Tim Young's Blog, page 8

How To Break Free Of Who You’re Not!

In Isaiah 43, God shares that He is doing a new thing and it is springing forth. The big question He challenges us with is, will we see it? …will you even be aware of it?

Its a prelude to something incredible, it’s a reality that God is doing something awesome. I’ve seen the context of this verse in scripture used for various circumstances, but today lets wrap it around life after signing up for this Jesus thing.

In every day life, there are things waiting for us to see. Ever wonder why there are some people out there that seem to always seem capture moments of opportunity and have extraordinary lives? And you don’t because you’ve convinced yourself that the universe is out of whack? Or that somehow God is playing a trick on you by doing everything you want to someone else that you know?

The rub here is that God is offering opportunity to us and offering us an extraordinary life, but many of us don’t have the eyes to see it! Because…we are so focused on living the lives of others.

God is saying to us…”I am doing a new thing…will you even be aware of it?”

When we sign up for this Jesus thing, it’s written that we are a new creation…we are new in Christ! If we’ve connected to God through Jesus, everything inside us is new…even if we don’t feel it right away. We are all made for a purpose and that extraordinary thing that God calls us to is to become what we already are — what He created us to be!

Have you ever tried to be someone you’re not?

Not sure about you, but it doesn’t really go that well!

It’s sometimes called envy. We see someone who’s life we want, someone’s who’s talent we want, fill in the blank _______, and we try to live someone else’s life instead of our own. I’ve heard it quoted; If you look at what you do not have in life, you don’t have anything. If you look at what you have in life, you have everything.

When we sign up for this Jesus thing, God does something new inside each and everyone of us and it takes some time for that to show through the rubble of our lives. God journey’s with us as we learn to live the inside out.

Until we start living like “the new has come” we will continue to live in a false reality, because the only reality that is true is the one God says about you! If you have entrusted your life the God who loves you then the new has come…so let it come.

The world will fight you on this, religion will fight you on this and yup even many churches. You know; get you to be good, and obey, sin less, fill in the blank _______ (not that these are bad). The problem is that religion doesn’t believe in transformation. The reason why religion tries to impose on you what you should be like and who you should be is because religion doesn’t believe that the new has come.

The struggle is not to become what you’re not…the struggle is to shake yourself loose of everything you were so that everything you actually are in Christ becomes you!

Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence. —2 Corinthians 5:17 (GW)

I wanted to create a sculpture almost anyone, regardless of their background, could look at and instantly recognize that it is about the idea of struggling to break free. This sculpture is about the struggle for achievement of freedom through the creative process.
 —Zenos Frudakis

Yes, if you’re a jerk when you sign up for this Jesus thing, most likely will be a jerk right after. Of course it takes time for God to chisel you into His masterpiece, but many of us use this as an excuse to stop trusting God and stop living. Or 100% perfection.

Stop fighting it and begin to live in it! God will walk it out with you if you let Him.

Image credit: Freedom Sculpture by Zenos Frudakis. 16th and Vine Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

                    

How God Uses The Wilderness To Shape Us

Life hurts in many different ways; through disappointments, disease, loss of loved ones, betrayal, or financial disasters like losing a job. We live in a fallen and broken world, a world that aches and every one of us at some time or another will feel the hurts of life. Have you ever had a best friend betray you? Or how about the time you pulled an all-nighter studying for an important exam and still failed it? Do you know someone who has walked through the anguish of a miscarriage or an abortion? Have you ever worked diligently and faithfully at your place of work expecting a promotion and lost out to a coworker? This list is endless…

Life is not an injury-free sport.

The pain and the anguish of this journey called “life” somehow seeps deep down into the recesses of our hearts and beats us down day after day. Some of us can let the tears flow and find relief while others buy into the lie that we don’t feel those things.

The author of Lamentations finds himself immersed in the tragedy and pains of life. To better understand the real circumstances of that time we have to know what it was like during the final days of Jerusalem before King Nebuchadnezzar breached its walls. The days before the destruction of Jerusalem marked the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s words about the coming famine, pestilence, and sword. They were dark days full of terrors and horrors.

