Eric Suddoth's Blog, page 34

Anchor

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The first four months of the year are usually the hardest months of the year for me – tax season. It seems that during this time I find a that resonates to give me hope and encouragement during these hard moments of stress and late nights. This year with the COVID-19 it was a double whammy, just like the rest of the world.

I must have played the Glorious Ruins album from Hillsong it seems like a 100 times during this season, many days that was the only album I listened to. Again and again and again.

This album gave me so much hope. Seeing the world around me fall apart. Seeing things that we thought were certain a week ago quickly became breakable. The prestigious castle that we used to look upon, quickly went from being made of strong bricks to crumbling sand that can easily wash away with the tides.

This time of breaking and tearing down opened my eyes that what I may see as ruins, are not ruins to Him. They are just pieces awaiting rebirth. A line from the title track of the album that I love is,

So let the ruins come to life

In the beauty of Your Name

May we have hope that whatever rubble you are surrounded in, these pieces of a once firm foundation will build anew. Just as God can breathe into a valley of dry bones, He can breathe into the valleys we are in now. But when the world comes back alive, may we see that it’s not because of our doing, but His. The chorus concludes with the following line,

Rising up from the ashes

God forever You reign

May we see during this time, that the only thing that will always endure is God. He is one who can cause life to rise up from the ashes…not me. Only Him. Not you either. Only Him.

The entire album is a great reminder, but the title track wasn’t the song of this season for me. No, it’s one of the last tracks. It was a song that I would replay over and over. It was my anthem during this rocky season of highs and lows. But though the uncertainty, I felt secure because of where I put my trust. Not in myself, which easily loses footholds and strength, but in the One who holds me as I try to feebly hold onto Him.

Anchor

I have this hope

As an anchor for my soul

Through every storm

I will hold to You

With endless love

All my fear is swept away

In everything

I will trust in You

There is hope in the promise of the cross

You gave everything to save the world You love

And this hope is an anchor for my soul

Our God will stand

Unshakeable

Unchanging One

You who was and is to come

Your promise sure

You will not let go

There is hope in the promise of the cross

You gave everything to save the world You love

And this hope is an anchor for my soul

Our God will stand

Unshakeable

Your Name is higher

Your Name is greater

All my hope is in You

Your word unfailing

Your promise unshaken

All my hope is in You

In this shaky time, may you find comfort in knowing a God who doesn’t waver in fear of a pandemic, a savior that doesn’t cower in surrender in a foxhole, a Lord who doesn’t wander blindly through an uncertain path.

Our God will stand unshakable.

May we stand or kneel before Him and feel the sturdiness on this holy ground.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand

When darkness veils his lovely face

I’ll rest on his unchanging grace

In every high and stormy day

My anchor holds within the veil

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand

What a nice anchor to have during these times.

Peace

They Were How Old?

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Close you eyes and visualize the the people of the Easter story. You have Jesus, the guards, the council, His mother (Mary), the women and John who stayed to watch Him die, Judas (the betrayer), and the 10 other disciples.

One group I ask you to pay particular attention to are his Disciples.

How do you picture them?

All my life I have pictured this collection of people as men. Men who are fully grown, with long hair and bushy beards. Men who had lived a hard life and started following Jesus in their 20s and 30s. Men who made a drastic change to leave their old lives and begin a new journey.

But what if this group of nobodies were truly nobodies. No history, no past to change, no proverbial midlife crises making them question life and start a fresh.

What if following Christ was their beginning to adulthood. What if this group of followers, were not men, but mere teenagers trying to figure life out by following their Jewish customs.

I used to wonder why did Jesus wait until He was 30 years old to start His ministry? Well, in Jewish custom a rabbi couldn’t lead a group of followers until He was 30. And you wouldn’t lead someone over 30, so all the disciples were under 30.

But the story gets more interesting. In Jewish culture young boys pick their rabbi to lead and teach them after the age of 12 years old.

So they were between 12 and 30. That is still a large gap.

Simon Peter was the only disciple to be mentioned to be married. In Jewish culture, men married around 18 years old or after. But that doesn’t mean the others weren’t that old due to their marital status.

But there is an interesting story when Jesus has to pay his taxes and he told a disciple to go fish and he would find their payment in a fishes mouth. He told Peter to fish to find their tax payment. In Jewish custom, men over 20 had to pay taxes. Jesus didn’t tell Peter to get enough money for everyone, but enough for two people.

So, out of the 12 disciples, only one was over 20. I tend to lean on the lower age scale for Peter so he is closer in age with the other disciples.

