When A Storm Hits

Usually there are signs that are recognizable when a storm is about to hit. Dark clouds begin to roll overhead. The wind begins to blow a bit harder. Everything begins to dim. And there's that chill that runs up your spine in anticipation of that storm. We think Get inside. Things are about to get really dicey. 


Sometimes, though, we don't see those signs. We become oblivious to those signs. We get so caught up in other things or we simply refuse to acknowledge those signs that we only realize the storm is looming when we feel those first drops of rain. When we hear that crash of thunder.

In this case, I'm not really talking about the kind of storm that you can monitor on the Weather Channel. I'm talking about the storms that rise in our hearts. In our minds. Usually they start with one thought. One feeling. One emotion. And then, just like brewing storm, that thought grows or leads to more thoughts. Then, suddenly, we are swept up in anxiety. Swept up in anger. Swept up in doubt and hopelessness. It can happen so suddenly and so violently that it is all we see. We don't think about how that storm is really just a blip on the radar. That in the scheme of everything, it is actually pretty small.

In Matthew 8:24, Jesus and His disciples were on a boat and then "Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping." Sometimes we feel that way. That God is sometimes far away. Distant. In the following verses, the disciples in their panic ran to Jesus and asked Him to save them.

His response? "Why are you fearful, you of little faith?" (Matt 8:26). He then rebuked the storm and there was great calm.

When we are in the middle of a storm, no matter what it might be for you, we need to run to Him immediately, knowing that He can calm our hearts and minds. That he can give us peace in the chaos. Rest when we need it most.

This morning, I was feeling the waves crashing inside my heart. My mind was swelling up with thoughts that were driving me away from the peace that God grants me daily. And then, in the midst of that chaos, "Be still, and know that I am God" made its way to the forefront of my mind and I remembered how powerful He is to deliver us from any situation. I went into the Word and then there was peace and calm. I was reminded that no matter what the turnout of my situation or predicament would be, God is still God and He was in control over this situation and every situation.   

Storms do two things very well: they distract us from God's power and love and distort the way things actually are. We have to remember who He is, because He will be our anchor when we feel like we are drifting away, He will protect us and be a refuge in the strongest of storms, and He is mightier than any doubt or challenge that presents itself in our lives.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Matthew 8:24-26, Psalm 107:28-30, Psalm 9:9, Psalm 46:1, Proverbs 30:5  

The Value of Weakness

People are obsessed with weakness.

We can't stand weakness. We hate it in ourselves and we look for it in other people. Many times we try and ignore it, or mask it, or stuff it away somewhere where it can't be seen. We love trying to find weakness in other people so that we can feel better about ourselves. We try and minimize our own weakness by measuring it up with someone else's.

But what if we are looking at weakness the wrong way? Could it be that it's through weakness that we truly realize who we are, what we need and what we could be? But more importantly, our weaknesses reveal that we are all in need of a savior. That we, in fact, need God in our lives every second of every day? 

All of us have weaknesses. It's an inescapable, irrefutable, indisputable fact. And the sooner we can admit that to ourselves, and to each other, the sooner we can move forward in our walk with God. 

Weaknesses, or "thorn(s) in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7), come in many shapes and forms: emotional, physical, psychological, spiritual, and relational to name a few.

But let me be perfectly clear: Our weaknesses should never define us. There are a lot of people who tend to link their identity with their weakness, and that will lead to a life lived in a position of weakness. Friends, that is no way to live.

In his second letter to the Corinthian Christians, Paul writes about his own thorn in the flesh. His weakness. He had pleaded with the Lord repeatedly to take away the thorn. To pull it away from him. But He answered him curiously:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9 

In the end, Christ is about transforming lives. He wants to use our weaknesses, our suffering, our trials, to shape us and mold us and refine us. God always used people throughout the Bible who had major flaws and weaknesses. Moses had a speech impediment and serious anger issues; David was a serious height disadvantage when facing Goliath and also succumbed to adultery; Peter showed his weakness when he denied Christ three times. There are countless examples of weaknesses that in end were used for good, if we allow Christ to transform our hearts and minds.

Like Paul, we can boast in our weaknesses, knowing that Christ is not leaving us the way we were. He works in and through our weaknesses to reveal His awesome power and glory, and because of that we do not have to walk timidly or in shame or guilt. That's how we can be strong when we are weak: By trusting Him with our weaknesses and allowing the Holy Spirit to take control over those areas of our lives, taking that critical step of faith. Not through our own strength and ability, but thorough Christ's. His grace is enough to guide us through our weaknesses. He equips us to face weaknesses and trials so that the world could see that we are not dominated by our weakness, but through Christ, we can overcome those weaknesses.

