About once a month, someone shares a story with me that’s big. I get stories all the time, but I’m talking about the kind of story that makes your jaw flop open when you hear it…that kind of big story.

I’ve quit being surprised when it happens, but I’m usually surprised that it’s happening to the person telling me the story. Usually this type of story starts with a phrase such as “I hope you’ll still be my friend after I tell you this...” or “Please don’t give up on me when I tell you this…”

Someone made a huge error…they messed up…they sinned…

What surprises me most, however, is that no matter how much I preach with grace, in spite of the fact that “grace” is in our church’s name, even though I’m not bashful about saying I’ve had tremendous failures in my own life…

People still worry how I will respond to them.

Guilt does that too a person…and struggling with the emotions after a moral failure is often one of the hardest consequences…

Let me make one thing perfectly clear, however…

Your story isn’t too big for me to…

• Extend you grace…
• Call you my friend…
• Still love you…
• Want the best for you…
• Introduce you to my Savior…

You see, it’s not because I’m especially graceful, but because I serve a BIG GOD…

And He’s extended me much grace…So I know…

My Jesus isn’t scared away by the size or the messiness of your story…

The seemingly impossible situation you’ve found yourself in hasn’t startled Him either…

Go ahead…share your story with me…watch and see…

By the way, the longer you try to protect your story or the longer you pretend it isn’t your story…

The longer you may be delaying receiving forgiveness and grace…

Have you ever felt your story was “too big” to share?

Do you have one person in your life with whom you can share anything and know he or she will still love you?

Do you need to confess your darkest pain to someone today?

Will this be my last post ever? It will be according to a recent prediction. It’s been the buzz all week, so perhaps you heard it.

Christian radio host Harold Camping states that the Rapture (the taking up into heaven of God’s elect people) will take place on May 21, 2011 at 6 p.m. local time.  The rapture will sweep the globe time zone by time zone) and that the end of the world as we know it will take place five months later on October 21, 2011. (This according to a Wikipedia article.)

It’s been the subject of jokes, and teasing, and possibly some concern. What if it were the end?

I’m not jumping on a bandwagon of people making fun of Camping, nor am I going to assume no one is impacted by Camping’s prediction. The issue of End Times is serious business. It’s a sobering subject for some, as the subject should be.

I’m reminded of the concern of Jesus’ disciples following the resurrection. Consider Jesus’ answer in this passage from Acts 1:6-8:

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

For the believer, this should never be a time of stress. I’m leery of anyone claiming to know a date, but Jesus said it would be soon and we would know the signs. He also reminded us, however, that we should not be afraid, that we could cast all our burdens on Him, and that He was with us to the ends of the earth. I’m not stressed today, not because I don’t believe Camping, even though I don’t, but because I have a faith in the person of Jesus Christ, who raised from the dead!

If you are not a believer; a follower of Christ, let this moment soon to pass cause you to question where you stand with your Creator. Eternity is not a laughing matter. Call on God now and ask Him to save you. Place your faith in the risen Christ! I would refer you to another verse in Acts 2:21: “But everyone who calls on the name of the Lordwill be saved.”

If you serve a risen Savior, let me hear a hearty AMEN!

I’ve spent much of my walk with God waiting…

• Waiting for Him to give direction…
• Waiting on Him to open doors…
• Waiting on Him to make things clearer…
• Waiting on Him to supply the resources…

The waiting times are difficult to endure, but in times of waiting, I’ve learned there are 7 things I can do:

Prepare my heart – The silent times are the some of the best times to be seeking the heart of God. During the waiting period, I find I need to increase my prayer and study time, preparing my heart to receive God’s instructions.

Learn all I can – I learn more from the struggles of life than I do from the easy times of life. The same can be true through the times of waiting for God to move.

Watch for His activity - God is always doing something, even when I can’t tell what it is. I’ve learned to be watchful for the hidden activity of God.

Stay active with what I know to be doing – The Bible is clear on some things I can always be doing…love my neighbor…transform my heart…make disciples…

Listen for His voice or the voice of others He sends - Isaiah 30:20-21 talks about a “voice” saying “this is the way…walk in it” during the “days of adversity”. I’ve learned to listen for that voice, knowing that the more I know Him personally, the more I’ll hear His quietest voice.

Heal…if needed – Many times the silent periods in my walk with God come after difficult periods. At times, I’ve learned, I can’t hear God because my emotions are clouded with the pain of my past. In those days, I try to heal my emotions so I can think clearly, discern His voice, and prepare for His next assignment.

Pray without ceasing - Prayer is my personal connection to the God upon whom I am waiting. As long as I’m praying, I’m less likely to worry and more likely to walk by faith.

