Not Because I Have To…

Oh glorious Father! My sustainer, my fortress, my everlasting hope! How toilsome, to face the swiftly passing days as they relentlessly crash against the starboard side of this vessel called life, pushing me this way and that. There is but one bearing that I wish to pursue! One! May your mighty outstretched arms shield the waves and with your breath may you carry my sails through the storms of the raging sea! How wearisome it is to battle constantly, a foe that never tires, that never slumbers. Ever violent he is, attacking the mind, the body, and the spirit… and without a shred of mercy. How much easier the fight O Lord, if I could just relinquish the gift of sight, the gift of feeling and sensations, and the gifts of deep pondering and heartfelt emotions. Thus, leaving the enemy with no kinks left in my armor to penetrate through as he seeks to gravely wound my soul. Had I not been blessed with such gifts, they would not have also been my downfall, causing me to fall away from you Lord, my first love.  And so I battle the hordes of deceit, selfishness, pain, sorrows, and worries. Oh how much easier it would be to surrender these gifts, so that I may not be distracted by the sights, lead away by my feelings, and so I could be simple in thought as to be forced only one choice of thinking and action… to love you Lord with all of my being! Oh how in complete despair my soul screams out in horrendous agony, to be eternally bonded to the fullness of your indescribable love without reservation… a love like no other. How ignorant of me though, to miss the magnificent beauty of the gift of freely choosing to love, and by emphasizing such beauty by being given the choice to love through the crashing waves, through the storms of life, and through battling the merciless hordes of the enemy. Is not love given wings to soar, when contrasted against perils of life and found to be triumphant… because of the choice to love? If this be so Father, then let me keep my eyes, let me keep my body, and my spirit… and for a thousand years let me live, that I may tirelessly fight and display my love for you! Send me off into the front lines of the battlefield, that I may fight for you until every ounce of my affection for you, every single drop, has been spilled from my body… poured out for you as your Son has so selflessly and sacrificially done for me first. Not because I have to O Lord… but because I choose to. Because I choose to… love you.

Psalm 63:1-3 – You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

Psalm 63:7-8 – Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Three Words – One Life

Dream Big…

One of my favorite memories about being a young child of whom was very naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world, is countless ways I used to dream big in God’s world of amazing possibilities. There was a potential that my wildest imagination could, and sometimes did, come to life. Because this was so, life seemed to overflow with such enthusiasm, passion, and had a majestic melody to it that never ceased. Now that I am grown and somewhat weathered due to life’s many storms, I have found that dreaming big now is in fact… just as much of a necessity as it was back then. After all, I am a child of God, of whom I stand in awe of for His miraculous and wondrous ways that are beyond my understanding. And as I pass by the multitudes who drone on in endless meetings or who race off to accomplish that next life changing chore, it is apparent that God has lost some of His mystery to us. We have allowed the world to suppress our imagination, and we justify it by saying that imagination has no place in the “real world”. Well, we might not actually say that, but we sure live like we believe it. Have we forgotten that God is a God of possibilities and awesome wonders?! His mini biography is chock-full of real examples of people just like you and I, who courageously left a mark in its pages by displaying steadfast faith, all the while serving the same God as we serve today. The same God who is looking for those who are willing to dream once again, and to play a role in the big story, that we may walk by such faith as to leave behind us a ray of light to break apart the dark clouds over others. God wants to take ordinary men and women, and make them extraordinary for His name and for His fame. It all starts, with a choice. A choice to allow Him to lead you in your life, and to guide your steps no matter how rough the path may get. If God is the giver of good gifts, and life is a gift from Him, then it is a blessing and meant to be lived as such! Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? Are you ready to play a part in the big story? One that will inspire many after you, just as those have who have gone before you who helped to plant the seed of His possibilities within you. How about we start today by watering those seeds of possibilities that were once planted within us, so that they grow to be strong trees of realities of which shall bear seeds of its own. Your life of endless possibilities through Him, begins when you take your first step to turn your life over to Him, and to trust Him completely. How about it… are you ready?

“What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” – Mark 11:24

“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” – Jeremiah 32:27

“He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” – Luke 17:6

Change your thinking…

If you always think what you’ve always thought,
you will always do what you’ve always done.
If you always do what you’ve always done,
you will always get what you’ve always got.
If you always get what you’ve always got,
you will always think what you’ve always thought. – Author Unknown

Philippians 2:2-5

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

His love…

Like food and water to the body, our spirit craves nourishment. It desires to be filled with all that is good, so that it can function to its fullest potential, thereby yielding some good of its own. Such goodness, is called love. God’s love. It sets our spirit in motion, whom puts the body to work, fueling us and giving us purpose to live. This is why we were created, what we were created for. So that we can labor in love, and for love. Nothing will satisfy the body and the spirit, like the unconditional, never failing, persistent love of our Creator. He and only He gives us purpose, and fills the void within ourselves like no one or nothing on Earth could ever satisfy. His love is perfect and free, as the price for such a love was paid for by the blood of His son, Christ Jesus. Believe… and live with purpose, leaving a legacy of love.

