Storms of Growth

   Crash, bash, boom! Those were the sounds I heard as I lay in bed. I opened my eyes and saw lightning flash in my dark room. Once again, I was awakened by a storm. I am a very light sleeper. If I hear a noise I will usually wake up, sometimes even noises in my dreams wake me up. Many times when I was younger I would wake up while it was storming and I couldn't get back to sleep. I would get close to sleeping then I would hear thunder boom again. Can you imagine how annoyed I was? (Some of you may be saying, "you've never had a kid. You don't know annoyed until you've had a baby keeping you up." You're right I don't know how that feels that's why we are talking about storms :D
   Storms are annoying for many reasons. They are loud, messy, bring floods, and create fires. Why do we need storms? Well, what good things do storms bring? They bring water to animals, plants, and people. They are beautiful at times. They show God's power. Storms help things grow.
   In life we also have storms. We have annoying problems come. These problems could be loud and bring destruction to people, places, and things we love. But, just like real storms, these problems also help us grow. When bad things happen we have a choice. We can choose to pout, complain, and wallow in our pain. Or, we can choose to let those problems help us grow. We can choose to walk with God. We can choose joy. These problems can shape us into better people. God is molding us into who we are meant to be. We just need to choose to see the lessons in our storms of life.
   So, what storms do you have right now? How are you viewing those storms? Are you trying to let those storms help you grow?

   Romans 8:28 and Proverbs 3:5-6

   Image from here. 

Faith, Confidence, Hope

   Faith. It is something that people have a hard time with nowadays. Faith and trust are basically synonyms. And, trust is something that is hard to earn but easy to lose. Is there anyone in your life that you trust? Another way of putting that is: if you were required to do a trust fall with someone, who would you trust to catch you? Many people would say family members. Some may even say lifelong friends. But, many would not say too many more people.

   What about God? Would you do a trust fall with him? Do you have faith in him even in hard times? In Hebrews 11:1 it says: “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see.” If we call ourselves Christians that means we are to have faith in God. We are to be confident in him and his will. We are to have assurance that he does exist, he loves us, and he has a plan. That isn’t always easy; but, luckily, God gives us plenty of examples of people who had faith in him.

   In Hebrews 11 Paul shows us many different people who had faith. They faced many hard times, yet they had faith. They were promised many things: and sometimes did not receive those things in the way they expected, yet they had faith. They had people taken away, possessions taken away, and personal injuries, yet they had faith. Were these people perfect? No, but they believed in a perfect God.

   Those people are examples to us. When we face hard times we can know that God is trustworthy. When we face hard times we can know that we are not alone. When we face hard times we can have hope that this is not the end.

   So, do you have faith in God no matter what?

   Image from here.

Jesus and the Storm

   Sometimes it seems like nothing is going right. You may have lost your job. You may be sick, or know someone who is sick. You may not know what the world is going to be like after a significant event. Those are storms, or problems in life. Many times storms don't just show up one at a time. They tend to show up at the same time. Thus, they create a bigger storm.
   One day Jesus was with his disciples. He told them he wanted to go to the other side of a lake. The disciples took him in a boat and they began to go across the lake. Suddenly a really large storm appeared. It was so large that water was entering the boat. Yet, Jesus was asleep. The disciples were scared so they woke Jesus up. Jesus told the storm to be quiet and still. The storm stops; and Jesus asked his disciples "Do you still have no faith?" (Mark.4.35-41)
   We have large storms in life. Jesus is with us too in our storms. He asks us to have faith in him as well. When we are going through loss, Jesus reminds us that he had loss as well. He reminds us that he is there for us and wants to help us grow through that loss. He reminds us to have faith and trust in his plan. He reminds us that he loves us.
   So, what storms do you have in your life now? Are you walking with Jesus in those storms? Do you have faith that God has a plan for your life?

   Image from here.

Be Strong and Courageous: Joshua

   I would like you to picture a time where you may have had someone you looked up to leave you. Maybe they moved, left your organization, or they may have left this world. That person may have been a great leader. The person may have had great listening skills, was caring, loved others, and was a godly person. Imagine having to follow in the footsteps of that person. That’s exactly what Joshua had happen to him.

   Moses was a great leader for the Israelites. Did he make mistakes? Yes, but he did his best to follow God. He did his best facing many unknown challenges in Egypt and the wilderness. Then he died. A leader had to step up. Joshua was that leader. Joshua had some large shoes to fill. I imagine he was feeling scared or nervous. He not only had to lead these people, he also had to take the Promised Land for his people.

   Did Joshua fret? Did he believe he could not face the people of the Promised Land? Was he afraid of the unknown? We don’t know. What we do know is that God spoke to Joshua and encouraged him. Joshua 1:1-9 is where we first see God encourage Joshua. God tells Joshua that he will be with him and will never leave him. God tells Joshua to “be strong and courageous” 3 times in these 9 verses. God believes in Joshua and tells him not to fear because God is with him wherever he goes (Josh.1.9).

