Charisa Stories

Tag: trust god

  • A Life Lesson from My Labrador

    A Life Lesson from My Labrador

    One of the most valuable spiritual lessons from my rescued Labrador Hannah was the genesis of my book Stay.

    I had just stumbled through the back door from an all-night flight in the spring of 2011 when I noticed something was amiss with Hannah. Normally she would celebrate my arrival with a wild, exuberant, spinning dance accompanied by a vibrating, thumping tail. This time, her greeting was subdued, her gait slow, and her soulful eyes dull. 

    Joni and I immediately knew that something was wrong. Even though she seemed slightly better as the day wore on, we made an appointment with the vet just to make sure. 

    A suspicious growth on her spleen and fluid in her stomach signaled a grim prognosis. On Monday morning, we went to a specialist who confirmed the diagnosis. Dr. Carmenn Woolley explained the sad options we faced. Hannah had a splenic tumor which, given her age, would likely be malignant. 

    Our choices were less than optimal. Without surgery, Hannah’s tumor would rupture and bleed out and she would likely die within days or even sooner. With the surgery, she would still face an uncertain future, especially if the tumor was malignant. We could be talking a matter of weeks. The surgery was very expensive with no guarantees. 

    Still, a recent tax refund had given us the rare luxury of money to spend as we wished. Joni had a list of projects far more extensive than the refund would cover, and she had been trying to decide which project topped the list. That night we discussed the new reality. We could just try to keep our canine friend comfortable, or we could use the refund for Hannah’s surgery and give her a fighting chance. 

    Two days later, I picked her up from the Lake Ray Hubbard Emergency Pet Care Center after a successful surgery. So much for the new furniture, house painting, or landscaping. In place of those things, we got a dog friend with a twelve-inch incision on her belly and the hope of some sweet time to say good-bye. 

    Even after surgery, Hannah’s diagnosis was ominous. Splenic hemangiosarcoma. It was a horrible-sounding disease with an even worse prognosis. Without chemotherapy, the survival predictions were nineteen to sixty days. Six months would be a miracle. Dr. Woolley showed great compassion as tears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. The doctor’s eyes grew misty as she shared one of the most painful duties of her job. She handed me a tissue, put her hand on my arm, and quietly said something. Since I was still reeling from the shock of everything that had happened so quickly, her words didn’t sink in until later.  

    “Hannah does not know she is sick. Dogs have no fear of death, so they live in the moment. Enjoy each moment that you have.” 

    I thought about that comment a lot in the days to come.

    Dogs have no fear of death so they live in the moment. Isn’t that a blueprint for how followers of Christ should live on a daily basis? I had been a Christian for more than thirty years and had not figured out such a succinct philosophy of living. Satan wants us to live in regret of the past and fear of the future, preventing us from contentment in the moment with our God and with those we love. 

    I began to learn that part of being content on the journey with Jesus is simply trusting Him one day at a time. You can’t live in regret of the past. It is forgiven. You can’t live in fear of the future. It is in God’s hands. Without regret or fear you are free to live in the moment. Or as C. S. Lewis put it, “Where, except in the present, can the Eternal be met?”

    Jesus proclaimed that exact message in the Gospel of Matthew.

    “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

    Matthew 6:25-27

    It was true. Worrying would not add a single moment to my life or my sweet canine friend. The treatment gave us many months of extra time. And I began the journey of living in the moment thanks to the example of Hannah.

    It is now my daily pursuit to trust God and savor each precious day.

  • What Are My Priorities?

    What Are My Priorities?

    I have been doing this church thing for a lot of years. I have sung hundreds of songs over the five decades or so that I have been a follower of Jesus. Some songs have great meaning to me. Some lyrics moved me to deep worship of God. Some times I really meant what I was singing. Other times I was singing through the motions while thinking about lunch and when the kick off was going to happen.

    Sometimes a song would make me really squirm.  One song in that category was recorded by the legendary George Beverly Shea in 1932.  The words were from a poem written by Mrs.Rhea Miller in 1922. Shea recalled the moment.

    At the age of twenty-three, I was living at home with my parents, continuing to work at Mutual Life Insurance and studying voice. Going to the piano one Sunday morning, I found a poem waiting for me there. I recognized my mother’s handwriting. She had copied the words of a poem by Mrs. Rhea F. Miller, knowing that I would read the beautiful message, which speaks of choice. As I read these precious words:

        I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause.
        I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause.

    I found myself singing the words in a melody that expressed the feelings of my heart.”

