We are now a week into the new year. The celebrations are over, teachers and students returned to school, and daily routines are beginning to feel normal once again. People who made resolutions, or set goals, for 2019, are taking the first steps toward breathing life into their new vision, but dreams are fragile in their infancy. Without care, we fall back into old patterns, get distracted, and even give up.

Now is the time to accept that there will be challenges, surprises, and obstacles, to acknowledge that our resolve will be tested. It is also the perfect time to embrace the possibilities awaiting in the year ahead. Whether the new year greeted us with unexpected concerns or we find ourselves enmeshed in the mundane, we can lift our eyes, dream God-sized dreams, and have faith.

The new year did not begin the way I expected. I planned to be on vacation, celebrating the holiday with family. I believed the time away would be refreshing and inspirational. I also believed I would be healthy. Unfortunately, sickness visited our home on Christmas Day, changing our plans, and creating an unplanned staycation. Except for two trips to the pharmacy and grocery store, we spent our vacation in our house.

The circumstances created some disappointment and discouragement, but it also came with hidden opportunities: significant time to catch up on needed rest, time to read several books, and opportunities to capture fresh vision for the year ahead. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it seems it was what I needed. There was temptation to whine in frustration, and I gave in on a few occasions, however, a little holy perspective allowed me to redeem the time. As I reflect on this time of illness, I find an increasing number of blessings and opportunities.

Vacation illness may not be the most significant challenge, but it is a great illustration. Achieving our goals and fulfilling our resolutions will not happen without rising up in the face of resistance, taking our thoughts captive, and embracing the Spirit-filled power to overcome. In the face of my initial obstacles, I added one more goal for this year. In addition to my original dreams, I resolved to savor every day, not because every day will be easy or desirable, but because it will be the day I am given.

Our attitudes and actions may not change our circumstances, but they will change us in, and through, our circumstances. If we stand our ground, if we embrace the call to be strong and courageous, if we keep moving forward, we will accomplish more than we can imagine.

So, the new year is here. What it holds is a mystery, but as we persist in embracing the possibilities, we will discover Jesus’ words to be true, “seek and you will find.” May our search be fruitful and our future blessed as we walk our days by faith.

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We have a choice. In almost every part of our lives, there is someplace where we posses the power to choose. We may not be able to choose what happens, but we always possess the decision of how we will respond.

The insights of Victor Frankl speak deeply to me, especially regarding this issue. Imprisoned in a Nazi Concentration Camp, enduring great evil, and experiencing great pain, he realized that his oppressors could control his environment and much of what was done to him, and those he loved. He also discovered the one thing they could never control was his response. No matter how powerful they were, he always retained his ability to choose. It was a challenging, yet liberating revelation.

While our circumstances may not be that extreme, we are no less able to decide. The power to choose our response is always ours. On one hand, this is a deeply frustrating insight because it dismantles our ability to blame our circumstances, or others, for the choices we make. We can hold people and systems accountable for evil and injustice, but we cannot abdicate our responsibility for our decision.

At the same time, such revelation is profoundly liberating. It removes us from the deceptive myth that we have no control. It may not be the control we are looking for, or even the control we want, but we are never completely powerless. There is at least one area where we can act and change our experience.

This is a challenging revelation for me. While I know it is true, I frequently find it difficult to practice. Like so many others, I frequently hear myself say, “I’m offended,” “I’m hurt,” I’m angry, frustrated, and unhappy.” Yet, I know that those statements are only partially true, because, when I speak them, I am implying that my emotional response was someone else’s decision. I’ve worked for years to change my wording, not as an expression of semantics, but as a means to more accurately define my reality, for as I do so, I gain more control over that reality.

Now, when I hear myself say those, and similar words, I work to immediately speak the truth, “I choose to be offended,” “I choose to be hurt,” “I choose to be angry, frustrated, and unhappy.” I choose. My response is my decision and when I accept that, I gain the power to claim a different reality. I choose to break destructive cycles and open myself to other possibilities.

