“You are surrounded with reasons to be thankful if only you would look.”
Loren Thornburg
Don’t miss it! Do you see it? There are reasons everywhere…right in front of you, behind you, before you, it’s all around you. Even in that place of struggle, even in the place of tears, even here there are so many reasons to be thankful. Often we miss them in the name of entitlement, pride, and expectations. Somewhere along the way we came to believe that the world owes us. Yet, no where did the world sign you a contract stating that things would always be easy, go as you want, and that you would get everything you want. And if you did well I hate to break it to you, but you were misinformed. The other bad news is that the opposite is true…there will be pain, there will be times when things don’t go your way and you won’t always get what you want. But the good news is there is reason to be thankful!!! There are many reasons that we miss on the road of never enough. But if you will stop with me and look you will find…you are blessed…right here…wherever that is!!
“How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.”
Psalm 111:2 NLT
God didn’t have to. He didn’t have to do all those amazing deeds! He didn’t have to save you, He didn’t have to love you, He didn’t have to bless you in all the ways that He has…but He did. He did and He wanted to! So often we miss it. We miss all the ways that He has shown up in our lives, has always been present in our lives, guided, provided and protected. We miss it looking at the ways that we think He didn’t show up, didn’t speak, didn’t guide, didn’t provide and didn’t protect in our timing. Sometimes we get caught looking there so long that we miss the ways He is meeting us. Let’s not miss it anymore! Lets ponder all the ways that God didn’t have to, but He did. He has given us so much to be thankful for…don’t miss it…look for it…ponder it!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Settle for More
“How much more we miss because we are willing to settle for less”
Loren Thornburg
Settling in itself is not a bad thing. We settle on decisions, settle conflicts, settle in a new home, settle new lands, settle debts, settle legal disputes, or become calm and settled. The problem is that we are often too quick to settle or too early to stop and in that we miss out on so much. I am reminded of this often when I am hiking as I am tempted to stop before the top. There are many reasons to stop…my legs get tired, the climb is hard, the weather is bad. However, what I find as the greatest temptation is a good view. Often along the hike there are places where you get a good view. If I didn’t know there was an even better view up ahead I would settle or subside to stay there in the good view, missing the best view. It reminds me how often I am willing to do that in my life. I cling to what is good and in doing that miss the best. Satisfied with a relationship, a way of living or way of doing things that is in fact suitable or even above average but in staying there in that I miss what could be, I miss a better relationship, a more suitable way of living, and a more effective way of doing things. So enjoy the good, yes, but don’t stop there, move forward until you reach the best!
“Come close, listen carefully: I've never kept secrets from you. I've always been present with you."…"I am God, your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I show you what to do, where to go. If you had listened all along to what I told you, your life would have flowed full like a river, blessings rolling in like waves from the sea. “
Isaiah 48: 17-19 MSG
The Lord has our best in mind. In all things He longs for us to settle for nothing less. He invites us to come close to Him, to settle in Him, to lead us and guide us into His best. For in His best we find our best. The Israelites missed this. They missed the invitation to come to Him and in that they missed all the blessings that flow from Him like waves of the sea. We can miss it like the Israelites did in our hikes of life. We don’t always know what is good and what is best when left to our own and we can be quick to settle for the good view along the way. This is why the Lord calls us to Himself so that He can show us the way. He is not in the business of keeping things from us. If only we will look to Him, draw near to Him, listen carefully to Him. He is leading us to more, to best, to HIM! Trail maps may fail, tour guides may falter, but our God never keeps His best from us if we are willing to look to Him, to climb with Him, to follow Him through the tough terrain, the steep incline, and the bad weather. He has your best in mind if you will settle for nothing less than settling on HIM!!
