Radical Trust

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O King that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:17-18

Radical trust in God means you trust Him even when it seems He may not come through. You are not pregnant, but you still trust God. You do not have a job, but you still trust God. You have been betrayed, but you still trust God. You are sick, but you still trust God. You are lonely, but you still trust God. You are afraid, but you still trust God. 

Your wise decision-making is based on God’s trustworthiness. You know He is able, but it may not be His timing. So, do not compromise your convictions, but trust in Him. It may not seem fair or right, but God has a bigger picture in mind. Do not be held captive by your finite knowledge and understanding of your circumstances. You can still trust the One with infinite wisdom and understanding. You are not alone in your current fire of difficulty or adversity. 

The Lord is with you. Your faith has been bolstered and is not extinguished because you know God is walking with you. Your faith is fire proofed by the Holy Spirit. The flames of hell are no match for fire from heaven. Your Savior defeats Satan in every encounter. But even when you are denied acceptance and physical comfort you can still trust God.

Trust in God is not just for the good times, though a radical trust may be required even during prosperous times. But radical trust is greatly needed when things heat up and you lose something precious or you are refused something you may deserve. This is the time to ratchet up your radical trust. It is for times like this that God has molded your faith.

What if God has not come through? Radical trust means you stay focused on His past faithfulness. The mundane in our everyday life is a link in the chain between life’s transitions. Today’s link is important to tomorrow’s transition. We should hope for the transition to come, but trust God with today because we cannot handle more than today’s troubles or triumphs. Therefore, do not worry about matters out in the future that you have no control over.

You must trust God with today without worrying about the uncertainty of tomorrow. This is radical trust in Christ. If you obsess over fear of the future you most certainly will define the ambiguity with negative consequences. Then, unwittingly, you create a self-fulfilling prophecy and worry yourself  sick and maybe others too. Or, you become of no use for today because you are too worried about tomorrow. You get stuck in the inertia of distrust.

But, the Lord can be trusted. Meditate on His faithfulness instead of what might happen. Unleash the radical trust that resides within you. When you were younger radical faith marked you as a follower of Christ. Reignite that passion for Jesus. Lay aside the sins of disbelief and worry. The cross of Christ and his resurrection are radical. Trust God even if He has not or does not come through as planned. He is still trustworthy, so be radical in your trust!

Do I radically trust the Lord with past events and decisions? How trustworthy is He for tomorrow?

With acknowledgement: Boyd Bailey’s “Wisdom Hunters” daily devotionals

A Code to Live by.....

FESTIVE FRENZY!

It’s hard to believe that yet another Christmas is upon us! We are bombarded by the “surround sound” frenzy of consumerism…lemming-like dazed hordes at crowded malls…canned, tacky “Christmas music” and sweaty Santa impersonations…in your face temptations to buy, buy and buy some more on credit…stressing and arguing over Christmas arrangements…dreading the new year reality check of over-eating, over-drinking and over-spending. Yes, it’s hard to believe how we have been suckered into the whirl-wind activity of one single day! And yet for most of us, we keep getting back onto the same treadmill year in and year out!

So, what’s it all about?

I find myself asking this question every year. There is the temptation to run away from all the activity, busyness and “obligations” into one of our magnificent wild places, just to enjoy sitting around a crackling fire at night with the sounds of the bush as company…to have time out…to escape the annual expectations and to share in the therapeutic solitude of creation with those I love, value and appreciate. A time to reflect, connect and to meditate on that momentous event in that filthy stable so long ago.

What does Christmas mean to us? More personally, what is our response to the Christ-child and God’s gift of salvation through the sacrifice of His son Jesus? Surely this is the true message of Christmas? I believe that as we enjoy the warm intimacy of giving and receiving on Christmas day, if that is your custom, so too does God long for our reciprocal response to His gift of His precious Son. The awesome, eternal “exchange” of one life for another – Jesus life for our own lives!

Christmas is truly a time of giving. It is also a very necessary time for taking stock and reflecting on the true value of things and people in our lives. Let us all make concerted efforts [not meaningless, short-lived resolutions] to change our priorities, attitudes, words and actions…before it’s too late!