We are made in the image of God, and that is a profound truth. It declares we have intrinsic value; our worth is not found in the judgement of others, but in fact that we exist and are loved by God. The image of God also means that we have the power to choose. We can choose good or evil, blessing or curse, even God or self. We can also choose how we respond to life and others.

As people of God, loved by God and empowered by God, we are never completely powerless. How we will live and how we will respond to our circumstances is always our choice. In a world that often seems out of control, we are grounded in God’s truth, and God’s reality. In a culture filled with angst, where being angry and offended seems to be a competitive sport, we can live in, and share, God’s grace and peace.

So, as always, we come to our lives with the God-given power to choose this day who we will serve, and how we will respond. What will you choose? For me, I choose God, and the grace and peace that flows from the Spirit. Now, I just need to put that decision into practice.

The post Decisions, Decisions appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

Please forgive the delay posting this morning’s post. I awoke today, with a passion to write something more timely.

I keep watching as hurricane Florence approaches the Carolinas, watching in awe of the size of the storm, and in deep concern for all that is within its path. I am thankful for the downgrade in intensity, but profoundly aware of the damage it will cause. I continue to pray for safety for people who will feel its destructive force: those who stayed in their homes, first responders, members of the military, and others. I pray for people who are displaced, seeking shelter and protection, unsure of what they will experience now, and what they will return to once the storm passes. I pray for communities that will be affected for years to come, long after the national meteorologists and news media move on to other stories and most of us forget about the long road of recovery. I pray for my own family and friends who need safety and direction. I look upon this vast storm and I pray.

This is not the only storm in my prayers this morning. I am also praying for families that are walking through the storm of grief, storms of physical struggles, along with storms in thought and spirit. These are not just generic prayers for nameless people who are struggling, they are prayers for people I love, for whom my heart breaks, and, beyond my prayers, I feel helpless. Storms remind us of our vulnerability and our weakness, yet I offer what strength I can as I hold each person and situation before God.

I know that many in our current culture remain unimpressed with the offering of thoughts and prayers. I realize that they see this as nothing more than words, and sometimes they are right. When we are honest, we know that the offer to pray for others can be the ultimate Christian brush-off, that keeps us from being truly invested in the needs of others. However, that does not mean that all prayer lacks power and significance. Yes, for some, an offering to pray may be an act of avoidance, but for many of us, our prayers are a sign of our deep, and passionate, investment in the lives of those who matter to us, and to God. Praying may be some of the greatest work we do, for while we cannot change every storm people experience, God can.

I’ve been privileged to share in prayer with people who profoundly care about the needs of others. I listen to the deep cries of their hearts, and see the tears that flow from their eyes as they carry those they love to Jesus. They know their weakness, but they trust in God’s strength. There is nothing passive about their prayers, instead, they are putting all of their trust in the Jesus who speaks to storms and they obey him. Like the story in the Bible of the people who tore the roof off of a house to get their friend in front of Jesus, they are committed to carrying the ones they love into his presence, with the unwavering belief that he can make a difference.

Part of what makes today’s thoughts timely to me extends beyond the pending impact of a hurricane. It is also timely because my wife and I are about to go for her two-year, post-cancer check up. At this time in 2016, we were in the midst of a powerful storm. We were weak, and fighting our fears as we faced the struggle ahead. We had faith, but thank God we were not alone. There were people in many places who were fighting with us in the storm.

You may ask, “did those prayers make any difference?” Absolutely! We felt them in countless ways. God gave us peace in the storm, offered miraculous provision and direction, and brought us safely though. I am not denying the gifts of the medical community and others, but there were just too many moments where we saw God move in our circumstances where there was no other explanation than the power of prayer. God responded to the prayers of God’s people, and this was not the only time. God is faithful, and our prayers make a difference.