Are you in a period of waiting? Have you been there before?

What would you add to my list?

But even if my life is to be poured out like a drink offering to complete the sacrifice of your faithful service (that is, if I am to die for you), I will rejoice, and I want to share my joy with all of you. Philippians 2:17 NLT

Would you be willing to die for another person’s spiritual growth? I’m not sure I’m with Paul on this one yet, because as much as I like to see people growing spiritually, I don’t know if sacrificing my life for their growth is yet an option.

Paul, though, was seeing life through an eternal perspective. Remember he said earlier in the same letter, “for me to live is Christ and to die is great gain.” He recognized that the purpose of his life was to encourage others in Christ.

I’m reminded of an old song. Perhaps you’ve heard it. I don’t think it has a copyright, so here goes:

This world is not my home I’m just a passing through
My treasures and my hopes are all beyond the blue
Where many friends and kindred have gone on before
And I cant feel at home in this world anymore

Over in glory land there is no dying there
The saints are shouting victory there’s singing everywhere
I hear the voice of them that I have heard before
And I cant feel at home in this world anymore

Heaven’s expecting me that’s one I know
I fixed it up with Jesus a long time ago
He will take me through though I am weak and poor
And I cant feel at home in this world anymore

Do you need to be reminded that this world is NOT your permanent home?

What’s one thing dragging you down for which I (and my readers) can pray for you?

Age and maturity has helped me improve at discerning what I can do and should do based on my strengths, weaknesses, passions and dreams.  It’s freeing when we become more certain in who God has wired us to be and who He has not.

Still, I’ve learned (through many different seasons) that there are often more opportunities than time in life…even God-honoring, seemingly good opportunities. Recently, I have had to say no to some great opportunities. These were things that I would have clearly thought had to be “God appointed”, but as much as they line with my strengths, passions, and dreams I have for my life, I said “no” to them.

How do you know when to say no to what looks like a good thing…perhaps initially even like a “God thing”?

Here are four things I look for in examining my heart before responding. I say no when:

The decision conflicts with the personal vision God has placed on my heart during this season of my life. I do not believe I’m called to a place as much as I’m called to a Person…through my relationship with Jesus Christ. There are seasons of life, however, where I know He has positioned me in a place “for such a time as this”.  I’m in that place now.

My heart doesn’t line up with this decision…I can get no “peace” about saying “yes”. This requires consistent prayer and wrestling with the decision, but the more I practice this discipline the more confident I become in sensing God’s specific will for my life.

When the calling of God on my life says no. This is the overall call on my life rather than a situational decision.  For example, I recently had an opportunity presented which would have taken me completely away from church planting, but I know that God has a call on my life to be involved in planting churches at some level.

When my personal strengths and interests don’t match the opportunity and I don’t sense an urgency from God. I have learned that situational or physical limitations aren’t a factor if God is in the mix. He can part waters if they are in the way, so I can do things outside of my strengths, but in my life God does seem to usually work within the experiences and gifting He has granted me. Why would He waste the investments He has made in me? Therefore, apart from a sense that God is challenging me in a direction outside my gifting, I can rest within the place where He has been preparing me.

Notice all of these have to do with the heart. Discerning the heart of the decision is critical and requires a consistent, close, seeking the heart of God relationship with the Father. I realize it’s much easier to write this post than to live this post, but hopefully this will help you as you too wrestle with the seemingly good, even sometimes seemingly God opportunities.

I wish I had used this paradigm earlier in life, because it would have saved me some heartache.

Do you need to think through this issue today?

What “good thing/s” do you need to say “no” to during this season of your life?

Make this post better.  Share your stories of wrestling through a decision that seemed like a good thing at the time.

For further thought, consider this post I wrote on 5 Ways to Help Determine if Your Plans are God’s Plans.

Do you know that nervous energy you get when you face the uncertainty of life?

You feel it when you assume a overwhelming risk…

It’s that emotion…that adrenaline rush…almost an inner fear…

Yet something inside prompts you to proceed in spite of the nervousness…

You feel it deep in your gut…

Ever felt it?

Well here’s the reality…

Some of us…as awkward, difficult, stressful, and even painful as it can be…

Live for that emotion…

You’ll find it in entrepreneurs…
You’ll find it in church planters…
You’ll find it among risk-takers…
You’ll find it in extreme sports enthusiasts…

I think the Apostle Paul must have had it…

It’s an inner drive to achieve, to accomplish, to pursue big dreams, conquer huge obstacles…

And achieve what others will not attempt…

I think it can be a God-given emotion…

It can be abused…

It must be used carefully…

But it shouldn’t be wasted…

Can anyone identify with that emotion I’m describing?

