JOURNEY 201¦1 'Journey's End?’

Well, it is the last JOURNEY 201¦1 message. It is hard to believe that the year has gone by so quickly. This journey series comes to an end but the journey with the LORD does not. And it remains essential that we seize every opportunity, knowing that the next years, days, hours and even minutes are not promised.

I was hoping to have something profound to share on this last journey message. But it is a very basic message and one that I have touched on, in part, in the past. Sometimes the best message is not the new message but the most fitting one. So, journey back with me to a subject I covered this past spring – right after the unexpected passing of my cousin. The subject? Now –

Why mention this as part of our last journey message? Because now is the time of year where people start thinking about everything that could have, should have and did not happen. It is the season where the mind replays all the things that did happen – filled with regret over some things and filled with longing for some others. Now is the time of year when people start focusing on resolutions for the New Year. Yet, now is the only moment we definitely have. Now is the moment we can impact – not yesterday and not the unknown possibilities of a tomorrow which may or may not ever manifest.

Missing someone? Call them ... now. 

If you have wronged someone ... Apologize ... now.

If someone has wronged you … Forgive … now.

Do you love someone, really love someone? Tell them … now. 

Has someone blessed your life? Thank them … now.

Want to bless someone’s life? Pray for them … now.

Longing for time with loved ones? Make it a priority ... now.

Concerned about someone’s salvation? Share Jesus with them … now.

Do you want to be closer to God?

Seek Him … now. Trust Him … now. Draw near … now.

Do you need a change in your life?

Are you uncertain about your eternal destination?

Accept Jesus and His free gift of salvation … now.

‘Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart …’ Hebrews 3:7-8

Whatever God is telling you to do, in your relationship with Him or with others – do it now.

Ecclesiastes chapter three tells us, ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.’ Yet often times we pray to God to change our season and we wait patiently for it to progress, not realizing that there are some seasons that we have the power to change. The season of weeping can be transformed into a time of laughter if we will but reach out past our own pain to embrace joy or reach into someone’s abyss of sorrow to share love and give hope.

Whether you are living, loving, sharing, growing -

Giving, forgiving, caring or serving …

Whatever you do … do it NOW!

The Journey's End is Just the Beginning ...
Keep Enjoying the Journey!

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Merry Christmas!’

Merry Christmas! 

Just wanted to take this journey message to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by.

I finally got my tree up and decorated this past weekend. And, even though it is the same traditional snowflake winter theme, it warms my heart just the same. This year’s new ornament was a music note – reminding us that we always have something to praise God for and serving as a symbol of remembrance that, despite a grueling year, we have not lost our ‘song’.  

I have my children - three wonderful sons who I love dearly. They are my heart!

I have my faith which keeps on budding ... no matter the circumstances or surroundings.

And I have peace, health and joy. I am truly blessed!

Praying you will have a blessed rest of the week and a joyful, Christ-Centered Christmas day celebration.  Much Love!

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Believe’

BELIEVE :to accept something as true :to have a firm conviction

‘Believe’ is simple to speak …
‘Believe’ is challenging to execute ….
And yet, ‘Believing’ is critical to living, to experiencing all that God has for us.

I am convinced that part of the wonder of Christmas is the fact that the impossible was made possible. God with us - coming to us through a virgin. After receiving such a wonderful promise, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was in the midst of her own miraculous situation. And Elizabeth's words were every bit as much an encouragement to herself as they were to Mary: ‘Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ Luke 1:45

Elizabeth understood the simple concept that you can dispel your fears and increase your faith – your ability to believe – by helping others to believe. In that instant, I am certain that, despite any doubt or intimidation that might have been trying to creep upon her, Mary was reminded of the words of the angel, ‘With God nothing will be impossible.’ Luke 1:37

BELIEVE

I do not know the exact situation that you are faced with, but I do know: All things are possible! By all human reasoning, your situation and its remedy might appear impossible – may in fact be impossible. But, with God, all things are possible! (Mk. 10:27)

From a practical standpoint, it becomes easier to believe when we make a decision to stop rehearsing our unbelief. Growing up, I often heard the phrase, ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.’ Well, the same is true when it comes to believing. If we cannot get our words in alignment with God’s promises, it is better to be silent. Take some time to read about the miracles that God performed in His Word and then recount all of the impossible situations that God has made possible in your own life.