Let our weaknesses serve as reminders that we need to lean on Christ, our rock and source of strength, every second of every day and that we need Him more than the next breath we take.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 12, Hebrews 11:32-34, Romans 8:26

Leaving Eden, Pt. 3: What Is Your Heart?

Brandon Heath: What is your heart? What ar eyour desires? What are some things you always wanted to do, but you were afraid to do them?

My heart and desires definitely lie in sports and writing. I love both and both have provided me an avenue to share my faith and placed me in a position to be an influence. An opportunity to be blessing. We all have desires and talents and abilities that have been given to us by God. It's the stuff we have always wanted to do. Some people love music. Some people love business. Others have a passion to help people in the medical field. Whatever your desires are, don't be afraid to pursue them! God put them there for a reason. We just need to put it all in the proper perspective and remember that we are given these gifts and opportunities to bring glory to God.

Brandon mentions fear in the video and that is the biggest enemy of our heart and desires. Because it is fear that will prevent us from taking risks. It is fear that will rob us from capitalizing on the opportunities that have been set before us. It is fear that will keep us from reaching our maximum potential. And it is fear that will prevent us from taking that first step. We cannot let our hearts become paralyzed with fear that will keep us away from what God wants to bless us with. God called on Abraham to take a step of faith and leave his home in order to make him into a great nation, to bless him and to make him a blessing to others. Abraham just went. When God is telling our hearts something, we have to obey that.

We need to constantly guard our hearts, because they are vulnerable to outside influences and distractions. Our hearts can be easily deceived and can cause us real problems. How do we guard our hearts? By trusting in God, by submitting our heart to Him and maintaining a pure heart. Doing so will keep us strong in the face of temptation, give us the wisdom to say the right things, provide us with confidence to face trials and storms, and keep us humble as we walk in the steps and in the plan that God has for us.

When we sync our heart and the desires of our heart with God's plan, we receive peace, clarity and direction. I know I love sports and I know I love writing about sports and I have to make sure that what I'm doing is for His glory. How can my I utilize my passion for the kingdom? That is something we all should be continually asking. For me, I was encouraged by family and friends to pursue a career in sports journalism and that is what I am doing. And when I realize that I am doing it not just for myself but for God, it elevates it to a whole 'notha level!

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Psalm 119:36, Psalm 28:7, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 5:8, Proverbs 18:12, Genesis 12:1-4

Leaving Eden, Pt. 2: What Is Your Apple?

Brandon Heath: What is your apple? What is the thing that is stealing your innocence? What takes you out of Eden?... What's stealing Eden away from you?

This is an important question to answer for each one of us. We all have weaknesses; we all deal with areas of our lives that cause us to stumble, fall, and make mistakes that we regret. We have to acknowledge these areas in our lives we are going to let God transform our hearts and change us.

I would have to say my apple is the need to succeed. Since I was younger, I always used put a high emphasis on winning and accomplishments. Whether it was on the baseball field, the classroom, relationally, or in some other fashion, I used to link my happiness with my success. And I realized that this was a colossal mistake. Whenever I failed to reach or goal or something did not necessarily go my way, my pride and my ego got in the way. In many instances I would succumb to anger, lashing out at others and just being bitter. I felt that I could do it myself instead of trusting God to provide for me. And that only left me feeling broken, empty and bitter. 

Like Brandon says, there are a lot of things can cause us to lose our innocence. It could be an unhealthy relationship. A suffocating job. A short temper. A family member. 

Whatever it is, give it to God. Do not try and face it alone. He wants to meet you and me where we are so that we can live free of those struggles. When facing the temptations of our apples, remember that God has a better way and plan that is better than anything we can ever conceive. I have to tell myself not to let my apple, my idea of success and what it can do for me, keep me from experiencing all that God has prepared for me.  

Leaving Eden, Pt. 1: What Is Your Eden?

Brandon Heath is definitely one of my favorite artists of all time. His music is beautiful. His lyrics are genuine. And often times he makes you think about your faith. Recently he tweeted out three questions that were based off the title track of his latest album "Leaving Eden": What is your Eden? What is your apple? And what is your heart?

Today I'll be tackling the first question for myself and I would encourage you to watch his videos and answer them for yourselves! So here we go:

Brandon Heath: What is your Eden? It could be a place, a time or maybe even a person that reminds you of your innocence. It was a time before you knew there was anything wrong in the world... When did you feel most innocent? It was a time before you knew that anything was broken, anything was wrong. That there had ever been a fall. You probably didn't even know about sin. 

