"Seasons"

Life happens. It is a very indiscriminate thing. It happens to each and every one of us. No one can escape it. It is sometimes very difficult to navigate through, but once you do, breathing becomes easier. The effects of life happening change like the seasons. At one point, you could be in the season of summer, where everything is warm and cozy. Other times you could be in the the season of winter, where things are cold and icy. Then there is the season of fall where things are falling and dying or you're in the season of spring where everything is coming back to life. Each warrants a different response. The tough part for us is to recognize what season it is that we are in. I know that for many, myself included, this is both the season of fall and spring. There are things in our lives that are falling away or coming to an end, while at the same time other things are beginning. We often end up in the "place of in between" and that leaves us floundering a bit until we can get our footing sure. Personally, I know that I am in a season where what I did vocationally is taking on a new expression. In like manner, my home is also taking on a new expression as well. With a son out on his own and a daughter about to be, both out of school and in the workplace, facing the empty nest syndrome, life can be a bit disconcerting. But it is there that we MUST remember the one constant in the midst of all of it. That is, the promise that God has of having plans for our lives that are for good, not for bad, to give us a future and a hope. But when you are in the place of in between, an intense battle ensues. It is the battle for the promise. For those who strive to live life according to the word of God, no matter how imperfectly, they strain to hear what the Spirit of God is saying regarding their lives at that time. And when they believe they have heard a word from the Lord, and the timing seems to match up with the promise, they take a step out of what was toward what will be. The thing is, during the transition process we have one foot in what was and one foot in what will be and are stuck in the middle until the other foot leaves the old and joins the foot that is in the new. That can be a really tough time, which is why you must war for the promise you heard from the Spirit of God as you step out. Never forget that the enemy ALWAYS has a "hath God said" up his sleeve. And if he can get that question to take root in our hearts, he can totally dismantle our faith, which is the anchor that keeps us in place. My point is this: Recognize what season you are in and respond accordingly. How will you know what is the correct response? You will know as you listen to the Spirit of God and trust that His heart and desire toward you is nothing less than YOUR good. If we can hold securely to that truth, it will make our transitions from one location to the other a lot more confident, even in the midst of trials, because the trials will most definitely come. But if you truly believe you have heard from the Lord, there is nothing you can't step into that He will not either confirm or redeem. You are safe with Him at ALL TIMES and ALL SEASONS, even when it doesn't "feel" like it. So the word for us today is "keep on holding on to the promise He has given you and DO NOT surrender it to the hands of the enemy." There is success waiting for us if we just take the step that God has confirmed in our hearts. Go for it! Greg

Get In Your Place

I really believe this is a word for some. If it applies to you, receive it. If it doesn't, pray for those for whom it is for.

I've never felt such an urgency in my spirit as I do right now about us all being in our place. The Lord is calling each and every one of us to OUR place. Sometimes it will mean digging your heals deeper into where you currently are now, making a deeper commitment to your place. Other times it will mean a change of position from where you are right now to where you are supposed to be. This is critical at this time because if you are out of YOUR place, it means you're in SOMEONE ELSE'S place, causing them to be misplaced. They can't occupy their place because you're in it. As soon as you move, you will free that space up for them to take. Until you do, there will remain a domino effect that will leave in it's wake a host of people that are potentially out of place.

GET IN YOUR PLACE!

It's time for us to seek the face of God to discover our place and dig into it with all that is in us. It is time. Many will not discover the fulness of their lives until they find their place. They will live frustrated lives trying hard to make where they are right now work for them. All it will lead to is a dead end and you will continue beating your head agains a brick wall until you stop, seek the face of God, discover where you truly are supposed to be, and get after it. Your life will remain a frustration or it will remain a temporary fulfillment for you. It will be like working hard and putting your pay into pockets with holes in them. You work hard, feel a sense of fulfillment, only to have that fulfillment drain away with nothing left to speak of.

