Posted on March 14, 2009 at 8:34am.
I have probably blogged about this before but since it has struck me again it will serve as a reminder to all of us. Two of the things we are told to do in the Body of Christ are to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Here is my observation - we are far better at weeping than rejoicing. Rejoicing means that things or at least something is going well for the person. What makes it difficult is jealousy. My life maybe hard and I don’t feel like rejoicing. Those are the times in life when God needs to stretch me, for me to believe that he is working in my life and to trust him. That is when it is possible to rejoice with someone else.
PS - Happy Birthday Kelly !
Posted on March 13, 2009 at 6:53am.
The Valley of Achor has always fascinated me. It is talked about several times in the Old Testament. It is the place that for much of the time was associated with great trouble. In fact that is what the name literally means. It is where a man named Achan sinned against God and as a result he and his family were put to death. Years later God would speak through the prophet Hosea and speak these powerful words. “... and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.” Finding hope in a place of trouble seems impossible or at least improbable - yet that is what God does. Today you may be in a place of trouble why not turn to the Lord to find hope.
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 7:45am.
We are approaching a college basketball fan’s ultimate - March Madness. If you want (and I usually do) you can watch hoops pretty much anytime you want for the next three weeks. Deep passion will be found not only on the hardwoods but in family rooms across Charlotte, the Carolinas and the nation. I love it. It does however raise a question in my mind - What does passion for Christ look like? I can not only described it but also feel it when it comes to my favorite team, but what about my savior? I am not trying to over spiritualize simply putting a question to all of us mainly myself.
Posted on March 11, 2009 at 6:34am.
I wonder where we find out trust these days? Trust is one of those elusive qualities that at times feels very fragile. When trust is violated in a relationship it is hard to recover. David in Psalm 40 says this: “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.” That sounds so easy, so right but it really is harder to live out. It is hard to trust in God when his ways aren’t mine and his timing doesn’t cooperate with mine. Trusting the Lord is what brings God pleasure - I need to respond to him and not the circumstances that can make trust seem unreasonable.
Posted on March 10, 2009 at 6:15am.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1) There are those on our staff (they will go unnamed) who are really tired of the song that was written from this verse. They would like the deer shot! Songs and choruses can come and go. We can like them or we can wish they would go away - but the truth of the verse is timeless. Thirsting for God is a concept I have been pondering recently. We often talk about experiencing God but I believe thirsting for him is something different. What does it look like to find life so disappointing, so empty that all I can think about is finding God like a deer finds a mountain stream? That is the picture the psalmist paints and that is how I want my life to be lived.
