Make Every Effort...

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love."

—2 Peter 1:5, 

One of the most important things we can do as fathers is “Train up a child in the way they should go so that when they are old, they will not depart from it” (Pro 22:6). It struck me that this passage in 2 Peter nicely complements the phrase in Proverbs: “...the way they should go...” I’ll show you what I mean.

"...make every effort..." 

The raising of children is worthy of more effort than just Sunday School attendance. A child's foundation is so important that we should make every effort, every day to establish it. It should be foremost in our minds and hearts.

As a new parent 30 some years ago I was struck by not just how helpless my infant son was, but the sheer amount of time and effort it would take to shape this little life. In retrospect, "every effort" is an apt description of effort required in raising a child.

"...to add to your faith…"

One of the first things we ask of our children is to take certain things “by faith,” or “because I said so.” Without the requisite life experience to recognize which things and situations are safe compared to those that should be avoided, children need instruction and guidance to avoid the dangers that hide in plain sight around their world. 

“The stove is hot, don’t touch it” 

"Look both ways before crossing the street”

“Jump, and I’ll catch you”

Learning to trust parents lays a foundation that they will one day apply to God. As we build trust with our children, we prepare them to listen to an outside voice to avoid pitfalls and embrace safety. 

We instill in our children the reality that we will feed and clothe and protect them and that they should have faith that we will continue to do so. The ability to believe in something with no concrete proof, something larger than ourselves is a universal truth important to our development. Even scientists must sometimes have faith in a presupposition necessary to hold together some theory or other.

"… Goodness …"

One of the very next things we teach our children is the difference between good and bad, instilling in them the concept of morality.

"Don't bite your brother"

"Share your toys"

"Don't flush the cat... again"

Intrinsic to this concept of morality is the value of good and the consequences of bad and if taught consistently, it eventually creates a habit of doing good out of a heart of goodness for its own reward.

"...Knowledge..."

Building on this foundation of morality, knowledge is added to empower the goodness in us to do good. Once we understand the WHY good things should be done, knowledge creates better methods of HOW good things should be done.

"...Self­ control..."

As children develop into social creatures, they are pulled in many directions by any number of different forces; appetites, peer pressure, parental direction, etc. Self control becomes the channel through which goodness flows from us into the world. The channel that limits a river to a certain path is the same channel that prevents the river from becoming a raging, destructive force. One's ability, properly channeled, focuses our influence into paths driven by goodness, planned by knowledge, and executed in faith.

"... Perseverance ..."

Now the near-adult is called on to complete tasks more difficult than those they have yet faced and easy success is not guaranteed. We are faced with greater challenges on a more frequent basis. It could be a job, a career, college, or a difficult friendship. The key understanding here is that nothing is accomplished if nothing is completed.

“...Godliness...”

With these tools at our disposal, living as a representative of Heaven here on earth becomes a tangible possibility. This is the turning point. Following a goal to conclusion is quite a bit more difficult without tools acquired during childhood.

"...Mutual Affection..."

The blending of all these stones into a strong foundation is expressed now in the form of care and concern for others. The second of the "Greatest Commandments" mentioned in Matthew 22:36-40 (...love your neighbor as yourself.) and further defined by Paul in Romans 12:10 ­"Be kindly affectioned one to another with Brotherly love; in honor preferring one another."

"... Love ..."

With the example of brotherly kindness living in us, the greatest commandment: Love God, comes more easily to us. Well, at least it can be more easily understood. The working out of this kind of love is the target of a lifetime of effort and is best taught to our children, not by route, not by catechism, but by example. 

"So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus."

—2 Peter 1:2 , The Message

(Original author unknown, substantial editing and exposition by R. Scott Bettis)

"He hit back first..."

I have 5 brothers, most of us several years apart. When we were growing up, our mom taught us many valuable lessons like "It's ok to change lanes in front of someone else, just don't slow them down" and "It's all in the genes... and keep it there." One lesson that was very important to a house full of boys was "don't hit back." Hitting back would escalate rather than diffuse what could arguably be called an already tense situation. So when my younger brother and I got caught fighting one day, it was very important to me that mom knew that it was my brother that hit back first.

