Glad to be Sad

“When we are sad we can be thankful, for we have had something in our lives with such meaning that it is worth being sad about.”
Loren Thornburg

Leaving is hard as is being left. I have been on both ends. Now I find myself on the leaving end as I get ready to leave for Colorado. There have been many goodbyes and tears of sadness. Although for many it is ‘see ya later’ there is also a grieving in the midst of change. I am reminded how hard it is to leave, but also at the same time so thankful that I have invested into and been invested into in ways that make it hard to leave. The sadness is a reminder of how meaningful my time here has been. And so although I am sad I am also glad that I have been given the opportunity to be a part of something that is worth being sad about. May you too in the midst of your sadness see the gladness. The reason for your sadness is that it has been that meaningful to you. So we can be glad that we have something so meaningful that it demands our sadness.

“For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you.”

Isaiah 54:10

Isaiah 54 is all about the compassion of the Lord for those who mourn. This is not just a compassion that feels sorry for you but one that is seen. A compassion that leads our God to action. He is not just on the sidelines wishing things were different for us but He is with us, on our side, rebuilding our lives from the shame and grief that they were once known by into something beautiful. This is why we can trust Him when He says that in the midst of things falling apart He will remain loyal. He will be there with us making us into something new! So in the midst of our sadness we truly can find reason to be thankful for God is doing something new in us. Until we can see it we can trust Him, the loyal God, who is on our side.

First Things First

“Crawl before you walk; Walk before you run

First things must come first; Otherwise you’ll end up with none”

Loren Thornburg

As we watch college football and the high caliber athletes it’s hard to think that at one point they could only do the basics and that at times even with their advanced skills that they still go back to the basics. As a coach I see firsthand the importance of the fundamentals. The athletes I work with are constantly wanting to move on to more advanced skills such as throwing different kinds of pitches not understanding that it would do them no good to learn those skills without the foundational skills on which to build upon. I find I do the same thing in life wanting to be farther ahead missing the importance of where I’m at as a building block to where I’m going. Even at times in things I may be more advanced in there are times when I need to go back to the basics, to reinforce my foundation to make all that I have built upon even stronger. First things must come first.

“And a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you.””

Mark 1:11 NLT

Jesus, in all of His divinity, still was told of who He was by our Father. He was Loved and He belonged to Him as His Son. The Father was pleased with Him and this is where His ministry began. It began with this truth and went out from there. It was out of this truth that Jesus was able to go and do all the Father had planned for Him. This love came first for Jesus and must for us as well. Before we do we must first be. We must first know that we are loved, so loved by our Father, we are His child, we belong to Him and He is fully pleased with us for being nothing more than His. For out of not just knowing this, but being in this we can freely go and do all He has planned for us. It is in this security that we find the solution to many of our concerns. I find Him responding to most of my concerns with, “I love you” because it is in this truth that I find what I need to overcome. He longs to speak this to you too, so hear Him now...I love you and am fully pleased with you.

Navigating Life

“We all need help, we all need direction, we all need...and that’s okay.”

Loren Thornburg

The more I drive in this age of GPS (global positioning system) and Map Quest Directions the more I realize how helpful those things can be. I save so much time with the help of directions to guide my way and a GPS to navigate. It makes me wonder why we don’t do this more with our lives. Directions gives us by definition the “course that must be taken to reach a destination.” So why would we try to go it alone when we not only could benefit from help but we need help. Now this is not to neglect another important lessons when it comes to these navigational tools is that you have to think for yourself. That doesn’t mean do it all yourself but to factor the suggestions in with your own knowledge of what you know and what makes sense for you.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

John 14:26 ESV

Navigation is a process more than a thing. By definition it is the “process or activity of accurately ascertaining one’s position and planning one’s route.” We who have asked for Jesus have the best navigation system you could ever want or need. We have the Holy Spirit. He is the Ultimate GPS for He reroutes us when we are off track in life, recalculates how we can get back on track, and always leads us to the correct destination even when it doesn’t make sense. He can be trusted! He is our Helper, always present, always willing, always pointing us to the Father. Those are directions that I want to follow! I need only ask for the Spirit to help, pay attention to the way the Spirit is leading me, and follow where He is pointing me.

Let Truth be True

“Let reality be real in your life. Let truth be true in your life. Let hope be hopeful in your life. It’s already true...live like it.”

Loren Thornburg

Have you ever noticed how so often we can see so much good in others that we can’t see in ourselves? It’s so much easier to see gifts in someone else than to see them in ourselves. I’m sure we have all been in position to not be able to understand how someone could not see the greatness that we see in them. Yet at the same time those things can be true of ourselves, that we don’t see in us the things that others see. I don’t have it all figured out but what I do know is that there are some things that are truth. Truth is defined as a fact of belief that is accepted as true. So if it’s true that we have worth, we have gifts, we have value then why not start living like it!! You have worth! You have gifts to offer! You have value!! That is truth so what is keeping you from living like that is true! It’s not true for everyone except for you! You are not the exception! You are part of the reality!! Let that Truth be true...even in your life!

“Brothers, what the Holy Spirit predicted through David in Scripture about Judas had to come true…”

Acts 1:16 GWT

The Scriptures had to come true and they still have to come true. Just as when the Holy

Spirit predicted what would happen with Judas came true, so do all of the promises of God. Those have come true because the Scripture has to come true, it has to fulfill and complete that which it set forth to do. So when it says the Lord is Faithful that means that the Lord has to be faithful! When it says the Lord has plans and purposes for your life that means this has to come true, for the Lord does indeed have plans and purposes for your life. Just as we seen other predictions come true so we see that the Scriptures have to come true. So often I live like these truths are debatable or subject to be untrue, when the reality is that they are already TRUTH. They are already true for me to live like they are true. Don’t miss what’s already true...You have worth, You have value, You are Loved by God!! It’s already true whether you live it or not...so why not live like it?!

