The other day, I found myself in a game of dodgeball. I was walking along, minding my own business when I got hit in the back with a ball. Orange. Couldn’t miss it. When I turned around, I got hit in the side with a blue ball. As I reached down to pick up the orange one, I was hit in the head with a red one. Thus, the game began, and no, this was not a child’s game. The…
There’s an old Yiddish adage that says “Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht” which translated means: “man plans, and God laughs.” Despite our most careful planning, the Road of Life is unpredictable. The unpredictability of life and our own expectations lead to heartbreak and great disappointment. But in reality, God isn’t laughing. Our good and loving Heavenly Father does not laugh at His children who He so carefully and lovingly created, and He wants His best for us. Disappointment comes in…
“If it takes forever, I will wait for you. For a thousand summers, I will wait for you…” is the first line of the 1966 song “I Will Wait for You” by Bobby Darin. There are hundreds of songs written about waiting forever for our romantic love. But what about waiting for our True Love? One of the amazing lessons found in the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet asked God exactly what he wanted to know. He also…
Driving a vehicle that is out of alignment is difficult—and dangerous. Drifting over into other areas is hazardous. Being out of alignment causes unnecessary wear on the tires which can cause unexpected problems in unexpected places. Continued misalignment will render the vehicle useless for taking us where we need to go. Misalignment can be caused by several things: the driver, the road, or the worn parts in the vehicle. First, it may be something we did by being in a…
It is a wonder that the world does not submit to God. “I have heard much of the rights of man: but it were well also to consider the rights of God, which are the first, highest, surest, and most solemn rights in the universe, and lie at the base of all other rights. Alas, great God, how art thou a stranger even in the world which thou hast thyself made! Thy creatures, who could not see if thou hadst not…
Oswald Chambers, the Scottish evangelist and teacher wrote about the habit of having no habits where he implores us to check ourselves to see if our god is something other than God. He explains that it is easy to develop Christian habits that we focus on rather than focusing on the Lord Himself. This is something we all need to take a prayerfully close look at. Chambers sums it up by saying that our habits should be so immersed in…
Dreams and visions can range from severe to humorous, depending on the dreamer’s attention to the Spiritual Journey. In this particular dream, I was trying to put on some underwear that wasn’t fitting properly, and I couldn’t figure out the cause. One leg felt too large, while the other too small. And the fabric stretched the wrong way and was made of a material that was not conducive to easy donning. The elastic seemed strange, but I knew the underwear was…
“In my Father’s dwelling place, there are many mansions, or many abodes, many domains, or many resting places.” Mansions are dimensions or habitations in the spirit. Whatever level of surrender and corresponding harmony each believer attains is where healing and restoration begins. The understanding we reach is our spiritual level or dimension that we will reside in is our eternal home. Individual resting places are in accord with individual spiritual development during the Journey. While living in a body, we…
A good friend asked me recently if I have any regrets. As I mentally flipped through conversations, actions and experiences, I found myself saying ‘no. I do not.’ Then the friend asked, ‘how can you not?’ He confessed to having many regrets. When we are truly in sync with God and we do something that is regrettable, the Spirit is quick to convict. Repentance and asking for forgiveness quickly follow, as does forgiveness of others—and ourselves. If reconciliation is prompted,…
“Solitude well practiced will break the power of busyness, haste, isolation, and loneliness. You will see that the world is not on your shoulders after all. Your will find yourself, and God will find you in new ways. Silence also brings Sabbath to you. It completes solitude, for without it you cannot be alone. Far from being a mere absence, silence allows the reality of God to stand in the midst of your life. God does not ordinarily compete for…