SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Author: J Brad Mitchell

  • Endings and Beginnings

    Endings and Beginnings

    Life is full of them – some are exciting, some are downright painful.  Some bring much joy and some misery.  Regardless, we often find ourselves somewhere in the cycle of it all.  This is the last Sunday of 2020.  What a year it has been.  While difficult, it has also been a year filled with unexpected joys and triumphs.  There are nuggets of goodness that have filled the pockets of despair.  We were not without God at any point.  We were never left alone in our sorrows, although sometimes it may have felt a lot like it.  It is an ending to a year, but also the prospect of a new year, filled with possibilities and struggles of its own.  It really is all about how we choose to look at it.  

    We are in the middle of Christmas.  I do understand many have begun to take down the Christmas trees and are moving on past the holiday.  But Christmas actually begins on December 25th and so we find ourselves in the middle of it all, at least in the church year.  It is not over yet.  Yes, Jesus is born.  Yes, Jesus came for redemption and salvation.  But he also came as a baby.  He came as a helpless child born to loving parents who would do their best to protect and love their first born child.  This was a whole new beginning for them – one that would take them running for the life of their child and ultimately with Mary sitting at the feet of her boy as he dies.  It is the beginning, not the ending for Mary and Joseph.  It is the ending for Anna and Simeon – but in a good way.

    Luke 2:22-40

    2:22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
    2:23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”),
    2:24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
    2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.
    2:26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
    2:27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law,
    2:28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
    2:29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;
    2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
    2:31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
    2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
    2:33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.
    2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed
    2:35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed–and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
    2:36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
    2:37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
    2:38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
    2:39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
    2:40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

    It was the beginning for Mary and Joseph, indeed.  But for Anna and Simeon, this is what they had waited their whole lives to see.  For Simeon to put his arms and bless the Messiah was the ultimate gift.  He had been promised this time.  He had been given direction this day would come.  They spoke prophesy.  Their hearts were filled with joy and hope.  They had seen all they had come to see and their time was complete.  It was the ending, but oh what a beautiful ending it was for Anna and Simeon.  They had been able to experience this incredible gift.  They would likely not see him grow.  They probably wouldn’t hear him teach or even watch him as he learned a trade.  They were given a glimpse in time – a nugget of excitement.   They were fulfilled.

    Endings always seem difficult.  We don’t want them to happen sometimes.  We want to hold on to all that is familiar and constant.  We know what we know and want to keep that close.  But if we do not let go, we often do not realize all that is ahead.  We don’t get to experience the joys of all that is to come when we hold tight to what is.  Endings allow for new beginnings.

    As you know, this is my last Sunday at Trinity.  This is, in a sense, an ending.  It is a new beginning for Trinity.  There are new opportunities as you approach the year ahead.  There are new people to serve and more people to love.  

    I would challenge you to find God in it all.  God is with us.  God has not left us.  God is still at work, even (and most especially) in our trying times.  God has amazing plans for his church when we obey and follow him.  

    Remember this…God’s table is big and it is long and there is a handcrafted magnificent chair at this table just for you.  All we could ever need is provided, not because we have earned it and certainly not because we deserve it.  God’s table is filled with those who have wandered, just like us.  His table has places for those who we may have counted out and dismissed.  There are people from different places who speak different languages at this table.  There are those at the table we might not would invite to our own – but God invited them.  There is room for strangers and friends, enemies and relatives, young and old.  God’s table is big and long and is filled with his children.  Anna and Simeon were able to experience the Salvation to come in a little baby.  Mary and Joseph nurtured Redemption as he grew into a man.  12 disciples left everything to follow him on a journey they would not have chosen.  And this One…this Jesus…who we celebrate today…is still calling.  He slung open the doors wide to welcome in the stranger and expects us to do the same.  He tore down the barriers of race and social status with a mighty blow and did not want us to build those back up – but to continue demolition.  He came as a mighty unstoppable force of love.  This is the love which carried him all the way to the cross – where he would die for you and for me.  He did this so we could have a place at the table.  So come join me, my friends – and bring many along with you.  The table is big and it is long and I look forward to dining with you at God’s house.

