Endurance Training for the Ultimate Challenge!

The bible encourages us to endure. In Reference to Matthew 24:13, in fact, the word tells us that we will be saved through enduring the times. These verses give us foresight into how we will be tested and what we will need to endure to be saved; hatred, betrayal, deception, persecution, imprisonment and death.

To endure is easier said than done! How can we possibly prepare for such difficult tests? James 1:3 reminds us that through every difficulty we experience, it is an opportunity for our endurance to grow.

Hermann Maier - The second most successful ski racer with 54 World Cup titles.

Consider the american obsession with sports and athletics. Parents push their children to excel in various sports by enrolling them into specific activities as early in the child’s life as possible. Parents transport their kids to and from practice throughout the week, and on weekends jump from field to field, town to town, and even state to state. They want their children to have as much experience as possible. They want them to become stronger, faster, quicker, and have a greater “endurance” over their adversaries, They are overly committed to preparing their kids for what hardships they will be up against (in sports).

Why are we willing to be tested in sports day after day and weekend after weekend, but if hardship in life come our way we want to turn and run and question God? We need to face these challenging times because it is “practice” and preparation for what is to come! We can’t ignore difficult times and expect that they will never come again. We need to prepare, train, learn from the tests that come our way and then train again with that new technique and perspective. We need to transform our minds through the process. When we send kids off to practice, we remind them that this is for the glory of someday winning the World Cup, the Super Bowl, or the World Series. But do we teach them and encourage them to prepare for the glory of God with as much passion and obsession?! Are you obsessed with the training you’re going through? Have you considered what you’re training for and what is worth training for?

I can finally see Him.

This last Sunday I was called away from church to go to work.  I was able to enjoy the first 2o minutes of worship when my phone abruptly caught my attention.  “Darn it!”, I thought to myself.  “This was going to be a good one”.  Reluctantly I took the call and then swiftly I was left the church.

It had been a normal week for me.  Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, yet there was just something missing.  It felt as if I had a long list of things to do and I needed to get them started NOW!  The feeling wasn’t necessarily an anxious feeling, as much as it was a longing one.  As I was driving off I began thinking more about this.  I missed God.

Consider how when you are thirsty, you are like an empty vessel waiting to be filled.  Yes, you may be running on empty, but thirst also brings about an element craving.  You not only need to be filled, you want to be filled.  Another week would have to wait until I would be able to go back to church.  As a kid I would have been ecstatic… anything would have been better than church.  But, this day, I noticed myself being truly bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to enjoy the entire service.  Not only was my vessel needing to be filled with God, but I craved it as well.  I had experienced a brief taste of Him, and now He had my heart and attention.  “That’s okay”, I told myself.  “God is all around me and I can enjoy his splendor at any time, for all time”.  My thoughts raced as if I had finally uncovered “the key”.

He Can Meet Me  Anywhere!

I have those moments when I forget that God is with me at all times.  I also forget that He doesn’t just reside in the higher powers of the church…He resides in each of us.  For example, sometimes I will see someone go up for prayer at church, see others follow, and then even more come.  I think to myself…”how will the pastor have enough time to individually pray over each person?”  Then I see other members of the prayer team come up and help with the prayers.  I’ve then thought to myself. “wait a minute!  The others that have come for prayer are getting hosed because they are not being prayed over by the head pastor”.  With that perspective, I’ve missed the entire point!  We are all filled with the Holy Spirit.  He lives in us, and He wants everyone of us to come to him and pray to Him.  He deserves all praise, especially from those who struggle to praise Him.  He wants us engaged with one another and He wants to be the center of it all.  Just because I was missing church for the day, didn’t mean that I couldn’t still engage with Him or others.  I understood it…I could still have Him even though I was being pulled away from church.

I Need My Church Family!

