The topic of the very first article I posted on this blog is still very relevant. It was titled, “How Big is Your God?” That question is quite relevant every single day.
Whether we realize it or not, we direct most of our lives by our own perspective. And perspective has nothing to do with what happens to us, or what situation we are facing. Many situations we face are not a result of our decisions or choices. Our perspective, however, is our choice.
Last fall,
There’s more in the news lately about the horrendous atrocities regarding the persecution of Christians in certain parts of the world. The barbaric behavior of some religious fanatics is taking cruelty to new heights. Our brothers and sisters in those parts of the world need our prayers, to say the least.
So with all that going on, does it seem like their needs are a much bigger priority than your needs or mine? Our lives are not in danger. Do we really need to bother our heavenly Father with our needs right now, with all that is going on elsewhere?
As a parent, if one child is hurt and needs medical attention,
This coming Sunday believers around the world celebrate the cornerstone of Christianity: the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
This week leading up to Easter 2016, I have a video, a podcast, and a couple of articles from
Here in the USA, it’s a presidential election year. While this blog doesn’t focus much on politics, there’s a political phrase that’s been bandied about for a number of years: redistribution of wealth. Many say it has a connection with Christianity including the teachings of Jesus. Really?
Those who say Jesus promoted redistribution of wealth often cite a passage
What would you call an extremely religious man so committed to his beliefs that he goes about seeking to find and murder those who do not hold the same beliefs? A fanatical terrorist? It sounds a lot like the kind of things we hear going on today, but I’m actually talking about someone who lived quite some time ago.
I’m talking about a man whose mission in life was to seek and find Christians, arrest them, and then execute them. He was convinced he was doing “God’s work.” But in reality, he was responsible for murdering God’s children.
There was another man who
This Sunday millions celebrate, Valentines Day. So, don’t you think this a good week to talk about love? Actually, every day is a good day to talk about love.
Has anyone ever told you, “God loves you”? Maybe at times you yourself have said that to others; I certainly have said it to people many, many times. But why does God love you and me? What is it we need to do so that
It seems like not a day goes by that we don’t hear the news of someone dying. Whether it is a single fatality or multiple, we hear about death every day. Most of the time, we don’t know those who have lost their lives, but other times we hear the sad news about someone we know.
The Bible says that death is an enemy, and one day it will be destroyed. It always saddens me to hear that kind of news, regardless of whether I personally know who has lost life or not. You probably feel the same way.
A few days ago, a life long friend of 40 years
I was flying home recently after teaching with others at a Winter Advance on Hayden Lake in Coeur D’alene, Idaho. On the flight from Spokane, I heard the voice of the pilot over the speaker say what he always says, “You are now free to move about the cabin.”
I always chuckle when I hear that. Move about where, and do what? I think what he really means is it’s okay to get up and use the restroom.
So freedom to move about the cabin during a commercial flight is really not
These past three months have challenged my patience. Last October 18th, our giant 40 year old pine tree was uprooted by a nasty storm and it collapsed onto our home. Initially, being the optimist that I generally am, I figured all would be repaired by Thanksgiving. Not hardly.
Back then I wrote an article on this blog stating a truth that’s been said in many different ways by many different people: “What’s important is not what happens to you, but rather how you react to what has happened.” I went on to write about how my wife and I refused to be victims, but rather, we took the approach of being project managers on a remodel project.
I still believe we are project managers. We refuse to think or act like victims. But there have been many challenges and obstacles in this nearly three month long process. To list them all here would neither be inspiring for you to read, nor encouraging for me to write.
We Have A Date
On a more positive note, they are now finally estimating a completion date of the 22nd of this month. If that indeed comes to pass, we can then begin putting that part of our home back together, which includes moving all the pantry items from our entry way back into the pantry where they belong!
Perhaps the most challenging part is that our house is not together, like we’re used to. The dining room we eat in and a portion of the kitchen are empty. The laundry room is empty, with the freezer, washer and dryer outside. The storeroom is empty, and the patio is filled with assorted items.
But at least each night when I come home from work, as I walk in the front door, I am greeted by our kitchen table and chairs, the electric piano, and a giant shelving unit filled with yummy pantry items!
Here’s The Key
One of the biggest keys I know on staying patient is perspective. I might not be able to choose the circumstances, but I can certainly choose my perspective. For us, our perspective is the end result, not the current state of affairs: everything will get repaired and back the way it was. All of our out-of-place belongings will be put back in their rightful places.
So each day we pray. We pray for the safety of the workers. We pray for the quality of their work. We stay proactive with all that is going on.
Tempted to get frustrated? Absolutely. Happy it’s taken way longer than it should have? Absolutely not. Keeping our focus on the end results? Doing our best.
I do know that when we only see where we are at the moment, it’s tempting to get discouraged and frustrated. Doing that leaves us impatient, and peace evaporates. Ahh, back to the right perspective.
God Is Not Testing Us!
And no, a thousand times, no! I do not believe God gave us this trial so we could learn more about being patient. Life happens and when it does we have a choice. We can certainly choose to grow in our capacity to be patient.
Growing in patience is a good thing, too. God never promised He would answer our prayers the instant we finish praying. Sometimes we see that happen; other times we do not.
There are things I continue to pray about that have not come to pass. But I remain patient, consistently letting Him hear my requests. And as I keep my perspective in the right place, I will have more patience.
I’ve heard quite a number of people say that for them, 2015 has been a tough year; in some cases, a very tough year. I concur.
Our calendar year is broken up in months, weeks and days. There are times when you have a tough day. At the end of one of those days, you might optimistically say, “This was a tough day, but tomorrow things will be a lot better.”
There are other times when a given week has lots of challenges. Sometimes an entire month seems filled with one unpleasant thing after another. But a whole year? Since we mark time by days, weeks, months, and years, an unusually long time span of disappointments, challenges, obstacles, and sorrows, is often labeled, “a really tough year.”