    Thank you for the privilege to serve with you over these past nearly 6 years.  You welcomed me with a complete vote and you have allowed me to challenge you and push you beyond your boundaries.  I know it has at times been uncomfortable.  My prayer is that you continue to push those boundaries and live this way.  Always ask why.  Always want to dig deeper and hear the “yes, and” in it all.  There is more to discover.  It may take you to places you were not ready to go – but you also just might meet Jesus there.  

    From Numbers 6:

    24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
    25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
    26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

  • Hope Appearing – Devotion 239

    It was an odd morning on an odd day of an odd month in a very odd year.  It was over 30 degrees warmer this morning than yesterday.  The temperature will plummet again tonight.  It all was pleasant but overcast.  The clouds weighed heavy over the landscape this morning, holding the rain that would eventually burst through.  To the east, there was a small break.  It wasn’t much, but just enough.  The clouds parted ever so slightly and the rays of the sun rising squeezed out.  Behind them, beautiful blue skies were evident.  It would have been easy not to notice.  It was all there, just beyond the clouds.  The glimpse was enough to remind me hope is still alive.

    I think this is what Christmas is about.  That first Christmas was quiet except for Shepherds, a star and those who happened to pass by.  It was quiet, it was simple, and it was filled with glimpses of hope scattered all throughout the earth.  It didn’t have to be extravagant.  It didn’t have to light up the whole sky.  Jesus’ name didn’t need to be in lights or written across the sky.  It was enough that Hope was born to simple folks in a simple place on a silent night with stars.  This Hope changed everything and he still is.  Christmas was just the beginning of all that was to come.

    This Christmas, it may not seem very “Christmasy” because of all that is going on.  Just remember there is a glimmer of hope, rays of sunshine just beyond the clouds, and better days to come.  God is not done yet.  That means hope is still to come.  

    Merry Christmas!

    Focus Scripture:

    Luke 2:7

    7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • They Found Him – Devotion 238

    No GPS needed.  No additional instructions required.  They were people of the land.  They knew where they were and where to go.  This was how they made a living.  They sought out the lost and protected their own.  They were the perfect people to find a baby in the middle of an overcrowded town, in a barn with the animals.  I mean, who would have thought to look there?  They could have spent days or weeks looking and never found him.  He didn’t have a big fanfare.  There weren’t balloons on the mailbox.  There were no stork signs in the front yard.  Not even a blue bow was tied out front.  All they knew was to go to Bethlehem and find a baby that had just been born.  They did just that.

    Shepherds are actually pretty incredible.  They are average, working class folks.  They are in the security business.  They manage large acreage and have many to take care.  The enemy is never far, so they must be really good at what they do or they won’t do it much longer.  They can’t afford to be lazy or uncaring.  They have to know the lay of the land.  They must know where to go if one of their own gets lost or steers off course.  They are specialists in finding the hidden.  They are shepherds.  And God chooses this group of people to find his baby in the middle of a chaotic town overcrowded due to a registration.  

    I haven’t really thought much about how this could have been a challenge.  I have always pictured them walking out of their field and into the stable.  But there is a trip.  There is a search.  There is a sea of people they have to sort through to find a woman who has had a baby.  And this woman isn’t in a room and not in a home, but in a barn.  Yet, somehow, they do it.  God knew these were the right people to find Jesus.  They were made for this – even though they didn’t know this.  And when they showed up to the right place at just the right time, I can only imagine the excitement on their face and the joy in their heart.  God had sent them on the ultimate mission – the trip of a lifetime.  They were going to see the Messiah, announced to them by angels and a chorus.  This was more than a big deal – this was the discovery they had waited for generations.  Shepherds did it – and God knew it.

