Last month, I had the privilege of going to New Hampshire with my church to assist in leading worship for a conference. Unfortunately, I was not able to make the 18-hour haul with the rest of the crew and I had to fly (reluctantly, of course). When the tickets were being booked, I was asked if I preferred an aisle or window seat. Window. (When I am on an airplane, I am mesmerized by the land as we ascend, descend, and all that’s between.)
On the last leg of my trip, it was dark, and I was looking at all the lights as we flew down the east coast. I started to consider how small everything looks when you’re 35,000 feet in the air - extremely tiny people, driving their micro-micro-machine cars, living in their ridiculously small homes. And EVERY SINGLE PERSON has their heavy burdens and ginormous worries, yet it all seems so minuscule when you’re thinking about it in the sky.
And then I started to get some enlightenment from my Spirit Guide(Holy Spirit): “you think things look small from here? Imagine my perspective. You worry and stress so much about things that you can do nothing about, all the while I AM the solution, ready to save the day at your call. You see problems as giants. I see them as ants.” (I love it. So simple. That’s how God likes to roll: simple.)
So take that formula, giants=ants, and replace “giants” with your biggest worry. It is nothing. Seriously! What does your problem have to trump the God of ALL creation? Nothing.
I’m going to end with an actual piece of the Bible here: Psalm 97:5 says, “The mountains melt like wax before the Lord.”
Get God’s perspective. Life is better up here.

Part of my work one day recently consisted of handling bearings with rubber gaskets. Having to deal with over 300 of these, I got well acquainted with a certain odor they shared with me. I hope no one noticed when I would hold the pieces to my nose as I was taken down memory lane. I only smelled them twice… Or maybe three or four times.
When I started handling the parts and smelling them, I remembered some Larry Johnson Converses I used to have. They were white. Velcro was involved. And they had some awesome yellowish-green gel things in the heel that I loved to poke. And THAT is what I smelled!
It took me to a time when those shoes were the BOMB! Life was simple (even though it seemed so complex.) And there were Converse stores…
Thoughts of wonder started to roll. What happened? Where did the last 17-18 years of my life go? Who would have thought this Phoenix boy would end up in South Carolina with an amazing wife and beautiful daughter? And what happened to those shoes??
After much reflection, I came to the realization: God is good. So many people are living their lives in fear - whether it be related to finances, health, relationships, or the news. What kind of life is that? No, the kind of life I am living is an eternal one. And it’s a good one.
So take the time to reflect on God’s goodness in your life. Hopefully you have some forgotten childhood memories to dust off and enjoy.
And those Larry Johnson Converse? Maybe the coolest shoes I ever had… Except for the fact that they were on clearance and my dad, brother, and two brother-in-laws got a pair or two just like them…

Imagine looking at the earth from a universal viewpoint. You see the sun, the moon, the stars, etc. And then BOOM! They’re gone in an instant and all that remains is the earth. It’ll be like a stage ripped of its props. The earth completely naked before its Creator. So get naked and exposed before God before He does the exposing! Love Him. Pursue Him. Know Him.

“But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live.” (2 Peter 3:10, 11 NLT)

Here is a universal statement for every Christian: our ministry is to reflect Jesus’ glory, to let His spirit dwell in us and make us more like Him. In that process, we die, and who He is begins to live more and more through us. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom - freedom from addictions, hurts, anger, anything contrary to who Christ is living in us. And though we fall, we never give up, never give in, and always press in to know better this Savior of our souls!

**based from 2 Corinthians 3:16-4:1

Sorry, this isn’t a bathroom story.  But here’s some scripture:

Romans 8:20b-23: “But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.”

To see the Lord return should be our deepest hearts desire.  All throughout the New Testament we are encouraged to be watchful and to keep our eyes open for the return of the Lord.  Yet so many Christians go through life with the mindset that if He comes, He comes, but don’t worry about it and don’t get all in a tizzy.

But let me raise this question: shouldn’t our hearts be so desiring to see Him and be with Him that our eyes are constantly on the sky in hopes of His coming?  Call it “escapism.”  Call it “denial.”  Call it “plain foolish.”  But Jesus said in Mark 13:37 to “watch for His return.” 

My wife says she would like Jesus to return when she’s about 70ish (I’m probably off, but it’s somewhere up there so that she can see her kids grow up, see them have kids, and just have a full life.)  My latest thought on when I’d like the Lord to return is when I am about 45ish.  But after thinking about it, my heart’s cry should be “come quickly, Lord, come now!”  Nothing in this life will ever compare to the moment we experience the light of His presence.  Yeah, it would be cool to have kids, watch them grow up, see them have kids, and then we can pass away together in our sleep from old age… or hopefully escape death because Jesus returns when we are about 80.

OK.  People have been claiming for centuries, since the New Testament even, that the last days are here.  Probably every age since the Bible has had “crazy” people declaring that it is the end of the world.  And guess what: they died.  Jesus didn’t return.  Life went on.  But what if that’s a sign of a heart on fire? (I’m not saying every person declaring “the end is near” is on fire.  And I’m not saying every one of them is not a tiny bit loony[or totally loony].)  

Back to what I’ve already said: What compares in this life to being with Jesus??  Creation groans and waits!  When you accepted Jesus in your heart, was it so that you wouldn’t have to spend eternity in hell, or so that you could spend eternity with Jesus?

Here are a couple of thoughts as I read through the book of Mark, chapter 1.

Jesus went into the synagogue and started preaching with authority. Verse 23 says that there was a man there possessed by an evil spirit, and then he began yelling at Jesus. And then Jesus was like, “Shut yo mouth. Come outta da man!”

First thought as I read this: was this demon possessed guy typically in the synagogue? Or did he just happen to be passing through on the day Jesus spoke? Or could it be he was a usual member of the synagogue to make sure things didn’t get out of hand and too on fire for God?

Next thought I had was this: could you imagine being able to discern when someone is coming against you from a demonic influence and not of their own intellect? And THEN telling the demon to COME OUT with all authority?! That’s pretty awesome! But that’s the realm of authority that we have in Christ Jesus and that is what we need to be walking in!

Song: Alabaster Jar

This song is based on Mary of Bethany and her alabaster jar… as if that wasn’t obvious.  It’s also a cry to be intimate with Jesus.  Enjoy!

This is a short one. But I just had a revelation on a few standard principles.

Let me start here: all of a sudden in the past week, I’m caring A LOT about what I eat.  I have this drive to start taking care of my body.  But I started to feel bad today that I was doing this for myself but not doing the exact same thing for my wife.  And here’s where the revelation comes in: you must take care of yourself first (but not in a selfish manner) in order to take care of others.

Just like on an airplane, you take care of your mask first in the case of an emergency so that you’re capable to help others. And this gives insight to the biblical principles “love your neighbor as yourself” and “husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.”

How can you love others if you don’t love yourself first? Furthering the thought/revelation - if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.  I’ll let you have your own revelation with that one.

Song: My Eyes Are On You

This song is hot off the press.  Wrote it this morning.  To say the least, it’s my heart poured out.  It’s been a hard past couple of weeks.  This song is filled with the Psalms.  It’s my reminder of the God I serve, which I desperately needed.  BE WARNED: it’s a little long, and as always, mellow.  But it has a great soaking quality for your worst days.