Have you ever gone to an Arcade?  I know in the age of Xbox and “Candy Crush”, Arcades aren’t as popular as they once were. But they still exist. I used to go when I was a kid growing up. Do you remember the Groundhog game? I don’t know if that’s what it was called but the game consisted of a table with a bunch of holes. You’d  have an anvil or hammer and out of the holes would pop up a groundhog. The goal would be to hit the head before it went back down. If you hit it just in time, you would get a certain amount of points. If you’ve ever played at first it starts out easy with one groundhog popping up its head but then after awhile it gets harder. Multiple groundhogs begin appearing and at a faster rate until eventually you’re not hitting groundhogs, you’re just looking stupid swinging away and achieving nothing but getting yourself frustrated. Kind of in the same way, as Christians we all have that certain sin or sins that like the groundhogs, keep popping up in our lives.  There is always that one sin that no matter how hard you try to bop it on the head, it keeps coming back up again and again.  You then tell God I’ll do better next time and you put more quarters into the machine and you even tighten your grip on the hammer but again the sin just becomes too overwhelming and before you know it, it’s game over leaving you to feel again like you’re  the biggest loser. You feel embarrassed, ashamed of yourself, like you’re the worst Christian ever. Is there something wrong with you? Then we live in this cycle where we criticize ourselves, live in shame, try harder and then fail again.  We then ask for forgiveness from God again and again and we start to wonder if we’ve used up all our free tokens to get another chance to play the game again. The bad news is that for a lot of Christians including myself, we live most of our lives struggling to keep those sinful desires from coming back and controlling us. However, there is  good news. It doesn’t have to be this way. In fact to go back to the groundhog game illustration. Think about this, if you truly want to win and defeat the groundhogs, it’s not going to be found in trying harder. No, there’s an easier way. All you have to do is go over to where the outlet is and unplug the game. I guarantee it, there will never be another groundhog rearing it’s ugly head again. In the same way, Jesus gives us the key to overcoming our groundhogs. The Bible says that we have two natures. There’s the old nature or the flesh and that’s where the sinful habits and desires derive from.  Then after we put our faith to receive Jesus we are now given new birth into a spiritual body, this is the new nature. The Bible tells us that when we put our faith in Christ something miraculous happens to us. The old nature with all its evil desires has also been nailed to the cross and when Jesus rose from the grave we too rose again with Him into our new nature. “That’s nice”, you might be saying, “but I know I’m a Christian, then why am I still struggling with all these sins controlling me?”.  Remember scripture says, “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, the Old is gone, the new has come”.  My question to you is do you believe that? You may know that verse but if it’s not happening in your life you don’t believe it. So what do you do? Do you muster up the strength to believe it more? No, you simply remind yourself of this truth and accept it. You go over to the outlet and remind yourself that the old man is already unplugged! The scripture says, “I’ve been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me”. The old man is dead! He is not coming back ever. But when we stop renewing our minds with this truth we forget and it’s as if we go over to the outlet and turn the game back on. We don’t need to. It’s been done on the cross and the victory has been given to us through His resurrection. Struggling with those relentless annoying sins? It’s time to say goodbye to your groundhogs.  Put down the hammer, you can’t win that way, remember the game is already over. He won it at the cross, the old man is dead, the game is unplugged. Plug yourself into the scriptures of God’s truth about you. Collect your tickets and go receive your reward in His gift shop. There are so many spiritual blessings, to choose from like self control, patience, peace to name a few and whatever you do don’t get too cocky. Without Him we are nothing! Praise Him, and don’t forget to tell others about this little secret, that through Jesus Christ, we are all Groundhog Slayers!

2 Corinthians 5:17 New International Version (NIV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

Galatians 2:20 New International Version (NIV)

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Romans 6 New International Version (NIV)

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

“THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT.”

