A Reoccurring Theme

Tonight I had the privilege of spending some time chatting with someone to whom, up to this point, has just been an acquaintance.  Fortunately, we had a chance to connect tonight and have a much deeper conversation about life and just some of the things that we have both experienced in the past and really created a connection that felt both natural and refreshing.  More on that in a second.

About twelve years ago, I worked with a man that introduced me to the whole idea of life as a journey.  He explained to me about how life is a path that we were on and people would come and go on that path because their path would align with ours for an unknown amount of time and then the paths sometimes separate and go different directions.  Other times, the paths continue along the same journey together.  He told me that either way, we need to understand that the paths of others are intended as part of our journey through life to help us grow and develop personally and to allow us the privilege of impacting someone else's journey.  It is the way that God has designed us to be connected together.  I've never forgotten that lesson and have held it close to my heart ever since.

In my daily devotions, I have been working through the book of Proverbs and I have really had some thought provoking verses jump off the page at me, but the one from yesterday's devotion was Proverbs 16:9.

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

 We can have all the wonderful plans in the world of where we want to go and what we want to do, but ultimately, it is God who determines what happens along the journey of our lives.  His divine plan of who is going to enter or exit our journey as we continue to move forward in this life is intentional and He has purpose for everything that happens in our lives.  THAT'S CRAZY!!!  He knows ahead of time when someone will come into your life and totally change the direction you thought you were going to go or change your perception of what is important or not important.

The truth is, we should be asking Him each and every day how He wants to use us today to further His purpose in our lives.  We should be looking to Him for guidance about where He wants us to go; who He wants us to talk to and what He wants us to say.  You never just know how God will use you to change someone else's life without you even knowing it.  You never know what someone else might be going through and how your interaction with them might be the difference between them thinking they can't go any farther in their journey and them realizing that they can make it through this difficult leg of the journey.  You never know how you might be the person that causes someone to rediscover their purpose in this life.  You also never know how someone else might be used to help you see things just a little bit differently.  You never know how God might use someone else to give you a hope when hope seems so far away.

So back to my conversation tonight.  I'm not so sure who that conversation was supposed to help, but for some reason I believe that both of us had a moment where we knew that God has something bigger in store for the both of us and that he used our paths crossing to remind us that He still cares for both us.  I look forward to seeing how this journey continues on but I'm definitely more aware tonight of this reoccurring theme of "journey".

Expectantly Strong and Courageous

Have you ever waited anxiously to find out important news?  Have you ever stressed about something because it really matters to you but you're just not sure what the outcome is going to be?  Today is one of those days ... but I am not stressed or anxious.

My oldest brother is currently having surgery to remove a growth in his head.  This is second surgery in the past two weeks to remove this growth which was originally measured at 6cm.  That is huge when you break out the ruler and think about it.  I'm not sure how long the surgery is going to last, but last time they went in through his nose, but this time they are cutting down through his skull to get the remainder of the mass.  As you can well imagine, his wife and our parents are quite concerned at this moment for his well-being.

There are always times in our life when we are not going to be sure of the outcome, but God reminds us in his word that he will never leave us or forsake us. (Deut 31:6)  The verse even begins with "be strong and courageous"!  That is how confident we should be in our God!  We should be strong and courageous in the times of adversity in our life.  But it is a choice that we have to make to be this way.  It is a direct order from God to be strong.  It is a direct order from God to have courage.  We have to dig deep within us and have faith that God is going to be with us.

(SIDE NOTE: I just burnt two new shirts on my lamp in my room while writing this ... DOH!)

Back to my brother.  I have concern for his well-being as he is my brother, but I have faith that our God will bring him through this operation and that God will be glorified in all of this.  I have faith that our God is with us during this adversity in our lives.  He is a big God!  He is a great God!  He is a faithful God!  So today, I choose to be strong and I choose to have courage!  If you're going through a tough spot in your life, choose to have faith by being strong and having courage in a God that is able to provide for you!

Waiting With Anticipation

Faith in Dispair

I'm sitting in William's Pub right now trying to write a sermon and I have to admit that I am a little distracted. In my spirit, I am just feeling the need to write and express myself in this medium.

The reason that I am in a coffee shop and not comfortably sitting at my desk surrounded by resources other than the internet, is because my car is in the garage needing serious medical attention. I made the mistake of taking it to the doctor to have a physical done for a safety and to my dismay found out in order to pass the test it is going to cost me over $1600. To some people, that may not be a big deal, but to me, it definitely is a kick in the pants. The worst part is, that the car NEEDS $550 bare minimum to make her worthy of even walking again. I realize that my vehicle is not an investment, but I didn't think that it would walk in to my bank account and take it hostage. Where are the SWAT Team when you need them?

All this month at our church (www.thelifecentre.ca) we have been encouraging our congregation to put God to the test (Malachi 3:10). It is the only place in the entire bible where God tells us *best Clint Eastwood accent* "Go ahead ... Make my day!". Now that might be my own paraphrase of that verse, but the bottom line is that I have been faithfully tithing (as should everyone) and as a Maverick of the Gospel, I guess God is putting my faith to the test in this manner. I don't know where the funds are going to come from, but I know that my God is faithful to supply all my needs (Phil 4:19), even when I don't know where they are coming from. I'm not preaching a name it and claim it mentality, but I am suggesting that God will provide my needs because His word says it to be true.

Back to my sermon ... I am preparing a message on Rahab who is a woman of faith according to Hebrews 11:31. She trusted God to make provision for her and her family in what would seem a hopeless situation. I guess what it comes down to is this; If God will reach down to a woman who has faith that the God of Israel will rescue her, then I need to have faith that the God of Israel will rescue me in my moment of dispair.

Let the walls come down ... I'll keep you posted!