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Peace Because of Victory

11/3/2020

"Cast Our Eyes Toward Victory", Valley of Fire, NV

Today’s the day! The Election of 2020 is finally upon us. Remember, whatever happens and whoever sits the Oval Seat—it’s not The THRONE. And the ONE who is seated there ETERNALLY, with many crowns at His Feet, is never surprised, never outwitted, never overthrown. It is toward His VICTORY that I cast my eyes and look forward to the things to come which make all else an empty abyss.

For...

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:12)

But...

The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us (Rom 8:11) and He gave us a spirit NOT OF FEAR but of power and love and self-control. (2 Tim 1:7)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him ENDURED THE CROSS, despising the shame, and IS SEATED at the right Hand of The Throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2)

For He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him. (Col 2:15)

And...

He has said these things to us, that in Him we may have peace. In the world we will have tribulation. But take heart; He has overcome the world! (Jn 16:33)

For in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him IS LIFE, and the life is the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. ... (Jn 1:1-51)

So...

See that you are not alarmed by tribulations (Mt 24:6) and see that no one leads you astray. (Mt 24:4) The time has come for us Christians to wake from our Laodicean states and strive forth—not in protection of our “kingdoms”, but in the mission of the Gospel. (Rom 13:11)

Only then will we go to our real home for TAKE HEART--Jesus' return is soon! (Mt 24:14; Rev 22:20)

Blighted Trestle

4/16/2018

Rust is fascinating.

It slowly, relentlessly consumes the object of its desire. Even its color and texture, which beckons the touch, leave behind blood-stained smears.

Once stripped away--polished even, the object will forever bare traces of its scar. It's like sin. That decay that methodically poisons our hearts.

Only Christ can heal its wounds and make useable, our pockmarked souls!

Malachi 3:2-3 & Romans 8:28

I want to experience God's healing right now

Prisoner of Our Own Constructs

4/13/2018

Do you see it? There! Just beneath the surface... The tiniest of cracks in the veneer. Guilt, shame, fear, doubt all heaving against the perfection in a raging cacophony of self-loathing transfixing her frozen, motionless. Too terrified the ugliness will escape; poured out for all to see.

Arise and be set free. Stop fortifying your prison bars. Instead, fortify your soul with the only One who can release you from your chains, provide you with rebirth, and give you a new name in the book of life. Let Him fill you today with His joy for anyone in Christ is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Examine how the Message Bible interprets the 2 Corinthians Scripture:

"Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you."

I need to be set free!

We All Wear Masks

12/9/2017

"We All Wear Masks"... The Sunflower is a clever one indeed. It’s flowering crown is so gloriously adorned, so magnificently petaled, so perfectly arranged that it distracts attention from its underside. That monotone pea-green prickly place filled with layers and tangles that dwells forever in shadow. Its an ugly place. A vulnerable place. A place no one would ever want to look, never mind display—or so it thinks. It’s able to keep up the charade until the bounty of its labors is ravaged by those who toiled for it not. A withered husk of what it once was, it staggers back and forth at the mercy of the wind.

I wonder for many how of us, this is our reality? How many of us are hiding behind a facade of perfection, casting our time, our talent, and our treasure to society's unworthy effigies. How many of us are left battered and broken from the struggle? You are precious in Gods sight. The glorious and not so glorious parts of you matter to Him. Stop competing. Stop hiding. Stop. Take your hands off the wheel-- and lift them up to God. Ask Him into your life today. For Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Mt 11:28-29

I really need to take my hands off the wheel

What Type of Legacy Are You Leaving Behind?

11/14/2017

It was the rays of diffused light glistening and dazzling as they danced across the crests of the waves that caused my eyes to smart. I stopped and perched myself by the water’s edge—it was then that I spotted it… A timeworn joist clinging desperately to the boulders locked in a futile struggle against the pounding surf.

I thought about the scarred hands of the craftsmen involved in its creation. What would they say about their labors if they could see it now lying discarded and broken; to be the repository for finger stained habits or a meal for all things tiny that are squished underfoot? To watch helplessly as with each passing moment it slipped just little further out of sight? Is this the heritage they hoped to leave behind?

What type of legacy are you leaving behind? Praise God we have the True and Better Craftsman! The One who through His scarred hands forged the bridge to eternal life and placed within us a birthright that will never tarnish. The only real legacy we can leave behind is people. Let us labor not to build an inheritance of moth and rust, but one of crowns that we can cast at His holy feet.

Matthew 6:19-20 (ESV) Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."

How can I build a legacy that will last forever?

Making Positives from Negatives

2/1/2017

A Psalm for giving thanks.

100 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2     Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into His presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, He is God!
    It is He who made us, and we are His;
    we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
    and His courts with praise!
    Give thanks to Him; bless His name!
5 For the Lord is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
    and His faithfulness to all generations.

