I seem more awakened to God’s presence when storms of life arise. Somehow He seems closer when I’m faced with difficulties.

I’ve heard it said this way: “You’re either in a crisis, coming out of a crisis, or going into a crisis.”

Well, I’m not sure I’m that fatalistic or gray-clouded in my thinking. It’s a little too “Eeyore” for me. But in there is a nugget of truth about how our lives move along. And if you were to read the Bible cover to cover, you’d find that the manifest power and presence of God is most evident to His creation in times of uncertainty, fear, and turmoil. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that it was God who wanted closeness to humans when it was humans who wanted distance from God, after and because of the first sin. It was God who called out “Where are you?” while humans hid because of the turmoil they had found themselves in. I’m understanding of, but likewise weary of people who seem to blame God for their problems and wonder where He is when tough times come. God has always been and will always be EXACTLY where you want Him to be in your life. In our area (Richmond, VA) there is a chain of fitness gyms (maybe worldwide, I don’t know) called “American Family Fitness”. Their slogan is simple and pertinent to us spiritually: “As fit as you want to be.” Just like that simple slogan, God is as near as you want Him to be. As powerful as God is, He will (for now) stay at whatever distance you decide.

That speaks nothing of His power, however. God is not only incredibly powerful, not only is He the most powerful, but He is the author and creator of power. Without Him, there is no power. So, power is not the issue. The issue is our submission to allow God, by His power and grace, to redeem situations that seem unredeemable.

And so it is in the derails of life that we see the hand of God most clearly. Crisis not only brings people closer to each other, but closer to God if they’ll allow it. When we are mindful of His presence, He we are able to see Him work in the midst of our trials.

Imagine if you could see Jesus in flesh and bones in your kitchen when you woke up every morning. Imagine walking into the kitchen and seeing Jesus at the stove fixing you scrambled eggs and some toast. “Good morning, Jesus”, you’d say. He’d look over at you and say, “So, are you ready for another day?” You’d reply, “Well, I’ve got this quiz I’m a little nervous about because I kinda put off studying until late last night, and I’ve known about the quiz for a week.” After some more conversation about the events of the day ahead, Jesus would ask, “So, where do I fit into your day?”

What would your answer be?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

You’ve probably heard the expression “blind faith”. When someone uses the term “blind faith”, they usually have this picture of stepping out into nothing, having no evidence in which to put any weight.

But God doesn’t expect you to exhibit any “blind faith” in your walk with Him. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that putting your faith in Christ is not nearly as much of an exercise of faith as something like atheism.

And this coming Sunday (March 8), you’re going to hear a lot of that evidence. Its going to be real, rock-solid fact that you can know that the Bible you read truly is the Word of God. It is authentic, reliable, and true.

Your reading for today is Hebrews 11:1. If you don’t have your Bible handy, you can look it up at www.biblegateway.com and read it there.

After you read that verse in Hebrews, think about and answer these questions:
1. In your own words, what is faith?
2. What kinds of things do you put your faith in everyday, maybe without realizing it?
3. If a friend asked you why you believe in God, or Jesus, or the Bible, what would you say?

Click on the comment link below and share your thoughts!

I have been home more in the last 3 days than I would typically be–all thanks to the thick blanket of snow and ice that has covered our land and rendered us homebound. That is, of course unless you have a 4-wheel drive or at least nerves of steel for driving on ice. I have the latter, but not the former.

I’m the proud owner of a 1992 Crown Victoria; a retired police car actually. It’s got a huge V8 engine in it that just roars at the tap on the gas pedal. It’s a beast and boy does it move! (Not that I would know.) So, once I got my driveway shoveled out and had a clear path from my parking spot to the street I live on, I ventured out.

I made out from my driveway onto my street okay even though my street hadn’t been touched by plows, and even drove myself to the corner where my road meets the nearest “secondary” road that had been plowed and cleared. But my problem started the moment I stopped at the stop sign. And if I may, I’d like to connect the dots on a spiritual truth here. The trouble USUALLY starts the moment we stop. When we stop in our sense of awe of God. When we stop connecting with God in worship with others, when we stop talking with God about the daily stuff of life, when we stop turning to Him for comfort, guidance, wisdom, strength, and peace; when we stop our interaction with God, and when we stop being thankful…that’s when trouble starts.

