We have a big 7-year old black lab named Sarge and little 2-

year old white cairn terrier named Juliet. These two creatures, great and small, are my constant shadows. If I'm in the kitchen, they're in the kitchen. If I walk out on the deck, they walk out on the deck. If I'm sitting in my comfy chair, Sarge is on the floor at my feet, and Juliet is snuggled right by my side.

There are so many God-lessons I can learn from my dogs, and this faithful behavior is certainly one of them! I have to ask myself:

Do I crave God's presence the way my pets crave mine? As for me, the nearness of God is my good. (Ps 73:28)

Do I follow in the Lord's footsteps wherever He goes, and stop where He stops? Where you will go, I will go; where you stay I will stay... (Ruth 1:16)

Am I content and secure with His companionship and guidance? Abide in Me, and I in you. (John 15:4)

It's a strange kind of prayer to say out loud, "Lord, please help me to be more like my dogs." But really, I do desire their kind of loyalty, their kind of dependency, and their kind of devotion that they naturally possess for their master. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. (Ps 23:1)

All things have been created by Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). So, "I thank You Lord, for allowing Your creation, my dogs, to speak a fundamental truth to my heart. Please do, make me more like them when it comes to clinging to You, my Master, my Savior, and my Friend." Amen.

Have you ever planned something in your mind to the minute detail, only to have things turn out surprisingly and disappointingly different than what you imagined? Or have you ever placed high expectations on yourself or someone else that have yet to be met? Or, have you ever pursued a life-long dream, but in the end, there was very little, if anything to show for it?

Disappointments come all along life's journey. The bible never teaches us that we will not have sorrows or struggles. One of our sometimes self-inflicted trials is that we can become easily disenchanted on howlife should be; after all, we deserve it. This idea begins quite innocently in our mind, but then it grows into an idol that seeps into our heart. Pretty soon, we live by it. So, when things don't turn out like we planned, wow, what a heartbreak!

It's okay to humanly plan, and dream, and pursue, and live...but not without Him. Sometimes God mercifully allows a small bump (or even a giant pot-hole) to appear in the road as we are journeying forward; this "inconvenience" forces our hearts to go back to the grass roots of who we are as believers. In this place, God asks each of us, Where are you placing your hope? What is your ultimate desire? And where are you finding your deep satisfaction?...If it's in Me, you will not be disappointed. (Romans 9:33). Placing your hope fullyin Him causes the bumps and the dips on the road to be more part of the "joy-ride"of life than a deal breaker... you just learn to say "wee!", regroup, put our wheels back on, and keep going...with HIM.

So, my friend, if you are struggling with an unmet expectation today...put your hope in Him only, nothing or no one else will give you what you are truly crying out for. He will far exceed your own expectations. Remember, if you trust in Christ, God's love has been poured out into your very heart. And His love never fails. (I Cor. 13:8)

Let this steadfast love of His bind up your broken heart and... deal with your disappointments.

Yesterday I texted my mom these words along with a picture of Davis after his golf tournament: the victor, thank you Lord for this breakthrough. It's been a long, and often frustrating road in this sport for him, so this outcome was truly a sweet gift from above.

Interestingly this morning, in the midst of getting ready for school, Davis' elbow accidentally brushed up against his trophy that was sitting on the kitchen counter. As a result, the little bronzed golf statue hit the floor and broke into about 5 different pieces. After a moment of just staring silently at the mess, we looked at each other... and laughed. Now that's what I call a breakthrough!

This broken trophy on the kitchen floor was a tangible reminder that NOTHING on this earth satisfies. So often we try to fill our soul up with the accolades this world has to offer. But God says:

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live. Isaiah 55:2-3

Does this verse mean Davis should stop playing golf, or for that matter, that you and I should stop doing the things we are good at and enjoy? And does this mean that we should just sit and meditate on God's word all day and do nothing? NO, for heaven's sake, NO. In this verse, God calls us to listen...and then to live.

The true breakthrough foreach one of usis to understand and then embrace the beautiful truth that we as individuals have been uniquely gifted to do something extraordinary in this world. It's not about gaining for oneself, it's about giving of oneself. Forget earthly rewards. Let Him have first place in your heart, and then use your God-designed gifts to the absolute best of your ability in order to attract others to Jesus Christ...this is your true reward!

One more thing, don't try to be like somebody else; this leads to misery. Listen to Him, and then live in your specific Hand-crafted place of influence. And in this appointed place, let His radiant light break through.

250,000

There is a familiar expression, "You can't put God in a box." Agreed. The God of the Universe can never fit in a man-made contraption comprised of mere ideas and speculations concerning His character. If you want to know God, read His word; there, you will find Him. And there, if your heart is humbly willing, He will never stop amazing you with His unbound grace and free flowing love.

BUT, God can "put us in a box." Listen to His words of truth:

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  I Cor. 3:11

You hem me in behind and before, and You lay Your hand upon me.  Psalm 139:5-6

So we, as Christians, stand on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. When we believe in Him, our footsteps become unshakebly firm because of His truths beneath us. And as we walk step by step, God Himself puts His protective hand behind, before, and over us. We are enclosed on all sides; not constrained as some might speculate, but enclosed with the marvelous mystery of who He is and what He does.