In this volatile world where nothing is certain, we are often consumed by anxiety and cry out for hope. We pour through news reports, fixate on our social media accounts, confide in our friends, read our horoscopes, and even visit psychics hoping for answers!

But only God can take the negatives in your life and make them into a positive.

Psalm 100 was written as a song of praise to the LORD. Consider verse 5, "For the Lord is good, His steadfast love endures forever and His faithfulness to all generations". God's goodness is infinite. His compassion and forgiveness have no end and He does not change His promises no matter what we have done. How wonderful it is to know that in spite of all the turmoil and uncertainty of the future, there is a place where we can find eternal peace and joy!

What do you cry out for today? A stable home life? Marriage? Family? Finances? Health? Release your fear and anxiety to the One who made us and provides the immutable promise of eternal life to all who believe. His steadfast love endures forever and His forgiveness is without end.

I need peace and hope

Peace on the mountain top and in the valley!

1/30/2017

No matter where you find yourself right now... No matter what you have done... No matter what anyone else thinks of you... You can meet someone who will love you forever and never walk away from you. You can live of life of victory and contentment whether you are on the mountain top or in the valley.

How?

Through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. When you welcome Jesus into your life, you will experience the supernatural peace that can only come from Him! He supplies our every need and never leaves us comfortless. We are filled beyond measure with eternal hope and joy.

I am thankful to God for all of the things in my life, both "good" and "bad", but I am most thankful for His willingness to shed His blood as a propitiation for my sin and provide me with the gift of faith that I might accept Him as my Lord and Savior and dwell with Him forever.

Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3     He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

How can God love me?

What Exactly is Salvation and is Jesus the Only Way to It?

5/23/2016

There has been a lot of debate and political upheaval in the news lately about what it means to be a Christian, what values they should hold, and if all paths lead to God. Christians who preach the Gospel are quickly labeled as “narrow-minded”, “intolerant”, and “bigoted” and accused of “hate filled speech”. Perhaps the best way to explain why Christians are so passionate is because they have experienced the love and sacrifice made by Jesus--and because they have been forgiven so much, feel a strong desire to share that Good News with everyone else. Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller), an avowed atheist, summed up the concept of witnessing. He said in his famous YouTube video,

I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. If you believe that there is a heaven or hell, or that people could be going to hell, or not get eternal life, and you think it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward…and atheists think people shouldn’t proselytize, just keep religion to yourself… how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?

If you saw someone crossing the street in front of an oncoming bus, what would you do? Would you just stand there, say nothing, and watch them get hit? Would you call out to them? Would you try to pull them back to the sidewalk? What if it were your child? This is why Christians feel compelled to share the Gospel of Jesus and His FREE GIFT of salvation and eternal life with everyone. God sent His Son to exchange His life for yours. He died and rose again and He wants to create a new life for you. There is a real heaven and there is a real hell. Deciding exactly who Jesus is, is the most important decision of your life Read More

I don't think I need Jesus to be saved

Cloud Iridescence Irisation- How Awesome Is Our God!

6/17/2015

It was a blessing to capture this fairly rare event today, cloud iridescence producing an irisation effect! Irisation is a type of diffraction phenomena caused by the scattering of light rays when they strike objects of a similar size to their wavelengths; in this case most probably water droplets in these cirrus fibratus and cirrocumulus clouds. The circum horizontal arc is produced by the scattered light waves interfering with each other and ultimately creating beautiful color patterns. This phenomenon is rare because it usually has to occur within a 10 degree angle of the sun and only briefly appears as these thin clouds rapidly form and then evaporate. In this case the entire event lasted approximately 4 minutes before I was left with a vacant, albeit beautiful blue and white speckled expanse of sky.

Finding myself in this unexpected moment of revelation into a work of God’s hand took my breath away. I watched it slowly appear, glowing brighter and brighter with ever more vivid colors, and then watched it gradually fade away. It left me sad and longing for just one more glimpse. I continued to watch the wispy clouds with the hopefulness of a child- that maybe just a tip would become aglow with the glorious reds, yellows, blues, and greens that had shown so spectacularly mere moments ago. Nothing happened. But what did happen was that I was still and in that stillness I experienced that sense of awe, that He is God. I was struck by His tremendous love for us- of how He is the Great Designer and knew each of us intimately before the foundations of the Earth. Oh how amazing it is that He cares so deeply for us that He shed His Son’s blood for our salvation! How wonderful it is that I can cast my cares upon Him and be filled with His supernatural peace! How satisfying it is to yield myself to Him and serve Him with all my strength! How awesome is our God! So be watchful for the small moments of life- the moments we can find ourselves lost in His majesty, and commune with God.