So there I was at the stop sign. Looked left–clear. Looked right–clear. Looked left again–still clear. I began to press on the gas pedal and I outside my window I heard a faint “zzzzZZZZZZ”. Oh no. The incline at the end of my road leading to the main road was just enough to get my car stuck in one stop–wheels spinning: zzzzZZZZZZZZzzzz. There I was with one of the most powerful engines on the road…going nowhere.

I had lost traction.

And not only that, now there was a truck behind me. I watched his eyes get really big when I put my Crown Vic in reverse and started heading his direction. I turned the wheel and went around him, continuing to back up the street. I thought to myself, “I just need a bit of a running start and I’ll be fine.” So I got half a block away from the corner and put it back into drive. With extreme caution and care, I made it through the corner and onto the main road with very little slipping that time. And off I went to work.

Traction is a powerful thing. You can have a V8 engine under your hood, but unless you’ve got traction, you’re going nowhere fast.

How can you find traction as a Christian today? How can you make sure that your spirit is making contact with the path that God has designed for you to travel on? It might be in a way that you’re not expecting! Take a look at these verses:

Colossians 1:11-12 “We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.”

The key to traction in your spiritual life is not effort, not trying harder, not knowing more, not giving more, and not believing more. It begins with the attitude of thankfulness to God for who He is, what He has done, and what He means to you. Just like everything God does flows from His love, everything we do flows from our sense of thankfulness. Think about it. If you aren’t thankful for something, you won’t care for it. If you aren’t thankful for a relationship in your life, you won’t invest in it and nurture it. It just makes sense.

So, read again those two verses in Colossians. And notice all that comes from “always thanking the Father”: power, endurance, patience, strength, and joy. In other words: traction. It all hinges on how thankful you are to God for who He is and what He has done for you.

Like you, I have been home more in the last 3 days than I would typically be–all thanks to the thick blanket of snow and ice that has covered our land and rendered us homebound. That is, of course unless you have a 4-wheel drive or at least nerves of steel for driving on ice. I have the latter, but not the former.

I’m the proud owner of a 1992 Crown Victoria; a retired police car actually. It’s got a huge V8 engine in it that just roars at the tap on the gas pedal. It’s a beast and boy does it move! (Not that I would know.) So, once I got my driveway shoveled out and had a clear path from my parking spot to the street I live on, I ventured out.

I made out from my driveway onto my street okay even though my street hadn’t been touched by plows, and even drove myself to the corner where my road meets the nearest “secondary” road that had been plowed and cleared. But my problem started the moment I stopped at the stop sign. And if I may, I’d like to connect the dots on a spiritual truth here. The trouble USUALLY starts the moment we stop. When we stop in our sense of awe of God. When we stop connecting with God in worship with others, when we stop talking with God about the daily stuff of life, when we stop turning to Him for comfort, guidance, wisdom, strength, and peace; when we stop our interaction with God, and when we stop being thankful…that’s when trouble starts.

So there I was at the stop sign. Looked left–clear. Looked right–clear. Looked left again–still clear. I began to press on the gas pedal and I outside my window I heard a faint “zzzzZZZZZZ”. Oh no. The incline at the end of my road leading to the main road was just enough to get my car stuck in one stop–wheels spinning: zzzzZZZZZZZZzzzz. There I was with one of the most powerful engines on the road…going nowhere.

I had lost traction.

And not only that, now there was a truck behind me. I watched his eyes get really big when I put my Crown Vic in reverse and started heading his direction. I turned the wheel and went around him, continuing to back up the street. I thought to myself, “I just need a bit of a running start and I’ll be fine.” So I got half a block away from the corner and put it back into drive. With extreme caution and care, I made it through the corner and onto the main road with very little slipping that time. And off I went to work.

Traction is a powerful thing. You can have a V8 engine under your hood, but unless you’ve got traction, you’re going nowhere fast.

How can you find traction as a teen today? How can you make sure that your spirit is making contact with the path that God has designed for you to travel on? It might be in a way that you’re not expecting! Take a look at today’s verses:

Colossians 1:11-12 “We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.”