So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD.” I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. —Lamentations 3:18–26 (NIV)

So many times we find ourselves in the tough places in life because we choose to do things our way and simply do not listen to God. Assuming that these tough places of life begin with our failure to listen to Him, we continue down our path of self destruction and then we encounter the loving discipline of God.

We cry out, “God…HELP!”

Then God, who is always with us, is suddenly revealed through our current circumstance and we somehow come to that place where we begin to see and experience the loving, comforting warm embrace of our Heavenly Father. The outlook on life for the author of Lamentations saw God pushing him to despair before revealing joy and goodness. God loves us so much that He will not hesitate to push us into a corner to make us face the utter misery of our current circumstances because only after we’ve confronted our misery can we appreciate His comfort.

God doesn’t want us merely to ‘get through’ our problems. He wants us to ‘grow through’ them
 -Gary Oliver

Just when it looks like you are faced with an unimaginable disaster God somehow, turns our desperate situations into an opportunity to really get to know Him and His peace and joy begins to fill the atmosphere of our circumstances. It’s indescribable. Many times I have found my time in the wilderness a very desolate and lonely place.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. —Psalms 142:3a (KJV)

It’s during these times when we feel that no one cares, and it’s impossible just to get through the day, but then He comes to us. He embraces us with the warmth of His arms and comforts us with His presence. It literally surrounds and consumes us in a way that makes this temporary experience of isolation worthwhile. I once read that you can define loneliness as the surprising opportunity to really have an encounter and truly know God. The wilderness is a lonely place of discovery, a place that you will find a deep revelation of who God really is. As the darkness closes in around you, be of good cheer because there is hope beyond the night. God is here to pick you up and hold you close.

In the wilderness, He forces us to draw deep upon His grace to survive.

Remember, we will stay in the wilderness with God until He has accomplished what He wants within us. Although not at first, I have learned that the wilderness is not a place to fear, but a place that you can hear God’s voice like never before. It is in the wilderness that He can reveal himself to you in awesome ways. It is here that your intimacy with Him grows. It is here where the rushing wind of the Spirit of God will smash the idols in your life and cast out all of your foes. It is here you will experience the spectacular reality of the one true living God and you will see that He is a loving God that so desires a relationship with you!

Remember every road that GOD led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. —Deuteronomy 8:2 (MSG)

Written in the pages of the book of Hosea, God would lead Israel out into the wilderness and court her far away from all of the distractions so He could speak clearly to His children. Even though His people went astray to worship other idols, in His great mercy He spoke tenderly to His people wanting to restore His relationship with them and to change what had been a time of great difficulty into a day of hope.

This winepress of God is designed to make us more Christ-like, to make us a mirror reflection of His Son. He wants to ripen within us the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. I began to realize that one way He accomplishes this is by putting us into situations that are completely opposite of the fruit He is trying to ripen. I also discovered that more often than not, one’s suffering and brokenness amplifies our helplessness and truly exposes our need for a Savior. Jesus, when He later spoke with the formerly blind man, described His mission this way: “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” —John 9:39 (KJV)

(Excerpt from Heartstone Copyright © 2009 by Tim Young. All rights reserved.)

Image credit: Vu Bui (Creative Commons). Labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification.

                    

What Nails In A Fence Can Reveal About Anger [Series]

Ever notice that people seem to be getting more and more angry these days? Road rage, riots, struggling economy, turmoil around the world…I could go on and on about the rising levels of anger. In today’s society, it seems like more and more people are lashing out. Let`s face it, we all get frustrated from time to time, and now see every day people flying off the handle in seconds…usually over the small stuff. Not sure about you, but it feels like we’re living in an angry society and it’s getting worse.

Came across this snippet that really captures the ripple effects of anger:

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”

The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked up at his father and said “I hope you can forgive me father for the holes I put in you.”

“Of course I can,” said the father.

-Author Unknown

A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.
-Bruce Lee

It’s not always anger, it is our actions in general. Of course forgiveness should always be a destination of healing, but the scars of the past…may take time to go away. Watch what you do (and say) today, because sometimes the price isn’t worth the reward. Here are a handful of articles I’ve written that deal with the the topic of anger.

Why “Ready, Fire, Aim” is a losing proposition!
Why All The Questions About Ferguson Are Perfectly Answered Through Jesus Christ
What Contentment Is Not
How A Quadriplegic Taught Me How To Run!


