A Morning View

This is day 5 of being challenged to write down positive characteristics of who I am. This really is a difficult challenge to meet. I struggle with talking about myself. I feel like I am being haughty and bringing self glory. I am only who I am because of the Spirit of God within me. All that I am and all I ever will be which is positive and good comes from God. I never desire to be "right" or absolute in my beliefs. Yes I believe, but am always willing to be wrong. I am ever growing and willing to listen grow and hear.  I guess the positive word for the day is humility. I realize that on my own I am lost. I need God and I need others.  “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.     And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy     and to walk humbly with your God.” - Micah 6:8 Peace, PB

Day 4 of writing something positive about who God has created me to be.  I love to encourage others. Support and encouragement on our life journey is so huge and important. People need someone who is not expected to be there for us to become a cheerleader for the success in our lives.  There have been many life experiences, both positive and negative, which I have encountered that have helped me support and challenge others who are having similar experiences. I find myself being available to listen, empathize, encourage and support others in their journey. God has used my past pain and struggle and even perceived failures to be able to truly listen and help others.  I find no greater joy than when God has allowed me to call another out and encourage as they experience a call to part time or full time ministry in serving the Lord. I have been blessed to help others on their journey and support them as they grow into the call God has upon their lives. It is so rewarding to ...

Day 3 of writing something positive about who God has created me to be.  I believe I am generous. If someone is in need I will do all I can to help care for them. I believe Jesus called all of his followers to care for those who are in need.  As a Political Science major I have argued and debated that the government needs to stay out of the business of caring for the poor and helping those who are less fortunate because that is the role of the Church and all Christians around the world. I realize in 2020 my dream of this belief actually being practical is not realistic, but what is the church doing for the poor and the widow?  Perhaps, the better question to ask ourselves is what am I doing to care for those in need around me? I must care for the lonely the least and the lost. I must make a difference in the lives of those God gives me to care for. I need to follow the Savior and share my radical generosity.  “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down ...

This is day two of a challenge to write down the goodness and positives I see which God has created in me.  I love to laugh. Humor is so important and laughter clears the soul. Laughter can be as refreshing and cleansing as having a good cry! In fact laughter is so good for our physical health.  In the movie "Mary Poppins" the song "I Love to Laugh," the last two verses are  We love to laugh Loud and long and clear We love to laugh So everybody can hear The more you laugh The more you fill with glee And the more the glee The more we're a merrier we Psalm 126:2-3 says, “Our mouths were filled with laughter,     our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations,     “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us,     and we are filled with joy.” Fill your soul with the joy of the Lord and laughter that fills the air! Peace, PB

I have been gently encouraged by someone who was nudged by the Lord to make a list for the next week of positive characteristics which make me who I am.   Today I begin with compassion. I truly strive to be compassionate with everyone I encounter. I desire to reach out and care when others are struggling. Even if I encounter someone who has hurt me in the past or I may not connect with, I try to put aside differences and find a way to share compassion with them. After all, Jesus was compassionate all the way to death. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Peace, PB

Do you ever ask God to deeply invade your soul? God know my heart? God go deep into my spirit and help me root out all the evil and replace it with your grace and love? God help me get rid of the anxiousness and fill it with your abundant peace? Help me Lord to be the creation you intended for me to be in your love, your grace, your forgiveness and to bask in your holy presence. Lead me and bring me peace. “Search me, God, and know my heart;     test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,     and lead me in the way everlasting.”   - Psalm 139:33-24 Peace, PB

Do you struggle with your self image? Are you seemingly strong on the outside and weak and fearful on the inside? Do you ever want to become someone else?  We have self help books with formulas and patterns to help us maximize the best of who we are. Yet it seems many of us have internal battles with the enemy telling us we are not enough.  People on the outside wish they could become us, while on the inside there is a desire to become them!  High standards, expectations, goal setting, pursuit of wealth and power, drive for success, hard work, perfection and achievement is instilled into us and yet many are empty and unfulfilled.  I would suggest we need to go back to remember who God created us to become, nurture the inner being, refresh the spirit and our soul while we remember God knew us while gently and delicately weaving our creation together with God given uniqueness of who we are. Each one of us are created for perfect relationship with the Creator.  I o...