Skipping church (or going without church for prolonged periods of time), however, for the sake of convenience is not enough.  I need to be engaged with others.  I need to experience a dedicated time of worship, or relationship and fellowship with eachother and with God.  For those who can’t understand this, it’s like being a part of a something that is so filling and inspiring that it brings you to tears because of the authenticity, acceptance  and love.  It is the most freeing feeling in the world and I want to share that with you!  Although I love the mountains, I need my church family.  Anymore, I’m willing to sacrifice my mountain time for my God time (never thought I would have EVER felt that way).

Ken - Alaska Backcountry Adventure - Ski Guide

Quite often I will hear people say comments such as, “my church is the great outdoors”, or “I don’t have to go to church because my church is here in the mountains while I’m up here skiing”.  I totally understand where those comments come from because I once felt the same way.  I didn’t have  the perspective that I now have today.  For example, in 2005 I was heli-skiing in the Chugach Mountains of Alaska.  Ken, who was one of our guides, had come to a safety stop just before we entered the glacier section of our run and I was the first one to follow him down the previous section.  When I arrived  to where he was standing, the glacial ice was an astonishing color of blue and the mountainous backdrop was astounding.  As we waited for the skiers in our group to approach us one-at-a-time, he turned to me and said, “man isn’t this amazing country?”  I agreed with his observation, but then he started back up again with, “Are you a Christian?” At that point in time I had not accepted Christ nor did I really understand what “Christianity” meant, so my response back was a short, and awkward, “yeah!!????”.  Without taking his eyes off of the mountain range in front of us he then responded, “man…how can a person not believe in God.  Look at this…this is amazing…only He could orchestrate something like this”.  And that was it.  The rest of the group slowly made their way to us and that was the end of that conversation.  But that short conversation has always stuck with me.  Although insignificant at the time, he planted a seed that became a huge part of my life’s story.  From what I understood about that moment was this… Ken wasn’t the “I don’t have to go to church because my church is here in the mountains while I’m up here skiing” kind of guy, instead, I suspect that he is much like the person I am today.  I truly think that he is the type of guy who has a relationship with God, who reads the bible, who tries to carry out the great commission, and who appreciates and knows the power of God.  Ken didn’t come across to me as a ski bum livin’ the posh heli-life.  It was almost like he was doing what he loved while on a mission to engage.  If so, than good job Ken!

The Church Has Made My Wilderness Sweeter!

Going without church is like expecting to become a doctor without even a high school degree.  Being a Christian is a lifetime commitment and it requires constant learning.  It’s not just a learning process because it’s also a transforming process.  I want to see things different…why would I want to be miserable my entire life when I don’t have to….Lord help me to be happy with having nothing so that I can enjoy all circumstances that come my way!  Easier said than done, but it’s possible.

When I was driving off from church that day I realized; 1) God can meet me anywhere, and 2) even though He can meet me anywhere I still need my church.  The last thing I learned was this; I can go into this world with the confidence of knowing that God is all around me and within me, but I can’t get anything out if I don’t put anything in!  My church family has made my wilderness experience sweeter.  I see God in new ways and in new places.

As I was driving down the road I saw a bumper sticker with a bible verse.  Even though I was missing church God wanted me to know that He was there (I was able to look up the verse later when I got to my destination).  A short time later when I pulled up to the hospital, the car directly in front of me had a bumper sticker that read “God is watching you”.  Another reminder that He is everywhere.  Again, a short time later, God put I song in my head that sang, ” I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”.  I had no reason to keep from smiling as I ventured into work on my Sunday morning (I was even going to work to help a friend, from a different company, cover a case which i wasn’t going to get paid for).

Now, when I do get that time away from work, and I do leave town and get into the mountains, nature is sweeter than it’s ever been.  I think this is where Ken was.  I find myself in awe, and I consider things that have never remotely crossed my mind.  So have you ever danced with God?  I have.  I’ve done it my entire life, but I felt it and saw it for the first time ever on February 1, 2011.    I’ve always seen God’s creation, but while on a ski trip I saw God in everything.  His presence was all around me.  Not only was He in a beautiful mountain seen that made me consider the power of God to move, shape and carve the mountains, but like I said…I realized my dance with God.