Romans 8:37-39 – … in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Wilderness…

Man stands in the wilderness of life, surrounded by many dangers, some known, and some unknown. Instinctively, he knows if he stays in one spot too long, the wilderness would consume him. He is compelled to move, but fear of the unknown grips him tightly, like the iron jaws of the ever lurking mountain lion. Staying in one spot would be the easier thing to do… it would be so comfortable. But innately, there is an adventurous side, a side that screams with the ever prodding eagerness to explore the freedom that awaits him. What lies beyond his camp of monotony, he wonders. Oh, does he wonder…

Such is life, if we do not take a step of faith into the unknown. Discoveries are made by those who dare to discover and so without risk, there can be no reward. Regrets are the dungeons of despair, where we are left to ourselves to ponder the what-ifs, the could haves, should haves, and would haves until the end of our days. Like torrential rains these empty thoughts fill our minds, expanding the voids of nothingness.

In life, the easy road is most often taken, as man seeks to satisfy himself. Afraid to take a step out of his camp, afraid to risk it all, afraid of what he may find. And so we sit and wait, doing whatever we can to slow the inevitable decay that plagues us, by eating, drinking, sleeping, and being merry. All the while we keep telling ourselves that this is all that life has to offer. We come up with the most elaborate excuses of why we cannot take the step into the unknown, just so that we can feel better that what we are currently doing is sufficient, trying to fool ourselves into feeling satisfied. Trying…

But there is a void. This ever nagging void that no matter what we do to fill this seemingly bottomless pit, it consumes everything and leaves us feeling even more empty then we were prior to all the work, sweat, and tears that went into trying to fill the void up in the first place. Is this it to this life? Is this all there is? This insane, never ending tiresome race of going nowhere, like the hamster in the wheel? Or is there something more? Is there something beyond this camp, beyond the wilderness?

Inside of every man is a desire, a desire to be great. A desire to leave our footprints in the sand for others to follow, a desire to have our own chapter written in the story of life, that others may read of our legacy and be inspired. Inside every man is a desire to be adventurous, to discover, with this hopes that one day, we can fill this insatiable void in our hearts, the void that was there from our earliest memory, and that remains still today. But that would mean leaving all that we are comfortable with, all that we know, who we are…. for the hopes of discovering something greater then us, something great in us, something that make us feel more alive, and more free then ever before (knowing that we were never really free in the first place). There is something out there, calling to us, relentlessly calling…or rather someone.

Ironically, when we step out of our camp, and into the unknown, fear subsides as it is overcome by excitement and wonder! Beyond the trees are rivers, valleys, mountains, rolling hills, a gentle breeze, the warmth of the sun, and life all around us. The new sights, sounds, smells, and sensations are almost more then we can bear. Feelings and thoughts run like wild mustangs in the vastness of our minds. The world seems to grow instantaneously, and never ceases to grow as the imagination flows; influenced by the unimaginable experiences we just had and are still having. Hopes and dreams become a possibility! With each step, our courage grows and our faith thickens. The body is inspired within to express itself in full animation. The free spirited youth that was previously bound within our mind is finally set free in the body. The chains that once bound us fall to the ground, and life… has purpose. We are born into the captivity of sin, but the love of Christ sets us free. Experience freedom and discover your purpose by knowing Christ, the one who gave up His life, so that you may know the meaning of yours, and live it to its fullest… a joy that is unsurpassed.  Now, let us take that first step, out of our camp and into wilderness…

“The men whom I have seen succeed best in life have always been cheerful and hopeful men, who went about their business with a smile on their faces, and took the changes and chances of this mortal life like men, facing rough and smooth alike as it came.” – Charles Kingsley

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Working out… and God

I do not talk about this much, but this subject comes up constantly in my life… the subject of “working out”. There are MANY, too many to count, benefits to working out. Not only is taking care of yourself biblical, but it can be enjoyable too. But the main reason I am writing this is because, there are a few benefits to working out, that I rarely hear in conversation, or read about in health articles, and so I wanted to share them because I believe they are critical when considering working out and your motivations in doing so. It is my belief that through working out, God teaches us something about Himself, as stated in the lessons below. With that said, here we go:

1) Working out ups the probability of prolonging your life. I have heard some say that they don’t care that much about their health, and want to do what they want. Fact of the matter is, people who love you care, and what you around as long as they can have you. Our live, is best lived when serving others, and there is much good we can do in this world, the longer we live.