It is time to stop beating a dead horse. I heard a phrase from a friend named Kevin Leel, which was, "If the horse is dead, dismount!" Why try to make live what has died? Don't try to resurrect a dead end. Move on to where the life is. However, this is something the must be submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit. See, God is able to make the place where you are, YOUR place and He can breathe new life into it. But it is ONLY if it is where you are suppose to be in this hour.

I say again, "GET IN YOUR PLACE!"

And do not be afraid if you don't understand it all or know how you will make it. All you have to do is be where you're suppose to be and God will cause you to make it. Please just be obedient to His voice right now and let Him sort out the details. Be like Abraham, who was told by God to leave where he was and go to a land that would be shown to him at a later time. He left not knowing where he was going, but he knew God had called. He moved out in obedience. You must do the same.

It's time! "GET IN YOUR PLACE!"

Searching For Daylight...

There are seasons when we feel like we're just sort of existing, making no progress at all in our lives. Oftentimes when this occurs, it becomes very evident that what we focus on, we will experience. If we focus on fear, fear is what we will have. If we focus on joy, joy is what we will experience. The mind plays a vital role in the effect faith has in our lives. What do I mean by this? I mean, simply, that the word of God is clear when it says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he...(Prov. 23:7)" Faith may be present, available, and effective, but if you are convinced that no matter how much faith you have you will never succeed, you will never see the success that faith can provide. I am finding in this season of my life that persuasion is incomprehensibly powerful in life. It's sort of like a person who gets on an airplane and no matter the safety precautions, they will not be at peace. Or like the super model who just can't believe that they are attractive no matter how many successful photo shoots they perform. What is one to do?

I'm reminded of a person that I had spoken with many, many years ago that lived a totally negative life. Everything in their life, no matter what, would end up in the negative. Everything they looked at would be viewed through the lens of negativity. I tried on numerous occasions to point out the upside of their life, but no matter how hard I tried, they just couldn't see it. The last time I had seen this individual, they had picked their forehead raw because they just hated the way they looked. All I could do was hold them while they cried.

Why do we do things like this to ourselves?

Listen, the value you put on yourself is far greater than the value others put on you. The belief that your existence on this planet serves a purpose is far more important than the opinions of others. If you have a purpose, you have a reason to live. No purpose means no true living. Having a purpose is the makes the difference between living and just existing. Negative focus is an incredibly powerful force that has destroyed the lives of millions of people throughout the worlds existence. Negativity can lead to depression, which leads to more negativity, which leads.... you get the picture. It becomes a vicious cycle that seems to have no end. But if you believe that there is NO WAY that the Lord of life would place you on this planet just to take up space, breathe this air, and not have a purpose in it, you can survive AND thrive. I mean, just look at the order in creation. Plants, trees, animals, everything exists with some kind of divine order. Notice how the waves of the sea most typically come only to a specific point and recess back upon itself, and there is not anyone or anything stopping it from going further, at least not that we can identify. However, God said for the go thus far and no further and that's exactly what happens every time. Notice that most typically, the moon doesn't rise at the same time as the sun, but rather, the sun comes up for a certain time and then moves out of the way for the moon to take over. Now, if God would take the time to make sure that the planet functions with some kind of order, why would He not be able to bring some order to our lives?

Listen. No matter how horrible, irritating, frustrating, or whatever other word you would like to use to describe your life right now, God has a plan that really DOES make sense. It doesn't look like it right now, BELIEVE ME, but you and I have seen too much to believe otherwise. I know this is true. God has been faithful in the past and there is absolutely no way He will start being unfaithful to you now. So by all means possible, take courage and be encouraged with that. It may look like only darkness right now, but rest assured that daylight WILL shine again.

Just don't give up now. You've come so far already. You're SO close to your breakthrough. Dig your heels in deeper and hold on even tighter. And when you look up, you'll actually find that it's not you holding on to Him, but HIM holding on to YOU.

Keep Passion Alive!