I had to really think back for this one. But I think one place that stood out for me would be when my dad and I would go out to the backyard and just play catch when I was a kid. I loved being around the game of baseball and whenever I would play catch with my dad, everything else would just disappear. I remember many times just going outside in the late afternoons with a beautiful sky overhead with blues, yellows, oranges and purples blending together, the sun beginning to drop over the western horizon, a cool refreshing breeze... and that wonderful smell of a leather glove and the rhythmic popping sound of the ball hitting my mitt and my dad's. Everything else just faded away. I was just a kid playing catch with my dad. Not a care in the world. 

I always felt safe in those moments. I always felt comfortable and in those few minutes on those afternoons as a kid, nothing else really mattered. It was almost as if my dad and I created our own sanctuary of sorts, safe from everything else.

God wants that for our lives. He wants us to feel safe in His arms and in His presence. A place that we can run to when we face the storms of life and when we feel like it is too much for us to bear. A place we can go to when we feel we are not good enough or we're filled with guilt or shame. It's crucial to find our Eden, as Brandon described in the video above, because that is where we need to go in those times. Jesus said that we should have a child-like faith. We were made to live in harmony with God before the fall in the garden. We need to get back to that place and reclaim our innocence. We have to get rid of the guilt and the shame that are attached with sin because we are free from it in Jesus Christ. It is D-O-N-E! 

We have a heavenly father who gave His one and only son so that we might have life. So that we can have a relationship with Him and that we would be restored in Him.

What's your place of restoration? What is your Eden?

Brandon Heath: I want to give you permission to go there. It's an important place to be, to rest and I promise you: God will meet you there.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Psalm 9:9, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 91:2, Lamentations 5:21

Let God's Plan Win

I love planning.

I love laying out my finances. I enjoy monitoring what I eat and how I take care of my body. I often aim to divide my time efficiently so that it can utilized in the best way possible. I'm a guy that thinks set schedules are great things. 

Heck, for me Google Calendars is the best thing to happen since the Marlins won the World Series in 2003!

We serve a God of order, so why shouldn't we live orderly lives as well? Being organized and having things in order gives us peace.

But there are times when I plan something out and it just doesn't seem to fit. God intervenes and says "I have a better plan."

Over the past several days I had my mind set on a certain thing. I was convinced that this was what needed to be done. I told myself: "This was when it was to be done. And this was how it was going to be done. And nothing is going to get in the way." (Ever been there?) 

And then God decides to throw a wrench in the works and say "Not so fast! That's not my plan."

Then it becomes a question of whose plan we want to win out: God's or ours. 

God's Plans

God's plan is clear and simple: 

1) He has a future and a hope for us that can be found in Him. (Jeremiah 29:11)

2) He gave us Jesus so that we may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our needs, our wants, our desires because He created us! He has given us all the talents and abilities that we need in order to fulfill the purpose to fulfill our lives. We each have different gifts that can be used to reach out and bless those around us. Maybe you can write well. Maybe you're great with lighting and production. Maybe you have the gift of teaching. Whatever it is, God has given you that gift so that can be used to fulfill the calling He has placed in your life.  

We are blessed to be a blessing to those around us. To serve one another in the love and grace that God has given us. 

Our Plans

But if we are stubborn and refuse to listen, deciding that our way is the best way, it will lead to ruin. When Israel didn't listen, God "gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans." He was standing by, reading to deliver their enemies into their hands and to meet their needs.

Instead, time and time again, Israel rebelled and took matters into their own hands. They refused to listen to God and as a result they were subdued by their enemies. Their arrogance and pride brought them to their knees.They relied on their own understanding and their own wisdom instead of on the God that had provided for them in the desert. They became too comfortable in God's providence and lost sight of what was really important. (Psalm 81:10-16)         

Solution: Sync Our Plans with God Plans

Planning is a good thing. We should always have an ordered plan that is structured. But that plan has to be in alignment with God's plan. If not then we are simply setting ourselves up for failure. Here are three things that are necessary to making sure that our plans get into alignment with His: 

1) Trust

God wants us to trust Him in the plan that He has has tailored for each of our lives. We need to acknowledge that He's God and we're not! He's perfect and we're not. The reason why many of us are hesitant to get on board is because we have trust issues. And that's the point. God wants us to trust Him like a son trusts his father. Trust in the Lord will lead to healing and strength, and when we trust God with every area of our life, the blessings will be overflowing. (Proverbs 3:5-10)   

2) Obedience

Whoever we obey, we will be under it's power. Obedience to sin will lead to death as Paul brought up a number of times (Romans 6:16). But if we come under the authority of God, he will bring righteousness and life. When we are obedient to what God has commanded us to do, He will bless us. When we walk in His ways, we will prosper.  