2) It teaches you discipline. Such discipline can carry on into other areas of our life, and produce good fruits there as well. The hardest part is getting started, but once you see the benefits, you are motivated to press on! That change and motivation to press on, gives others hope that they can too!

3) It teaches you to see the good through the bad. There is different about being sore from age, and being sore from pushing your body towards positive gains. Yes, you will get sore from working out, and hurt at times, but there is a good reason for it. Yes John Mellencamp, it does “Hurt So Good”. But when you push through the pain, seeing the good behind it, it helps you to learn to overcome the pain.

4) It teaches you to never become stagnant in life. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut; we call this “a plateau” in the work out world. This is where we do the same thing/routine, over and over and our body stops responding. Therefore, we have to change it up. Such is life, we need to keep moving and not become stagnant. If something isn’t working, change it up!

5) It teaches the results of our choices, the blessings and curses. When we make bad choices, bad things happen. When we make good choices, good things happen. Yet, there are some things that are not within our control, I get that. When that happens, re-read lesson 3. Nonetheless, our bodies remind us that we have a choice, and our choices have consequences, whether you agree with that or not.

6) It builds your confidence. No, I don’t mean ego. I mean what I said, confidence (although some do confuse the two). As you start reaching your goals, and you will, you will slowly begin to build up more faith in yourself, and that faith will spill over to other areas of your life to where you will be more apt to start something new.

All of these lessons (and there are more), have opened up my eyes to some lessons that God has taught me through working out over the years. I find that He reveals Himself to us constantly, if we are watching and listening. Through such lessons, and working out, I have drawn nearer to Him. I am so thankful for the blessings of the ability to take care of myself, so that I may continue to work He has laid out before me, and that I may complete it to the best of my ability, by the lessons He has taught me.

I hope this helps inspire you, as He has inspired me through the years. God bless!

Ignorance is bliss…

Ignorance is bliss; the premise by which many live. It is the contemplation of the fact that, if there be truth beyond what we consider to be firm knowledge, such knowledge could dare to remove us from the comfortableness of life as we perceive it. In regards to our own being, the cavern of self knowledge that is within us seems dreadfully deep, of which if pursued, could lead us to relentless questions, doubts, and fears about ourselves that we have not the courage to face. These thoughts cross our minds and eclipse from us the fact that, deep within the cavern, lie treasures of beautiful truths about who we really are… who we were made to be. And so, we fearfully sit at the entrance, lost in a daze as we watch the heavenly stars flicker and fade in the night sky. If there is no determination to embark upon this journey of self discovery, then there can be no magnificent revelation. If there is no desire to overcome our questions, doubts, and fears, then there can be no glorious victory over them. Succumbing to the fear of the unknown, means you will never know. Those who do not press on into the depths, hold tightly to the thoughts of hopelessness inside, and because so, they hold even tighter to the ordinarily routine and dull life lived out as these destructive thoughts slowly decay every ounce of happiness that can be found within. Like the eroding of the river bank, their temporary happiness cannot stand forever for it is build upon the foundations of false truths about themselves, and the world around them. Much like a river bank, we realize the problem of erosion only after we have lost too much ground, and so we collapse to our knees in exhaustion due to the weight of questions such as, “how did I not notice this decay? And how can I possibly build up this solid foundation again?”

With this I dare ask, “what is a life lived without the daring pursuit of knowledge, of truth, and of faith?” I would argue that ignorance is not bliss. Rather, ignorance is the choking fog that envelopes our senses and clouds our vision and judgment, giving us no clear direction to place our hopes upon. Because of this, we are then gullibly susceptible to the deceit and illusions of the world and of those who serve it.

So what is the point of this incessant rambling? Simply that we are more than the lies that we have been fed, about us, and the world around us. The truth is, we are much like that of diamond in the rough, who is in desperate need of the Master Crafter to shape us into that which we were meant to be, so that our extraordinary characteristics and virtues may illuminate this darkened place, as we are made in the image of God. When this occurs, the beauty that was once hidden within comes to the surface, catching every ray of light while reflecting it back to the world in an array of color for all to see.