    Thanks to Mr.Shea I found myself going through a rather uncomfortable self-examination today.

    I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
    I’d rather be His than have riches untold;


    What a timely verse for times like these. As I watch my investment worth dwindle can I really say that I would rather have Jesus than silver or gold? Maybe our economy will make that decision for me.

    What would I have said if I was the young rich man described in Matthew? Here is the text from The Message.

    Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”  Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”

     The man asked, “What in particular?”

     Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.” The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”

    His response has always surprised me. That young man thought he was doing just fine. And then Jesus exposed his heart.

     “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”

    That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.

    I have held on tight to a lot of things. As I get older I wonder why.

     As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”

     The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”

     Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.” 

    That I can do. I can trust God. I have no choice because I have a long and spectacular track record of not being able to live this journey on my own ability. The song continues.

    I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
    I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
    I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame,
    I’d rather be true to His holy name.

    Given the sales of my books I am pretty safe from the world-wide fame snare. But I do crave men’s applause if I am not careful. 

    He’s all that my hungering spirit needs,
    I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead. 

    Perhaps the uncertainty in the world will cause all of us to evaluate our dependence on Christ. I hope that I will continue to grow in my desire to echo Paul and his words to the Phillipians.

    “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

    So can I sing the words of this classic hymn and mean it? God’s continuing faithfulness makes it possible.

  • Finding Peace in Dark Valleys

    Finding Peace in Dark Valleys

    No one gets through this journey unscathed. We will all face sadness, struggles, worry, sickness, and death. When I face trials I default to a song titled “Hold Me Jesus” from Rich Mullins. He is with Jesus now but Rich Mullins’s ability to capture our faith journey in lyric form was remarkable.

    Well, sometimes my life
    Just don’t make sense at all
    When the mountains look so big
    And my faith just seems so small

    Right now I am in a pretty good place in my life and journey with Jesus. But a heartbreaking number of my friends and loved ones are going through agonizing struggles and can relate completely to those lyrics. Rich Mullen’s words do not exaggerate the pain.

    And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
    It’s so hot inside my soul
    I swear there must be blisters on my heart

    I used to respond to troubles by thinking it must be my fault somehow. God must not be pleased with me. I would decide I had to do something to bolster my faith. I needed to read more verses or do a study or pray more or believe more. But the answer was far more simple and the chorus by Mullins nails it. All I needed was to rest in the love of God.

    So hold me Jesus, ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
    You have been King of my glory
    Won’t You be my Prince of Peace

    I needed to quit flailing and trying so darn hard to be righteous. Hold me Jesus. Won’t you be my Prince of Peace? In those moments this prayer is simple and profound.

    “God…would you love me today?”

    And He does. I don’t have to “do stuff” for God to earn His favor and receive His love and peace. For those of us “doers” who absolutely must do something here is your homework assignment.

    1. Believe what God says is true about you.

    That’s it. That is your assignment and it may not be as easy as it looks in print. Believe you are forgiven. Believe you are loved. Believe you are His child. Believe you are adopted. Believe you are redeemed. Believe you are a new creation.

    I have made it so stinkin’ complicated and performance based for so many years. When I trust what God says about me I am humbled. I worship. Believing how my Father sees me causes me to obey out of gratitude and not teeth gritting compliance.

    Why did I fight this amazing grace and His unconditional love? Well, Rich Mullins nails that too.

    Surrender don’t come natural to me
    I’d rather fight You for something
    I don’t really want
    Than to take what You give that I need
    And I’ve beat my head against so many walls
    Now I’m falling down, I’m falling on my knees

    That was me. Beating my head against a performance wall instead of surrendering to the extravagant gift of grace and freedom. Next time you are flailing and striving to please God would you try this simple request?

    “Jesus…would you love me today?” He has promised to be there.

    “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28, NLT)

    Hold me Jesus. I want to rest in your love today.

  • The Devastating Toll of Anxiety and Worry

    The Devastating Toll of Anxiety and Worry

    I see a lot of worried people around me. Worried about the pandemic. Worried about the national division. Worried about international tensions. Worried about all kinds of things. But this old proverb rings true today.

    “Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

    As I get older I experience more and more how practical Scripture is for daily living. In the teaching of my youth the Bible was a book of lofty and seemingly impossible demands to behave in a way that would please God. Now I see that the Bible is a love story where Jesus met those impossible demands on my behalf. I see now that my simple faith and trust pleases God. And I see a practical book that shows me how to find joy during this temporary journey on earth. The Designer knew when we left the factory that worry is destructive. The study above merely confirms what Jesus said a couple of millenia ago.