So, I am going to continue to pray for those facing storms today. I am going to keep believing in God’s ability to be peace in the storm, and speak peace to the storm. I am going to keep tearing the roof off buildings and pressing through whatever walls I need to in order to bring those I love, and the whole world before God. I will be relentless in my petitions, because I know the heart of God, I know the power of the Holy Spirit, and I know that God moves in the mightiest of storms. I will be God’s answer to prayer where I can, and where I am helpless, I will put my full hope in the One who is not. I will continue to trust the Jesus of great compassion, who looks at the immensity of the storm and says, “Peace! Be still!” I pray you will join me.

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I love the smell of rain, especially when mixed with the ionized air of a thunderstorm. I enjoy the sound of the falling sheets of water, and the raindrops on the roof. Watching them dance on the road, or falling on the leaves, pausing only a moment before continuing their descent to the ground inspires awe at the vast simplicity of nature’s beauty, and God’s creativity, and it is a beautiful creativity with a purpose.

The sights, sounds, and smells that I enjoy in these moments are signs of the heavens refreshing the earth. Each raindrop brings life to grass and trees, to wildflowers and potted plants. Animals will cool off in the showers and refresh themselves with these waters. All living things will be nourished through the life-giving rain. Even I will find future blessings as well water is replenished, and the natural beauty I love is sustained. Far beyond Doppler images and weather forecasts, such storms are the fingerprint of God upon all life.

Simultaneously, these rainstorms are a force of great power. As I watched the rain falling Friday night, in sheets off the roof of our front porch, not far away, people were being evacuated from campsites for safety, and streams and rivers were rising to dangerous levels. In some places these waters were causing significant damage. Basements flooded, and cars, homes, and businesses were destroyed. This is powerful beauty.

I’ve heard a number of praise songs and prayers that invite the Holy Spirit to rain down upon us. It is a fitting image of the beauty of God’s refreshing grace. It is also an invitation to be filled with God’s awesome power. These images overflow with meaning, but when we speak them, do we really consider what we are asking for? We desire refreshing, and strength to walk victoriously through our lives, but are we ready for all the Spirit will unleash?

A woman in a church I served once said to me, “Pastor, I feel like the Holy Spirit is in our church, but I also feel like we keep him under glass. We want his presence, but we are cautious about letting him move.” I shared this reflection with our leaders and from our conversation came an initiative we titled, “Take the Lid Off.” It was a bold decision, and a bolder request. What would happen if we let the Spirit do whatever he wanted?

A few weeks after we began sharing our vision with the whole congregation, a man came to see me. He was worried. “If we do this thing… if we take the lid off of the Holy Spirit, things could get out of hand,” he said. He was more insightful than he knew. I wanted to comfort him, assure him that everything would stay in order, but I knew better. We were asking God to release the power of the Spirit. In some places, that would be a gentle, refreshing rain. In others, it would be a flood that would destroy the things that held us back from God’s best for us. Unlike the recent, powerful thunderstorms, the results would all be beneficial, yet similarly, the experience would be anything but easy, in some places.

Clearly, God is not the source of calamity in our lives. Jesus demonstrated God’s heart was one of compassion. Repeatedly, in the Gospels, it says, “he had compassion on them…” Still, the Holy Spirit is not to be played with, as if the Spirit were merely an agent of God to make us happy and give us what we want. The Holy Spirit is God. He works in us to produce God’s will for our lives and for the world. The Spirit is the powerful beauty of God intimately at work in human lives.

Inviting the Holy Spirit to rain down is an excellent, and worthy prayer. Such a prayer is much more than seeking spiritual goosebumps or expecting some cosmic good vibes. Asking for the rain of the Spirit, is asking for the manifest reign of God. It is trusting God for what is best, and yielding every part of our lives to God’s desire and and design. God loves to manifest the Spirit in our lives, but never does so on our terms. God does not perform for us, rather, God produces spiritual fruit in us. This may come in the form of refreshing rains upon the soil of our heart, or it may result in the stripping away of what is lifeless so that new life can spring forth. Typically, like awe-inspiring thunderstorms, it is both. When the powerful beauty of God is released in our midst, that creative force will remake us. As Jesus said in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.”

