa manera estemos seguros de darle todo el honor y la gloria cuando finalmente vemos la luz. Es fácil alabarlo y adorarlo cuando nuestras cuentas bancarias están desbordadas; o cuando estamos en buena forma con excelente salud; cuando nuestro matrimonio prospera y nuestros hijos caminan erguidos. Aún más fácil si tenemos el trabajo de nuestros sueños o si nuestros esfuerzos parecen ser bendecidos con éxito. Pero, ¿cantaremos la misma canción de honor al Rey, cuando se siente tan oscuro como la medianoche a las diez de la mañana? El salmista dice: “Jehová iluminará mi oscuridad”. Implica que atravesaremos tiempos turbulentos, a menudo llenos de lo que percibimos como oscuridad. Pero nos regocijamos en el hecho de que Dios, nuestro Señor, no sólo es luz, sino que iluminará esa misma oscuridad en nuestras vidas al cumplir sus promesas y darnos belleza en lugar de cenizas. En él, no hay oscuridad alguna…

R. Bermúdez

Little Things Matter

So I’m still pretty stuck on this hospitality theme that Pastor Greg broached a few Sundays ago in our One Another Series.

I think it’s because I needed a swift kick in the pants!

As I heard me speak about hospitality with Greg on the video clip during that message, sweet faces flashed before me of precious people who have graced my table, found refuge in my  home. What a privilege to serve and to love people God has placed in our story. Conversations. Tears. Laughter. Prayer. Life. What blessings!

My heart was heavy with the conviction of the Holy Spirit from this flood of memories and Greg’s words from God’s Word. 

I reminded myself how much I enjoy hospitality and serving others, why I think it is important to love people well, to make strangers friends.

Between caring for my elderly and vulnerable in-laws who live with us, navigating the never-ending Covid-19 restrictions, and enduring double knee replacements last year, I’ve had some undeniable and convenient excuses for putting hospitality in our home on the back burner.

Frankly, though, I think I’m just out of practice. And maybe I’ve gotten a little bit lazy. Comfortable. Complacent. Disobedient??

You see, I profoundly believe that hospitality isn’t just a nice idea or a helpful suggestion for believers in Jesus. It is a command, one Jesus Himself implied when lawyers questioned which commandment was the most important one. We now call it the Great Commandment.

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and  first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40 ESV)

Loving God with all we are is made visible, is demonstrated best, by loving others purposefully and sacrificially. He is our ultimate example of this kind of lifestyle. And it seems to me that loving others is inextricably linked to service. I believe loving our neighbors, near and far, loving people, requires hospitality, extending ourselves on their behalf whatever form that takes. 

The Apostle Paul’s words clearly mandate this. 

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. (1 Peter 4:8-10 ESV)

Commands are meant to be obeyed. So why have I become so negligent?

Well, I’d argue defensively in my flesh that I had some very good reasons for a while. But I don’t think those reasons totally let me off the hook. Lots of people have loved and served others well during quarantines. Or when they were caring for the elderly in their homes. Or when they were experiencing physical problems. Or during financial crises. Or when they were busy. Or when they found themselves in much more difficult circumstances than I have. Jesus did…

It just takes some new, out-of-the-box thinking and some creative, intentional, and innovative planning to extend hospitality when conditions aren’t great, when money is tight, when you aren’t a gourmet chef, when you are by nature shy, when the people you are to serve are difficult, when you can't do what you have always done.

Honestly, it just takes resolve. And maybe a new understanding. Maybe even a kick in the pants!

There isn't just a one-way-fits-all kind of hospitality as Charissa explained so well. It isn’t always BIG. 

Small things matter. A lot.

I think we often excuse ourselves from serving and loving others the way we should because of our own faulty definitions of hospitality. We make it all about a fancy, candlelight dinner, a 5-star overnight accommodation with a gourmet breakfast included, or a crazy-big, churchwide or neighborhood gala in our backyard with karaoke blaring across town. I have been guilty of making it only about these. And while it sometimes is a gigantic undertaking, I think, most often, it’s the small things we do everyday that best show our love to others. The kind things we say. The verse we share. It’s SEEING folks. It’s being a good neighbor, even to those who are not necessarily living in close proximity to us, and even to the ones who don’t return our garden tools!

Or our friendship. 

It is a mindset that can change the world.

But it seems most of us have blind spots when it comes to recognizing just what we DO have to offer others, what we can really do for them. Instead of watching Monday night football alone, invite someone over. Instead of eating all the cookies you just baked, send some over to a neighbor. Take time to chat over the fence. Drop a card in the mail to someone who had a recent health scare. Have a playdate in the park and bring some juice boxes and Cheetos. And wipes! I had a wonderful neighbor who picked up trash along our road every Saturday. How thoughtful!