The key to traction in your spiritual life is not effort, not trying harder, not knowing more, not giving more, and not believing more. It begins with the attitude of thankfulness to God for who He is, what He has done, and what He means to you. Just like everything God does flows from His love, everything we do flows from our sense of thankfulness. Think about it. If you aren’t thankful for something, you won’t care for it. If you aren’t thankful for a relationship in your life, you won’t invest in it and nurture it. It just makes sense.

So, read again those two verses in Colossians. And notice all that comes from “always thanking the Father”: power, endurance, patience, strength, and joy. In other words: traction. It all hinges on how thankful you are to God for who He is and what He has done for you.

If you’d like to comment on today’s reading, I’d like to hear your “thankful” list: What is it about God that you are most thankful for? Share that in the comments section below!

My youngest son just emerged from his bedroom after a long winter night’s sleep. He’s the kind of kid that sleeps and consequently wakes up with stuff. This morning it was a lightsaber, a bear, and one other thing that didn’t belong to him…..a toy that belongs to his older brother.I just happened to be walking past his bedroom door when he opened it to come out. Toting his stuff, he looked up at me, knowing that he had something not belonging to him and feeling kind of “busted”, he simply said, “No…don’t see that.” He was giving my eyes permission to notice everything else he was carrying except that one thing.

We often times live in such a way toward God. There are areas of our lives that are wide open to Him and others, but then there are things that we keep guarded, private. Because for whatever reason these aren’t things we’re entirely comfortable with people seeing. As a pastor, I’m often time privy to many people’s “secrets”. So often I hear, “Pastor, I haven’t told anyone this…”

My first piece of counsel to them is to, before worrying about bringing things into the light of relationships with those close to them, bring it into the light of God’s truth. God isn’t glaring down at us, at that toy tucked under our arm that we’re trying to hide, with a glint of condemnation in His eye. God is gracious, just, merciful, and compassionate. He will relieve us of the effort and pain of holding a poisonous secret in our heart and living a life before Him and others that says, “No…don’t see that.”

I’ve seen secrets utterly destroy the insides of people. It’s an emotional and spiritual cancer that spreads like fire. Until they finally are faced with the choice to extinguish the agony by surrendering to God or emotionally, spiritually, (and even literally) die from the secret disease.I want to live a life of openness. An open book where I am unashamed for you to know about any part of my life. A life of honesty, integrity, and transparency.

Can you think of or find a verse in the Bible that talks about honesty, openness, and the fact that God knows even our deepest secrets? Share them and your thoughts about this in the comment section!

My youngest son just emerged from his bedroom after a long winter night’s sleep. He’s the kind of kid that sleeps with and consequently wakes up with stuff. This morning it was his lightsaber, his bear, and one other thing that didn’t belong to him…..a toy that belongs to his older brother.

I just happened to be walking past his bedroom door when he opened it to come out. Toting his stuff, he looked up at me, knowing that he had something not belonging to him and feeling kind of “busted”, he simply said, “No…don’t see that.” He was giving my eyes permission to notice everything else he was carrying except that one thing.

We often times live in such a way toward God. There are areas of our lives that are wide open to Him and others, but then there are things that we keep guarded, private. Because for whatever reason these aren’t things we’re entirely comfortable with people seeing. As a pastor, I’m often time privy to many people’s “secrets”. So often I hear, “Pastor, I haven’t told anyone this…”

My first piece of counsel to them is to, before worrying about bringing things into the light of relationships with those close to them, bring it into the light of God’s truth. God isn’t glaring down at us, at that toy tucked under our arm that we’re trying to hide, with a glint of condemnation in His eye. God is gracious, just, merciful, and compassionate. He will relieve us of the effort and pain of holding a poisonous secret in our heart and living a life before Him and others that says, “No…don’t see that.”

I’ve seen secrets utterly destroy the insides of people. It’s an emotional and spiritual cancer that spreads like fire. Until they finally are faced with the choice to extinguish the agony by surrendering to God or emotionally, spiritually, (and even literally) die from the secret disease.

I want to live a life of openness. An open book where I am unashamed for you to know about any part of my life. A life of honesty, integrity, and transparency.