May God Richly Bless You!

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Trans-mission’

Well, here we are at the end of November. Can you believe it is the end of November already? This year seems to be on fast forward and, this past month has presented its share of ups and downs (actually starting at the tail-end of October):

• October 26 I received a message from someone at my church that they felt like they were supposed to pay for my van to be repaired. Although it had been driving fine, it had failed inspection and I was told it needed $1200 worth of repairs.
• October 27 Someone tried to break into my apartment which I had not lived in for even one month at that point. They had just broken my son’s bedroom window when my neighbor drove up and ran them off.
• October 30 I got the money for the repairs and took my van to the shop later that week. Yet, something kept telling me not to take it back to the original shop. So, I took it to a different shop, where they informed me that it passed inspection. They found nothing wrong with any of the items the other shop had noted as needing to be repaired. The cost? $16 dollars!
• November 6 Elated, I felt the only right thing would be to give the money back to the couple that had so generously blessed me. They told me to keep it – which was not a surprise since that Sunday morning, as I prayed, I ‘heard in my spirit, ‘they are going to tell you to keep it and this is where you need to give it.'
• November 10 I gave the tithe and the offering as I felt led in my heart. $1120
• November 11 I received news of a tremendous financial obligation that had to be addressed immediately. The cost? $1030 dollars!  
• November 14 God provided the finances needed to cover our family emergency 
• November 22 I decided to send a praise report to my pastor - just about the van situation.
• November 23 My van experienced a major malfunction (unrelated to any of the initial damages that caused it to fail inspection). It felt like the transmission failed!       

Transmission – in mechanical terms it is an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and mechanism by which power is transmitted from the engine to the axle.   However, if we pull that word apart, we find: 'trans-' meaning to change or transfer and 'mission' signifying a task, a commissioned ministry or pre-established objective

Understand this...

For every mission of blessing that God sends your way, for every mission of kingdom work that you set about pursuing, there is a counter or ‘trans’ mission launched by the enemy – aimed at altering or thwarting God’s intended will.

The enemy’s desire is to wear you down and make you feel like the journey is not worth the effort. But he is a liar and a cheat – has been since the beginning of time. John 8:44 tells us ‘He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.’

Now, there will be times when, like my vehicle, you feel like you got ‘slammed’ out of nowhere. There will be times when you feel like you are pushing the accelerator and nothing is happening. However, God’s Word is true and remains: 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper' Is. 54:17. Although it may seem like it is prospering , even the attacks of our adversary are used by the LORD, for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).

Keep on trusting, keep on standing and, by all means, keep on praising!

‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…’ Revelation 12:11

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Thankful…’

One day before Thanksgiving – and what a fitting week for our journey post to focus on being thankful. You see, there are so many things that we can find to complain about on any given day. Yet we often overlook the opportunities to simply express thanks for all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. 

Is my life perfect? Of course not, but it is perfectly watched over by the LORD God Almighty. He cares for me (I Pet. 5:7) and He is ever present, always working all things together for the good (Rom. 8:28). As I reflect on this year, I am thankful for many things:

• His presence, never leaving or forsaking (Deut. 31:6)   
• Health for me and my children (Ps. 91:10)    
• His provision of shelter – that although I was without a home to call my own for five months, I was never without a roof over my head (Is. 4:6)   
• His supply of every need (Phil. 4:19)    
• Friends and family (Pr. 27:17)   

Years ago, I had a discussion with a peer of mine. We were talking about the challenges of life when I shared with her a simple but profound truth.