TODAY, I FIGURE IT’S TIME FOR ME TO PUT WOMEN BACK IN THEIR PLACE. NOW BEFORE YOU THINK I’M SEXIST, LET ME EXPLAIN.
I RAN INTO SOMEONE THE OTHER DAY, WHOM I HAVE HAD FEELINGS FOR AT ONE TIME. THIS WOMAN WAS THE FIRST PERSON I ATTEMPTED TO WANT TO DATE, SINCE MY DIVORCE. SHE DID NOT RECIPROCATE THE FEELINGS BACK. WHEN I SAW HER IN A FLUKE MEETING, IN A PARKING LOT, A STRANGE WAVE OF EMOTIONS SWEPT OVER ME AS THIS PERSON HUGGED ME EVER SO AFFECTIONATELY. I COULD SMELL HER PERFUME AND HER HAIR UPON MY FACE. IT ALL CAME BACK AND AS WE PARTED WAYS, I JUST FELT MISERABLE INSIDE BECAUSE I KNOW THAT A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP  WITH HER WILL NEVER BE. I FELT LIKE LIFE WAS PLAYING A CRUEL JOKE ON ME, SINCE THIS IS SOMEONE I AM DISTANCING MYSELF FROM AS I TRY TO MOVE FORWARD IN MY JOURNEY OF HEALING.  WHY DID I HAVE TO SEE HER AGAIN? IT WAS SO WEIRD. SHE IS A GREAT PERSON BUT I CAN NEVER JUST BE FRIENDS WITH HER.  TODAY,  I FIND MYSELF PONDERING PSALM 23. AS I STOP AND THINK ABOUT THE FIRST VERSE, I AM AGAIN REMINDED OF THIS SIMPLE TRUTH.
I MAY NOT GET WHAT I ALWAYS WANT IN LIFE BUT GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES FOR WHAT I TRULY NEED. WHATEVER HE GIVES ME IS ENOUGH TO FULLY SATISFY. FORGIVE ME LORD, WHEN I LOOK TO OTHERS, ESPECIALLY FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS, TO FULFILL ME. SO, TODAY I HAVE DECIDED TO PUT FEMALES BACK IN THEIR PLACE WHERE THEY BELONG. NO MORE PUTTING THEM ON THE PEDESTAL OF MY HEART. WHEN I DO THAT, MY HEART WILL ONLY GET DISAPPOINTED.  HOWEVER, WHEN JESUS IS RIGHTFULLY ABIDING IN THE CENTER OF MY LIFE, THEN NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO ME, MY HEART MAY HURT BUT IT WON’T FULLY BREAK BECAUSE MY HEART IS KEPT SAFE AND SECURE IN HIS LOVING HANDS. THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD BUT IF WE LOOK TO THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD TO LEAD US, TO BE OUR COMPASS, THEN OUR LIVES WILL FOLLOW WHATEVER OUR HEART DESIRES. WE MAY BE LED TO WHAT WE THINK IS GREEN PASTURES BUT IF WE WERE NOT LED BY HIM TO GET THERE, IT WILL NEVER TRULY FULFILL.  SO, WHERE ARE YOU? HAVE YOU REPLACED JESUS AS SHEPHERD OF YOUR LIFE FOR SOMEONE ELSE OR SOMETHING IN THIS WORLD THAT WILL NEVER TRULY QUENCH YOUR THIRST? REMEMBER “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD”.  THE PRONOUN “MY” MEANS HE IS A PERSONAL GOD. HE’S APPROACHABLE, JUST GO TO HIM AND TALK ABOUT IT. SHARE YOUR FEELINGS, YOUR STRUGGLES, YOUR HURTS. HE WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT IT. GIVE UP YOUR WHOLE HEART ONCE AGAIN AND WATCH HIM LEAD YOU TO THAT QUIET PLACE OF REFRESHMENT THAT ONLY HE CAN GIVE YOU. WHEN THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD, WE WILL DISCOVER THAT OUR GREEN PASTURES WAS NOT JUST SOME PLACE BUT IT WAS ALWAYS JUST BEING WITH HIM. 

PSALM 103:5

HE SATISFIES YOUR DESIRES WITH GOOD THINGS
SO THAT YOUR YOUTH IS RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLE’S. 

