#god's process

Do I Hate Men

I recently received an inquiry from a woman asking - "Do I hate men?" Here is my response to that inquiry.

To learn more, visit my YouTube page at https://youtu.be/y9RMHJ0vrKg.

hello. here are some thoughts.

we all know the verse. “for surely i know the plans i have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope” - jeremiah 29:11 (nrsv). it’s an empowering verse, no doubt about it. however, at least for me, the constant plug-and-chug nature of memory verses in junior high made this message lose it’s sparkle for me. it became a lot more like a math equation to memorize, rather than a literal lifeline. 

we do not have to fear the future. it’s already planned for us, in all of its all-inclusive resort glory. and yet, we still choose to fret over things that ultimately are not in our hands? why not liberate ourselves and stop holding onto things that we cannot control?

being a visual kind of person, i always think of it like walking on a risky path with someone or a group of people. when you try to lead the way, you could end up going the wrong way, you could step in a dangerous place, etc. but when you’re following someone who knows the path well, you can follow their every footstep and be safe.

not to mention, the person at the front of the pack is typically the one who would need to fend off any enemy attacks (animals, etc). 

we can choose to forge our own paths and make ourselves vulnerable to enemy attacks and missteps and temptations.........

.........or we can follow the God who knows the path like the back of His hand and is willing to fight our battles.

to me, this is what it means to walk with God. to let Him takes the reins. take the backseat. let Him lead me, not the other way around.

trusting God’s process is so difficult, but so necessary. 

buckle in for the adventure, it’s worth it.

New Post has been published on https://www.crownofcompassion.org/2018/04/13/the-first-key-to-thriving/

The first key to thriving

“The first key to thriving is to focus on building the wall in front of you.”- Banning Liebscher

“Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.”- Nehemiah 3:28 (NIV)

In Chapter 2 (“Thriving in the Process”) of Rooted, Banning Liebscher believes it’s possible not only to thrive, but thrive in the midst of your embrace of God’s process and time for root-building.  Therefore, like Paul, we must find God our strength in every situation.  To do so, we must know where to look and how to continue to look in the face of Satan’s distractions.  Typically, Pastor Liebscher notes, the Enemy’s distractions try to get us to:

wish we were in someone else’s process

resist the lessons God’s trying to teach us in our circumstances

rush the process

skip steps in the process

Consequently, falling for any one of these distractions prevents us from thriving.  In addition, ultimately we find ourselves in dangerous places.  However, avoiding these deceptions enables us to find our strength – God.  And we grow regardless of the season or circumstance.

In conclusion, Banning underscores, Nehemiah 3:28 paints a powerful picture for how God works in our lives.  Yet, sometimes we miss what He’s doing right in front of us.  Because we gaze longingly  at other people’s portions of the wall.  We want to build in those areas.  As a result, we fail to see that God’s using what is right in front of us to develop the root system we so desperately need.  Thus, our need for significance makes us look at other areas that (a) feel more exciting or (b) more in line with our vision.

We must accept the place where God has put us or we’ll never thribe.  For that’s the only place God works with us.

Today’s question: How are you thriving as you focus on building the wall in front of you?  Please share.