Month: February 2022

Sing!

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1

Seventy five pairs of eyes stared down at me, and I could feel the heat. I knew what they were thinking, “can this kid really sing?” I wasn’t so sure myself, and as the piano started to play all I could see was the exit door out of the corner of my eye. “What am I doing here,” was the only thing running through my mind. Sure it was just a high school audition, but then again, it wasn’t ‘just’ that. This was my young life, and surely what was about to happen in this room would follow me after with endless teasing if I screwed it up. The song I was supposed to sing was, “One in a million”, made famous by Lou Rawls. “One in a million are the correct odds that I get this right”, I thought. Suddenly, my friend at the piano sent a reassuring whisper in my direction,

Just Sing, It Will Be Okay

I looked back at her and started singing, and indeed she was right, everything was okay. In fact, it was better than okay for glaring eyes soon softened and smiles replaced cold stares. I learned something that day. Sometimes you have to block out all the distractions and just focus. King David, the author of the Psalms knew this. He only knew only one way to praise God, and that was with everything he had. He danced before the Lord, and lept before the Lord, and in Psalm 89 he sang about God’s mercies, something he said he would do forever. It is impossible to praise God without Him drawing close to you. Start singing!

Eyes Up!

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I will lift up my eyes to the hills, From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121

I grew up in Colorado with the majestic Rocky Mountains as our back yard vista. There was not a day growing up that I did not look up and to the West just to see the peaks rising on the horizon. With such a backdrop I soon learned that there wasn’t much a view in looking down. Down revealed mostly my dirty shoes, cracked sidewalks, and a few scattered ants and bugs. Occasionally I would come across grass or flowers, but mostly in looking down I saw problems. Yet, when I changed my perspective and looked up,

Looking Up Is Where The Action Is

You may find yourself spending too much time in life looking down. Looking up means dreaming something new, seeing the splendor around you, or finding hope in a hopeless situation. Looking up means looking into the face of God, for that is where your help comes from. Yesterday’s post talked about God being our endless supply. Look up, it’s time to realize your help comes from the Lord.

Endless Supply

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“For I am God, your God….I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” Psalm 50

Much has been written of the world-wide supply chain issues this year. From various foods, to computer chip shortages, to construction materials, long delays and short supply is all over the headlines. It’s interesting to note that of all we make, homes, cars, clothes, computers, it all comes from this one home God gave to us called earth. Nothing is shipped over from Jupiter or Mars. Everything we have comes via “recycling” raw materials which God has already provided. It all belongs to God, and yet He shares freely with us by saying over and over again,

“I Am Your Supply”

With a simple two minute search I found over 40 bible verses where God says, He is our supply. None more powerful than Deuteronomy 28, in which God provides a very long laundry list of blessings He is prepared to supply to those who love Him. God literally says He will, “Open the heavens, and the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land, and bless the work of your hands.” Look to God, and be prepared for rain.

Grace

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God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

In his letter to the people of Corinth, Greece, Paul bears a bit of his soul for us. He laments a challenge he’s personally having, one he’s asked God multiple times to remove. We don’t know what that personal flaw is, but it bothers him to the point of praying for its removal. God responds to him by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in (your) weakness.”

We All Need A Little Grace

Tom Hanks character in the film, “You’ve Got Mail”, admits to Meg Ryan a flaw in his character that he laments. He has a penchant for verbal insults, and admits it to her by saying,

“Do you ever feel you’ve become the worst version of yourself? That a Pandora’s box of all the secret, hateful parts – your arrogance, your spite, your condescension – has sprung open? Someone upsets you and instead of smiling and moving on, you zing them. “Hello, it’s Mr Nasty.”

The point is, we all have flaws. Yet, I’ve learned the wonderful thing about God’s grace is His endless forgiveness. God forgives freely, and asks us to do the same, both forgiving ourselves and each other. Give yourself some grace today, and then freely spread it around to those around you.

Believe For The Impossible!

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Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24

I saved these words of Jesus for this day in particular. Today is my birthday, and this, my friends, is my favorite bible verse. In this one sentence, Jesus sets forth a monumental concept that makes the impossible, possible. It’s an easy verse to look past for surely there must be some kind of qualifier or disclaimer to this statement. Whatever I ask in prayer, all I have to do it believe, and I will receive it? The simple answer is, Yes!

Mountain Moving Simply Requires Faith

In the past two decades I have witnessed more impossible miracles, that I have prayed for, come to pass than I could possibly list on multiple pairs of hands. In every instance, I believed without a doubt that they would come to pass and they did. There are others that I have prayed over, some for more than a decade, that have not yet come to pass, but they will. I know for sure, without a single doubt, they will. I’m no different than you, I’ve just chosen to take Jesus at his word. I’ve not given myself the luxury to pick and choose which ones of Jesus promises to believe, and which ones not to believe. The Bible tells us that our job is to have faith, His job is to fulfill His word. Live this out in your own life and you will soon find yourself in possession of Mountain Moving Faith.