                    

On The Other Side Of “Be Still, And Know That I Am God”

One of the places I unplug in the workplace is my daily devotional reading from Streams in the Desert. Whats great about spending time with God in devotionals, reading His word or in prayer…is you never know when something will be stirred in your spirit.

Reading the devotional from January 26th, I was reminded of the time I hiked up Mt. Lafayette to escape the rough and tumble of divorce. I remembered standing on that rock on Mt. Lafayette, a place of desolation, where the call from to “go forward” echoed in my heart as the battle of my destiny moment began. I’m sure you can relate that when life gets tough our complaining gets going. Of course I wanted God to snap His fingers and make everything tight, but there is a timing to His plan.

This devotional is a great reminder that God’s timeline is not mine and He is the one who calls us to “go forward!” I don’t know if I’m truly giving justice to all that GOD continues to do in my life, but it’s is in moments like this that I know He loves me and is working in my life…even when I screw up. He is waiting to see the blessings happen that He has planned for my life. He knows my thoughts, desires and longings; and though I wait on Him with hope, He too is waiting!

When God’s timing intersects a destiny moment in our lives, we need to be ready. Ready to go forward! The late R.W Shambach, the American Evangelist once said, “I have trained myself to wait on God, but when I see Him stand I wear my tracksuit since I know the time to run has come.” Whatever it is in our lives, now it is time for us to conquer and possess His promises. When God calls you to “go forward,” it’s no longer your duty to wait, BUT to rise up from bended knees and “go forward” with heroic faith.

Here is that devotional:

The Bible has a great deal to say about waiting for God, and the teaching cannot be too strongly emphasized. We so easily become impatient with God’s delays. Yet much of our trouble in life is the result of our restless, and sometimes reckless, haste. We cannot wait for the fruit to ripen, but insist on picking it while it is still green. We cannot wait for the answers to our prayers, although it may take many years for the things we pray for to be prepared for us. We are encouraged to walk with God, but often God walks very slowly. Yet there is also another side to this teaching: God often waits for us.

Quite often we fail to received the blessing He has ready for us because we are not moving forward with Him. While it is true we miss many blessings by not waiting for God, we also lose numerous blessings by overwaiting. There are times when it takes strength simply to sit still, BUT there are also times when we are to move forward with a confident step.

Many of God’s promises are conditional, requiring some initial action on our part. Once we begin to obey, He will begin to bless us. Great things were promised to Abraham, but not one of them could have been obtained had he waited in Chaldea. He had to leave his home, friends, and country, travel unfamiliar paths, and press on in unwavering obedience in order to receive the promises. Then ten lepers Jesus healed were told to show themselves to the priest, and “as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14). If they had waited to see the cleansing come to their bodies before leaving, they would never have seen it. God was waiting to heal them, and the moment their faith began to work, the blessing came.

When the Israelites were entrapped by Pharaoh’s pursuing army at the Red Sea, they were commanded to “go forward” (Exodus 14:15). No longer was it their duty to wait, BUT to rise up from bended knees and “go forward” with heroic faith. Years later the Israelites were commanded to show their faith again by beginning their march over the Jordan while the river was at its highest point. They held the key to unlock the gate into the Land of Promise in their own hands, and the gate would not begin to turn on its hinges until they had approached and unlocked it. The key was faith.

We are destined to fight certain battles, and we think we can never be victorious and conquer our enemies. Yet as we enter the conflict, One comes who fights by our side. Through Him we are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37). If we had waited in fear and trembling for our Helper to come before we would enter the battle, we would have waited in vain. This would have been the overwaiting of unbelief. God is waiting to pour our His richest blessings on you. “Go forward” with bold confidence and take what is yours. “I have begun to deliver…Now begin to conquer and possess”.

Daily devotional written by J.R. Miller; taken from Streams in the Desert By – L.B. Cowman (1870 – 1960) September 30th. Copyright @ 1997 by Zondervan. All rights reserved

Image credit: Photo by Omega. Labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification.

