Does anyone else kind of shudder at the word, “confidence?”  Not because it’s a bad word.  But because I have a love/hate relationship with it as I have struggled to have confidence my entire life.  Can anyone else relate?  I have struggled to have confidence in the way I look, act, sound, and the decisions I make.  It is this weird, abstract, magical concept that I know I should have, and can recognize when someone else has it pouring it out of her pores; but kind-of-sort-of don’t have any idea how to obtain such a trait. 

My church is beginning a new building campaign and our pastor stood up today and with complete confidence announced that we will raise 3 million dollars. He didn’t waver, he didn’t doubt, he didn’t even bat an eye. Confidence oozed from him. I was thinking, wow that’s a big statement, a big dream, a big ask. And yet – confidence carries him. I look at some obstacles in front of me and my first reaction is “no way”, my second reaction is, “let’s do this.” Confidence flips my response.

Near the end of the 7th century before the birth of Christ, three young men were selected from the throngs of Israeli exiles in Babylon by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, to be highly trained as future administrators and counselors in the Babylonian empire. Of course, a young Daniel, who had taken the pagan name Belteshezzar (Daniel 1: 7), was also a member of that highly-prized group of young leaders in training.

Daniel 3:17-18 (NASB)
“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image…”

    My brother’s fiancée’s father died today. We have prayed for his healing and when he entered hospice, we prayed he would be able to attend the wedding of his daughter and my brother.

Happy New Year!  Are you excited for the new year? Are you focusing in on those things you want to change, experience, and grow in?  Or, is the new year a reminder of things that remain the same, despite your heart’s desire to have them change? 

Romans 8 has said to be one of the most important chapters in all of scripture. It walks us through gospel and explains just how incredible it is that we are now “In Christ.” It all ties together right here. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 ESV)  We are given this incredible look at all Jesus has done for us and how great the love of the Father is and it’s here that Paul summarizes it all by reminding us that in all of this- God. Is. For. Us.

I was at Valley of Fire this past weekend and was amazed time after time at the rock formations that were by all human standards, upside down. How is it possible that this huge boulder can rest on top of a tiny boulder and not come crashing down? How is it possible that a rock formation that is so seemingly upside down can withstand years of storms, strong winds, earthquakes, time? How is it possible that nothing shakes it, nothing causes it to crumble, nothing destroys the foundation, nothing?

n the summer of this past year, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria destroyed entire communities and left thousands with their basic needs lacking.

Romans 8:35 - Who will separate us from the love of Christ?

In late winter of 2014, 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians were kidnapped by terrorists and ultimately were viciously beheaded in a horrendous act of persecution.

Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution….

Take a few moments to read the Psalm the Apostle Paul quotes in the eighth chapter of his letter to Christians in Rome. He references verse 22 of the 44th Psalm. But read the whole psalm, all 26 verses.

For the first eight verses the tone is very familiar—thanks and praise to God for his constant care and provision. These verses are easily imagined as songs sung by a congregation of Jews remembering their metanarrative of deliverance and victory given by the hands of their Creator.

Have you ever really looked at yourself in the mirror? Have you starred so uncomfortably close that you got in your own space? Has the mirror ever fogged up when your bad morning breath hit the glass? Did you ever look so closely that you could see the tiny soft hairs growing out of your pores? Have you experienced an intimate stare down with your crow’s feet, laugh lines and sagging eyelids? Speaking of eyelids; have you ever pushed them up and gazed deeply into your own eyes? Did it scare you or were you filled with wonder?

The Apostle Paul uses the Greek verb for “justified” 27 times, mostly in his letter to the Romans and Galatians. It can be understood as a legal declaration, “not guilty,” or in the easily memorable phrase, “just as if I’d never sinned.”

Paul makes clear, confirming the earlier declaration of the patriarchs and prophets of Israel, that there is “no one righteous” (Romans 3:10) and “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

I’ve once heard it said that you don’t fully belong to a community until you’ve been to at least one wedding and one funeral. I don’t know if that’s true of everyone’s experience, but I do remember the day we received our first invitation to a wedding. It was to celebrate the wedding of the daughter of our small-town mayor.  It was mailed and sent directly to us. Inviting us. Welcoming us. Including us.

Way back in high school I can vaguely remember that I was voted, “Most likely to be promoted.” What in the world does that mean? Why not “Most likely to succeed”? Better question yet, how did they see that in me? They must have known that there was something about me, the way I walked, the way I talked and the things I did that destined me to be promoted. Sure enough, I’ve seen many promotions in life! It’s a strange feeling to know that people can see things in you that you can’t see in yourself. What do people see in you?

The house was a mess.  There were toys everywhere.  It looked like some sort of explosion that involved Legos, toy food, stuffed animals, and books had erupted and then trickled down the hallways and into other rooms.  It was loud, the kids were running around with an abundance of energy that could only come from some sort of evil spell, also known as sugar.  I quickly found my “mom voice” and used it in the loudest volume I could go, “CLEAN UP! LET’S GO!” 

He pieces me together one cup at a time. With each sip, He sinks deeper into my soul. There are some days I wake up and I can’t shake that feeling - the pain, the disappointment and the memories.  None of it. I wake up broken. I go through my day with a fake smile and find myself just going through the motions. And then something hits me. Ahh, I need coffee! It can be 4am or 9pm, but when I finally get that cup, happiness goes down and it begins. It’s a reminder to me of what I am filled with; the Holy Spirit.

You know what's interesting? I actually don't have Romans 8:28 highlighted in my Bible. Is that strange? I have about 6 verses before this one highlighted but not verse 28. As I started thinking about that, I started to wonder about what I understand about that scripture: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (ESV)

When God created marriage, He knew that singleness as a status would eventually result. You can’t have one without the other. With this design, He invaded the human heart. He instilled longings that radiate with stomach flip-flops, quickened pulses, ear to ear smiles, and feet-dragging, gut-wrenching heartbreak. Powerful human emotions behind the God-breathed words of “male and female He created them.”

Man.  Life is hard.  There are so many things bombarding your mind and soul that it can be extremely difficult to see the good in any of it.  Hurricanes.  Politics.  Earthquakes.  Cancer.  Violence.  Substance use.  Unexpected tragedies. 

The Word of God is a staple all throughout humanity. Governments were built and their foundations were set in the Word. It’s used to comfort people who typically don’t believe in it when heartbreak strikes. It’s misquoted, mis-tweeted, miscommunicated, and often misrepresented but IT. IS. ALIVE.