Last night, I watched part of a show on tv where David Foster was playing music with some of his friends. It was SO compelling. And the talent? Forget about it! It was off the hook!! But what I found interesting about the whole encounter was what began to happen to me as I listened and watched. I was flooded with this wave of emotion emitting from the music. It was something that really took my breath away. There was a sweetness and a tenderness to the songs they played. When I paid particular attention to David Foster's playing, I could feel the emotion with which he played, be it ever so simple. And the brilliant collaboration of the instruments all together, the strings, brass, percussion, bass, guitar, piano, and vocals came across as two elements becoming one. The instruments alone made up one element and the vocals made the other. But when they sounded together, it was a little touch of heaven.

I was enthralled

But then I began to notice something else. I was taken back to the way I used to listen to music. I remember how it would take me to different levels of emotion and how it would "sing" my heart. I remember listening to David Foster's project that I believed was entitled "The Symphony Sessions" where I was taken away in my heart while listening to "Winter Games." Wow. And then the "Water Fountain Theme from the movie Secret of My Success." These two songs so impacted me that my wife Brenda, and I, had them played at our wedding. They carry such emotion.

But what got me was remembering my deep, deep passion and emotional connection to music and the me now that has seemed to have forgotten it a bit. Remembering that passion sometimes gets lost in the necessities of life and work. And when your vocation is in the area of your passion, oftentimes it ceases to be a passion and becomes a job. This is not because it's toilsome at all, but now it's being done out of necessity instead of pure joy. In the 15-20 minutes I listened, all the emotion and passion that I used to feel and experience came rushing back into my mind and heart and I've gotten hungry for it again.

This translates directly to our walk with God. Sometimes walking with the Lord and living and dealing with life can be in conflict. You begin to have to fight to keep things in the correct perspective. I mean, think back with me, won't you? When you first came to know God, what was it like? How excited were you? How passionate were you? What was it like for you to believe in Him and watch as He'd answer your prayers? Do you still have that passionate fire burning on the inside? If not, why not? Could it be that the very thing Jesus spoke about in Luke 8:8, 11-15, and in particular, verse 14? "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity."

Now, please note that my focus is on the renewal of passion because of it being choked out in our lives. What is it that has choked out your passion? What is it that robs you of a passionate relationship with God? Can you identify it? I know that for me, I'm attempting to rekindle the fire that burned within my heart for the love of music, but more importantly, I'm striving to KEEP my relationship with God alive, passionate, and breath-taking. That's what He feels for me. I want to always feel that for Him as well.

Join me, won't you?

Greg

A Parental Rant

There is something that boggles my mind. Parenting and is quite a challenge in this day and age. It's a challenge with TWO parents, much less being a SINGLE parent. It's tough to watch kids grow up. They become more and more independent and seem to need you less and less as the years progress. The problem is that the more they grow up, the more they feel that they are so grown up that the respect for you as the parent seems to slowly drain away. Why is that?

I'm not talking about losing respect for you as a person. I'm not just talking about losing respect for your position as a father or a mother, and showing that disrespect by the way they speak, respond, and react to you. Yet they are the first ones to cry out "foul" whenever they "feel" disrespected. These are my questions:

Is it ok for you as the child to speak to the parent anyway you want, but get angry with them when they hold you accountable for it?

Is it ok for you as the child to sometimes snub your nose at them when they make a request of you, but just because it's "uncomfortable" for you, you gripe and moan about it?

Is it ok for you as the child to argue and fight with the parent because you disagree with them, yet require them not to raise their voice to you?

Is it ok for you as the child to mope and storm out of an area in the house and slam doors just because you disagree or dislike something that you were told?

