What Is Faith?

So often we are living in the aftermath of an event that left us full of tears. Now we’re in a dark time, experiencing the pain of suffering, despair, heartache.

Much like the disciples must have felt on the Saturday after the crucifixion.

They waited in their despondency, unaware of what was to happen the next morning; the joy of new life, resurrection, rising from the ashes of pain.

And that’s where faith grows.

Hang In There!

Easter Sunday morning, there was still a little pile of snow tucked into the garden beside my driveway. The recent rain, wind and warmer weather washed away much of the snow; yet there still remained piles of graying white. For months they sat like giant beached whales. Mounds of snow, at the edges of fences, by the sides of highways, in corners of parking lots. For the entire winter, our lawns were cloaked in white.

Each of those snowflakes that fell en masse last January were so delicate, it’s amazing that they are still present in April. What can we learn from these fragile flakes that have such staying power?

How to Keep the Sabbath in a World That Never Rests

At a Leadership Conference I recently attended, I was challenged to consider observing Sabbath. It’s the fourth Commandment, and the one with by far the most instruction (Deut. 5:6-21) but unlike the other nine, for some reason, our present society considers it optional.

The word “Sabbath” simply means “rest.” In our overscheduled, workaholic culture, taking time to rest seems counter-productive. But in reality, the opposite is true. The conference leader, Pete Scazzaro said, “BEING with God precedes DOING for God.” And the purpose of Sabbath is to rest and BE with God.  

To read more about Sabbath and join me in the discussion, click on over to Circles Of Faith. 

Hang In There!!

There they sit, like giant beached whales. Mounds of snow, at the edges of fences, by the sides of highways, in corners of parking lots, our lawns still cloaked in white. The recent rain, wind and warmer weather washed away much of the snow; yet there still remain piles of graying white.

 

 

Each of those snowflakes that fell en masse last December were so delicate, it’s amazing that they are still present a month later. What can we learn from these fragile flakes that have such staying power? 

1. They stick together. 
Despite the fact that one person can make a difference - which I absolutely believe - it is also true that there is power in numbers. 
 
We simply were not made to go it alone. God made us to be part of a body, His body. He made us for fellowship. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another. Heb 10:25 
 
God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness..." Gen 1:26 He is one God, but He is a plural God (like one family or one class or one snowstorm are singular, yet plural.) He is in fellowship with Himself. We are made in His image, and therefore, we need to be in the fellowship of believers. We are made that way for a reason. We are stronger together than we are alone. 
 
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Eccl. 4:12
 
2. They were pushed out of their comfort zone.
Oh, it’s so much easier to stay within our comfort zone, isn’t it? But those flakes that remained so comfortable out on the open lawn were the first ones to melt away. It was the plowed flakes, the ones that got pushed and shoved around that remained. If the snowflakes could speak, they would say that it sure didn’t feel good at the time. To the snowflake, the plow seemed brutal, a real bully. But it was precisely because it yielded to the plow that it survived. 
 
When we don’t understand our circumstances or we have to change our status quo, we have to recognize that there is Someone greater than ourselves in control, Someone who has our best interests at heart. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11
 
Recently, a friend shared this excellent quote with me:

"Comfort is the breeding ground for mediocrity. Hardship makes you find your greatness."

If you’ve been trying to go it alone or if you’ve been facing a difficult struggle, hang in there. Remember the frail snowflake that first arrived a month ago and is still hanging around; and recognize that you are on the road to greatness!

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. Tonight January 15, the NJ Coalition is hosting a Human Trafficking Awareness Event:

New Jersey’s Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day Observance will feature performances including the premier of “A Day In the Life," singer/songwriter Courtney Wong, and the Justice Movement Dancers among other influentials. January 15, 7:00 pm, Bergen Performing Arts Center (PAC), Englewood. Click Here for more info and to RSVP >>

Profiles in Courage

Last night, I saw the movie "42." It was excellent on so many levels, but mostly because it told the story of the faith and courage of two great men , Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jackie Robinson's story is well known in history, the first black man to play in major league baseball. His number "42" is retired on every team in baseball. Not because he had the courage to fight, but because he had the courage not to. He endured humiliation and persecution and he did not speak up against his accusers. He modeled the behavior of our Savior.