                    

God’s Signposts Are Where The Destiny Trail Begins

We had worked hard all week and finished our work early, leaving Sunday open for exploring this magnificent city, so of course we headed right up to the castle. I believe that this was another God stumble, for what I found hidden in the middle of this awesome structure was a treasure of Scotland: the Stone of Destiny. I don’t know about you, but thought this was really cool, although the guard didn’t think so when I tried to get a picture of it.

In 1296 the Stone was captured by Edward I as spoils of war and taken to Westminster Abbey, where it was fitted into a wooden chair, known as St. Edward’s Chair. On this chair, subsequent English sovereigns, except Queen Mary II, have been crowned. In 1996, the British Government decided that the Stone should be kept in Scotland when not in use at coronations, and on November 15, 1996, after a handover ceremony at the border between representatives of the Home Office and of the Scottish Office, it was returned to Scotland and transported to Edinburgh Castle where it remains today. Scottish tradition holds the Stone of Destiny to be the pillow stone said to have been used by the biblical Jacob.

This in a sense became a signpost for me and I knew that woven into my business trip to a far away land was the confirmation of my destiny moment back on that mountain top.

It’s important to realize that this world is not our final destination; it is part of our journey! Many obstacles and sinful desires are at war with us in this life, and they usually are successful in distracting us from our goal and over time slowly erode our desire to complete our journey. It is only through the awesome sustaining power of the Spirit of God that we are given the confidence and character to journey through this world, trapped in darkness and so desperately needing God’s light.

We desperately need these divine signposts to reorient us toward our goal!

These stones have become a signpost by which I can now stand in my present, look to my past, and then draw a straight line into my unknown future, which is already written by God Himself. They have become my compass, my destiny, which sets the means by which I can now define my present, and my future, by the way of my past. They are symbolic of the process of God.

All the mistakes and regrettable choices that I have made along my journey of life have placed an unbearable yoke of brokenness on me, but somehow He is leading me into the Promised Land and supernaturally making time wasted, useful again. I really thought that I had fallen out of His hands and lost His grace. I am really thankful that He is changing my perspective.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.
—Matthew 28–30 (MSG)

With a broken compass and stumbling in the midst of life, I lost my direction and I couldn’t see the beautiful picture that the Lord would one day complete in me. These stones, these signposts are evidence of the grace the Lord has left me, reminding me of everything I have been through and what it took for Him to get to me.

(Excerpt from Heartstone Copyright © 2009 by Tim Young. All rights reserved.)


                    

13 Hours: A Story Of Bravery Against All Odds

Went to see 13 Hours with my son and WOW…what an awesome movie! This movie tells the story of real life heroes and provides a harrowing, but important view of the events that occurred on the ground in Benghazi on the night of September 11, 2012. The action and the visuals pull you into the story making you feel like you’re right there next to these brave men, but the movie also does a great job at tugging on your emotions as you experience the sacrifice these men on the made.

I want to focus my commentary on the relationships and the survival of the six men of the CIA-contractor security team, known as the Global Response Staff (GRS), instead of taking aim at the political firestorm that Benghazi has created or the debate over Hollywood versus history.

If I had to sum up this movie in three words…

The words that would come to mind are: courage, honor and duty,

Anyone familiar with the Benghazi story knows that this region of the world was a powder keg waiting to blow, and how no one was prepared for it. Despite these unstable conditions, Ambassador Chris Stevens, believed that there was a hopeful future for Libya and continued to share this mantra to the CIA station chief and GRS forces led by “Rone”. Media around the world captured the horrific aftermath of the coordinated terror attacks on the U.S. Consulate and CIA Annex in Benghazi — 13 Hours tells the story about that night of hell from the perspective of those who survived the brutal attack.

This small band of six brave and courageous men, left to their own devices, defied the CIA station chief and pleas from their families — banded together and rushed in to assist the skeleton crew at the embassy. In the several hours between assaults, the men dig in between fire fights and together examine their family obligations, their duties, and their mission, which even they are not sure has a greater purpose. The film constantly reminded us that these men on the ground are alone. We do learn later that the only help that ever came was a small group of operators from Tripoli led by Glen “Bub” Doherty.