My dance with God

Skiing powder is a metaphor for the life that God intends me to live.  Without God I could not experience His powder, my play ground, my heaven on earth.  Without the powder I wouldn’t have been able to understand the personal relationship that I have with God, the power of God, nor the true beauty of His art.  Skiing is power, grace, beauty, risk, and balance.  Skiing powder is lively yet peaceful, forgiving yet firm,  calm yet fierce, by sight yet by faith.  God comes alive in the powder.  He is a peace that engulfs me in His storm.  He wants me to charge ahead while he holds me and keeps me at peace.  He challenges me to be  bold and take a line that has never been explored.  He wants me to take that risk and he assures me to push it a little harder.  He comforts me by reminding me that although he won’t necessarily stop me from falling, he will catch me if I do.  He wants my love for the dance to be so strong that when I do fall, I can get right back up and continue with the same passion that he has graced me.  He won’t say “be safe” and “be cautious” on the next time around.  Instead he’ll say, “trust me”, “keep that peaceful intensity” and “you’re even more powerful than you know”.  Amen to that!

When I Die.

When I die I want to be remembered.  In order to be remembered, I’ve always thought that I’ve needed to be focused on being an extraordinary person doing extraordinary things.  I want my story to be unique, full of life, and so astonishing that mouths will drop, eyes will not blink, and tears might flow.  I think that we all want this to some degree.  In some way it communicates to our hearts that if we inspire such a reaction, that we’ve led a meaningful life.  Too bad we’ll be dead before our hearts hear that message.   Although it sounded alright at first, I had it all wrong.  Perhaps now, however, I think I’m one step closer to understanding my final chapter and the desired alternate ending that will live in my heart daily.

When Shane McConkey died I was shocked, surprised, sad, and happy.  When I reviewed his story I was in awe.  I watched the tribute section on In Deep over and over again and I will admit that I was emotionally moved.  I think his heart will be happy to know how people responded to his death.  I think its the perfect ending to “Shane’s” perfect story.  This was the type of ending that I’ve always dreamed about.  Not necessarily the way it happened or what he left behind, but the way he lived his life… he did it all!  When I began to think a little more about it however, my perspective changed.  It all started with the question, “When I die…”?

When Shane died I cried.  Wow…what a life!  His life resembled achievements of lifetime goals, daring first ascents, being an innovator of ski-basing and the icon of extreme skiing, the guy everybody liked, and the life of the party.  He lived  the american dream and his bucket list has been satisfied.  That’s why all of us are in awe.  He did it, and for some weird reason we are all jealous!  American culture is all about keeping up with the Jones’, even unto death.  He is where he is, and he could be saying to himself, “I did it!  I lived a full life, I did it all, and I am the Icon that transcended the sport”.  I’ll admit that I’m jealous and I would have loved to have lived that dream.  But, I know that I’ve missed the point.  Watch the tribute video about Shane.  This is an amazing story and it will give you chills!

No disrespect to Shane, but I don’t want this type of story anymore.  When I die I want people to cry because I made a difference in their lives.  I want people to say  that I inspired them to step out of their safe place, to search the depths of their broken heart, to learn about the peace of God, to allow God to mend all their spiritual sufferings,  to accept Jesus as their savior, and to die to themselves everyday so that they can love others like Jesus loves the church.  In the end, I don’t want people to be jealous of me and my life, but rather, I want them to know that God is jealous for them.

“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead ” (Revelations 3:1)

“All that matters is the reality of who we are before God” (Francis Chan – Crazy Love)

I want to live a full life, but I don’t want to live every day selfishly.  During my funeral, I don’t want others to praise the life I lived because they feel forced to as they dig for words.  I want my actions to have spoken to them at a deeper level.  I want them to be impacted by God and I want their joy renewed in a way that only Christ can provide.  I dream that they would dig deep to pursue Him and be transformed by their relationship with Him.  If we lived our lives like we would die tomorrow, than we could spend more time reaching others.  Through that process our hearts could be transformed moment by moment.  In the end (at death), we won’t need the praise of others (would be hard to get, regardless) because we will be at peace, our hearts will have already been filled by God, and His glory will now shine through us and on to others.

