A New Direction

We are all familiar with the manger scene.  Its generally a part of the Christmas decorations in most churches foyers.  You may find it in a few homes of your friends or family. I was out for a run this morning.   It was dark, quiet, crisp. As I ran, in the quiet I realized that the greatest gift was given to us from a God who loves us fiercely. He sent His Son to be born, so that he could grow up and die for us.  The Cross is a symbol of grace, mercy, forgiveness and peace. How often do we truly accept the gift of forgiveness?  We are a broken people and without knowing it on a daily basis we hurt people.  We hurt them with our words, our actions, our attitudes.  We cheat, kill, destroy.  We deceive, lie, steal.  We judge people because they don't look like us, or like we want them to look.  We judge people because they have different beliefs and opinions than ours.  Why would God send his son to die for people...

Letting God lead me.  That's hard sometimes, isn't it? We either want to do things our own way, or what God wants us to do is HARD! He will ask us to give away something that means a lot to us ( our money, our time) He will ask us to forgive someone who hurt us (but they don't deserve it Lord) He will tell us to go and we want to stay (mission trip? move to a new city? new job?) Many times God wants us to do things that are hard, not because he wants us to fail but because he wants us to grow.  He is stretching our faith. If we do something that on our own we can't accomplish, then our faith in Him gets stronger, because its only by His power we are able to complete the task he has given us. Many of you may have heard the song "Oceans" by Hillsong.  I posted the video above.  I've heard it many many times on the radio and at times have turned it off because I was tired of hearing it.  But, God brought it to mind during my quiet time.  I re...

Adam and Eve had it ALL! The Ultimate Garden. Ecological Harmony. Spiritual Peace Relational Purity. Satan suggested there could be more.  And with that thought came discontent. I can have more?   Had they chosen gratitude, would the world be different today?  If you chose gratitude, would your world be different today? In this season of GIVING, I am more aware of the discontent of so many people.  What they have isn't good enough - they need more, bigger, better, faster, shinier.  Made me think about how often I say "Thank You" to God. Thank you for a home I can afford - no matter its size. Thank you that I have a job - even if its not my choice of jobs. Thank you for a car to drive - instead of having to use public transportation or walk. Thank you for healthy children - as I see others with children struggling with disease. Thank you for running water, heat, and food in my refrigerator.  I could be homeless and hungry. ...