What a difference a sad event in someone's life makes. Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate after the death of his wife.
 “ The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.   

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

MAY YOU ENJOY A BLESSED, PEACEFUL, LOVING AND MEANINGFUL CHRISTMAS!



FESTIVE SEASON REALITY CHECK!

A Breadwinner’s Tragic Tale

The Costly Lie of Financing a Lifestyle with Debt

These are tough economic times. We all feel the pressure and we all know friends and family members who are struggling immensely with job loss and financial crisis.  Many of these epic struggles are plainly seen.  But I am more and more convinced that behind the façade of financial stability and a solid standard of living that we may observe, many more people are living lives of silent and hidden desperation.

I came across this article a decade ago, but I’ve carried it with me for all these years to remind myself how easily it can be as a husband and father to create a lie, a false legend over my own family. Sure, I might rationalize it as my responsibility to provide for my family, but in the end, a lie will always be exposed.  And if the lie is a major infrastructure support beam of a family, then the tragedy that ensues can be unimaginable.

David Whitford wrote this first hand account for FORTUNE magazine, entitled, “A Breadwinner’s Tale.” His dad died at home on Father’s Day at the age of 84.  Throughout his life his dad had been what Whitford called a “world class provider.”  He himself lived modestly, drove his cars for years and years. His focus, his sense of responsibility was to provide for his family. He managed to put five kids through college and four through graduate school.  They had “the big stone house with the tennis court, the European vacations, the club memberships…”   As Whitford confesses,

“Dad’s money was almost like tap water to me: never to be wasted but always available.”

And as Whitford’s mom thought,

“We’ve even reached the point where I can buy whatever I want, whatever I need, without even thinking about it.”

In the last year of his life, the lie began to unravel.  The children began to sense that something was seriously wrong.  But how do you confront your own father?  When they did, the results were predictably terrible – full of anger and tension.  However, in the end, he relented and they came to discover that he had been hiding an immense six-figure debt load, mostly on credit cards, that he had been carrying for years.  And now near the end of his life, he could no longer keep this house of cards together.

As Whitford painfully gets his dad’s estate in order after the funeral, he shares,

“This past fall I spent hours at my father’s desk, in his chair, going through his papers – his bank and brokerage statements, his correspondence, his journal.  While I dreaded what I might find, part of me was hoping for a clear-cut explanation, no matter how shocking or painful.  A mistress, maybe.  A gambling habit.  A fatal weakness for penny stocks.  Well, I found nothing sordid.  The only skeleton in my father’s closet was his astonishing debt.”

Whitford delves further into his own search to find out why his dad did this. Simultaneously angry and sympathetic, he writes,

“It’s clear to me now that our family’s standard of living, going back years, was partly a lie.  Dad made it look easy, but beneath the surface he was paddling like a maniac to keep his head above water.”

But the toll of keeping up the lie was worse than that.

“He had a Formica desktop in his office and he used to write all over it.  In pencil, mostly, in that shaky cramped hand of his.  Phone numbers, passwords, odd dollar amounts.  And this, which I found two days after he died: ‘Help me. I’m drowning.’”

Poignantly Whitford writes,

“Dad, we had no idea.  I wish you’d told us.”

As I’ve reflected on this article over the years, I’ve determined that as seriously as I take my responsibility to take care of my family, that I cannot build it on a lie.  Easy credit and debt do not have the structural integrity upon which to build a household.  It may provide the appearance of wealth, but that is all that it is … appearance, not substance.

Second, Whitford’s dad did not include his wife as a partner in the financial responsibilities of the household.  This is an error to avoid at all costs.  The accountability and the shared counsel can save you from a multitude of temptations and mistakes.

Third, there is nothing wrong with living within your means.  It’s a lesson that must be taught to children.  It is a good and responsible thing to teach your family to be content, to learn to save, to learn to earn.

Fourth, don’t live a lie to your family.  Authenticity and integrity are a better heritage to pass on than money.

