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A blank page

7 Dec

You should see her. Her blue eyes twinkle, her lips part in a mischievous smile, and she turns her body slightly so I can’t quite see what she’s drawing. She’s cleared the table and given herself plenty of room to spread out her crayons, markers, and pencil sharpener. I asked her what she was going to draw and her only response was a knowing smirk—I’m not even sure she’s decided yet. She’s just glorying in all of the potential of a clean, unspoiled, blank page.

The sixteen Crayola "glitter" specia...

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Madelyn’s paper is a lot like a New Year—a chance to start over and allow God to begin writing out His goals and aspirations for our lives. I wonder what He will do with us this year? I wonder who we’ll meet? I wonder if this will be the year that some of our dreams come true? Maybe some of our deepest prayers have been post-marked for 2012! We can’t control what God will write on the pages of this New Year—but we can decide on several things:

  • We can decide to give Him the pen
  • We can commit to follow whatever marching orders He writes out for us
  • And we can choose to look away from the wrinkly, smudged pages of last year and start hoping and believing for His good plans to be accomplished in 2012!

God bless you seek God’s plan and purpose for you during this holiday season and beyond!

They’re playing our song!

23 Nov

Don’t you love it when you hear one of your “songs”? You know, those special tunes that move your soul and remind you of your deepest dreams and convictions. What are the songs that you hear in your car, the grocery store or your office, and that immediately stir your emotions, and transport you in to a distant memory or moment from the past?

What’s your special song between you and the Lord? Do you have one? In Hosea 2:14-15 God reveals His heart where your “song” is concerned. He says: “Behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness, and speak kindly to her. Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor (trouble) as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth.” What songs did you sing “in your youth”? Can you still remember them? Has life made you forget the words? Or have you heard the words so often that they’ve lost some of their magic? God wants you to “sing as in the days of your youth,” and if your youth was a terrible, shameful place, He wants to “restore your youth” (Psalm 103:5) and put “a new song” in your mouth (Psalm 40:3). Go there with Him this holiday season—He wants to give you a new and special song to carry in to a New Year!

When the magic fades

13 Oct
Created by Phil Scoville on June 25, 2005 Down...

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There’s something exciting about the new—new possessions, new experiences, new relationships, and even new churches—and it’s very easy to get swept up in to the euphoria of that newness. It’s wonderful to see someone enjoying a new relationship, a new season of life, or being drawn in to a new church experience where the music stirs them, the messages speak to their soul, and the people warmly embrace them.

Unfortunately, sometimes the magic fades. Relationships lose their spark, shiny new paint jobs fade, and hope-filled expectations lose some of their giddy excitement.

I hate that! I don’t want to be doomed to either losing the magic, or having to make a life change every few years to recapture it. There has to be a way to sustain the magic for the long haul.

I love it when people are new to Grace Church and find themselves drawn in by the music and our wonderful people, but it’s even more inspiring to see them two years later when the magic has faded a bit, and they’re still contributing, engaging, and anchoring their lives firmly to the Word of God.

I think those people are on to something. I think they realize that we control the magic by how we spend our lives. Anyone can respond to an initial attraction, but mature men and women realize that the rewards of cultivating a deep, abiding love far outweigh the emotions of exciting, but untested, love.

Let’s faithfully invest in Jesus, our key relationships, and our callings, and then enjoy the magic for a lifetime.

Why God’s judgment is a “good” thing

29 Jun
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Is the Christian God a God of judgment or a God of love?

Sometimes people struggle with the judging aspect of God’s nature, and they can’t seem to reconcile His judgment with His love. They reason that a God of love would not judge, but rather would exclusively show love.

I think the point is widely missed in this sentiment, however, and I would argue that God’s judgment is proof of His love. When we think of the vicious atrocities that are imposed upon innocent people every day in our world, our hearts cry out for judgment. When we consider assault, child abuse, genocide, kidnapping, human kidnapping, and all of the other horrors in our world, it’s easy to see that the only loving response to such evil is judgment.

How could we trust the love of a God who failed to ultimately punish such injustices?

I love the ancient words from the prophet Amos who was angered by a lawless culture. He said on God’s behalf, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).

I’m grateful that He is a God of judgment. And I’m grateful that in His judging He shows that He is also a God of love. 

Is it okay for Christians to take medication for emotional and mental illnesses?

8 Jun
Pharmacy Rx symbol

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For many Christians the question is not a no-brainer.

The subject of mental illness (depression, anxiety, mood disorders, etc.) can be a tough one for those of us who have great confidence in the power of prayer and the Word of God. And if we truly believe Jesus’ words that say He came to give us life “more abundantly,” and if we agree with the Apostle Paul that we should “always rejoice” and “be anxious for nothing” then this question can become quite challenging for us, and we can wonder:

  • If I take medication, does that mean I don’t have enough faith?
  • If the spiritual disciplines aren’t working for me, does that mean God has abandoned me?
  • If I can’t seem to find inner peace and contentment, does that mean I’m a second-rate Christian?

And the answer is a resounding “No!”

You aren’t a second-rate Christian when you see a physician for a physical illness, and you aren’t a second-rate Christian when you see a therapist or a psychiatric for emotional or mental help either.

Remember, ours is a both/and religion.

We should obey all of the spiritual things the Bible prescribes for our health and wellness, while also taking advantage of the natural laws and wisdom that He’s placed around us as well.

God is the author of both.

Sometimes we compartmentalize too much, and we can think that the miracle of medicine, or supportive, caring friendship is less miraculous than a divine touch from heaven—sometimes the divine touch is found inside the natural touch.

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