Branch Rickey's story was as powerful as Robinson's. The team's general manager was intentional in his search for a black player to integrate his team. When Jackie asked him why, Rickey told the story of a time when he was a young player and didn't stand up for a black man. As a man of deep faith, it bothered him all his life. He was finally in a position to right a wrong he had committed.

2000 years ago, another young man persecuted followers of Jesus Christ. Paul went from town to town looking for Christians to jail and kill. On one road to Damascus, he encountered Jesus Himself. Paul's life was transformed and he spent the rest of his life fighting FOR Christianity instead of against it.

Two years ago, a high school friend found me. We had a falling out in our senior year. She seriously hurt me and we stopped talking. I can't remember what she did, only that I never wanted to see her again. Years later, she searched for and found me on facebook. We began to correspond and then reunited when she made a trip back to NJ. The first thing she wanted to do was right the wrong she had committed and asked for forgiveness. We're now close friends and because she was so good at keeping in touch with people, I've had the joy of reconnecting with several of my long lost friends. Most importantly, we've discovered we're both believers now which doubled our joy.

It's never too late to right a wrong we have committed. In righting his wrong, Branch Rickey changed history, and not just in baseball. He was a catalyst for the entire civil rights movement.

We can change our history. If we have offended someone, we must do what we can do to make things right. Paul says in his letter to the Romans:

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God,….Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Rom. 12:18-20

"So far as it depends on you" - we must do what we can, but only what we can. Don't fret about what others do or how they respond. They are responsible for their actions as we are responsible for ours.

Do you have a relationship in need of repair or a wrong that needs to be addressed? I encourage you to pray and seek what God would have you do to restore peace with all - men, women, and children.

And please leave a comment with how I can pray for you.

PS - Don't forget to enter the contest for a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway! Click here for details. If you're already a Blog subscriber, Twitter follower, or Facebook friend, just let me know. And if you have a wedding story to share, I'd love to hear it! 

What are we to do???

Media and social media alike are overflowing with images, rants, prayers, commentaries related to yesterday's Boston bombing. Here are three things I read this morning:

I'm on Day 18 of a 30 day Early To Rise challenge and receive an automated email every day.This just so happened to be in paragraph 2: 

"If it is true that one person can change the world with their evil acts, then we also know that one person can change the world through their kindness. One ignorant person can cause tremendous damage, and one wise person can alter the course of history." - Andy Traub

Then in today's Jesus Calling  by Sarah Young: 

I am calling you to a life of thankfulness. I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe. Heaven and earth are filled with My glorious Presence. 

When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do. From your limited perspective, it may look as if I'm mismanaging things. But you don't know what I know or see what I see. If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view heavenly realms, you would understand much more. However, I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight. I lovingly shield you from knowing the future or seeing into the spirit world. Acknowledge My sovereignty by giving thanks in all circumstances. 

• We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor. 5:7
• Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:18

And on facebook, I read Nate Dorka's post to his HS youth group:

Some thoughts on the bombings in Boston today:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Devastation. 

Doctors are working on some folks to patch them up, working on others who lost a limb and are struggling to stay alive... Others, including an eight year old boy, weren't as "lucky".
We call for justice. Built into us is a NEED for justice. 

And people are going to be looking everywhere for someone/something to blame. There will probably be blame placed on the head of security or maybe even government officials.
We want to blame an enemy. 

What should our view be as Christians? What should our response be? Aren't we called to LOVE our enemy... even the enemy that killed that little boy? But can there be justice in that?

There is an enemy. He is a thief who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy.(Jn 10:10)" The bible calls him our advisory and tells us, "the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.(1 Pt 5:8)" 

This thief, lion, devil is our enemy, and he'll do all he can to keep people in the darkness.
"But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.(Jn 11:10)"
Jesus tell us “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

These folks that do unspeakable things are simply in the darkness. They don't know the life that Jesus, in his mercy, gives.

Jesus tells us, "...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.(John 10:10)"
"they" includes the killer of that little boy. 

So... What should our response be towards the bombers from today?
Pray for them. 

"(Jesus talking to Saul/Paul in Acts)...so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."

Pray that God would be glorified by the transformation of their hearts, and that these people would become followers of Christ. 

As far as justice goes, well.. We were all once in the darkness, and deserved death. It's by God's perfect mercy and grace, and by Jesus work on the cross and power over death, that we now live.