Loren Thornburg
Settling in itself is not a bad thing. We settle on decisions, settle conflicts, settle in a new home, settle new lands, settle debts, settle legal disputes, or become calm and settled. The problem is that we are often too quick to settle or too early to stop and in that we miss out on so much. I am reminded of this often when I am hiking as I am tempted to stop before the top. There are many reasons to stop…my legs get tired, the climb is hard, the weather is bad. However, what I find as the greatest temptation is a good view. Often along the hike there are places where you get a good view. If I didn’t know there was an even better view up ahead I would settle or subside to stay there in the good view, missing the best view. It reminds me how often I am willing to do that in my life. I cling to what is good and in doing that miss the best. Satisfied with a relationship, a way of living or way of doing things that is in fact suitable or even above average but in staying there in that I miss what could be, I miss a better relationship, a more suitable way of living, and a more effective way of doing things. So enjoy the good, yes, but don’t stop there, move forward until you reach the best!
“Come close, listen carefully: I've never kept secrets from you. I've always been present with you."…"I am God, your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I show you what to do, where to go. If you had listened all along to what I told you, your life would have flowed full like a river, blessings rolling in like waves from the sea. “
Isaiah 48: 17-19 MSG
The Lord has our best in mind. In all things He longs for us to settle for nothing less. He invites us to come close to Him, to settle in Him, to lead us and guide us into His best. For in His best we find our best. The Israelites missed this. They missed the invitation to come to Him and in that they missed all the blessings that flow from Him like waves of the sea. We can miss it like the Israelites did in our hikes of life. We don’t always know what is good and what is best when left to our own and we can be quick to settle for the good view along the way. This is why the Lord calls us to Himself so that He can show us the way. He is not in the business of keeping things from us. If only we will look to Him, draw near to Him, listen carefully to Him. He is leading us to more, to best, to HIM! Trail maps may fail, tour guides may falter, but our God never keeps His best from us if we are willing to look to Him, to climb with Him, to follow Him through the tough terrain, the steep incline, and the bad weather. He has your best in mind if you will settle for nothing less than settling on HIM!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Where are you looking
“Often times it’s not because it’s not there, but because you’re not looking”
Loren Thornburg
I remember getting my Honda Accord only to notice that it was everywhere. I hadn’t noticed it until I was now looking for it since I had one. Or those days I am feeling sorry for myself I can make long lists of reason why my life is so hard. It seems I find what I am looking for. Yet what if I began looking for things to be thankful for?! What might happen then? I might find them!! When you start looking, you start finding it is all around you. So often I become so focused on what’s wrong that I miss what’s right! Don’t miss it! It’s right in front of you…if you will only start looking. Where are you looking?
“Keep on asking and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7 NLT
Keep on looking and you will find…Jesus! What are you looking for today? In need of help, in need of comfort, in need of saving, in need of hope? It is all around you because He is all around you. He has said He will supply all of your needs if we will be willing to ask and keep on asking, look and keep on looking, knock and keep on knocking. He knows what you need even before you ask, look or knock. But will you be willing to look? So often it seems I get caught in finding all the ways I am not finding that which I think I need. Yet when I begin looking to Him rather than to my needs I find what I am looking for. I find this verse that once seemed like a nice idea becomes truth.. It was not that I wasn’t given, finding or doors weren’t opened, but that I wasn’t asking, looking, and knocking for Him. Start looking…you just might find…Jesus. And where you find Jesus you just might find all you have been looking for. He is opening doors for you! Look for Him!!
Loren Thornburg
I remember getting my Honda Accord only to notice that it was everywhere. I hadn’t noticed it until I was now looking for it since I had one. Or those days I am feeling sorry for myself I can make long lists of reason why my life is so hard. It seems I find what I am looking for. Yet what if I began looking for things to be thankful for?! What might happen then? I might find them!! When you start looking, you start finding it is all around you. So often I become so focused on what’s wrong that I miss what’s right! Don’t miss it! It’s right in front of you…if you will only start looking. Where are you looking?
“Keep on asking and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7 NLT
Keep on looking and you will find…Jesus! What are you looking for today? In need of help, in need of comfort, in need of saving, in need of hope? It is all around you because He is all around you. He has said He will supply all of your needs if we will be willing to ask and keep on asking, look and keep on looking, knock and keep on knocking. He knows what you need even before you ask, look or knock. But will you be willing to look? So often it seems I get caught in finding all the ways I am not finding that which I think I need. Yet when I begin looking to Him rather than to my needs I find what I am looking for. I find this verse that once seemed like a nice idea becomes truth.. It was not that I wasn’t given, finding or doors weren’t opened, but that I wasn’t asking, looking, and knocking for Him. Start looking…you just might find…Jesus. And where you find Jesus you just might find all you have been looking for. He is opening doors for you! Look for Him!!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Even Here
“Even here in the pain, even here in the sadness, even here in the desperation there is hope.