Fifth, don’t believe the lie that if you don’t provide magnificently for your family that they will not respect or love you.

And lastly, here’s a troubling conclusion.  Whitford phoned Jacob Needleman, a philosophy professor at San Francisco State University, and the author of Money and the Meaning of Life.   After listening to Whitford’s story, Needleman, after a moment of silence, gently observed, “If I could say so, I think if you took anybody in this world, anybody who reads FORTUNE, and you scratched a little bit under the surface, in eight out of ten you’ll find something as startling and troubling and self-contradictory as your father’s story.”

With acknowledgement: Dan Wooldridge

THIS TWISTED WORLD!

Since the “Pledge of Allegiance” and “The Lord's Prayer” are not allowed in most public schools in the USA anymore because the word 'God' is mentioned.....a 15 year old student in Arizona, apparently wrote the following:

NEW School Prayer
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene..
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all..
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks...
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong..

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles..
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

CHRISTMAS

DIFFICULTIES

FEAR & DISCOURAGEMENT

Boyd Bailey and his "Wisdom Hunters" online devotionals has had a significant impact on my life. His posts are truly filled with wisdom and solid, practical advice. I am constantly amazed at the remarkable relevance that his posts have for the circumstances of my life, divinely inspired and directed I believe. I submit below yet another of his posts received recently and which was and is so pertinent to where I find myself. I therefore acknowledge Boyd and his "Wisdom Hunters" devotionals in full for the post below.

Fear discourages. It discourages you from obedience to God. It discourages you from trusting God. It discourages you from enjoying God’s blessing. Fear is the great discourager. Discouragement resides in the back pocket of fear. They thrive on one another. You cannot have one without the other.

Your fear will lead you to discouragement, and your discouragement will lead you to fear. It is a vicious cycle of discontentment. The fearful love to recruit others to their side. Somehow this justifies their fearfulness. The fearful people in your life are normally the loudest. Their fears drive them to spread fear like wildfire. They tend to whip others into a fearful frenzy.

However, before you join their bandwagon of bad reports, check out their story. Make sure the facts support their fear. Indeed, fear is one of Satan’s most effective strategies. He is a promoter of fear. His goal is to preoccupy you in fear so that you do not face the realities of God’s peace and protection. God is with you. There is no need to fear.

In fact, if you continue in your fears, you are rebelling against the Lord. Your chronic state of fear is closing God out of your circumstances. God cannot be boxed out. He is with you whether you acknowledge Him or not. So, rise up from your fearful state and put on your confidence in Christ. His grace is sufficient.

He is working out all things for His purposes. Stay fixed on Him and your fears will subside. Be consumed with Christ and your cares will grow faint without fear. Do not feed fear. Starve it until it shrivels and dies. God has given you this vision. It is His gift to you. It is yours for the taking. Do not be discouraged over the timing of its culmination.

Your God-given vision may be dormant for now, but a dormant vision is not a dead vision. You may be experiencing a momentary pause for the sake of preparation. There are other people and resources that need cultivation and development. Your own maturity and capacity for responsibility needs expansion.

It is now that God is preparing you to handle the next steps of His vision for your life. Use this time of uncertainty to grow your faith and to drown your fears. There are two choices that invite you to decide daily. One is fear and the other is faith. Faith will trump fear if you let it. Faith is the heat that melts the cold, icy grip of fear. Faith in God frees you from the inertia of fear.

Fear discourages. Faith encourages. Fear flees. Faith stays. Fear gives up. Faith digs in. Fear questions. Faith trusts. Fear sees obstacles. Faith sees opportunities. Fear weakens. Faith strengthens. Use this test of your faith to go deeper with Christ. Untested faith weakens, but tested faith strengthens. Be encouraged. Fear is overrated. Faith in Christ is underrated. He is your confidence. In the face of fear He can be trusted!

NO EXCUSES!

PEACEFUL TRUST

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4 

Peace and trust are best friends. Normally we do not see one, without the other. Where peace resides trust is close by, and where trust abounds there is peace. Their goal is to stamp out fear and doubt. The mind can play tricks on us. We can talk ourselves into almost anything, but the mind is God’s gateway to shape wise beliefs and right behaviors.

