“Don’t just look where you’re going; look around.”
Lindah Miles (Homeless Advocate)
The driver often misses things that the passenger has the advantage of seeing. We all have times in our lives where we need to be the driver and focus on the task ahead. Yet I find often in life I forget to be the passenger. The passenger gets to look around…sometimes to the road ahead but even further to all that is going on around the car. By not being the passenger at times I miss things because I am not looking. Or even, that I am looking, but in the wrong places like being focused inward on how I am doing. I can be so busy playing the ‘woe is me’ card that I miss the help that is in front of me. Many times the answers to our problems come in ways we would not expect and are not familiar with and so we miss them. Let us be the passenger at times and stop to look around. We just may find help for the very thing we were too busy or too involved to look around for.
“…Look, a righteous king is coming!”
Isaiah 32:1 NLT
In order to see where God is moving and what He is doing we have to look. We have to stop looking at ourselves, at the needs of the day, at the distractions pulling for our attention and look. You never know what righteous king you may see coming. He is ready to come into our lives in a bigger way as a greater king if we will look. And He will soon be coming again and I don’t want to miss the joy of that expectation because I was too busy looking down, looking in or just not looking. I don’t want to miss the joy and joining others in what He is doing around me. The things that He might want me to join Him in if only I will be willing to look around and not just in or down or not. It’s like the song called Your Eyes that says, ‘Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see everything that I’ve been missing, give me your love for humanity, give me your arms for the broken hearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach, give me your heart for the ones forgotten, give me your eyes so I can see.” I don’t want to miss it just because it’s hard or doesn’t fit in the pretty picture I’ve created. I want to keep Looking Around
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
One Of Those Times
“Hope awaits you. Not just when it’s over and not just when everything it going well. But, even now, in the middle of it is one of those times to hope still.”
Loren Thornburg
We have all had one of those times. Where things just don’t seem to be going as we thought that they would or should; when things are just coming at us at rates we can’t seem to control or combat; where life just seems too hard and we can barely see the light at the end of the tunnel or the reason to keep hoping. And so we don’t. We stay in that place of despair because it seems our only option. Yet, so often we are too busy being mad at life to see the hope in front of us. I am pretty good at it too. Sometimes I don’t even want to see the hope because I just want to be mad. The problem with that is that it is never enough. At no point in that do I find contentment or joy. It only leads to more. And the truth is that there is hope. There is always hope. In fact it is waiting for you in this very moment, in the middle of your despair, if you will only choose to look up and see.
“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumberable! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!”
Psalm 139:18 NLT
He is with You!! It seems easy to think about Him being there when things are going well and to praise Him. But, He is with you even in the middle of it! So often we are so focused on the situation that we miss Him there with us and thus miss the hope that awaits us. I love the song Surprised by Ten Shekel Shirt that speaks of this very Presence. From the voice of God it says, “I walk along the road of your despair you’ll be confused till you see me there.” The problem is that we don’t look for Him. He is there if we will only see. Hope awaits us if we will only look up from our problem long enough to see that Jesus awaits us and holds all hope and peace in His hands. Whether we see Him or not the truth remains that He is with us, in the middle of it. As long as this truth remains may we walk in the hope of this truth. Think about how amazing that truth is! That the God of the universe is thinking about you, He is with you when you sleep, rise and all the in-betweens, and that He is with us in the middle of it.
Surprised
Ten Shekel Shirt
I’m walking up to your tomb to call your name To give you a new start, remove your shame
It’s time to be surprised
I walk upon the seas of your grief The waves of this world are no match for my peace
It’s time to be Surprised So lift your eyes
I’m with you, With you in the middle of it With you, with you through this time
I’m walking through the walls of your hiding space To remove your fear and put courage in it’s place
It’s time to be surprised
I walk along the road of your despair You’ll be confused till you see me there
It’s time to be Surprised So lift your eyes
Ever present help in time of need This is one of those times
Unclench your fists, unfold your arms And with your heart, with your heart hear me
Loren Thornburg
We have all had one of those times. Where things just don’t seem to be going as we thought that they would or should; when things are just coming at us at rates we can’t seem to control or combat; where life just seems too hard and we can barely see the light at the end of the tunnel or the reason to keep hoping. And so we don’t. We stay in that place of despair because it seems our only option. Yet, so often we are too busy being mad at life to see the hope in front of us. I am pretty good at it too. Sometimes I don’t even want to see the hope because I just want to be mad. The problem with that is that it is never enough. At no point in that do I find contentment or joy. It only leads to more. And the truth is that there is hope. There is always hope. In fact it is waiting for you in this very moment, in the middle of your despair, if you will only choose to look up and see.