Do we try to hide from God?  Do we try to disappear like Adam and Eve when we know we are wrong? Do we live in the guilt of our sin and mistakes? Do we realize God will see the sinner and love and redeem us from our sin? No matter how dark it is, God will see us, love us, forgive us and hold us tight. We need not live in guilt, but confess and forgive ourselves allowing God to hold us close. “Where can I go from your Spirit?     Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there;     if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn,     if I settle on the far side of the sea,     even there your hand will guide me,     your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me     and the light become night around me,”     even the darkness will not be dark to you;     the night will shine like the day,     for dar...

God knows us God is with us God is in our thoughts God watches us God surrounds us God cares for us God is so wonderful that we cannot imagine. "God, investigate my life;     get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you;     even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back;     I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say     before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there,     then up ahead and you’re there, too—     your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful—     I can’t take it all in!"                           - Psalm 139:1-6 Peace, PB

We are born and begin to die. We live free expecting to live on earth forever. We are selfish at heart. We fight for temporal freedoms.  We have a large amount of me in our lives.  We need a Savior.  Jesus Christ = Savior. How do I find the Savior? Confess, Surrender, Accept, Be Free, Live Free Amen “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”     - Romans 10:9-13 Peace, PB

On a recent trip to the town I grew up in, I had a moment where I went to the cemetery where my Dad and Mom are buried and my Grandparents, my Dad's parents are buried. We recently purchased some property in the same cemetery for our final earthly resting place. Our friend and local funeral director Bob met me there and showed me where the graves I purchased are located. I stood there and looked around to see how far I will be from the rest of the family. It really is a very calm beautiful area, but when I looked in every direction, I  thought about my mortality and honestly, for me, when I die it really does not matter.  I am an imperfect human vessel with the perfect Spirit of God living in my soul. I strive for perfection in love. I desire to treat all I encounter as the image and likeness of God which they were created as. I desire to live my life in the footsteps of the One in whom I do not deserve to hold the thong of His sandal. I just want everything I do to be pleasin...

So when you feel betrayed, disappointed in others and let down in cherished relationships, what do you do? When you are willing to go the extra mile for a friend, family member or even a spouse but it seems like you are giving with nothing in return even to the point of sadness and disappointment what can you do? It is not about being right or getting your way, it is just about being loved like you love, even in disagreement. It is about being called to have someone check on you, wishing you a blessed day, a happy birthday or even making something right that has wronged you. What do you do? Do you try to fix it? Can you fix something that does not want to be fixed? Do you wipe the dust off of your feet forget them and move on? Do you sit and wallow in self pity blaming yourself and running to your self satisfying sin of choice? Then a 2X4 slams me in the head! The question I ask myself, as I feel sorry for me, is do I make God feel this way about me? Lord forgive me. God who desires al...

I believe it is difficult for humans to believe that we are created in God's image, loved by the Creator, and forgiven from our sin. Why do I have this thought today? Because I find myself, at times, living like I do not believe! I question how God could love me. You may say to yourself, "I do not struggle, I know the right way to live and I do the right things without question." Both ends of the spectrum seem dangerous to me. Humanity needs to have confidence in their God relationship and does not need to live in suffering and self-deprecation. Humanity needs to be humble and not live in one's own rightness! Where is balance in our Christian walk and how can we tell? "His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the ...

When the people of God who have connection gather together it seems like it was yesterday. Christian friends from the past pick up where we left off. Have you had that experience? So what makes it like this? GOD! We need each other in the Body of Christ! It does not matter our difference, what matters is that which is the same. A Jesus centered live is what is the same! "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.         - Ephesians 4:4-6 Peace, PB

I share an interesting perspective today. I hear people talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ and how the end times are near. There were rumblings of the apocalypse happening because of the blood moon and lunar eclipse. This conversation was not just with Christians in the church, but it was happening in general conversations and postings. There is a strong interest in the future of the world and end time prophesy. Humanity is in wonderment about the future. I embrace prophesy and am looking forward to the return of Jesus. But, for me, I see the now as huge and important. The world needs more of the grace love and action from believers. Are we as the Body of Christ, reaching the lonely, the least and the lost by meeting their human needs and sharing the amazing love of Jesus Christ? Do we let logical barriers like money, time and numbers of workers hold us back? Let us dream God dreams and pray the actions forward without human barriers. "Very truly, I tell you, the one ...

