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Joy Comes In The Morning
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you wake up in the morning? Even though I hit the snooze a few times and try to stay in bed longer, sleep is generally not what's on my mind. I often wake up with a song playing in my head. Sometimes it’s an old hymn. Other times it's a new worship song that has helped me connect my heart to God's. God's mercy is new every morning, no matter how I may have missed the mark and strayed from His ways the day before. Having a song of praise on...
Delivery Time
Have you ever ordered something online? That seems like a crazy question these days. Amazon.com is nearly 25 years old now, and e-commerce has become second nature to most of our generation. With the prominence of smart phones, mobile ordering has even made its way into the fast food industry. When I want to stop at Chick-Fil-A, McDonalds, or Subway, I head for the app first to make ordering faster and easier. The perks of getting discounts isn't bad either. Alongside the popularity of...
How To Hear From God
It's easy to say "I'm willing to follow where ever God leads." This is especially true when we don't think we hear Him saying to go anywhere. We often get comfortable where we are in life, whether it be a job, house, standard of living, or even our relationship with God. In those times of comfort, it is easy to settle in and not want anything to change. Like a memory foam mattress, the world seems to conform to our own image and gives us a sense of comfort and security. The desire to remain in...
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Have you ever listened to a recording of yourself singing? Did you like what you heard? When I've listened to recordings of myself, I cringe and wonder if that's really what I sound like. Even people who like the sound of their own voice tend to dislike the way their recorded voice sounds. Believe it or not, your voice does not sound different when recorded. We only perceive it that way. Timothy E. Hullar explains it this way: Air-conducted sound is transmitted from the surrounding environment...
Stress Wears You Down
I usually don't have a lot of stress. I'm a laid back person that tends to roll with the punches. I tend to remain calm in situations that would break most people. The only thing that really stresses me out is the state of my financials. No matter how I work our budget at home, there is always more going out than coming in. Those words were all that I had written for a blog post that I started nearly 4 years ago. I skim through old drafts from time to time and the title of this one caught my...
Victory Has Been Proclaimed
I don't want to fight any more. There's too much pain already in the world. But what if life is worth dying for? Will pain turn me away from the war? Victory has been proclaimed but I'm still living from the pain. I can't help but stare at the floor, my mind racing, pacing back and forth. I think I should have done something more. Will I ever be ready for another open door? Victory has been proclaimed but I'm still trying to stake my claim. Can we just go back to how it was before? All I...
Power Struggle
We have, all of us, a power problem, and I’ve only touched on a few of the different forms power problems can take. Still, one of the common factors found in many of our issues with power may stem from the reality that we may have evolved to the point where our technologically advanced societies simply assume that the power to do what we want to do is an inalienable right, both individually and politically. Recently I was teaching in a classroom when the power was interrupted, and we lost the...
Restoration
Have you ever appreciated the work of a restorer? The restoration process can be long and grueling, but the outcome is often incredible. One of the most intriguing things to me about restoration is how the restored piece of furniture, instrument, vehicle, or house can have more value than the original. There is somehow more beauty, or maybe things work better than they have before. The restorer see potential in the broken much like a sculptor sees a masterpiece in a block of marble. Saturday...
A Prayer of Spiritual Awakening
Father, You are wondrous. Your marvelous love goes beyond what human language can describe, yet I still know it deeper than understanding allows. Let Your Kingdom be know in the Name of Jesus and let Your plan unfold in my life. Open heaven and show me Your glory. I know that You provide my every need. Let me not worry about what I do not have. I trust Your timing in all things. Forgive my mess. I know that You've already cleaned it up through the blood of Jesus. Help me to break the cycles of...
Dickinson, Texas
It's been one month since 21 strangers from Crossroads Church left Pittsburgh to help with the relief and recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey. Three groups of flyers, a pair of 3-day drivers, and a 2-day caravan of seven guys embarked for Dickinson, Texas, without much knowledge about what we would be doing. We knew we were helping people, but that's about it. We had a great time getting to know each other during those 20 or so hours of driving. I only knew 3 other people on the...
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