Choosing to put the lives of others ahead of their own, these men; faced overwhelming odds, adapted to their circumstances, risked their lives, were tested beyond their limits, endured much and prevailed in the end. These six men, a very real band of brothers, who fought through a violent Libyan night are not an echo of an age long forgotten, but a living (and dying) personification of real life heroes!

Words cannot describe the courage, the honor and the professionalism displayed by these warriors — the secret soldiers of Benghazi.

Overcoming everything that was thrown at them that night, the inspired actions of men who were left to die and ordered not to intervene, chose to do the right thing and prevailed. Despite the politics surrounding Benghazi, these men are heroes in every sense.

In today’s world view where the very idea of manhood has been emasculated and masculinity is under attack, we need to tell the stories of these brave heros more often.

The film is a masterful tribute to those who fought evil and survived, and to those who fought evil and died. They will always be remembered as the best among us. What we see in 13 Hours is a portrayal of the brave leadership, camaraderie, and sacrifices of the forgotten men on the ground, qualities that were inexplicably absent among their superiors in Washington that night.

If you work together and have faith in yourself and you have faith in God that you can overcome anything.
 -Kris “Tanto” Paronto

Humanity is made up many who love the epic heroic tales and this is one of them in its purest form. While we eagerly anticipate the next release from Marvel or the cinematic adventures of our favorite costumed heroes, it’s important to recognize the ones that don’t wear a cape and perform real-life heroic tasks as part of their “day at the office”.

This movie will get your heart pumping and your adrenaline flowing…but never forget those who heroically fought back against militants in the siege that killed former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods, State Department information officer Sean Smith and U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens!

These brave men had the courage to do what was right when everything went wrong! The story-line of Benghazi draws many emotions in people, but I hope people will take away the themes of courage in the face of evil, overcoming obstacles and overcoming adversity. Because what happened that night in Benghazi, in the scope of the relentless battle, and in courageous battle by these six American “secret soldiers,” were indeed awesome things. They were heroic things.

My take away? Live your life courageously, honorable and ethically — and never be afraid to stand up for and do whats right (duty), especially in the face of evil!

I’ve seen the movie once, and can’t wait to see it again.

Photo Credit: Toby Stephens as Glen Doherty in “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” | Dion Beebe/Paramount Pictures 2016.

                    

Living Life Or Chasing The Wind. The Choice Is Yours!

With no winners in Saturday night’s (January 9, 2016) record $949.8 million Powerball drawing, the next jackpot could reach an estimated $1.3 billion, said lottery officials. The Powerball is at an all time high and there is an excitement in the air.

Before you get caught up in all the excitement and the whispers of wealth, take a moment and give the second chapter of Ecclesiastes (written by a guy who had it all) a good read through. Sure, we can pursue material things in life (and most of us do) and yes, when we loose our stuff (and we will) — much of it can be found again. But there is one thing that’s really tough to find again once you loose it: LIFE!!

Seriously, will your life really be better if you win? …maybe for a time.

Whatever chapter of life you’re in right now, remember we will all face that day when the last curtain falls.

On that day, what will you remember?

On that day, what will you wish you had more of?

Lets dig into this a bit more…

The Bible says that for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let that treasure be Jesus Christ. Let that treasure be the love for your spouse, the love for your kids and the love for your family. Just to be clear, I’m not at all suggesting that being financially secure is a bad thing, but for most it becomes our identity and life pursuit. One of the saddest things in life is when our children are young and most enjoyable we parents tend to be busier than ever, establishing ourselves in our careers and preparing for the the future. Unfortunately, in this blind pursuit of wealth we often loose intimacy with our spouses and our kids childhood is flashes before our eyes. We wake up one day and realize our kids are gone and don’t truly know our spouses…and there’s little opportunity to enjoy them at that point.

We are all going to leave a legacy and our live’s will have a lasting impact, good or bad. God has given each of us the capacity to think carefully about what will be left in the wake of our life and to live intentionally to leave behind something ETERNALLY worthwhile.

So what will it be for you?

God designed us to find love in our hearts, and not in the illusions built by fame and money…remember, you can’t take that stuff with you. You can take the memories in your life that were strengthened by love. You don’t need to win the Powerball to start living life — live it now, courageously…from your heart!

…by all means, if this seems like nonsense to you, go ahead keep chasing the wind!

