The Big Picture

The Big Picture

by | Feb 27, 2024 | Faith, God, Trust

My Christmas gift to you

I entered my destination into the car GPS as we waited for our fast-food breakfast. The guidance surprised me by giving me an alternative to my usual route to a city five hours away. I reasoned there must be some traffic issue that caused the re-route. We began the drive to my son’s soccer game under a brilliant blue sky, crisp against white wispy clouds.

The map guidance directed me north where I thought we should have turned south.

I didn’t trust it so I pulled into a parking lot to get my bearings. My son beside me — oblivious to my internal dilemma — continued staring at his phone.

After I took a moment to expand the map, I saw the bigger picture.

This route took us through twists and turns and stick trees arching over the road in the winter landscape. Only a small part of the route was in view.

One step at a time

The moment I saw the bigger map, God reminded me that He had a bigger picture for me too.

Isn’t that the way with God sometimes? He uses simple tasks or circumstances to speak to us.

We may experience things that don’t seem right, or required to walk a path we don’t understand. Or we could even be oblivious to God’s direction for us.

Our guidance is there. God sees the big picture. His plan is bigger and better than we can imagine.

We will reach our destination, but the road we travel may not be what we expect and there may be twists and turns along the way. And our doubts may delay our progress.

We don’t need to know the big picture right now. I doubt we could handle it if we did.

However, we can trust God’s guidance. We can trust He knows best, even when we can’t see it.

Let’s focus on the daily walk before us and stay on the path He has designed. Let us remain faithful as God in His wisdom works out the big picture for our lives.

We need not see far ahead. Jesus calls us to take one step at a time with Him.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known,” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NASB1995).

 

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Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

 

Finding God

Finding God

by | Feb 6, 2024 | God, Miracles, Obedience

My Christmas gift to you

“Mommy, look! There’s Jesus!” my 5-year-old at the time said as he pointed to the sky. Taken aback, I quickly looked out the front window.

Early that morning, I had asked God to reveal Himself to me during the day. Boy did He ever. It was a hot and humid summer afternoon, and my heart skipped a beat at my son’s outburst. He then proceeded to name animals and characters he saw in the clouds as well.

Even so, that was a lesson for me. It had been a crazy, fretful, exhausting week and I desperately wanted to see Jesus in my day. In fact, I often prayed for that. This one got my attention immediately.

The message for me? God was right in front of me all along. It reminded me that I just had to look.

So how do we find God?

A.W. Tozer once said, “Brain power is not the means by which we find God! It is in our dependence on God that we see Him. He graciously and in love revealed Himself to us.” (A.W. Tozer was an American evangelical pastor, speaker, writer and editor.)

Maybe it’s in our desperation that we sense the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Saul found God

Consider the Apostle Paul. Before he was an apostle, destroying Christians consumed him. He went to great lengths to drag them out of their houses and commit them to prison. On his way to do just that in Damascus, Paul, then Saul — the accuser and one with power and control — lost all control and found himself to be the helpless one. (See Acts 9.)

Blinded and lacking vision, Saul was desperate. In that moment, he found Jesus. One of the men he traveled with led him by hand to Damascus. For three days, he waited without sight, food or drink.

Totally dependent on God, he was rescued by one of the very people he came to persecute. God ordained his disciple, Ananias, to restore Saul’s vision.

According to Scripture, after a discussion with the Lord, Ananias obeyed and laid hands on Saul.

Two things happened. Saul regained his sight. He was filled with the Holy Spirit.

In that unforgettable event, Saul found God.

Jesus didn’t fear Saul’s sin. Instead, he took his darkness, miraculously changed him and welcomed him into the kingdom. Saul still had power but this time he went out with the power of the Holy Spirit to bring light to the world.

God is near

Where do you go to experience the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you feel your life (or part of it) is out of control? 

One day we will see Jesus face-to-face. In the meantime, we can live in the power of the Holy Spirit today.

We can find Him

In our waiting.

In our healing.

When our world comes crashing down.

When we’re walking through a fire.

Or fighting a battle.

Wherever we go, He is beside us. Every moment of the day, He is near.

He is at work in every detail, even in the smallest details of our lives.

“But Jesus replied, “’My Father is always working, and so am I,’” (John 5:17 NLT).

My busyness has often blinded me from recognizing Jesus in my day. The truth is He can show up whenever and wherever, even in a young boy’s imagination.

 

 

 

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Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

 

What Are You Afraid of?

What Are You Afraid of?

by | Jan 27, 2024 | Faith, Fear, Hope

My Christmas gift to you

The forecast called for fierce winds. I had dropped my boys off with my parents so they could watch them while I was 5 minutes away at a Bible study. We ended early so that everyone could get home before the storm hit. I got to their house and quickly grabbed the boys, essentially throwing them in the car. They were 11, 8 and 6 years old.

As I parked in the driveway, I was concerned a tree branch blowing wildly in the wind was going to snap and fall on my car. The timing couldn’t have been worse. At a young age, Garrett had become terrified of storms, and we had a 10-minute drive home in wind and rain.

Halfway home, I looked in the back seat and realized he was holding his breath. I told him to breathe. Take deep breaths and breathe. My oldest, Connor, dryly said, “Somebody needs to give him a paper bag.”