“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumberable! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!”
Psalm 139:18 NLT
He is with You!! It seems easy to think about Him being there when things are going well and to praise Him. But, He is with you even in the middle of it! So often we are so focused on the situation that we miss Him there with us and thus miss the hope that awaits us. I love the song Surprised by Ten Shekel Shirt that speaks of this very Presence. From the voice of God it says, “I walk along the road of your despair you’ll be confused till you see me there.” The problem is that we don’t look for Him. He is there if we will only see. Hope awaits us if we will only look up from our problem long enough to see that Jesus awaits us and holds all hope and peace in His hands. Whether we see Him or not the truth remains that He is with us, in the middle of it. As long as this truth remains may we walk in the hope of this truth. Think about how amazing that truth is! That the God of the universe is thinking about you, He is with you when you sleep, rise and all the in-betweens, and that He is with us in the middle of it.
Surprised
Ten Shekel Shirt
I’m walking up to your tomb to call your name To give you a new start, remove your shame
It’s time to be surprised
I walk upon the seas of your grief The waves of this world are no match for my peace
It’s time to be Surprised So lift your eyes
I’m with you, With you in the middle of it With you, with you through this time
I’m walking through the walls of your hiding space To remove your fear and put courage in it’s place
It’s time to be surprised
I walk along the road of your despair You’ll be confused till you see me there
It’s time to be Surprised So lift your eyes
Ever present help in time of need This is one of those times
Unclench your fists, unfold your arms And with your heart, with your heart hear me
Sunday, January 11, 2009
In the Midst
“Though the rains come and the winds blow, hope stands tall in the midst of the storm.”
Loren Thornburg
There is hope in new beginnings. As we celebrate the start of 2009 we find hope in a new year. New beginnings bring a freshness to them. It is an opportunity for more of what we long for, something better, something greater. Yet, I have found that often that these things I long for, the better, the greater come at a price. They don’t come without some obstacles. There will be rains and the winds will blow but your hope can remain even in the midst of the storm. The storms may catch you off guard, throw you off track, knock you down, or bring some detours from what you had planned. But, don’t lose hope. Even in the storms hope remains. And with hope you can stand tall, get back back up, and back on track. It is through these storms that our longings are made better and even greater if we are willing to keep hoping. Here in front of you is an opportunity to step and keep stepping into the hope. So, as you think back on 2008 and look forward to 2009 keep hoping, even in the midst of the storms.
“And God in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation…There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.”
1 Peter 1:5-6 NLT
God doesn’t work the way we thought He would or should. Often I try to convince Him of my ways only to find that over time His ways are in fact better and greater than what I even hoped. We are promised a priceless inheritance but we are also promised there will be trials along the way. These trials are a necessary part of the joy that comes in our salvation. Necessary means important, required, inevitable, essential, and true. It is the opposite of optional. However, when I am in the midst of trials and storms in my life I forget the purpose they are achieving. It is here that I lose hope feeling far from where I long to be. But in fact they are a part of the process; and not just a part but essential for the joy. Thus, for the hope that lies ahead it is necessary for us to have storms and trials. Yet, we can stand tall with hope in the midst of them because there is wonderful joy ahead.
Loren Thornburg
There is hope in new beginnings. As we celebrate the start of 2009 we find hope in a new year. New beginnings bring a freshness to them. It is an opportunity for more of what we long for, something better, something greater. Yet, I have found that often that these things I long for, the better, the greater come at a price. They don’t come without some obstacles. There will be rains and the winds will blow but your hope can remain even in the midst of the storm. The storms may catch you off guard, throw you off track, knock you down, or bring some detours from what you had planned. But, don’t lose hope. Even in the storms hope remains. And with hope you can stand tall, get back back up, and back on track. It is through these storms that our longings are made better and even greater if we are willing to keep hoping. Here in front of you is an opportunity to step and keep stepping into the hope. So, as you think back on 2008 and look forward to 2009 keep hoping, even in the midst of the storms.
“And God in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation…There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.”