Dare to Hope

“There is a risk, there is always a risk, but hope is worth the risk.”

Loren Thornburg

Risk is a scary thing because it means there is a chance for injury or loss. We become face to face with exposure to pain and hurt which are things we try to avoid at all cost. Hope is a risk. It is a risk to believe that what you want or desire can actually come true and that things will turn out for the best. Often it seems easier not to hope or to have high expectations. If we keep them low we also keep from being let down. The problem in doing this is that we miss out on much. We miss out on the life in hoping. For while there may be loss if things don’t work out as we hoped, we may get hurt, there may be pain, yet the greater loss is not to have hope. It is in hoping, in believing that we find life!! And let us not forget that the other side of risk is that there is a chance for great reward, great joy, and great life!! There is a chance that our desires will come true. Take the chance...dare to hope.

“The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words...Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord never ends!”

Lamentations 3:19-22 NLT

Now if anyone saw reason to stop hoping it was Jeremiah. After destruction of Jerusalem and it’s people that he tried to warn for years of this fate if they did not repent Jeremiah laments among the ruins of the city through the book of Lamentations. Yet, even after all that he experienced and all that he saw, one destruction after another, he still dared to hope. I can’t help but be challenged to have the same Hope as Jeremiah in the places in my life that look like ruins. His kind of hope was not in things of this world but in the one true LORD whose unfailing love never ends. We have a guarantee that God’s love never fails and never ends, but as Jeremiah and you and I can attest to that doesn’t mean there won’t be ruins in our lives. So the risk remains...to dare to hope in the midst of things that don’t look hopeful. We can because the promise remains...His Love will never end. We can because that promise means that even when it looks bad God’s love is at work accomplishing all of its purposes beyond what we see. So, let us dare to hope by remembering we have a God who loves and can’t stop loving no matter what!!

Known in the Unknown

“As you walk through the unknown trust the known.”

Loren Thornburg

The unknown can bring all sorts of emotions including fear and anxiety. Yet if we look to those we know to go with us, ask those we know for wisdom, and focus our attention on other things that we know to be true the unknown becomes more known. For me, one who is not gifted with directions even the unknown of driving to a new location can bring unsettling emotions. Yet, if I have someone with me who has been there before and is familiar with the destination I am no longer fearful. In addition, if I get directions or have a GPS I am more at ease. I can also remind myself of previous experiences and other things that are true such as, I have driven to new places with success before and if I have trouble there are people I can call for help. The more I look to these resources and things that I know the less anxiety I find. Now, if only driving in unfamiliar territory was the biggest unknown that we face!! However, this principle is true even in the big stuff. For the transition to college, moving across the country, stepping into a new role, changing jobs, or whatever it is that you are facing it still applies. The more we can look to things that we know the less the fear and anxiety can take hold.

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me...You will show me the way of life.”

Psalm 16: 8 & 11 NLT

We have a God who we can trust to show us the way of life. No matter where our unknown destination may be Jesus has been there before and is with us for the journey. Jesus is the one you want with you in the car when you don’t know where you’re going. You can ride easy with Him knowing that He has been there before, whatever it is that you are facing. Unfortunately sometimes we forget to look to Him for direction, to look to Him for comfort, to look to Him. For when we do we will not be shaken. He is our known because we KNOW that He is trustworthy, that He will never leave us, that He is good, that He has plans for us, that He will show us the way to life, that He loves us. In knowing that we can trust the unknowns that come our way. Knowing means being aware. The more we can fill our awareness with Jesus the more we can trust the unknown times of our lives. Be aware of what you know...Jesus leads to life!!

Don't Forget to Celebrate

“With all there is to do and the distance there remains to go don’t forget to celebrate how much has been done and the distance already come.”

Loren Thornburg

Celebration is the act of marking one’s pleasure at an event or occasion. We are most familiar with a birthday or holiday celebration and then there is the celebration of a big accomplishment. Yet, what about all the little ones that really aren’t so little?! The habit you’ve been working to break that you saw improvement in, the fear you’ve been having that you found a bit of freedom from, the control that you surrendered a little more of...those are worth celebrating. Sometimes we get so focused on working on things, on growing, on doing things better that we miss the change, the growth, and the small victories that in all actuality are a big deal! For it is those little ones that are necessary for the bigger ones. It is in celebrating that we find hope and encouragement to continue the process. You don’t have to throw a big party, although you could. It could be as simple as remembering and resting in that accomplishment, sharing with friends and making a toast, or doing something fun. There are a number of ways to celebrate but each of them is an act of remembering the distance that you’ve come and the big deal that it is!! Let’s celebrate!!

“All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us.”

2 Corinthians 1:3 NLT

It is God at the center of everything. The more we stop to remember the things in our lives that we have to celebrate, the more we can praise Him! The more we see how we have been blessed, been changed, and been redeemed the more we see His hand of mercy and comfort in our lives. The more we see the more we celebrate and praise and the more we praise the more we are changed and the more there is to celebrate. It’s a cycle that just can’t stop with God at the center. Whether we see it or not will not change the truth of God being the source, but we change the more we stop to celebrate this truth in our own lives. Remember to celebrate...it’s God at the center, as the source of everything, of all you have to celebrate!!