The Great Struggle

When faith is weak and the heart becomes heavy.

Has joy become a burden and peacefulness a chore?
Has life filtered down to a series of doldrums?
Motivation is scarce and complacent. To whom do we turn, but the one from which faith finds it's favor and pure source. Oh holy Father give us the strength to carry on. Christ I Believe, help my unbelief!

For far too long and too frequent have the days run together without a reverence for the simple blessings, the little graces that sprinkle down like a heavenly mist. Oh the thankfulness we owe for even the shortest breath, the warmth of a single ray of the sun's radiance, the coolness of a zephyr in the summer heat. Yet in the midst of these we ignore the daily sustenance of our souls. Father forgive our selfish and ignorant hearts.

Winter's Cold: When Numbness Intersects with Faith

Do we struggle "with" faith; Or is it that we struggle "in" faith? 

Pause. Think. 

If faith being a divine gift why would we then struggle "with" it and not just accept it? 

 Tough. Why must we simply accept "it"? Because we must derive meaning from "it." Bingo. 

I believe we struggle "in" faith. 

Why? Well, for starters faith, in the same way as grace is, an ocean. We must plumb it's depths; The vast unknown. In addition to our own human inquisitive nature. Yet we have a life line, a floatation device, that will keep us from drowning. The Holy Spirit. 

But what about when things are rough and choppy or extreme or frigid? In other words what do we do with faith when reality hits, when we are faced with the changes and ups and downs of life. Where is or rather how do I use my faith? Do I ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and growth in faith? Do I exercise my faith like a muscle? Am I ready for things that may or may never happen? What about the inevitabilities in life? All questions I and many of you may have. But what about answers? 

Well that's it isn't it. The answers, they are the things we want and want now. And as we find out in life aren't the things that come to us immediately or in some cases never at all. Only God knows and sometimes He's not telling. Don't you think that when He doesn't give us that immediate answer either we're not ready or it's for our benefit. 

Simplicity is beautiful yet life is so complicated. The more we try to control out of ourselves the complicated it gets. Faith is there to help us and guides us in our journey. It reassures and reaffirms us. We don't need all the answers. We need faith.

I'll leave you with this thought. 

The more I learn as the older I get, the reality I am faced with is that I really don't know much at all. And in fact I don't need to. I can step back and take things in stride, that is, not that I am letting go or letting up in my journey just that some things, in fact, that most things are beyond us and maybe they should stay there and we should just have faith and be content in faith itself. 

grace & peace

Not just loving, but loving well.

To live is to love, and to love is to live. 

Sounds simple enough doesn't it? Well, it's not. We would all hope it to be, then reality sets in. 

Yeshua taught us that we are to bless those that curse us. 

Try that next time someone cuts you off in traffic... I'm guilty of not blessing that's for sure. Then again aren't we, hopefully, works in progress? The point isn't just to pronounce a word of blessing at a single point in time when the crazy guy next you is drifting over without his signal on while showing off his latest attempt at sign language. Blessings should be given all the time. We are all sinners here. We cannot escape that while still being alive in this mortal body. Our own mortality is the evidence of sin. Instead of focusing on negative reactions, bless. 

To live is to love and love blesses.

Christ is our example. We are to live like He did. Blessing and loving others. Oh wait there's this one exception... we're finite. We have this thing called time hanging over our heads. We have a limited amount of time to live, to bless, to love. How do we spend time? Loving others? Growing, pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones? Getting to know others on a deeper level? This my friends is what God is doing. He is calling us closer to Himself, deeper into our spiritual lives, and further in our journey in this physical world.  

To love is to use more than words to express it. 

Love is tangible.

To love we must live, living a life of love. 

Sometimes it takes a lifetime. 

True loving requires living a life of loving. Day to day. Moment by moment. In the sun, in the storm.

Love God with our whole being, heart, soul, strength, mind, intellect, etc. 

Love our neighbors as ourselves. 

Loving others, if not also ourselves, may take a lifetime. It's not the quantity or number of people that we love for Christ, it is the quality and depth we demonstrate with the love of Christ toward others.

Not just loving, but loving well.

"Preach the gospel always, if necessary use words." 

Living a life of love will speak before you open your mouth. 

In love, actions are louder than words. But sometimes words are necessary.

Grace & Peace

Costly Grace

“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him… Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock… Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of God, which he speaks as it pleases him. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a world of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: ‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light.’”
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Where has the warrior gone in today's typical Christian "Church?"

"Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead And Christ will shine on you." 

Where are the mighty and strong warriors of God?
Where are the praying men of God? Where are the ones who will heal the sick and raise the dead? Where are the humble of spirit? Where are those with broken hearts for the lost?
Our purpose is more than meeting physical needs for people, we are to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed, that men believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and are saved.

Why are you sleeping? Wake Up!

There is much work to be done. Rise in the power of your God. 

This is a call to action, this is a battle cry, 
this is the heart of worship- to proclaim the sovereignty of God 
to all nations, all tribes, all people.

That we depart from the fear of what the world thinks about us.

We ARE meant to be more than timid children, we are spiritual warriors waging a war for the Kingdom of Heaven. The true Kingdom is in the heart and mind, and what we believe in our hearts and minds determines our actions. 
We must live what we believe. 

Seek the face and heart of God and He will reveal Himself to you. Come to Jesus with open hands and empty hearts, that He is all you hold onto, that He is all that fills your heart, He is your first love. A humble heart, a broken and contrite spirit is what God desires, that we are living a life of repentance but also living in the boldness of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. 
We are to be fearless in the face of death, because we are more than conquerors, we are disciples of the living God.

