blessing

Focus on What You Have

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” – Colossians 2:6,7 Today, we continue with our discussion on the importance of our daily thoughts. What we consume and think about is an excellent indicator of what our future can become. Here’s something my grandfather Dr. Schuller taught me: “Focus not on what you’ve lost; focus on what you have.” It is easier said than done to always look at what you have left, never at what you have lost. I recognize it takes constant vigilance to make sure that I’m focusing not on what I’ve lost but on what I have, and as I stated yesterday, to focus not on what I can’t control but on what I can control. It’s vital to

January 12, 2023 1 Comment

Good Deeds

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.“ – Matthew 5:16 During the Christmas season, we are led to reflect more on the heart of Jesus. Jesus’ good deeds included healing the sick, and having mercy and compassion for others. He also had fellowship with people who society deemed as undesirable to associate with. One young man of good deeds born in 270 AD was Nicholas of Barre, an Ionian Greek. He was a Christian at the time Rome was crucifying Christians, burning them alive and feeding them to lions. He devoted his life to God and simply wanted to bring joy and happiness to people, even though life was so dark and challenging for Christians. He tried many ways to do this, and then something happened — his parents tragically died and left him

December 20, 2022 No Comments

Expand your World

“I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” – Psalm 50:9,10 Yesterday we talked about how we as human beings are minds above all else and we discussed how the way we think about God has the power to totally transform us and the world around us. Today, I want to talk about another aspect of our thinking that can either empower or stifle us — how we think about ourselves. I believe that self-obsession is the major problem in the world today. Now, I want to be careful here because I’m not talking about a kind of overly-pious religiosity that says that I shouldn’t have a self at all — I fully believe in self care. However, I am convinced that death to self, although it

February 7, 2022 No Comments

The Opposites of Winter

“Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” – Hosea 6:3 Today, as we continue our examination of cold seasons, I’d like to point out that they can be lonely. Maybe you went from a position of leadership or connection to one of isolation, and you no longer feel connected to the people who used to bring you joy. Whether it was a move, the loss of a job, a funeral, or a disagreement with relatives, loneliness may plague you and distort your perspective on life and situations. For instance, a place or pastime that used to bring you joy can now serve as a painful reminder of what you’ve lost. It’s excruciating. Yosemite is one of my favorite locations

January 16, 2022 No Comments

Holy Healing

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” – John 12:24 Today, I’d like to share with you about the Paschal Mystery, an ancient Christian principle that we don’t often discuss, unless perhaps during Easter. In essence, to become Paschal is to become anti-fragile, and this occurs when we recognize that in our salvation, we were given the gift of redemption, not just of our souls, but also of all of our earthly circumstances. This means that whenever we are hurt, attacked, or have a dream die, if we respond in faith, fresh life will eventually emerge from the unpleasant experience. Things that die in Christ come back to life with even more strength! You were given death when you were baptized into Christ. Did you realize that?

December 2, 2021 No Comments

Words Come Back

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” – James 3:9-11 Yesterday, we talked about the power of being an encourager and about how speaking words of life can unlock the image of God in others. However, if we’re honest, we don’t always feel like being positive, kind, and affirming. After all, life is hard, and it’s easy to wonder at the end of the day, what’s in it for me? Well today, I want to answer that question. In the ancient world, there was a prevailing belief that if you blessed someone, a little bit of that blessing splashed back on you. Conversely, if you

March 28, 2021 No Comments

Embrace Joy!

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” – Psalm 16:11 Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a joyful person, and I get told that…a lot. I tend to go around whistling; in fact, someone said that I come with an announcement because I always seem to be chirping a tune. I don’t hear myself doing it, but when I enter a building or a room, people know I’m there. I’m also a smiling and silly person — I enjoy living, and it’s not uncommon to hear comments (sometimes sideways) about my happiness. While some may feel that it’s superficial or “over-the-top,” I can say for certain that it’s not, because I have a reason to be glad! Every day, I wake up overwhelmed by the goodness of God and by what

March 12, 2021 No Comments

Prepare Your Feet

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” – Isaiah 52:7 In addition to equipping our minds, hearts, and hands for action, the fourth and final thing we should do to proactively move from a place of waiting to preparation is to ready our feet. Just as Jewish worshippers cleansed their legs and feet during Mikvah as a symbolic way of asking the Lord to guide their coming and going, we should listen to His voice before we commence or stop any forward motion. When I was in college, I had a spiritual mentor teach me to pray every day, “Lord, please let me be in the right place at the right time doing the right things with the right people.” And though it seemed simple then,

March 7, 2021 2 Comments

The Call to Prepare

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning.” – Luke 12:35 When Hannah was pregnant with our first child, Haven, she was certain she was going to deliver after her expected due date. Since her mom had given birth six times and was late each time, she figured she would follow suit, and she kept saying it to me. I took her words to heart, so you can imagine my shock when she woke me up in the middle of the night three weeks before her due date. Half-dazed and with blurry eyes, I heard her tell me that her water had broken. Like a scene out of a movie, I stumbled and fumbled to get my stuff together so we could get to the hospital. Thankfully, we made it there in time and everything went smoothly once we arrived. However, when we got home, I realized just

February 24, 2021 No Comments

The Joy of Encouragement

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” – Proverbs 11:25 As Christians, we’re blessed to be a blessing. I remember when I moved to Oklahoma as a teenager, I tried out for the varsity basketball team since I had played JV throughout my 9th and 10th grade years. However, the day of the tryouts, they paired us off into two teams, and I ended up making a big mistake by letting my team’s ball go out of bounds instead of attempting to save it. I was new in town and I was already nervous, but to make matters worse, when I fumbled, the team captain totally “dressed me down” over my gaffe, and I felt like I was about six inches tall. For weeks following, I walked around school embarrassed, and I kept my head held low. Though there were other ways he might have handled

January 16, 2021 No Comments

Focus on What You Have

Good Deeds

Expand your World

The Opposites of Winter

Holy Healing

Words Come Back

Embrace Joy!

Prepare Your Feet

The Call to Prepare

The Joy of Encouragement

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