The past year was such a season in our lives. Unexpected challenges arose in a steady stream, sometimes coming in multiples. As each one neared its end, I found myself believing, hoping, that the season was over, yet there was still more to come. Many important things, including my writing and this blog, were shelved as my energy and attention were focused on what was happening in our lives.

There were difficulties, but there were also numerous blessings. We were reminded again and again that God had his hand upon us, and that we would make it though. I needed several reminders from my wife along the way that our track record of coming through our difficulties with God’s help was one hundred percent. Even so, keeping close to God was challenging at times, and my own relationship with God suffered at some points. I knew that God was the Strong Tower I was meant to run to and be saved, but exhaustion from what felt like perpetually treading water, and my fears about the future, often weakened my spiritual resolve, and my spiritual disciplines occasionally suffered.

Recently, God reminded me of his faithfulness in the past, and I drew strength and resolve from those victories. I realized that my focus was off and I needed to make an adjustment. Just as my annual eye exam often yields a new set of glasses so I can see clearly, I needed the Holy Spirit to assess and adjust my spiritual lens to sharpen that focus as well. I could not sacrifice what was most meaningful and necessary because I was busy, fearful, and tired. In fact, those very realities mean that I needed even greater focus on what mattered most.

Jesus never sugarcoated our reality. In John 16:33, he says it succinctly and clearly, “In this life you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” These were words I needed to hear and apply to my life. Troubles would be a part of life, but my focus was never meant to be on the difficulties, but on the One who overcame the world, so that I could overcome by obstacles. My focus was meant to be on Christ, and Christ alone.

All this, brings me to today. There are still battles to be fought, fears to subdue, and victories to be won. A season of rest may be on the horizon, or the stream of challenges may still continue. Either way, my focus is on the One who will lead me through. It is time to write and blog again. It is time to laugh and savor life. It is time I am given to be with God, and to become who God is making me to be.

Thank you for your patience as I wandered through my desert. I look forward to our continued conversation here at the cafe. I pray that, if you are going through your own challenging seasons, you will focus on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Don’t let another day go by, trading your joy for worry, or exchanging your peace for confusion. Give your attention to the One who overcame for your sake, and who makes you to be an overcomer in every circumstance!

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There is nothing quite like knowing you are on your way! There is a sense of excitement and joy that comes from each new beginning in our lives. We feel things begin to tremble as we begin to launch and we know that we are underway, something amazing is about to begin. The anticipation is tangible. Even facing some fear and the unknowns, we know the adventure is starting.

Last week, I had the pleasure and privilege of officiating the wedding of a very dear friend and her fiancé. Standing before them as they shared their vows and exchanged rings, it was easy to see the joy on their faces, and everyone felt their anticipation for the new life that they were embarking on in that moment.

I always share a few words with each couple I bless in marriage, and I make sure to mention that not every day ahead will be as utopic as their wedding day. Challenges will certainly come, and there is no way to predict what awaits in the future. What is sure is that they are joining their lives together with each other and with God, and they will, through the strength of those relationships, be able to face whatever comes their way.

Such significant moments come with joyful expectancy, and a healthy dose of respect for the unknowns of the future. It can be a wedding, the birth of a child, a new vocation, or a new calling. These, and other similar moments, become launching pads into God’s future, and when we embrace them in their fullness, there is much to celebrate.

In the Book of Revelation, God says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) In the very text that epitomizes God’s future for humanity, there is the promise that God is making everything new. When we walk in faith, we are assured that God is working to re-create us, and our circumstances. Not only is this a promise of hope, but it is a definition of life. Day-by-day, God’s new life for us is being revealed and created.

To say we soar with Christ is an excellent description of what our life of faith is truly like. We continue to climb higher with him, and we experience greater vistas of beauty and wonder. What was once our ceiling, now becomes the floor for the next step of the journey. What once seemed difficult is now commonplace, and what was only a dream becomes reality. With each stage and step, our ability to see more and dream bigger dreams increases.

It would be easy during the shaking and rattling of lift off to back out or change our mind. The immediate experience of that moment can be intimidating, but it is only a short season that is leading to something far more beautiful that we ever expected. Soaring with Christ is a wonderful thing.

When I was younger, I took lessons toward gaining a private pilot’s license. I still remember the day my instructor got out of the plane after we landed and said, “You are ready to solo. Take her up yourself.” My stomach was in my throat. My heart was beating fast, and it was hard to breathe. The thought of my lift off was very intimidating. There were many hours of theory and practice behind me, but this was the real thing.

Sitting at the end of the runway, I pushed the throttle forward and the plane began to move, slowly at first, but rapidly picking up speed. About halfway down the runway, I felt the wheels leave the ground. I was far from steady, but I was flying. In moments I was hundreds of feet above the earth and enjoying an experience I will never forget. Soaring around the airport was amazing. The view was beautiful, and I felt so alive. It wasn’t long before it felt normal to climb into the cockpit and take off by myself.

Soaring with Christ comes with the same intimidating fears, but the reward is worth facing those fears. Nothing we experience compares with the wonder and amazement that comes from the choice to say, “Yes!” Lift off is worth it. We are meant for it.

Whatever God is calling you into today, say, “Yes!” Soaring in faith is an exciting experience. May God’s blessing be yours for the journey!