1 Peter 1:5-6 NLT
God doesn’t work the way we thought He would or should. Often I try to convince Him of my ways only to find that over time His ways are in fact better and greater than what I even hoped. We are promised a priceless inheritance but we are also promised there will be trials along the way. These trials are a necessary part of the joy that comes in our salvation. Necessary means important, required, inevitable, essential, and true. It is the opposite of optional. However, when I am in the midst of trials and storms in my life I forget the purpose they are achieving. It is here that I lose hope feeling far from where I long to be. But in fact they are a part of the process; and not just a part but essential for the joy. Thus, for the hope that lies ahead it is necessary for us to have storms and trials. Yet, we can stand tall with hope in the midst of them because there is wonderful joy ahead.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2008 Quotes
“Beyond all circumstance, beyond all fear.
See beyond what’s in front of you to the hope that is near.”
Loren Thornburg
“Take another look, try a different view.
There’s provision in this moment. If you’ll see with eyes anew.”
Loren Thornburg
“Patience precedes all great things.”
Loren Thornburg
“I can’t just fight when I think I’ll win it’s the end of all belief
and nothing has provoked it more than a possible defeat”
Sara Groves
“We have heard love is patient, love is kind. But have you heard this love is for you?”
Loren Thornburg
“What once was brown now green
What once seemed dead now alive
What once was dry now flowing
But only after it rains
Who once was sad now joyful
Who once was broken now restored
Who once was empty now filled
But only after it rains
When all seems dark hold on
When life’s a storm press through
For new things full of life are coming
But only after it rains”
Loren Thornburg
“Recognize your riches, discover your diamonds, take hold of your talents and stick to your strengths.”
Loren Thornburg
“With change comes challenge but through change comes greatness. For the butterfly would still be a caterpillar if not for the change.”
Loren Thornburg
“Let go of what was so you can grab hold of what’s to come.”
Loren Thornburg
“Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius.”
Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon
Fortified Focus
“Our lives are strengthened when we focus on that which gives us strength.”
Loren Thornburg
“Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not.”
2 Timothy 4:2
“It may look different and not as you thought. But hold tight, for these trials and pains are bringing something different, even better than you thought.”
Loren Thornburg
“The deeper the roots the higher the reach.”
Starbucks
“Detoured but not off track, Delayed but making good time
Sometimes the long way’s faster And the shortest distance is not a line”
Loren Thornburg
“You can’t be free if you don’t reach for help.”
Natalie Grant…In Better Hands
“I don’t want to spend my whole life asking,
‘what if I had given everything?’
instead of going through the motions.”
Matthew West…The Motions
“Experience life today in all of the fullness of which you were created to do”
Loren Thornburg
“Take care in where you’re looking. Your eyes direct your path. Distractions will divert you. But vision will direct you.”
Loren Thornburg
“Not as you thought, not as you hoped, not as you wanted, not at you planned.
It’s better, it’s greater, it’s perfect. What once seemed failed is more.”
Loren Thornburg
“…much can be remembered and learned by looking back, but only for a visit, not an extended stay…”
William Young, The Shack
“Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship.”
The Shack
“Go Big, Go Full, Go Now, Just Go”
Loren Thornburg
“Our power lies not in our perfection but in our pursuit.”
Loren Thornburg
“Not because you don’t fear,
not because you don’t worry,
and not because you don’t face difficulty,
but because there is courage for the fear,
there is peace for the worry and
there is hope for the difficulty.”
Loren Thornburg
“The battle is often heard before it is seen”
Loren Thornburg
“Not because there’s no opposition
and not because there’s no reason to fear.
But because there’s a reason that’s bigger,
And there’s a hope that is greater
that is how we can all persevere”
Loren Thornburg
“The measure of your worth has nothing to do with the balance in your bank account.”
T.C Powell
“If we wait to see how it will all turn out we will miss the blessings along the way.”
Loren Thornburg
"There may be reason to fear, there may be reason to worry, there may be reason to give up...BUT LOOK! There is reason to trust, there is reason to hope, there is reason to persevere...that's greater!"Loren Thornburg
“Prepare now so you can prosper later”
Loren Thornburg
“Faith is believing regardless of anything else”
Loren Thornburg
“We are builders. Some with their hands, but all with our lives.”
Loren Thornburg
“The building is only as strong as the foundation.”
“Hope is as strong as where you put it”
Loren Thornburg
“Do you have fears or do your fears have you?”
Loren Thornburg
“When you figure out love is all that matters after all
it sure makes everything else seem so small.”
Carrie Underwood, So Small
Though seasons change hope remains
Loren Thornburg
“Though the flames rage and the fire is fierce, the burning will stop, the smoke will clear and we will once again find we can see.”
Loren Thornburg
“There is wonder around you there is greatness to see.
In your midst lies amazement if you’ll stop to perceive.”
Loren Thornburg
“When one wants to trust one must first be willing.”
