Creative Curations

OUR GREATEST FEAR

"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some, it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others." —Marianne Williamson

LET YOUR FAITH BE BIGGER THAN YOUR FEARS

What's BIGGER for YOU?!?

FINDING FULFILLMENT

The more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God. The inner-searching we do... to see if we are what we ought to be... generates a self-centered type of Christianity. Instead of constantly looking inward at our own shortcomings, try looking upward to the One who provides the only strength that overcomes. The answers to the questions that truly matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all pointed towards our Heavenly Father, Holy Creator. 
Seek Him first. 
Simple.

BOOKS I'M READING

I just finished “You and Me Forever” by Francis Chan & Lisa Chan. A great marriage book that puts our “Amazing Race” as a Christian Couple into a Kingdom minded perspective. You can download and read this book for FREE athttps://www.youandmeforever.org/download. (But consider buying it from their online store and donating to their cause.) The last chapter totally wrecked me this morning. I have such a vast improvement to make as the leader of this household. My personal prayer... “Dear God, let me keep this passion You have now placed in my heart as I motivate to the sped-up pace of the marriage race you have Lauren and I on together. I want us to finish strong!” Now, on to “Through the Eyes of a Lion” by Levi Lusko. A book I have been meaning to read for quite a while now. Here we go....

YEP, GO AHEAD, TRY TO BE THE BOSS

This has been one of my toughest life lessons. I still struggle with it to this very day. Trying to be sure that I am in control, making sure I am never outpaced, outthought, or outright wrong. The weight of carrying your entire life on your own shoulders is just like you would imagine when you gaze upon sculptures of “Atlas” trying to hoist up the weight of the world on his back. It is crushing. Add onto that the weight of being a good Spouse, Parent, Christian, a good friend/coworker/citizen.... the weight piles on and on...... and on. And it will continue to press us down, perhaps so far down into the earth that we enter an early grave. If we try to support this weight alone, on our own, it will eventually destroy the very things we are trying to carry. Being the “Boss” of your own life sounds impressive. We are lured into believing that this is real power. But ultimately, we will come face-to-face with REAL POWER, and trust me, it isn’t going to be our reflection in the mirror that we see. It will be HIS feet as we kneel before His Throne! Remember this.... "We can gather our thoughts, but the LORD gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives. Commit your work to the LORD, and then your plans will succeed. The LORD has made everything for His own purposes, even the wicked for punishment. The LORD despises pride; be assured that the proud will be punished. Unfailing love and faithfulness cover sin; evil is avoided by fear of the LORD. When the ways of people please the LORD, He makes even their enemies live at peace with them. It is better to be poor and godly than rich and dishonest. We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." Proverbs 16:1-9
Just relinquish control to Him.... its a whole lot easier this way, trust me! His way is better and His burden is lite. (I speak directly to my inner self in this post.)

SIN=SELFISHNESS

No one likes to be called “selfish.” It is a word that causes us to directly focus on what is wrong with us personally. Yet ALL sin points back to one thing, a selfish tendency to do what feels right, gets me through, or gains me what I want right here, right now. The problem is what happens afterwards. Alienation from our family, maybe our friends, and most importantly from God. And this will confuse us. We thought we were getting or doing what we wanted for our own benefit, but in the end we are left feeling empty, lost, maybe alone and definitely deceived. “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” James 3:16 The remedy? Give up on giving in to your self. Instead, give yourself to God and serve Him. Choose His ways over your own. Allow Him to be the supplier of your needs and stop trying to serve yourself. You can’t have it both ways. You cannot serve self and serve God. That mindset is called doublemindedness: “… purify your hearts, you double-minded;” James 4:8, or God will not give His blessing to such people.” (Revelation 3:16)
How often do we have to “purify”? DAILY! Trust me, you will become selfish again. And again.... And AGAIN! “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 How often? DAILY!! Not once. Not twice. But all the time and every day. Die to self. Carry your cross. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” Luke 9:24

When we give up our life for God’s way of life – our own opinions, desires, the selfish tendencies in our minds and bodies – we get the most rewarding, happy, and fulfilling life possible here on earth, while getting to partake of HIS divine nature. Our relationship with the Creator is restored. We also get back our relationship with others. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 When we overcome selfishness in our own lives, we are saving ourselves, AND we are also helping those around us. “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:16 We don’t put others first only when we feel like it, or when we feel people deserve it. We act in love always, for Jesus’s sake, because we love Him, so we want to follow Him always, doing as He would do, and loving others that He also created.
The opposite of sin. SELFLESSNESS.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

“Faithfulness to God, 
it’s not what you know about the Bible that changes you... 
it’s what you obey.”
—Jim Culpepper

GO AHEAD, JUDGE ME!