If you were in his shoes, would you rather be a 29 year old befriending a group of teenagers to study with or a group of guys your own age? It’s human nature to find people like yourself, so in my opinion, Peter was closer to 20 than he was to 30.

Some may think that the majority of these guys had occupations, but many of them worked for their fathers. If your family has a business, it’s nothing to find their youngest child washing dishes in the back, cleaning or taking out the trash in the office, sweeping the floors to keep the shop tidy. These group of guys were just doing what their father told them to do. It was Jewish custom to either find your occupation (usually learn from your father) or follow a rabbi.

These group of guys were not well established fishermen. No, they were tending the nets of their fathers. The nets they had probably been tending since they were 6 years old.

In a few passages, Jesus even called his followers little ones or young ones or children. He wasn’t being rude. No, he was simply stating you are young and don’t know.

If you read through the Gospels with the eye of Jesus’ followers being pimpled face teenagers, will your perspective change?

It has for me.

What 17 year old guy wouldn’t run for his life when his friend is being beaten and bullied…bullied to the state of death. You may remember times in your teenage years where you bonded with your friends and you said you would do anything for them. But if the time came, at 17 years old, would you really have died for them since you still had a long life ahead of you?

Or would you also have hidden?

Take some time and reexamine these stories. Shave off their beards, remove their graying hairs, smooth out their wrinkles, erase their dad body physique and picture yourself smiling for your drivers permit.

We don’t give these young guys enough respect because these teenagers changed the world through their actions.

Next time you see a teenager, don’t look at them annoyed with their high octane, childish ways of getting on your nerves. Picture them as Simon Peter, or James, or John. Teenagers can be selfish, rude, disobedient hoodlums running a muck, but deep down – we are no different. Just maybe a little older.

Jesus saw the potential in this group.

The teenagers today deserve to been seen with the same potential.

Give them a chance to prove themselves. And if they fail (just like the disciples did multiple times) help them back up, just as Jesus did. We are not here to judge and grade. We are here to build up and strengthen.

Peace

Reflection…To Dig or Not to Dig?

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Many people all over the world for the first time in a long time are taking a break from routine life. Words like self quarantine and pandemic are unheard of in my vocabulary, like most.

I truly believe God can take a bleak, defeated circumstance and cause new life and rebirth to come forth. A renaissance of global proportions.

So are you going to be apart of the new or sit on the sidelines and watch as new, unknown people discover newfound depths in themselves?

Depths that you also hold.

Last fall I released a book, Dream Chasers – A Journey of Faith. I wanted this book to inspire other dreamers or to encourage people to dream of impossibilities and see that nothing is impossible with God.

So, during this time of uncertainty, take a moment and reflect on your life. If you could do anything, what would it be?

As you are sitting at home, finding friendship with cabin fever, what do you long to do?

What thought keeps popping up in your head during these moments of looking out the window?

Is there anything that is stirring in your bones?

If not, start stirring. Let this time birth a fire in your bones and then let your mind come along on the journey.

Everyone has a purpose! Even you.

Take this time to discover it.

Take a chance on considering the what if’s? Right now, what harm will it do?

You have limitless potential, but unless you start digging, you’ll never find that wellspring of water.

It’s time to dig!

Now is the perfect time.

If you are interested in my book, to encourage you on this new journey, it is free for download everywhere. Amazon, iBook, B&N.

Download it, what do you got to lose?

Peace

I’m Sick

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Yep, I’m not feeling my best right now. I keep hoping that what I have is just sinus or allergies and after a good night rest I will wake up refreshed and ready to seize the day.

That’s not how I felt this morning.

This morning I didn’t want to seize the day, but contemplated calling work and saying I’ll be a couple hours late. It’s tax season, so days off are frowned upon. Especially when a deadline is looming in the near future. So I tough it out, only to crash when I get home.

It’s so easy to have the woe is me mentality when your not up to par, but it doesn’t mean my attitude has to remain in that pit of sickness and self wallow.

So what I have sinus pressure, at least it’s not a tumor causing the pressure.

So what I tossed and turned last night, at least I don’t have insomnia.

So what my nose is watering like a faucet, at least I’m not dying of dehydration.

I’m probably better than half the world in my current state, because I have medicine I can take, a nice warm shower to ease the tension, a comfortable bed and pillow with a plethora of blankets to swallow me up in, and not to forget the binge watching of Cheers to laugh myself to sleep (Norm!)

Yes, I am beyond blessed.

It’s easy to see gloom and despair when you search for it.

Why not search for hope and light instead?

Every morning before your feet hits the ground you subconsciously decide your attitude.

Why not decide in joy?

I’ve been going through the book of Philippians with a great group of middle school guys and if Paul could keep his joy in the state he was in, so can I!