Inside these borders are His wisdom and knowledge, His compassion and kindness, His security and peace, His faithfulness and steadfast love...and these attributes of His character are unending. It doesn't matter what goes on around me, as long as I am hemmed in by His hand. When I dare to step outside of His boundry, the weight and the struggle and the pull this world hits me full in the face like a fierce wind in a winter storm. So quickly, I step back inside to find His warmth once again.

You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

Yes, God of the Universe, I want to thank You for grace-fully putting me in Your "box", now and forever.

Yesterday I found myself holding my breath while pleading with the Lord for all kinds of favors having to do with a little white golf ball. My son was in a golf tournament in Atlanta, GA, and of course, as his mom, I want to see him succeed in the sport he loves. "Please Lord, help the ball go in the hole, please!" Hmm... are these kinds of prayers okay to pray? (And others like it: "God, please help my daughter make the soccer team", or, "God, please help my son to pass this test," or "God, please help my child to....")I think these prayers concerning the present moment are fine to say, as long as we are willing to accept God's perfect answer. Ultimately, these sentence prayers need the underlying foundation of, "Not my will, but Your will be done" (Luke 22:42). When I get too caught up in the fleeting moment of golf or other life issues that come my way, I have to make a conscious decision to follow a deeper kind of praying, the kind of praying that accomplishes much more than the immediate desire at hand...One of Jesus' disciples asked, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). And then Jesus delivers to the twelve what is commonly known to us as the Lord's Prayer. He teaches these lines to them, and now to us, so we can pray rich, meaningful, rewarding prayers to our Father who is in heaven.For example, pick someone that is on your heart right now and pray for them. In my case, instead of the quick "golfing pleas" I was praying yesterday, I made a decision to pray for Davis' heart as he played his round (and then included my other children too!). The first line of the Lord's Prayer talks about praising God's name. So, I will choose one name, Almighty One, full of power, and begin praying using the Lord's prayer as a guideline:Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name: Dear God, I praise Your name; You are the Almighty One....Your kingdom come, Your will be done:I pray that You will come into Davis' heart and reaveal Yourself to him; may he know this very moment that You are all powerful and... nothing is too dificult for You...(Jer. 32:17).Give us this day our daily bread:Please give Your words of life to him today, right now... speak to him truths such as this: "Power and might are in Your hand and no one can withstand You" (II Chron. 20:6).Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors:I ask You to forgive him when he doubts You as the Almighty One, when He thinks You don't care, and when he tries to fix things in his own strength...Lead us not into tempatation, but deliver us from evil:Draw Davis away from this unbelief, and keep his enemy far from him; for the deceiver does not want Davis to know that he... can do all things through Christ who gives him strength (Phil. 4:13).For Yours is the kingdom, power, and glory;And as You answer these prayers in Your time and in Your way, may You be glorified in and through Davis who trusts You as His Savior. Amen.The beautiful thing about this guideline is that you can go back and pray it all over again by picking another name of God to "hallow." Prayer starts with praising His name: Shepherd, Provider, Protector, Creator, King...on and on. This kind of praying is effectual, fervant praying that God says avails much (James 5:16). So yes, this mother's heart wants Davis' golf ball to sink into that little hole with pars and birdies all over that scorecard; but ultimately, I want more than that for my son. So when I wrestle (again and again) with these temporary shotgun prayers, I will ask the Lord (again and again) to say to my heart, "Pray like this..." (Luke11:2).

Here is a ten year old "journal entry", still filled with simple yet saving Truth:I was talking with my son this morning about the basic beliefs of Christianity. The conversation got started because we were kindly talking about a friend of his that thinks he's a Christian. I told him that he should gently and respectfully challenge his friend with the fact that he can know he's a Christian, not just think he's one. It was a delight to review the fundamentals of faith with my maturing 17 year-old son by using ...legos. You're never too old to play with legos, especially when they illustrate the beautiful simplicity of the gospel! Here is a review of the familiar "Colors of Salvation" method of sharing one's faith, usually portrayed with a beaded bracelet:BLACK represents sin. Humans are born in sin; thus, we cannot reach God on our own--no matter how hard we try. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).RED represents God's love found in Christ's blood that was shed for us. Jesus, the perfect God-man paid the price for every sin, past, present, and future, when He was nailed to the cross. He chose to die for us. God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).WHITE represents the forgiveness of sin. When we confess our sin and believe in the truth of Christ's death and resurrection, we can then stand fully forgiven in the presence of God. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow (Psalm 51:7).BLUE represents the Holy Spirit, given to us, alive in us... an amazing thought... a life-changing truth! We are buried with him in baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by he glory of the Father, we too might to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).GREEN represents growth. Because of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, we have the ability to understand and obey God's word. A beautiful relationship begins! Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).GOLD represents God's eternal kingdom that we as believers in Christ will inherit. For God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).I think many people "casually" believe in the concept of the first three colors (black, red, and white). First of all, can someone really be casual in their faith? If so, I think that's why this person may never experience a life marked by all of God's "colors", possibly making the Christian life hard and unattractive. He misses out in knowing that he has the capacity to house the living God, the Helper, in his own soul (blue). And he doesn't get to experience the awesome reality that he can talk to Him and walk with Him each and every day (green). And THEN...there's the daily hope-filled anticipation of ETERNAL life (gold)!I challenge you, as I did my son, (and myself!), to grab some legos, markers, or colored beads and share your faith with a friend sometime in the near future. Who has God put on your heart while reading this?But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims. "A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!" Romans 10:14-15, The MessageMay your life and mine, and the friends we tell, be lives that are marked by His true colors.