I don’t know about you but I’m a huge sports fan. I love the drama, the rivalries, and  the underdog moments.  What I love the most are the incredible comeback stories. When it seems like all is lost, these amazing individuals or teams, find a way to rise from the ashes of defeat to the mountaintop of victory and glory.  If you get to know me personally, one of the things you will eventually discover, is that I am a huge Buffalo Bills fan.   Yes, the only real New York football team in the National Football League. Sorry, New Jersey Jets and Giant fans but if you want your team to represent New York, maybe they should play in New York. Wow, what a novel idea. Anyway, you don’t have to be much of an NFL fan, to remember the Buffalo Bills because back in the nineties they went to four consecutive Super Bowls.  Unfortunately, they are the only NFL team to consecutively lose all four of those Super Bowl appearances.   I remember it became a running gag with late night comics, that the Bills stand for, “Boy I Love Losing Super Bowls”!    For the most part, they were a fun team to watch but they were also a hard team to watch. There were times, you had to watch with a tissue box, because they were definitely heartbreakers.   They might be in the record books for losing the big game four times in a row but they are also in the record books for the greatest comeback ever in NFL history. I remember watching that historic game as a teenager in my living room. The Bills were a wild card spot and they were playing the Houston Oilers at home in Western New York.  It was the playoffs so the loser went home, and the winner would go on to advance.  Already before the game even started,  things looked bleak. The starting quarterback for the Bills and Hall of famer Jim Kelly, who was the main reason for their success, was injured and was not going to be able to play.  Right away I had a bad feeling about the Bill’s chances and of course my instinct was right. The game after the first half was nothing but a complete blowout. Nothing was going right for Buffalo and before you know it, the Bills were losing by at least three touchdowns.  Being a true fan though, I figured I’d stick around and at least watch the third quarter.  I thought to myself, “Who knows, anything can happen.” In fact, the backup quarterback Frank Reich for Buffalo led the greatest comeback in college history,  so maybe he could do it again in the NFL. Well, the third quarter began and the Bill’s offense came out confidently onto the field. The fans were all cheering them on. Here we go I thought, maybe we got a chance.  Quarterback Frank Reich took the snap, he threw his very first pass and it was actually caught and run in for a touchdown. The stadium became dead quiet, you could hear a pin drop. My heart sank too because the ball was caught alright and points were scored but not by someone in a Bill’s uniform.  No, it was an interception and seven more points for the visiting team. By this time, it looked like the fat lady had started her song. Down by four touchdowns with very little time to go in the second half, spelled doomsday for the Bills. In fact all eighty thousand fans started to leave the stadium and go home. I was just about to change the channel and give up when the unthinkable happened. The Bills scored a touchdown. Okay, I thought to myself at least now it’s not going to be a shut out but then just minutes after that, the Bills surprised me again. Their defense forced a turnover and then the offense got the ball back, marched it down the field and scored another touchdown. What was going on? Then before I knew it, the Bills scored another touchdown.  The stadium which was nearly empty was now filling back up again as fans were now clamoring to get back to their seats. Just when it seemed the Bills were left for dead, now there was a pulse again, now there was a beating heart and everyone including myself started to rise on our feet with a new found hope that victory was possible.  The fat lady was kicked out of the building before she could finish her song and the game went down to the final seconds with the Bills kicking the winning field goal, giving the fans a moment in history, the greatest comeback ever in the history of the National Football League.  I mean it was pandemonium! The fans went crazy, I’m doing cartwheels in my living room and I’m not even a gymnast. However, the best part of all of this and to this day, I still remember, was after the game, when they interviewed backup quarterback Frank Reich. You see, Frank was a Christian, and like Tim Tebow,  whenever Frank got behind a microphone, he would always boast in his God. This time was no different.  He boldly gave all glory and praise that day to the Lord Jesus Christ. He said that while he was on the field, God put the Michael English song in his heart, “In Christ Alone”.  A song about a man who finds his glory in the power of the cross. Frank said he never doubted that they were going to win and all he did was just play football while singing and worshiping God.  I still think back on that moment, from time to time. There’s definitely a life lesson to learn from all of that.  If Jesus can help a quarterback orchestrate an amazing comeback in a trivial football game, what about other areas of our lives that matter more? Think about it, if you have put your faith in Jesus, you believe you will be raised to life again someday but why do we sometimes get discouraged and easily defeated, when life’s circumstances come against us leaving us questioning how we’re going to even survive?  Yes, life can be brutal,  but remember we follow the one who has produced one of the world’s greatest comebacks ever. Jesus was betrayed by a friend, mocked for claiming to be the king of the Jews. He was whipped till his body was shredded and unrecognizable, he was forced to carry his cross up the steep hill before being nailed to it and these nails were not the kind you get from Home Depot either. These were made of iron and probably 7-9 inches long. He was given a crown of thorns and speared so that He was definitely left for dead naked and humiliated for all to see. His body was buried in a tomb and His soul descended to the very depths of Hell. The disciples were all scattered, afraid for their lives, full of grief, full of discouragement, they were all a hopeless wreck.  Things looked bleak.  But just when it seemed that Satan had finally won, and all was lost, Jesus comes back in the second half and delivers up a trick play greater than any “Hail Mary”!  He rolls the stone away and rises from the dead, crushing the serpent’s head once for all, and destroying the grip of death on all humanity.  The tomb was found empty! Jesus was no longer wearing His grave clothes, Jesus had a pulse, The Comeback King was alive! His resurrection sparked a movement as He breathed his breath upon His disciples, their faith was given new life, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  This simple act of Jesus breathing upon them set the stage for the coming of the Spirit permanently on the day of Pentecost, birthing Christianity that would continue on for generations to come. Emperors, Generals, kingdoms, governments and dictators over the years have all tried to put Jesus back in the grave and even to this day there are still those that are trying but Christ’s heart continues to beat on. As Christians today let’s celebrate and rejoice that no matter what we’re going through, this living hope is still living inside of us! Yes, when we look at the scoreboard it looks like we’re outnumbered, and it’s  game over but remember He’s our quarterback and when He’s on the field, He doesn’t know how to lose.  Let Him breathe life into you and your situation.  Let Him breathe life into that dying relationship, your finances, your health, your washed up dreams. He wants to raise you to new life in Him and lead you to everlasting victory. And even if nothing gets resurrected in this life for you, I want to encourage you, there is hope still, you will be raised to a new life again and that life is forever! Death has no hold on you.  God is not a man that He should lie nor will He let us down. So, whatever it is that has you left for dead, sealed up in your tomb, don’t panic and don’t worry, replace your fear with faith and shout out in victory for you’re not dead, Our God is alive! When everything in your life seems hopeless and dying.   Just be still and listen to the beating of God’s heart inside of you. Rise up and leave your grave clothes behind, your stone is rolled away!!!