Thinking this morning about how we prepare for an important event or time away in our lives. Vacation, special dinner celebration or a day at the big game. We put special efforts into planning a schedule, having all the right items needed for the specific event and making sure the outfits we have are just right for the event in which we are participating. "Don't forget the tickets and make sure you have enough snacks!" Do I have the proper directions and plan B for construction? We hope we stay healthy and nothing major happens to keep us from having to postpone or even cancel the event. After all, we just need to get away, rest and relax! My question for me is, and you are welcome to ask yourself the same one, do I prepare for my daily relationship event with my God? Have I planned a proper route for the day? Am I wearing the outfit God has for me to be safe and secure? Have I spiritually eaten the nourishment of scripture and devotion for my energy? Am I prepared for co...

If you were in a global crisis where you were in a long line and had to take a test to see if you were infected with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, would your test come back positive? Even deeper, if you did test positive, you would be sent to a quarantine prison where all of your life would change forever. You can never leave until you test out of this Jesus infection. You must denounce your faith in Christ to be released from the quarantine. If you are there for 14 days and do not test out, your life would be over. You would be publicly executed. Would you live or would you die?  " I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.   For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God  to be revealed.   For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it,  in hope   that the creation itself will be liberated from it...

Perhaps my thoughts make this way too simple. We have so much division happening in our world. Division in our country. Division in politics. Division on social media. Division in church. Division in our families. A simple solution that will take committed effort. 1. Recognize our own sin. 2. Own it, confess it, seek and offer forgiveness. 3. Don't do it anymore. 4. Love God first. 5. Love your neighbor next.  6. Continue to grow loving yourself. 7. Live like the Jesus you proclaim.  Please notice, there is nothing here blaming anyone else. Just a thought...... "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." - James 5:16 Peace, PB

I was blessed to Co-Officiate a wedding yesterday. The love oozing from the Bride and the Groom is such a great reminder of how much God loves us.  God loves the Church. The Church being all of the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ died, was buried and resurrected in three days to redeem us from our sin. The Holy Spirit was given to us so that we are always in the presence of God and we have a Comforter with us no matter!  Jesus Christ is coming again someday soon to take his Bride, the Church, home for eternity! That, my friends, is LOVE! We get to spend eternity in the Holy presence of God singing praises basking in the best love ever!  "I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.  I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and wom...

I have seen a lot of beautiful sunrises and sunsets in the last few months. The sky is bright and painted beautifully across the horizon.  The Morning Star is the brightest planet in the sky. The Great Plains Indians honor the Morning Star as a sign of courage and purity of spirit. Jesus said, "I am the Morning Star." Later Jesus also tell us he is coming back to redeem the Christians from this world.  Perhaps I would refer to Jesus as a bright light of hope in the morning and as the Morning Star, Jesus is going to brighten our lives no matter what reminding us that someday we will be redeemed and taken home for eternity. What a great moment that will be! Home free from sin and strife! Home with Jesus Christ, the Bright Morning Star!  “I, Jesus,  have sent my angel  to give you   this testimony for the churches.  I am the Root  and the Offspring of David,  and the bright Morning Star.” - Revelation 22:16 Peace, PB

I recently had a situation where I was praying a very specific selfish prayer for what I wanted. I had shared my prayer desire with a staff member at my church because it impacted her area and she basically smiled at me and said, "Rather than pray for what we may think we want, why don't we ask God to provide the best answer to our situation." I jokingly, sort of, answered and said NO, I want what I want! I hate to admit, she was right. So I did take her approach to the prayer and go figure, God is in the middle of working out the situation in a way I never could have done on my own.  We have limited vision in our own right. God sees the bigger picture and takes care of all the details of what is before us. God will take care of us if we are willing to truly surrender selfishness and trust the promises of God.  When we get out of the way and trust the One we proclaim with our mouth, it is so refreshing and amazing to see the Mighty Hand of God swoop in bigger and better t...