I have heard the phrase, "You give respect, you get respect." But who is the one who defines respect for the family? Is it the child? Is it the parent? Actually, it's God. But who is the one who enforces that respect? Is it not the parent? If it is the parent, why do you as the child not offer that respect simply because you don't like the requirements? Where is the honor from the family to the parents? Where is it? Why does it feel as if the parents have to explain their decisions to those who are to be submitted to them? In the employment world, oftentimes there are decisions made by the boss that affects each and every employee and the employees are expected to follow the directives given, with or without an explanation. I am not advocating blind obedience, but rather a trusting of the office held by those parents that are doing all they can to follow the Lord. They are not perfect or flawless as parents, but they strive with all their might to be fair. So why, child, do you feel the right to respond to your parents as if they are your peer?

They are not your peer. Not to the extent you think.

Please note, child, your maturity is not a license to now begin to dishonor and disrespect the office of your parents. THEY ARE YOUR PARENTS AND DESERVE YOUR HONOR AND RESPECT, PERIOD. I'm not speaking of those parents who are idiots abusing their children and not caring. But is it wrong to think that those parents YOU KNOW are doing all they can to treat you with the respect that God requires, however flawed, and strive to be the kind of parents they were meant to be in God, to be esteemed higher than they are? Is that bad? And if so, why?

Why not honor and respect the office of a parent? The President of the United States may not act very stately, but there is a respect for the office of the President. Why has the role of the parent been made to be less than it should?

It's time for a change. Not a change to something more or something better, but BACK to something foundational. Let's be a family where there is clear leadership, honor, and respect. Let's go BACK to gracious speaking with one another in the home. It will be the best PROGRESSION we've ever made.

Just thinkin'

On Eagle's Wings

You know, life happens. It is indiscriminate as to who or how it affects us, and it always leaves us empty when it hits. It causes us to feel alone and abandoned at times, and yet we are expected to press on as if we were invincible. But the reality is that no one is invincible. Everyone is affected when "life" happens. Whe we're seemingly under the thumb of circumstances and situations, our perspective gets very cloudy, to say the least. We sometimes can't see any way out of the situation and hopelessness can begin to settle in. Even if the way things look is truly difficult, we can think that we will not survive it. However, that isn't always the case.

I remember a financial counselor friend of mine telling me years ago, "I know you're behind the 8 ball with your creditors, but remember that they can't eat you up! You WILL come out of this." That wasn't the least bit comforting at the time, even though it was true. For me, the most comforting thing would have been to receive an insane amount of finances to pay every one of my creditor in full! Now THAT would have been encouraging! But "life" doesn't always work that way. I mean, it does happen, but that isn't the norm. Working "through" tough times is really the norm of living. We must "do" life, not just simply exist while it tramples us.

Which brings me to the point of this article. How can we do life if our perspective is despair? How can we live if our perception of the light at the end of the tunnel of circumstance is really a speeding train heading straight for us? In order to do life and do it well, we must have a "higher perspective" than the one that faces us at the moment. The higher perspective can only truly come when we calm our hearts and be still long enough to notice. For example, have you ever observed how an eagle flies? You'll notice that it uses its wings only a little and then glides, riding on the wind. And it is often at that time that it is able to see from incredible heights what it needs to survive: food! From that elevated position it is able to locate precisely where their food is and find an end to their hunger for that moment. But what we don't see is that the eagle rides on "heat thurmals" rising from the earth surface. That's one of the things that keep it airborn. As long as it stays within the heat thurmal, it can see clearly how to survive.

So it is with you and I. God says in John 15:4-5, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." And further in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

The application is this: Christ is your "heat thurmal" and causes you to "mount up with wings as eagles (Isaiah 40:31)" so that you can see clearly how to make it through life's intrusions. Stopping and being still in your heart and mind is you waiting on that heat thurmal to lift you up above the circumstance so that you can see with a heavenly perspective instead of an earthly one. You don't have the power to do this by yourself, so God says you can do it by the power of Jesus as you abide and live and daily exist in the knowledge, understanding, and relationship with Him. And in turn, receiving Him to live, abide, and daily exist in you. He will lift you up and cause you to see as He sees. Therein lies YOUR hope for tomorrow.


Happy hunting!