Open Arms

Jeremiah 31:3New Life Version (NLV) The Lord came to us from far away, saying, “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness.

Ephesians 4:7 Loving-favor has been given to each one of us. We can see how great it is by the gift of Christ.

I have never been away from my kids more than 4 or 5 days at one time.  Taking the trip to Alaska and being away from them, wasn’t hard for me at first.  Then I realized I would be gone for 10 days.  I missed both my daughter, age 6, and my son, age 9, terribly.  I couldn’t wait to squeeze them tight and tell them all about our trip.  The moment my daughter saw me, her face lit up and she immediately jumped into my arms.  She took both of her tiny hands, placed them on my cheeks, and looked deep into my eyes.  She then said, “I missed you.”  These words had more depth than they ever have.  Pure joy came from my heart.  The joy only a child and a parent can exchange.  

So many times in our lives, we wander, take “vacations” from God and our faith.  The when we decide to return He places His hands on our faces, kisses us with kisses that will be felt eternally, and looks deep into our hearts and says, “I have missed you.” 

Regardless of what transpires as our hearts have wandered, what sins have taken place, He ALWAYS welcomes us with open arms, grace is given, and a love that parents have for their children - unconditional love.  

Good Good Father [Lyrics] - Chris Tomlin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_m5ZWchiZo

Be Blessed!

Struck Gold!

2 Corinthians 4: 13-18 (MSG)

13-15 We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!

16-18 So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

While on our trip through beautiful Alaska, I was able to pan for gold.  This process is one many of us have seen either in movies or documentaries.  However, experiencing it was amazingly exciting.  We were given a pan that had a mixture of sand, rock, and other sediment.  Within this mixture was pure gold that could not be seen.  Shaking the pan in a certain manner brought the gold to the bottom of the pan.  Then came the tricky part, we had to dunk our pan repeatedly in the water to get the sediment to filter out.  What kept the gold in the pan is that it is 18 times heavier than water.  Some people where caught picking through their pan, trying to find the tiny specs of gold.  THEY DIDN’T TRUST THE PROCESS.  After some time of dipping and dunking, it was time to swirl gently and in a particular way.  Slowly and suddenly the gold started to appear at the top of our pans.  

God weighs down our treasures.  Sometimes we can see it with our own eyes, but most times we have to go through a process to find the treasure.  This process is necessary in our growing and swirling relationship with Him.  But in the end the difference between panning for Earthly gold and His gold - there is only 1 that is a 100% guaranteed to strike gold.

Be Blessed!

To Do Lists

Exodus 14:14New Life Version (NLV)

14 The Lord will fight for you. All you have to do is keep still.”

1 Samuel 12:16New Life Version (NLV)

16 Now stand still and see this great thing which the Lord will do in front of your eyes.

Isaiah 26:3New Life Version (NLV)

3 You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You.

Welcome back!  Most of you who are on this email are apart of the beginning of school one way or another, whether a parent, part of a school staff, and/or a teacher.  The last few nights I have been tossing and turning.  I would take one look at the clock, then satisfied that I still had a few more hours of sleep.  I began to enjoy the silence in the house until the littlest things start being heard.  I could hear my son’s fan in his room across the house, the dripping of the diffuser next to our bed, the clicking of the fan above our bed…you get the idea.  Then my mind started racing about “To Do Lists” that would be tackled as soon as my alarm goes off.   I would look at the clock again satisfied that I still have a few hours before my alarm goes off.  Then I hear Him tugging at my heart.  He motions for me to “be still and rest”.  The thought of tuning into just His voice seems to be easy enough, but then the loudness of our thoughts overcome His voice.  

So as we all get back into the swing of things this school year, remember to be still and take notice of what He is doing in your life.  Trust in what He is doing,  soak up the little moments of silence, and listen to what He might be whispering in your ear. ​

Be Blessed!