                    

Looking Back At 2015

The new year has come and it feels like only yesterday that I was writing my 2014 year in review. Wow, where has the year gone? Since my last year in review a lot has happened on Heartstone Journey and in my own life. There is so much I could share, but here are some highlights:

Asked the amazing Proverbs 31 woman that God brought into my life to marry me…and she said “yes”!
My daughter graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. I’m very proud of her!
My son is rock’n his sophomore year at UNH and landed a Technology Consultant gig in the UNH IT Department. Proud of him too!
Kicked off the year sailing 50+ feet into the air off a ski jump on an inner tube!
Had a long overdue summer family reunion party on my dad’s side of the family. During my dad’s visit, we celebrated our German heritage with an authentic German dinner at the Bavaria Restaurant in Hooksett, NH. Also had a chance to take him to see the horse farm where my daughter is the manager and a trainer!

Was honored to be one of the group leaders for a 10 week series our Men’s Ministry group spearheaded at our church called, “Stepping Up”. I was encouraged to see 80+ men decide to take this journey with us to step up into Biblical manhood.
My book Heartstone continues to open doors to radio and other great ministry opportunities such as speaking on “In It Together” (90.7 FM WLMW, Manchester, NH) on Voice America live international radio.
Being a big medieval fan, finally got to experience King Richard’s Faire for the first time!
Being a HUGE 80’s rock fan…saw the Scorpions for the first time in concert. Also saw Florida Georgia Line, my first country concert.
Unplugged for a much needed getaway at Old Orchard Beach with family!
Discovered that I have an apple tree growing in my yard and what about that blood red moon?
Of course saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens!
Added Security Officer and Board Finance Committee Secretary to my professional portfolio.

Here are the top four Heartstone Journey posts by category for 2015. It is always pretty cool to see which posts resonated with people the most throughout the year. Was your favorite post listed? If not, which was your favorite?

Life

Life Is A Beautiful Struggle
Why The Story Of Louie Zamperini Should Have Been Titled ‘Broken’
How Becoming A Grandfather Gave Me A ‘Do Over’
What Mary Poppins Can Teach Us About Life’s Disappointments

Faith

7 Things We Can Learn From Joseph When Our Life Sucks
What Does Walter Mitty And A Fire Pit Have To Do With Finishing Strong?
How Miserable Christians Can Get “Life” Back In Their Lives
Are You A Christian Or A Disciple?

Journal

Mirror Mirror On The Wall
3 Life Lessons From A Falling Leaf
The Shocking Truth Of Settling For Less Than God’s Best
Every Young Woman’s Battle

Leadership

4 Characteristics Of Authentic Manhood
What The Movie Gladiator Can Teach Us About Ourselves!
Why We Need More Sheepdogs And Less Hashtags!
How To Become A Navy Seal Without Joining The Military

Community

My Top 10 Quotes From Andrew Murray
Men, It’s Time To Take A Stand Against Pornography!
How I Organized My Life For Maximum Efficiency
What Most Millionaires and the Apostle Paul Have in Common

Here is a view of some of the big trends and events of 2015 from the social sphere:

Google

Facebook

…and here is Twitter’s   

What Are The Purposes Of Hardships In Our Lives

One day, it’s all going fine and the next day, the bottom drops out with no real explanation. It only takes a split second for everything to change. Maybe you lost your job, or a family member had a serious accident…fill in your own personal hardship. Whether or not you are presently encountering hardship in your life, you can be certain that they will come as we live in a fallen and broken world. You can’t escape life without hurt. Jesus even said,

I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world. —John 16:33 (MSG)

The second chapter of Corinthians provides a glimpse into the hardship Paul had to endure and walk through. Five times he received the forty lashes minus one. Three times he was beaten with rods; he was stoned; three times he was shipwrecked; he spent a night and a day in the open sea; and he was constantly on the move. He had been in danger from rivers; from bandits from his own countrymen, in the city, in the country, and at sea; and from false brothers. He had labored and toiled and had often gone without sleep; he had known hunger and thirst and had often gone without food; he had also experienced coldness and nakedness.