Our mind can cause us to well up with courage, because our focus is on God. Or, our mind can cause us to wilt in the face of adversity, because our focus is on our circumstances. Peace melts away in the heat of distrust and trust shutters in the face of fear. So, as we trust the Lord, He gives us peace that passes all understanding. Trust leads to peace. 

 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:17). 

Thus, fill your mind with the truth of God and let it lodge in your unconsciousness. Truth releases peace and trust when you are pressured. Your mind is a school for study, so make sure your faculty members flow from the character of God. If you are preoccupied with the faulty teachers of fear and pride you will wallow in sideways energy of worry. What you think about Christ’s capabilities determines your level of peace and trust.

Your thoughts, perceptions, emotions, will, memory and imagination are all wrapped up in your human consciousness called the mind. This is why your mind is like the rudder of your life. Wherever your mind takes you, your behavior will follow.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

If thoughts take you toward the rocks of fear, you will act fearful. If they take you toward the shore of peace, you will act calm.  But, a mind, latched onto the Lord, trusts Him when circumstances beg for you to cower in fear. Thus, keep your perspective on the horizon of heaven. Like a ship cascading through the open sea, you have the wind of the Holy Spirit moving you forward, with the compass of truth leading you toward the ultimate destination of God’s will.

Make peace and trust a staple of your spiritual diet, as they nourish your soul like food and water invigorates your body. Like a security detail, they will escort you through good and bad times. They will protect you from lashing out in anger when you have been deeply hurt. A steadfast mind is one that stays focused on Jesus and His expectations.

Cultivate your brain for more creative ways to apply His peace and trust. Do not analyze God out of the equation. Rather, draw Him into your conclusions. A steadfast mind on the Lord will erupt like a volcano in perfect peace. Trust Him today and enjoy the lava of His hot love and His warm embrace. A peaceful trust comes from our perfect God!

Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

With acknowledgement: Boyd Bailey who is the author of Wisdom Hunters daily devotionals

Passion!

IF YOUR SAILS AREN'T FILLED WITH PASSION,

YOUR SHIP WILL NEVER LEAVE PORT.

(Obie Oberholzer)

Marshmellows in the Wilderness!

The wilderness is one of my favourite places. It's spacious wildness provides solitude and sensory richness beyond words. It's a place of unique spiritual connection with the bush and its inhabitants and, through this connection, to worship the Creator of such magnificence. We all need wilderness experiences, a stripping bare of the soul and times of introspection and reassessment far away from the bustle of life in the fast lane.

Life has wilderness experiences that are not of our choosing! They are thrust upon us and our comfortable worlds like unwelcome intruders. How we handle these times depends largely on our attitude and our belief system. For me, as a child of God and my loving Father, it's not about survival skills...hanging in by the skin of your teeth...barely coping. It is rather about abundant living...restoring all that is of lasting value...digging deep creatively...greater reliance...greater dependency on our Father who knows us more intimately than anyone else. It's truly living life to the full, on the edge yes, but step by step trusting in His perfect timing and living in excited anticipation of the next part of the trail. Scary? Yes of course! Desperate? To be honest... many moments of desperate cries for understanding. Abandoned? Never!

There are times when we don't see any rhyme in our life. That's because you're in the middle of the verse. If you're in circumstances that you don't understand, you may be just two words away from a rhyme. Only you can't see that right now.

We will continue to react out of self-pity and negativity when life dishes up lemons until we realise the one all-important truth: If my life is truly under the control of the Almighty God, then my future is in His hands and He most definitely has a plan. And whatever "setback" I face is part of that plan!

Failures are not final. God's plan is bigger than our failures. Our failures are not bigger than His plan! If you are seeking Him, you are not on the shelf, and your best days are not behind you. The best days are ahead of you. Your life is not futile.