Do you ever get tired of negativity? It seems like everyone has an opinion on everything and it feels critical.  It gets tiring of striving to do what is good, what is right and ending with less praise and more critics of what is happening.  Do you ever do something out of selfish need and desire putting pleasure before God? Have you ever eaten or drank to escape? You know a moment in an escape world to just get away from the long reality of life and struggle?  Perhaps you have been "should" beyond what you can handle. You "should" do this, you "should" do that, you "should," you "should," you "should," you "should"!!!!  Well, my friend, perhaps this verse is for you. “Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   ...

Often I sit a wonder. Why did this happen, why did that happen? How can good come from bad? Why do I think so differently from other? Somethings do not take the path I thought they should have taken. What am I going to do now that it did not go the way I thought it should or it just fell apart? Tragedy happens and people are destroyed. Why, why, why? We live in a sin filled world. The world is out of order because of sin. So why would I expect bad things not to happen or for everything to always go my way just because I am a follower of Jesus Christ? God never promises us and the Bible never says that God will not give you more than you can handle. God does promise to be with us, no matter what happens on our journey in this life.  Here is what I know from the scripture. God takes all things and works them for good for all who love God and are called to follow God. God will honor the love for God as we honor God's love for us. So I believe it is imperative to follow God, fall deepl...

Honestly, all God desires from us is an honest broken heart. We need to rush to God in honest relationship confessing our short comings. We need to have a broken spirit and heart. We must be honest and real with God seeking all we can get from God.   “Open my lips, Lord,     and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;     you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;     a broken and contrite heart     you, God, will not despise.”   - Psalm 51:15-17 Peace, PB

Our walk with God is a journey. We seek restoration back to the intended original creation of perfection in our God journey. When we fall short there is doubt and fear. When we fail there is a desire to reconcile with God.  I often see the world differently. I desire to be salt and light so my selfish desires are not as important as my goal to share Jesus Christ in all I say and do. I have an internal battle to strive to be my best for God.  As I reflect on Psalm 51 today I want to have his scripture in my head and heart to live different in a time of struggle, questioning and chaos.  “ Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. ”   - Psalm 51:10-12 I have no control over you. I do control how I live.  Oh God, please help me live with a clean heart and right spirit. Hold me ...

In the days of extreme heat it is not uncommon to take more than one shower because I get so sweaty so quickly. I remember at church camp, the director would open the pool in the evening before heading to bed so that the campers would "clean" up before falling asleep for the evening. We want to be clean. It feels good to be clean and refreshed by the cleansing water.  In this portion of Psalm 51, David just wanted to be clean from the dirty sin he had committed. He desired his heart and soul to be cleansed and forgiven because of the poor decisions he had made. David knew how disappointing his actions were to God and just desired forgiveness and to have the joy of the Lord back in his life.  How about you? Are you seeking God and the grace of God? Are you looking for JOY to fill your heart and soul? Do you desire to be clean from the sin deep within?  Let God know and clean up so that you have a full heart!  “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;    ...

Let's be real, as Christ followers, we know when we sin.  We know we have been selfish sinners from our beginning. We know our guilt. We know God knows our hearts. We know we are in a constant battle between good and evil. We know the enemy desires us to be miserable. We know God grants us freedom in our forgiveness.  We know God desires us to be faithful in our failure.  We know God desires us to be faithful in our success. "For I know my transgressions,      and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned      and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict      and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful  at birth,      sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;      you taught me wisdom  in that secret place."               ...

In our current times washing our hands has become one of the most important things, if not a vital thing we must do. We must do our best to keep undesirable viruses from spreading to ourselves and others and the first best thing we can do is wash our hands. The most important thing we can do with our soul is to wash our sin stained soul asking God to cleanse us from our sin.  We must do our best to keep undesirable sin from spreading to ourselves and others and the first best thing we can do is confess our hearts to God seeking forgiveness. "Have mercy  on me, O God,      according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion      blot out  my transgressions. 2  Wash away  all my iniquity      and cleanse  me from my sin."       - Psalm 51:1-2 As we rise in the morning and rest at night may we "wash our sin hands," while we cleanse our hearts and souls with sincere...