Yesterday I shared a story about a farmer selling his property. The point of the story was that sometimes we just need a new prescription to see life his way. Surely God looks down on the pain and is compassionate. But on so many levels He has given us all that is pertaining to life and Godliness, so when things are not happening, perhaps it is time for us to go to the “pantry” (New England storage) and pull from what He has supplied.
This should not be condemning or considered harsh, but simply a reality of our life. Is this not the process of a parent? That we prepare our children with the idea that one day they would be independent. That they would stand and have a clue about life. Continue reading The Role Of Equipping And It’s Need→
From time to time I have needed healing in my body, just as others have. I had to trust God for my healing. You may be in that place yourself. God wants you healed and made whole. (1 Chronicles 16:34; 1 John 4:16).
When we are sick it is always God’s heart to heal and restore health and life to you.
Jesus paid the full price for your healing, health and wholeness so you could experience His abundant life. Today, there is no symptom in your body that is too insignificant for Him to care about, and no condition that is greater than what His finished work has accomplished. Continue reading In Need Of A Healing?→
I am kind of a black and white guy. And it is exacerbated by the simple fact that I do not find filters helpful. They may make the person feel better that you are talking to but they tend to cloud the issue at hand. So often I am told I am simply “blunt.” (My attempt at filtering “hard things” makes me uncomfortable and probably does nothing to help the party I am speaking to!)
Lately I am seeing some painful things happen. Much of this is founded on a lack of understanding of grace. Selfishness and self-centeredness is the antithesis of grace. Grace causes you desire to move ahead touching others with the goodness you have received. Continue reading What Is Difficult Today May Be Harder Tomorrow- Don’t Aim For That!→
I called my daughter last night and my grandson Jacob answered. He wanted to tell me all about his new clothes and his news shoes and how excited he was for school to begin today. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said “yes.” As he said “amen” he began to tell me that Jesus talks to him every day. That He was going to school with him. “I see Jesus every day at school.”
Now let me be very clear. As much as I love Jacob and all my grandchildren, I know Jacob has a child’s side that can cause trouble for him and his mom. He can be stubborn, develop an attitude and more. But if I have learned one thing it is this. His grace is sufficient for Jacob. For me. For you. Continue reading Jacob and Jesus – A Walk With Grace→
As the world of Facebook, Reddit and news blew up over the VMA’s and Miley Cyrus, my heart was crushed. As a dad, I can only imagine the parent’s internal responses to all of the news. The finger pointing, the accusations and the pain. Does anyone ever really comprehend how hurtful legalism and gossip really are? (I am pretty sure my own children did some pretty dumb things. I never stopped loving them. Ask them. I never waffled about grace, truth and love, but loved them. ) Is it really what she wore? What she did? Or just that unlike so many bound in the church, you just happened to see it? Continue reading Experiencing Grace Truth and Love→
This morning I woke, coming out to the living room and sat here for a moment. A quick rehash of what might be accomplished today was on my radar screen. And then I looked at the floor. Four very empty children’s chairs. A part of me sees the prophetic in the picture. That if you “build” it they will come. The chairs had been moved from our destroyed home in Springfield. My wife and I had cleaned them up and put them on the floor. The first thing my grandchildren did upon arriving last night was go to sit in them excitedly.
There is something about the preparation for a child or children that excites me. These four empty chairs and a table suggested my love for them, hospitality towards them. I never look at those chairs or the pictures of my children without thinking of my love for them. Without uttering a prayer. (There is a large piece here for people. Do children feel welcome?)
When I was young everyone knew or had seen Mexican jumping beans. They were seed pods that had been occupied by the larva of a little moth. The bean would begin to jump as the bean was heated, because the larva would spasm in response to the heat, attempting to move the bean to a cooler place to avoid dehydration and possible death. Just holding the seeds or beans in your hand would cause them to heat up and jump.
One day I brought some to school and put them in our teacher’s drawer. As she came in she told me to “sit down…Now!” I told her I was looking for my snake. Needless to say when the beans jumped in the drawer…. Continue reading Mexican Jumping Beans – Turning Up The Heat→
Real marriage doesn’t usually happen in the bright of day.
Someone asked how Tina and I were doing in the midst of our traumatic house loss. Our answer is, “we are doing good.” Sure we are emotional about the loss and all it entails, but at 3PM today, it was behind us. And we are doing well. Our marriage is strong. Continue reading Marriage In The Trenches→
Do not despise community to preserve your weirdness or pet doctrine. Community is where we are fitly joined together… sometimes with dynamite and bulldozers required. It is hard to learn honor in a vacuum.Continue reading The Need For Healthy Strong Church Community→
How you see grace will determine how you walk out life. I see too many who want grace but do not give grace. True grace will not only work in your life, but in your relationships, your circumstances and in your “I don’t feel it times.”