This may sound frightening, but God is not the source of fear. God is, however, worthy of our respect and awe. It is no small thing to invite God into our lives, but when we do, we will see the true goodness of God’s powerful beauty at work. We will become reflections of God, powerful in the Spirit, and beautiful in Christ.

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“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” – Psalm 108:1-4

I am not a morning person. Although I am more used to rising early, it never quite seems like my natural habitat. People often talk to me about the joy of seeing the sunrise, but I tend to think, “If God wanted me to see the sunrise, it would be scheduled later in the day.” Nevertheless, my schedule, and daybreak, do coincide occasionally.

Some sunrises are spectacular, rivaling any beautiful sunset. Others, like this morning, are not immediately inspiring. The growing daylight reveals overcast skies and rain clouds. There is no flaming ball of fire, rising over the horizon; no glorious splashes of red, orange, and yellow, set against the backdrop of the dark blue sky. The light brightens, revealing grey skies and muted colors. It doesn’t seem quite as spectacular.

The psalmist declares he will, “awaken the dawn.” I hear those words and immediately picture the light breaking through the mists on the field to reveal the vivid color of creation. In my mind, it is always a wondrous display, as light overcomes darkness and the full spectrum of life is made visible. I never picture gray, cloudy mornings, until today.

Although the clouds and rain are hiding the glory of the morning sun, the sunrise is no less wondrous. It’s brightness and color are as beautiful as ever, even if it is hidden from my sight. Today, I must trust my knowledge of what I cannot see, and bring to mind the memories of the beauty of previous experiences.

It is in the gray mornings, and seasons, of our lives, that our hearts must remain steadfast. It is in the moments that do not seem glorious that we need to sing and make melody, and in the darkness that we remember that God’s love and faithfulness are higher than the heavens. The joy of faith is easy when things are bright and beautiful, and we should declare our praise in those times, but we are blessed when we remember continue to declare our praise, and maintain steadfast trust in God when it is not easy to see.

We are all tempted to let our experiences and feelings dictate our faith, but we are much better off when we let our faith inform, and shape, our experiences and feelings. Jesus told his disciples, “In this life you will have troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) As people of faith, we do not ignore the realities of life, nor do we pretend everything is good. Instead, we see life for what it is, yet we choose to remember God’s love and faithfulness, and look beyond what we can see in the moment. We choose to trust that the sun is shining even when we cannot see it. We choose to walk by faith.

Today, things may appear gray and gloomy, but we can still sing and give praise in our heart. When we do, we will let that inner truth turn even the darkest day into a glorious sunrise of the Spirit.

Our hearts are steadfast, O God, our hearts are steadfast!

The post Awaken the Dawn? appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

Yesterday, we considered the challenge of overcoming negative sources of spiritual gravity holding us back from living an adventurous life with Jesus. In order to break free from the pull of these strongholds, we must first identify them. While the list could be quite long, here are seven common sources of negative spiritual gravity:

1. Familiarity

This is the one, as a pastor, I encounter most frequently. It usually expresses itself in one of two ways, either, “We’ve never done it that way before,” or “We’ve always done it this way.” Both are ways of articulating the deeper meaning, “This is what I know, and I am afraid of change.” This is understandable. With all of its challenges and problems, what we know is familiar. We know what to expect. Making changes may lead to something better, but how can we be sure? What if the change turns out to be bad? Staying with what we already know, feels much more secure, therefore, we resist letting go.