There is a movement just below the surface, a generation is waking up to the needs of the people. Living in obedience to the commands of Christ, living in the power of the Holy Spirit. We know not the specifics of the future, but it is safe to say from the knowledge of the understanding of history and events foretold in the scriptures that perilous times are ahead. Are you prepared to give an account to Almighty God? Have you been washed in the blood of Christ Jesus? Are you living in that truth?

Revival is the greatest need of our time but are we willing to pay the price? Are we willing to give all our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, all of our strength, every part of our being for His will to be done in our lives? For us to glorify Jesus the Messiah in that manner will consume us like a fire, are we ready for the world to come and watch us burn? We, just as the apostle Paul said, must die to ourselves daily. We must die to our selfish tendencies, our fleshly desires, our own will must be crucified so therefore we can rise in the resurrected power of Christ, living in submission to His will, obeying His commandments in love. 

Love God. Love People.

Our focus must remain on Jesus Christ! Just as Peter started to sink when he took his gaze away from Jesus, we must keep our eyes, our minds, our hearts fixated on Him. Christ is the Gospel, in Him is life, He is Salvation. 

Make this your prayer:
I am praying for my own heart as well as the hearts of my fellow believers in Jesus. That you will raise an army. Devoted and faithful to love, obedience and holiness. Move in our hearts in such a way that You are all we want, that we burn in our hearts to do Your will. God unleash Your Spirit on the world in such a way that we begin to walk in apostolic power; healing the sick, raising the dead, that we will glorify You Almighty LORD of heaven and earth and all that is under the earth, in Your Son Jesus the Messiah through the power of the Holy Spirit. Revive our hearts we are your people, oh LORD! You are our only hope. Amen

Where's the love? A series of introspective questions and thoughts for the Body of Christ

What's the deal with people falling through the cracks in the church?

What ever happened to the grace and redemptive and transformative power of Christ in the church? 

Has the glory really departed, have we let humanism and philanthropy dictate instead of seeking the presence of God and the moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

Are some of us too busy doing good deeds to realize that our brothers and sisters and not just the "lost" are broken and hurting and are desperately seeking healing?

Are we as Christians, as leaders, as pastors, as friends truly investing in each others lives. Not just a shallow question here and there but legitimately caring for one another, through doubt, fear and pain are we pointing to Christ. Are we actively lifting up Christ as the means to not only salvation but continuing spiritual healing through out life?

A friend of mine stated that Christianity is not about going deeper but further. I strongly disagree. Look at the organic structures of trees. Trees that have a shallow root system are easily uprooted and are more susceptible to drought. Conversely, trees with deep root systems tend to endure and last longer. We see a similar analogy found in the teachings of Christ Jesus in the parable of the two houses, one being built on sand with a weak foundation and the other being built on the rock and having a firm foundation. While I may agree with this same friend in that we are able to see that scripture may have a multi-layered quality to it, that we can see multiple truths in it, we must never forget the foundational truth of Christ. 

So what is my point… 

That our lives, our faith, our hearts, must run deep! 

Not in a forced sense of duty, but in being compelled by a passionate desire for Christ himself.


How can we say we truly know God, truly have fellowship with the Father if we are not deeply in love with the Son? How can we love God and neglect our brothers and sisters? Are we not to feed the sheep? If we as humans are image bearers, than shouldn't we be reaching out to all humanity and even more so to those who confess Christ? If we are not actively caring for each other with in the Body of Christ, what example is that setting to the world?

I pray that we have both an individual/personal and also a unified/collective deep love for the living God in Spirit and Truth and also a deep love for one another, Christian/non-Christian, all image bearers of the Father. Because we have been redeemed, we must love and be loved, radically, in a transformative and spiritual way!

Weak and Powerless?

What is it, in the mental/internal sense, that causes us to feel weak and powerless?

That state of mind that seems to point out our defeats and failures? 

It is a struggle that all of us deal with, some more than others. Is it fear of commitment is it from past events that we have let them get the best of us or haunt us, we let those events or circumstances shape us instead of moving past and overcoming them in order to fulfill our greatest potential. It is understood that we cannot forget these instances that have molded us but we can break the mold! The power of Christ transforms, it doesn't leave us the way we came it renews us, makes us into a new creature, a new being, blameless and perfect in the sight of God. That is not to say we will not fight against the things of this world, temptation, the cravings of our sinful flesh, but our Spirit is made right. And in that instance of our Spirit being made new our hearts change, our desires change, we cease to love the hurtful things we once did, whether they be against others or our selves, we begin to hate those things, not wanting to do them anymore, yet still we wrestle with them and may fall but we cannot continue in that old pattern. Now we love to do the things we once thought silly and ridiculous, reading the Bible, praying, worshipping God, helping our neighbor for the love of God, these all seemed foolish and still do to many, but it is this foolishness to men that the world so desperately needs, they need the love of God manifested in us, those of the Body of Christ. We need to be loving others but we cannot truly fulfill that unless we first are loving God. We have to seek God with all that we are, our entire being, it is His truest desire. 

In doing that we obey in love, wanting to be closer to God, deepening that relationship. He fills us with His love overflowing so that we just create a mess of love all around us, loving our family, friends, co-workers, employers, employees, neighbors, enemies, politicians, government officials, strangers, the poor, the homeless, the elderly, the young, the tax collectors, the overly religious, the atheist, the garbage man, the postal worker, the retail teller, the janitor, everyone. God is not a respecter of persons as it says in Romans, so neither should we. That means we do respect people but it doesn't matter who they are what they've been through, His love and grace is for all. 

So don't get discouraged, don't feel like you've failed. Rise up in the power of God and live life abundantly, to the full, for His good pleasure, live a life of worship! Yes we were weak, we were powerless, but no longer, we have the power of Christ with in us, "Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world." 

So love God, seek Him out, call on His name.

We can endure all things through the power of Christ!