3) Consistency

We have to be continually pursuing God. Continually seeking wisdom, guidance and direction for our lives. We need to set apart time to be with Him and study His word and pray. Let's make a commitment to align God's will and plan with ours. When we do that, we will have peace and we will reap the blessings God has promised us.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Jeremiah 29:11, John 10:10, Romans 6:16, Psalm 81:10-16, Proverbs 3:5-10

Dealing With Anxiety and Worry

Recently I was driving home and something had happened that made me really anxious. It made me antsy. It made me worry. And, ultimately, it made me angry.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel after a post-midnight rendezvous and felt a pit growing in my stomach. I felt myself losing control. I was furious. Frustrated. At myself, mostly.

Many times I have struggled with both anxiety and worry. And I'm sure I'm not alone. Truth is, I hate feeling this way. It's not fun to be anxious about something or to worry about an outcome. And the truth of the matter is, when we become anxious or worry, it exposes our lack of trust in God.

And that hurts Him. Who am I to say that God cannot redeem a situation? Who am I to say God can't make something happen? Who am I to question God's plan for my life? Who am I to question God's will?

On that lonely drive home, I succumbed to anxiousness and worry and it led to anger. Frustration. Dread. Self-deprecation.

And then, I caught myself. I felt God tugging at my heart and essentially asking "What are you doing? Don't you trust me?"

I admit it: It's a struggle for me personally. But Jesus has an answer for it.

1) Seek the Kingdom of God First

In the book of Matthew, Jesus told His disciples the cure for anxiety. And it's really quite simple:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:33-34)

When we seek God first above all else, everything will fall into place. When we seek His will and purpose in our lives, we will find direction. When we give God all the control, we have peace.

That's not always easy for some of us who tend to want to have control over things. We want to have that mindset of "I got this." But in the end, we weren't built that way. We need to lean on God through our troubles and trials. Our strength comes from the Lord. Our worries and questions need to be given up to God and lifted off of our shoulders. Christ died to lift the burden of sin off our shoulders. He died to make our yoke light. 

Whenever I try and handle a situation on my own, it just doesn't work out and, in the end, it leads to anger and frustration. Because I didn't trust God with that. And I should have.  

2) Persistent Prayer

God is our heavenly father. He wants to bless us. To prosper us. To protect us and deliver us. But we have to be obedient and to make sure that our will is in alignment with his. How do we do this? Persistent prayer. Continually bringing our requests to God. Continually seeking His will above our own. Listening for that still small voice and letting the Holy Spirit guide our decision-making process. (Thank you, Pace Hartfield.) 

Sometimes I get so caught up in the tasks and worries of everyday life that I lose perspective. For that moment when I drove home with an angry edge, I lost my cool when I shouldn't have. And God exposed me in that moment. And I prayed for forgiveness. I prayed for peace in that situation. And God provided it. 

God has forced me to loosen the grip I've held on certain areas of my life over the past few years. It's a process as God continues to transform my heart and reveal his purpose in my life. And in order to seek righteousness and God's kingdom, we have to let go of what we want. What we desire. We need to adopt what God wants. What God desires. God doesn't want us to settle for good. He wants to have life and have it to the full. In order to do that, we have to be real with God and have a continual dialogue with Him. 

I'll be real with you: sometimes God's answers to our prayers will be a "no" or "not yet." And I hate that. But I also know looking back that everything that has happened in my life, every prayer answered or not answered, God has used it to mold me, break me, and push me closer to Him.  

3) Remember God's Faithfulness

So many times we get caught up in the present that we forget what God has already done. 

God has spared me from so many situations and has blessed me in so many ways. He has delivered me from some situations that I thought would be impossible to get out of. He has provided me with so much and entrusted me with so much. Even when I'm not faithful, God is. Time and time again, God redeems and restores us even when we don't deserve it. Remembering God's righteousness and faithfulness in the most difficult situations in our lives can give us the boldness to go out and face the trials that we face in every season of our lives. 

When we make a memorial for what God has already done in our lives, we can joyfully and confidently anticipate what God is going to do. 

