Reflection

Recently, I came down with Covid. I’d like to join the many people who have gotten it to say this virus is truly the spawn of Satan. And I got a milder version of it. It affects every part of your body from your brain to your ankles (joint soreness).

As I’ve been recovering….still not fully recovered yet….I’ve been thinking about The Thought for the Day blog. I don’t write as often as I used to. I pondered this and asked myself and God “Why not?”

A lot has happened in the last 2 years. We planted a disciple-making church, Called2Be. The disciple-making part is huge. We don’t look like a traditional church in so many ways. We spend a lot of time praying and asking God to show us what he wants this to look like. We spend a lot of time waiting for an answer.

In addition, I co-founded a non-profit called Rooted Pathways. Rooted is a faith based organization that is helping people who have had a life event get back on their feet and thrive. We actually founded it a few years ago but in 2021 God began directing us to do something with it.

And finally, I am bi-vocational….not sure tri-vocational is a thing…but bi-vocational in that I run my business and also do ministry. I’m not sharing all of this so you see that I am slightly crazy… I’m sharing it because in all of this there are so many God stories.

So why haven’t I been sharing them? It’s what I love to do….share God stories. There are lots of reasons really. One is that I’ve gotten busy, really busy and slowing down long enough to write isn’t my first thought. Another reason is that a lot of the God stories are personal to people. That makes me pause because well, it’s personal. You see, God is still working miracles! They will blow your mind…they blow my mind. But often they are personal to people and I want to make sure I am respecting people’s privacy.  Here is another thing I’ve come to realize. Many of these miracles are done in people’s hearts.

We too often look for the big blinking neon sign that says “God was here.” We want to see those kind of miracles like when Moses parted the Red Sea or the chains fell off Peter in prison. We look for those. But the real miracles are the ones that happen in our hearts. Do you know how hard it is to change the human heart? We can’t do it. Only the Holy Spirit can do it. And when He does, that is a true miracle.

All you can do is the Happy God Dance! I have been able to do the Happy God Dance a lot because He is still there, still changing hearts, still answering prayers and still doing miracles. Praise His Name!

I’ve asked God to help me prioritize so I can write more. There are so many stories. I am sure He will show me ways to tell His stories while protecting folks. I just have to slow down so I can hear what He wants to say.

In the meantime, look for Him. Look to see where He is working….join Him and then we can all be doing the Happy God Dance while we Praise His Name!!! WOOOHOOOO!

Pointing In The Right Direction

Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. Deuteronomy 9:6 (ESV)

You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not—you are a stubborn people. (NLT)

Recently, I was talking to a group of people and started telling a God story. A God story is a story where you get to see God move in your life or in someone else’s life. It’s where it was totally obvious it was him and no one else. I love God stories!

As I started to tell the story, I left out a part that pointed to God and his greatness. When I inadvertently did that, the story became more about how God did this for me. Which ever so slightly shifts the glory from who he is to who I am. Luckily, a friend in the group reminded me and I adjusted.

Now, I didn’t purposefully leave that part out. I always want to give God the glory. But, we are human and I wonder if sometimes we speak too quickly before we think of the ramifications of our words. Who are they pointing to? Who gets the credit? Who gets God’s glory?

I felt convicted after this and I’ve been talking to God about it. I don’t ever want to put myself on a pedestal. I want so much to always point to him. A few days later, I was driving and listening to my Bible app in my car and I heard today’s verse. God was very clearly telling the Israelites that their gift of the Promised Land was not because they were good, but because God was good.

We can definitely apply this to our lives. God still does work miracles. He still shows up. As I ponder this, I want to make sure that in everything I do, in all my words and actions, I am pointing to him. Because I am not good. He is.