2. Past Failure

Maybe we tried something new in the past and it didn’t work, or maybe we saw someone else fail when they tried to break free, but the fear of failure is powerful, especially when we’ve experienced it before. Someone breaks our trust and we easily pull back from trusting in the future. We try a new business venture and it doesn’t work out so we squelch our entrepreneurial spirit. An attempt to live by faith seems to come with more struggles, making it easier to settle for a more “reasonable” understanding of faith. When things go bad, we become far less likely to try new things in the future.

3. Past Success

Ironically, when things go well in our past, it can also inhibit stepping out in faith. Why fix something that isn’t broken, or, why not just do what worked before? I often hear it expressed this way, “The church I went to when I was younger did it this way and it worked.” That is probably very true, and it may even be the right choice for us today, but the assumption is, it worked well enough in the past, it should still work in the future. So, instead of asking God how we should move forward, we take our direction from past success. It happens in churches, but it also happens in our personal lives as we keep trying to do what worked well the last time we tried, often leaving us stuck in the past instead of moving into our future.

4. Perceived Safety

Sometimes, we believe that we are safer where we are, than we would be doing something new. Certainly, this can be the case, but many times we convince ourselves that we are safer inside our sinking ship than we would be risking the open water in a life raft. We insulate ourselves from the realities of our circumstances to reinforce that belief, but the situation is actually no different. We feel safe, but we can be more at risk than we know.

5. Negativity

“That will never work!” Many of us are conditioned to think negatively. We start our evaluations looking for, and accentuating, all the possible concerns. When asked to list the “pros” and “cons” of an action or decision, we begin with the “cons,” and easily find more items for that list. Instead of seeing possibilities, we see problems, and we let that worldview shape our decision. One of the great dangers of this source of negative gravity is the more we feed it, the more dominant it becomes. As we search for, and speak, negativity, we train our minds and our spirits to think this way and thus, it becomes easier to find and say even more discouraging things, sapping our strength to move forward. Like adding weight and resistance to the rocket we are trying to launch, we sabotage ourselves at the outset.

6. Lack of Faith

I know, saying, “you don’t have enough faith,” is often used as a tool to beat people up, but Jesus spoke it frequently, not as a condemnation, but as an honest assessment and an invitation to think differently. Without faith, it is outrageously difficult to embrace new things, or to step into a new stage of our destiny. In many ways, faith is the fuel we burn to create the energy for upward momentum. The more faith we have in our tank, the easier it is for us to achieve liftoff and begin to soar where Christ has led.

7. A Controlling Spirit

Admit it, sometimes life feel wildly out of control. The more chaotic things feel, the more we try to control them. I recently discovered this was a growing problem for me. Over the last year, a number of things happened to reinforce the lack of control I actually possessed over many circumstances. During some recent prayer and reflection, I became aware at how much I was trying to find order through my own ability to control my circumstances. Of course, this control was just an illusion, and all I managed to do was create large amounts of stress in my life. Yes, things are often in chaos, but the good news is that God does some of the greatest work in chaos, and speaks order in the midst of it. Attempting to control things only restricts us from releasing our circumstances to God and embracing God’s power to walk through the storm together.

Maybe you find yourself wrestling with some of these issues, and maybe, they point to some other strong sources of gravity holding you back in your personal journey. Take heart, Jesus overcame the world, and he can help you overcome every stronghold that is holding you back.

In my next post, we will discover how to break free and soar. To do that, we need to know what is holding us back, and trust the One who is calling us forward.

The post 7 Sources of Negative Spiritual Gravity appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

We all have moments when we want to quit. The battle we face may seem too big, or too long. We begin to grow weary and that exhaustion weakens our resolve and wears on our thoughts. We begin to imagine that there is an easier path than the one we are traveling. Our pace slows, and we can even choose to simply stop where we are. Many people remain stuck, sitting alongside the path of their life, unable to go any further.

