Women are special! They are! I am a man who recognizes the uniqueness and complexity  of women contrasted by the simplicity of men. Face it guys, we are simple creatures! Women can handle 30+ things at  once, while a man can barely get the trash out on time.

Lets explore what God said about the first woman He created, Eve. For the first six days of the creation story, at the end of each day God observed all that He had created and declared that “it was good“. But God then said that it was “not good” for man to be alone. At that point God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, removed a rib from Adam’s body and created a woman, whom Adam named Eve. Most importantly, after this occurred God looked at His newest creation and said “this is very good”. 

As Mother’s Day approaches, a range of emotions emerge that cover the entire spectrum from deep love to indifference. Let’s take a look at a few experiences.

The love of a dedicated Mother is unlike any earthly love. It cannot be broken by anyone. My friend  Jenny is pregnant with her second child, a girl, and very soon Jenny, her husband Will and first child Nate will welcome the newest member of their young family. When Jenny and I talk about her children, her entire face beams with love. In fact, she glows.  I believe this is what God meant when He created us in His image, because I can see the light of God in Jenny during moments like this, and it’s magnificent!

Sadly there  are other Mother/child relationships that aren’t so touching. The children  of addicts, abusers, selfish Mothers etc. don’t experience warm, loving feelings on Mother’s Day. They experience conflict. I get that, and these conflicts can cause damage which carries into adulthood.  In some instances untreated emotional scars can manifest into physical illness. And if the cycle of abuse isn’t broken, it continues into future generations causing further damage.

Mother’s Day can be a horrible and dreaded occasion for a Mother who lost a child due to accidental death, cancer or miscarriage. While their friends are being honored and celebrated, these Moms suffer. As do the young women who want so badly to be a Mother but aren’t or can’t be for a variety of reasons.

I believe it is upon us to offer heartfelt admiration to the “Rock-Star” Mothers we know. Their dedication, commitment and selflessness to their families is unsurpassed. But let us offer compassion and kindness to the childless, the abused and the neglected. In fact, as Christians, let’s offer kindness to everyone we encounter. This world could use more kindness…

Proverbs 20:24 says, Since The Lord is directing our steps, don’t try to figure out everything that happens along the way.”  We can take that verse several ways. One way would be to sit back, do nothing, and let life happen to us. But notice in the verse it says ‘steps’. Steps is an action word, so my belief is that we must take steps to grow and improve our lives, trusting that God is guiding us to where He wants us to be. Working to advance, improve and grow our lives really is the easy part. Trusting in something we cannot see is the real challenge here. You know, it’s easy to say “God is in charge”, or, “God has a plan”. But how many of us believe that? I have doubts sometimes. I do! And I’m a Believer! Yet, when I take an honest review of my life, I see clear, irrefutable evidence that God had me, guided me and protected me the whole time. To me that is comforting, to know that The Creator of the universe is guiding me. All I have to do is surrender my life to God’s will, and I have to participate. Life is not a spectator sport…it’s a full-on battle. But by surrendering and trusting, I become a conqueror!

I challenge you to fully surrender your will and your life to God. Let’s let Him take us places we have only dreamed about!

At the foundation of every successful relationship is trust. When someone trusts me, to me that is the highest compliment they can give me. I work very hard to fulfill that persons trust in me, and I will do everything in my power to not let them down.

But we all have trust issues, right? Perhaps we placed our trust in a person or a company that let us down. Maybe we have scars from having untrustworthy parents. Children of addicted parents learn to not trust, talk or feel. This can be a huge load to carry in an adult world that is forever trying to knock you on your backside.

When I was a boy, I tried to look up to my father. My dad was volatile, physically and emotionally abusive, and I did not feel safe opening up to him about what was going on in my life. He believed he was doing his job by being a good provider. I am grateful that I did not take up his habits with my own children, and I am grateful that I have healed from the scars he bestowed on me and I have left that in the past.

When I think about our Heavenly Father, sometimes it’s hard not to project the image of my earthly dad unto God. I am certain that many of you reading this have the same challenge. It’s only natural, but saying that doesn’t make it any easier to overcome. I do know that God isn’t sitting in Heaven keeping score and looking to punish us. That is the opposite of my earthly father who was on the lookout for reasons to not trust me and hence, punish me. So I continue to work on completely trusting our true Father. And, it’s a daily work, but it’s so worthwhile.

I leave you with this from Proverbs 3:5-“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding.”

Keep striving, and make your life count!

