Encouragement Post – Coronavirus Distancing Day 18 (Thursday)

Encouragement Post – Day #18 (Thursday) Really, really familiar words... but no less powerful because of their familiarity.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, (He takes responsibility for me)
I shall not want. (I have everything I need)
He makes me lie down in green pastures; (this allows me to rest in a wide open and beautiful space)
He leads me beside quiet waters. (among some of the most soothing sounds of His creation)
He restores my soul; (He makes the broken places in my heart and soul whole again)
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. (Because He desires honor for His name, He leads His children faithfully toward right paths)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me; (wherever I am, in whatever situation no matter how perilous or difficult, there is no need to fear because You are WITH me ...and not just *with* me but as Immanuel You are *IN* me)
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (You are perfectly equipped with the ability to prod... a gentle nudge with the rod, to lead... with a hook around my neck if necessary, and to protect me by using the rod or staff as a weapon)
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; (because I am Yours, you feed me from the abundance of Your own table, the King's table, even when my enemies would seek to do me harm)

You have anointed my head with oil; (You cover me with gladness, with a pleasing fragrance before the Father, with salve for protection from disease and pestilence)
My cup overflows. (You freely give me abundant life beyond anything I could imagine)
Surely goodness and lovingkindness
will follow me all the days of my life, (Your goodness and lovingkindness will always, always, always be with me)
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (I will live in Your safe and magnificent abode forever.)

Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 10 (Wednesday)

Encouragement Post #10: (Wednesday) Today I am encouraging us to lift up the name of Jesus. Did you know that the Bible tells us that if we lift up His name, that He will draw all men to Himself? (John 12:32) Especially when things seem out of control and people feel caught in a spiral of uncertainty, we want all people to know that the only place TRUE peace is found is in knowing the Prince of peace.

Our ability to be at peace is strongly connected to who has the authority in our lives. When we sit on the throne of our own lives and grasp every bit of control we can, we know that things can spiral out of control very quickly. It doesn't take us long to figure out we don't really have much control at all (see coronavirus, cancer, 911, infertility, death, etc.) That is distinctly NOT peace. But, when we put our lives in the hands of the King of kings, Lord of lords, and Prince of peace, we can trust that HE has the ultimate authority to guide it just where He knows it should go and to work things together for our good and for His glory. Though for now He is allowing wars, famines, trials, plagues, dangers, sicknesses, etc. to take place on earth, we know that one day those things will cease. And whether or not people choose to bow to His authority now, it is a certainty that one day EVERY knee will bow and every tongue will proclaim that He is Lord:

"For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

He is giving us an amazing opportunity right now to lift up His Name. Today is the time to turn over the authority of our lives to Him. There is nowhere else to go… "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

Excerpt from the song "What a Beautiful Name" by Brook Fraser Ligertwood and Ben Fielding "You have no rival, you have no equal; now and forever God You reign. Yours is the kingdom, yours is the glory; Yours is the name above all names."

...you can read about the scriptural inspiration behind the song here: https://hillsong.com/collected/blog/2017/05/scriptural-inspiration-behind-the-lyrics-of-what-a-beautiful-name/

The official Lyric Video for "What A Beautiful Name" from our new album 'let there be light'' recorded live at Hillsong Conference in Sydney! Get your copy n...

Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 8 (Monday)

Encouragement Post #8: (Monday) How are YOU doing? What has God been teaching YOU in this present situation? For me, I think more than anything He is teaching me that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. No matter how everything around me changes, He does not. No matter how I have failed Him, He continues to love me... HIS mercies are new every morning, every hour, every second. And His faithfulness is beyond our ability to comprehend it. The One who is all righteousness and complete justice is also completely merciful. So I am "chewing on that" for the next little while. Would you take refuge with me under the shadow of His great wings?

Lamentations 3:21-25 "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him."

Psalm 36:5-7 "Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings."

New Year, Same Old World

The New Year looms ahead like a shiny new journal with all empty pages. Yet, even yesterday as I sat on my sofa enjoying time with my family, contemplating the peace and quiet of the next few days, planning a 21 day prayer journey for my business, and generally looking ahead to the coming year... there was a phone call from friends that their 38 year-old son/brother had passed away suddenly and tragically yesterday afternoon.

We quickly made our way to their home, and we tried to give as much comfort and encouragement as you can in a time like this.  This is a fallen, fallen place in which we reside.  The great, true joy of Christmas is balanced by the devastation of separation and death.

What comfort can we give in a time like this? The only real comfort is to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He knows the situation, He loves them all, He loved the one who died, He cares deeply for His children and offers to carry our burdens -- even the heaviest ones -- for us. So, we embrace them as He would, love them as He loves, bear this burden with them. He is Emmanuel even in this, guiding through the darkest night with His light and His hand.

(As always, you are free to use this graphic.)

There is so much I do not understand about this world.  But, I am just simple enough to trust God's promise that He will never leave or forsake me and His promise that HE is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.  Whatever this world sends my way, I am thankful for what I have today, now.  I choose to not live in the past (while being thankful for it) and not live in the future (while looking forward to eternity with the Lord and its reuniting with those I love). I am thankful for my family, for my friends -- even ones I have never met. I am thankful for home, for safety, for life, for love, for enough -- you know, the "this day our daily bread."  I know that we are not even promised one more breath, so I am choosing to thank God for now.