Author: James Penner

Dream Beyond

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“God said, Let there be light, and there was light” Genesis 1:3

Every few years I have to revisit a great little film called, “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” staring the late Gene Wilder. One of my favorite lines in the film is Gene saying, “We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams”. Truer words have never been spoken, for we are the dreamers of great dreams. Some pursue their dreams more than others, and some abandon theirs by the side of life’s road when the load of disappointment becomes too great to bear. But none the less, great and small, we have a great capacity to dream. The reason we dream is because,

We Are God’s Children, And God Is The Ultimate Dreamer

For who, other than God, could look at a blank canvas and envision all that we see; the heavens, the waters, the landscape, the animals, and yes, you and I. When scripture tells us that God created us in His image, that also includes giving us the capacity to dream great dreams. The question for you today is, what would you do tomorrow if you knew for a fact that you would succeed? God has the power to craft your dreams into reality. Why not join forces with the Creator of the universe today and dream beyond what you think is possible. God is simply waiting for you to call upon Him.

Abide

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“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us.” Romans 8:26

We live in two divergent worlds, our physical reality and our spiritual. Jesus called out these two worlds when he said, “My peace I give to you, not as the world gives.” He understood as well as anyone our pain, our struggle, our hurt, our trials, our everything. Sometimes we feel like we pray until there are just no more words to say. At that point the words simply won’t come anymore and we feel a little lost. What’s the point, we tell ourselves. Why pray when the words have seemingly all been said and I’ve not yet seen the results. Sometime we’ve prayed on something for years and yet still wait on the results. Where do I go from here?

When The Words Won’t Come, Simply Abide

Abide means to accept that God is there, no matter what. When words won’t come, all you need to say is, “God I trust You. I’m Yours no matter what.” Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that when our words won’t come in prayer, God is still there, and in fact, will intercede for us. I love the photograph today because it reminds me that God is there, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He’s there for us even when we have no idea what to pray, or how to pray, and even when we feel like we’ve lost faith. In fact, His Holy Spirit will intercede on our behalf and pray for us. There is an old Hymn that says, “I’m Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, safe and secure from all alarms.” Sometimes, you just need to lean into and abide with God.

Shall We Dance?

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“David danced before the Lord with all his might.” 2 Samuel 6:14

Anyone who ever saw Kevin Bacon in the film “Footloose” already knows this scripture verse. Kevin’s character used it during a city council meeting as a means to try and relax the laws against dancing within the city limits so his high school could hold senior prom. Here’s the truth of it, we don’t leap and dance before the Lord enough in life! King David did it, why don’t we? I’ve been to Superbowls and World Series and have seen more passion and excitement for sports teams than I have for God in church worship services.

God Created Joy, Laughter, and Dance For a Reason!

With all that God has given to us, why not send a little joy filled passion back in His direction. Put on your dancing shoes, and as Kevin Bacon famously said, “Let’s Dance!”

Here We Go

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“Now the Lord had said to Abram, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” Genesis 12:1

I stumbled across an engaging and joy-filled little show on Netflix called “Somebody Feed Phil”. The show features Phil Rosenthal, the former Executive Producer of the hit show, “Everybody Love Raymond”. The program may feature Phil eating his way around the world, but the show is really about people. Nothing brings people together like a table filled with food, and Phil is a master at making friends as he eats. Food is just the facilitator.

What Holds Us Back From Making New Friends?

Meeting new people in a distant city, or state, or country feels daunting. For some, simply crossing the street to meet their neighbor feels like an intimidating journey. The problem is, if we don’t meet new people, we never learn new things and we never grow in compassion for those from a different culture or different mind set than we are used to. Peace begins between our ears, and manifests when we reach outward to make new friends.

Green Eggs And Ham

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“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” John 14:23

When my girls were little we had a nightly ritual of reading bed time stories. Dr. Seuss was at the top of the list. Both of my girls, even before they could read, had “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” memorized, and could recite the words just by looking at the pictures. As I grow older, the Seuss story I find most relevant in our faith life is “Green Eggs And Ham”. The main character in the story has decided, even before he has tried them, that he does not like green eggs and ham, nor the the Sam I Am character who is offering them to him. That sounds like us!

We Dismiss Before We Try

When Jesus implores us to listen to him, or to obey his teaching, we suddenly have a way of becoming very fussy on which lessons to follow and which ones we decide “that’s not for me”. Why not give the life Jesus wants for you a try. You may end up like the Seuss character, who in the end finds himself admitting, “Say, I do like green eggs and ham. I do like them, Sam I Am.”

