Reconciliation

Reconciliation is a beautiful thing when practiced and applied to overcome a severed relationship. There is always time to reconcile and yet it is a forgotten art in much of the church. Many people live offended and hurt by someone rather than choosing to reconcile so that there is no hindrance to the relationship. A marriage only works when there is daily reconciliation that takes place on both parts. We are human and flawed in every way. The truth is we hurt those we love the most. There is no escaping this reality. We must learn to embrace wholeheartedly the ministry of reconciliation in order that we might experience the fullness of love with our spouse, friends, brothers, or sisters.

Do not hesitate today to reconcile with someone that you love. If you know there is an issue that needs addressed do so in love and gentleness. Always approach a person with compassion and humility. Never consider yourself right and the other wrong. Seek to listen and understand first, rather than speaking and being understood. Much ground will be gained to the person that lays down his or her 'rights'.

Reconciliation is like the roadway to genuine beauty and transformation. Reconciliation is forgiveness, repentance, renewal, restitution, and humility.

Imagine

Imagine a photograph capturing the very essence and heart of a person.

Imagine a photograph capturing a moment that would forever be changed.

Imagine being able to portray a people that otherwise would not be noticed.

Imagine telling a story that would unfold into freedom for someone.

Imagine a world where there was no difference between rich and poor, black and white.

When a photographer snaps that 'perfect' shot, it's like time stands still for a moment and nothing else matters. The excitement of what has been captured is all that he can think of. I see God as the master photographer who captures our heart in a way that no one else can. He brings out the beauty and shows all around that these are my beloved, the ones I love.

A Fruitful Vine

Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table. (Psalm 128:3 NLT)

I am a blessed man in so many ways. I might not have the earthly riches and fame that so many pursue, but what I have in my opinion is worth far more than silver or gold, fame and power.

I have been married for over seven years now to a most amazing woman. I could not have asked the Lord for a more Godly wife. She truly is one that loves God with all of her being. She radiates the need for the Creator in so many ways everyday. God has been merciful and gracious to me. I do not deserve her, but I rejoice in her.

Fruitful and flourishing. This describes my bride well. We have been blessed with three vigorous young children. I love being a husband and a father. It has been a dream since I was young. My children are a joy and I love them each so much. There is nothing more beautiful than to see young families who are fruitful and reflect the light of Jesus. I desire for my family to be a testimony to the grace of God, the love of God demonstrated to the poor and broken, those who have not been a part of a family. It's all about family and belonging. Our heavenly Father loves family and has created each of us to be in one, both naturally and spiritually.

A Revival of Honor

I have been thinking about something lately. Actually it is something I think about a lot, it's like i am wired to think about it, analyze it, seek to understand it, and then walk it out. By now you are wondering what in the world has he been thinking about right? Got your attention.

How do we truly see and treat one another? Yes, thats it. How do you and I really treat those closest to us? How do we show the Fathers love and heart for strangers that we meet, people we encounter out and about? I really do think about this a lot. I want to be found treating people the way God would want them treated. One word sums it up...HONOR.

I don't believe that we really understand what it means to truly honor one another. Honor has to do with recognizing ones heart, ones gifting, ones character and so forth. Honor comes by seeing a person through the lens of humility and love and not fear. Honoring another person means to bring their beauty out, shout it out loud that they are worth loving and being enjoyed. Honor means to love deeper than the fear of being hurt by someone, the fear of a persons failure or sin. We honor not just those who have accomplished great things, or fought many battles, or won many awards. We honor those who cannot return honor, cannot repay you with anything. We look deep inside a fellow human being and see the "Imago De", the image of God. I am truly convicted and convinced in my spirit that a revival of honor needs to happen in every family, marriage, friendship, church body, and everyone we interact with.

Treat Those Today Tenderly...

True Community

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. (Acts 4:32 NLT)

Have you ever been to a church where you felt that all the believers were truly united in heart and mind? What would it look like practically? What implications would it have socially, financially, and what effect would it bear on the city or town that surrounded that church?

For the believers in the book of Acts the first thing it impacted was their possessions and what they owned. In essence they became selfless. It started with a recognition that what they owned did not belong to them, but too God. They shared everything they had. Wow...this is truly profound and mind boggling to our American church culture. Not only did they share what they had, but they sold houses, property and gave ALL the money away to those in need. No one in their midst lacked, there was true equality. This my friends is not Communism, but True Community.

There is a longing in the heart of every man and woman to be a part of something, to fit in. There is a desire to be recognized and appreciated. We all have a need to be loved and give love. Genuine, sincere, without hypocrisy kind of agape love. When believers are united in heart and mind it changes everything. They are united with their hearts (give love) and united with their minds(how they practically demonstrate that love). When this happens there is not much room for the enemy to come in and cause dissension. It is when a church is already divided that the enemy comes in and causes greater division and takes advantage of their weakness. There is strength in numbers right? Well let me tell you there is strength in numbers that are united with one heart and one mind.

Whatever body you are a part of strive to be united in heart and mind with your brothers and sisters in Christ. It is hard work, but diligence pays off. Don't give up in this pursuit. Encourage others not too give up either. Be blessed in order to be a blessing.

