Saturday, January 22, 2005

Refined by God

I read this statement today and it struck home with real force.

Like Gold -- Daily "Lessons on Living" Christian Devotional: "God is not in the demolition business, but He does run a refinery."

When things go awry, it is easy to think that God has taken his hands off the wheel. The traumas of life can crush the body, but they only crush the spirit if we let them.

As Job says "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold."

Job 23:10

Do you feel crushed? Somewhere in the darkness, God has a light that He will shine. You may see it in your life, or maybe others will see it when you are gone.

If you need help finding your way out - why not drop me a line.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

He's building a Kingdom

I love it when the songs that God sends my way touch someone. Here's a great little story I just have to share:

We are presently building a new Religious Education Center at our church and this song is just awesome! Our Center will be opening in Fall 2005. This song would be great to teach to the children as we launch our new year!!!

You can check out the song at: http://www.pastornet.net.au/inside/songs/hesbuildingakingdom.html

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Better or Bitter - it's your choice.

God's Chastening -- Daily "Lessons on Living" Christian Devotional: "Job 5:17

'Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.'"

Lou Holtz, former head football coach of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, is legendary in his adherence to discipline. In an interview with The Saturday Evening Post in 1989, he was quoted as saying, "When it comes to discipline here, we ask three questions: Will it make him a better man? A better student? A better athlete? If the answer is yes, we make him do it. The next step is up to him. An individual has a choice when you discipline him: either to become bitter or better." Judging by his squad’s record, both on and off the field, Lou Holtz’s charges for the most part became better men.

Life throws many challenges at us. Some are of our own making. Some "just happen." When things "happen" we usually can do little or nothing to stop them or change them. Many things are outside of our "circle of influence"

Does that mean passively accepting troubles and difficulties? No!

We always have a choice as to how we will respond.

We can get angry and rant and rave, and become bitter and twisted, blaming God and blaming others. We can curse life, or fate for being so cruel and mean to us. After all, we have a right to a happy pleasant life...don't we?

Or we can put our trust in God who is always working things out for our own good (Romans 8:28). We can feel the pain, the anguish and the fear. We can cry out for help. We may sit passively and let the horror pass, or get up and do what we can to salvage a better future from the wreckage.

When bad things happen, we can become bitter or better. The choice is ours.

What negative experience have you had that you feel bitter and angry about? What will you do today to "turn it around" and let it make you a better person?

Saturday, January 08, 2005

Don't Give Up and Don't Give In

Don't Give Up and Don't Give In -- Daily "Lessons on Living" Christian Devotional

Don’t Give Up and Don’t Give In

Some of Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then the president of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never made it as far as Andrew did. One of Jackson’s friends said, "Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the road from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match." Another friend responded, "How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?" "Sure, they were supposed to," the man replied, "but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat. Jim finally would get tired, and on the fourth try, Andy would throw him and be the winner. He just wouldn’t quit."

Creative ministry often has the same struggles in a different arena. You write a song you think is great, but the first three people you show it too are not impressed. What do you do? Give up writing? Resolve to keep your music to yourself?

Sometimes rejection means an idea is not good enough. Sometimes the opinion makers and gatekeepers are wrong. It happened to the Beatles. It happened to the writer of "Wind beneath my wings". It happened to Colonel Sanders with his ideas for KFC!

The critical issue is to find out. Ask the rejecters how it could be better. Listen openly and make changes which inmprove your song, or script, or book. Make sure the changes you make are genuine improvements in line with your own artisitc vision.

Then most of all, don't give up. Keep on submitting.