When you are in the depths, and the pressure of hopelessness and despair is crushing you, there are four things you must do to make sense out of your life:

• You cry out
• You wait
• You watch
• You hope

Waiting is tough! It goes against our nature. But waiting is a big part of life on the trail that winds through the years. The problem with waiting is that when we wait, we think that nothing is happening. The truth is that if we are waiting on God, all kinds of things are happening. We just can't see what He's doing because we're submerged in the depths.

When you're in the depths and waiting,, don't forget to watch for the goodness of God.
When you're in over your head, you're going to fight hopelessness now and then. The only way to beat it is to immerse yourself in the Word of God.....allow His promises, encouragement and hope to lift you and provide new strength and perspective. Only the Word of God can fill your tank with the daily supply of high-octane hope that will keep you going as you wait for God to work and bring you out of the depths.

If you're never in the depths, you can never find the pearls!....When you surface  from the depths, you won't be empty-handed. God has something for you in the depths that you never could find on the surface.

Faith is a refusal to panic!

When those feelings of anxiety and fear suddently have us in their grip, we can remember that faith is a refusal to panic. Whatever the situation, no matter how deep or threatening it is, I don't have to panic because I know that the Shepherd has everything under His complete control. Knowing that is the antidote to panic.

Are you resting, or are you panicking? Are you worshiping, or are you worrying? You can't worship and worry at the same time. The antidote to worry is worship of the Great Shepherd. Worship always brings rest and refreshment.

With acknowledgment to Steve Farrar and his book "Gettin' There" 

Creating yourself

Strengths & Struggles

I read the following from Boyd Bailey's "Wisdom Hunters" and it seemed to follow on so well from my post "Live Creatively". I have included it here in full and acknowledge the inspirational writings of Boyd Bailey.

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Romans 12:6a
Know and understand your strengths, for it is best to behave how God created you. By God’s grace, He places within you giftedness to carry out His plan. This is called your core competency. You may be a gifted leader, so lead. You may be a gifted coach, so coach. You may be a gifted counselor, so counsel. You may be a gifted administrator, so administer.

You may be a gifted networker, so network.
You may be a gifted writer, so write. You may be a gifted teacher, so teach. You may be a gifted servant, so serve. You may be a gifted artist, so create. You may be a gifted communicator, so communicate.
There is a long menu of gifts, and you probably resemble several of them. Study your gifts, and you will discover your strengths.

Become comfortable with and accept the one thing you do naturally. It is effortless because God has engineered you for this. He gave you the skills and abilities to innovate, create, and produce these desired outcomes. However, make sure you do not confuse passion with strength. If you have the passion to speak, it is imperative you at least have the raw skill for speaking. Many of the technicalities of communication can be learned, but don’t try to make yourself become someone you’re not.

Synergy for life and work come as you align passions and strengths. Take the time to understand what you do best and where you have the most energy, and then position your responsibilities at home and work to mirror that ideal. Do not be afraid to change and try new things. Ask others to validate what you do best. Ask those who know you well to affirm where they see your passion protrude. Then, prayerfully align around both.

You can know and understand your strengths by taking a spiritual gifts test, as this helps you define your God-given disposition. Take a personality assessment, for this helps you understand your temperament. Lastly, consider taking a psychological test, because this reveals your emotional intelligence and your leadership style. Be who God has made you to be, and you will be free.

Furthermore, embrace and celebrate your struggles. They keep you humble. Do not resist accepting your struggles; embrace them instead. Make your struggles your servant by allowing others to do much better what you can’t do. It is okay not to like details, but value them and those who manage them well. Your struggles beg the need for a team. It is in your struggles that you depend more on God and others.

So, be honest with yourself about what you don’t do well. Accept the fact that even though you want to do something, you don’t need to if others can do it better. They can free you to do only what you can do. Release your areas of mediocre effectiveness, as this gives others opportunities for excellence. Laugh at yourself, for this frees you from the tension of unrealistic expectations, and allows you to enjoy life.

You are a valued member in the Body of Christ. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all Taken from the September 10th reading in Boyd Bailey’s Seeking Daily the Heart of God.

Live Creatively!

Live creatively, friends.....Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your life. (Galations 6)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO "LIVE CREATIVELY"?