    God knows just what he is doing when he calls us.  He knows exactly how capable we really are.  All of the dead ends we may have traveled could be preparing us for the ultimate adventure.  God could be using all of the training we felt was useless for something magnificent to bring him glory.  It may just be that God has a plan in it all.  We just need to pay attention and be faithful.  

    Focus Scripture: 

    Luke 2:15-20

    15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • For You, For ALL – Devotion 237

    Christmas is almost here.  Last minute presents are being bought.  Mad dashes to the grocery store for those ingredients needed for the feast are in full force.  More Christmas songs are on the radio and the excitement of it all may actually find its way into our lives – if but for just a moment.  

    One of my favorite parts of this time is reading the Christmas story in Luke.  It is quite the story and so many things happen to introduce the birth of a little baby who was the Messiah.  It seems to be an ever evolving drama and you can follow any of those in the story for a moment in their journey.  Today, I am following the shepherds.

    I am always amazed at how God works.  He chooses to send the ultimate birth announcement to one of the lower groups in society.  These people made their living by watching over sheep.  I understand that Jesus will live as the Good Shepherd.  He will tell stories of shepherds and sheep.  He will help people to understand the importance of a shepherd.  I also know King David was a shepherd.  So I am sure it is no coincidence that this group of people were chosen to hear about the birth in a direct message from God.  I just find it amazing how God reminds us how much he loves every person and does not rank people like we so desperately attempt.  He created all humanity so all are his.  And this makes each one of us special.  He didn’t seek the shepherds because they were royalty.  He sought them because they were willing.  They would go and find the baby.  

    And the angel’s message to the shepherds echoes this exactly – good news of great joy for ALL.  That’s right – the message was for all because Jesus came for all.  This Christmas gift was not exclusive.  It was not for the most devout.  It wasn’t for those who felt most deserving.  It was for all because Jesus is for all.  God tells your average shepherds that he has come for all.  That is good news of great joy indeed.  

    May we celebrate the gift of Christmas – remembering Jesus came for all, to spread the ultimate love.  May we live in this love and share it.

    Focus Scripture:

    Luke 2:8-11

    In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Dim Lights – Devotion 236

    I heard the noise.  I knew it was close to me.  I had no idea what kind of animal it was, though.  It is not unusual to hear noises in the dark –  animals roaming around the woods first thing in the morning before the sun comes up.  It doesn’t bother me unless I sense they are close.  As I shine my flashlight in the direction of the noise, I see nothing.  It isn’t because there isn’t anything there.  It is because my flashlight doesn’t work.  Well, it does work but the light is so dim it really doesn’t help any at all.  It is useless, which is exactly what I call it as I flip it off.  I proceed on with my trek.  Then it dawned on me – my flashlight isn’t useless at all.  It would work just fine if I would change the batteries in it.  I’ve known about it for weeks.  The light has gotten dimmer over an extended period of time.  I have tried all of my usual tricks to make it work better.  It simply needs fresh batteries.  I know this.  But by the time I get home, I forget to replace them.  When I head out the next morning, sure enough, the batteries are still almost dead and the light is still so dim I cannot use it for anything helpful.  The flashlight would be just fine if I would give it what it needs to work properly.

    We are the same way.  If we take care of ourselves, we can do the things we were created to do.  But we cannot do those when our batteries are dying.  We do not shine bright when we have exhausted ourselves.  We are not a light in a dark world when we are living in despair.  Sometimes all we need is a recharge. It may be we need to rest, to allow our bodies, minds and spirits to simply be still.  Those moments of quiet can help us when all else is in chaos.  It could be we need to spend time with our Creator.  God may be calling us to spend time with him so we can reflect him for others.  He may need to shine his light into us so that we are a bit brighter.  It could be we need to take care of ourselves – eat better, exercise.  Those things help us to live healthy and do all we need to do to share God’s love.  Whatever it might be, our batteries do need to recharge.  When we are running on empty, it isn’t that we are broken – it is more like we have drained all our resources and have nothing to draw from.  We weren’t made to live like this.  

