When Opposition Comes-PRAY!
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” ~Nehemiah 4:14
God calls each of us to do the impossible. An Adidas ad from the early 2000’s ran the following quote, “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
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Love: Experience the Pudding
I love pudding, especially banana pudding (although chocolate comes in as a close second). Who doesn’t love pudding? Maybe its the weird word or the way it makes your face look when saying it. Or that awkward moment when someone calls you pudding when your twelve and you think you’re grownup. How many of you have ever sang that Christmas song “We wish you a merry Christmas” and got to the line about bring us some figgy pudding and asked “what is that about”? I did some digging and realized that it is a a variation of a sixteenth century English tradition. While I won’t get into all the details of a weird figgy pudding. I got to thinking about the old saying “The proof is in the eating of the pudding”. This phrase means essentially that until you’ve tasted or experienced the pudding you don’t know how good it is, or what’s in it for that matter. To make a long story short. This got me to thinking about love.
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Borrowed Hope
Excuse me, I seem to have lost my hope. May I borrow yours? I’ve been asked for a lot things over the years, even the proverbial cup of sugar. I never recall being asked for a cup of hope. Or perhaps they were asking the question another way and I just didn’t realize it? The reality is hope seems in short supply these days. In recent months, our nation has been inundated and rocked with news of international and political division as well as racial and sexual misconduct. Dialogue has reverted to 140 character jabs at one another. Yet, we do not need to be hopeless. A great light is shining among us.
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A Question of Opportunity
Have you ever read a familiar passage and suddenly had new insight? The passage may be simple, but then God begins to show how incredible it is. That is what happened to me this week as I read this question. At first glance, David’s question seems so simple to understand. In fact, it is simple. However this question reveals many important ideas. It is just full of meaning. I want to point out two revelations that have stuck with me this week from David’s question of opportunity. David intentionally sought out opportunities to demonstrate his love for others in concrete, tangible ways. Let’s break this thought down.
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What Ifs?
What ifs seem to plague our society today. As I was driving back and forth from Stockbridge to Garden City during the transition to being pastor, I began to wonder: What if the people don’t accept me? What if I don’t measure up? What if the house in Garden City doesn’t sell? What if I get stuck behind a slow moving truck and don’t make it on time? What if…? Maybe you can relate. Thinking on these what ifs can really weigh you down and become a burden. Then I remembered that I don’t have to carry that alone. We have someone who will come alongside us and not only help us with our burden but will give us guidance when we are in need. His name is Holy Spirit.
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