• Using our God-given gifts, talents and abilities.....stretching ourselves.....exercising them.....not squandering or neglecting them
• Staying connected in relationship with the great Creator, the One who is creative beyond my wildest imagination and allowing His creative "juices" flow through me and out of me as expressed in my unique abilities and talents.....His creative fingerprint on my life  
• Using our talents and abilities not only for selfish  pleasure and enjoyment.....using them in ways which we will not always fully comprehend or imagine to enrich the lives of others, and in the enriching reflect something of God's love and purpose for those who are touched by our lives, our talents, our actions
• In our creative living out of our passions and interests.....our desire should be a willingness to be used as God's available instruments in lovingly restoring people to Him.....sharing in the burdens (and easing those burdens) of those who are oppressed.....being generous in all that we have and are.....being sensitive to the needs of those with whom we come into daily contact.....LIVING OUT MY FAITH CREATIVELY!

Beyond doubt

I don't know what this day will bring

Will it be disappointing

Or filled with longed for things

I don't know what tomorrow holds

Still I know I can trust Your faithfulness

I don't know if these clouds mean rain

If they do will they pour down blessing or pain

I don't know what the future holds

Still I know I can trust Your faithfulness

Certain as the rivers reach the sea

Certain as the sunrise in the east

I can rest in Your faithfulness

Surer than a mother's tender love

Surer than the stars still shine above

I can rest in Your faithfulness

I don't know how much time is left

But in the end I will know Your faithfulness

When darkness overwhelms my soul

When thoughts are storms of doubt

Still I trust You are always faithful

Always faithful

(Brian Doerksen: "Your Faithfulness" from his album "You Shine")

You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. (Philippians 4)

When things look bleak!

I am continually amazed and blessed at the timing of accurate and relevant words of encouragement for me...right now...where I am... in challenging circumstances. God knows!

Trusting Obedience

“He replied, ‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.’” John 9:11

Some situations call for trusting obedience. You know what God is saying, but you are not sure of the “why” or the “how” behind His command. What He is asking you to do may be unprecedented. This may be your first time to follow Him in this fashion and, therefore, it is a little scary.

Some people have given you a hard time, and others think you are somewhat strange; but this is the nature of trusting obedience. You have limited understanding but you still trust God. Though you are unsure how He is going to provide, you trust that He will. And many times, “lo and behold,” His provision is more creative and thorough than you anticipated. This is the fruit of trusting obedience.

This is why God blesses trusting obedience. He knows your situation. He knows your heart. He knows your needs. He is the master at connecting your need with His provision. He uses unconventional means so that He is guaranteed to get the glory. Yes, you could make things happen. You could go into debt. You could manipulate a circumstance.

You could strong-arm a relationship. You could give up or not go there, but your impatience may rob you of God’s blessing. Be obedient and trust Him with what you know to do today. Do not be overwhelmed with tomorrow. Trust Him with today. Be obedient today and trust Him with tomorrow.

It is trusting obedience that opens our eyes to opportunities we never imagined. Satisfaction with conventional thinking may seem safer, but God’s will is never too risky. Following hard after God with trusting obedience is what keeps your faith fresh and on fire. Settling into a selective obedience produces a frigid faith that facilitates a boring, barren life with very little fruit that remains.

If God is telling you to leave, then leave. If God is telling you to stay, then stay. If God is telling you to give, then give. If God is telling you to serve, then serve. It is your trusting obedience that He blesses in spades. Fuel all your efforts by faith. This will stretch you and grow you. God may not show up until the last minute.

Others may criticize your God-sized mission and your faith-filled methods. Because of fear of your failure, friends may disassociate or distance themselves from you, but once they see God’s blessing and faithfulness, they will come out of hiding and attempt to ride the bandwagon.

Therefore, do not let the fickleness of people’s support dissuade you from trusting obedience. God is the one to whom you will ultimately give an account. As long as you can explain to God your actions, you are in a good position. If you disobey God, prepare for a severe judgment.