Even as an adult, "hitting back" (not so much physically as emotionally) is a reflex that I have had to resist and overcome throughout my life. When a boxer trains, one thing he conditions his body to do is something called a "counter-punch." That's what happens when they get hit, and their body automatically punches back; a reflex without thought. The conditioning becomes second nature and the counter-punch can give a pugilist a chance to escape a losing situation. Even though we may not hit with our hands, our words are just as effective at emotionally punching someone right in the heart. When someone has hurt us, our natural tendency is to want to hurt them back. This unfortunate tendency can fester and grow just like the conditioning a boxer goes through until forgiveness is just a word that has little meaning, and even less relevance. When allowed to become part of our lives, the "emotional counter-punch" can see an emotional hurt coming a mile away, even when one doesn't actually exist. When this happens almost anything the person that hurt you says or does can be misinterpreted as an attack and illicit a preemptive counter-punch that will ensure no progress towards emotional healing can be made.

The Bible is full of teaching on "turn the other cheek" and "do unto others" and one of my personal favorites is Proverbs 25:21-22 "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee." (KJV)

I had a friend in high school that was an outspoken Pentacostal who suffered as much from his "anti-heathen" attitude as he did for the Gospel. The other kids used to tease and make fun of him relentlessly. One day he told me that he prayed for his enemies because that puts heaps of burning coals of fire on their heads. One could tell from his attitude and the way he said it that he was thinking that those heaping piles of burning coals might actually start the burning of Hell a little early for his antagonists. This interpretation of Scripture is not much of a stretch for those that read only the King James translation of the bible. We had just had some teaching on this in youth group and I was able to explain a little background to that verse. 

Burning coals on the head is a reference to a cultural practice that we no longer have in our society. At night in the holy land and surrounding desert, temperatures can dip below freezing and travelers who had to traverse the distance between cities on foot were in danger of exposure to these low temps. There was a metal pan, like a flat brasier one could wear on one's head, wrapped in a turban-like garment that held coals it would warm a traveler and protect them from perilously low temperatures, preserving their lives. 

I like the way The Message explains it in Romans 12:20 "Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness." When I shared that with my Pentacostal friend he seemed crestfallen at the prospect of having to be nice to those who who persecuted him and not seeing them burst into flames of perdition. I don't know how successful he was after high school, but I hope he was able to trade in his flaming coals of revenge for the warming coals of life.

Have you ever offered Good for Evil?

Three soldiers

I have three soldiers standing next to my garage. They stay there in all kinds of weather, faithfully executing their duty of protection and organization. They jealously guard their charges; sentinels between two worlds: one of honor, one of dishonor. Once a week I help them to the field of honor, out along my curb, to discharge their responsibilities.

The soldier in green sees to the organics our household creates. Joining a disparate melange of old life, it is gratifying to see new life blossoming in the verdant depths of this stalwart guardian. Excess grass, leaves, small branches, nestling in the copious confines; valiantly and selflessly continuing the Circle of Life to some day bring new  life to a patch of earth somewhere.

One other soldier of the trio stands apart. Adorned in light blue, it has been given the task of holding separate those riches which will participate in their own inorganic "Circle of Life." They will return to serve us as paper, plastic bottles, reformed vessels of glass, etc. As old materials are accepted, there is a since of satisfaction and accomplishment as some of his "boomerang buddies" return once again to multiply their own usefulness as well as the blue soldier's gratification.

The gray uniformed soldier has the most difficult and possibly the most important duty of the three. Keeping track of the most noisome refuse of the family, he stands watch, keeping the dangerous offal away from the the protected. Until relieved, there is little respite. Truly a vessel of dishonor given the messiest, smelliest, least regarded material exposes the task taken on by the faithful gray soldier.

"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."

