Tag Archives: christian

Hold Out Your Hands

Posted on February 18, 2025 | 1 comment

Over the past several days, I’ve had the opportunity to encourage people to turn to God amid their situations and circumstances. I love these moments to encourage others to consider God.

In our conversations, I challenged them to imagine holding their situation in their hands, feeling the weight, and then simply saying, “God, I don’t know what to do with this. Will you help me? Will you help them? Would you increase my belief in you?”

Often, we come to God with seemingly unreasonable requests and then feel disappointed when He doesn’t fulfill our desires. Demanding, “God, do this or else I won’t believe,” seems unreasonable to me. What if we approached God with open hands and minds, willing to let God be God? Maybe His ways are not our ways. Maybe God isn’t orchestrating every event. But perhaps, just maybe, He is open to interacting in response to our belief—that He can move mountains, change hearts, and be with us in the valley of the shadow of death.

Hold out open hands, and let’s see what God might do!

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Posted in Faith & Life

Tagged christian, Faith, God, Prayer

And he said “Contemplating My Existence”

Posted on August 4, 2016 | Leave a comment

Last week I went from Jury Duty on Monday and Tuesday to restoration of a fire-damaged McDonalds on Wednesday. Pretty much since then it has been non-stop lets get this thing opened. In a week I have met some new people who I look forward to getting know more. In a week I have learned a lot about running a fast paced job for GCM.

But today, I was reminded how God is working. Sitting at a front counter waiting for some material I needed for my project, I apologized to the man next to me for taking so long. He said no worries, I’ve got time, I’m just sitting here contemplating my existence. My response “wow that is deep.” He said, “yeah I am sorry man.” I said “no problem, just got to be careful what you say out loud, I’m a Pastor and love those kind of conversations.” He responded with “yeah I know where I am spending Eternity.”

After a bit of silence I said, “glad you got eternity figured out, for me the hardest part is walking the unknown day to day journey.” To which he replied, “yeah that seems to be the hardest part.” This lead me to talking about why “sharing faith and life” with a community of faith believers is so important. I shared my thoughts on church and he was interested. He said, “I don’t like ‘traditional Churches’.”

The guy next to me then said “so you must not like mega/large churches.” I said, “I simply don’t think there is one model for everyone anymore. We need different types of churches for different stages/seasons of life people are in.” He said, “yeah I’m a pastor too, and I’m out here working like you. I’ve been doing bi-vocational ministry for 10 years. The church I’m a part of has around 100 people and everyone ministers to each other.” We chatted and the “Contemplating my Existence” guy listened in and said “thanks for conversation”.

Seriously, two Pastors, who are living out their faith and life a bit different in the same store with a man who is Contemplating his Existence. God is working wherever our lives are stationed. He is drawing men and women unto Himself.

Lord help my eyes and ears be open to what you are doing. Help me to be like Christ to those I come in contact with. May the way I live, think, and act be used as seeds of hope and faith in the lives of those I come in contact with in the places I live, work, learn, and play!

Facebook Message Reminded Me- UnKnowing Impact

Posted on July 10, 2016 | Leave a comment

This week I received one of the most impactful FaceBook messages I have ever received. Someone who I had brief interaction with several years ago sent me a message simply to let me know how his life has changed. I had no IDEA the impact my life had on him.

My desire is to encourage followers of Jesus to declare a different way to live life where ever our lives are stationed. To believe this God has asked me to step out of my comfort-zone. I am in the most challenging season of my life and sometimes I wonder how does one really make a difference for God.

The FaceBook Message I got came at the right time. See, in my heart I believe that no matter where our lives are stationed, we can have an impact for God, but often I hear a different message. Despite having moved away from full-time paid ministry over a year and a half ago, sometimes I still hear voices from my past that basically say, “to really make a difference for God you have to be a pastor or missionary.” There are days when I feel like this. There are days when I wrestle and say is this statement right? Maybe full time ministry is the only way to have an impact.

But this Facebook Message reminded me that often followers of Jesus can unknowingly have impact on the lives of others. I was reminded that 6 years ago I simply went out and spent some time with a young man. I don’t remember much about that day. I remember basketball and then going back to drop him off at his house. His parents where home so I went in to introduce myself. And this is where the impact happened.

The Facebook Message states that as I entered his home the dynamics of his household changed. The brief time we spent together was the start of transformation in his family. …”our faith has been spreading. And the wake up call all began that day when you took me out and came in to meet my family. You personally have been an extreme blessing to my family, with your presence alone you changed the dynamics of it for the better.”

I write this for one purpose. I write this because this helps me to continue to believe that no matter where our lives are stationed we can declare a different way to live life. As we share our faith and lives with others, “our presence alone can bring about change.”

It is the desire of our hearts that is key. My prayer is that we would be able to trust God with the impact our lives make. We don’t need to compare. We don’t need to have a list of people we have brought to church. It doesn’t even matter how many people you have “saved.” What matters is the desire of your heart. Because maybe, you’re unknowingly having an impact.

Joy made complete

Posted on January 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Think about this.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.” 1 John 1:3-4

The disciples have “heard, seen, and touched” Jesus. They now proclaim fellowship with both God and Jesus, and they say they write & proclaim so that their joy can be complete. Recently I have heard a lot of people (Christians) say things like “I’m ready to do whatever it takes to be happy”. And what they mean is they are ready to pursue things not of God to try and find happiness.

Study the Bible with me to uncover what it means to have your Joy made complete. So far I believe it is linked to knowing God’s love and sharing God’s love. I believe in 1 John He is saying I have seen Jesus, I know and have fellowship with God, but my Joy is not complete until I tell others about Him.

Are Christians miserable because they simply know God and are not sharing Him with others? Are we missing out on the complete Joy of God because we are unwilling to share Him with a world that desperately needs Him?

Showing love in public

Posted on October 14, 2010 | 1 comment

This might be a bit controversial but I don’t mean for it to be. I just want to share the thoughts I was having yesterday. As I was at football thinking about students and what they go through in public school everyday I thought “were is the love.”

See I believe public schools (and our culture) are in the condition they are in because followers of Christ are no longer showing His love in public. The love of God is so needed, but there are very few Christ followers in these public places to it. We have removed ourselves from the very places that need us.

Is your life stationed in a place that needs to see the love of Christ? Hey Christ follower we gotta show love in public.