Thanksgiving, an event for Each Day!

I know that it appears to be a bit late to give thanks during the Thanksgiving holiday, but the truth is that every day should be Thanksgiving!  Last week I was reminded to give thanks, yet this time was different.  I think it finally sank in, and when I gave thanks I was truly honoring God for all of his blessings and my sufferings.  I honor His grace.

Late last week I learned about the initial intention of Thanksgiving which was proclaimed by Abe Lincoln.  I realized and believed, for the first time in my life, that we truly live in a country that loves God.  Well, at least we used to.  My soul and my faith were invigorated when I took to heart the intention our founding fathers and their establishment of this great country.  It felt like something I could believe in.  Then, I was reminded just the other day (again), of how rare of an opportunity we have to live in this great country.  We are free!!  We are the few, however, and I don’t know that I give as much thanks for what has been extended to me.  We are the minority, and when you really stop to think about it…it’s horrific.  We have everything and yet we are wasteful, unappreciative, and greedy for more.  I’m embarrassed for my actions while the rest of the world looks on.  Again…we are FREE!  Why isn’t anyone asking “why”?  Does anyone care?  It really doesn’t seem so because during the ONE day that has been set aside to do so, we become more lazy, we overindulge in everything, we are wasteful, and then the day after Thanksgiving we spend time buying gifts for people who really have EVERYTHING!  Where is God?  “Well, we prayed at dinner”, we say.  But where is the honor, and more importantly, where is the action?!

We have the freedoms that we do because our founding fathers were “Jesus FREAKS” and they believed in the bible with everything they had.  It shows!!!  Look what they created!!  Freedom!  Nothing else than the design of God!  It works because Jesus is real!  Look around the world.  Where you find Jesus you will find the pursuit of freedom.  Abe Lincoln proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to do nothing more than praise God!

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Is my heart holding up?

Because of my desire to endure, I’m always trying to keep a realistic perspective.  In my attempts to do so, I’m aware that I can come across too conservative or too cautious.  Those two words (conservative and cautious), however, sound too soft for me and make it sound like I’m not a risk-taker, or that perhaps I could miss out on other opportunities in the process.  Here’s an example…  Suppose you’ve worked for a company for ten years and each year you’ve received a substantial Christmas bonus.  On top of that, each year your bonus becomes bigger and bigger.  This year your employer outperformed the market, increased market share, had greater profitability, and on top of that you exceeded your yearly quota by over 10%.  Taking the story a bit further… you’ve been inspired by Clark Griswald and you’ve taken out a loan (in anticipation to receiving your bonus in the mail) to build a family pool in the back yard.   Will you; a) be the father/husband of the year and build the pool, or b) be me.

My realistic perspective is “nothing is a sure thing”.  I think you remember how Clark’s story ended… but it was close!  While Clark may wear his emotions on his sleeves, I on the other hand wait until I see the cards fall for myself.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t have fun or get excited about anything, and quite contrary infact!  Ask my wife and friends and they will say I am a dreamer.  I aim high and I go all out!  I often times can’t fall asleep at night because I get so excited about my day dreams.  They are vivid and detailed, and while laying in bed my heart rate can race!  Again, Clark Griswald is emotion driven, but in these types of scenarios I tend to guard my heart and try to keep emotion out of the decision.