It is impossible to complain and give thanks at the same time. You cannot, simultaneously, make negative confessions and shout praises. The same way that light and dark cannot occupy the same space, worry and the peace of God cannot share the same quarters. Fortunately, we can choose what will reign in our hearts and our lives. It begins in our heart and spills out over our lips. ‘From the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks’ (Lk. 6:45)

So, let us all give thanks – not just because it is the Thanksgiving Holiday Season but because we have so much to be thankful for every day.

God Bless!

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘He Cares’

I have a little bit of a ‘different’ post this week – after missing last week’s post altogether. Amazingly, I am learning not to beat myself up when I can’t seem to do it all.
 
Anyway, I felt a strong urge to share an excerpt from an email that I sent to my friend just a couple of hours ago. Someone had instructed her to read Psalm 2 and she wanted me to share my thoughts on it. Interestingly, she pointed out that she kept on hearing Psalm 22 even as they told her to read Psalm 2. Here is part of that email…
 
'The verses that stood out to me most were verses 7-9 and the tail end of verse twelve. I think overall, it touches on some of the things that Pastor Archie has been talking about in the end days. However, more importantly for those of us who are God’s children, He gives us a comforting reminder – that we are His – and not just for end times, at all times.
 
He tells us to 'ask' and reminds us of our inheritance in Him. However, if I am honest, I have been struggling with this concept lately. I know He is El Elyon (God Most High) and El Shaddai (The All Sufficient One). I know there is no problem that is too big for Him. My problem is not in His ability but in truly believing that He desires to do what I ask for me. And yet His Word remains and is true. And we have to make a decision to believe it.
 
When people feel abandoned, by a spouse or a father or a family (or all), they need to know, that they know, that they know God is with them – as a Savior, as a Friend, as a Father. It is much easier said than done because situations will keep screaming at you all day to get you to believe the opposite is true.
 
I think you kept hearing Psalm 22 because you may truly be experiencing some of those emotions that the psalmist expresses. Even so, God desires for you to know (and me too) that He has not forsaken us, He is not too far to help, He does hear, He does care, He has taken note of every tear and knows what they represent (even when we don’t). We are not the worms that we often believe ourselves to be – we are His children. Though people will scoff because of our commitment to keep trusting and serving Him, there is no other path to take. Though we experience physical manifestations of pain as a result of the challenges that come against us, HE IS WITH US! And we make a conscious and willful decision to praise Him … whatever comes.'
 
[Psalm 22 paints a vivid picture of the suffering which our Savior endured and reminds us that He is familiar with the pains that we feel … because He experienced it, AND MORE.
 
Psalm 2 reminds us that Jesus reigns supreme, of His triumph over all.]
 

⁷I will declare the decree:

     The LORD has said to Me,

     ‘You are My Son,

     Today I have begotten You.  

⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You

     The nations for Your inheritance,

     And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

⁹ You shall break them with a rod of iron;

     You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

¹² ...Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.'

Psalm 2:7-9, 12

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Forgetting the old …’

So, it is really late on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I am still finding the balance of family responsibilities, work and blogging. However, I had to write about something interesting that happened this week – interesting to me anyway.  I was in my kitchen when my plate, which I have used for years, split in two.

This is not the actual picture of it but it is very close to the type of break that occurred. It was without warning or explanation. And in that moment, this was the thought that came:
‘Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.’ Isaiah 43:18-19AMP

'The things that have served you well in the past are in the past. They have been broken, severed and separated. Now is time for newness … '

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Taken Identity...’

I read the most interesting article this week - a story about a couple hundred girls who were undergoing a name-change ceremony in India. It seems, for varying reasons, these young ladies had parents who had given them a name which meant ‘Unwanted’.

It was touching and sad all at the same time. And needless to say, it sparked a great amount of conversation online.  Many had comments about the nation where these young girls were growing up, about the parents and the culture.

However, I could not help but to think about the countless individuals – across the globe – who may not have been named ‘Unwanted’ but have consistently received the message that they are ‘unwanted’.

