My Jesus
I am just coming out of the Easter season and still filled with so much joy from all the celebrations that I was privileged to participate in. Easter Jam was Amazing! The children and families that attended and participated in an epic celebration as we proclaimed, “Jesus is Alive.
Bulbs in the Sun
Finally, warm “ish” weather has arrived as much as it can in Buffalo! All my life, I have been notorious for barefoot walks as soon as the warm weather hits. This spring has not been any different.
Just in Case
The guy telling me the story always carried a $100 bill in his wallet, that no one knew about, even though he always used his credit card for purchases. The money was there “just in case.”
The Source
I have a quote on my desk that reads “Originality is the art of concealing your source” which was penned by Benjamin Franklin. When I begin a new design, I often go to sources that inspire me. I take an idea someone else had, put a spin on it, and make it my own. So, the concept of “borrowing” someone else’s idea has been around for a long, long time.
Repeated Reminders
In January, I started rereading The One Year Bible. The last couple weeks I have been in Deuteronomy and Joshua. I am reminded again of how obstinate and stubborn the people of Israel were year after year. As I read Moses telling the people ALL the blessings God has for them if they would just follow Him, and all the curses if they don’t, I found myself feeling frustrated that they kept choosing to walk away from God even though they had so much to lose.
Jesus Was Here
Pam and I always enjoy returning to the Holy Land. Each trip we lead is spiritually refreshing, a chance to be reminded once again about the reality of our faith. Riding on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, my imagination transports me back to a day when a storm was tossing a boat like ours back and forth. Jesus speaks some words, and the wind and waves die down and all is at peace. And I think, Jesus was here.
Treasures
In August of 2022, Bryan and I had the privilege of visiting Newport, Rhode Island with Maestro Tours. We toured the Gilded Age (1877-1896) Mansions, such as The Breakers and The Marble House. Opulent wealth and luxurious furnishings were on display everywhere we looked. And, interesting that the owners spent less than two months a year in residence at their, what they referred to as, “Summer Cottages.”
Death, Life and Love
I’ve had two or three times in my life when I almost did or should have died. I will spare you the details but not the result: I was shaken. I felt like I was brought back to life. And I experienced the love of God in a fresh and different way. I did not deserve to live because of the poor decisions I made. Yet here I was.
Pleasing God
I had several seasons in my life when I wondered if what I was doing was pleasing to God. Have you? Not that I was doing anything sinful. I just wondered if it was what I was supposed to be doing and if He was pleased with how I was going about it.
Defining Moments
We all have them. They are moments that change our lives. They are encounters that define and transform us. Peter’s moment spanned a courtyard to a beach. After boasting greatly that he would never let Jesus get arrested or harmed, he denied that he even knew Jesus. Luke tells us that at the moment of the third denial, and the rooster crowing a third time, that Jesus looked across the courtyard at Peter, caught his eye, and Peter remembered Jesus words. It stabbed his heart like a dagger.
Tears and Singing
I listened to their story. Years of tears, prayers, patience, and pleading. Day after day they repeated their heart’s desire for wholeness and peace in the troubled mind (and soul) of their son. On the one hand, he was a sweet kid. But the other side, what felt like the Jekyll side, was rebellious, obstinate, and self-destructive. Yet they pushed on, day after day. And they relied on the only consistent resource they knew, the Word of God. They repeated it. They meditated on it. They prayed it.
The Jesus Way
There are many believers that think and act as if we have to be at war with all parts of our culture. Many missionaries realized that to effectively communicate the Gospel they had to be among the people and be like the people when being like the people did not mean they violated what God said. One of those missionaries was Amy Carmichael.
God’s Provision
Each day as George walked the streets, he saw children everywhere who had no mom or dad. They lived on the streets or in state-run poorhouses, where they were treated badly. George felt God calling him to open an orphanage to take care of the children.
Can’t Help Myself
I had a friend who was fond of saying when he told me a story about something that happened to him, “Oh Pat, I just can’t help myself.” What he was indicating is that what he was telling me was so impactful, so exciting or so amazing that he could not do anything other than talk about it.
Positioning is Everything
Several years ago, we were at a golf event and one of the players was about to make a putt that could put them in a tie for the lead. The crowd around the green was at least ten people deep. Even though I am above average height, I was not in a position to see what was happening. I heard the reaction of the crowd and knew he must have made it, but I did not see it happen. I could not describe it to you. I could not tell you anything personally about it. I was not in the right position.
Risking Honesty
God has been speaking to me a lot lately about risk. Maybe when you hear that word you think of jumping out of an airplane with a parachute. Or maybe you think of starting a new company that will test the breadth of your talents. Maybe it’s retirement; will there be enough to sustain us? But none of those are the risk I’m talking about.
In the Beginning
Dear Lord, thank You so much for all Your creation, including us and all the animals!
Comfort and Mango
God is the great Comforter. Indeed, this is one of the names for the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist prays in 119:76, “May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise…” My father-in-law, Ernie, passed away just before Christmas. Although he was 93 and starting to fail as a result of a fall, the quickness of his death following a surgery and good recovery, was unexpected.
The Process of the Thorn
In my Bible study, we are going through the book “Mysteries of the Messiah” by Rabbi Jason Sobel. He is taking us through the Old Testament and how we can find Jesus in the story of Creation, the Patriarchs, Moses, etc. It’s so amazing to learn Jewish tradition and the Hebrew words and their meanings. It has made the Bible come alive for me and my group! Rabbi Sobel says it is like reading the Bible in “high-def” and I couldn’t agree more.
Building Faith
Just before Christmas, I received “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom at a book swap. Over the blizzardy holiday, I opened it up and was quickly drawn into the powerful story. I knew it was a well-known book, and that Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian, but I didn’t know anything beyond that. What a powerful story it was! From cover to cover, it was filled with incredible moments of God’s provision and power in the midst of terror and desperate circumstances. Her faith, and the faith of her family members, fueled my own in deeper ways than I have experienced in a long time.