To Nate's words, I would just add this. There are some that cannot rest until justice is "properly" served, even though they may forgive and pray for the offender. To them, I'd say that God says we reap what we sow (Gal 6:7). It is up to Him to provide the consequences to the offender. I can rest knowing that justice is in His hands, the same hands that provide grace serve justice meted as HE sees fit. 

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When it just doesn't make sense...

Who can explain it?

The suicide of a godly young man after years of battling mental illness.

The cancer that relentlessly ravages a child’s body.

The loss of a job leaving a family destitute.

The car accident brutally killing a vibrant 20 year old girl.

The addiction rendering a boy’s brilliant mind vacant and dashing high hopes for his future.

And that’s just this week.

As I sit at my computer right now, my son and his friends are in the basement practicing a song their band will perform in Friday’s talent show. It’s hard to tell if more singing or laughing is taking place. And I think… how fortunate we are, but what about tomorrow? Are there any guarantees?

Well, yes and no. There’s no guarantee of a blissful Beaver Cleaver life. God didn’t promise us an easy life. In fact, He promised just the opposite (John 16:33). But He did guarantee that He’d be with us (Heb. 13:5). If God didn’t spare His own Son, is it right for us to expect that He should spare ours?

We ask “Why?” We want to understand. But our understanding is limited. We are finite created beings who wish to make sense of God’s infinite mind. My dog tilts her head with a puzzled look on her face when I change one of the usual patterns she’s accustomed to. If she could, she’d demand to know why - what’s going on, where are we, why are you feeding me that, what’s that Gentle Leader thing on my face??????? Could I explain my actions to her in a way that she could fully comprehend? Not in a million years. She simply lacks the ability to reason as I do.

Although God sometimes is gracious enough to allow us to understand, to learn and grow through our pain, much of the time He doesn’t let us in on His reasoning.  "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'" (Is.  55:8-9).

Yet sometimes we feel if we could just make sense of it all, if we had a reason, we could make it through. The truth is – if we always understood, we’d be tempted to rely on ourselves rather than seeking God. The very essence of faith is that we CAN’T see what’s going on, and yet we trust. (Heb. 11:1)  Frankly, if little ol’ me could fully understand God, He’d be way too small a God for me.

On this journey we’re traveling, God’s Word is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.” (Ps. 139:105) It is not like a stadium floodlight that makes the night as bright as day. It’s more like a flashlight in the dark allowing us to see one step at a time. Perhaps if we could see more, we’d run the other way. But God takes hold of our hand providing the peace and the strength to continue forward with trust that someday we will know. “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” 1 Cor. 13:12

My reading this week took me to a hard passage of Scripture “…if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.” 1 Pet. 2:20-21

The choice is ours. We can either be like the soft egg which hardens in boiling water or like the hard carrot which is softened by the same boiling water. But we could also be like the coffee which when immersed in yet that same boiling water is transformed into another being, still made of coffee and water but so intertwined, so inseparable that it has a new identity.

When Jesus was on the cross, He not only bore our sins - He bore our sorrows too (Is. 53:3) By His wounds and suffering, we are healed of ours. (Is. 53:5) 

If I don’t understand anything else but this - that my suffering is producing Christlikeness in me – then I have not suffered in vain. If I can avoid resentment and bitterness, if I can say “Father, forgive them” while still in my suffering, I will be transforming into His image.

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Cor. 4:17-18

Father, our prayers are with the Warren family, but also with all those others who are suffering through their losses. May their pain be lessened by Your presence.

Blessed? or Stressed??

It's the most wonderful time of the year, or so the song says, the happiest season of all. Norman Rockwell images dance in our heads, or across the TV anyway. And a ball in the pit of our stomach starts to grow like a snowball careening down a mountain. 

Today over at Circles of Faith, check out my Top Ten list of stress-busting choices to help us "keep the main thing, the main thing" during the upcoming Advent season. 




photo credit: murilocardoso via photopin cc

Wanna play Hangman?

In the restaurant last night, I spotted a boy with his new Christmas gift - an ipad. And what was he doing with this valuable gift?

 

Playing Hangman. 

Hangman? - on an iPAD? - really????

As a kid, I played Hangman - using pencil & paper, chalkboard & chalk, dirt & stick.

And here was this 21^st century kid using one of the most powerful devices currently known to man to play the simplest of games.    

But could we be doing exactly the same thing with the gifts that God has given us?

He is Emmanuel - God WITH us.