It could be a child abandoned or neglected or verbally abused by a parent. It might be a wife carelessly dismissed by her husband. Perhaps it is a husband who has been left to raise his family alone as his wife chases selfish and destructive ambitions. Maybe it is a worker who, after giving years of dedicated service, is callously laid-off from their position. It could be a teen who has never been allowed to be a part of any group.

No matter the sector of society, there are countless thousands who have been told and received the lie that they are ‘unwanted’. They have become victims of circumstance and, ultimately, of identity theft somewhere along their journey in life. Yet this is not God’s will. 

Even if you were ‘unwanted’ by a person – know that you are wanted and loved by God. In my upcoming book, I talk about the need to Avoid Identity Theft in the midst of the storm. I explain how the battle for our identity often begins before we even make our entrance into the world – much like the young ladies in the article I read. I go on to point out that there will come a day when we will have to do something to regain the identity which was altered by a stormy life situation, by a parent, a spouse, a disease, a class in society or even a self-perception.

We have to decide that we will no longer be defined by the labels that have been attached to us or that we have attached to ourselves.

Then we can begin again ... much like those young ladies in the article. One of them, after living fifteen years being called 'unwanted' by friends and family, chose a name which meant ‘very tough or rock hard’ [perhaps pointing toward a spirit of resiliency]. Another selected a name which meant 'wealth' and still another selected a name which meant ‘prosperous, beautiful and good’.  I say, let’s take a cue from these courageous young ladies and snatch back the identity that was stolen.

Wherever you are in your journey, whatever has waged a war against your identity, take some time today to find out what God has to say about who you are: 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument] …’ Jer. 1:5AMP

This Friday we will further address the subject of identity and I will be sharing an excerpt from my upcoming book, 'When Storms Rage'. Until then, please take some time to consider these action steps which are helpful in figuring out who you are in Christ. 

• Read the Word of God daily 
• Ask God to reveal His view of you 
• Make positive confessions daily  
• Meditate on Jeremiah 1:5
• Review Psalm 139:1-18 

Have a Blessed Evening!

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Stronger …’

Wow! It has been a very busy time and I am feeling a very real need to get myself back on track. I haven’t worked out in over a week and I have struggled to find words and time to write. Currently, I am working on constructing a workbook to go along with my book and am soliciting reviews to be placed within the book and on the back cover. So please keep me in prayer. The apartment is nice and I am quickly learning that I/we do not need as much as I might have once thought was necessary for quality life.

During these past few years, more than ever, I have experienced more peace with less stuff. I have felt more love with fewer relationships. I have felt more blessed and prosperous with far fewer material blessings.

It has been quite a journey! 

Someone said this to me a couple of weeks ago: ‘It’s been three and a half years, ‘What have you learned?’ The question caught me a little off guard but I had an immediate answer – TRUST. 

It has actually been four years TODAY. And, in this journey, I have learned how to trust as I have never had to trust before … and I have been blessed for the experience. Were there decisions that I might have made differently? Perhaps there might have been a couple of choices that I would change. However, by and large, I would not change a thing. I know Him more than I’ve ever known Him, I am becoming more like Him and I realize that I am living the abundant life that Jesus came to give – a life not dependent upon anything external. What a blessing! 

I am just so thankful. I love the LORD and I know He loves me.  I should be in bed right now. It is almost 2:30AM and I have to get up at 5Am to get ready for work. But I wanted to give this encouragement: You are stronger than you think...

The storms that you thought would kill you are actually making you stronger. We should all be so blessed to find ourselves in such a weakened and broken state that we get to experience His strength which is made perfect in those fragile moments.

Stronger because He is stronger … and He lives in me!

'But He said to me,

My grace

(My favor and loving-kindness and mercy)

is enough for you

[sufficient against any danger

and enables you to bear the trouble manfully];

for My strength and power are made perfect

(fulfilled and completed)

and show themselves most effective

in [your] weakness.'

