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Moving Forward Report

Someone asked why I wanted to write a book. When my life bottomed out, I could not find anyone to answer the question: how do you re-engage in life when you’ve been taken back to zero ? And by that, I mean, how do you rediscover purpose after your world has collapsed into dust. ' On The Other Side Of D isappointment ’ is a practical look at the Scripture to reveal fears, failures and comebacks. Answers may not always come when we want them, and not always in ways we would recognize them. But our God walks with us through the dark places in life, silent at times, but present none the less. So I wanted to assure people who are at a point of wrestling with their most difficult questions, and address three points. What we go through is transitional, not terminal. Letting go of the past enables us to embrace a bigger future. Your voice may have been muffled, but it is not muted.  The latest word fr om the publisher is the manuscript is in the hands of th...
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The  journey has continued and soon to be released is a new book entitled, ' On The Other Side Of Disappointment '. To be published by Xulon Press, and should be released for purchase in another few months. I will post the progress of the publication as I receive updates. The book is a reflective look back over the past disappointments which I have faced, and what I have gleaned from those experiences. The title of a book I read a few years ago kept coming back to me as I was writing. The work by Paul E. Billheimer called 'Don't Waste Your Sorrows' lead me to believe others may benefit from the difficulties I have been through. Here is an excerpt: " So when the familiar crashes and burns, and you find yourself standing by the wreckage of your life, in total bewilderment, where do you turn? Serenity once known vanishes like a morning mist. In assessing the carnage, we come face to face with how brutal disappointments can be. You had higher hopes of life, big...
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Small Problems Are For Small People Have you ever noticed that small problems irritate us, much like swatting a pesky fly on a hot summer’s day.  But big problems stop us dead in our tracks and rock our world.  Maybe, just maybe, we are wired to live in the arena of bigger issues. The small stuff of life doesn’t challenge us, but rather irritates us to be bothered by such trivial matters. I wonder if all of life is not an attempt to get us to live out of the deep places rather than to busy ourselves with the superficial and shallow.   Consider Proverbs 25:2 “It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them .” Why do we gravitate to discussions about the weather, the latest news event or conversations about another person’s behavior.  We too often revel in the trivial and miss the richness of discovering who we are and God’s design for us.   Our problems introduce us to ourselves.  And the bigger the problem,...
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Hope / Expectations Walk with me for a few moments as we probe the tension between hope and expectations.  Perhaps many of the inner conflicts we face in life arise from unmet expectations.  But, we cannot live in a vacuum of hope. After all, hope gives us an anticipation of future things, of better things, of a new tomorrow, and a better day.  Herein is the rub; anticipation sets up our expectations.  And it is at this point risk enters.  What if our expectations are not realistic?   I look to the pages of scripture to shed some light.   First, I think of John the Baptist.  He lived an extreme lifestyle based upon his inner conviction of how he understood God’s purpose for him.  Yet, the path he committed himself led to a dungeon.  John, like so many have done in their own moments of inner darkness, began to question whether his life had been spent in vain. He began to question if he had misunderstood his God; ‘Are you the Me...
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What Is Your Greatest Moment?

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Can you imagine if we could somehow fast forward to the end of life, and look back? As you review life, what would be the single greatest moment? Before you read further, ponder this for a moment or two. The great moments of life may not have much to do with accomplishments, promotions, and goals met. But it may have more to do with relationships, kind words, generous actions, and acts of grace. I doubt the single greatest moment of life would be lived in the 'comfort zone'. Very possibly it could be at the point of greatest trial, when you feel weak and vulnerable. And at that moment you reach deep inside to find a strength previously unknown. I believe this is what is referred to as a walk of faith. Now rewind to the present; with that view of destiny in mind, how different would the decisions of today be? Walking with a sense of destiny may cause us to rise and make the most of every circumstance and relationship.
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Truth At Work

I have recently picked up a copy of Conversation, which is 'The Message' translation of the Bile with Eugene Peterson's comments and notes. Great stuff! In John 8, Jesus said that 'you will experience for yourself the truth, and the truth will set you free' . Powerful words to be sure. Its not just knowing the truth, it is experiencing truth that makes the difference. And once truth begins to work within us, it creates an appetite for more truth. It becomes freeing in our lives to let truth invade into more and more of our lives. We truly become free people. When I let the insanity of the world, get exposed to truth, and then apply it, I face the challenge to let truth work in me, or to continue to live under false assumptions. My choice ; but as I choose truth, I find I become free! Just prior to these awesome words of Jesus, he opens a window into his humanity. Verse 18, speaks of Jesus judgement or decision process on a matter ' I wouldn't make ...
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A New Challenge

Its been awhile since there have been any new entries; a new ministry assignment has dominated my attention in the past few months, and just now finding level ground again. Here is a great challenge from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, " Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." What would your world be like if you practiced this for one week; always joyful ; prayed continually; and gave thanks in all circumstances? Before you dismiss this entirely, perhaps it would be helpful to be reminded, that each of these practices are a choice we make. And each of these are commands from the Scripture, not recommendations. God never commands behaviour we cannot do, so this is within the reach of all of us. So try this for a week; seven days, and see the if practice of these verses create a changed environment for you.
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