He declares us to be His temple and so His limitless power dwells WITHIN us.

And yet too often we are content to live a limited life.

We are satisfied with less than best.

We play with dirt & sticks when the Power that created the dirt resides inside us.

He calls us to use the gifts He has so freely given for Kingdom work. He wants us to step out of the boat with our eyes fixed securely on the One who keeps us from sinking. He desires to reveal Himself in us and through us. As a believer, His power within us is greater than an ipad or any man-made device. Where we are weak, He is strong. 

Rather than settling for mediocrity, I want 2012 to be the year I climb out of my comfort zone. How about you? 

ps - If uncertainty is holding you back from serving, and if you live near northern NJ, please join me and my Bible Fellowship class as we embark on a 9 week study "What's So Spiritual About Your Gifts?" by Blackaby. Shoot me an email if you're interested in participating. 

Does this make sense?

Jericho -

I've heard and read the story countless times. Therefore, I assumed that there'd be no new information for me here. I knew God could make anything meaningful of course, but I didn't count on learning any new factual information about Jericho. Well, never assume....

Maybe you already knew this, but I didn't.

In our Sunday service, Pastor Mike shared that Jericho had not one but two walls surrounding it - an inner wall and an outer wall. I never knew that. [More about the walls: http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/walls-of-jericho.html]

And it turns out that when the Israelites famously blew their trumpets and shouted their cries to tumble the wall, the inner wall crumbled onto the outer wall creating a ramp for the Israelites to enter. Their greatest obstacle became their stepping stone to victory. The greatest obstacle you face will become your stepping stone to victory.

Up until that point God provided for the Israelites. The day that they camped before Jericho was the last day that God provided manna for them (Joshua 5:12) Now God was requiring them to step out in faith. Faith requires us to do the unusual to bring about what God wants.

Before He gave them their marching instructions, He told them that He GAVE them "Jericho, its king, and all its mighty warriors." The enemy was already defeated! (Joshua 6:2) We also fight a defeated foe. They had to go through the battle, and we do too. But we fight from victory that is assured.

Why did God have such an unusual plan for the conquest of Jericho? Perhaps it was to prove to them that HE was their deliverer, not their weapons or military expertise, not their skills or talents. Or maybe it was a test to see if they would follow His strange instructions completely. Not that He needed to see if they would pass the test - they needed to know that they could be obedient.

Jericho was considered invincible and that was the first thing on God's agenda for Israel to conquer. Its defeat showed them (and us!) that it is God who is invincible.

Do you have an impossible obstacle? Take comfort from the words of Rahab - the prostitute and the only one (and her family) saved from Jericho because she was faithful to our Lord and sheltered the spies. "For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below." (Joshua 2:11) 

Please let me know how I can pray for you.
"The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it." 1 Thess. 5:24

Can You Top This?

Heading to my brother's home a few weeks ago, I passed a line of newspaper boxes. A closer look made me laugh out loud.

In the center was a box selling The Times,

with a sign stating  "No. 1 with Readers."  

To the left of The Times was a box selling The Trentonian,

boasting a sign declaring "AHEAD of the TIMES."

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Reminds me of some people I know - the "Can you top this?" syndrome:

"I had a such a busy day today. Couldn't even stop for lunch."

     "Well, my day was so busy, I didn't have breakfast, lunch or dinner."

"My daughter played varsity soccer."

     "My daughter was MVP in soccer, basketball and lacrosse."

"I enjoyed my trip so much, I took over 100 pictures."

     "Well, on my last trip, I took over 400 pictures."

"My mom was such a good cook, we never wanted to eat out."

     "My mom was such a great cook, she was featured in Gourmet magazine."

"My son was on the honor roll."

     "Well, my son was valedictorian."

"As a kid, we were so poor we didn't have paper to do our homework."

     "Well, I was so poor, we didn't have toilet paper."

You know people like this. As you start to share your story, their minds are only half-listening, just waiting for the moment to share their own better-than-yours story. They can be sad/sadder stories OR good/better stories OR funny/funnier stories. It doesn't matter. What matters is that that person's story tops yours in some way.

I imagine the people who lived in Corinth were like this. One-third of all the references of the word "boast" in Scripture can be found in Paul's two letters to the Corinthians. His many comments on boasting can be summed up like this:

• Love doesn't boast. But if you must boast, let it be about the Lord or about your weaknesses in which the Lord's power is glorified.*

Can you top that? ;)

*Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31

*Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4

*But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Clogged ?