There are other examples that may better clarify my position, but the bottom line is that I act the way that I do because I don’t want to be broken hearted or disappointed in the end (or financially broke).  This topic seems to keep coming up and so I feel like I need to journal it.  I’ve got to guard my heart whenever I can.  In fact, the bible is very straight-forward about this;

Above all else, guard you heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

Why should we guard our hearts? Because our heart is WHO WE ARE, and the wellspring is WHAT WE DO.  By guarding WHO WE ARE, we guide WHAT WE DO in life.  We need to have awareness of the powers of evil.  Satan is out to draw us away from God, to thwart God’s purpose in our lives, to deny God the glory and honor he deserves, and to destroy us.  The heart is the center of emotion and will, as well as wisdom and perspective. We need to be constantly searching for a new perspective and we need to constantly be led by God. We need to be led by wisdom rather than by our emotions.  When we feel happy, sad, or whatever feeling, we need to be praising Him, asking for the direction of our next step, and hearing whatever perspective He is wanting us to understand.  If we give in to our emotions than we make ourselves vulnerable to sin because our decisions can come from our self-centered perspective, thus limiting God’s influence and allowing satan a small window of opportunity.  We were born into a war torn earth and so it should be no surprise that we’ll experience deception and therefore hardship.  The real question is “HOW WILL YOU RESPOND”?  You can turn upward to God, or you can turn inward toward yourself and leave yourself unguarded from the powers of evil.  I’ve just realized that although I keep a healthy desire for new perspective, I don’t praise God enough nor seek His guidance.  As a result, I run the risk of being intercepted and deceived by the devil that the best way is by my own power (wow!).

What should we guard our hearts from? We need to guard our heart in every aspect of life.  In our spending and finances, in our friendships and relationships, in what we read or hear, in how we spend our time and energy, in where we put our hope or identity, and in what we think makes us happy or sad.  The power of satan is everywhere.  It is so apparent that it is unapparent and normal.  We need to have discernment in everything we do.

How do you guard your heart? In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  God needs to be protecting your heart from outside influences coming in, as well as, protecting everything that is going out of you.

How long do you guard your heart? We should be constantly guarding our heart.  Since our heart (who we are) is the wellspring of life (guides what we do), than guarding the heart should be a perpetual act.

Whether we choose to guard our heart, or not, has HUGE ramifications!  It will either paralyze us or liberate us.  We need to constantly be seeking the truth.  In the end, I hope my perspective makes sense.  I choose to make the decisions in my life and/or view things from a conservative perspectives so that I do not fall victim to a broken heart.  I don’t want surprises from the devil and I don’t want him anywhere in my life.  I must admit, however, that after writing this I am realizing how much more I need God in my life.  This is a war that I was born into and I don’t want to be blind to it or fall victim of it.  I want the truth.  He is the truth but why don’t I seek Him more often?  It’s an awesome relationship and I’m blown away that I don’t take the opportunity more often.

 

Inspire me to tell Him “YES!”

When I first decided to set up this blog, the very first thing that I wanted to do was have a place where I could go and be reminded of the way God loves me.  Its easy to remember that God has made every provision for me, but it’s not always easy for it to penetrate the heart.  We have no problem saying, “yeah, yeah, yeah…I know he loves me”, but then why are we still enslaved by the perspectives of this world?  God MUST penetrate the heart!  It’s not enough for me to soak in His love either.  I want it breathing out of me.  So why isn’t it?

In the book, Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller explained perfectly how we need to have a sort of shift in paradigm.  Instead of going around and blaming the world for its ugliness, we need to play a larger role.

“I spend 95 percent of my time thinking about myself anyway. I don’t have to watch the evening news to see that the world is bad, I only have to look at myself. I am not browbeating myself here; I am only saying that true change, true life-giving, God-honoring change wound have to start with the individual. I was the very problem I had been protesting. I wanted to make a sign that read “I AM THE PROBLEM.”

As americans we seem to make everything about “us”.  If something doesn’t go our way than our lives get thrown so out of wack.  Why?  Because this is the true battle for middle earth!  We need to see the perspective from someone bigger than us!  We need to be dying to ourselves daily!  But how do we get there?  My hope is that this blog can help me get there.  I hope that this will encourage me die to myself when I need it, and then empower me to think about others’ needs more than my own.  I need clarity and the appropriate perspective as I look inward, so that I can have a positive influence as I move outward into this world.

Therefore, I hope that each of the following pages serves as inspiration and motivation to answer these questions of the heart;

Looking Inward

Can you endure the sacrifices Christ has made for you?

