On this day, March 3, in the year 1863 a resolution was adopted proclaiming a National Day of Prayer and Fasting. The United States of America continues to recognize this resolution on the first Thursday of May each year. I was reading the speech that President Lincoln gave on March 30th following the signing of the resolution. It is a fascinating read and can be found in its entirety at this link. This was a President who recognized the need to honor the God in whom all things have been created. There is a quote that stands out as particularly intriguing to me: Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. – President Abraham Lincoln President Lincoln recognized that we can get to a point in life where self-sufficiency overrides our perceived …
Tag: Beyond the Comfort Zone
Thanksgiving has come and gone. All that remains are the leftovers sitting in the fridge (and the added weight from all the desserts). I am sure that many of you spent time reflecting over the weekend about what you are thankful for. My list is extensive. I am thankful for my amazing family. I am thankful for my wife who constantly supports and encourages me. I am thankful for our beautiful Son – a proof that God does do miracles! And, I am particularly grateful for all of the hard seasons in my life that have led me to where I am. That last statement might sound absurd to some. Why on earth would I be thankful for hardships? Simply put, they have developed my faith and strengthened my resolve allowing me to constantly focus on the fact that God is in control – my life, after all, is His story, …
I have always appreciated the “Skit Guys” and their amazing ability to deliver a message. I recently saw this clip and thought it would be a great way to start this post. Take a few minutes to watch this before you read on. In all seriousness, fear is debilitating. It is the thief that not only steals your joy, but your ability to live in the present. Fear encapsulates your mind and forces you to live in a constant state of “What if?” thereby robbing you of living in the now. I have seen it lived out in others and I have most definitely spent my fair share of days living in this state of existence. There have been those times when I have refused to take a step out of fear – fear of failure, fear of others or fear of the unknown. We cling to what we know, …
“Not me Lord” or “I am not able Lord.” How many times do we see that in the Bible when God calls forth His people for a purpose or cause? I spoke about this last year in my post “No More Excuses“, but this morning I was reading in 1st Kings 18 and couldn’t help but pause and reflect on a few points in that chapter. I will give you the back story in one sentence: Elijah is a man of God, who told Ahab ( the King of Israel, evil in the sight of God) there would be a famine and Elijah has been gone for 3 years now returning. As Elijah begins his journey back in encounters Obadiah. The Bible tells us that Obadiah feared the Lord greatly and even hid and saved 150 prophets of God from Jezebel. Obadiah knows that Elijah is a man of God …
Before we jump in, it is important to note there have been 2 parts to our topic already posted last week. I encourage you to read them first if you have not done so: Part 1 and Part 2. Numbers 14 starts off in a very interesting way: 1So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” Wow. …
I recently saw this tweet by Dominic Russo: “The next generation of Christian leaders are largely invisible right now. They are being prepared in ‘caves’ and ‘dungeons’ like David and Joseph.” There is so much good truth in that statement; And not just pertaining to our future Christian leaders. I believe there is something even deeper to this statement. It seems to me that the large majority of “influencers” for the kingdom experienced some type of desert experience. Even Jesus himself spent 40 days in obscurity and solitude in the desert before His mission was activated. But even beyond that, there are countless others that had to develop their calling in what many would call less than ideal circumstances. David was told he would be king…but then he spent many years hiding in caves. Joseph saw his future, but was then forced into slavery and even prison. If you know …
There are so many people in the Bible that take on what I call the “Even If” mentality. And it is those people that I want to model my life after. But there is one story in particular that really seems to sum it all up and it is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel Chapter 3. These three young men took a stand against King Nebuchadnezzar who had recently decided to build an image of gold that he commanded everyone to worship. Just to put things in perspective a bit, that image was said to be 90 feet wide and 90 feet tall of gold (that is roughly a 9 story building). I would imagine this would be quite the impressive sight to see. It also says in Daniel 3 that when the music would play, everyone in the land would bow down to worship this idol …
Seeing that the Olympics just finished, I think it is fitting to share this great video I saw awhile back from Francis Chan: Have you ever found yourself clinging to the balance beam of life? Holding on tight…just waiting for things to stabilize? Have you ever caught yourself getting too comfortable…almost to the point where you become complacent in your journey? I know I am guilty of that! I know there have been times where I would rather close my eyes and hold on – just let me know when the shaking is over. However, with that said, I know that is NOT who I want to be. It is NOT who God created you to be. God calls us to live a challenging, exciting, adventure of a life. The adventure is here, now! Why are we so scared to step out and try something new for Him? Isaiah 43: …