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 New International Version (NIV)

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[a]
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 20:21-22 New International Version (NIV)

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

“O give me a home where the buffaloes roam
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day”

I still remember that hurtful day, when I was tossed out of my own house by my wife, whom I had lived with for five years. My comfort zone, the place I was accustomed to, the place I called home, was now gone. It was like a rug pulled out from under me and suddenly I found myself in need of a roof over my head. Thankfully, my brother in law was gracious enough for me to live with him. In eight more days at the time I am writing this, it will be two years of me living at my brother in law’s house. I did not expect to be here so long. In fact, I planned on moving out a few weeks ago. A good Christian friend of mine had a tenant move out of his house and he was kind enough to offer me his place. I had been over to his house a couple of times before, and so I agreed to his terms and the plans were all set for my move. I was so excited, I posted to everyone on Facebook, about how I’m moving forward in my life and what a blessing this was going to be for me. The big day for the move arrived. I rented a U-haul van and loaded up the vehicle with what little stuff I had and drove off with an anticipation of my new adventure. Of course when I got there, the first thing I did, was to check out the bedroom where my two children and myself would be sleeping. The moment I walked in, I was caught off guard. The room was filthy, from the carpet to the beat up old mattress I’d be sleeping on. A strange smell even permeated the room. The carpet had black stains all over it and when I checked out the closet, I discovered black and greenish mold growing on the walls. That was when I asked my friend to check out the mold and he apologized, not realizing it was there before. He even told me that the last tenant moved out cause he was always getting sick all the time. “Well, no wonder”, I thought to myself. There was no way I was going to put myself and my kid’s health in jeopardy. He offered to bleach it but something in my heart told me that this wasn’t to be. So, I thanked him anyway, headed back to my brother in laws and unpacked everything out of the van and moved myself back in. So much for the big moving day. I’m kicking myself for not being wise and inspecting the house in the first place. After that, I was so depressed and frustrated, and even embarrassed. I remember questioning God, and wondering why can’t I just get a break in my life? As I’m writing this, my circumstances still haven’t changed and I’m still searching for my “home on the range”. I still feel at times unsettled and stagnant. When I want to move, God closes the door. I’ve put in for job promotions, I’ve looked around for homes, apartments, roommate sites, and still nothing. I want to find that place where the deer and the antelope play, but like the U2 songwriter Bono says, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. But God always comes through for me and He spoke to me this week. He encouraged and reminded me that He still has a purpose and a plan for me in the midst of the very situation where I don’t want to be. In fact, He wants to use me in that very place. He showed me the passage in Jeremiah 29:11. I’m sure you’re familiar with it, it’s on every Christian refrigerator magnet or picture that hangs on our bathroom walls. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” You see in the context of this particular passage, Jeremiah is addressing the Jews, who are in exile. They have been displaced from their homes and are living in Babylonian captivity. What’s interesting here, is that God is telling the Jews to live, to grow, to take wives, be fruitful and multiply. He didn’t tell them, I’m going to deliver you, then when you return home, I’m going to bless you. For he says,earlier in the same chapter, starting in verse 4. “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.”

God wanted the Jews to stay where they were and He wanted them to make the most of their lives while they were in exile. Did you know that as Christians we too are living on this earth as exiles while we wait for Jesus to ultimately take us home forever with Him? We are commanded to be “in this world but not of this world”. In other words, live this life but stand out and be different. Yes, it is true, it would be better if at the moment we accepted Jesus in our lives, we were beamed up into heaven like in an episode of Star Trek but that’s not God’s plan. He has us here and He wants us to live to the fullest even if it’s not our real home. So, where do you find yourself? Do you feel like you’re not progressing fast enough? Do you find yourself stuck in a situation that’s just not your home? Maybe it’s a mundane job you can’t seem to get out of, or an unfulfilled dream. Perhaps it’s a toxic relationship you’re wanting to get out of or a relationship you want to be in but you have to wait because it’s not God’s right timing. And so you find yourself in this holding place and it sucks and you want things to change. It’s okay to want to improve, it’s okay to set goals and try and move forward but in the meantime, don’t forget that God wants to use you in your situation where you’re at now. Home is the place where He has you at. If He hasn’t delivered you yet from your present circumstances, don’t get discouraged, change your prayers up. Ask Him how you can be used in your present day circumstances to bless someone now. I find it interesting that God’s purpose for the Jews to be fruitful in their captivity was not just for their own good but to bless those around them. For He says, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves and looking inwardly, let’s look outwardly and make the most of what God has given us for the blessings of others. So, as I write to you, my circumstances are still the same. Yet in the midst of what I’m still going through, I thank Him. I thank Him that He has a plan in all of this, to prosper me and not to harm me and to give me hope and a future. And I will continue to do what I do best. I WILL WRITE. I will always write, in the good times and in the times when I feel like I’m in exile. I write because it’s not just for me, but it’s to bless others. I write these blogs because I know that there is someone who needs to hear this, someone like me who is calling out for hope in their exile. I write this for you and I don’t know exactly who you are but I want you to know that I love you and I pray that whomever you are, that you know and remember that God loves you more. So, what are you waiting for? Live your life where you are at. Watch God work in you, watch God fill you with His peace and satisfaction because you’re with Him and He is with you and where He is, that is your true home.