As I write this, my thoughts keep coming back to Sailor Gutzler. She is a 7 year old girl who recently survived a plane crash in Kentucky. The lone survivor, having lost her family in the crash, she freed herself from the wreckage and walked a great distance through some of the worst terrain to find help. She was not trained for the path before her, which was overrun with obstacles, nor was she prepared for the journey. However, she pressed on through the briars, ditches, and downed trees, and through her emotional pain and trauma, to reach a place of safety. Her story is amazing!

The past few days, I faced some challenges and obstacles that I would have rather avoided. At times, I felt like I wanted to avoid the path in front of me and sit down for a season. Then, I thought of Sailor, knowing that my journey and obstacles are nothing compared to what she faced, and I kept moving. Then, I thought of Jesus, and the journey he faced, and found more inspiration. Then, God reminded me that Jesus is walking with me, going before me, and giving me strength for the journey, and I allowed the Holy Spirit to renew my strength. Somewhere between the tenacity of a 7 year old girl, and the great grace of God, I lost my weariness, and moved forward .

Many people are talking about how miraculous Sailor’s successful journey was. I agree. I also am overwhelmed with the miraculous strength she found to press on, to overcome. I do not know if she had an awareness of God as she pushed through her circumstances, but I do know that God was aware of her, and empowering her to keep moving.

We all face unwanted and difficult things, some are far worse than others. Many times, we dig deep and try to find the strength to keep going, yet that strength can be quite elusive. Then, we discover a strength that exceeds our situation, a power that gives us more than a hand, it lifts us up on wings like eagles. God’s strength has no limits, and the Holy Spirit shares that strength with us.

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.” No matter what we are facing, God is bigger. No matter how difficult the task, God’s power is stronger. No matter how great our need, God’s willingness to meet it is greater. We are not alone, and we are not left to our own strength to continue. When we hope in the Lord, God renews our strength with his inexhaustible supply.

I thank God for grace, power, and hope. I am thankful for Sailor’s tenacious witness. I pray that God continues to strengthen her for the difficult journey ahead, and hope that one day she will see how her actions, in the face of great pain and adversity, inspired the nation and the world.

Let us not grow weary. Let us not faint. Let us hope in the Lord and be strong and courageous.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his might power.” – Ephesians 6:10

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The Apostle Paul warned Timothy, the young pastor he was mentoring, that a time was coming when people who claimed to be following Jesus would have, “a form of godliness, while denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:5). He knew, even at the early stages of Christianity, that there would be great temptation to leave behind the truth and the power of God, for something that seemed safer and easier. In our day, many hold to forms of faith, practicing rituals and attending services, but one has to wonder, “Where is the power?”

Is it possible, that we have lost faith in the story, or its Author? Do our frustrations and fears hold us back from believing in big things? Have we begun to view life through our own limitations, instead of the limitless possibilities of God?

I confess that, at times, this has been very true for me. I can easily lose sight of the promise from Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (4:13) In its place, I begin to look at my own strength and abilities, and quickly discover that I come up short. Trapped in the walls of my own ability, I begin to accept my circumstances, and try to do my best to make things a little better.

This, however, is not the life of faith, it is the life of belief, and that is not my (or your) calling! God’s invitation is to a life filled with faith in what God can, and will do. It is so much more than simply believing God exists. It is the opportunity to experience the awesome, life-transforming, circumstance-changing power of God!

A number of years ago, when I was taking martial arts lessons, my instructor had a sign he loved. It was the word “Can’t” written in bold letters, crossed out by a large red line. At the bottom, the sign read, “Can’t is a Four-Letter Word.” This was good motivation, but with God, it is the truth. There is nothing God call us to do, that we cannot accomplish in his strength.

How will people know that the story is true? It will happen as we demonstrate our trust in its authenticity, and as God begins to move in response to our faith.

One of my favorite promises comes from the blessing found at the end of Ephesians Chapter Three, “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine…” (3:20) Think about it – abundantly far more that we can ask, or imagine, and God does it through his power at work in us.

Our God is greater than we imagine, and we are stronger in him than we believe.

How do you strengthen yourself in God?

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