--2 Timothy 2:20-21

Sometimes i feel like a vessel of dishonor, trying hard to purge myself. Ever feel that way? It is good to know there is hope, springing up all around.

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's -- um...

I bought a shirt recently. It has a diamond pattern with a large "S" on the front ... okay, it's a Superman shirt.  It may seem kinda silly for a grown man (or overgrown man in my case) to be sporting a shirt with a fictional comic book character on it, but my mom once told me that growing older was unavoidable, but growing up was optional. My mom lived that way and kept herself young for most of her life.

It is a state of mind

So, now I sometimes wear a comic book character on my chest. But, I've noticed something when I wear this shirt. I stand a little taller. I'm a bit more confident. I think in terms of what I CAN do, and not what I CAN'T do. I've told people who have noticed me in this shirt that "it's a state of mind." I have since realized that that statement is more than just funny, it's true.
C. S. Lewis, arguably the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th century said "We are what we believe we are." Now THAT is a revelation! The concept behind that quote empowers us, re-imagines us, and enables us to grow and improve far beyond what we would think we can even beyond the image we learn from others. If those you look up to and respect (or fear) repeatedly tell you that you are stupid, you will come to believe it and that makes it true. You become what you believe. 

Try something: stand in front of the bathroom mirror, head held high, fists on hips, elbows out, legs slightly apart for two whole minutes. Go on, I'll wait. Oh, are you back so soon? Wait a minute, did you even go? Go on and do it, two minutes mind you. I'm timing it...

Did you notice a change in your state of mind? Social psychologist, Amy Cuddy points out in this Ted Talk that our self image is reflected in our posture. A poor, weak, or timid self image is demonstrated by shrinking in on ourselves, folding our arms, crossing legs, lowering our eyes, etc. Funny thing though, the reverse is also true: our body posture can influence our self image! Standing tall, arms out, hands stretched, head held high. A bold posture affects our brain chemistry. It increases confidence, and reduces stress. Interestingly enough this is not unique to Humanity, but can be seen throughout the entire animal kingdom. It carrys such potential benefit that God built it to His entire creation.

