Chosen for God's Purpose

Reach Out - Get Help With all the sad news circulating today about yet another celebrity taking their life after a battle with mental illness, I felt I just had to weigh in. I know…I know. There are a million people putting in their “two cents” on this topic right now. Some opinions are helpful, some are hurtful. Mine may fall silent among the crowd, but I am going to put it out there regardless, because I have been there. I believe there is strength in personal experience, so I am choosing to share mine. For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with feelings of disconnection. I remember standing on the playground as a child at school, having an existential crisis while looking at my hands or other parts of myself, thinking “is this really my hand (or foot, arm, leg, whatever)?”, and then immediately feeling shame and embarrassment for having such weird thoughts. I never talked to anyone about this. Somehow, I just knew in my mind that to tell someone the strange ...

Have you ever wondered what it would take to have a successful year? Not just the kind of year that you get through, or the kind that you feel OK about. I am talking about a truly life-altering kind of year. The kind that causes you to look back and shout "Hallelujah!!" when you see all the growth and transition God has brought forth in you. What would it take for 2018 to be that year for us? At the beginning of 2018, when everyone was knee-deep in their resolution making process, I had the privilege of listening to a series of messages by world-renowned Bible teacher, Derek Prince. If you have not experienced the pleasure and the challenge of his teaching, I would encourage you to seek him out (derekprinceministries.org) .  In this series, entitled Twelve Steps to a Good Year , Derek walks us through the book of Hebrews, and points out twelve specific verses that point us towards a life more set on God -- more set on service -- and much less s...

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Follower. Imitator.  After a careful review of the previous six posts that allowed us to dig into the characteristics that Christ manifested in flesh - can you now see the stark difference between these two terms? A follower is one who simply goes where another leads. An imitator is one who strives to become like the one they follow. I believe that the early church was full of disciples , those who truly desired not only to follow Christ, but to become more like Him every day. They were passionate pursuers of the truth that He lived out, and proclaimed it with boldness . They learned to lay their lives down in sacrifice and humility and faithfully serve one another as they served Jesus. And they worshiped - oh did they worship ! For the...

Are you becoming an imitator of Christ, or merely just another follower? True Discipleship - Becoming Imitators of Christ What is a disciple? The common definition is “student” or “follower”. The Greek word mathetes translates as “disciple” , and the NAS Topical Index goes on to state that a deeper meaning is “adherent” or “apprentice”- this is someone who sits under the intense training and watchful eye of a master.  Their whole intent and purpose is to learn to imitate the person they are serving under. I believe that the term “disciple” has taken on a light context in our culture. Not that this blase  approach did not exist in Jesus day as well; there were many people who followed Jesus temporarily, until the going got too rough. These fair-weather followers were quick to jump ship when they felt the heat, when Jesus’ words struck too close to home, and when they were asked to give up more than they were willing to lay down. These were people who simply ...

Where are you abiding (Psalm 91)? Dwell – Abide – these are words with permanence. When we read Scripture, particularly Psalm 91, we see that the Lord did not use terms for “passing through” or “momentarily pausing” in His presence. He uses words with staying power. In the opening verses of Psalm 91, the writer is speaking of someone who finds permanence in God’s presence…in the safe keeping of His shadow, in the secret place with Him. He uses two words, one right after another "He who dwells in the shelter of the most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty". But these are promises with a condition- it is He who DWELLS in the secret place of the most High, that shall ABIDE in the shadow of the Almighty. If we really want to abide with the Lord, we must dwell with Him in the secret places- in the times of prayer and contemplation that draw us closer to Him. The person who does this can truly say that the Lord has become their refuge and fortress...

There is no fog so thick it cannot be broken by the shining light of the "SON" Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Fog. An interesting thought as I drove into work this morning. The fog in our area was thick, like a visual blanket of mist covering the city. I took the same route I use every day. I have driven this path each morning for nearly two years. I know exactly how long it should take me in most any circumstance. But fog is a different story. That fog made my journey this morning seem twice as long. I wondered if I would ever make it to my destination. What was the reason for this? The mileage had not changed. The traffic flow was the same. So, what caused the shift in my travel time? Nothing. Nothing but my perspective. For you see, the fog had literally clouded my vision. My ability to judge distance and space was significantly impaired. Typi...

Not all things can be taken at face value- sometimes you must dig a bit deeper *** Spoiler alert- I am going to be writing my thoughts about The Shack , by William P. Young. In this review/discussion, some of the details of the book will be revealed. Some may not have read the book, some may not care to. I pray that my discussion will at least pique your curiosity to investigate it for yourself, but I do apologize for any plot revelations. *** Things are not always what they seem. At least that has been my experience in life. As soon as I think I have a situation/person figured out, they shock the daylights out of me. Some things in life are predictable; we know the sun will rise each morning, most of us have our "routine", but there are times when life just surprises. I was given a copy of the book, The Shack  by William P. Young, from a friend at church who told me, "this book has changed my life; you should read it". I took it from her happily, bei...

Beautiful Gates- Eternal Hope The story posted below is a true account of the night I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I pray it will minister to you. Allow yourself to get swept into the truth of Heaven, the beauty of Jesus, and the reality that we all must make that decision- what will we experience...Heavens' Gates or Hells' Flames? A Decision Made in Eternity           “Can you even understand what he is saying?”, a fellow student whispered to me. It was the fall of 1997, and we were sitting in a college algebra class listening to a first-generation Chinese professor attempt to holler instructions across the vast auditorium of nearly 150 teenagers. “Um…no…sorry. I can’t make out a word.” I answered back sheepishly. Truth-be-told, I had not been able to grasp one concept he had droned on about in the nearly three-week eternity that was the class so far.           As he continued to r...