    Today, find out how you might recharge.  Work on taking care of yourself so you might be a bright light in a dark world.  Connect to the Source and find renewal.

    Focus Scripture:

    John 15:4-5

    4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Love Disturbs

    This is the day when we consider the magnitude of love which this world received the very first Christmas – and really has ever since that day.  Love hasn’t stopped.  Love hasn’t slowed down.  Love continues to pursue us and change us and ignite us.  Love did come to us at Christmas and continues to reside in us today.  This should be a warm and comforting, even reassuring thought as we muddle through in times which are so uncertain.  What is always certain and guaranteed is God’s love.  What is always given is an amazing, life changing, overwhelming love that transforms us from the inside out.  This world does not and cannot change this fact.

    But love is also disturbing.  Love does transform and renew.  Love does give us new life.  Love does change everything.  Change is hard, though.  And love can disturb what we have always known.  It can upset our status quo we hold onto with white knuckle fists, clinging to our ways with everything we have.  Love does change us, but sometimes that change is difficult and disturbing.  

    We listen to Christmas carols and get excited about the holidays – and we should.  We celebrate the joy that is unexplainable.  We feel the hope that wells up in us as we look forward to Christmas.  This is all good.  But let us not forget the first Christmas wasn’t all joy and excitement.  Lives were turning upside down – some welcomed it, some were completely fighting it.  It was a Christmas to remember, for sure. 

    Luke 2:1-7

    2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

    It is a story we remember, we tell, we celebrate.  Let us not forget the lives being changed, though.  Don’t miss the worlds being transformed moment by moment.  Mary and Joseph have a new baby that God has sent to them.  They have to raise God’s baby.  Think about it – they are responsible for loving and caring for Love himself.  They are cleaning and feeding, protecting and raising God’s own child.  That had to be some pressure.  Elizabeth and Zechariah are raising a new child who will help others know who God’s baby really is.  They are older and more wise, faithful and trusting.  Yet, their child will be quite unique, the talk of the town even.  Shepherds leave their jobs behind in search of the Messiah – God sent the ultimate birth announcement of his child to shepherds!  That speaks volumes in itself about how God works.  Their world had forever changed.  Magi would later show up to pay homage to this new king.  But the leadership was not happy and was triggered by these men searching for a new king.  The current king felt threatened.  The religious people weren’t ready to welcome him.  Babies would die in an effort to find this one and stop him.  There would be fleeing and hiding and relocating – all to save this baby, God’s baby.  Lives certainly were changed and love disturbed the norm.  There was Simeon and Anna who had been waiting their whole lives to see and experience this new baby – destined to live and die for this whole world.  Some welcomed love, some shut it out with all the power they could muster.

    Love came to earth and when he did, he taught what love really does look like.  And it didn’t fit the mold anyone wanted to put him in.  He changed the landscape of love.  He disturbed the status quo and changed the landscape of the faithful.  Love came to earth and flipped everything around.  He opened doors for those who had been locked out.  He sought out those who had been abandoned on the streets.  He lifted up those who had fallen so hard they thought they would never rise again.  Love changed everything – and sometimes love is disturbing.  

    But love is always good.  When we allow God to transform and change us, love seeps into our heart and creates a new life.  Love begins to flow through our blood stream and enables us to live like never before.  Love opens our eyes to the things we always miss.  It guides us to welcome those who have always felt unwelcomed.  It opens our hands to give, not seeking to receive.  Love disturbs – but oh how good love is, because oh how good God is.

    His name is Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.  His name is love.  He is the ultimate transformer.  He is the great redeemer.  He is more than we could ever comprehend.  Yet, he came as one of us to show us how to live and how to love.  He came because we are loved that much.  His name is Jesus.  He is with us.  He is still changing us.  He is still transforming lives and opening doors.  He is still seeking and calling us.  We still are being given the choice to allow love to change us or to avoid it.  Our actions reflect our decisions.  Will you live in love as love transforms you this Christmas?  May we live in love…may it be so in God.