Jeremiah 29:11
1 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

“They like me, they like me, they really like me!” Ah, those famous words once uttered out of sheer excitement and joy by known other than actress Sally Fields after accepting her first ever Oscar award. This line has been mimicked and made fun of by many comics and other actors mocking the awards system and acceptance speeches in Hollywood. But as a former actor for many years, I totally get where Sally Fields is coming from. You see, creative people love it when we get acknowledged. We won’t always express it so overtly like Sally Fields but when we humbly take our bow, inside we are saying “look at me, look at me”! So we creative folk put ourselves out there, we take risks, we wear eccentric clothes, talk loud, we sing off key just to get your attention. All because we want you to look at us and affirm us. Why do you think a lot of the really great actors come from broken homes?  Because they seek what they didn’t get at home, love and acceptance.  You see, money can drive an artist but it’s more of the attention and the approval we seek. Again artists don’t admit this but take it from me, it’s true. I think if we’re honest with ourselves there is a part of all of us that wants affirmation regardless of whether we’re creative types or not. Look at how many of us are on Facebook or have accounts with YouTube. Look at all the bloggers on social media. What are we trying to scream out? “Hey, I’m alive, look at me, I’ve got something to say.” Listen, there is nothing wrong with that but if we’re not careful, this basic need we have can get so out of whack, that if our expectations aren’t met, we can get easily hurt or offended and the next thing you know we’re not growing and improving our lives, we’re using our hurts to hurt others and ourselves. For example, there were times I would write a blog, or a poem or do something creative and share it on Facebook. I expected to get the likes and the comments from my friends affirming my work. Yet there were times, I got nothing, nada, zero response.  What? All that time and effort? Do they not like me anymore? I would sometimes let it bother me and would periodically check to see if anyone liked it. It got to the point where I had to walk away from it for a bit. I had to reavaluate what am I doing? I used to also get upset when friends I would reach out to and really enjoyed being with, didn’t reciprocate anymore. That hurt so much. Why, because I had let myself get to that point where I was putting all my need for validation in my creativity and in my earthly relationships. Each time I would get hurt, I would self medicate my pain with bad habits that only left me feeling worse about myself. I was no longer growing but hindering that growth. But as Christians, we have to always go back to the fundamental truths of who we are in Christ. We have to start by identifying our worth, our value, our significance in God first. You see if we can come from that place of love and acceptance from our identity in Christ, then when expectations from this world don’t get met, it’s okay because we know we are already loved! Just look at most of the letters to the churches in the New Testament from Paul’s letters to even Peter’s. What’s the one thing they have in common? The letters usually start out with who we are in Christ and what blessings we have already because we are saved. The letters always get us to remember what we already have become in Christ and how much we are loved by God. Then the letters transition later to what we are to do and what God expects of us and how to grow. But we can’t obey unless we know who we are. We can’t grow in Christ unless we come from that place of completeness already. Just like babies need love to grow, the same is true for us. Peter saw this and in 1 Peter he encourages us to be like newborn babies and crave milk. In 2 Peter, he urges the church to add to the faith, in other words grow, improve, move forward, mature. But before he gets into that he reminds them in the first verses of their identity and completeness in Christ. He says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” What does this mean for us? We do not lack anything we need for this life and for the Godly life. So the acceptance, the love we seek, we have it fully because “his divine power”, the Holy Spirit gives us this. Yet, instead of looking inside to what we already have, we think we lack and so we look outside to the things of this world. When we do that, we don’t grow, we only hinder the maturation process. So, whenever we begin to feel unloved and need to be validated, let’s remind ourselves of the promises of God and who we are in Him. His love for us is amazing, His love is all we need, His love is freely available and we have it already through faith in the promises and through the gift of the Holy Spirit. So stop checking your Facebook for likes, no need to prove yourself to anyone, stop seeking the applause of man either.  I’m sure you’ve seen the bumper sticker but it’s true, “God’s crazy about you!”  He doesn’t just like you, He loves you! You are His prized possession, His trophy. He gave it all up so that He could win over your heart and on that day when you see Him face to face, He will take you in His arms, hoist you above His shoulders and have himself a “Sally Field moment”!  With tears in His eyes, you’ll hear Him shout with great joy,  “I love you! I love you! I really love you!!!!”