II Corinthians 12:9AMP

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Just Around the Corner’

Have you ever had one of those moments where you just wish you had a camera or a cell phone in your hand?

Well, I had one of those moments today.

I was driving home from work with my sons in the car and the sky was getting dark. It looked like it was going to pour at any moment. Then, as we pulled to an intersection, it began to look even worse. They were some of the darkest, most ominous looking storm clouds I’ve seen and it covered the entire area over this large intersection. However, as I looked and got ready to turn right, I noticed something rather interesting and amazing...

Off to the right was the bluest sky – clear and beautiful, looking like it was not even thinking about rain.

So I made the turn, and as I passed through that intersection, I moved out from under the dark cloud, turned in the direction of the blue sky and suddenly, those dark clouds were behind me.

Now I am not one of those strange and wacky Christians that likes to super-spiritualize every single thing they see (at least I don’t think I am). But it almost felt prophetic to me.

Better days, brighter skies are just around the corner. The darkness is behind.

That is what I am praying for so many of my friends, I am praying it for my family, and I am it praying – right now – for you!

God bless you …..

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Up High ...’

Well this post is very late in the day. It has been extremely busy lately. But, it is still Wednesday – at least it is here in Virginia Beach. 

Today as I was driving back from taking my son to his college campus, I spied this …. 

It is an osprey (hawk) nest. They like to build their nests up high, often among the power lines, generally near a water supply with plenty of fish occupants, at an altitude which provides them the best view/perspective of their surroundings. I imagine, it also provides them the ultimate protection from any predator that would hope to attack them or their young.  

Then I started thinking about our journey series. Wouldn’t it be great if we would build our nest among ‘The Power’ – to be able to have an enhanced perspective of our surroundings, to perch up high but still be close to life-sustaining waters?

What would it be like if we made our home and resting place completely in Christ, dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and energized by the Holy Spirit?

Remember …

‘He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

shall remain stable and fixed

under the shadow of the Almighty

[Whose power no foe can withstand].’

Psalm 91:1 Amp.         

In this journey called life, let us be so hidden in the Lord that any enemy would need to contend with Him in order to come close to us.

Now that’s up high!

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘One Such Friend’

It is a rare person who can look beyond where you are and see who you are; one who chooses to become your friend right in the middle of the storm.     

I was thinking about this as I considered the many people who have entered and exited my life. I had to praise God for His faithfulness in the relationships that He has allowed in my life. Sure, I have a role to play as well – since every relationship requires commitment and participation. However, they are truly gifts from God, especially when they come at a moment in life where friendship with you might not otherwise be very appealing.

Friendships that form at your lowest point are particularly special. I say this because the valley moments of one’s life are typically the places where you will find yourself alone … even without the company of those who were once faithful. In part, it can be attributed to a little phenomenon which I heard described by Beth Moore in one of her teaching classes. Now, she did not invent the term. But, through her mention of it, I came to understand a great deal about what can happen to relationships in the midst of the storm.

So what was the term? BIRG and CORF    

'Basking in Reflected Glory' and 'Cutting off Reflected Failure'.

And while you may not be familiar with the term, you are likely very familiar with the process. Your favorite football team wins the game on Sunday night, putting the other team to shame. Your response is likely to be, ‘We had a fantastic game last night!’ The next Sunday when they lose, pitifully, your Monday commentary is sure to sound something like, ‘Man, they really blew is last night.’ You want to bask in the glory of their victory but separate and cut yourself off from even the reflection of their failure. 

This is what can happen in relationships during the storm and why those friendships that are initiated in the middle of the whirlwind become so meaningful.

Jesus was well familiar with the BIRG and CORF syndrome. There were those who desired to participate in the glory of His miracles and mass appeal and those who later wanted to cut off  and remove themselves from the reflection of His perceived failure. In the end ...

