Living Unfiltered for God

This is not going to be the typical type of piece that I share. It’s a little longer (please be patient and humor me, and read all the way through) and maybe a little more “preachy” (again, please be patient…)  I was inspired to write this toward the very end of our church service this morning. It has taken me a while to sort out what exactly is supposed to be conveyed in and by these words – I pray that I get it right. It is no surprise to anyone that our world is in a strange kind of place these days. I can honestly say that they are unlike any of my previous fifty-plus years on this earth. For most of the last four months, this has been deeply concerning to me. But recently (and even more-so in the moments as I type this), I have started to have a little bit of a different take… Maybe, just maybe, all that we have been experiencing is not really about “them” taking away “our” freedoms, or “those people” not doing what “they” should have done years ago or “us” finally getting...

There’s an awful lot of talk these days about hygiene. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been told so many times to make sure I wash my hands (while singing “Happy Birthday”… Twice!) since I was in elementary school. And for good reason, I should say. This Coronavirus has a lot of people concerned, so it’s just prudent to use common sense when it comes to keeping your hands clean, not touching your face, and generally practicing good hygienic habits. And of course, these are things we should be doing all the time anyway, regardless of any newly introduced virus or even just good old-fashioned influenza. As a borderline germophobe, I think we could all do a better job at these things! Now, you’re starting to ask yourself, what does this possibly have to do with faith, or living unfiltered for God? Well, I’m glad you asked! Yesterday morning during my time in The Word, I came across a passage that I know I have read many times before. And as Scripture often does when you read it regu...

(This post was partly written several weeks ago. Since then, it has been sitting in it's draft form... waiting for a piece that I was missing. Waiting for something - I didn't know what. This morning in church, I discovered the "what". I am grateful that I have a church, a pastor, and this morning in particular, a pastor's wife, that are obedient to the Spirit's leading and promptings. Thank you Tiffany.) Here we are, still at the beginning of a new year. A new year that no doubt started with lots of promise. If you're like me, you tend to look at the start of a new year with a blank slate... You look at all the wonderful things that God might have in store for you in the next 12 months! But maybe, there have already been trials. Maybe, that beautifully bright future has already begun to be somewhat tainted by events that you would rather have avoided. This isn't meant to be one of those dark and depressing posts about how rough life can be... qui...

Earlier this month we talked about waiting... Waiting for Christmas to come and waiting to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wanted to take a little more time though, to talk about how we should wait and what it is we are waiting for... David spoke a lot of waiting. You can find this theme in many of the Psalms.  I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. ( Psalm 130:5-6 ) For David, waiting seemed to be almost a physical act. The way he describes the process of waiting, it's almost like it's something palpable. And he waited with hope. Hope is such an important aspect of waiting. Without hope, waiting isn't something positive, it turns to something more related to fear, or dread. With hope, though, there is promise. Something to look forward to; something we are earnestly desiring - much like Christma...

I remember when I was a child, the wait for Christmas seemed interminable. Especially after Thanksgiving came and went, that month or so until December 25th contained the longest weeks of the year! Now, as I've gotten older, the time goes much more quickly (as does all time!) and I want things to slow down, to be able to relish and enjoy the season for as long as possible. I think there's something instructive in the waiting, though. I think God wants to use that time to do a work in us.  Yesterday we discussed Mary, and how her obedience led to the blessing and privilege of giving birth to the Savior of the world. She waited nine months for that. Sometimes we don't have to wait that long, but other times the wait is much longer. For those of us who struggle with patience,  this isn't always an easy task. One of my favorite verses, especially regarding the idea of waiting is, " Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. " ( Psalm ...