The very credentials that once defined his place of security and identity were dumped in exchange for Jesus. Paul made a choice with life’s hardships…he gloried in them. He came to a place in his relationship with God where God became everything good and true in his life. He began to see that God shaped his character through these hardships.

When we experience hardships in life, we can let them destroy us or we can allow the Lord to walk with us through them, letting Him shape and refine us along the way. Most of us get extremely angry with God and blame Him when hard times come and we lose the opportunity to get closer to Him and miss out on what He may be trying to teach us. God understands the human heart, and He understands that for us to become all that He hopes for us, there will be seasons of hardship.

Hardships.

They will come, but how we react to them is entirely up to us. They can overwhelm as questions invade our hearts and minds. They test our perseverance because we cannot see a light at the end of a very dark tunnel. We find ourselves in situations where darkness deepens and we do not know where to turn. We can be confident that He will either cause our hardships to cease or carry us through them. In His strength we will survive. May we run to the Lord in the midst of our hardships so that we will grow nearer to Him as we learn to trust Him! Not easy.

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. —Proverbs 17:3 (NIV)

But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide—for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.
—Oswald Chambers

This time in my life was hard, but I began to slowly move in a better direction as I developed an unquenchable desire to find answers and to better understand God. Through these hardships, I am learning that He will give us the grace we need to get through them and that He is able to accomplish what He wants for our lives if we let Him. I still had the wrong perspective, that all of this was somehow His fault, and I was still angry with God, but through it all, God continued to sustain me in His grace while I sorted it all out. I once heard it said that the amazing thing about God is that He knows us and loves us anyway. God is confident to bring about all the changes that are needed in our lives. All He needs is a willing heart.

(Excerpt from Heartstone Copyright © 2009 by Tim Young. All rights reserved.)


                    

You Won’t Find God’s Gift Under A Tree, In A Manger Or On A Cross

Ever wonder why God would become a man, to be born in such a lowly manner, and let us treat Him the way we did? Ever wonder why Jesus would, while existing “before all things” and holding “first place in everything” (Colossians 1:17,18); would agree to come to earth as a baby, suffer the abuse He suffered, and die such a painful death? If we continue reading in Colossians we read: “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

How awesome is that?

This all happened to reconcile us to God. The tough reality is that God makes it very clear, in His word, that He is justifiably angry at humanity’s sin. All of us have sinned — and do so repeatedly. Yet He loves us sinners enough that He gave His own Son to live on earth, die on a cross, and bear sin in His own body, suffering the full weight of God’s wrath — wrath deserved by us all. Jesus paid the penalty to restore peace between God and sinners. It could not have been done any other way.

So Christmas is primarily a celebration of God’s love toward mankind. God never wanted religion (rituals, ceremony, tradition, self-righteousness, law), but an everlasting personal relationship in Truth — with us! Not emotional, time-bound, fashionable hypes, nor “visits” only in churches, but a genuine living commitment to Him. He is after our hearts!

I don’t want you to get lost in the wide scope of it all, so let me sum it up.

He trades Heaven for Earth and enters our world to set things straight. The awesome God of the universe became human and lived here on earth among us in shared life and engaged mankind. Because God’s human creation is made of flesh and blood, Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form — a baby in a manger. For only a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of satan, who had the power of death. Don’t you see? Only the Son of the living God could wrestle the power of death out of the hand of satan, so that God could be reconnected to all creation — to you — in a very personal one-on-one relationship.

His heart cries out, “You may have turned away from Me, but I’m not turning away from you. I love you so much and you are so important to Me that I will go to extraordinary lengths to reclaim you again as my child and my friend” God’s divine passion to redeem you by entering our world and dying for us isn’t based on anything we have done or could do in the future. It is purely the result of His incredible grace. Regardless of all we’ve done or haven’t done, He offers us grace. God pursues you, God accepts you completely, and in spite of your sin, He provides a way back to Him.

So during this time of Christmas you won’t find God’s gift under a tree, in a manger or on a cross. To find His gift we must look beyond a tree, beyond the manger and beyond the cross — because Jesus Christ is alive. We must never forget that we have never sunken too far from our Savior’s grasp of redeeming love to receive this gift. He is always reaching for us, even when we aren’t reaching for Him.

So receive God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ — love in action…this is the Christmas message!