It’s important to determine how we can make a difference in the lives of others. It may not seem like a lot, but when we generously offer them what we have, “something sacred happens. God uses the small things we bring to him and multiplies them into a miracle in someone else's life.”

I’m impressed with a familiar story (surprise!) told in each of the Gospels about a time when Jesus wanted to extend hospitality in far more difficult circumstances than I have ever experienced in my quest to be obedient to the hospitality command. And He uses a small boy, one so insignificant that we never even know his name! But he stands up in a group of 5000 men and gives what he has. “Then a miracle takes place. His little effort combines with God’s power and everything changes.” I found these quotes and a telling of this event in a book called, The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon, BakerBooks, 2012, pp.87-89. It’s well worth the read! 

It’s getting late, and thousands of people have hung around all day to listen to Jesus preach. But it’s becoming clear that all of these people didn’t plan ahead. They need to eat but they are miles from civilization. Jesus turns to his disciples and tells them to find something for the crowd for dinner. But the disciples have no way of providing a meal for the crowd. One of the disciples, Philip, calculates what it would cost–more than a year’s salary, way more than they can afford. Clearly the disciples are way over their heads with the challenge at hand. What is Jesus expecting? He's not serious, right?

When we start to take the Great Commandment literally, we realize we don’t have what it takes. We don't have enough time, even though we prioritize. We aren’t great at remembering names, even though we write them down and try to remember. We don’t  love enough, even though we are trying to be like Jesus. We feel as though we are being asked to manage an impossible task–loving our neighbors. Do our small efforts add up to anything? Let’s get back to our story.

As the disciples are about to give up, something outlandish happens. “Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” (John 6:8-9)

Andrew knows the little boy’s lunch would feed only a few of the people. Why would he even offer something so ridiculous? First of all, it’s rude. You shouldn't take food from little children. Second, it’s silly. What good could it possibly accomplish? What was Andrew thinking? Apparently Andrew knew something we should all remember: small sacrifices can lead to a miracle. When you give what you have, even if it’s minute, God can make a miracle. He can work with very little and turn it into something that no one could have imagined.

 As the passage continues, Jesus prays for the food. Then he breaks up this kid’s lunch and hands it out to the disciples. He tells them to start distributing it–somehow there is enough to feed the crowd.

Now here’s an interesting question: When did the food multiply?…I think that the miracle happened in the hands of the disciples. As they handed out the bread and fish, it was miraculously replaced in their baskets. Every time they gave away some food, they looked down into the basket, only to find it full again. The miracle happened as they participated in giving the food away. The food multiplied in their hands. 

Can you imagine being a part of something like this? It must have been amazing, not only for the disciples but for the little boy as well. Suddenly he is a hero. He gives up his lunch, and a bunch of adults get to participate in a miracle. I doubt he ever imagined his day would turn out like that. 

When you give away what you have, Jesus will give you more to give. Even if what you have isn’t enough to solve the whole problem, just do what you can in the moment–give it anyway. Trust that God will fill you up with enough to supply the need that’s right in front of you, and assume he will do it again for the next need as well. If you don’t give, you don’t get a chance to see God do a miracle. 

Give Him what you have, no matter how small or foolish or unusable it seems. There are people out there He longs to love and care for through YOU. Maybe not 5000 of them at once, but maybe there are! What an incredible thought! What an amazing privilege! He still does miracles.

Maybe for this season of my life, I can’t do what I used to do. So maybe I need to figure out what I can do, even if it seems so very small and insignificant. My definition of what hospitaIity looks like right now may need a little tweaking. God wants me to love and serve others to demonstrate my love for Him and HIS love for them. I can do that. I can meet up for coffee and offer encouragement. Send a card. Text a verse. Share a casserole. Give a ride. Pray over the phone. I can make my mother-in-law queen of our home. I must remind myself that it's often the small moments, the little things, that count.

Little things matter. A lot.

It’s simple: Give the little you have and are and watch God do a miracle.

Those old enemies may become friends, and strangers may become Family!

And God the Father will smile. A lot.

—Eileen Hill

Use the Weeds

Do you have weeds in your garden? Most define weeds as the unwanted plants that take up valuable space, water, and nutrients without providing us any benefit. Most gardeners hate weeds and do all they can to remove them as soon as possible. For a long time I shared this sentiment. I worried that Pop Pop Rudy or Pop Pop Bill would show up to my house and find the unwanted plants in my vegetable beds, signifying a lack of commitment to the responsibility of being a gardener. I have used tremendous energy during binge weeding sessions, pulling them until my fingers cramped and hiding them in the woods. Now, I am starting to see weeds a little differently.

