Through the Glass Dimly

"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.  "But I say to you who hear,   Love your enemies , do good to those who hate you ,  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.    To one who strikes you on the cheek offer t

We live in much darkness. The violence of men killing police officers, police officers killing men.... the violence of Christians being beheaded because they won't renounce their faith. Babies being thrown into garbage cans....  Not only that but I've recently witnessed loved ones being attacked by friends. Backstabbing runs rampant. Deep wounds to the heart. Lives ripped apart because of pride and vanity. All kinds of wickedness. I've been thinking a lot about this hope that I have... The hope of heaven. And not only the hope of heaven and that perfect new heaven and new earth where there will be no more crying, no more death, no pain... but the fact that the Lord promises to keep me safe until that day. Whatever pain I feel, whatever struggle I bear, whatever sorrows I witness, I know I am protected by a good God who loves me and has planned all things to work together for my good, and for his glory. Too often we gaze upon our trouble, or on the weight

SIN It's a big word. The word sin makes us think about murderers, rapists, thieves... you know.. the big stuff. The stuff those people "bent" toward evil do... Those people you have always known with that wild and crazy look in their eye.  That neighbor kid who points his finger at you and then with crazy in his eye "shoots" the "gun" and blows it, and walks off.. You know the one... the kid who you are sure is going to grow up to have some problems socially because of his angry heart... The one kid you don't want your kid hanging out with because you are unsure of the character of that particular child. In fact you are pretty sure that kid is going to grow up to be some sort of bad guy. But what about the other stuff... The white lies... the little bit of gossip here and there... Neglecting to do the thing you know is right, and doing the wrong thing instead...  There is evil in all of our hearts, and it may feel small. Fa

  "Man's eye is not single, he has ever a side glance towards his own honour, has too high an estimate of his own powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. It is clear, then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to be exalted; and this is the reason why He bringeth His people ofttimes into straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and weakness, they may be fitted to behold the majesty of God when He comes forth to work their deliverance."--Spurgeon How true it is that we are so prideful that we put ourselves on an equal playing field with the God who created the heavens and the earth. We think we have the power to do so much. Yet we can do so little. Looking back I can see the hand of God moving in such GREAT and majestic ways.  Last night I read my prayer journal from 2004. This was a really tough time in my life as a young adult, and I was brought so close to God during this ti

Years ago... back in the ol' university days, when time was a blanket and I was buried underneath it not knowing that this kind of time  would not be forever. This was the kind of time that I was able to sit and drink coffee and no one would bother me as I spent hours delving into the scripture and writing in my prayer journal.  I thought this would be a normal occurence in my life, and for the REST of my life. Little did I know that building a business, and having two beautiful little girls, all within the course of 3 years would completely alter my perception of time.  To be honest, the majority of my time "spent with God" is just in the mundane moments of day to day. My conversations with God start in the midst of cracking an egg into a bowl. Adding a splash of milk. Praying for grace.  I turn on the shower and reach for the soap. The filth and grime of summer feet and a central air conditioning system that barely works reminds me of that filth and grime i

There's this guy in the bible named Abram, and he's married to this woman named Sarai. God made a REALLY super big promise to them. Even though they had already passed child bearing years and had not once conceived a child (this is before the days of birth control and IVF etc), God promised them that they would get pregnant and have a son, and that he would be the father of a GIANT nation that would fill the earth. They waited. And waited..... for TWENTY YEARS. And nothing. So Sarai decides it's time she took this promise into her own hands and "redefine" the promise. Not good. Not good at all. Sarai decides that what God ACTUALLY meant was that SHE (Sarai) should find a woman to give to her husband to make a baby with.... Totes not the promise. So Sarai gives her lady's maid to Abram as a wife. And.... big surprise. They have a son. So that causes a whole different set of problems, for another discussion another time... but what most stands