2 Peter 1:3-5 New International Version (NIV)
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of Godin Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:37-39

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved. – Ephesians 2:4-5

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. – 1 John 3:1

I hate getting sick. Especially when I get the cold or so, it completely wipes me out. All I ever want to do is just sleep. I can’t talk, I lose my voice almost completely, I can’t breathe through my nose, and hearing is not all too good because of my clogged up ears. Let’s face it, I’m a complete baby when I’m sick. I have no patience whatsoever and all I want is to get back to normalcy as soon as possible. I want to be back to work, back in the gym exercising, back to doing normal activities again and functioning like a normal person. I feel restless, get me out of the bed covers I want to live again! But my body tells me to slow it down, hold on , not so fast. Our body needs time to rebuild its immune system. We have to rest knowing that our body is working to fight the virus but if we get in the way, and try to hurry and get ahead of our body’s time schedule, we only make matters worse and it’s only going to prolong the healing process. In the same way, as Christians in our spiritual journey, sometimes we find ourselves in rebuild mode. Perhaps it’s because we have sinned or because of this sinful life, sometimes it’s hardships that come our way and we discover ourselves lying in our beds unable to function.  We look at our situation and we get frustrated, discouraged and we even doubt whether the path to recovery is even possible. For some of us it’s an addiction that we have been battling for years and it has set us back in our spiritual progress and so we get impatient and instead of resting in God’s strength to fight it, we get in the way by trying harder. We read our Bibles more, pray more, fast more but what we really need to do is rest in the promises of God and let Him fight the battle for us. Yes, there is work we have to do, but if we try to do it outside of the doctor’s orders, we will only make it worse. Whatever our situation is, we have to remember that rebuilding our lives does not happen overnight. Jesus says to consider the birds. Let’s take a look at the sparrow. When a storm comes and blows her nest, she doesn’t panic, doesn’t get bitter, doesn’t complain. She just dries off her wings the next day and begins building again, one straw at a time. We need to learn to pace ourselves. We want to rush things but we need to learn to “Be still and know that He is Lord”. Be still? That’s very hard sometimes for me to do but if He says wait, be patient, be still, than that’s what I’m going to do. Remember, scripture says, “those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.” So where are we? Do we find ourselves in recovery mode, tucked under the covers, unable to move? Don’t worry, you’re in good hands. Jesus, the Good Doctor is the ultimate healer. Don’t try and rush the process, you’ll only get in the way. Let God do His work, follow the Doctor’s orders. When He says rest, we rest in His promises and when He says get up and move, we move. We must “keep in step with the Spirit”. We may not like how long it might take but if we take it one day at a time, eventually the day will come when we will be leaving our bed covers for good, at full strength again, running the race we were meant to run.

Psalm 46:10 New International Version (NIV)

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

Isaiah 40:31 King James Version (KJV)

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

“The Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Up came the sun and dried up all the rain and the Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the spout again”. I was singing that the other day in the car with my three year old son and eight year old daughter. We were actually listening to the classic song “Come Around Again” by Carly Simon. Remember that one? Her song is based off the lovable nursery rhyme. What I get from her song is that things in life, like relationships can fall apart but like the sun, love will come around again and give us little spiders another chance to climb that spout again. As Christians, we too are like the spider. We venture out on our God given dreams or our path to holiness and we’re climbing up that spout but of course the rains in life come down to wash us off. It’s easy to get discouraged and give up thinking there is no way to climb that spout again. But thanks be to God for His Son who rose from the grave and conquered death so we can overcome too. I don’t know what that water spout represents for you. Maybe it’s a dream, a relationship or maybe an addiction you’re trying to overcome and the rains of life keep washing you off. Don’t give up hope, keep fixing your eyes on Jesus, whose love is more constant than the sun and focus on the promises of His word. Remember, His word is a “light unto our path”. Allow that light to burn so bright that it dries up all the rain and before you know it, you’ll find yourself back on that water spout again.