Let's get to a point where we can trust God with everything. Because God is bigger than anything we are facing and ever will face.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-9, Psalm 38:15-18 

The Tragedy of Joash

There's an old saying that states that you will be known by the company you keep. In leadership, this fact is especially true. Those who you confide in the most, those who surround you and are constantly whispering in your ear, will have a great impact on whether you find success or find yourself driven into failure and destruction.

Just ask King Joash.

Joash ruled Judah from 835-796 B.C. and everything started out great for him. With Jehoiada serving as high priest and supervisor of the Levites, all was in control and going well as Joash, who took the throne when he was just seven years old, did what was right in the Lord's sight. With a solid mentor, Joash went forward with plans to renovate the Lord's temple, which had been ignored for quite some time. All was good.

And then Jehoiada died.

And as soon as he was gone, there was a void to be filled; and it was filled by rulers of Judah who apparently loved the way things were before and swayed Joash to abandon the temple renovations, abandon God and delve into idolatry.

Just like that, all of the attempts to rid Judah of idolatry by Jehoiada and Joash himself had vanished. Despite that, God sent Zechariah, Jehoiada's son, to try and set them straight. Of course, the people didn't take this well and killed him for calling out their sin.

Joash's reign, which had started out so promisingly, ended with him being killed by his own servants after being left to die by the Arameans after they had invaded and plundered Judah and Jerusalem. He was buried unceremoniously.

FIND A JEHOIADA

Who are you surrounding yourself with? Who is your Jehoiada? Without good counsel, godly counsel, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We make ourselves vulnerable to bad advice and become prone to bad decision-making that will not only end poorly for ourselves, but those that depend on us for leadership.

Find yourself a Jehoiada or two. Don't surround yourself with the wrong people because bad company does indeed corrupt character. When we find friends and people who are men and women that are after God's own heart, they will help point us in the right direction and help us do what is right in the Lord's sight. And more importantly, whether or not they are around to bring us counsel, lean on God's understanding above all things and not on the advice of men.

In Joash's case, God made repeated attempts to try and get him to get back on track. To turn away from the grave mistakes he was making. Joash had every opportunity to recommit himself to the Lord's will but refused. Don't let pride and arrogance prevent us from being swayed.

It's time that we all take inventory of our closest confidants and make sure we aren't setting ourselves for the kind of fall that Joash took.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: 2 Chronicles 24:1-27, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Proverbs 2:20-22, Proverbs 27:17

Introduction

With the summer of 2008 coming to a close, I was preparing for a new stage in my life.

High school was over. My college life at Florida International University about to begin. Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect, but I was excited. Something about starting out with a clean slate was exhilarating. I had all my classes picked out, all my finances were in order, and I was ready to go. That summer after high school was fun; I had no real worries or concerns, a lot of fun and time to reflect on those four critical years of high school.

And then all of a sudden it was over.

Fast forward three years and some change and here I am. In less than a year, I will most likely have graduated. With a new degree. New friends for life. And hopefully some job offers or maybe graduate school offers in the days following my graduation. 

To say things have changed in my life would be an understatement. 

These past three years at FIU have definitely been the best I've ever had. I've traveled to places I've never been to, discovered a way to forge my skills with my passion, fostered friendships that I pray will last a lifetime that helped mold and challenge me.

And most importantly, I have seen God move in my life more than ever before. He has blessed me in ways that I cannot even begin to count. I have a wonderful family, great friends, an amazing church, a job that is preparing me for life after college, an education, a home and much more.

Sure, there has been some pain along the way. But through all the good times and rough times, I can clearly see how God has been preparing for me for what he has prepared for me. Everything happens for a reason (pardon the cliche).

And you know what the amazing thing is? It's all just getting started. I eagerly await to see what else God has planned for me in my own life and I'm excited to see what he will do for those around me.

I'm starting this blog to share what God has revealed to me in my own life and to hopefully encourage you through that. I titled this blog after a song that for some reason has stuck with me. It's by one of my favorite bands. The title is "Bold and Underlined" by Future of Forestry from their EP called Travel III. In the chorus, Eric Owyoung sings about a person whose love and life is bold and underlined. How great would it be to live and love like that? To live a life of boldness, confidence and emphasis? I want that for my life and the lives of those that are around me. And the center of that kind of life begins and ends with Jesus Christ.

Christ lived the perfect life and died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. God gave up his only son so that we might live. It doesn't get any more bold and underlined than that. And he offers us an opportunity to live a life like that and get in on the greatest gift of all time. 

I want to have a BOLD AND UNDERLINED life. Do you?       

I can feel another season in my life beginning to end and another is just around the corner. I can't wait to see what God does next!