• Where had all the cheering the crowds gone that sang ‘Hosanna!’ as He entered the city?
• Where were all the people who partook of His miracle or who tried to do great works in His name?

Even those closest to Him, who had shared some of the most privileged and intimate moments, had abandoned or betrayed Him.

It is easy to desire to be someone’s friend when they are on the mountain top, when they are winning the game, when they are the celebrated center of the street procession. However, it is an entirely different matter altogether to befriend them when the tides have turned and they are being jeered, beaten and humiliated. Yet it is the friendships formed in those moments (walking a lonely and violent path or facing some sort of crucifixion) that are likely to be most genuine. For at that point in your journey, the person befriending you has nothing to gain from associating themself with you. They are simply a priceless journey companion.

God has blessed me with one such friend. She is a unique person who, despite seeing reflections of failure, decided to reach out, become my friend during my darkest moments and who has stood by my side through it all. She does what I can only term as SIRFing.
     'Standing in Reflected Failure', she has become a journey companion that has made a conscious decision to ride the waves of life along side me, no matter how rough the waters get, no matter how many times I wipe out. It is a privilege to be gifted with such a friend and I thank God for the blessing.

I pray that you too would find one such friend ...

JOURNEY 201¦1 X-TRA ‘Simplicity’

So I was out for my walk this morning. It was beautiful and I even took a different route, one which took me past several street openings with signs that said .... 

And it got me thinking about how we humans tend to complicate things. We find ourselves at a dead end in our spiritual journey and cannot find a way out.

And what do we do, more often than not?

We start to analyze: How did I end up here? Can’t believe I hit a dead end. So frustrated! What to do now? There’s no way out … 

Fact is, most of us have been there at some point. There are times we just get so busy with living that we miss the obvious. Yet, the problem is not that perplexing. The issue is not that deep. The solution is closer than you realize.

If you have run into a dead end and don’t know what to do...

STOP!

Turn around, back it up, go out the same way you went in … then continue your journey with the LORD. It's that simple ...

And you've got to love simplicity! 

Have an Abundantly Blessed Day!

JOURNEY 201¦1 ‘Alone in the Company’

'There will be places where your faith will take you where it is just you and God.' These were the words of my executive pastor this past Sunday. His sermon was talking about real faith and fantasy faith. It was a powerful study! And it got me thinking about the many people in the Bible whose walk with the LORD took them amazing places...

'Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.' Genesis 5:24 NIV

'So Elijah did as the LORD told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan.' I Kings 17:5NLT

'So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions...' Daniel 6:16 NLT

'And Jacob was left alone' and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of day.' Genesis 32:24KJV

'Peter said to Him, "LORD, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.' Matthew 14:28-29NLT

'As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Acts 7:59NLT

'Peter therefore was kept in prison ... sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.' Acts 12:5-6KJV

'Then Jesus was led [guided] by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness [desert] to be tempted [tested and tried] by the devil.' Matthew 4:1AMP

'They took Jesus therefore, and He went out bearing His own cross...' John 19:17NASB




Then there is you ....

Your walk of faith will take you places that you never dreamed. And you will be privileged to be alone, in the company of the Father. They are priceless moments, being alone in the company of the Father ... excrutiatingly lonely and painful at times, but priceless.

There will be many who will scoff at your choices. They will mock and taunt and tease. They will say, 'Simple woman, what is she thinking?' 'Crazy man, when will he learn?'

They will know that they know that you missed God completely and have gone off the deep end. And you will know that you know that you have heard His voice and have launched into the deep.

If I step out on faith, and begin to sink,
     having to be rescued by my LORD,
At least I stepped out and did the unimaginable.

If I speak His Word with boldness,
     and am persecuted and even harmed,
At least I fulfilled His purpose for my life. 

If I sink deeper than I ever thought it possible to go,
     And when I rise to great exploits,
          done in His name and for His glory,
I will know it is because I dared to walk with God,
     where few were willing to go.

Be blessed and be bold!

Even if it means being alone, in His company.