Wednesday, February 18

Beauty in a Sunset


Can You Feel It?

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. "
Philippians 2:13

This is an ongoing discussion at our weekly Bible Study meetings, Can you feel it? 'It' is actually God. We often get sidetracked in our discussion about a scripture or topic during the study and go the route of 'how do you know when God is talking to you or which path to take or what is the right thing to do'. Well, what we have determined so far is...

1. Lightening probably won't strike you and you won't hear 'Cheryl, this is God'
2. He often speakes through others, in readings and nature
3. We can see Him in everything if we just take the time to stop, look, but most importantly, listen

How do we know when God is working in us? How do we know that our desires are the desires that He has set in our hearts? How do we know what path to follow? Well, that my friends is something that when we are at the 'pearly gates' may be answered. But, for now, we have to trust our judgement and our feelings to follow the right road that will lead us to Him. Stay in touch through scripture and meditation. Seek Him, you will see Him if you look for Him!

I am sure you all have seen the email, or heard the story about the man who was trapped on the roof of his house during a flood and prayed to God to save him. First, a boat motors past the flooding house and the guy refuses to get on board waiting for God, then a helicoptor flies overhead and drops a rope and the guy refuses again. Finally, after the water has overtaken the house and after the man drowned, he is face to face with God. He is angry and yelling at God for not saving him. God says "I sent a boat and a helicopter for you, what were you waiting for"?

Since the Lenten season is approaching, I hope that you all take the time to reflect, renew and refresh your faith. Take the time to stop, look and listen for God!

Sunday, February 1

See you at the finish line.......

I've been reading a short book by Lincoln Murdoch who is an endurance racer, "See You at the Finish Line" and am again reminded how God works in our lives. I have been struggling with motivation and direction lately and it seems that others around me are as well. You see, this book wasn't on my bookshelf, in fact I don't even know where it came from or how I got it. I stumbled across it when putting away the Christmas decorations. I don't know about you, but I heard God speaking to me "stop what you are doing and look at this book". Now of course, Otto would say that was my ADD and inability to stay on task, but I know it was God. So many of us miss His calling because we are pre-occupied and don't stop to listen. So, blocking out Otto telling me to 'stay on course', I picked up the book and read the Introduction....

In the Introduction, Lincoln speaks to his endurance racing and how he is able to compete because he has set a plan and stayed the course - he talks about how football or basketball teams fall apart in the 4th quarter and lose because they didn't have the same level of endurance and conditioning as the other team. Well, just as in athletic performance or life, we need endurance in our spiritual walk.

Luke 21:19 says "By your endurance, you will gain your lives."

I am drawn to what the author is saying, whether we are battling relational struggles, burnout, financial problems or an attack by the enemy we can not abandon our faith just because the race is too hard. We must stay the course and press on. I am looking forward to reading more of what Lincoln has to say in his book and will keep you all posted and hopefully bring some helpful tips on not giving up when the going gets tough! As well as our spiritual lives, we can apply what he is saying in our daily lives and other goals we may have set and struggling to complete.

Two weeks ago, I signed up for two classes at the local community college with the goal of getting my degree (finally). I gave up pursuing my degree about 20 years ago; there were many reasons that justified my decision at the time and even since then. But I have always questioned my decision and whether I should start school again. Over the past few years my job has taken many twists and turns, all of which I had no control over and many times I thought about going back to school to see what I wanted to do when I 'grow up'. Well, finally, after much soul-searching and praying, I made an appointment, met with a counselor and requested my transcripts from 1987. I know this road may be a tough one to travel, but I am keeping an open mind and pressing on toward the goal to get my degree.

I hope that if any of you have set goals and not accomplished them will consider looking at them again, coming up with a plan to meet your desires and pressing on to completion!

Oh yeah, and one more thing.... GO CARDINALS!