Recently I read an article in which the author encouraged his readers to never weed again. Instead, he implored us to harvest nutrients. This is far more than a mere change in perspective. With great wit, he went on to remind us that weeds, if kept from maturing to reproduction stages, are best used to fertilize the very area in which they grew. After all, they are composed of the very nutrients they stole from the exact soil from which they arose. This understanding makes weeds more than an enemy to bid riddance, it makes them fertilizer to be used for a more bountiful harvest! This garden lesson can teach us how to look at some other unwanted things in a different light.

Sin is like a weed that often takes up valuable space in our lives. It grows in our gardens and limits our production of good fruit. As Christians, we often deal with the sin in our garden like me, and Adam and Eve.  We try to hide it. In fear of judgment, we do all we can to present weedless lives. In the process, we miss a wonderful opportunity to use it for a more bountiful harvest.

The secret to using sin for gain is confession. God is able to use what the enemy meant for harm for good.  Confession takes something deadly and uses it to bring life. If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Satan wants sin to reproduce and lead to death. Forgiven sin in God’s hands, like an uprooted weed, can be used to grow faith and glorify Jesus, displaying His power to save from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.

I leave you with this personal testimony. About 20 years ago, in college, I had a roommate who I desperately wanted to know the love of his creator and savior. I tried everything to get him to receive Christ, even purchasing evangelism books to help gain insight on how I could share the Gospel in a way that he would receive it. This dear friend was always interested, but never believed my Jesus could actually be for him.  Finally, over a midnight Papa John’s pizza, I used something I had normally hidden. I used my sin. I confessed to him that in my struggle with lust I had sinned against God, and shared how Jesus remained with me in the battle. Suddenly his face lit up like the sun. He credits my confession as the moment he first believed that Jesus could save a wretch like him. James tells us to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that we may be healed. Don’t simply remove the weeds, use the dead and alive to help others grow their faith in what God has done, is doing, and will do. Use the weeds!

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

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.

Generations of GOD’S Faithfulness

As a new parent, I often think of the kind of legacy I desire to build for our child(ren). I have been challenged and intimidated by the multifaceted nature of legacy. I consider my parents and grandparents — the values, rituals, standards, character traits, wealth, habits, and worldview they have left to subsequent generations. Both what I hold dear from them now and what I am working to let go have me asking: What is worth passing along? What needs to be reconstructed? Amended? What should be built anew? The Holy Spirit currently has me considering two leaders in the Bible and their successors: Moses and Joshua, David and Solomon. (I say the Holy Spirit  because I know I would not have gone looking for this on my own). 

Moses cultivated an intimacy with God that Joshua caught onto. When Moses went to meet with God at the tent of meeting, Joshua went too. When Moses left the tent, Joshua would not leave God’s presence (Exodus 33). David pursued the heart of God, and his son Solomon sacrificed and sought the Lord first after being instructed to build the temple and crowned king of Israel (1 Chronicles 28-2 Chronicles 1). 

I’m amazed at how such a legacy of intimacy with and obedience to God translates to Joshua’s and Solomon’s own conversations with God and their respective addresses to God’s people (Joshua 1; 2 Chronicles 6). Each has generations of God’s demonstrated faithfulness, love, and power to stand on as he talks to God and to Israel. In Solomon’s dedication of the temple (2 Chronicles 6), he notes his father’s history with God and God’s promises to David along with Israel’s history with God — God’s deliverance from Egypt and His covenant with Israel. Similarly, God promised to be with Joshua just as He had been with Moses. When commanding the Israelites to ready themselves to cross the Jordan into the promised land, Joshua spoke with confidence to the people, recalling God’s instruction and promises given by Moses. 

I want our children and our children’s children to have this kind of history with God — to have parents and grandparents, and even great grandparents, who have journeyed with God and testify of God’s faithfulness, steadfast lovingkindness, power, glory, dominion, and sovereignty. I want us to be people who walk faithfully with the Lord, students of The Word, pursuers of truth, contending in prayer and worship, friends of God, meditators on God’s goodness with good deeds executed in the power of the Kingdom flowing from a flourishing intimate relationship with the Almighty. Yea, generations of that…all that. 

Father, make our deep and broad knowledge of You the consequence of a deeply intimate relationship with you. May our children and grandchildren learn this from us and be the best versions of themselves, not because they’ve worked so hard to know and love themselves, but because they know You like Moses and David did. Show them and tell them who You are; You draw them to Yourself. Bring them to bask in Your presence so they desire nothing else more than You. Amen. 

—Anyah E. R. White