  • Unpredictable Joy – Devotion 235

    Today, as we approach Christmas, Mary is on my mind.  Jesus’ birth was announced as good news of great joy.  There were proclamations of glory and whispers of peace scattered throughout the land.  Excitement among those who knew of the pregnancy had to permeate the whole group.  But let us not forget Mary.  Sure, she was a faithful young woman who had a calling from God.  Mary was also human.  She was a young woman who was unmarried and was very pregnant.  She now had to make a trip with her soon-to-be husband, who, by the way, is not the baby’s father.  She had to leave the comforts of her home where she would take her very pregnant self somewhere for something some official had told them was required.  

    Can you imagine how she must have felt?  She had to bear quite a bit of the weight of it all.  Shepherds come to her excited.  Later, magi will show up at her door.  Older and wiser men and women will proclaim great things over her beautiful baby boy.  Good news of great joy is indeed to come.  But for now, she is a single, pregnant woman who is getting ready to travel and will likely not make it home before this baby is born.

    Joy and peace and hope do not always look like we think they should.  They do not always fit the mold we have created.  God tends to do things outside of our mindset.  Since he is the Creator, he isn’t limited to our narrow points of view.  And he doesn’t need us to understand.  He simply asks for faithfulness.  In the end, that is what Mary was – faithful.  She did get to experience good news of great joy, but only because she was faithful even when all looked frightening and shaky.  She prepared for a journey not knowing how it would all turn out.  But her faithfulness is still reverberating in our world today.  What a gift of great joy!  

    Will you be faithful even when you do not understand?  There just may be joy, peace, hope and love just around the corner.  

    Focus Scripture:

    Luke 2:1-6

    2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • The Most Valuable – Devotion 234

    It is interesting to me how we place value on most everything.  We place obvious values on the things we are willing to spend our money.  We place value on our time – what will we do and what will we have to say no to doing.  We even place value on people.  Some people offer more than others in our eyes.  We look at what they bring to the table, so to speak.  It is how business works and we let that flow into our personal lives.  It easily spills over into how we see ourselves.  We look at how valuable we are to others.  But what if we are looking at it all wrong?  What if we are missing it?  What if our measurement is incorrect?

    One of the most precious people in my life is my Grandmother.  She is a sweet, petite, little firecracker.  She has helped to raise a family, take care of a farm, and work a job on her own.  She has spent her life working (and working really hard).  She cleans more precise than anyone I know.  She has cooked so many meals and fed so many stomachs that it cannot be counted.  She has been an encourager and always tried to live out her beliefs.  She loves God and she loves her family.  I think she is pretty incredible.  

    Grandma is getting older.  She cannot do the things she once did.  She cannot cook or clean or work as she always has.  Her body is giving her every signal that she needs to rest more and work less.  This isn’t really working well for her.  It isn’t who she has been for all these years.  And it is obvious this bothers her.  It is obvious she is upset she has to have help.  She doesn’t like the fact that she cannot do all she wants to do.  She sometimes indicates that she doesn’t want to be a burden or bother others.  But Grandma is missing it.  She is missing the fact that her value is not in her work or her cooking or anything else she has done.  Her value is in her.  She is the gift.  She is the treasure.  No matter what she can or cannot do – she is the most valuable.  It doesn’t require her to work or cook or anything else at this point.  She has done her work.  She can now allow others to help her – those she has helped so many times before.  She can now just enjoy her days without worrying about all the things to do.  But this requires her to see that her value is found in her.  She is a beautiful creation of God who is a joy simply because she is here.  Nothing is required of her.  She can just be and that is enough for us all. 

    Where do you place your value?  When you look in the mirror, what do you see?  Do you see a valuable gift of God?  Do you see a beautiful creation by the ultimate Creator?  Do you see that you hold value simply because you are here?  Don’t miss it.  Our value isn’t based on the world’s system.  Our value is based in the One who gives us life and breath.  And he thinks you are more valuable than you could ever imagine.