The love of mondays...

Turn your mundane Monday into a mountain top experience!
How?
Why?
Really?

Wake up earlier than normal on a Monday morning and start it by thanking
God for being a glorious day that He has made.  Then, rejoice and be glad in it.  Simple.
Profound?  Not really.  What if we lived every day expectant that God was going to do great things
in and through us no matter how small or insignificant the tasks that we perform seem.  Maybe its about
our perspective being off and needing to be realigned with truth and grace! 

Our Creator loves to be with us, He loves to excite and fascinate our hearts and minds.  There is
absolutely no limit to His freedom, joy, creativity, and ability to confound and amaze His people.

I pray that your Monday be filled with great things!  Everyday is an opportunity to grow and learn through the various challenged that life presents to us.  May we have an eternal perspective, Heaven on earth reality today!  Your Kingdom come, Your will be done Lord! 

Mercy triumphs over Judgment

I have been overwhelmed with the state of sin and darkness that so many live in here in this nation. I am deeply saddened and troubled in my spirit as I see the news that yet another mother has killed her her four children and herself. I feel as if the demons are raging and having a hay day in many respects. Does anyone notice and see the increase of darkness in the land? We must be alert for we are children of light and not darkness. We must pray and share the good news that people are deeply loved by God. We are living in a time where the people of God need to shine as lights in a dark place and be strengthened to go the distance. Come Lord Jesus and bring your angels to stand guard against the evil one. Let your people be light today.

The Word of God

The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. (Psalm 119:130 NLT)

I love this verse. It is the word of God the only eternal words known to man that gives light and life. There are no other words worth comparing to the Word of God.

The Word of God is understandable even by the simple or unlearned. A child is able to understand basic truth from the scriptures. There really is no excuse for anyone not to follow the word or seek to understand what it says. Many people give themselves to studying a subject for hours on end in order to master that subject. Why is it not so with the Word of God? If everyone sought to read and meditate on the Word of God then the church would be a changed place. We must come to love and desire to know the scriptures in a deep and personal way. They are life to all.

Prayer: Father give us a hunger to know You more through the Words in the book of life. Let us desire to grow in wisdom and knowledge in order to please you more. May they keep us on the straight and narrow path. You are awesome in all Your ways.

Never Abandon

No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. (John 14:18 NLT)

Reassuring words for the disciples to hear prior to Jesus leaving the world. It was important that they understood that the Holy Spirit would be with them and in them, even as Jesus Himself had walked and talked with them. They had been so used to Jesus always being around, and I am sure they thought He would always be around and grow old together. Why would the Messiah leave them alone in the world? Why did He have to go back to the Father? Did the Father not send him into the world?

Jesus knew that it would be better for the Comforter to come, the Holy Spirit. He would be able to be with every disciple and believer at the same time, everywhere. Wow! This is amazing, yet not the physical presence that the disciples closest to Jesus had experienced. They ate together, drank together, washed together, brushed their teeth together. They practically were with Him 24/7. He was like a Father to them and they looked up to Him, he was their hero.

Orphans do not have parents. The disciples were about to feel like they were loosing a father. They were not going to understand. Jesus was making sure that they knew He was not abandoning them, but actually would be closer to them in a whole new way. He was also reassuring them that He would return for them, that they would be with Him forever. Reassuring words they needed to hear. They had given everything to follow the Christ. They had left families, careers, and friends to follow Jesus.

We today must Also be assured that He will come again! He will never leave us as orphans. This is a promise. Hold onto truth today. We are sons and daughters to a good Father.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35 NLT)

Jesus could not have said it more clearly than He did in this verse. It is love for one another that would be the distinguishing factor for the world to know who belonged to Jesus. It was their gifting, or how much they accomplished. Love for Jesus and love for those around them in the body of Christ and those needing Jesus.

Is it any different in our day? Over 2000 years later? Has the message changed? No. Can it be then that the reason there is so much division, disunity, and dissension in the church is because of the fact that through LOVE for ONE ANOTHER the world would be convinced that Jesus is Lord? The enemy of our souls hates love, he hates unity and everything associated with Jesus's words. The enemy comes to seek, kill and destroy genuine and sincere love. He cannot stand it when love wins.

Our challenge as radical Jesus followers today is to take Love to the next level. What I mean is that if we truly and deeply loved one another then real change would occur. People would start to be won over because of love. The world would see such a stark contrast in this love for one another compared to the lust or conditional love. It is time that our love be purified and refined. Let our love be sincere without hypocrisy! There is no mask in sincere love. This love lives in absolute union with God and man. This is what we are after. This is what God is looking for in His bride. A radiant church is one that has learned to LOVE ONE ANOTHER deeply and sincerely.

Let our roots run deep in love.

