He's in the small stuff...

"...Never will I leave you, nore will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

Do you ever feel like you're all alone in this world. Did you ever wonder if God is really there with you? The Bible tells us that God will never leave us, yet sometimes we just can't seem to find Him. Faith, my friend. When we hit the dark times, we tend to look inward at ourselves. It becomes very difficult to see what is going on around you when your eyes are on you. Kind of like driving a car while you read a book. Doesn't really work so well, and if you keep it up, a crash is imminent.

When things are bad and we feel all alone, we really need to take our eyes off of ourselves and put them where they really belong. On God. But then you ask, where do I look to see God. The anwer is all around you. Look at the trees, the flowers, your children or grandchildren. Look at the clouds in the sky. Check out that nice car in the driveway... Oh it's yours? Yes it is, but provided by God. If your like me, music can can be a way to be closer to God. Sometimes it is like the words are coming directly from Him. They will speak wonders to you if you listen.

But the best place to see God is in the Bible. Read it daily. Ask Him to speak to you and show you something new each day. It is amazingly simple, but it works. God will show you something new even in verses you have read hundreds of times before, if you let Him. God is always there with us... sometimes I think He hides so that we have to seek Him. But even so, he has never left us... He always has us in His sights. We just don't always see Him... it's gotta make you wonder...

Dear Lord, please help my friends and I to see You working in our lives during the hard times as much as we see you during the good times. Please help us to see you in the little things, and to recognize the little things as "hugs from You"...

You Have a Gift...

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord." 1 Corinthians 12: 4-5

I went to a women's retreat this past weekend. The theme running throughout the weekend was "Gifts". There was discussion on what are the "gifts", where do they come from, how do you know what your gift is and "how do you use them to serve God. This was a very timely message for me as I had been pondering the subject quite a bit lately.

God has gifts for all of His children. Each "gift" is unique to the individual. Oh yes, there are only a limited amount of types of gifts, but our ability to use the gifts and the situations that God puts us into where we could use them are definately unique to each of us. One of the speakers this weekend was a worship leader at a very large Vineyard Church. She was telling us that while she loves leading worship, and serves God by leading it, she feels that it was not her most precious 'gift". God gave her the ability to sing and play the piano and she gets up each week and leads thousands of people in worship, and knows that she is serving our God by doing so, but she believes that raising her children in the way of the Lord is her most very special gift. This woman looks at each of her children as gifts from God, and sees raising them up in the Lord as a gift to the children and to God. I found that to be the most profoundly moving truth of the weekend.

God does not limit us to just one "gift". Often times we get several gifts. God will design a gift package for each of us that will allow us to serve Him and His Kingdom in the best way possible if we are open to it. It really boils down to whether or not we seek Him, and whether or not we listen for the "still quiet voice" of the Holy Spirit inside of us. The gifts are there. Freely given. We only need to ask Him to reveal them to us, and sit back and listen to what He tells us. Often times we can recognize our gifts by our passion. A gifted speaker will usually have a passion for speaking. A gifted musician will have a passion for music. A gifted teacher will garner great joy from seeing students "get the point".

Ask God to make clear your gifts, and then sit back and wait for him to show you. When He does you will know it, and you will have an immense desire to use the gift to worship, honor and serve Him. It won't be about you at all. It will flow from your very being without effort. And you will know. It might not be just one gift, it may be several. We are to serve God in everything we do, to give praise always. Our gifts help us to do just that. Practice using your gifts to honor God and you will soon find that God will use your gifts to bless those around you too. It's gotta make you wonder...

Dear Lord, please help my friends and I to discover Your giftings in our lives. Help us to use these gifts to honor and serve you. And somewhere along the way, please allow those gifts to bless those people with whom we come into contact. And may Your light shine brighter because of our willingness to listen to You.

Where Did You Come From?

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:19-21

Not all of us have been brought up in Christian homes but here we are... Christians in spite of our auspicious upbringings. In fact it doesn't really matter what type of family we were born into... If God wants us, he will call us and keep on calling until we finally buckle down and listen. Did you ever wonder how and why all those people in China are sneaking around trying to learn God's word. Was it just because someone said "Hey God loves you and He wants to know you"? No. Lots of people have had that shared and they don't go desperately seeking God... It is because God had put the desire in their hearts long before they ever heard the Word. The Word was an inspiration, a confirmation that the still small voice inside them was right. Did they need to have the message shared? Of course they did. But if the Word had not come to them, they still would have had the desire to know God.

I was raised in a household that did not believe that God was there or that He sent His Son as a sacrifice of love, and yet I had the desire. Not from anything that I did. I had no control. God called. I heard the still quiet voice inside me. One day someone shared the Word. And it set me free. I knocked on the door and God answered, welcoming me into His home and His family.

Remember me, remember my story, remember the people in China sneaking around trying to learn God's will for their lives. Share the Word with others every chance you get. You might think it doesn't matter, but it might release the small tiny voice inside the person with whom you are sharing. It's got to make you wonder...

Dear Lord, please help my friends and I to find opportunities and the courage to go out and share your love with others. Help us to be a light where there might be no other, and let us shine because You are bright within our hearts... And most of all please help us to hear the "still small voice" inside us and to recognize it as Yours....

Dealing with losses...

"For I know the plans I have for you," Declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

At one time or another each of us has faced a loss that has seemed to much to bear. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, a friend, coworker or something more intangible like our health, eyesight or hearing.... it is always something. We can keep looking inward, thinking about that which we have lost or we can look outside of ourselves. If we have faith in God's ability to "handle" our situations we can rest in the peace that He is in the driver's seat. God can see the bigger picture that we can only see a small portion of... Kind of like how we can see the previews of next week's show but only the producer knows the ending... God is like the "producer" of our lives. If we look outside of ourselves and open up our hearts and minds to what He has opened up to us we will see the beauty of what He has made to give us joy. We will see the color's of the leaves, the blueness of the skies, the beauty of the children waiting for the bus stop, the love that an elderly couple have for each other as they stroll along the side of the road hand in hand... We can enjoy the music on the radio or CD. There is so much out there that God has created or was the power behind the creation of that is there for us to enjoy. It should all remind us that He sees the bigger picture, that He alone has control. We can take in all of these reminders that He is in the driver's seat and we can let go of the steering wheel and quit trying to "drive" our lives... God has taken away the person whom we cared so much for because in the big scheme of things it was the right time. It's not the end. We WILL see them again. God told us in Jeremiah that He is in control. That He has plans for us. Don't we owe it to Him to let Him do what He intended instead of trying to "handle" things ourselves. He will take good care of us. Do what is best for us... at the right time.... always the right time....just be patient and let Him work... kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Dear Lord, please give my friends your peace as they work through their losses. Let them see You in the small stuff. Let them be still and know You are there... Help them to take a seat in the back and leave the driving to You...