   Could you imagine having this pep-talk from God? Well you should, because God would do the same for you. He loves us and is with us. He sent his Son to die for us so that he could have a relationship with us. When we face hard challenges, God says to us “be strong and courageous.” When we have to step up and be a leader, God says “be strong and courageous.” When we feel alone, or face the unknown, God says to us “be strong and courageous.” He says that he is with us wherever we go.

   So, when you face the unknown will you trust in God? Do you believe that God is with you wherever you go?

   Image from here.

The Champion

   It is Resurrection Sunday! Though, right now, the last thing on your mind might be Easter. It is not easy for many people right now. Many of us are worried about our jobs, our heath, and even what our next meal may be. Churches are online and Resurrection Sunday just doesn’t feel the same to us.

   Why is it so important for us to still celebrate, and treat, Resurrection Sunday with the same reverence even with all of this going on? The answer is because without Resurrection Sunday we would not have any hope. You may be thinking: “how can we have hope right now? It seems like we are hopelessly stuck in this situation.” Today, I want to remind you of something that you may need to hear: Jesus has already won.

   We know that the things of this earth are temporary. It’s not easy what we are going through right now.  We are uncertain of many things. Yet, we have hope. During this time of year I think about an older song by an artist called Carmen. Carmen wrote a song called The Champion. It is a bit of a long song but it give illustration of the spiritual battle that Jesus was fighting. He was human just like us. He faced sin just like us. Though, unlike us, he did not sin. He was also fighting spiritual battles at the same time. That’s what this song is about.

   I think this song is a good reminder that we also have battles, but we don’t fight them on our own. God is there to walk with us. He sent his Son to die for us so we would have hope. Even though it isn’t always easy on earth, we know that we are secure. We know that God is with us. We know that we have a hope and a future with Christ, if we believe in him.

   So, will you choose to remember how important Easter is even if you are unable to celebrate the way you usually do? How can you focus on the hope that we have in Christ today and every day? Will you choose to walk with God when you face difficult battles?

   John 3:16, John 11:25, Romans 12:12, Jeremiah 29:11

   Image from here.

   Carmen video here.

Faith in Hard Times: Moses

   One of the many movies I have watched during this time is The Prince of Egypt. This is the story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt. In it, Moses goes through some hard times. He leaves everything he knows and builds a life in Midian. Then God calls him to leave all of that to face Pharaoh. He was the face of the rebellion against Egypt. For a time, both the Egyptians and Israelites probably really did not like him. He was making both those groups lives more difficult.

   At one point in the movie, Moses goes into the Nile River and God turns the water to blood. The people are all amazed. Yet, Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelites go. Aaron and the Israelites become discouraged. Moses says: “Yes, Aaron, it’s true. Pharaoh has the power. He can take away your sons and daughters. With one word, Pharaoh can take away your very lives. But there is one thing he cannot take away from you: your faith. Believe, for we will see God’s wonders.”

   We may not be facing slavery or many plagues, but we are facing a disease now. The virus has taken many things from us. It has taken our freedom, jobs, schools, sports, entertainment, and our health. It could very well take away much more before this is all said and done. However, just like the Israelites and Pharaoh, there is one thing that this virus cannot take away: our faith.

   God is still at work even in this difficult time. We know how the story ends. Even though there may be pain and suffering on this earth, someday we will have no more pain or suffering. Someday we will be with the one who created us and loved us enough to die for us. That is, if we believe in him.

   So, will you trust God through this difficult time? How can you grow in your faith in Him?

   James 1:12, Isaiah 41:10, Philippians 4:6-8

   Image from here.

Encouraging Others in Hard Times: Joseph

   One person who faced many hard times in the Bible, over many years, was Joseph. He faced many unknowns. One particular hard time was when he was put in charge of all of Egypt. It was his job to get Egypt through a 7 year famine.

   Joseph had been given a gift by God to be able to interpret dreams. In Genesis 41 we read that Pharaoh called him out of prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Not only did Joseph interpret his dreams, he also gave Pharaoh advice. He told Pharaoh to keep some food aside for the years of famine. Joseph was a smart business man. He did not just sit around when an impending famine was coming. He prepared for it.

   Joseph was not just responsible for his family but the fate of all those people in Egypt and beyond. Who knows if they had faced a famine of that magnitude before? Joseph trusted God and followed his plan. He did not know all the things God had planned. Yet, he believed God had good planned for him and his family. Because Joseph trusted God, he and his family were saved.

   Nowadays, we go through hard times. We face unknowns. But, it’s not only us who face those unknowns. Many times people have gone through the same things we have. Many times leaders are facing new situations where they are learning along the way just as we are. The interesting thing is if people would not have believed Joseph or followed him then many would have perished. It may be hard to trust people or leaders in trying times; but, if we don’t band together, then we could all perish.

   Hebrews 10:24-25 says: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” It is hard to go through tough times. Yet, if we work together and encourage one another it makes life on earth a little easier. This verse also reminds us that this time on earth is temporary. We will face hard times, like Joseph did, but eventually if we believe in Christ we will be with him in heaven.

   I encourage you to remember how important it is to be prepared for when hard times come. Remember to spend time with God and trust in him when hard times come. Think about how people before you may have gone through those hard times. Remember that it is vital to band together in difficult times and encourage each other.

   Image from here.