Spiritual Growth

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

If you were to ask me my favorite hymn, i would tell you without any hesitation that it is Amazing Grace – but more specifically the more modern version released by Chris Tomlin in 2006 (lyrics below). i would also tell you that i am a fan of the movie of the same name (also released in 2006) which tells the compelling stories of William Wilberforce and John Newton. Both men were driven to action by the amazing grace that they came to realize had been extended to them by God. Both men were compelled by the reality that grace is not to be kept; it is to be passed on.

As i felt impressed to write this post, i looked up the word “amazing”. Forgive my redundancy – but i was “amazed” by the list of synonyms: astonishing, astounding, surprising, stunning, staggering, shocking, startling, stupefying, breathtaking, perplexing, awe-inspiring, phenomenal, unbelievable – and more.

We all know that grace cannot be earned. If it could be earned by our efforts, our works, our wealth or our abilities, it wouldn’t be grace….

King of My Heart

King of My Heart

We live in stormy times. The world in which we live can be a very distressing place. The nightly news is filled with reports of the ravages of disease, the havoc of disasters, and the inhumanity and incivility of man. Within a matter of moments, our lives can be upended into a cascading turmoil by sudden loss, distressing news or tragic circumstances. Where are we to turn?

This past Sunday in worship, as we sang the contemporary psalm entitled King of My Heart (lyrics below), it was a fresh reminder that our Almighty God is the only One to whom we can turn when everything around us is spinning out of control. That simple song makes eight powerful statements about our Almighty God:

He is the mountain… where i run

He is the fountain… from which i drink

He is the shadow… where i hide

He is the ransom… for my life

He is the wind… inside my sails

He is the anchor… in the waves

He is the fire… in my veins

He is the echo… of my days

The Majority Report

The Majority Report

My second novel entitled Through the Eyes of a Spy is scheduled to release next month. The book follows the journey of the Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt through their inhabitation of the Promised Land. The story is told through the eyes of Caleb – one of only two adult men who were eyewitnesses to the events of the entire span of time. It is a story of faithfulness – first and foremost, the faithfulness of God, but also the faithfulness of one of His servants.

Caleb was one of the twelve spies sent into the Promised Land by Moses while the rest of the people waited in the wilderness. The spies were given the assignment to explore the land that God had already given the Israelites and bring back a report. The twelve men were a veritable who’s who of Israelite society. These were leaders not only of their respective tribes, but of their entire nation. When these men spoke, the people would stop to listen.

Moses had told them what they were to explore….

The gods we have chosen

The gods we have chosen

As Americans, we pride ourselves on the fact that we get to choose. We believe that no one should have the right to choose for us. Many of us would die for the right of freedom to choose. Many brave men and women have! Sadly, many innocents die every day under the guise of an evil and errant view of the right to choose.

Our Creator has given us the right to choose. The good news is – God has given us a choice. Sadly, more often, the bad news is – God has given us a choice.

The Israelite leader, Joshua, is famous for challenging the people of Israel when he said, “Choose you this day whom you will serve….”(1) Jesus, in His famous “Sermon on the Mount”, said, “No one can serve two masters”(2) – with the implication being that we must choose between the two.

The reality is that all choices are not equal. They aren’t all the “right” choice….

A Legacy of Faithfulness

A Legacy of Faithfulness

i am currently writing a series of short stories that recount the legacies left by some of the early matriarchs, patriarchs, prophets and rulers of the people of Israel. Some of those men and women left legacies of faithfulness; others left legacies of faithlessness. It is particularly interesting to look at the legacies of the kings of Judah. Eight of the twenty rulers that followed Solomon in reigning over the southern kingdom of Judah are considered to have ruled with good character. The remaining twelve are not.

What is particularly interesting to me is that four of those “good” rulers were the sons of “bad” kings, and five of the “bad” rulers were the sons of “good” kings. Five who were born out of a legacy of faithfulness became faithless, and four who were raised under a legacy of faithlessness became faithful.

So, what’s my point? Each one of us chooses the legacy we will leave to those who come after us. Each daughter or son makes her/his own choice.