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Last week was our denomination’s Annual Conference. It is always great to see friends, experience great teaching and worship, and do the business of the church.

In preparation for the event, each of us receives a journal with all of the necessary information, including all of the action items for our time of business, details of the budget, and general information about our time together. Additionally, we are given a time to gather prior to the event to review the information together, receive clarification, and ask lots of questions. There is also plenty of time to reach out to others to become better informed.

In spite of all of the preparation time and options, there are still people who come expecting to hear about, and understand, the information after arriving at the conference. After nearly 30 years of attending these conferences and being a person who invests the time in reading and asking questions, I am always a little annoyed by those who don’t prepare, but more importantly, I feel bad for those who are trying to navigate all of the details at the last minute.

Unfortunately, too many people approach their faith in the same way. Life gets busy with many distractions. It becomes all too easy to coast through the week and then try to get close to God and grow deeper in faith by attending church services on Sunday. Just like procrastinating for an exam, it is hard to make it work by cramming things at the last minute, and just like those late night cramming sessions, what you gain is often lost quickly after the exam.

Being Christian is more than just going to church services. It is more than a lifestyle. It is a way of being that finds its identity in relationship to Jesus, and its purpose in loving and serving others. Worship is central to our daily lives, as are prayer, study, and reflection. Acts of compassion and concern for the world flow out of our relationship to its Creator. We do not merely go to church, we are the church, the body of Christ in the world.

We certainly need to be in community with other Christians. We were never meant to be islands; Lone Ranger saints who live without one another. The Psalmist reminds us, “How good it is when sisters and brothers dwell together in unity. We need the rootedness that comes from belonging to a connection with others. In that relationship there is a place for building one another up, offering compassionate correction, and growing together in God. We can live successful Christian lives on our own.

Yet, we cannot live successful Christian lives in relationship to one another and the world, if we do not nurture our faith in our everyday lives. An ongoing passion for a deeper relationship with Jesus, and a greater fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us, leads us to more mature, whole life in relation to others.

Of course we should gather as the church to worship, pray, and study, but that experience should come from the overflow of the Spirit nurtured in our daily walk with Jesus. Instead of coming to a worship service to get what we need to get through the coming week, we might better come to share out of the abundance of a week lived in the passionate presence of the Savior. Instead of looking for what we can get, we come to give out of what we received to build one another up, so that together, we can go forth to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The deeper we go in our relationship with God, the richer and fuller our lives will be, and the greater the impact those overflowing lives will be for our communities and the world. We must pray for the passionate fire of the Holy Spirit, saturate ourselves with the truth, and make ourselves available to be conduits of God’s love for the world. We are blessed to be a blessing. As our roots grow deep in God, we become a tree that bears much fruit for the sake of the world and the glory of God.

May your week be richly blessed as you go deeper in your relationship with Jesus.

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The shepherds responded to the angel’s message by immediately going to Bethlehem to see the Promise of God in person. They arrived and told everyone what had happened to them, and what was told to them about the precious child of Mary. When they left, they returned giving glory and praise to God. Three very significant things stand out in the actions of these shepherds:

They responded right away to the word of God. The angel revealed God’s plan and invited them to go and see for themselves the great thing God was doing. That invitation was a call for them to be a part of the story, a part that would be shared for generations to come. These simple, unnamed people who were doing their job, responded in faith and they did so right away.

Often, God extends a call to people, inviting them to join in the great story of the transformation of the world, only to have them say, “I’ll have to look into that sometime,” or, “Isn’t that nice, somebody should get involved with that.” We are tempted to postpone our response to the call, or ignore it all together.

The shepherds, did not wait. They left their work, their peace, and their comfort, and went to follow the call of God. God said, “Go and see,” and they did. Faith in God says, “Yes!” Then, it demonstrates that yes by putting faith into action.

They told everyone what they experienced, saw, and heard. As someone once told me, our relationship with God is very personal, but it is never private. The message of the Lord is not just for us, but it is meant to be shared with others. Too often we are afraid of what others will think of us. Will we be seen as crazy? What if people question our experience? We can already hear people saying, “Aren’t you taking this God thing too far?” or, “You heard from God? Really?” So we keep the message to ourselves and try to fit in with those around us.

The shepherds could not keep it in. They saw angels! They received the message! How could they deny their experience? How could they not make known the great thing God was doing? The same questions apply to each of us who experiences the revelation of God in our lives. How can we stay silent when God is speaking? What difference does it make what others think of us when God trusts us with his word? Instead, we should embrace the words of old hymn of the church, “I love to tell the story!”

They continued to give glory and praise to God. They did not walk away from their encounter with Jesus, keeping it to themselves, and returning to business as usual. No, they were changed by that experience, and it produced a heart set on praising God and giving him glory. This moment in time, that most of the world missed, became a life-changing reality for them. They could not go back to who they were before, and the cry of their heart became a declaration of praise to God.

We were made for praise. Once we encounter Jesus, our hearts cry out as well. Our lives are different simply because of our experience with the Savior. The only authentic response to the work of Christ in our lives is to glorify God and offer our praise. Like any type of witness, we can only tell the truth of what we have seen and heard and, when it comes to God, that witness always involves a voice of praise.

As we continue to live in the true joy of Christmas, may we take direction from these faithful shepherds who, having had an encounter with God, were never the same, and could not keep from telling anyone who would listen!

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