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Rediscover Possibility
Dream big dreams. Pray big prayers. Expect the unexpected. Trust the God of all possibility.
What seems impossible to you right now?
(Can anyone tell me where this picture was taken?)
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community, The Weekend Brew, and Sunday Stillness. Hop on over here, here, and here to see what I’m talking about.
God With Us
I took this picture last summer at our family’s favorite beach town – Ocean Grove, NJ. This town was hit pretty hard by Superstorm Sandy which destroyed the town’s boardwalk and fishing pier. It also damaged many of the town’s homes and buildings. I’ve been following the rebuilding process through regular updates on Blogfinger, and our family is looking forward to returning there this summer.
This sign and the town’s response reminds me that God is with us all the time – in the ups and downs of life. I have no idea what you may be going through today, but I remain convinced that God is there with you.
How have you experienced Emmanuel (God With Us) this week?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community, The Weekend Brew, and Sunday Stillness. Hop on over here, here, and here to see what I’m talking about.
Truth: Recap
This has been a STRETCHING week as we have focused on TRUTH. To recap, here are the posts from this week:
- Monday – Truth: You Can’t Handle The Truth
- Tuesday – Truth: Truth Or Dare
- Wednesday – Truth: Love Works Wednesday Link Up Week 6 – Truthful
- Thursday – Truth: We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident
- Friday – Truth: Ice Breaker – Lies
- Friday – Truth: Walking The Tightropes Of Life – Balancing Truth and Grace
Check out these posts from this past week, and then jump over to the places I’m linking up with today, so you can see what else is going on.
What TRUTH have you found this week?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community, The Weekend Brew, and Sunday Stillness. Hop on over here, here, and here to see what I’m talking about.
Plans For Hope And Future
How does it change your life and perspective knowing that God has plans to give you hope?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and The Weekend Brew. Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.
Faith, Hope, and Love
I often share a quote about hope – one of the three things that remain according to I Corinthians 13. But the greatest of these three is love. As we enter this week when many will be celebrating romantic love, may we love in a way that represents Paul’s words well.
How have you experienced faith, hope, and love this week? How can you share love with others in the week ahead?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and The Weekend Brew. Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.
(Come back Wednesday, when I continue a discussion with Bill Grandi based on Love Works a great leadership book by Joel Manby.)
Epiphany
Photo by Adam Flora
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.Philippians 2:9-11
Many churches around the world are celebrating Epiphany Sunday today. For some, it’s the day in which church attenders celebrate the coming of the Magi to visit Baby Jesus (or Toddler Jesus). In church tradition, Epiphany is also the day in which church goers celebrate the revelation that Jesus is the Son of God.
According to dictionary.com, epiphany is:
a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
Whether or not your church celebrates Epiphany Sunday or not (mine does not), we can all pray that this would be a year of epiphany for those around us – friends, relatives, associates, neighbors, and kids (FRANK) who don’t know Jesus.
Who around you needs this kind of epiphany?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and The Weekend Brew. Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Peace
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.Isaiah 9:6-7
These days it seems like we’re a far cry from true peace. Our world is full of senseless violence. People are fighting. War wages in different places across the world. Meanwhile in our homes, we run from one activity to the next leaving little opportunity to catch a breath. Kids are bickering. Parents are yelling. We leave no chance for peace to permeate our lives.
If you come from a more traditional church background, you probably will be lighting the fourth candle on the church’s advent wreath. Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Many people around the world will be talking about peace. Today’s verse above talks about an everlasting peace that will come when Christ, the Prince of Peace, returns to rule. I long for that peace. May you find a glimmer of peace this season as we anticipate Christ’s return.
Do you crave peace? How will you pursue peace this week?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community. Hop on over here to see what I’m talking about.
Third Sunday of Advent: Joy
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.Psalm 5:11
This is a picture of JOY. Not what you expected? Let me explain.
This is a picture of our Seeing Eye dog, Irwin. We are fostering him until he goes to school in another month or two. This picture was taken after we first got him about a year ago when he was seven weeks old. Everyone is pretty happy and joyful when Irwin arrived. But there was another type of “joy” we experienced as he became part of family.
Whenever I came home from work for the first few months, Irwin would run to the door to greet me. He was always so excited that he would lose control and pee on the floor and sometimes on me. I’m not sure if animals experience true “joy”, but it seems to me our puppy was experiencing uncontrollable happiness whenever I returned. I don’t know that we’ll pee ourselves, but I have to believe we will experience an uncontrollable joy when Christ returns.
If you come from a more traditional church background, you probably will be lighting the third candle on the church’s advent wreath. Today is the third Sunday of Advent. Many people around the world will be talking about joy. Today’s verse above talks about an everlasting joy that comes to those who take refuge in God. When we sing Joy To The World at Christmas time, it’s not about the joy of a new puppy or a new baby. Christmas is about a joy that can only come through a Savior. May you know joy this season in a new way as we anticipate Christ’s return.
How have you experienced joy this week?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and Fresh Brewed Sundays. Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.
(To set your mind at ease, Irwin doesn’t pee on me anymore. We think he’s going to be a great Seeing Eye Guide Dog.)
The Second Sunday of Advent: Love
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13
I shared a similar picture last week, but it fits so well with today’s post that I had to share this one this week.
If you come from a more traditional church background, you probably will be lighting the second candle on the church’s advent wreath. Today, is the second Sunday of Advent. Many people around the world will be talking about love. Today’s verse above expresses an extreme love. Christmas is way more than presents and a baby in a manger. Christmas is about a God who loves us so much that He would send His Son to pay the penalty for us on the cross. May you know God’s love this season in a deeper way.
As we go through this time of preparing for Christmas, may we also share God’s love with those around us.
How have you experienced God’s love this week?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and Fresh Brewed Sundays. Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.