Psalm 119:105-112 King James Version (KJV)
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Hebrews 12:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I’ve been in a few relationships, where we had to reach the point where we couldn’t go on the same path anymore. She had to go her way and I had to go my way. Of course that dreaded word “goodbye “ was always uttered every time and usually it was as cold as ice. What happened? What went wrong? Each relationship had its own unique and different reasons for the breakup but it always had one common denominator and that was me. Sometimes we don’t want to admit it, but we play a role too in the demise of our broken relationships. I’ve been to divorce groups and I’ve talked to many going through a divorce and it’s always about their spouse. Their spouse did that and their spouse did this but very rarely did I ever hear what their faults were. I know it’s hard to admit or sometimes share because who wants to tell someone that their marriage ended because they were at fault. I know there are cases where the other spouse is more to blame but it still takes two to tango. If you are one who is going through the aftermath of a divorce, or a breakup in a dating relationship, my encouragement to you is to stop finding faults in your ex partner and begin to seek inwardly and take a serious look at what role you may have played in the breakup. Ask God to show you and confess it and then give to Him. The anger, the bitterness will eventually fade and that’s when the real healing takes place. It could be an addiction to alcohol, pornography, sex, whatever the area of sin, we must learn to first come to terms with ourselves, humble ourselves before a holy God and confess our sin. We must give up holding on to thinking we got this, there’s no problem with me and humbly admit to ourselves that we don’t have it altogether. When we do this, that’s when we will start to see the healing that God wants to do in our hearts. If we do reconcile with our ex partner or begin again with another person, we will then not be bringing the same baggage we carried before into the next relationship. Remember, scripture says you can’t love your neighbor unless you love yourself. Now I know there are two different interpretations of this. There’s the one that says, love others like yourself because we are really good at doing that. We think of ourselves all the time and so it’s easy for us to love ourselves. So love others in the same way. But there’s another view. Sometimes we self sabotage ourselves and make decisions that hurt us. Too many of us hurt others simply because we are hurting. If we can learn what it is to help ourselves we can get to a better place of empowerment and this will in turn help us to love others. Both views are right and I believe that both are applicable here. I believe that the reason we find ourselves checked into heartbreak hotel is that we failed to follow this golden rule. May God show us the areas of our lives to give up to Him so He can heal our hearts and we can love others the way God intends us to. Remember if we have put our trust in Jesus, then we have the Spirit of Love who can help us to love like Christ. Just let the God of love have your heart, stop holding onto the past hurts, give Him your baggage, he’ll know what to do with it and when someone you love says goodbye, don’t cry. Learn to let go or you’ll miss out on your next hello.

Mark 12:30-31 New International Version (NIV)
31 ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Galatians 5:22 New International Version (NIV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love

I read once that your life is made up of a sum of your choices. Looking back on my life, I find this to be so true. Especially when it comes to my career path and the relationships I have had with other women. In my journey in life, I have come across many a fork in the road where I was forced to make a decision. I would like to say that every choice I made was the right one. Sometimes the path I would take would lead me to green pastures and satisfaction but often the paths I took led to hardships, loneliness, and a broken heart. Then out of that broken heart, I would find another path to take and that would lead me to rejection. Then from rejection I would take another path and that would lead me to a place called addiction. Then from addiction that path would lead me to a place called shame and guilt. Then from shame and guilt that would lead me to a place called desperation and from desperation to hopelessness and eventually I would settle in a place of broken, messed up relationships and unfulfilled dreams. How about you? Do you find yourself lost, meandering in the woods, taking any path you find that comes your way? Are your choices made out of impulses and emotions? I think if you’re anything like me you can relate to this. So, why do we do the things we do? How can we stop the cycle of repeating the same toxic relational choices, career decisions or self sabotaging habits we form that make us live in our world of regrets?  I believe in order to truly find a way out of our woods, we should all start to take an inventory of our lives and ask ourselves the question, is the reason I want to be with this person, based out of fear or faith? You see whatever the choices we make, we either make them out of those two things, fear or faith. Fear says I’m lonely and afraid that I’m getting older and no one is going to want to marry me, therefore I’m going to settle with this person who loves me even though I’m not madly in love with this person. Fear says, it’s too risky for me to go for my dreams, get your head out of the clouds, get some stability in your life and stay in this job that’s safe and secure. So what do we do? We spend years of our lives, counting beans in a corner, unsatisfied, when deep down there’s this burning desire to be writing the next great novel which will inspire millions around the globe. Faith says, I’m not going to settle and rush into this relationship because I don’t need anyone to complete me. I’m content in my singleness, I’m loved by God and He completes me. Faith says I’m not going to just take the easy paths, I’m going to choose the road less traveled. I’m going challenge myself and not run from obstacles but see them as the bridge to opportunity that will eventually lead me to my God given destiny. Faith says that all things are possible with God, so I don’t have to settle for mediocrity, I don’t have to accept an outcome of defeat but one of victory. Remember, scripture says “Perfect love casts out all fear.” That perfect love is only found in the one who gave it up for us all on the cross and who rose again defeating the grave. For Jesus to live in our lives and drive out fear it’s got to come from faith and trusting Him to achieve this. It is not up to us to muster up the strength. We must give up trying and give up leading our lives. The scripture says, “that those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God”. This verse is not saying that a genuine believer is always led by the Spirit because we know that even genuine believers can at times make choices being led by something else. Scripture is full of examples of men of faith like Abraham for example, who was led at times by fear. His impulses led him at times to deceive others about his relationship with his wife Sarah and also his fears led him to have intimate relations with his mistress Hagar to try and bring about God’s promise of a child. He tried to do it in his way and as a result, God couldn’t bless his works. But whenever He let faith be the starting point, God always blessed him. Many times we too fail to trust and let faith lead us, but don’t beat yourself up, you are in good company. Just read Hebrews 11 and just about all those listed in the “hall of fame” of faith, were people like you and me who were not perfect at all. However, as a child of God there is grace and He will enable us to achieve His dream for our lives. All we have to do is give up trying in our own strength and let Him lead our lives through His Holy Spirit. All we have to do is spend time with Him in prayer and worship so that He fills our love tank, and we won’t have to fill it with something secondary. So the next time we are faced with a major decision in life, let’s tell fear to go back to where it belongs, in the grave, where Jesus left it. Wait for His leading and then move. When you follow Jesus, His path will always lead us to a place of empowerment.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Romans 8:14
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

