hope

Protein Power

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“Have you not known, have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.” Isaiah 40:28

Nearly every Monday through Friday my day starts with a protein shake. I’ve used different recipes over the years but regardless of whether I use greens or fruit, or a combination there of, each one includes a nice scoop of protein powder. The way I see it, I indulge in enough less healthy food choices throughout the week, I might as well at least start my day on the right track. I need all the energy I can get, and this little choice does seem to help. Then I read in Isaiah that God is

Never Weary, and Never Faints

The Creator of the universe is always alert, and always hears my prayers. Combine this with the myriad of scriptures that tell us how God, our Heavenly Father, knows exactly what we need from day to day, and exactly how to provide us with what we really need, and you have the ultimate recipe for faith-filled living. Our job is to simply trust Him, and reach out in prayer telling Him just that. Simply say Jesus, I trust you! My life is yours. Grant me this day Your daily bread. Whatever Your choices are for me today, I am so grateful.

You Are Celebrated

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“For He (God) looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens” Job 28:24

Have you ever felt invisible? That no one was listening? No one to share your victories, or your heartache? That no one cares? The Broadway musical hit “Chicago” has a song called “Mr Cellophane” that describes the feeling well. The words say, “Mr. Cellophane, shoulda been my name, ’cause you can look right through me, walk right by me, and never know I’m there.” The reality could not be farther from the truth.

You Are Seen, You Are Heard, You Are Celebrated!

There’s a party in heaven every time an individual reaches out to Jesus. In that moment God’s incredible attention is completely focused on what you have to say. Don’t believe the lie that you are made of cellophane. You are a Child of the most high King! Hold your head high today and give God praise!

A Joyful Heart

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

The single greatest weapon of faith is called Joy. No matter what, or who, you are dealing with, never, ever, lose your joy. Joy is the amazing breeding ground of peace. There is a reason Jesus spent so much time talking about having peace, having joy, and eliminating worry and fear and doubt. He knows that with Peace, Joy and Hope,

You Become Unstoppable

There are some days when you just do not feel joy in your life. You know those days, when everything seems to get to you, and you soon feel a haze of gloom. Soon even the littlest problem becomes Mt. Everest, and the smallest criticism has seemingly crushed your world. On those days, especially on those days, discover Joy. For me, on those days, I say the name of “Jesus”. “Jesus, you’ve got this”. “Jesus, what have I to fear for you are with me”. “Jesus, you are all I need”. With Jesus, your gloom and doom emotions don’t stand a chance.

Green Pastures

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““He makes me to lie down in green pastures,” Psalm 23:2

There’s a phenomenon called a mirage that so many who walk in the desert have witnessed. In the heat and cold of desert climates light rays actually bend to create an image that is not really there. A mountain can look like a castle, or a rock formation can look like an oasis of trees. So, what do we do when the green pastures that the 23rd Psalm talks about appear to be a mirage in our lives? God, our Good Shepherd, puts us in a pasture that doesn’t appear to be green at all. Those times when life is in turmoil, or relationships are on the rocks, or finances are in peril. And yet, in those times, the Lord says, “lie down,

Trust Me, I’ve Got This!” 

As you read the 23rd Psalm realize that green pastures are a promise, not a proposal! I can say that because the very first verse of the 23rd Psalm says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” In other words, God is all you need, no matter what life throws at you. Put another way, it doesn’t matter what the landscape looks like to you because God is way ahead of you. If He says the pasture is green, it’s green, or will turn green soon enough! Trust Him! Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” Green pastures are never a mirage when you put your trust in Him. 

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.”

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.