Loren Thornburg
“Peace is always an option.”
Loren Thornburg
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing.”
Loren Thornburg
“Hope remains for those counting on Jesus when the countdown is over.”
Loren Thornburg
See beyond what’s in front of you to the hope that is near.”
Loren Thornburg
“Take another look, try a different view.
There’s provision in this moment. If you’ll see with eyes anew.”
Loren Thornburg
“Patience precedes all great things.”
Loren Thornburg
“I can’t just fight when I think I’ll win it’s the end of all belief
and nothing has provoked it more than a possible defeat”
Sara Groves
“We have heard love is patient, love is kind. But have you heard this love is for you?”
Loren Thornburg
“What once was brown now green
What once seemed dead now alive
What once was dry now flowing
But only after it rains
Who once was sad now joyful
Who once was broken now restored
Who once was empty now filled
But only after it rains
When all seems dark hold on
When life’s a storm press through
For new things full of life are coming
But only after it rains”
Loren Thornburg
“Recognize your riches, discover your diamonds, take hold of your talents and stick to your strengths.”
Loren Thornburg
“With change comes challenge but through change comes greatness. For the butterfly would still be a caterpillar if not for the change.”
Loren Thornburg
“Let go of what was so you can grab hold of what’s to come.”
Loren Thornburg
“Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius.”
Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon
Fortified Focus
“Our lives are strengthened when we focus on that which gives us strength.”
Loren Thornburg
“Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not.”
2 Timothy 4:2
“It may look different and not as you thought. But hold tight, for these trials and pains are bringing something different, even better than you thought.”
Loren Thornburg
“The deeper the roots the higher the reach.”
Starbucks
“Detoured but not off track, Delayed but making good time
Sometimes the long way’s faster And the shortest distance is not a line”
Loren Thornburg
“You can’t be free if you don’t reach for help.”
Natalie Grant…In Better Hands
“I don’t want to spend my whole life asking,
‘what if I had given everything?’
instead of going through the motions.”
Matthew West…The Motions
“Experience life today in all of the fullness of which you were created to do”
Loren Thornburg
“Take care in where you’re looking. Your eyes direct your path. Distractions will divert you. But vision will direct you.”
Loren Thornburg
“Not as you thought, not as you hoped, not as you wanted, not at you planned.
It’s better, it’s greater, it’s perfect. What once seemed failed is more.”
Loren Thornburg
“…much can be remembered and learned by looking back, but only for a visit, not an extended stay…”
William Young, The Shack
“Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship.”
The Shack
“Go Big, Go Full, Go Now, Just Go”
Loren Thornburg
“Our power lies not in our perfection but in our pursuit.”
Loren Thornburg
“Not because you don’t fear,
not because you don’t worry,
and not because you don’t face difficulty,
but because there is courage for the fear,
there is peace for the worry and
there is hope for the difficulty.”
Loren Thornburg
“The battle is often heard before it is seen”
Loren Thornburg
“Not because there’s no opposition
and not because there’s no reason to fear.
But because there’s a reason that’s bigger,
And there’s a hope that is greater
that is how we can all persevere”
Loren Thornburg
“The measure of your worth has nothing to do with the balance in your bank account.”
T.C Powell
“If we wait to see how it will all turn out we will miss the blessings along the way.”
Loren Thornburg
"There may be reason to fear, there may be reason to worry, there may be reason to give up...BUT LOOK! There is reason to trust, there is reason to hope, there is reason to persevere...that's greater!"Loren Thornburg
“Prepare now so you can prosper later”
Loren Thornburg
“Faith is believing regardless of anything else”
Loren Thornburg
“We are builders. Some with their hands, but all with our lives.”
Loren Thornburg
“The building is only as strong as the foundation.”
“Hope is as strong as where you put it”
Loren Thornburg
“Do you have fears or do your fears have you?”
Loren Thornburg
“When you figure out love is all that matters after all
it sure makes everything else seem so small.”
Carrie Underwood, So Small
Though seasons change hope remains
Loren Thornburg
“Though the flames rage and the fire is fierce, the burning will stop, the smoke will clear and we will once again find we can see.”
Loren Thornburg
“There is wonder around you there is greatness to see.
In your midst lies amazement if you’ll stop to perceive.”
Loren Thornburg
“When one wants to trust one must first be willing.”
Loren Thornburg
“Peace is always an option.”
Loren Thornburg
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing.”
Loren Thornburg
“Hope remains for those counting on Jesus when the countdown is over.”
Loren Thornburg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