Last month, I had unintentionally withdrawn from writing and serving, sensing overcommittment and burnout. While in my self-imposed exile, I read about the Dead Sea, specifically that it is "dead" because the water doesn't flow out.

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.God calls us to be rivers, not lakes; conduits of the blessings He has showered on us, not reservoirs. This winter, the drainpipe at our home was stopped up, frozen and immovable with the water that was made to flow freely through it. It wasn’t serving its purpose to receive from above and channel the water to the soil below.

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And neither are we if we receive the gifts that God has given us and keep them to ourselves. The Bible says that the gifts we are given are for the “common good1,” that is - they are given to us to share with others. If I am given a gift for teaching, what good is it if I keep it to myself? What about gifts of hospitality, mercy, leadership, giving, wisdom, faith, healing? We are told to “eagerly desire the gifts2” but what is the benefit of hoarding such gifts?
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There is no doubt that in this fast-paced, hyperactive society we live in that there is real danger of overcommittment. But the answer is not to withdraw completely. It is to achieve balance. If we’re stopped up, we can become stagnant, like the Dead Sea. Better to allow the Living Water from above flow freely to us and through us.
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A well-known phrase in chiropractic circles is ADIO - meaning that healing comes from “Above Down Inside Out.” It’s a perfect metaphor for how we should live our lives. We can’t be truly successful on the outside unless we are filled and flowing on the inside having received from above.
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Throughout Scripture, drink offerings were “poured out” to the Lord, and it is well-known that in his final letter, Paul referred to himself as being “poured out like a drink offering.3” But before that, in his letter to the Philippians, he made the same reference “even if I am being poured out like a drink offering …, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.4” This time, it was part of his message that God is at work in us5, and we ought to do everything without grumbling and complaining that we might be blameless and pure, shining like stars in the sky6. Wow, I wanna shine like the stars. How about you?
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Right now, I’m feeling a bit like the “little teapot” of song; Lord - tip me over and pour me out - that I might be filled again and again, and poured out again and again.

1- 1 Cor. 12:7
2- 1 Cor. 12:31
3-  2 Tim. 4:6
4- Phil. 2:17
5- Phil 2:13
6- Phil 2:14-15

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Is Jesus in the attic?

Since the snow in the Northeast began on Dec. 26th, we haven’t seen lawns; Christmas decorations are still out; and the roadways have had fewer clear days than treacherous ones. Central Park in NYC had a record 53 days of snow-covered grass.
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I have to admit that our own nativity display is still out. We haven't been able to get to it due to the amount of snow and ice covering it. After it was buried with the first snowfall, more and more just piled on top of it. Our other decorations were stored away, but we just couldn't put Jesus back in the attic.

And maybe that's why sometimes things just keep piling up in our lives -- so that we don't put Jesus away. We have a sorry tendency to tuck Jesus away in a corner when things are going well, but when there's tribulation, we call out to Him in greater measure. I've heard it said - nothing improves your prayer life better than big trouble.

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I think with this weekend’s warmer weather, we may be able to finally put away our nativity set. We’ll put away the plastic Jesus, but not His presence.
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"You have made known to me the paths of life;

You will fill me with joy in Your presence."

Acts. 2:28.

Full or Flat?

Ever see those inflatable lawn decorations?

All puffed up and full of life?

Ever notice them when the power is off?

Looks like a CSI crime scene after a 

mass-inflatable-murderer rampage!

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Anybody feel like that today?

I call Dec. 26 "society's collective exhale."

We've been running, wrapping, rushing, reveling, and now relaxing.

But we may feel more exhausted than relaxed.

What we need is some recharging!

Last year as part of the 40 Day Focus, my friend Laurie Hock, shared a post called, "Where You Gonna Get Your Fill?" In it, she explored Psalm 81:10. “I am the Lord your God...Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” (NIV).

Laurie said:

“It’s that simple. God asks us to ask Him. He responds with the promise He will fill what we set before Him. He is our satisfier. God exists to be our Father, our Provider, our Wisdom, our Grace and Guide. He holds all the answers, all the peace, and all of time. What better place to fill up?

“Can you think of anything else that can offer you such satisfaction? Will you let God be your fill today? He will fill you up when you make time for Him. God fills us up when we start our day with prayer and praise. God fills us up when we show His love to His people.