By now you're probably thinking, "Great. but how does this benefit me? I'm not dressing up as a superhero, I'm a Christian!"  I believe there may be advantages for Christians to play "dress-up" every day, and I think I'm in good company. Consider what Paul says in Ephesians:
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Ephesians 6:13-18I don't think any one would disagree that Paul is not talking of a real suit of armor, but a figurative one, a strong self-image. How might our lives be different if we were to "dress" ourselves like this every morning before stepping out our front door? Would our day be different if we had confidence that His protection was between us and the fiery darts of the enemy? Would we be more inclined to wield the Sword of the Spirit, if we knew that the Shield of Faith would keep us safe? This Scripture is a rather complete picture of more than just protection, but the weapons to assault the kingdom of darkness as well."...having done all, to stand." Paul has just told you to put on the whole Armor of God, to dress for the battlefield and to stand firm on the spiritual ground we've taken and the souls we have liberated from the grip of the enemy. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;" 2 Corinthians 10:4. "Strong holds" in this verse refers to a strong castle or fortress. Is there a fortress or strong hold in your way? Something seemingly insurmountable keeping you from what God has called you to do? Has God got a weapon for you! In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said "...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Ever seen castle gates attack anything? Gates are stationary; gates are defensive; gates are stormed. Here Jesus told us to attack the gates, fully protected by His armor."Loins gird about with truth..." Not to put too indelicate a point on it, but our "loins" are where our reproductive organs are. I believe this refers to your integrity and reputation. If your integrity isn't enough to earn the respect of those you are trying to reach, you're out of luck (or grace, as the case may be). No one will listen or take what you have to say seriously if they don't respect you. Girding your loins with truth, speaking the truth, living God's love to others protects your integrity, protects your reputation, protects your witness."...having the breastplate of righteousness..." The breast is where our heart is. In western culture the heart is not just source of natural life, it is the seat of our emotions as well. In spirit terms it is our intimacy with the Holy Spirit. "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." 2 Corinthians 3:3. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11. Hide God's word in your heart, and His righteousness will shelter it and it will grow into a breastplate. "...feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace..." Boots on the ground. "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. The first century church endured persecution in the first 300 years. Sounds like it was a rough time, but God used the time of persecution to spread the Gospel across much of the known world. The boots of the Gospel were made for walking, apparently.  "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Isaiah 52:7. Are your feet properly booted?"Above all" (must be exceptionally important!) "taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts..." A shield is the most versatile of all God's armor. It can be moved to protect the head, the heart, the loins, the feet, anywhere it is needed. It can even protect the back. Anyone that has seen the captain America movies will understand. Faith is essential to us, because the "proofs" we rely on as Christians are somewhat subjective because many can't be proven from a second source. In the absence of hard evidence/facts due to a lack of technology able to measure and record them, some aspects of truth (or Truth if you prefer) must rely on a certain measure of faith. This is not only true for the Christian, but for honest atheists as well. Our shield of faith allows us to withstand arguments such as "all things unproven are untrue." This argument feels devastating, but just because something can't be proven doesn't mean it isn't true. A mere 100 years ago the most educated people in our society did not believe that bacteria, passed from patient to patient by their doctor's unwashed hands. The presence of bacteria could not be proven because it was beyond the level of technology at that time. Truth sometimes exists just outside the realm of facts.Did you notice that all of this armor is on the front? Nothing is covering our backsides. Unless..."Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward."Isaiah 58:8The glory of the Lord!?!? Wow! What could possibly approach us from behind? Unless we're not facing forward, where the enemy is, and the gates. If we're running away from the enemy, we are running without protection. Face the enemy and "God has your six" (as in the 6 o'clock on a clock face or in other words behind you) wouldn't that be a great tee shirt? Right along with "God is my copilot" and "WWJD".So, here's a challenge for you. Tomorrow morning, go through each protective covering and visualize donning each in your mind's eye. Cover what you think and say with the helmet, your hearts and affections with the breast plate, protect your reputation so you may birth others into the Kingdom by girding your loins, and go into the world prepared to share the Gospel. Pick up your sword (the Word) by reading a verse, a chapter, or even a book, and the shield (Faith) by repeating out loud what you believe. Then spend a few minutes standing before the Lord, arms akimbo, feet spread apart for two minutes, thanking God for everything. Do this and expect God to "cover yor six."I hope that you will respond here by leaving a comment about how your day unfolded. Let me know what you liked, or did not. Let me know if I've wandered too far from your good opinion.

WWJD?

