GlobaLIFT

Over the past few days, I have been contemplating losses we experience in life. A close friend contacted me with the sad news of the death of a family member. Just a few days prior to my friend’s loss, we had an uncle pass away. Loss is a part of life. I began to consider Jesus’ words “ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt 6:19-20 We can view the losses of life as only that. Or we can see opportunities to store treasure in heaven. Lost relationships, opportunities, possessions, all can become treasures we store in heaven, if we commit them to the Lord. Proverbs tells us ‘Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun .’ 34:4-6 The Apostle Paul cited the example of the ‘ grace that God has given the Macedonian churc...

Throughout scripture this phrase is repeated. It speaks of a season more than an event. But it has impact upon events. It is an appointed date on a calendar, but it only happens at the fulfillment of an appropriate season. Genesis 1:2 talks about the Spirit of God hovering , or brooding over the waters. The image is that of a mother bird nesting and incubating eggs. When the time of development has been completed, the young bird breaks through the shell. James 1:3-4 says ‘ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ” Here is the process of development, and when completed, at the appointed time, ‘break-out’ occurs. Premature birth creates complications. Aborted vision is tragic. Paul tells Timothy (and us) that Hymenaeus and Alexander made shipwreck of their faith because they rejected the working of God (1Tim1:18-20 ). It appears they broke ranks with what God ...

A Scripture that has been rattling around in my brain lately is found in Exodus 33:13 '...show me your ways, so that I might know you...' We gain greater understandings of God as we understand His ways. Then in Hebrews 12 from the Message "... God is educating you ; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training ...". So life is all about being trained to read the map, so to speak, so we can know the ways of God, which leads to knowing Him. And that is the destination: to know Him!

Time travel has captured people attention for a long time. I remember when we lived in Australia, flying back to the US, we would leave Sydney at 11:00 am, and 15 hours later arrive in California at 7:30 am on the same date. Trust me, time travel can wear you out! (crossing the international date line) God lives in a multi-dimensional time frame. We live with a horizontal view of time; past, present and future. God sees time in more of a spherical perspective; he sees all of it all at once. In Isa. 42:9 God says, “ See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” This is a dimension of faith. To see what God sees and to begin to declare it, and live in that reality. There is an appointed time for God’s purposes. We tend to think that during the dormant time nothing is happening. Yet Philippians 1:6 gives us a perspective that God’s works on a continuum of time. “ being confident of this, that he who began a good ...

Thinking a lot lately about the concept of an appointed time. An appointment with destiny if you will. Habakkuk 2:2-3 from the Message translation states this: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming.It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time. The encouragement I draw from this is not found in the word 'wait', but from the idea that a time is appointed-planned. That planned timing is perfect. As a friend of mine said once, "I love it when a plan comes together."

Talking a walk: leisurely, relaxing, stress relieving; sounds enticing. But let’s get real. Who has time or energy for that? Arrival is preference. The words expressed in a song say it all, “I don’t care how you get here, just get here.” One of the great truths of life and leadership is the discovery that the treasure is in the journey, not the destination. “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord” are the words of Isa. 40:3 NIV) . It’s a picture like the movie ‘Field of Dreams’. Just build it, and they will come. While still in the desert prepare. Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the desert a God-Place. Act like He is there, and He will be. He will come. Next question is ‘when’? ‘At the appointed time’ is a phrase from the Bible that is running around in my head lately. God’s timing is perfect, everything in sync, in rhythm. It’s all about a faith that the future is not dependant or defined by the present. It is dependant upon God and His design. So prepare now for the way of the...

Life is filled with paradoxes, many, if not most, clearly I have not figured out yet. So while I believe that 'great leaders walk with a limp'* , I also believe that renewal comes to those who wait and trust God. (Let me digress for just a moment to say that in our world lately, 'wait' has been identified as a four letter word!) Isa. 40:31 from The Message reads, "But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles,They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind." So there it is, great leaders walk with a limp, but run in the strength of God. * (see 'Great Leaders Walk With A Limp' article below)

I recently spent considerable time studying the life of Joseph as found in the Bible. Many interesting incites from his life surfaced; here are a few thoughts. I wonder if Joseph had ever wished he could go back to the way things were. I'm sure he did, we all do; its human nature. From the pit where his brothers had thrown him, he may have wished to go home again. Unfortunately however, home was a place of tension, strife and ridicule. Certainly not an environment for growth. Whatever the future held, it would have to be better than the constant demeaning of character he experienced from his brothers. From the pit into slavery. As bad as that potentially could have been, at least he was not constantly put down and ridiculed. In fact he was recognized as a man with potential. He was given responsibility and trust. Life does not stand still however. Falsely accused he found himself in prison. Going back may have been better than a prison cell, but it still would have been a life of s...

Great leaders walk with a limp. This thought comes from the story of Jacob, as found in the book of Genesis. Here we read of a man who was cunning, scheming, always looking out for himself. You may not have known Jacob, but perhaps some of his relatives have crossed your path. This is a person that when you get to know him you wished you had not. And yet we see God giving special interest to him. In fact, in his later life, he became known as the ‘friend of God’. He was a flawed man, like all of us, and yet God chose to identify Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. By today’s standards his parenting skills would have earned him the label ‘dysfunctional’. God calls him His friend! We like to put leaders on a pedestal. Certainly there is a facet of leadership where life’s lessons have been proved in the leader and they lead out of their experience. We like to follow one who has been this way before and knows what they are doing, and where they are going. But leaders are flawed...