Am I under house arrest? No.

Am I facing execution at any minute? No.

Am I away from the majority of my friends and family? No.

Am I being ridiculed for my faith? No.

So what if I’m sneezing. At least I’m given another breath to inhale of the goodness of this life.

So, what are you going to choose?

Your decision either brings life or death. Choose life.

It’s your choice.

Choose wisely.

Peace

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Lightning and Storms

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As I was driving home from work tonight I kept seeing lightning in the distance. I was driving on roads alone and it was as if God was showing this lightning just to me. People tucked safely under their roofs couldn’t see the lightning. They probably didn’t know anything was happening because there was no thunder or rain to accompany the brilliant streaks.

It got me thinking.

In life do you allow the storms to dictate your perspective? Or do you choose how to see the storms?

I met a nice gentleman last week who is writing a book and during our meeting he stated, “Today would have been my son’s 30th birthday.”

My heart sank because I quickly thought, “Of all days, why did he choose to meet today to discuss his book? This is going to be an awkward lunch.”

It was far from awkward. He regaled in stories and happy memories of his son. He smiled and laughed telling anecdotes, sharing good times of trips taken, and the meaning behind his book. His son.

I walked away thinking, “Wow, he has great faith because I would have thought this could be one of the hardest days of the year, but he wasn’t acting like it.”

That’s when it hit me. It is a hard day, but he was choosing the attitude he was going to let breed. He didn’t let the tragedy dictate his day. That storm is not one that will slither off like a spring shower, but he was going to stand up to the pelting raindrops.

I have a friend who would always quote the verse in Job, and I’m paraphrasing, “God sends rain to destroy, but He always sends rain to help flowers to grow.”

Is your storm going to destroy you or are you going to use the rain water to plant some seeds?

Everything has a purpose. God can turn any situation into a situation to give Him praise and glory.

What if the storms purpose you are going through now is so you can plant some seeds in order to give the blossoming flowers to someone else going through a similar storm years later?

I like to think God has everything intertwined (a book I hope to be releasing this fall). You may see lightning, but God sees beyond the storm. You may be holding an umbrella, but God is holding you.

So when a storm comes, you can do many things. Why not plant a seed?

What harm will it do? If may give you a reason to smile at such a crazy idea. But God’s ideas are never crazy. The world just thinks they are.

Peace friends.

How Much Is Enough?

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It is February and that means tax season is in full swing. I am a CPA and do tax returns for the majority of the year (there are many different forms of taxes). Right now the majority of the United States are working on their individual tax returns.

I see many things while doing tax returns, numbers, numbers, numbers. After a while the numbers jumble together and I can’t recall specifics on anyone’s return.

Let me preface – this blog isn’t about judgement, but one if careful thought and self reflection for all of us. Including myself.

One amount I ask everyone is, “How much did you give in charitable contributions?”

I do not judge people when they say none or $100, but it does sadden me after I see how much they make. It’s not about the money, but it’s about the heart. That someone can’t give a little to help those in need.

I feel blessed. I sometimes feel unworthy of what I do have and it causes me to wonder, “What else can I do?” Or “Am I giving enough?”

The truthful answer is we all can do more and give more.

God asks us to not just give 10%, but to give liberally beyond that. But how much is enough? 15%? 20%? 50%?

I wrestle this. Where is the magic line that if I give this amount I’m giving God what He desires and I’m not seen as selfish? I’ve always been told that if you look in someone’s checkbook, there you will see what they consider important. We place importance in what we give our money too. Food, mortgages, school lunches, drugs and alcohol, cell phone bills…the lists is limitless.

What would someone say about you if they took a peak at your vulnerable checkbook?

I’ve often thought, God doesn’t just want my money. He wants all of me – time, talents, possessions – all of me.

I hear people say, “Well, I volunteer and that makes up for not giving.”

But does it really? Can we tell God, I will give you this aspect of my life, but not this part of it.

When we tell God where His place is, we become our own god. We become our own idol. We become what God despises – a proud heart.

But once again, how much time is enough?

In college, I had an idea that I would give God at least 10% of my time – 2.4 hours a day. It was a struggle, and I can’t remember if I ever reached that goal.

But shouldn’t we give God at least that much? That much in prayer, reading, praising, sharing our talents, building up our relationships centered on Him, encouraging the discouraged, visiting the sick, this list too is limitless.

Why does 2.4 hours seem like a long time to do what we are called to do all the time?

Once again, this blog is not one of condemnation, but it’s one of my own self reflection. Unless we reflect on our own distorted and ugly image, we will never correct it.