How can this be possible? By allowing God to work within you, to become that which He made you to be… a beautiful creation and picture of all that is good in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Success…

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3

“Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

Legacy…

The seemingly insignificant decisions that we make throughout our day can make just as much of an impact on our lives and the lives of others, as the ones we believe to be most important. We must take care in all that we say and do, for they are all strokes of the brush that makes up the portrait of our lives, of which we will leave behind for many to remember us by. Each of us, will leave one painting, of our life’s work behind. What kind of portrait are you painting of your life for others to bare witness to?

“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.” – Bill Graham

“A man without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself . . . He belongs to whatever can make captive of him.” — John Foster

Integrity is…

Integrity is a virtue that I think it’s lacking in this society, more so than most other virtues. Integrity is… “Doing the RIGHT thing, even if no one is looking.” That means that we seek no reward for the things that we do that are right. We don’t seek praise from others, money, material things, or even a debt owed to us. We do the right thing because it’s who we are and because we want to glorify our maker! This comes with practice. God allows free will to happen, so that we can grow in our character, through winning over the bouts with sin and temptation. The trials and tribulations that we face make us stronger in our faith, if we make the right choice. The after effect is a high that is of the spirit, and is not matched with any high that the worldly things of this earth could ever come close to.

• Integrity is: the person that says no to another drink, even if under peer pressure.

• Integrity is: the guy that walks away from the temptation of another woman, because he knows that even flirting is a sand trap.

• Integrity is: the person that confronts his brother, out of love.

• Having integrity means not gossiping about another, slandering their name out of gain for yourself.

• Integrity is befriending those that others walk carelessly by or point at laughingly.

• Having integrity means not flipping the guy off that cuts you off on the highway.

• Having integrity means you are the same in character, no matter who your audience is. After all, God is always watching.

• Integrity is: standing for your faith, even if it means others will knock you down.

• Integrity is: promoting the blessings in marriage, love, parenthood, Christianity, and friendship.

• Having integrity means not boasting about your hard work, but letting your hard work boast about Him.

• Integrity is: speaking highly of your wife, before your peers.

• Having integrity means not purposely thinking lustfully for another, or dwelling on the initial unplanned thought.

• Having integrity means being accepting of others, but denying their sinful lifestyles.

• Having integrity means, not taking short cuts, such as parking in handicap parking spots.

• Having integrity means, leaving the change found in the change return of a vending machine because it’s not yours in the first place, and someone is in more of a need. Even if it is “just a quarter”.

• Integrity means…

Finish it

The Missing Piece

The longer I live, the clearer it becomes, the fact that all of humanity is in a constant search to be made complete, to be made whole. But to be made whole with what exactly, or with who? Are there many pieces that can fit, to make complete the puzzle of life? Or is there just one ultimate piece? In the short time I have been allowed to live, observe, and experience this life for myself, the answer has become undeniably clear. The blinding scales of my eyes have fallen, and the answer has been revealed, from the wondrous creation all around, to the inner most working of ones heart. All of life is on the move, just as the blood flows, never ceasing to rest until the day of reconciliation beckons. The creation itself grudgingly reacts to the changes in seasons. In the barren winter, the bitter cold lays to slumber the hopes of a long surpassing warmth. But in the spring, the ice and snow gives way once again, to the heat of the suns fiery rays, and all of life rejoices. Could it be that this universal longing is the unavoidable pursuit to fill a void within all of us? A void that was imputed within all of creation due to an act of willful separation from an ultimate love, which produced a hurt like no other, that tore a hole in all of us. Such an act could be the only reason of the yearning, and brokenness that remains. Oh, to experience such a glorious thing, a perfect love, and then walk away, only to realize that nothing, and no one, could ever fill that void again. Our walk has lead us far astray, so much so, that we have forgotten what that kind of love looks like, and have lost hope of ever regaining it for ourselves again. And so, we tirelessly pursue cheap solutions and shallow replacements… such as a subtle laugh, a gentle hug, a kind word. Good as these things can be though, they inevitably fade away, falling short of ultimate love. For they were only given to us to offer us a taste of what it is we are truly missing, and then taken away so that we do not get too attached as we are so often prone to do.  Some though, unfortunately, choose to wander farther off the path, and fall into thee abyss of self destruction. Nonetheless, we should be so very thankful, for He is calling us still. Calling out our name, to come back into His arms. He has never stopped calling us. Calling us home. So that we may experience the fullness of His unwavering and everlasting love. A love like no other, one of which has overcome the whip, the thorns, the floggings, and the spikes that this life can drive through the very heart of man. A love that has conquered death and that is so strong, it has pulled us up from the pit of eternal despair. If we would but look up to see, the strength in His out stretched arm. If we would but open our ears, that we may hear all of creation is crying out His glorious name. We would but realize that we too, have been crying out His name all along. For the one who created the void, is seeking for us to choose for Him to fill it, for love must be a willful choice. As we have chosen to walk away from our loving Father, we must choose to come back to Him. The Lord our God, has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to lead us home. He has passed through the abyss, and hiked through the wilderness to find us. To find you. He is ready to lead you home.

Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.  – Psalm 96:11

And Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved; you and your household.” – Acts 16:31

And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. – Revelation 21:4

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7

Hope

Hope – The fading wilderness. The elusive dream. A distant shelter in a fast approaching storm.

Hope – Wishful thinking. A beautiful notion. The black hole of life.

How have we come to this, to reduce hope nothing more then fairy-tales inked within the pages of our history? Or something worse. At least in the fairy-tales, small flames could potentially burst forth from the simmering coals beneath the surface of our doubts. These flames could grow and spread like wild fire, if we remove the bounds by which it’s contained… unless we snuff it out all together by the means of our bucket filled with ice cold realism.

In our current society, the latter seems to be the case, as we have no need, room, or time for hope. Why? May I suggest that it is because hope has failed us more times then we would care to reflect upon, again? After all, when we turn on the news in the morning, or when we step out of our homes, or when we arrive at work, we are completely saturated by the negativity experienced through every sensation available. And so, the tiresome march of life relentlessly drudges on. Did we feel this way as a small child? Was it always like this? I dare say that it was not. I dare say that something changed. I dare say, we are what has changed, and not the world. For life has always been unfair, cruel, broken, and full of sin and destruction. The elements of our surroundings alone inescapably wear on ones fragile body. As a child, our minds are boundless, free from these facts. And as we grow older, as we experience life, we begin to form within ourselves the rules for living and understanding that we will ultimately be bound by, thereby creating our own prison. The result is that we place no faith, in hope.

What is the solution to freeing our minds from this prison, from this place of slow decay and depravity to which the prince of the world has led us? As stated previously, the problem two fold.

This first issue is that we have lost our childlike sense of awe and wonder of the world and the possibilities within. Somewhere along this path of growing up, we correlated growing up with having to let go of this sense of the world as a part of the process of change, and so that we would fit in and look like others around us. We became fearful and worrisome in the process. Therefore we became structured and systematic. We became, ironically, what we feared the most as a child. No longer were we an individual, special, or unique. We were, we are, no one in particular… only a somebody.

The second issue is that we place our hopes in the people and things of this world that are fickle, frail, and fallible. Such things will more certainly, as the scars of life have proven, let us down without a single care or concern. Life hits us as hard as professional boxer in an amateur fight. With each crushing blow, our hope bleeds out from our wounds. We feverishly race to patch each wound but the next round of flurries one opens up fresh ones. Puddles of failure surround our feet, as we feel our arms lowering from becoming heavy and weak for they have soaked up most of the blows in life. The battle is a losing one.

Or is it? We have lost our hope, frankly, because our hope rested in the things and people of this world, as well as because we have lost our passion for a simplistic and majestic life as we once so blessedly experienced while just a mere child. The good news is that our child like faith and limitless magnificence of character, as well as our hope for all possible blessings, miracles, and fairytale endings can be restored! It all starts with the renewing of the mind, such as developing one as fresh as that of a child who dreams of being the hero or the princess within the grand story, where the marvelous possibilities are infinite. This then, is followed with placing our hope in the one who is hope and who is the real Hero of the grand story called life. The one who gave us life, who created us with purpose, who made us special, and who is perfection in every way that is pure, holy, and good. The one who is love and so He exemplifies love to the maximum degree. He created us in His image, with the potential for us to express all of His glorious virtues, that we may manifest His Son for the world to regain, and renew its hope in Him. For He is unwavering, unchanging, constant, capable, and beautiful even beyond our comprehension. He is our candle in the dark. He is where our hope should lie, for He who is good, and who created us for good, has only good in store for us… His children. If we would but simply open ourselves up to receiving Him, placing our hope in Him, and open our minds up to all of the awe-inspiring ways in which our omnipotent God desires to exalt His name, we could ourselves become part of His never ending story, which is a greater role then we could have ever hoped to have written for ourselves.

What kind of a legacy will YOU leave behind? One of hope, and life that shows it? Or one of despair? There is so much more to life than what we see, and that EVERY choice we make, makes a difference. It all starts with a choice… a choice to hope for something more.

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

1 Corinthians 15:19 – If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.