    “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27, NLT)

    Jesus continues in the same message.

    “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew, 6:31-34)

    Our Designer knew something else. Most of what we consume ourselves with never happens or is not worth getting anxious about. Modern research verifies ancient wisdom.

    A research study examined how many times an imagined calamity actually came to pass. In this study, subjects were asked to write down their worries over an extended period of time and then identify which of their imagined misfortunes did not actually happen.

    The remarkable results came back that 85 percent of what subjects worried about never happened! Slow down and digest that. Eighty-five percent of what we work ourselves into varied states of frenzy about never even happens. And here is the even more remarkable finding. For the 15 percent of the worry agenda that did happen, nearly 80 percent of the respondents reported they were able to deal with the concern better than expected or they learned a valuable lesson from the event. So 97 percent of what the majority of this study group worried about was not worth wasting the energy, faith and time.

    Worry is exactly where the Enemy wants to keep the children of God. Living in fear of the future cheats you out of today. A precious moment tugs on your heart like a child at your sleeve. Too often you miss that moment concerning yourself with something that likely won’t happen or will happen in a way that your worry can not change.

    For those of you who struggle with worry maybe it helps to remember that your Heavenly Father is always on the job. Worry is not an attribute of our God. I suspect that it grieves His heart that we are paralyzed with worry when our Father is calling us to know Him, trust Him and rest in Him.

    Trusting Jesus for tomorrow, next week, next year and forever frees us to see what this moment holds. No amount of worry will change the fact that we will face death, adversity and sadness.

    As a young believer one of my favorite artists was Andrae Crouch. His lyrics powerfully showed how God uses trials to help us mature in our faith.

    I’ve had many tears and sorrows
    I’ve had questions for tomorrow
    There’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong
    But in every situation
    God gave me blessed consolation
    That my trials come to only make me strong

    Through it all
    Through it all
    I’ve learned to trust in Jesus
    I’ve learned to trust in God

    Through it all
    Through it all
    I’ve learned to depend upon His Word

    I pray that all of us learn to trust in Jesus and depend upon His Word in this difficult season.

    Much of this article was excerpted from Waking Up Slowly. The book discusses 21 different actions or attitudes that disconnect you from God and others. Check it out here.

  • Where Is God in Your Darkest Moments?

    Where Is God in Your Darkest Moments?

    Occasionally I receive a message that I HAVE TO WATCH this video. I tend to push back on all-caps requests and the results when I do bite are usually mixed. Rarely do I click on one of those recommendations and have my world rocked by what I see and hear. That happened recently when I listened to the America’s God Talent audition of a young singer who goes by the stage name Nightbirde. Her real name is Jane Marczewski and she grew up in Zanesville, Ohio about 90 miles from my hometown of Chillicothe.

    Regular readers of my humble musings know I rarely give homework but this week is the exception.

    I am going to ask (make that beg) you to click here and watch the video of her appearance on the show.

    Her original song “It’s Ok” and melodic voice would have given her a great chance to advance. Add her story and attitude and you have something truly special.

    Nightbirde on America’s Got Talent, NBC

    At the age of 26 Marczewski was diagnosed with breast cancer. After battling that foe she received more bad news on the last day of 2019. This is from her must read blog site.

    On New Years Eve, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Innumerable tumors were found throughout my lungs, liver, lymph nodes, ribs, and spine. I was on the living room floor leaning over the report, head in my hands. Six months to live. Two percent chance of survival.

    Bald Girl in the Dark – Nightbirde.co

    Two weeks later her husband said he was leaving her. Jane’s life spiraled into darkness that overwhelmed and consumed her for months. Her personal lamentations delivered from a mat on the bathroom floor were a form of worship that we often overlook. God isn’t shaken by our questions, doubt, anger, fear, or cynicism. God is especially present in those moments. Marczewski learned that lesson in a course that was incredibly painful and one that no one signs up for voluntarily.

    Even on days when I’m not so sick, sometimes I go lay on the mat in the afternoon light to listen for Him. I know it sounds crazy, and I can’t really explain it, but God is in there—even now. I have heard it said that some people can’t see God because they won’t look low enough, and it’s true. Look lower. God is on the bathroom floor.

    From God is on the Bathroom Floor – Nightbride.co

    Indeed He is. God is wherever our broken hearts and souls reside. Jane experienced on that bathroom mat the truth of Paul’s words to the Church at Philippae.

    Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

    Joni and I have experienced that peace during sickness and loss that we cannot attribute to anything other that God’s comforting Spirit.