     I have a friend. I've known this particular friend for 20 years. We're both about the same age, and yet, I've always looked up to him as a mentor. He carries with him an air of competence, confidence, and dependability. I've learned as much or more from him I think than any other person I know ('cept maybe my family). His name is Chuck Neighbors. For approaching nearly 40 years, he has been at the helm of a thriving drama ministry which represents a number of very talented actors.
     Chuck has a number of 1-man plays that he performs to audiences around the world and yet his most requested show is his first one and is based on a book that is 120 years old. You might think "120? If those were pounds that would be like the combined weight of the backstreet boys!" Maybe a few of those reading this will be able to relate, but I doubt any of us were around in "those days." If there was ever something that qualified for "those days," this would be it.
     The language of the book (In His Steps by Charles Sheldon) is very archaic and somewhat simplistic and it was hard not to roll my eyes every once in so often. The book was written during a time in history when our nation was trying to come to grips with emancipation, segregation, and prohibition. It was a time when Entertainment was an occasion to dress up and see a play, ballet, or listen to soloist. As I read the book, I was thinking "Come on! You mastered King James English, and taught the prose and poetry of Shakespeare, you should be able to comprehend this." I forged ahead and at some point near the beginning, the Spirit seemed to help me see the astounding truths, wrapped up in 19th century verbiage.
     The basic storyline is that a jobless man, or "tramp" referring to tramping across the country, comes to the little railroad town of Raymond looking for work. He stops by the home of Rev. Henry Maxwell, the pastor of the 1st church of Raymond. Rev. Maxwell, having been interrupted in writing his sermon for this Sunday, was a bit short with the tramp and sent him on his way without so much as a kind word. That Sunday, the tramp comes to Rev. Maxwell's church and addresses the congregation.
     He tells his sad life story, how he lost his job, how his wife died, and how he left his little girl in the care of friends. Then he asks a question of the congregation, "What do you Christians mean by following the steps of Jesus?" He goes on to say that he wondered how the Christians in this town could sing those hymns, and yet not seem to live up to the words they were singing. Finally, the poor man challenged the congregation with, "But what would Jesus do?"
     Throughout the next week, Rev. Maxwell pondered the profound words of the out-of-work tramp and decided a response was necessary. The next Sunday, he addressed his congregation with this challenge. “I want volunteers from the First Church who will pledge themselves, earnestly and honestly for an entire year, not to do anything without first asking the question, 'What would Jesus do?' And after asking that question, each one will follow Jesus as exactly as he knows how, no matter what the result may be.”
     It is from this point that the story begins to follow a number of parishioners from various professions over the course of the next year. The reader is lead through these various sub-plots and given the opportunity to decide for themselves how they might the answer the question "What Would Jesus Do?"
     Some of the stories in the book might require some effort to follow, but I believe it is well worth it. The book has fallen into the public domain, so in addition to various paper publications, you can download an ebook for free through Gutenberg Press.

You may want to also ask your church to contact Chuck's ministry and have him bring his performance of this important story. You may also consider taking Rev. Maxwell's challenge and see how big an impact one little question can have on a life. "What would Jesus do?" It's not an easy path, but there are rewards.

Chuck Neighbors website: www.mastersimage.com

if anyone would be interested in an electronic version of the book, it can be gotten from the Gutenberg Press: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4540

Next Stop: New Dirt.

As our lives unfold on this Earth, there are events that transpire that leave indelible marks on us. Moments frozen in time, left to bounce around our existence and surface at various intervals. Moments so profound, monumental, or tragic that we likely have no problem answering the question "Where were you when..." For me, among those moments, there is one that stands out. One that exemplifies one attribute of Humanity. The Challenger disaster.

Since Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden of Eden, Mankind has had a compulsion to explore, a desire to see what is on the other side of that hill even if it is only more dirt. Because it is unexplored dirt and that, for some reason intrigues us, draws us to see, to learn, to experience something new. We see this drive throughout history in big and small ways. From our first bicycle that allowed us to reach beyond the distance we could walk into the world, to names like Marco Polo, Ernest Shackleton, and Henry Hudson who stretched Mankind's knowledge to the ends of the Earth. But this drive to expand and explore has even flavored many of our television shows. Star Trek. Firefly, Wagon Train. Battlestar Galactica. Stargate. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Little House on the Prairie. Seaquest DSV. Lost in Space. The Man From Atlantis, and others have had the exploration of various frontiers somewhere in their makeup. 

"In fourteen hundred and ninety two…" say it with me "… Columbus sailed the ocean, blue." Most of us learned that little poem in grade school but did you know that the largest of Columbus' four explorations consisted of like 17 ships and about 1500 crew? Even if you knew that, I bet you did not know that some 60 years earlier, the Chinese Admiral Zheng had 317 ships some of them 10 times the size of Columbus’ and 27,000 crew! These Chinese ships plied the seas of Southeast Asia, sailed to India, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and down the East Coast of Africa and possibly even touched the Americas decades before Columbus.

Considering this, shouldn't we all be wearing silk robes and eating with 2 sticks of bamboo? The reason we are not is because around 1430 A.D. China decided to build a wall and close themselves off from the rest of the world in xenophobic isolation. They gave up their thirst for discovery and instead became doomed to be themselves discovered. It becomes obvious that squelching the call of exploration means stagnation of a society.