Moving Outward

Can you endure what Christ has called you to do?

It’s not enough for me to simply answer “yes”.  Saying “yes” is the easy part, but living it is something completely different.  If you can answer an affirmative “yes” to both of these questions, than Christ asks us next;

“Will you show me?”

May the following pages under inspiration and motivation inspire us all to answer this question with a resounding and joy filled “YES”!

 

Empowered by the Holy Spirit

For as long as I can remember I have always loved works of non-fiction.  To this day I have little desire to read anything which is unrealistic, untrue, overly dramatic or romanticized, and without conflict or redemption.  Sure, there are great novels out there that I have read and I’m certain that there are others that I would love and that I can identify with.  In the end, however, these stories don’t truly capture my heart if they’re not true.  I need to be inspired!  I need to know that something is possible because there is factual testimony of something extraordinary occurring.  Non-fiction doesn’t limit my ability to dream or think outside of the box, and I don’t fully believe in the notion that “seeing is believing”.  I want to have the attitude of “expecting the best while prepared for the worst”.  When facing life’s obstacles, I would rather have faith and confidence that are guided by the truth, rather than the balls provoked by arrogance.

One of my most favorite books is the story of The Endurance.  I’m not sure whether this is at the top of my list because of its heroic story, or because of the theme of endurance.  Regardless, this 1914 expedition to the South Pole, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, was deadly before things even went wrong.  Twenty-seven men aboard the ship “The Endurance”, became locked among ice flows just shy of reaching Antarctica.  The Endurance was eventually crushed by the flows and sunk, leaving the men stranded in an inhospitable and deadly environment.  By the end of the story, all of  the twenty-seven men survived the ten month ordeal by living on whale blubber while stranded and floating on icebergs.  They somehow had endured.  To this day, this is a well known story and lesson to polar sailors and explorers.  Endurance is a powerful word and is synonymous with “sustaining long suffering”.

The unfortunate truth is that we will experience periods of long suffering.   A great spiritual war is being waged on our behalf.   We can’t always see it, but it is constant.  The devil wants to devour and destroy us because we are truly a threat to him!  At certain points in our lives unpleasant surprises hit us like a ton of bricks.   Seemingly unexpected, our legs are taken out, every breath of energy is sucked from our lungs and we feel like we’re about to go down for the count.  We prepare to go down hard and we almost expect it.  Then it happens.  We are broken.  Nothing remaining except for the scattered pieces.  We then ask, “how did this happen, and why did this have to happen to me?”.

I consider this blog as my journey and my fight back against the powers of darkness.  But this journey isn’t truly about me.  This is ALL about Gods plan and his will over my life.  I am his instrument and I am anxious to see where I will be played.  So if God is truly in control, and he knew the beginning and the end before I was even born, then why should this fallen world be any surprise?  Lord, help me to grasp your perspective in everything I endure.

Like I said earlier, there is a war being raged!  During those times when we are “living the life”, and even when we may be asking “God, if you’re so powerful then why don’t you make this pain go away”, the angels are entangled and engaged with the enemy.  They are waging that war for both you and me.  The lines have been drawn and the swords are unsheathed.  In the meantime, however, I want to be prepared!  I want to know the truth! I don’t want to be moved by what I see!  I want to endure the test of faith not just for this moment, but for life. Having faith is trusting God through all of life’s victories, but more importantly, through all of life’s trials.  I need to keep my eyes on Him and I need your help!  I desire authentic fellowship.  I desire to live within a community of purpose, not a group of people seeking relationship for relationship’s sake!

Enough is enough!  This is my moment now!  I feel empowered by the Holy Spirit and I will be deliberate.  I ask you now to join me!  Come along side as I pursue the truth and seek inspiration and motivation to stand this ground.  Be real.  Remind me how no one said it would be easy.  Teach me not to be moved by anything I see.  Invigorate that spirit that lives within me and show me how to fully appreciate the grace that has been extended to all of us.