    Nightbirde’s performance stunned the panel with her powerful lyrics and spirit. Judge and noted curmudgeon Simon Cowell noted with amazement how casually she had disclosed her cancer battle. I have been marinating in her response for weeks.

    “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.“

    Wow.
    Wow.
    Wow.

    I know that is a not a particularly articulate response but is that not an incredible philosophy of life?

    How does a 30 year old divorced cancer patient achieve the insight and wisdom of a weathered saint? She learned that lesson through pain, adversity, and trust that God was still there in the darkest moments. More insight from Jane.

    God doesn’t take away my darkness, he adds light. He doesn’t spare me of thirst, he brings water. He doesn’t cure my loneliness, he comes near. So why do we believe that when we are in pain, it must mean God is far?

    Bald Girl in the Dark – Nightbirde.co

    Storms are a necessary part of the refining program. Too often we view the storms as something to endure instead of a sovereignly directed opportunity to grow in grace and become more like Jesus. God loves us too much to give us only smooth sailing. That sounds crazy, but it is really logical when you think about how we mature. God gives us both good and bad things to help us mature spiritually. We have to lean into a sovereign God who sees exactly what we need to grow.

    All followers of Christ wrestle with doubt when we are deep in the storm. Can we believe that trials are really tender mercies in disguise? That is exactly what David wrote in Psalm 119:71-77.

    My suffering was good for me,
    for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.
    Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.
    You made me; you created me.
    Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
    May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.
    I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair; you disciplined me because I needed it.
    Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant.
    Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your instructions are my delight.

    Too many Christians have a theology more resembling karma than Christ. If I do this good thing, then good things should happen. If a bad thing happens, I must have done something bad in God’s eyes. That is not the gospel. Jane Marczewski noted in a podcast that she had made “peace with my life and my story looking differently than what I would’ve written.”

    Most of our stories have taken turns that we wouldn’t choose. But we can choose how we respond. Like Jane Marczewski I want to believe God is there in the darkness. That He will provide what I need as I trust Him. And that ultimately because of His grace I can believe with all of my heart that “it’s ok”.

    Update: Nightbirde announced today that she is withdrawing from the next round of America’s Got Talent to focus on her ongoing cancer battle after her health has taken a turn for the worse. Her statement exemplifies this amazing person who continues to inspire and challenge me. “Thank you for all your support, it means the world to me. Stay with me, I’ll be better soon. I’m planning my future, not my legacy. Pretty beat up, but I’ve still got dreams.” Let’s pray for healing, peace, courage, and an ongoing sense of God’s presence for her.

    My book Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace addresses the principle that preparing for death is really preparing for life and living joyfully today. Click here for more info.

  • Please Play This Song BEFORE Posting or Tweeting

    Please Play This Song BEFORE Posting or Tweeting

    I have teased for years that I want to develop an app that asks you to pause and pray before you hit send. Failing that, maybe I can convince you instead to play a song recorded by Glen Campbell. The lyrics are from a poem written by Edgar Albert Guest in 1914. Guest immigrated from England in 1891 at the age of 10. He was a newspaper reporter for the Detroit Free Press before becoming a syndicated author of poetry. He became known as the “Peoples Poet” and was said to have published a new poem everyday for 30 years. His works were not critically acclaimed but they connected with the public. Fifty-one years after Guest published “A Creed” the words were put to music by Glen Campbell in a song titled “Less of Me”. (Click on the link to hear it)

    Let me be a little kinder,
    Let me be a little blinder
    To the faults of those around me,
    Let me praise a little more.

    Just implementing that stanza alone would change the tenor of Twitter immeasurably. I have been thinking a lot about how Americans have allowed social media to divide us. It is especially disappointing that followers of Jesus demonize people over social media posts. Allow me to make my point before canceling me. I know that outrageous and often mean things are posted on social media. Sometimes they are posted by people that I consider to be acquaintances or even friends. Here is the strategy that I am proposing to deal with such posts.

    1. Pray for the person posting it. A social media post is an unfortunately permanent reminder of a moment in time. It could be something said in a moment of anger, sadness, frustration, or hurt that doesn’t represent the heart of the poster.
    2. Snooze a friend instead of lose a friend. Facebook allows you to snooze a friend for 30 days. You won’t see their posts for that period of time. I snooze them because I do not want to unfriend someone over a post I don’t like.
    3. Remember that person is created in the image of God. Maybe they are saying and acting in a way that is disappointing but they are loved by their Creator.