Ephesians 6:12 says, “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

There is a battle going on all around us in another dimension and we are not overtly aware of it.We don’t see it or feel it. Good v. evil, Angels v. demons, call it whatever you wish but it is very real. In Daniel Chapter 10 the story is told where Daniel has been praying for 21 days. Daniel is becoming frustrated because his prayer has not been answered when suddenly an Angel from Heaven appears to him. The Angel says to Daniel, “Daniel, God loves you deeply, and God has heard your prayers ever since the first time you humbled yourself. I (the Angel) have come in answer to your prayer.But the evil prince of this kingdom (a dark angel or demon) has opposed and blocked me for 21 days. Michael, the Arc Angel, intervened for me because I had been blocked from coming to you with the answer .” Is this not the wildest thing you have ever heard???

The Bible doesn’t tell us much more than this about the unseen battle, but it is real. Do you ever feel frustrated, feel like giving up? Discouraged? Full of angst? Me, too. The enemy will attack you with spiritual darts: the dart of fear, the dart of doubt, the dart of insecurity, the dart of worry and so on. The closer you get to God the more intense the battle becomes because Satan wants to keep you from accomplishing your God-given calling. The more we grow spiritually the more intense the fight. But God does not send us into this battle unarmed. We go into battle armed with a nuclear-grade arsenal. 1 Peter 5:8-9 – 8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” And in James 4:7 – 7 it says “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Trusting in God, staying in faith, even when you don’t feel like trusting and being faith-filled is the way. Jesus is the light of the world, and the light has already overcome the darkness. There are dark and evil forces at play in this world, but we have, through our faith, the ability to resist them and live our lives in fulfillment.

Live life with purpose…

When my children were younger, they would ask me as my birthday approached, “what do you want for your birthday?”  My answer? I just want to wake up! If I wake up I can handle anything life throws at me.

I am eternally optimistic. Always have been and I consider that to be one of my gifts. Forever looking for the good in people and situations, I believe we will find what we are looking for. So I ask you, what are you looking for in others? Do you want them to validate you as a person? Do you want them to admire you? Compliment you? You don’t need anyone’s validation. We were thought into existence before the world was created, and that’s enough for me.  Consider this…look for their good qualities and take the focus off of yourself. We are naturally selfish so doing this may take a little practice. But try it. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

Zig Ziglar said, “you can get everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.”  To further that beautiful philosophy, you will have more friends than you could ever count. Your relationships will be more meaningful and fulfilling. And that is worth a lot!

Live life fully, and always remain hopeful!

We all experience doubt and fear sometimes. We are human, so that is to be expected and not a character flaw. But the question arises, what can we do to not give in to doubt and fear? After all, we have dreams and desires, too. Those should be our focus. The biggest dream killers are doubt and fear, and I would suggest to you that they come from the forces of evil, not God. God loves us completely and wants so much for us to fulfill the purpose He has for our lives. Satan wants to destroy all good in our lives, and will stop at nothing to prevent us from living our lives fully.

In Matthew 14: 22-33 it says that after feeding the 5,000, Jesus sent his disciples ahead and the disciples were attempting to cross the Sea of Galilee. In the middle of the night the boat was being tossed about by a storm and the disciples were having a difficult time. Suddenly, they saw what they thought was a ghost walking on the water toward them, and it frightened them. It was Jesus. He said, “fear not, it is I”. Peter, one of the disciples said, “if it truly is you, Lord, then let me walk to you.”  Jesus said “come”. Peter stepped out of the boat and was walking on the water toward Jesus. But when Peter considered the storm, he became afraid and began to sink. Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out and caught him. The point to consider is this, as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus he was fine. But when he took his eyes off of Jesus, Peter became fearful. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He will get you through whatever may frighten you.

When in doubt, a scripture I repeat to myself is Phillipians 4:13…”I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me”…think about it, and live life fully.

Source: A message of hope…

This is a message for all who are seeking peace and hope in their lives. The message is predicated on John 3:17: “God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

I am a lay person, not a biblical scholar or religious freak. Simply a man who has found much inner peace by studying, learning about and seeking a relationship with Jesus. Sometimes saying the name Jesus has the unnecessary effect of scaring people off. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that so many people, great people, avoid going to church. Perhaps people feel like they will be judged and guilt-tripped when they attend church. I get that…the world is challenging enough without being torn down on Sunday!

What I ask you to consider is this: in the quoted scripture above it says Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. This blog will be an occasional piece written to offer hope, not guilt or condemnation. Because…Jesus wants a relationship with all of us. If you read the story of Jesus’ life on earth, you will find someone you would want to have a relationship with. A person, both fully God and fully human, who offered love, compassion and forgiveness…and He still does.

Make it a great day!