It is here if you will grab it, letting go of all else, it is hope that is enough…even here.”
Loren Thornburg
Hope is like the sun. It always exists, you just can’t always see it. The other morning I ventured to watch the sun rise to find disappointment in finding only clouds. Yet, in fact, I was at sun rise for the sun did rise; I just couldn’t see it behind the clouds. The same is true of hope in our lives. Hope is still there in our cloudy days and in the storm of all storms days. We may not see it, but like the sun it is there. Our eyes are not the determiner of hope, nor are our emotions, just as clouds are not the determiners of the existence of the sun. Clouds, like pain, only make it harder to see the hope. So just know that whether you see hope or not, whether you feel the hope or not, whether it seems there is reason to hope or not…there is. Just like the sun hope is always there. Yes, even here, in your pain, there is hope.
“Even there shall Your hand lead me and Your right hand shall hold me.”Psalm 139:10 Amplified
So often we feel outside of redeemable, outside of restorable, outside of the hands of God. But, once again, our feelings are not truth. For God has said, even there He will lead us, even there He will hold us. Even there, right here, wherever you are, is never too far for the hand of God. So regardless of where you are, what you’ve done, or how you feel listen to this truth…even there His hand will lead you, even there His hand will hold you. But don’t just take it from me. Listen to Him say it to you. He is speaking to you.
“Child, there is nowhere you can go that I won’t be there. Even in this place, even here, in your pain, in your sin, in your desperation. Child, even there My hand will guide you, My strength will support you, My hand will hold you. It will hold you through your tears, through your shame, through your confusion. But, Child, what’s even more is these things are already true. Even now, My hand IS guiding you, even now My strength IS supporting you, and even now my hand IS holding you. For even now I AM! So Child, take hold of My hand! I long to hold you, I desire to lead you, I love to love you, My Child.”.
It is here if you will grab it, letting go of all else, it is hope that is enough…even here.”
Loren Thornburg
Hope is like the sun. It always exists, you just can’t always see it. The other morning I ventured to watch the sun rise to find disappointment in finding only clouds. Yet, in fact, I was at sun rise for the sun did rise; I just couldn’t see it behind the clouds. The same is true of hope in our lives. Hope is still there in our cloudy days and in the storm of all storms days. We may not see it, but like the sun it is there. Our eyes are not the determiner of hope, nor are our emotions, just as clouds are not the determiners of the existence of the sun. Clouds, like pain, only make it harder to see the hope. So just know that whether you see hope or not, whether you feel the hope or not, whether it seems there is reason to hope or not…there is. Just like the sun hope is always there. Yes, even here, in your pain, there is hope.
“Even there shall Your hand lead me and Your right hand shall hold me.”Psalm 139:10 Amplified
So often we feel outside of redeemable, outside of restorable, outside of the hands of God. But, once again, our feelings are not truth. For God has said, even there He will lead us, even there He will hold us. Even there, right here, wherever you are, is never too far for the hand of God. So regardless of where you are, what you’ve done, or how you feel listen to this truth…even there His hand will lead you, even there His hand will hold you. But don’t just take it from me. Listen to Him say it to you. He is speaking to you.