Followers of Jesus have tasted the fruit of trusting obedience. There is no reason to return to the wilderness of distrustful disobedience. Your trusting obedience may relate to money. Hold finances with an open hand and watch God work. Money can be God’s tool to facilitate His work, or it can be Satan’s obstacle that keeps you from trusting obedience.

Listen intently to the voice of Jesus, and then trust Him and do what He says. He has your best interest in mind. His intent is not harm but healing. Your trusting obedience will fuel the faith of others and bring glory to God. You are not alone. He is with you. You can trust Him with your obedience. Do what He says. Clarity and understanding follows trusting obedience. Trust and obey—this is His best way!

With grateful acknowledgement to Boyd Bailey’s "Wisdom Hunters" daily devotional.

Trust Me!

Denial & Despair

Catastrophe strikes and a person's world falls apart. People respond variously, but two of the more common responses are denial and despair.

Denial refuses to acknowledge the catastrophe. It shuts its eyes tight or looks the other way; it manages to act as if everything is going to be just fine; it takes refuge in distractions and lies and fantasies.

Despair is paralysed by the catastrophe and accepts it as the end of the world. It is unwilling to do anything, concluding that life for all its intents and purposes is over. Despair listlessly closes its eyes to a world in which all the colour has drained out, a world gone dead.

God works in catastrophe! Denial people refuse to see that catastrophe is in fact catastrophic. How could it be? God wouldn't let anything that bad happen to them?

Even in catastrophe, GOD IS AT WORK, sovereignly using the catastrophe. As difficult and stretching as it may be, we are able to embrace God in the worst of times.

The despair people, overwhelmed by devastation, refuse to see that life is worth living. How could it be? Everything may be lost and nothing appears worth living for anymore.

GOD IS AT WORK, even in the wreckage and rubble of life, sovereignly using the disasters in life to create new opportunities...new people.

Whether through denial or despair, God's people can emerge from catastrophe robust and whole.

(With acknowledgement: "The Message" by Eugene H. Peterson)

He (God) knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail of our lives of love for God is worked into something good.....I'm absolutely convinced that nothing.....absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love.....(Romans 8)

No coincidences!

Fame in obscurity

How They Found National Geographic's "Afghan Girl"

David Braun
National Geographic News

Updated March 7, 2003

This story was first published a year ago, in March 2002, when the National Geographic Society announced that the "Afghan Girl" had been found.
A National Geographic EXPLORER documentary airing in the United States on Sunday, March 9, 2003, tells the whole story, including an interview with Sharbat Gula.

She was one of the world's most famous faces, yet no one knew who she was. Her image appeared on the front of magazines and books, posters, lapel pins, and even rugs, but she didn't know it. Now, after searching for 17 years, National Geographic has once again found the Afghan girl with the haunting green eyes.  

The mysterious Afghan girl whose direct gaze has intrigued the West for so long is Sharbat Gula. She lives in a remote region of Afghanistan with her husband and three daughters.

Sharbat was located nearly two decades after her picture appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985. She had no idea her face had become an icon, said Steve McCurry, the photographer who made the famous portrait for National Geographic in 1984, and who tried to find her again during many subsequent trips he made to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

McCurry's photo of the girl was selected as the cover of National Geographic 100 Best Pictures.

In January 2002, a National Geographic team returned to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan, where Sharbat Gula was originally photographed, to search for her. She was identified through a series of contacts that led to her brother and husband, who agreed to ask her if she was willing to be interviewed.

Sharbat has been photographed on only two occasions: in 1984 and at the reunion with Steve McCurry this year. She had never seen her famous portrait before it was shown to her in January.

"This is the face that so captivated not only National Geographic readers but also anyone who saw her image around the world," said Boyd Matson, host of the National Geographic television show EXPLORER, who was with the group that met with Gula.

"We've known her face, but we've not known her story, not even her name," he said.

Final Search

National Geographic set out to make one last concerted effort to find the "Afghan girl" before the refugee camp in Pakistan where she had last been seen was demolished.

From the camp, the trail wound through several villages and into at least one dead end, until someone recognized the girl on the cover of National Geographic and said he knew her brother.