One of my favorite stories growing up as a child was “Peter Pan”.  As a boy it appealed to me because of the interesting characters like Captain Hook and the pirates but it also was fascinating because I always wanted to be able to fly like Peter Pan, and just soar above the clouds.  As an adult now with two kids, the story still fascinates me but for different reasons. I love the theme about never growing up, and staying young at heart. Sometimes as adults we lose that as we get older. We lose that spark we once had when we were young. We get stuck in the mundane of life, just going through the motions. I once was alive like Peter Pan, full of life, full of dreams and ambitions. I wasn’t afraid to dare to fly to my Neverland. However, over the years I sadly have to admit, I was settling for what I thought was the real world and eventually the dream to fly to Neverland became foolishness.  Suddenly, pixie dust no longer worked its magic, suddenly, the lost boys I once hung out with were distant and instead of playing in the woods and being free, I began to listen to the naysayers, the pirates, and the dream of walking in the clouds was replaced with both feet securely on the ground. I bought the lie that says it’s safer to live your life in reality and not in the clouds. Life’s challenges and rejections began to wear me down. I started to think of myself as a man who is talented but will never see my dreams come to fruition.  I started to believe that I would never set foot in my Neverland. But thankfully a good friend of mine, reminded me of what I once was. She held up the mirror of scripture and got me to look intently at my own wrinkles. It was a hard pill to swallow. How did I ever let myself grow up? I never thought it would happen to me but it did. I had lost that child like spirit. I was now a pirate. It seemed like I was living the plot line to the Robin Williams movie, “Hook”. Thankfully, God’s Word reminded me the truth that to follow Jesus we must become like little children. Only when we become like little children can we enter the kingdom of God. I’m convinced that the spiritual development of a Christian is the exact opposite from the regular maturation process we experience with our earthly bodies. When we are born into this world, we are dependent on everyone but as we mature, we become less dependent on others and more and more independent so we can become functioning adults. However, in the Christian life, we are told to make it our goal to become like kids. When we are born again spiritually we are adults, full of ourselves, independent, making our own choices but as we grow up in Christ, we should become more and more like children who are humbled, dependent on their Heavenly Father for everything, and trusting Him to make the decisions for our lives. When we get to that place where we are totally relying on God for everything, then I believe we will find ourselves soaring to places only God could ever imagine for our lives.  When we follow Jesus just as a child follows His parents, Jesus will take us on an adventure. You’ll notice in the scriptures there was never a dull moment with Jesus. When Jesus said follow Him, it meant walking on the waves. He wasn’t in the boat playing it safe and secure and even when He was in a boat, He slept during storms. He didn’t let fear or anything in reality stop Him from believing in His reality. He didn’t listen to the naysayers who shouted out to crucify Him and ridiculed Him for claiming to be the King of the Jews. He became a child and believed everything His Father told Him that He was. He stood firmly in His identity from the baptism to the cross and three days later defeated the grave of reality, eventually ascending into the sky, with His two feet touching the clouds. He now looks to us and invites us to come to Him as little kids. He welcomes us like lost boys and gives us a home. He wants us to follow Him into an adventure that He has planned for us. An adventure that can only be experienced when we learn to grow young, and believe. So where do you find yourself?  Stuck and going nowhere with two feet on the ground of reality? Just set your hearts and minds on things above, and you will find yourself leaving the ground for good, soaring towards your Neverland, following His footprints in the clouds.

Matthew 18:2-4 New International Version (NIV)
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.