Conformed or Transformed?

I have found myself saying "That's just not fair!" this week. I have experienced frustrating situations that I would allow to consume me. I have let my mind wander and have experience a cluster of destructive emotions. I had valid reasons to be angry; valid reasons to fight; valid reasons to quit. So, if that is the case, why would I say "it's not fair" and out of the same mouth "God is up to something great"? Perspective. It comes down to perspective. In all of our situations, whether or not we can see it, God is up to something great! Through our situations, we may find ourselves saying: • How could God let this happen? • This isn't fair! • If God cares about me, why is he allowing ____________ to happen? Our life is a short little speck in light of eternity. God has seen all of the past thousands of years and he already sees the next thousand years. He knows everything we have ever done and will ever do. He knows what will happe...

I have been reading a book called The Prayer Life by Andrew Murray. This book was written after a ministerial conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 1912. The ministers at the conference realized that one of the deepest roots of evil is the sin of prayerlessness. Andrew Murray writes about what they talked about to be victorious in this area. It was interesting to me that the reasons they struggled with not praying back in the late 1800's and early 1900's are the same reasons we give today: distractions, busyness, sin, ect.... It is not that we don't have time to pray, as we make time for friends to come over when they call. It's a matter of choice. Just as a doctor takes our pulse, our level of prayer is the pulse of our spiritual life. Prayer is a weapon that can destroy in a fight. We can conquer EVERYTHING by prayer. "Is it any wonder taht Satan does his utmost to snatch that weapon fromn the Christian or to hinder him from the use of it." ...

It is so hard to wait. We can get impatient. We can get down right mad at having to wait. We have gotten so used to instant gratification that I think we have lost the art of waiting. The "art of waiting"? What does that mean? There was a time when people prayed until they saw God moved. There was a time when people pleaded with God and stayed all day, all night, whatever it took to see God move. There was a time when people fasted and gave up everything just to wait on God. There was a time.....when was the last time for you? Has there been a time? I am convicted in my own spirit by this. So, what will I do about it? I find there are some things I have been praying about and I am waiting. Trying to be patient. Trying to be faithful. Trying to keep my face on the ground and not give up. Trying. Trying. Trying.....and yet....what are we supposed to do "in the waiting"? Here are some things God spoke to my heart about this morning: - Fast and keep a...

Life has been very hectic with the start of school this year. Andrew is in high school and just finished his driver's education. A lot of changes for us. I am finally finished with classes and tomorrow is my ordination ceremony down in Fremont, MI. It feels good to have reached that goal. I started this week with Pastor's Prayer and Fast Retreat down at camp. It was a good time to meet with other Pastors and get to know some of them, as well as the time of meeting with God. Betweeen the retreat and my ordination and my wedding anniversary this month, I have been in evaluation mode. I am evaluating each relationship I have: my marriage....both to Brian and to God, my relationship with my children and also my relationship in ministry. I have been overwhelmed this week by the deep responsibility I carry in each relationship. So, I am evaluating, setting goals and praying for each one. Here are some of the questions I am asking myself: 1. How much time do I spend on thi...

"making a difference with our time here on earth" This is the new youth group name. It should be a lot of fun starting up again this fall. I am working on writing some materials about how we are in this world, but not of it. What does it mean to be a Christian in this world? How are we aliens and strangers here on earth? How does that translate into the way I interact with the world? We are going to be looking at 1 Peter. I am excited about it. Do you have any ideas for me? Talk to me....

This last week part of what I preached was how we view our troubles. What if God allows troubles to come our way to grow us into the people that He wants us to be. What would happen if we viewed troubles as opportunities to see God work? I believe that miracles were not just for Bible times, but also for today. Mark Batterson says this "Too often our prayers revolve around asking god to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor, but maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions. Maybe faith is trusting God no matter how impossible the odds are. Maybe our impossible situations are opportunities to experience a new dimension of God's glory." What trouble are you facing right now? Instead of praying to ask God to take the trouble away, try asking God for a miracle! What do you think? Talk to me.....

It has been a really busy week and I have read Chapter 3, but haven't had a chance to post about it. When I got an email yesterday asking "Where is chapter 3?" I figured I had better get on that! I really appreciate those of you who faithfully read and comment. It encourages me to keep on sharing. Sometimes you wonder if what you have to say ever makes a hill of beans difference in anyone else's life. I pray that the words here on this blog will encourage and inspire your relationship with God in a new way. I know it hold me accountable to keep my relationship with God going strong. I pray that for all of us that we will "no longer be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds". So, on that note....chapter THREE!!! First, I realized that I haven't really shared with you what "chasing lions" is all about. Beneniah killed a lion in 2 Samuel 23:20-23 . I am sure it was one of the scariest moments of his life, yet the m...

I bought this book a while back that I really wanted to read and I am just now getting to it. It has a crazy title, but upon reading chapter 1, you totally get it. It's based on 2 Samuel 23:20-23 where Benaiah killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The book is about facing your fears to take the risks of the opportunities that God has given us. Over the next few days as I read this book, I want to share some of the highlights, as already in chapter one I have been challenged. Here are a few challenges from chapter 1: 1. "God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. But the right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time." 2. "I recognize this simple truth: The greatest opportunities were the scariest lions. Part of me has wanted to play it safe, but I've learned that taking no risks is the greatest risk of all." 3. "I think the church has fixated on sins of ...