You have probably heard someone say that the Bible teaches us not to judge others. Yet, we judge others constantly. Every jury is judging the plaintiff and defendant presented before them. Every candidate running for office is judged by their voting peers. Every commander going into battle judges the strength of the opposition. Yes, we judge a lot. And the misconception that we are Biblically bound not to judge simply is not true. 

Jesus knew humans would struggle with the whole judgment thing, and He put out a disclaimer/warning for us: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5

This verse does not mean that we should never make judgments. We obviously make judgments all the time. We judge between right and wrong, between dangerous and safe choices, where to go eat due to how the restaurant help looks when they serve our food, the condition of the Taxi/Uber/Lyft car and driver that we are trusting our lives with when we travel, etc. Jesus is telling us to not judge others in a hypocritical way. He is saying to examine myself first, take the log out of my own eye so that I can then see clearly how to best help the other person, likely because I now have experience dealing with the same thing and can now help show that person how to be an overcomer. This is important... we are not called to overlook sin. But we should also NOT make it a habit to be super critical of someone when our own selfish sin in the same area needs correcting as well. If we do, we, too, will be judged for overlooking the same issue that we are trying to point out. 

All this being said, if you ever see me out doing something or struggling with something that you have already struggled with, something you know how to get the victory over and can help me find my way out of the jungle and into the fruit-filled fields of freedom, please, PLEASE, PLEASE.... JUDGE ME!!!

HOW CAN YOU NOT BELIEVE?

Early morning stroll with “Sir Charles” (family dog) in my backyard. As I sit by the rushing waters and look on all that God created, I am reminded that He is a Faithful Father. Lavishly Loving. Perfect Provider. Magnificently Merciful. My Glorious God. How can you not believe when the intricacies of all His Creation surround you? I tell you, it takes much more faith to believe that you can explain everything around you as just happenstance, an accident, or an evolutionists dream. No, the shear complexity and volume of Creation points us a different way. Serene Sophistication. Placed perfectly in the universe, in our galaxy, in our solar system, at just the right distance from the Sun, not too far, not too close, at just the right axis, with the perfect amount of interacting elements and intermingling of atmosphere, water, uncountable plants, insects and animals. Everything in Math, Physics and Science obeys the rules set forth by the Father, never wavering. They all point to Him as Intelligent Designer. Almighty God.

AWAKENED

Early in the morning....and I mean EARLY....I have been awakened by God three times this week. How do I know it was Him? Because each time I felt burdened to pray for something different. Some personal. Some for others. Each time I was not allowed to fall back asleep, though believe me, I tried! I love my sleep. Good deep sleep. But it wasn’t happening. No, not this week. So each time I would get up and spend the time in devotion, reading scripture and finishing Louie Giglio’s new book, “Not Forsaken”. This is what I learned..... I am imperfect, though that is not what God wants me to be. I can call myself a sinner, but that is not who God wants me to be either. I am a son of a human man, but God wants more for me than that as well. He wants me to realize that He is a Perfect Father. My Perfect Father. He has called me to model His example, as best as I possibly can. He wants me to know I am His Child, and therefore, I am an eternal being with an eternal Heavenly Family. As soon as we start seeing ourselves the way God see us, perhaps we can start living the full life He intends for us. Not a minute sooner. Not a minute too late.

MY BODY AS HIS TEMPLE

So, I started back attending the gym today. Life and age are catching up with me, (actually passing me by, if I'm being honest), and I feel a need to not only consume His Word, but also to fortify my physical self for whatever He has next for me, Lord willing. BE in my RIVER, Oh God. I will work hard to strengthen my STREAM.

"There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn." Psalm 46:4-5