    Those on the other side of angry social media discourse are not unlike us. When we fight the cultural war we need to remember that the whole purpose of Jesus invading our space and time was to love and ultimately die for those on both sides of the battle. God’s grace is available to everyone and every single person reading this blog today has thought, said, or posted something that they regret (or should regret).

    Perhaps the biggest lesson for Christians should be how the power of a unified focus on Jesus can unite even bitter enemies. My heart aches as I see Christians splitting ranks over things that don’t amount to a hill of beans on an eternal scale. I picture Jesus weeping over the churches of America like He wept over Jerusalem. I picture Him weeping over how Christians in this country divide over non-essentials and fail to communicate the joy and life-changing power of the good news of the Gospel. The culture war is important but temporal. The war for our soul is eternal. I sometimes wish I could excise this passage from Scripture but here it is and I can’t ignore it.

    ““You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. (Matthew 5:43-45, NLT)

    How is that even possible? It is not possible in my own power. I must trust God for that to occur. I must believe that He is working in the heart of those I disagree with, in my heart, or maybe both of us to focus on what matters. I need to trust that God will ultimately see that justice prevails. I am called to love and be a light for the Gospel.

    If Paul were writing to the church today he might change this verse a bit from the original version to the Galatians.

    For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, progressive or conservative, complementarian or egalitarian. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

    The point is that our only unity is in Christ. The hill that Jesus died on was the hill of salvation by grace. He allowed Himself to be put there to accomplish God’s plan for salvation. That is the hill worth dying on.

    The poem continues with these words.

    Let me be a little meeker
    With the brother that is weaker,
    Let me think more of my neighbor
    And a little less of me.

    C.S.Lewis wisely said this about humility.

    “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”

    The poem finishes with this stanza.

    Let me toil, without complaining,
    Not a humble task disdaining,
    Let me face the summons calmly
    When death beckons me away.

    When death beckons me away I pray that my legacy will be proclaiming grace and displaying grace. My final lap mission statement agrees with Paul in the book of Acts.

    But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. (Acts 20:24, NLT)

    Want to join me?

  • What is the Secret to Come Together?

    What is the Secret to Come Together?

    I am helping with some of the planning for our 50th (not even possible) high school reunion in Southern Ohio. Academically I was only 127 spots away from being Valedictorian at Chillicothe High School! Perhaps I could have applied myself a bit more. It is almost incomprehensible that five decades ago we walked the stage and began our journey through life. I have been nostalgic about the upcoming reunion and reflective about my beliefs when I graduated long, long ago. 

    The one thing I was sure of was that my generation could make a difference. We would fix the mess that my parents and grandparents had made. We believed peace was possible. One of favorite songs from that era was a song The Youngbloods recorded called “Get Together”.  I remember listening to a staticky AM transistor radio while singing along with The Youngbloods. All we had to do was get together. This would be easy enough. Everybody sing now…

    C’mon people now,
    Smile on your brother
    Ev’rybody get together
    Try and love one another right now 

    Nice words. The problem was contained in the last line of lyric above. Try and love one another right now. How is that working out for our peace loving generation? Not so well. It is far easier to sing about loving one another than it is to actually love another. No matter how much I “try” I seem to fail miserably when I determine that I will, in my own strength, love others. It is easy to love some people. But loving the unlovable is the challenge. On that count we as a generation have not done so well. Jesus pointed out my (and our collective) hypocrisy on that count.

    • If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. (Matthew 5:46-47, NLT)

    As an idealistic teen I believed that more education, communication, and edification would change the world. Sound familiar? I believed that the problem was not sin in our hearts like the Bible talked about. The problem was a lack of knowledge and honest communication. I was wrong. The problem is sin. Education and communication certainly help. But real change comes from the inside out. And for me that came from the most amazing revolutionary in history, Jesus Christ. How we have marginalized the powerful teachings of Jesus. He bluntly said that peace was not going to be found in this life.

    • “But the time is coming–in fact, it is already here–when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”   (John 16, NLT)

    Jesus said the Holy Spirit would comfort us in times of trouble and that the peace the world advocates would fall short.

    • “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  (John 14, NLT)

    I watch the news and my heart aches. I wish we could have peace on earth but I have come to believe that is not possible through human institutions. I truly wish it were possible.

    It is not in my trying that we can get together. It is by trusting God and allowing Him to love me. When I understand how much I am loved then I can love others. Only then can we truly love one another and maybe, just maybe, we can come together.

    Want a heartwarming story to share with your kids or grandkids? A runt of the litter named Grunt finds that God has a purpose for every one of His creatures. Check it out!