AND GOD SPOKE

As I searched for God the other morning, I heard Him speak. I know that always causes some feelings of angst amongst people. Some don't believe it, others wonder why it doesn't happen to them. I don't have all the answers, but I can share my experience. Maybe He'll speak to you through the words of this email.

I was looking through Scripture and stumbled across this verse, a message from God to His people through the prophet Isaiah...

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55: 9-10, ESV)


As I read, I wonder, "What are His thoughts? What is it that God thinks most about?"

So I look elsewhere in Scripture for the words, "Lord or God" and "thoughts." I find the Psalmist David reflecting on this same thing. He says...

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand. And when I wake up, you are still with me! (Psalm 139: 17-18, NLT)

The next day, as I listen to a audio version of one of my favorite books, Steps to Christ, I hear...

"When men go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that He does not mark."

And I conclude what God is trying to tell me. He's trying to tell me that His thoughts are of me. He watches over me and every moment of my life because He greatly cares for me and what happens to me. That thought is not only endearing, it is what I needed to hear. I needed to hear about a higher power who loves me in a way that is deeper and more real than anything I can imagine. That His thoughts are with me and of me. That He is with me.

The good news is, His thoughts are not just of me but of ALL His children...those that know, love and serve Him and those that don't. Regardless of how we spend our days or the things we do, His thoughts are of us because we are His precious and dearly loved children.

I hope that truth can turn your attention to Him for a moment and that in that moment you would realize that He's been with you all along. Courage for the close of the quarter and the journey of the day!

DREAMING AGAIN

In a couple of weeks, my son and I are embarking on what I call, "A Coming of Age Tour." He's turning 10, and when he was born I made a commitment that at 10 years old he and I would go on a long drive, have some fun, and talk about the things that matter most...baseball, relationships (birds & bees stuff), and Jesus. I am humbled by this task and excited at the same time. I pray for the Spirit to guide my words and fill our conversations with excitement, love, and wisdom.

This weekend, as we were planning our trip, I was lamenting over the cost of gas and how I wished the prices would drop before we leave. Ayden began "dreaming."

He said, "Daddy, how much would it cost us if gas was only $1.00/gallon?" I did the calculations and told him we'd save around $600. He didn't stop there. With eyes bulging out of his head, he said, "Daddy! What if gas was only $.01/gallon? What would it cost us then?" Resisting an eye roll, stuck in reality, I mustered out, "I guess that would only cost us about $20.00."

Then he said something that really hit me. He said with a sense of pure joy in a tone that children bleed so well, "It's fun to dream isn't it Daddy?"

You know what? He was right. It is fun to dream and I had been guilty of raining reality on his parade. When I let go and really joined in the fun of dreaming with him, we had a great time.

I don't know what your reality is today. Maybe it's painful and dreaming hurts (my heart sank as I wrote the prayer requests today...reality can really hurt). But I believe that it's in the dreaming that we meet with our Creator; after all, it was His "dreaming" that brought you and I into existence. It was His "dreaming" that saved the human race. His "dreaming" that conjured up an unimaginable plan to become human in order to save us from our sins. It sounded too crazy, too unrealistic. The God of the universe coming down to earth as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, but He did it. He dreamed and His dream saved us.

Maybe today, we all need to dream about what could be. Maybe what could be will be, maybe it won't, but one thing is for sure; A day is coming when our deepest and most meaningful dreams will come to fruition if we can but cling now to the One worth dreaming about.

May we all be able to "dream" with our Lord and Savior. May those dreams wake us up to a new reality on this earth where we live in the joy of the Holy Spirit until the day when His dreams and are dreams are one. Courage my friends! Have fun dreaming!

OVERCOMING FEAR

I'm pretty sure you haven't lived until you've seen a four or five-year old overcome their fear of diving boards.

Last week, I was watching my own children participate in swim lessons at the WWU pool, when I caught a glimpse of a little girl up on the diving board. All week she was frightened of the looming horizontal plank. Her parents had told her that her teacher may ask them to jump off the diving board. This warning inflicted much worry on her tiny heart all week. Little by little, day by day, the teacher scooted her class towards the diving board in hopes that each one would take the plunge. The teacher knew they would be safe, she could see the bigger picture. She also knew that more than likely the child would love taking the risk and would want to do it again after she jumped.

On Friday, it was her day. With a life-vest on, she slowly crept out onto the diving board, shaking from cold and fear. All of the parents neglected their own children to cheer on this little girl. Slowly, even more slowly, she inched out to the edge of the diving board. The teacher was in the pool, ready to catch her. Her parents were armed with cameras, but barely breathing; I don't think any of the parents at the pool were breathing. She stared down at her teacher, for several minutes, with tears in her eyes. Then finally, she jumped.

The crowd of onlookers erupted in cheers, the parents celebrated, the teacher praised the student, the student could barely believe it herself, and God simply smiled.

Throughout Scripture, one of the most common phrases is "Do not be afraid." Again and again, God has to remind us to not fear. He has to remind us that we don't see the whole picture, only He does, and in His arms we are more than safe. We need to realize that God is standing there, waiting to wrap us up in His arms and whisper in our ear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." All the while the angels are off in the distance cheering.

I'm not sure what fear you may be holding onto today. I'm not sure what it is that scares you; a job transition, a bad economy, an opportunity to witness or reach out to someone, a request, a relationship, a call to serve. But in the words of Mike Yaconelli, I hope you can learn the "joy and abandon of running and jumping and playing hard-without worrying about what "might" happen." For His arms are always long enough to save (Isaiah 59: 1).

Go in peace and joy and trust in Jesus to be there for you, arms wide open, to receive you unto Himself for whatever you face today.