A Journey To The Unknown

A Journey To The Unknown

As i write this, there is a brave young woman traveling halfway around the globe to a place she has never been before. She bid farewell to her family and friends, and to the only home she has ever known, in order to build a new home in a foreign place. It’s not a short term trip. It’s not for just a few years. It’s for the rest of her life… as Jesus tarries. She is making the journey because she knows that God would have her do so. i confess that i admire her courage and her faith. She truly has embarked on a Genesis 12 journey – a journey to an unknown place.

i saw a picture this morning that was taken of her with her family just before she boarded the plane to begin her journey. Their beautiful faces told a story of love, excitement, hope, joy… and sadness. There’s that joy over doing what you know God has called you to do…and excitement over where the journey will lead… but there is also sadness as you say farewell to those who are near and dear. That’s as true for the loved ones who remain at home as it is for the one who is making the journey….

He Will Return

He Will Return

The sixth and final book of my series Lessons Learned In The Wilderness releases this week. It is an important mile marker for me in my spiritual journey. This week marks the 16th anniversary of the day the Lord confirmed His direction to me to begin writing the first book in the series. 

At the time, we had just begun a journey of faith into the unknown. As i reflect over the sixteen years since this journey began – and the 366 chapters that comprise the complete series (6 books, 61 chapters each) – i am again reminded of the faithfulness of our God. Each one of these chapters is one of the many lessons He taught us along the way. They are lessons about His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His steadfastness, His love, His provision, and so much more.

This book – Until He Returns – looks at the journey of those first century followers of Jesus as seen through the Book of Acts. i am mindful that Acts begins with a group of one hundred twenty men and women gathered around Jesus to say farewell as He ascends into heaven. They were embarking on their own journey into the unknown. They knew what it meant to walk with Jesus – but now they were supposed to continue on – even though He would no longer be there with them physically.

Don't Lose The Wonder

Don't Lose The Wonder

Christmas may be over, but let’s not lose the wonder of who Jesus is.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “And when He {the Messiah} comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!”(1) Blindness, deafness, lameness and muteness are not conditions that are orchestrated by God. They did not exist when God created the heavens and the earth. Rather, they are products of the fall of man that resulted from human sin. God had nothing to do with the creation of those conditions, but He has everything to do with their cure.

In John chapter 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter a man who had been blind since birth. The disciples asked Jesus the cause for this man being born blind. Most often when we witness or experience loss of this nature – whether it be loss of sight or hearing, or the loss of life, or the loss of position or possession – due to disaster, disease, violence or some unexplainable reason – we want to know what caused the pain. But most often even knowing the cause doesn’t provide us with a decisive explanation – let alone an explanation that satisfies us. Because we will never be satisfied with pain or loss – no matter the cause – nor should we!

However, if we are following Jesus, we can take strength from the Lord’s assurance….

Thankful

Thankful

My journey as a novelist began less than a year ago. The idea for my first novel began to take root in my heart and mind at the end of 2018. It was the beginning of what continues to be a great adventure and a tremendous learning experience.

One of the elements i have enjoyed the most is learning how to create “fictional” characters within a novel – to visualize their appearance, to bring their personality and history to life, and then to begin to empathize with them. One of my mentors encouraged me to identify a muse for every character i write about. As i write, i picture that person in my mind’s eye, and his or her appearance and personality begin to help shape that of my story’s character. Through that process, the characters become as real to me as the “real” characters that i place alongside of them….

Praise Before My Breakthrough

Praise Before My Breakthrough

Our Lord is the same today as He was yesterday, and as He will be tomorrow. Don’t take my word for it – take His! He has said it through His Word: “Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 CEV).

i always shudder whenever i hear someone say, “God doesn’t work like that anymore.” If that’s the case, then who changed? Because God said He never changes. So on whose authority do we make that statement? It obviously isn’t on the authority of God or His Word, so it must be on our own authority.

And what is the basis of our authority? It can’t be our position – because we are the created beings. What created being ever had the authority to say what its creator can and cannot do? The painting doesn’t have the capacity to tell the painter what he or she can or cannot do. The painting doesn’t select the color, the size of the canvas, the stroke, or the subject. The painting has no say in the matter. Through its position as the painting, it has no authority over the painter!

So if it’s not our position….