Dream On!

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“With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

In another of my favorite films, “Field of Dreams”, Kevin Costner meets a small town doctor, who, in his youth, had one opportunity as a Major League Baseball player. He actually made it into one inning of a single game before the season ended, along with his baseball career. Kevin asked ‘Doc Graham’ what was it like to quit after only one inning in the majors. Doc Graham replies, “it was like coming this close to your dreams, then watching them brush past you, like a stranger in a crowd. At the time you don’t think much of it…

…We Don’t Recognize The Most Significant Moments In Our Lives, While They Are Happening”.

There is a famous poem by John Greenleaf Whittier that says, “of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ‘it might have been’.” How many dreams do we leave at the curb of our lives because they are difficult, or time consuming, or just plain hard. That’s where I love Matthew 19:26. “With man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible”. You are never too young, or too old, to make God a part of your dreams. Reach out to God and give to him the desires of your heart. When you reach for the stars, you just might land on the moon.

Meditation

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“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8

I threw pity-party a few weeks ago, and I was the only invited guest. Perhaps you can relate. Things were not going well that day, and I was not getting the answers that I was expecting. Patience proved elusive so I found myself quickly slipping and sliding into a sour mood. Then, I remembered an old song from my childhood that my grandmother used to sing as she cleaned the house,

Count Your Blessings, Name Them One By One

“Count your blessings, see what God has done”, the song continued. My Grandmother was no Mariah Carey, but when she sang that song, thinking no one was listening, she gave it all she had. Of course, someone was listening for she was singing to God. Also listening was a grandson who needed to hear these words from a simple farmers wife. Perhaps you need to hear these words today. Philippians says to mediate on anything that is praiseworthy. You have blessings in your life. Whether large or small, celebrate them today and your pity-party will soon vanish from your mind.

Pure Wisdom

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Jesus said, “Therefore, whoever hears these saying of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon a rock.” Matthew 7:24

A.A. Milne who wrote the beloved “Winnie the Pooh” book series had one character he called, the wise old owl:

“There was a wise old owl who sat in a tree, the less he spoke the more he heard, the more he heard the less he spoke. Why can’t we be like that wise old owl in the tree?”

In the bible’s book of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7, Jesus delivers to us four incredible wisdom filled pages on how we should strive to live our lives. Take a few minutes out of your day and read through these three chapters for yourself. If you don’t own a Bible, Google search them, they are easy to find. We tend to listen to the great philosophers in history, or persons of celebrated importance or power, but I’ve discovered that when Jesus speaks, I should strive to spend less time talking, and more time listening, just like that wise old owl.

Comfort

/ James Penner / 2 Comments

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

I never understood the depth of these words from Jesus until I had a few years of living under my belt. On the surface, the loss of a loved one leaps to the front of our minds when we think of mourning. And yet, with all the challenges we face in life, mourning comes calling more often than we’d like. The loss of a relationship, or a job, or friend, or our youth, or ________ (feel free to fill-in the blank). One thing I have learned,

Mourning Means You Care

If you didn’t care, you would not mourn. Because I care, I know God cares. After all, He created me, personality and all. He knows me better than I know myself. He cares just like you care for your child, or loved when when they mourn. I for one have been teaching myself to be thankful when I mourn because it gives me an opportunity to count my blessings. Thank you Lord for the season that has just past, and the next season you have for me. Thank you Lord for your comfort, for I feel your blessing in these tears. Thank you Lord that I can trust You when I don’t have all the answers. Thank you Lord that Philippians 4:7 promises us that You provide “peace that passes all understanding”. We need that peace. Living a life of faith often brings us to our knees, for God’s blessings come to us both in our rejoicing, and in our mourning.

Infusion

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“Blessed are the pour in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3

What do I have to offer to God? What do I bring to the relationship? After all, He is God. He created the heavens and the earth. He breathed life into us. He created all living things. It seems to me that with all of my failings and shortcomings, and limited ability, what do I provide in value to this relationship with God? I’m constantly praying for His intervention for this illness, or that financial hardship, or a job issue, or a relationship issue. When you think about it, humans on whole are pretty needy. And yet, in this humble state,

God Calls Us Blessed

There’s a great scene in the film, “Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade”. Harrison Ford must pass through a series of deadly obstacles to find the cup of Christ. In the first obstacle, he realizes that he has to humble himself before God, in this case, kneeling saves him from a whirling blade. When Jesus said, “Blessed are the pour in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, what He is saying is, when we recognize our limitations, and His greatness, we are humbling ourselves before God. That’s what it means to be “poor in spirit”, and, that’s when the blessings come. For like the tea cup in the picture above, we are an empty vessel, and God is the tea, just waiting to infuse us with life, and goodness, and warmth, and usefulness. Poor (humble) in spirit means rich in God’s eyes.