“God fills us up as we read, meditate on, and proclaim His Word and truth each day. God fills us up as we listen to songs offering Him worship and adoration. God will fill each of us the way He knows we uniquely need. To activate His loving power, we must tell Him that He’s where we want to get our fill. We must offer Him our heart, our time, our lives.”


As the worship leader in our church, when my husband plugs the power cord into his guitar, he imagines himself plugging into the Spirit like a branch of the Vine. It's the connection that provides the power.


So if you’re feeling deflated, open wide your heart and say “Lord, fill ‘er up!”

Our 40 Day Focus leading up to Christmas Day is now complete. I pray that you experienced His presence daily, and will continue to do so. I’ll be taking a few days off, but will be back soon!

Blessings to you and yours,
Susan

ps - I just have to add:
Dec. 26th, the most anti-climactic day of the year, happens to be my birthday! 
But my wonderful family has always made it special for me, so personally - I'm not feeling deflated at all!  

Spring Blessings

See! The winter is past;

the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come...

Song of Songs 2:11,12

In NJ, we've had more than our share of rain. March set a new record for rainfall. But my walk on Saturday morning revealed a hidden blessing from all that rain. The bushes and trees were bursting with blooms - magnificent cherry blossoms, dogwoods, forsythias and magnolias. Peeking through the ground were daffodils, crocuses, and tulips.

For months, these plants appeared dead or dormant, but the end of winter signals a resurgence of life. After weathering the winter in silence, growing and strengthening in the darkness underground, they emerge stronger and more fruitful.

When Jesus was in the tomb, it all looked bleak, but a great work was being done in the darkness. On the third day, He emerged in radiant glory, encouraging His followers to remain strong.

When we experience dark times, we must allow God to strengthen us, remaining confident that such times are not permanent, just a season that will pass in due time. He will bring us through and will use us to encourage others with the comfort we received from Him (2 Cor. 1:4).

May you experience renewed strength, and may you sense His presence in a mighty way. May you have renewed purpose, and fulfill His calling in your life. May you burst forth with the fruit of the Spirit. May you experience the resurrected life.

Butterflies Are Free

So if the Son sets you free,

you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

Butterflies populate our church. Not real ones, but images of butterflies adorn the walls representing the vision of our church - transformation. What else represents transformation better than a butterfly? What a picture of what God does in the life of the believer. He lifts us out of our miry existence and enables us to soar like eagles.


There's a story about a little boy who spotted a cocoon squirming on the sidewalk. To be a good helper, the boy opened up a hole in the end. But when the butterfly emerged from the chrysalis, it was crippled, unable to fly. It needed the struggle to break out of the chrysalis to develop strength in its wings.


And it is the struggles we face that strengthen us and provide freedom. When we are in a dark place like a cocoon, we can trust that God is still working. He is transforming us into new creations, no longer to be trudging along, but giving us wings. As in exercise, no pain - no gain.


Sometimes, we see others in the struggle. We want to rush in to save the day for our children, but they'll never develop their wings if we do. Maybe we have a friend or family member that needs to be accountable, not just assisted. Though we want to be a helper like the little boy, we may need to step back and allow our fellow butterfly to experience their struggle so they can be strengthened for their journey. That can be harder than going through the struggle ourself, can't it?


I just saw an amazing movie called "The Butterfly Circus."

The Butterfly Circus

It's 20 minutes, so when you have the time, I urge you to watch it. It will move you beyond words. Click here to watch it. And have tissues handy. 

After you watch the movie, here are some links to clips you'll want to watch about one of the actors in the film. I can't tell you more without spoiling the impact of the movie, but be sure to take the time to click on the YouTube videos below. You will be inspired, I promise.

Nick Vujicic - Greg Laurie Interview (21 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Cwx2UbTJA


No arms, No legs, No worries (9 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LFBqvvW-M
Shows Nick swimming, cooking, grooming, daily activities


I Love Living Life. I Am Happy. (7 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZuKF3dxCY
Motivational clip of Nick speaking to youth


Nick Vujicic' s Official Website
http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/
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What impact did this have on you?
Have you ever felt like a caterpillar? How about a butterfly?
Have you ever felt like an oddity, suitable only for a circus sideshow?
How has God transformed you? Used you in someone else's life?


Susan