It’s time to allow God to break us from who we are and build us up into who we are to become. It will hurt. It will. But He is good. He is kind. He is loving. Who better to fix what we didn’t think was broken.

But we are all broken in need of fixing.

So, are you with me?

Peace

Edit Your Life

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I am in the process of editing my latest book, which I hope to release later this year. I hate editing. I hate it with a passion. No matter how much I reread and change, another pair of eyes will pick out things I overlooked.

Our life is also like this editing process.

You may come to a point in your life where you need to make a change, you need a rewrite, you need to edit and rectify. This is usually not an easy process. Change is never easy. Change is often faced with opposition.

But to be better, change is often needed.

The easiest example is people’s plight with health changes. “I’m going to get healthy!” This is the optimistic tone at the beginning, but give it a day or week or sadly, in my case 9:23 pm when I want a snack, that grand change turns into a competition of wills. I know I shouldn’t eat that bowl of ice cream and I definitely don’t need it, but I want it.

We have to learn the difference between a want and a need. Do you see the difference in yours?

There have been many times in my life I have changed something in my life for a wanting desire. I didn’t need that new vehicle or dream vacation, I wanted it. I can see the differences between my needs and wants, but so many people can’t differentiate between the two.

Until you see the difference, you’ll never see the change you need. You’ll only see the change you want.

So what change do you need?

Change takes times. Surgeries can mend a person in a matter of hours, but it takes months of rehab to get full range of motion back in your hands. The first deep cut may be painful, but one cut won’t fix all your problems. You may feel like that one fix will cause everything to fall into place, but usually it doesn’t.

Life isn’t a single domino. It’s a long line of them that impact one another. You may have changed the trajectory on one of them, but that won’t fix the rest of the line. You may have even caused a bigger mess by not digging deeper into the problem. It’s like in heart surgeries, you may have put in a stint, but what if the stint only fixed one issue? What happens then? You don’t sew the patient up and say, “Well, the stint fixed a minor thing, but you need a bi-pass. Let’s see if the stint is good enough and ignore the major problem.”

You can sweep your problems under the rug, but eventually that rug isn’t going to be big enough. You could decide to buy a bigger rug, or two or three, but eventually the problem will catch up with you.

So are you a sweeper or a fixer?

It’s time to throw away the broom!

So, take a breather. Reevaluate. Plan your course. Get an outside opinion and help. Find a good shoulder to lean on. Then start the edit.

You may feel like it’s impossible, but with God impossible can become I’m possible.

It’s time to edit to become a better you. You’ll be better because of it.

Take a Bow

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The Oscars was on last night, but I forgot to watch them. I was watching some of the acceptance speeches tonight and as I was watching I thought, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if everyone had a minute on a stage to gain recognition for a job well done.”

As Sally Field said many years ago, “You like me, you really, really, like me.”

I think this line resonates with everyone. We all want to be liked. We want to be told well done. We want to not be overlooked, but have someone admire us for something we ourselves consider special.

I think it’s a humbling and heartening emotion to be told good job when you think you did a good job. It’s that feeling of someone seeing your gift and talent and instead of keeping it to themselves, they share a little piece of themselves to you.

I love to hear people’s success stories of how they accomplished an incredible feat. But I also love to see their reactions when someone else tells them that they accomplished an incredible feat and how their actions affected them.

It’s like the moments during the Olympics, when someone wins the gold. They run to their coaches and family, their friends and their teammates, they look in the stands for that one person who has cheered them on when no one else was cheering for them. During the hard times, practices in the cold rain, the long, grueling hours in the gym, the nights of ice baths and tasteless salads. I love those moments of achievements after years of silent dedication and affirmation.

We may never win an Oscar for best original screenplay or best score, or win a medal for springboard diving, but we all have something to share. We all have a story to tell. We all have something that deserves to be admired, even if it’s only noticed for a brief moment in time.

If you were given an award, what would your acceptance speech be?

Would you be thankful or playful or even both? Would you downplay the moment or shout at the top of your lungs at your achievement?

Why not take your bow now? You deserve it.

And the winner for best mom, drum roll please…You!

And the award for most contagious laugh goes to You.

And the envelope for best hugs and kisses is no other than You.

We may never get on a stage in front of millions, but to the circle of influence you are in, you mean more to them than a million strangers behind a television screen.

So, what is your acceptance speech? What made you be who you are?

I wish we were all given a chance to feel the pats on the back, the sound of the crowd cheering our name, the tingling sensation of being loved.

Nat King Cole sang, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”

I hope you feel loved.

I hope you know there are people who see you and are applauding you for a job well done.

But it’s not all about our accomplishments. It’s great to feel loved, but who do you need to show love to?