    Focus Scripture:

    Matthew 10:30-31

    30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Horizon – Devotion 233

    We never really know what is on the horizon.  We can make plans.  We can set expectations.  We can review the guesses on the weather channel.  We can check every box and still nothing goes as we would like.  And that is okay.  It has to be.  We don’t always get to choose what is happening.  We don’t control everything, even as much as we would like to think we do.  Things will happen which we cannot predict or fix or change.  And it has to simply be okay – even when it isn’t.  

    Learning to let go a little can certainly relieve some of our stress and anxiety.  When we can learn to live trusting in our Creator rather than our abilities, we find a sense of ease.  It doesn’t mean all goes well.  It doesn’t even mean we will like the outcome.  It also doesn’t mean we sit around just watching to see what happens.  We are still working.  We are still planning.  We are still dreaming just beyond the horizon.  These are all good things – really good things.  What we aren’t doing, though, is stressing every single time plans change.  We aren’t getting overly anxious when our plans are redirected.  We aren’t giving up when the horizon looks more like an imminent storm on our perfectly planned picnic.  It is a means of simply letting go and breathing.

    This all sounds great in print.  Putting it into practice is quite a different task.  For some of us, it can take many tries to get it even close to right.  But, we continue to try.  The only way to move forward is to keep reaching for the horizon.  We must keep moving forward to a better future, one with hope and promise.  We cannot give up trying just because the storm today has wrecked our plans.  The storm will pass, we will pick up the pieces, and we will move forward.  We do this best when we trust in the Creator of it all.  He has a way of calming our fears, relieving our distress, and giving a fresh, hopeful, loving future to an otherwise disastrous day.  

    Keep dreaming beyond the horizon.  There is so much good that awaits.  It may look very different than any of us might expect.  But it might just be exactly what we are looking to find.  

    Focus Scripture:

    Proverbs 3:5-6

    5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
        and do not rely on your own insight.
    6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
        and he will make straight your paths.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Choosing To Be – Devotion 232

    Isn’t it interesting how we often know the right answer but still do something different?  We know the foods our bodies need but we still go for the things which cause us distress.  We know we do better when we exercise but then don’t go and exercise.  We know we need to fill our hearts and minds with good things but sometimes the crap on TV is just interesting at the time.  We know the right path and still choose something different.  

    It takes a lot to change our course.  We could make a decision we are going to do better in the blink of an eye but it will take a lifetime of constantly doing better to see results.  In our minds, we may have big plans but then we have to put these plans into motion.  Sometimes it is easier to just not.  Actually, most of the time, it is easier not to do it.  

    I fight this battle often.  I know that running and exercise will help me tremendously.  I know what happens when I don’t do these things.  I have a history to show me how much better I do when I simply choose to get out and go for a simple 3 mile walk or run.  I can show facts of how exercise completely changes my mental state.  Yet, to get up and go exercise takes effort.  It takes a swift kick to get me out of the house and into the cold.  It takes planning.  And sometimes, I would just rather not.  And I pay for it.  

    This isn’t just for our physical bodies.  I find this is true for us spiritually as well.  We can get caught up in the routine we face every day.  We can become consumed by family and obligations.  Good things can so overtake our day that we do not take any time to simply be.  We do not take the time to take care of us.  We do not take the time to hear God in the wind or sense his presence in our own breath.  We miss how we are being loved and adored by the Creator of the entire world because we are wrapped up in our things.  Sure, noticing these things can completely change us.  But it takes time and effort and a willingness to change.  Sometimes, it is easier to just not.  But then, what do we miss?

    Today, make it a point to stop and just be.  For just a moment, seek God.  He is here.  He is loving us.  We may be changed if we will just pause.  And then pause again.  And then, pause…again.  May we feel his presence in the pause.

    Focus Scripture:

    Matthew 11:28-29

    28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery