The REAL You

An old advertisement in the 90's that became a part of our jargon was "Image is Everything". The most famous athlete/actor who proclaimed the message was Andre Agassi a brash, athletic, blond and long haired champion tennis player. Certainly the phrase has it's merits in how we view one another in a culture dominated by externals. The pressures are enormous to conform to someone else's expectations of what looks good or projects the best "image" of what we want people to think we represent in life. But who are we really? Hopefully who we are on the inside ultimately has more value than who we are trying to be based on the externals we can't ultimately control. Life has a way of break in and wrecking our finest wardrobe, whitened teeth or buff bod. God tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Who we are apart from what we can purchase or add on will have a limited impact till our soul is at rest in a relationship with God.

Marriage by Grace

22 years ago (June, 29th 1985) I made a commitment that was the wisest decision of my life apart from following Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. I spent a number of years of my life avoiding intimacy and commitment. Fear is a big motivator to hide from any areas we feel vulnerable in. My classmates in nursing college often challenged me to do more than just study. A young lady named Gail Stewart confronted me in the library and a process began that allowed me to eventually meet my wife Mary. I had to come to the place where I surrendered the whole idea of marriage, dating, sexuality etc... to God. I got honest and the resulting dividend has been a wonderful marriage and family. I could have stayed to myself and not taken any risks but what a tragedy that would have been. All the great things of life involve risk and potential for failure. I thank God that he doesn't leave us behind walls of misery and doubt but knocks persistently on the walls of our hearts imploring us to come out and see what he has prepared to bless and enrich our lives. Thank you God for my wife Mary and our children Daniel, Joshua and Gabriella!

Final Exam Panic?

Well USA students are well into their final exams now. I know because all normal life at the campus has CEASED. People are either studying or at least trying to study. As I walk across the campuses I see books open and heads buried in concentration... for the most part. On occasion I see a few head buried in SLEEP. Yes, many are trying their level best to pull out of a bad grade with one final master attack on the FINAL EXAM. While hope is always looking for the possibility of learning physics in a week or less it's not the usual. This is when we look back at the beginning of the semester wondering why we mocked the friend or roommate who actually studied and read their books before mid-terms! Perhaps we need to approach all of our major life goals with a bit of humility and commitment toward that old standby for success: HARD WORK. Yes, I know it doesn't sound very enticing but neither does failure or the misery of treating your body and mind to a series of sleepless nights to cram information into a limited cranium and risking sudden brain failure mid way through your exam. Diligence, planning and consistency... why it doesn't sound like fun but boy does it help in the long run. Congratulations to all who applied these principles and for those who are wishing they had there is always next semester :)

Nature's voice

I went with 60 internationals students and friends to a farm in Lucedale, Mississippi this past weekend. We enjoyed the beauty of clear skies, a scenic lake, horses, cows and an open fire to cook over. It was awesome. Other than cell phones which we didn't use and digital cameras we were "unhooked" tech wise and loved it! We were entertained by the greatest artist of all: GOD! What a canvas God paints for us each day! The Bible describes it in the book of Psalms chapter 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world... God has once voice but it is revealed in two dimensions his created world and his eternal word. Let's listen to both!

Fear

Emotions are such a driving force in all of our lives. All of us are impacted by the dimension of human emotion. Unfortunately, many of us are driven and controlled by the force of fear. What is fear? Webster's defines it as, "an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. " For much of life I have until I put my life in the hands of Jesus I had an overwhelming sense of dread. I could very seldom enjoy even the good things of life. I never felt secure or safe. In 1980 just before my 21st birthday I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and give me a new life in him. Since that time I have felt increasing freedom from fear in my life. In the New Testament (1 John 4:18) there is talk of a special kind of love, "Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fears." God's love has expelled a lot of unhealthy and wasteful emotions from my life. Thank you Lord for giving me peace, joy and mercy. May your love flow through me to deliver others from fears as well.

Treasure

What do you think of when you hear the word treasure? Most people myself included get an image of some form of monetary wealth that would normally remain hidden from us. Recently I have been enjoying another kind of treasure in my life. I am just really enjoying the treasure of God's people in my life. It' amazing to me just how wonderfully God has made the people with whom I am spending my life. Such unique talents, interests, personalities..... Each person uniquely reflecting a particular facet of their creator... Jesus Christ. Why don't we spend more time reflecting on the goodness in one another. Yes, we are sinners in need of a Savior.... and yet we can on occasion as God enables us see at least a dim reflection of our heavenly Father in one another. Thanks God for allowing me to see some of you in the people you have chosen to live in my life!

Looking in the Mirror

How we view ourselves is so very important. It's amazing how distorted our "image" can become by how others view us... how the media creates "ideal" images related to our bodies, our hair etc......... We are being sold a lie about who we are on a daily basis and every time we look into the mirror we see another false image created. What does God say about us... our bodies, our faces, our personalities etc......... Let's take a brief look at a few verses from Psalm 139 in the Old Testament: Ps 139 vs 13 says this, " You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--- and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."
You are not an accident or an aberration. You are who you are in every way by design. When you look in the mirror don't regret who you are.... God loves you as you are.