Cowboys & Aliens

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“I have set before you life and death; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20

A few nights ago after wandering through an endless list of available movies on the various streaming services, I settled on a Steven Spielberg action film called “Cowboys & Aliens”. Now that sounded like fun, after all, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and James Bond (Daniel Craig) were in it! What could be better entertainment than an old western filled with menacing aliens chasing these two guys! At one point during the movie one of the cowboys is having a conversation with an old preacher. The cowboy proceeds to recount the rough life he’s lived, and the bad choices he’s made, to which the wise old preacher replies,

“Son, God Doesn’t Care Where You’ve Been, He Only Cares Where You’re Going”

Truer words have never been spoken. With Jesus, your past is just that, in the past. You can make sure it stays there by choosing life today. Your future is what’s important and it can truly be a gift from God, that’s why it’s often referred to as the “present”. This brand new future can start today.

The Mustard Seed

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Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree” Matthew 13:31

I placed a penny next to a mustard seed just to illustrate how small this seed really is. It’s amazing to look at a mustard seed and to think of the magnificent tree locked inside. Jesus uses this tiniest of seeds to illustrate a powerful point. In Matthew 13:31 He says that if you plant even the smallest amount of faith in your heart, that faith will grow beyond what you could ever imagine. To further illustrate this Jesus says in Matthew 17 that “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you”.

Seemingly Little Faith Can Yield Incredible Results

We spend our lives looking at life through our very limited vision and comprehension. Why not sprinkle a little faith into your life. You have literally nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain.

Pick Your Emoji

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him” Romans 5:13

Years ago, as I would walk with my late father in law, Dr. Robert H. Schuller, he would frequently ask people passing by, “how’s your day going?” Invariably people would respond with a casual, “fine”, or “good.” Before the words fully left their lips I was already stopping my walk for I knew the lecture that was about to take place. Upon hearing the words “Fine” or “Good” Dad would stop on a dime, turn to face the person, and say, “No, no, no, good is not good enough,

You Have To Make It A Great Day!”

Years later I walked into a hotel lobby and found myself saying to the attendant behind the counter, “how’s your day going?” His response actually floored me. “Better than good, my friend, better than good. How can I help you” I smiled and soon found out that this young man had watched my father-in-law on television many times. He said simply having a good day was not good enough. You have to make the day what you want of it. The truth is, like it or not, we all choose our emoji’s daily. The day you make out of today is completely up to you.

The Sum Of All Fears

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“I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from ALL my fears” Psalm 34:4

Of the many great Tom Clancy novels, the one where the title alone caused me to pull it off of a friends bookshelf was, “The Sum Of All Fears”. The words in the title foretold a tipping point at which our worst fears are realized and we are overcome. We don’t even have to know what the book is about to understand a countdown to destruction is underway. Today, you very likely carry such a countdown with you in your every day life. It’s called the sum of all those nagging little fears that don’t feel overwhelming yet, but, give them enough time and they have a way of compounding on you. So what’s the answer?

Give Every Fear, No Matter How Small, to God

So many times we pray to God over our overwhelming burdens, and yet we neglect the little dripping faucet of tiny fears that rob us of our minute by minute and hour by hour happiness in life. I’ve stopped counting how many times the Bible references God telling us not to fear but instead to bring our burdens to Him. Today is the day for you to take God up on His promise of relief. Give every burden you have to God! Pray for His leading, His wisdom, and His intervention, then stop worrying. He is all you need!

Wile E. Coyote

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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” James 1:2-3

As a child my favorite day of the week was Saturday because “The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour” was on television. No kid could resist watching Wile E. Coyote, the self proclaimed “super-genius” try and outsmart the Road Runner. Whether falling off a cliff or getting flattened by an Acme road grader, it was all just too much fun to watch Wile E. work his antics. Of course, I’ve learned that what was fun to watch as a child now hits a little too close to home. For just like Mr Coyote, sometimes no matter what we do or what we try we encounter trials. Enter James 1 where he says,

When You Face Trials, Count It All Joy

Really? The easy temptation would be to say that James must be full of hot air. In reality, he’s not. Neither was Peter when he said, we can rejoice in trials, or Paul when he said that he had learned to be content whether he was experiencing plenty or want. The secret that all of these men held tightly to were God’s promises. They knew that God would never leave them, nor would He forsake them. This same promise is yours. All you have to do is ask Him. Look up.