“Child, there is nowhere you can go that I won’t be there. Even in this place, even here, in your pain, in your sin, in your desperation. Child, even there My hand will guide you, My strength will support you, My hand will hold you. It will hold you through your tears, through your shame, through your confusion. But, Child, what’s even more is these things are already true. Even now, My hand IS guiding you, even now My strength IS supporting you, and even now my hand IS holding you. For even now I AM! So Child, take hold of My hand! I long to hold you, I desire to lead you, I love to love you, My Child.”.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
More Than Mediocre
"More than mediocre. More that sub par. Don't stop, don't settle, keep raising the bar."Loren Thornburg Camping is not something I do often, thus neither is putting up a tent. Now I am not going to tell you how long it took my friends and I to put it up but I am glad that we got there well before dark. With almost 30 different poles sitting on the ground, no directions, and not much experience I was wishing for the tents everyone else had that basically put themselves up. After much trial, error, and frustration the tent was finally up and even functional. However, we soon realized it could be better and would potentially be harmed if we didn't take it all down and re-build the entire thing. Now, if it were up to me I would have just left it. But luckily it wasn't, so we pushed through, past the mediocre tent, to something that was even better. Not only did it now function better, but it functioned as that tent was designed, which made the whole trip more enjoyable. Life is often like that. We wish for the instant tent, we settle for less than best and in doing that we miss life in the big tent that not only functions, but functions well, just as it was designed to. If only we are willing to push past the times when it seems there is nothing, when it seems to be moving slow, when it seems too much work. Step beyond mediocre! Step out of sub par! You were made for something more than mediocre. "Lord you discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You have restored me to health and allowed me to live."Isaiah 38:16 NLT You have been made with excellence in mind. Thus, you will never be fully satisfied until you are walking in that excellence. However, sometimes the road to excellence is paved with times that seem fallen down, broken, missing parts, with no way to be put back together. Other times we settle for minimal function unaware we are capable of so much more because we are not willing to be taken apart and rebuilt. But, God, the one who made you wants to do that. And you can trust Him. For He is the One, who formed you, who knows you, who loves you. Yes, you can trust Him in the times that you see no way out, when you see no signs of hope, when you see nothing. Yes, you can trust Him. For He is good. He is resotring you to life and health more than you have known before. He wants not only to restore but bring you to more life than you've ever known before. Will you trust Him, the One who made you, to bring you to more of the excellence He created you to walk in?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Treasures in the Darkness
“Though you walk in the dark, keep on,
for there you will find treasures that will be seen in the light.”
Loren Thornburg
Life is full of ups and downs, highs and lows, mountain tops and valleys, places where things feel full of light and places of darkness. We would prefer it to be full of ups, highs, mountain tops, and light. Unfortunately it is only by the darkness of the dark that we understand the greatness found in the light. So often we find that the greatest treasures this life has to bring are in the places we thought least likely to find them. They are in the dark, in the hard, in those low places of our lives. And what’s more is that it is those hard places that bring us to even more light in our life; light that we would not have known were it not for the darkness. It is in the darkness that we find treasures we would have missed if not for the darkness. So though you walk in the dark know that the treasures will be seen in the light.
“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”
Isaiah 45:3 NLT
Are you walking through a tough time?...God is there! He is walking with you, even in the darkness. He made both the light and the dark. There is nowhere that you can go that He is not there. Knowing that He is with you even in your darkness it only makes sense that there would be treasures there, secret riches! He loves to show Himself to you! He is calling you by name through your darkness…can you hear Him? He is calling you into His treasures and His riches. No matter where you are, or how you got there He wants you to let Him be God and show Himself as Himself…all powerful, all knowing, all wise, all wonderful, all good, all God! You may not see Him, you may not hear Him, you may not have the treasures yet but know He is there, He is calling you by name, He is giving you treasures and riches that you may know that He is Lord even more, even deeper, even greater than ever before. That is who He is and He can’t help but do it any other way. Hold onto His truth and don’t miss His treasures. They may be hidden in your darkness.
for there you will find treasures that will be seen in the light.”
Loren Thornburg
Life is full of ups and downs, highs and lows, mountain tops and valleys, places where things feel full of light and places of darkness. We would prefer it to be full of ups, highs, mountain tops, and light. Unfortunately it is only by the darkness of the dark that we understand the greatness found in the light. So often we find that the greatest treasures this life has to bring are in the places we thought least likely to find them. They are in the dark, in the hard, in those low places of our lives. And what’s more is that it is those hard places that bring us to even more light in our life; light that we would not have known were it not for the darkness. It is in the darkness that we find treasures we would have missed if not for the darkness. So though you walk in the dark know that the treasures will be seen in the light.