Choose Life

Always choose life over death
Love life, love others
Always choose to be a voice
For those who cannot speak
Consider the orphan
Consider the widow
Consider well the unborn
Let life live
Choose life over destruction
Speak truth in love
Speak words of hope not hate
Today choose to love in spite of
Circumstances gone south
Trials gone east
Hardship rising in the west
Difficulty on every side
Choose wisely, choose carefully
Your words are life
Your words are death
No middle ground for the tongue
Speak to build up not tear down
Learn to listen well
Before speaking fast
Life is beautiful
Worth fighting for in every way
Your time is now not later
You have today not tomorrow
Your yesterday is forgotten
This moment is all you have
Refresh, rethink, reconnect
Return, refuel, reply
Repent, reassess, reconsider
True love is not in vain
Choose life

Whose Praise will you choose?

For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. (John 12:43 NLT)

If you and I are honest how many times have we been tempted and desired the praise of men more than the praise of God? What does that look like in your life? In my life? How do we overcome the fear of man and walk in the fear of the Lord?

A few thoughts:
The praise of men is worthless.
The praise of God is eternal.
The praises of men are fickle.
The praises of God are steadfast.
The praise of men is based on performance.
The praise of God is based on sonship.
The praises of men will fade quickly.
The praises of God never fade.

So whose praise are you after? Wouldn't you rather please and honor the God of all, over sinful humanity?

My challenge today is to seek the praises of God and be counted worthy in His eyes alone. Let us run after Him and His glory alone.

I want to be like a strong tree that will not be knocked down in the winds of life and testing. May our roots go deep!

Dead Man Walking

And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” (John 11:44 NLT)

In the days of Jesus they did not have any high tech morgues with make up artist to make the dead look better, or any giant freezers to keep the bodies longer. When someone died, immediately decay set in. Imagine someone that you love deeply having died all of a sudden. What emotions would you feel? Anger, disbelief, and hurt to name a few maybe?

Death is no friend to life. In opposition of each other, stark enemies. Death favors not the young or the old. Death comes at times when least expected, in surprise fashion with no chance to say goodbye. Death for many is the greatest fear in life. The fear surrounding death will cause many a man to search high and low for ways to escape or prolong the inevitable. For man there is an appointed time to live and die. For Lazarus, it was not yet his time to die though he already has spent four days rotting and decaying in a tomb.

You have to get a bit gruesome hear to fully appreciate and marvel at the miracle that Jesus performed by raising Lazarus from the dead. After four days a body would have already started to rot, show signs of stains and discoloration, and carry a major stench. There would be swelling, and different degrees of disfiguration. Okay you get the point. Gross!

The word tells us in this passage that Jesus was really angry and troubled. Yes Jesus got angry. He was human. His anger related to Lazarus's death is what moved Him to raise him from the dead after four days. It was to display Gods glory. Jesus loved Lazarus deeply. There was a deep affection and bond between Heaven and earth in their relationship.

To be continued...

A child is born

Okay so I have been a bit busy these last couple days and time to blog has been a bit underground. On Tuesday May the 2nd we welcomed Daniel Levi into the world. He is absolutely amazing! I am so blown away by Gods goodness to us in this way. He came a bit early, nonetheless a welcomed surprise. Life has been about adjusting to having now three under the age of 5. Big brother and sister are doing great and adjusting well it seems. They love having baby here. It was an intense but amazing natural delivery at a great birthing center. I am always blown away at the wonder of birth and the supernatural element that it brings. It truly is miraculous in every way. If you doubt Gods existence (which I seriously hope you do not) then I encourage you to be a part of a live birth. You will be forever changed!

Our God is a worker of miracles, it's what He loves to do. He loves to astonish us and cause us to feel really small in comparison to his magnitude.
Praise Him. Thank you God for this gift.

Light and Darkness

Light and darkness.  Night and Day.  God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all!  We are in a battle everyday for our own hearts and lives, for the lives of those we love, and for the lives of those that do not know Jesus.  I am reminded today that the casualties of the Spiritual war are far greater than that of a natural war.  We as believers in Jesus must stand our ground and be alert at all times.  I believe we are living in a time where those in the church are not radiating with the Light of Jesus as they should, but often times with a 'shade of gray'. 

White and black are two opposite colors, and when they are mixed they create different degrees of gray.  It is the same with those that are called to be lights in a dark world, but when we allow darkness into the light it causes the light to dim and creates a mixture that is not pure, not sustainable.  I will be the first to admit that I have sinned, that I do still sin, and find myself frustrated when I do the very things that I do not want to do.  This is not about being sinless, or perfect.  We will only attain fullness of utopia when we are united with Christ on that day.  For now, however, we are called to be like Him.  We are called to bear fruit, and every branch that does not bear fruit will be cut off and thrown out(John 15).  As a follower and disciple of Christ I long to be more like Jesus.  It is a fight daily to stand firm and strong against the flesh, temptation, and the battle that is waging in our cities, nation, and world. 

Can you imagine a church wihtout mixture, without blemish, without stains, and without compromise?  This is eternal bliss and glory as a new bride united forever with Christ. What about here and now though?  Why not here and now?  Is it possible to live holy lives devoted to the King daily?  If it were not possible the scriptures would say so, but the last time I read it says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"!  We are more than overcomers, more than victims of what the culture tells us to do and say. 

Let your light shine so differently, that the world will clearly see a difference!  Let us strive to be the salt and light, a city on a hill, that gives light to all around.  Help us God.