"The second I saw the color of her brother's eyes, I knew we had the right family," said Matson.  

Because Sharbat Gula lives a traditional Muslim life behind the veil, she was not allowed to meet men outside her family. But the Geographic team was given permission to send a female associate producer to meet Sharbat and photograph her face.

Matson said that when he compared the photograph of the woman with that of the girl, he was certain it was the same person. "The irises of the eyes, the moles and scar on the face—all indicated this was the person we were looking for," he said.

Still, to make sure Sharbat Gula was the girl who had been photographed 17 years earlier, the EXPLORER team obtained verification through iris-scanning technology and face-recognition techniques used by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

After Sharbat's family granted permission for her to meet with the man who photographed her 17 years ago, McCurry knew immediately, even after so many years, that he had found her again. "Her eyes are as haunting now as they were then," he said.

"She remembered me, primarily because she had never been photographed before I made the image of her in 1984, or since then," he said.

Sharbat Gula recalled the experience of being photographed as a child, she told McCurry, because she remembered how her head covering was full of holes after being scorched by a cooking fire.

When they met again, McCurry told Sharbat her image had become famous as a symbol of the Afghan people. "I don't think she was particularly interested in her personal fame," McCurry said. "But she was pleased when we said she had come to be a symbol of the dignity and resilience of her people."

The award-winning photographer said his original image of Sharbat had seized the imagination of so many people around the world because her face, particularly her eyes, expressed pain and resilience as well as strength and beauty.

Sharbat Tells Her Story

When Sharbat agreed to have her picture taken for the second time in her life, she came out from the secrecy of her veil to tell her story. She wanted the people around the world who knew her face to know that she survived the refugee camp in Pakistan.

She married and had four daughters, one of whom died in infancy. She lives in obscurity, according to the customs and traditions of her culture and religion.

A member of the Pashtun ethnic group in Afghanistan, Sharbat said she fared relatively well under Taliban rule, which, she feels, provided a measure of stability after the chaos and terror of the Soviet war.

According to Matson and McCurry, Sharbat Gula has returned to anonymity; the latest publicity about her name and face is unlikely to draw attention to her in Afghanistan. "She will not give another media interview and she wishes not to be contacted," Matson said. Her family has relocated to a different village in a remote part of Afghanistan, where she will continue to live her life in purdah, he added.

Asked if Sharbat would benefit financially from her famous image, Matson said she was "being looked after."

"Clearly she has become a symbol that National Geographic has used to illustrate the circumstances of refugees like her, and many people have inquired about her," he said. "She stood for an entire group of refugees, not just Afghan refugees. She has helped us with our mission of educating people about other cultures and regions—and she's helping us again by drawing attention to the lives of Afghan women and girls in general."

Because Sharbat Gula has come to symbolize the suffering of an entire generation of Afghan women and their children, the National Geographic Society is creating a special fund to assist in the development and delivery of educational opportunities for young Afghan women and girls. The Society will work with select nonprofit organizations and local authorities in the region to create the program.

Contributions can be made online to the National Geographic Afghan Girls Fund or by sending a check directly to the National Geographic Afghan Girls Fund, Development Office, National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street N.W., Washington, D.C., 20036.

Sharbat Gula's life is the subject of the cover story in the April issue of National Geographic, and the process of finding her and verifying her identity is detailed in a television documentary from National Geographic EXPLORER, broadcast in the United States on MSNBC and internationally on the National Geographic Channel.

• 
  
  HOW WILL OUR LIVES STAND UP UNDER SCRUTINY?
• 
  
  WOULD WE BE WILLING TO SACRIFICE FAME FOR OBSCURITY?
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  WHO IS THE REAL ME...THE REAL YOU...BEHIND "THE FACE"?
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  WHEN PEOPLE WE KNOW SEE OUR PHOTOGRAPH OR HEAR OUR NAME A DECADE FROM NOW, WHAT IMAGE COMES TO MIND?...WHAT LEGACY ARE WE LEAVING BEHIND?