When we got home, I pulled up the weather app and showed Garrett where the storm was on the radar. The worst of the storm had passed while we were driving.

That reassurance helped him move past the fear and accept he was going to be ok. He finally calmed.

Two stories of faith

Matthew 8 includes two stories of faith (or lack thereof) early in Jesus’ ministry.  When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion sought him out to heal his servant who was paralyzed and suffering at home.

Jesus offered to go to the servant. But the centurion said there was no need to come but to just say the word and his servant would be healed. (See Matthew 8:5-13.)

Amazed, Jesus applauded his faith, saying

“Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith,” (Matt 8:10 ESV).

On another day, Jesus and his disciples were in a boat traveling to the other side of the sea. While Jesus took a nap, a great storm appeared, and a deluge of rain hit. In their fear, the disciples awakened Jesus asking Him to save them. (See Matthew 8:23-27.)

Jesus’ reaction?

“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (Matt 8:26 ESV).

He then got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And everything was calm.

Jesus could have calmed that first angry wave and stilled that first gust of wind. But He didn’t and look at the lesson they learned. These ordinary men witnessed an extraordinary event that changed their lives and helped them move past their fear. The wind calmed, but they also experienced awe and a strengthening of their faith. After that day, they must have known there was nothing Jesus couldn’t do.

With renewed confidence, they would then walk and talk and share their stories without fear. They taught, preached and healed with boldness.

Strengthen your faith

What are you afraid of? Can you put your fear aside, recognizing that Jesus is in the boat with you and has the power to calm your storm? He knows you. He knows your weakness and your fears. Your hopes and dreams.

He is with you when you need healing, courage, confidence or protection from the storm.

Let His presence strengthen your faith and bring you life, hope and power.

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Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

 

What’s in a Name?

What’s in a Name?

by | Jan 19, 2024 | Beauty, God, Love

My Christmas gift to you

He called him Precious. Until the day he went to be with Jesus, he called his 6-foot, 13-year-old son Precious. Whether at bedtime, on the football field or basketball court, that name belonged to my now 21-year-old.

Words of endearment stir our hearts and, in our case, give us reason for a chuckle or two. I once knew a pastor who called his beautiful blonde wife Yellowhead. Cute. Right? Even today, the server at Sonic randomly called me “lovebug” as she handed me my order!

My mom called my sons “Sweet Angel.” Of course, one son questioned that name. “Why does she call me that? I’m not sweet and I’m not an angel!”

Affectionate names can even inspire proud moments, lift our spirits and reinforce our value.

Do you have a word for someone special? Or maybe a secret handshake between you and someone else? (My husband had one with our boys.) Maybe you share a heartfelt look with a friend or family member that communicates a message that mere words cannot.

What a beautiful name

The Bible tells us God has special words for believers too. Let’s look at a few, letting them soak in. Let them cover you with His peace and love and encourage your spirit.

Beloved

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV)

Chosen and Royal
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)

Friend

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15 NIV)

Jewel

“‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them my jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’” (Malachi 3:17 NKJV)

Masterpiece (God’s Workmanship)

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

Joy of Many Generations

“Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.” (Isaiah 60:15 NIV)

What a beautiful love

You are all these things to Him and more. So many more. The Bible also tells us that God calls us by name, revealing His personal involvement in our lives, the promise of His presence and His love for us. And that love will never be shaken. In contrast, He sets His heart on us.

“What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him,” (Job 7:17 ESV).

Yes, He sets His heart on us! He has wonderful and beautiful names for us. Let the beauty of these names and the beauty of God’s love refresh and strengthen you today.

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Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

 

Questions for God

Questions for God

by | Jan 8, 2024 | Loss, Trust, Worry

My Christmas gift to you

“Why did God send the ants?” Parker asked his brother at the dinner table.

With five-year-old wisdom, Garrett quickly returned, “You know that God can hear you. He can even hear you in Disney World.”

In his deep, raspy voice, Parker shouts, “God! Why did you send the ants?!”

Oh, to be as bold as a three-year-old.

 

Have a question?

What question do you want to ask God today? Do you need to cry out in agony? Do you want to shout, demanding an answer?

As I write this, I am surrounded by a community that is reeling after an unimaginable tragedy, claiming the life of a beloved teenager and causing unspeakable anguish in the others involved.

Another family embarks on a cancer journey, soon to begin chemo and surgery. Still another deals with the unexpected loss of a job. A husband and wife struggle to hold their marriage together, while others are making the hard decisions to care for elderly parents.

 

Need answers?

There is a new song that launched today. Honestly, We Just Need Jesus by Terrian. The title of the song says it all. We just need Jesus. To get us through the heartbreak, the uncertainty, the pain and the loss, Jesus is our answer.

While searching for something else, I ran across the ant story today. I had jotted it down shortly after the little-boy dinner conversation. I share it not to downplay the severity of loss and pain, but to remind us that God hears what comes from not only our lips, but from our hearts as well.

Seek the Lord. He hears. He’s with us in the middle of chaos and pain. He gets trauma and grief. He understands hopelessness and anxiety.

Jesus takes our hand and walks beside us. He is trustworthy and he will never fail us.

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 (NIV)

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Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

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