Who do you need to applaud for a job well done?

Who deserves to give an Oscar worthy acceptance speech to you?

I hope you have both of these moments. A time to share your accomplishments with those you love but also to give accolades to someone else.

In Hollywood I think it’s a dog eat dog world of always trying to be on top, but if you look at the people in that circle, many don’t look fulfilled. They are always looking for that next award, the next success, the next platinum record or blockbuster. When you focus on yourself you miss the rest of the world.

It’s a great big world out there. It’s time to embrace life and each other.

So take a bow and bask in the honor of being nominated. And when you rise, nominate someone else for their great achievement.

Let’s breed love instead of hate.

Let’s pass on gratitude instead of jealousy.

Pass it on. Because everyone deserves a moment of praise.

Peace

Made For This

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What are you made for?

That may be a strange question to ask yourself, but I think it’s an important question to ask.

Stop and evaluate your current standing. Look at where you are at in life. Look at your family situation, your circle of friends, your sphere of influence or lack of one, your job environment and social settings. Are you hobbling by in life? Punching life’s time clock until you reach that pinnacle moment.

What if this is your pinnacle moment?

What if everything you have lived through, worked for, studied on, labored with is for this moment in time?

What if?

Are you passing or have you let the moment pass you by?

A group of my friends have been reading the book of Esther, and in Chapter 4 there is a pinnacle moment where Mordecai asks his niece, Esther, a hard but important question.

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?””
‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/59/est.4.14.esv

The same question can be asked to each of us.

And who knows whether you have not come to ____________ (full in the blank) for such a time as this?

Maybe we should ask this question everyday, because shouldn’t every day be a meaningful one?

If we never ask the question, we will never see the limitless possibilities. It usually takes investigating ones purpose in life to find ones purpose. Every once in a while things fall into laps, but many times, it’s only found in times of searching under unturned rocks, or digging ones fingers deep into untilled soil, or diving headfirst into the unsearched trenches.

What if all the steps you have walked before today was leading you to where you are now standing? A divine purpose to radically change the path you walk tomorrow. What if your change impacts another life?

Would you take a step of faith or wait for someone else to lead the way?

Don’t miss out on the opportunities you have because fear is on your back whispering that you’re not good enough.

And don’t surrender your dreams because the lies you have told yourself have tied you down to your current circumstances.

With your hands you can either tie the knots tighter or break free from the bondage. Sitting still and doing nothing is still doing something. Nothing.

Don’t cop out to the belief that you are not able to do it. That is just a lie that will give birth to another lie and then another lie. And soon you will have generations of lies that bicker louder than an uncivil family reunion.

You have to kill that first negative thought before it spirals out of control. There is a warrior inside each of us ready to break free and storm the tower and rescue the day.

So do it!

If you don’t take that first step, you only have yourself to blame. And blaming yourself is a horrible place to be.

You are made for whatever circumstance, obstacle, opportunity, crisis, dilemma, agenda, goal, dream, or plan that you are facing.

How are you going to face it?

It’s time to storm the royal courts and be heard. It’s time to stand in boldness and shake off the fear and doubt that so easily entangles. It’s time to fight with confidence.

It’s time for bravery to surface, because bravery only shines during moments when bravery is needed.

You were made for something great.

Will you follow the call?

Because life is ringing.

If you have enjoyed this blog, check out all my books on Amazon. They are currently free for download. Peace and God bless.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=eric+suddoth&crid=3PMLS0VLLRW8V&sprefix=Eric+sudd%2Caps%2C175&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_9

Be a Trend Setter

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My church has been having a sermon series, Travel Log, and this morning the message resonated. As I was reflecting it reminded me of an excerpt from my book, Dream Chasers.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 New International Version

When you tell what you accomplished, this may be an opening to share your faith. Could the reason God gave you your dream, ultimately, so that you could share the love of Christ?

The purpose we are on earth is to share the Gospel so all may come and know Christ. God is so wise.

What if at the end of every dream, is the telling of the Good News, which is the love of Christ.

God has a purpose for every man. No believer is void of a purpose. The main purpose we have is to share our faith.

What if God combines our personal purpose with every man’s purpose?

What if the sharing of Christ is really our mission laced with a flowery exterior of our dream.

May you achieve your dream that God planted in you, so you can cause someone else to start dreaming a dream that God planted in them.

It’s time to be a trend setter.

Are you ready to change the world? You could be the one God uses.

Who knows how far your little dream will reach?

If you have enjoyed this post, check out my book Dream Chasers.

If you are interested in the Travel Log message. This link will take you to the message.

https://onelifechurch.org/messages/