“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”
Isaiah 45:3 NLT
Are you walking through a tough time?...God is there! He is walking with you, even in the darkness. He made both the light and the dark. There is nowhere that you can go that He is not there. Knowing that He is with you even in your darkness it only makes sense that there would be treasures there, secret riches! He loves to show Himself to you! He is calling you by name through your darkness…can you hear Him? He is calling you into His treasures and His riches. No matter where you are, or how you got there He wants you to let Him be God and show Himself as Himself…all powerful, all knowing, all wise, all wonderful, all good, all God! You may not see Him, you may not hear Him, you may not have the treasures yet but know He is there, He is calling you by name, He is giving you treasures and riches that you may know that He is Lord even more, even deeper, even greater than ever before. That is who He is and He can’t help but do it any other way. Hold onto His truth and don’t miss His treasures. They may be hidden in your darkness.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
True Trust Acts
“Fear keeps your hands in close;
Faith reaches your hand out;
Trust believes someone will grab it and lets go”
Loren Thornburg
Trust is defined as confidence and reliance on the integrity, strength, ability of a person or thing. Technically trust is both a thing and an action, a noun and a verb. But we can only see the fruits of trust when we put it into action and let it be a verb, especially a verb with an ing at the end. This implies trust which not only acts but is acting now, presently. We can say our trust is in this or that as a thing, as a noun, but until we have to act on that trust it is not true trust. For if we are not willing to act on that thing we say that our trust is in, how is that really the trust we defined. There is no confidence, reliance, or surety in something that we are not willing to step out in. True Trust is willing to act. It not only says it trusts, but it reaches out and lets go because it is truly confident, truly reliant, and truly sure of the strength, integrity, and ability of that which its trust is in. True trust is trusting.
“Trust me in your times of trouble and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
Psalm 51:15 NLT
Trouble brings such fear into our lives and fear tends to bring us greater trouble. For in our fear so often we tighten up and look in. We stop looking, stop reaching for help. We take things into our own hands seeing no other way out. The reasons are many to stop trusting, but none is bigger than our God, who rescues and saves. God loves to show up in our times of trouble. Yet so often we don’t trust Him enough to give Him the time and space to rescue in His timing, in His way. God asks that we trust with a trust that is true, with a trust that acts, and with a trust that is present with an ing at the end. He asks because He knows His ability to rescue us is greater than any other person or thing. Not only does He have the ability to rescue you from that fear, from that circumstance, from that impossible place but He longs to do that. And if that’s not enough when we let Him rescue us from whatever our place of rescuing is He gets the glory.
Faith reaches your hand out;
Trust believes someone will grab it and lets go”
Loren Thornburg
Trust is defined as confidence and reliance on the integrity, strength, ability of a person or thing. Technically trust is both a thing and an action, a noun and a verb. But we can only see the fruits of trust when we put it into action and let it be a verb, especially a verb with an ing at the end. This implies trust which not only acts but is acting now, presently. We can say our trust is in this or that as a thing, as a noun, but until we have to act on that trust it is not true trust. For if we are not willing to act on that thing we say that our trust is in, how is that really the trust we defined. There is no confidence, reliance, or surety in something that we are not willing to step out in. True Trust is willing to act. It not only says it trusts, but it reaches out and lets go because it is truly confident, truly reliant, and truly sure of the strength, integrity, and ability of that which its trust is in. True trust is trusting.
“Trust me in your times of trouble and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
Psalm 51:15 NLT
Trouble brings such fear into our lives and fear tends to bring us greater trouble. For in our fear so often we tighten up and look in. We stop looking, stop reaching for help. We take things into our own hands seeing no other way out. The reasons are many to stop trusting, but none is bigger than our God, who rescues and saves. God loves to show up in our times of trouble. Yet so often we don’t trust Him enough to give Him the time and space to rescue in His timing, in His way. God asks that we trust with a trust that is true, with a trust that acts, and with a trust that is present with an ing at the end. He asks because He knows His ability to rescue us is greater than any other person or thing. Not only does He have the ability to rescue you from that fear, from that circumstance, from that impossible place but He longs to do that. And if that’s not enough when we let Him rescue us from whatever our place of rescuing is He gets the glory.
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