There is a line from the movie Interstellar that I find very applicable. "Mankind was born on this planet, but we were never meant to die on it." I wonder if the script writer really knew how true that statement is, even if not in the way they meant it. This world is our cradle, our playpen, our yard fenced in by moments of Time. We spend our "celestial childhood" here, learning what we can about how we fit into God's plan so we'll be better prepared when it comes time to "shuffle off this mortal coil" and enter the true reality of Heaven.

On this day, 30 years ago, 7 people gave their lives in the pursuit of exploration. Seven more names to add to the list of courageous explorers. Seven more names to challenge a new generation of explorers. 
Don't forget them: Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith A. Resnik, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Ronald E. McNair, Mike J. Smith, Ellison S. Onizuka

Wings or Flippers? It's Your Choice.

I like quotes from the famous, unfamous, and sometimes infamous people throughout history. The process of taking an idea or concept and distilling it down to a minimum of words leaves a sentence or two that shares the message in a succinct and powerful burst of grammatically expressive thought. Many of the things I hold most dear have impacted me through the power of quotes.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt. 

"I will either find a way or make one.” Hannibal (after he was told it was impossible to get elephants across the alps to sack Rome.)

"if you don't care where you're going, you're not lost." homeless person wandering around my back yard.

One of my favorites quotes is from John Wesley: he said "Among the many difficulties of our early ministry, my brother George often said 'if the Lord would give me wings, I'd fly' I used to answer 'if God bids me fly, I will trust Him for the wings.'" What a great expression of faith. To be secure in the presence of God and so sure of His aid that the “how” doesn’t matter as long as we trust the “Who." 

We see this in Peter when he called out to Jesus to bid him jump out of the boat and come to him across the water. Peter was not walking on water, but on the word of Jesus; “Come." This brash and outspoken disciple threw himself out of the boat and landed smack-dab on Jesus’ word. It wasn’t until Simon Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and pointed them towards the waves that he began to "wish I'd brought my swim fins" as he slowly sank beneath the water and Jesus had to rescue him. There is a reason Jesus nicknamed him “Peter” which means “pebble" or "small stone" and not “Rock” which means large boulder.

John Wesley’s quote reminds me of a hiker that wandered off the path and slipped over a cliff's edge and found himself dangling from a bush root sticking out of the canyon wall. It was so dark that the hiker could not tell if he was one foot or a thousand above the canyon floor. He began yelling "Help! Is there anyone up there?" 

A moment later voice from above responded, "I am here, my son." 

"Oh, thank you! Who are you?"

"I am God."

"Wow!" said the hiker. "Really? That is terrific. So, what should I do?"

God said, "Trust me, my son, and let go."

After a few moments of awkward silence the hiker calls out, "Is there anyone else up there?"

Faith is sometimes difficult especially it we look at it through our “natural” point of view. Even though God is all powerful, we can limit what He can do in our lives by withholding our trust, our faith. Because we are bound to traverse our existence in this world moment by moment, it can be difficult to know how an action or reaction will affect our unforeseen future. But God's point of view is eternal, He stands outside of time and sees our lives in their entirety, from the cradle to the grave and all the fiddly bits in between. It is because we cannot see beyond the moment in which we live that we must have faith; must trust that God has a plan for us. 2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we live by faith, not by sight."  Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

I Sometimes wonder if I'm still a child, dependent on the Milk and not yet ready for the Meat (Hebrews 5:12). Even though I may be getting better at living by faith, at times I still consider myself dependent on what I can see even though I wind up hanging from a bush root sticking out of a cliff calling out “Anyone else up there?” At times the verse above in 2 Corinthians stares me in the eye and challenges me to let go and trust him for the wings. It is a level of faith to which I aspire. Phillipians 3:14 - "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

What could you accomplish if your attitude was "If God bids me fly, I'll trust him for the wings?" It's your choice: Wings or Flippers?