When’s the last time you felt that nervous energy?

(Share other examples of people who seem to enjoy this emotion.)

Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that His love has not been perfected in us. 1 John 4:18 NLT

Evidently, according to this verse, if we could have perfect love for God, we could get rid of all fear. The challenge comes in having perfect love.

I’m not sure I understand the concept completely, especially as it relates to a God I cannot see, but the best way I know of is to compare what I don’t understand to something I do understand.

I do, at least on most days, understand my relationship with my wife.  Working with that thought, let me say that before I met my wife, I didn’t love her. I hope that doesn’t disappoint you, but I really didn’t even know her, so loving her was hard to do.

Oh, sure, I might have had a general love for her as I hope I have for all people, but I didn’t really love her the way I am to love my wife.  Over the years, I have grown to love my wife…and so much more! She has become my closest friend, my richest ally, and my surest companion. I love spending life with her. I truly do love her with all my heart. I can’t imagine life without her.

Additionally, in addition to my love for Cheryl, I’ve learned to trust her completely and without any reservations. We have centered our life together, focussed on Christ.

How did this love develop? It happened over time, as I grew to know her, spent time with her, dated her, and we experienced life together. The saying goes that I “fell in love” with her. That love continues to develop and grow.

This helps me understand what I must do to get rid of fear in my life. I must work towards developing perfect love for Christ. To do that, I need to get to know him better, spend time with Him more regularly, and figuratively date Him as we experience life together.

As it was for falling in love with my wife, learning to love Christ more is a process which can take years, but as I learn to love Him more I will find myself trusting Him more, learning that He is trustworthy, reliable and fully able to meet my needs. When the temptations of fear and doubt enter my mind, I’ll be able to trust in the God I know so well.

What is your greatest fear?  Would you love to be rid of that fear?

Then, may I ask you: Are you investing in your God relationship enough to develop that perfect love?

I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? Psalm 121:1 NIV

When you are in the valley, I mean really, deep in the valley, the only place to look is up!

Life has a way of placing you in the valley for seasons. Have you ever been there before? Are you there now?

Have you ever lifted up your eyes, heavy, burdened with guilt, mourning with hurt, drooping from the strain of sorrow, to see the mountains where your heart longs to be again?

Have you ever been so low that you barely have a dream of what it is like to be on top?

All of us will one day have a heart that needs to be filled. Each of us find ourselves at times expereincing that empty painful, awful hole in our heart, the size that only God can completely fill.

In those times, it’s important, more than ever, to remember where your help come from. Your hope lies in a Savior, in a man like no other man, who came, who loved, who shared, who died, and who lives again! Your hope is in Jesus! Your help is found in Jesus! In that most desperate moment…there is no substitute!

If you are in the valley today…look to the hills….look to Jesus!

Can my readers and I pray with you about an issue?  Leave a comment on this post.

This has been a wild winter…

“They” say it’s not our worst…not even close…but it certainly has seemed to be more intense than usual this year…

Every morning I look at my Google Home Page and see the current and future weather forecast.  Seeing the -2 degrees this morning caused my initial reaction to be “Wow!”  I was bummed.  I’m ready to get outside.  It could have affected my mood for the day (probably will to some extent), but then I looked a little further into the weather future forecast.  Do you see that number?  54!  Fifty-Four degrees!  My thought was “Yippee!”  If I can hang on a few days, it’s about to get wonderful outside!  It changed my disposition.

I wonder how many times we need to do that in life. That weather picture could also serve as a picture of our life at times.  Some days it’s cold and dreary…other days it’s bright and sunny.  We struggle during the rough weather seasons, forgetting that this day will change.  When we only look at our current situation, we can be disheartened, but a new day is coming!  As believers, we have the promise of a greater future.  If not today, or tomorrow, soon and very soon, God is going to make everything beautiful!

I’m reminded of a few favorite verses of truth:

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— 1 Corinthians 2:9

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18

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

Do you need that reminder today? Perhaps you need to take your eyes off today and look a little further down the road.  Good days are coming.  If you’re in difficult days, I’m praying God brings better days soon, but He has promised that the best days are yet to come!

Let me hear from you…

Are you currently living in a -2 degree time of life…or is it 54 and sunny in your world during this season of your life?

God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

I’ve learned that the path to accomplishing a God-given assignment is paved with faith.

When you experience fear, face risks, have set-backs, encounter critics and realize frustrations, it’s the faith of knowing the God who called you to the task will be faithful to complete it that keeps you moving forward.  If you are facing the temptation to give up a God-given assignment, perhaps instead of quitting, you need to spend some time renewing your faith in the God who chose you for this assignment.

Have you experienced this firsthand?

Do you need this reminder today?