Holy moments

Sometimes you just know that You've heard from God and there's no mistaking it. We all have these moments in our lives, even if there's only a few, when God clearly speaks to us. He meets us exactly where we are and sits beside us. It feels like He's inside our spirit. Thank God for these Holy moments, these thin places where Heaven and Earth touch.

Weather lessons

Weather teaches us a lot about the nature and character of God. I think primarily it helps us understand that our circumstances are only temporary. It can be very difficult for some of us to be positive while it's dark and rainy outside but the clouds eventually clear and blue skies come about again. Through it all He never leaves us or forsakes us. God is present in the clouds, rain and floods as much as the pleasant days.

Sharing Christ's Suffering

Romans Chapter 8 says: 'The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ'...
We are literally God's children. Period. We're also co-heirs with Christ, sharing the same inheritance.
Romans 8 continues: 'if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.'

Christ suffered as a man. So often I hear Christian talk about suffering and I think: "I live in America. I'll never be starving or poor or persecuted for my faith." That may be true, but Christ suffered in more than physical ways. Christ knew the anguish of being a man. He knew what it was like to feel distant from the Father, what it was like to pray with "no answer," to read scripture and to fast. Christ had to grow up, too. He had to go through puberty, young adulthood, and transition into being an adult. Christ knew the human condition, and suffered.

So why are we so hard on ourselves? The fact is, we have a Great High Priest who knows exactly how we feel. How awesome is that?! Jesus knows what we mean when we say "I repent" or "Father, help me". He never sinned but he knows why we do. He made us his children and co-heirs with Christ because He loves us and understands us.

So go ahead and take that risk for Him. He knows exactly how that feels.

Walking in step

Prayer Journal entry from 4/5/10: "I met with God today, on the way out the trail, Jesus and I talked. He was with me, walking in step, and inside of me."
This is how we are meant to live. Whatever it takes, see Jesus on today's trail.

HACC wildlife

I took this photo this morning on my way in to class. HACC squirrels are brave souls. This particular one is having a bagel, New York style.

Back to BasiX

I'm getting back to basics. Why bother mulling over big issues when the details aren't even in place?
For me, that means returning to the foundations of my faith via studying the Ten Commandments for the next ten days. They're pretty basic, and crucial for living everyday life. If we don't have these blocks in place there's no use going ahead with the building. It's doomed to crumble without them.
I'm naming this ten day study Back to BasiX, and I'll be starting each day by reading the entire passage in Exodus 20, then moving to focus on the commandment of the day and it's indexed references in my Bible. I actually started yesterday, so today is day 2.
The thing I noticed right off the bat is how richly the commandments are worded in the real text. The short versions of them found on plaques and statues are nice, but nothing compares to the inherent beauty and truth of Scripture. Today's commandment is about a paragraph long. There's lots of detail in there. And it's concerning idolatry, go figure. God is obviously concerned about protecting His people from the ravages of idolatry.
More to come about this study, but for now I'm chewing on this paragraph of a commandment and what God wants it to achieve in me.

What do you think?