If It Were Only That Simple

In God We Trust.

When the world explodes in revolutions and protests – in God We Trust.

When national and state governments exhaust their budgets  - in God We Trust.

When unemployment continues to maintain a 9.8 percentage rate - in God We Trust.

When we can’t manage health care costs - in God We Trust.

He’s our only hope when nothing makes any sense. He’s our encourager in our darkest hours.  He’s our supporter when every person or system fails us.

He’s everything. He’s enough. He’s our Father.

So hold on tightly. Take deep breathes and hold your hands out to God.  Let Him lift you up in his arms and take the weight off your shoulders.

Hold on to your faith. Be strong and courageous.

In God We Trust.

Trusting is Not A One Time Act

Trust is an important word and I think it’s definitely one of the keys to a good life. And for you wordsmiths out there, it’s equally meaningful both as a noun and verb!

Look at the following definitions.

Trust (noun) reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence; a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.

Trust (verb) to trust in another’s honesty; trusting to luck.  To have confidence; hope: Things work out if one only trusts.

NEW YEAR

As we get ready to usher in another year, I can’t help but reflect back on how this noun and verb has been a challenge and blessing to me at the same time. I’m learning if I just put all my trust in God, He’s got it all covered.  The stress goes away and I’m walking the path He intends for me. Life is good when I follow that belief.

Then there’s this other side when I panic and worry about trusting God. For how can I really trust Him? What if He doesn’t come through in the way I want or in the time frame I want it to happen? What then?  And just like that I’m thrown off track. (Being “on track” is a big concept this year for me.  See here for more details.)

My spiritual mentor told me that it was time to start relying on God’s trust. She said I needed to stop with my double-mindedness and let go of matters of my heart and finances.  She first told me this last summer and it took me awhile to work through it.

But, now, at the end of the year I finally get it.  When I stay on the path or track God has for me, all’s good. The more I veer off, the more disbelief, panic and sadness come in. I am trying to stay the course and keep my eyes on Him. I’m trusting in confidence that He has it all covered.

UP, UP and AWAY

On December 24, I surrendered my two areas of deepest concern over to Him.  To symbolize the release of my control over my life, I let go of balloons.  First, I first let go of a red helium balloon. The red balloon represented matters of my heart.  With the release of its string, I declared that God was in charge of my hopes and dreams of finding a mate and healing my brokenness.

Cast all your Cares on Him, the Master and Creator of All.

And then I let go of a green one.  The green balloon stood for my financial future and career path.  As I let the balloon slip through my hands, I reiterated to God that it’s all His money and that I work for Him, He’s my boss and He’s in charge.

And as both balloons soared higher and higher, I felt lighter and lighter. These areas are in his care now.

Do you have something(s) to let go off? Do you need to trust God more in 2011.   If so, why not let off a few balloons.

Happy New Year!

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  Psalm 19:7

When You are Overwhelmed Do You Call Jesus for Help?

My daytime shenanigans are spent in social media. I simply can’t get enough of working in this space. It’s my passion and I do think it’s my call.  I recently attended a speaker’s conference on digital media where the speaker, Trust Agent author Chris Brogan reminded us of the fact that everyone’s business is pretty much hurting. He wanted us to remember that businesses are dying and that if we can align with others, so be it the better if the partnership does makes sense.

I loved that reality check for its absolutely true. We’re all in the same boat and the waves are crashing in around us and some of us are trying to empty the boat as fast as we can.  But, I wanted to remind you (us), that although we may feel like we’re drowning or doomed that all we need to do is look around and see that Jesus is right there with us.

Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning^[a] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. ⁵⁰ They were all terrified when they saw him.

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!^[b]” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. Mark 6:45-51

Are you seeing Jesus or is he walking by and you are not recognizing him? He’s there and he wants to be in your boat. When He’s there, the waves will calm and you can have His peace. We just need to recognize Him and lean into his care. Ahhhhhh.

Case in point...many of you know that I am embarking on my favorite conference this week, well in fact tomorrow.  With that, it was very important that my computer be up to snuff. I have never had any problems with it until today of course.  Five hours were spent on trying to get it to load programs and my blogs.  I had to shut it down and leave it to attend Brogan’s engagement.  As I drove to the venue, I spent that time in prayer with a friend and I believed that God would fix my problem.  Five hours later…I’m back on my computer and blogging.  God is good and He is in the boat. We just need to ask Him to join us and trust that He’ll take care of the storm.

I’ll be writing again soon.

All My Best,

Cindy

There always is a sticky side to transparency

I sat in an amazing session last week led by Alex Hamilton (The Redeemer Church) at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. He told us he would be talking about one of the most important issues facing the church – when leaders fall and how you handle it. Well, being a crisis communication executive, my ears certainly perked up.   Kudos to Pastor Hamilton – he did lead one of the most important seminars of the conference and what he had to say about how to handle it was spot on – he took a risk and was transparent with his congregation when his church was faced with such a problem.

Pastor Hamilton had to deal with two of his pastors who were in an affair together.  He wanted to tell his church about it and trust them to not gossip nor stone the victims. So he sent a letter to congregation stating the fact that two pastors have professed to the affair and that they were now going through a process and may or may not return.  He told the congregation that he would talk about it further on Sunday. That next Sunday, the church was packed to hear about how Pastor Hamilton was going to address the sin.

How did he handle it?  He hit it head on and asked his congregation to drop it and let the guilty parties go through the steps of healing. He said that he received numerous letters from people who thought he handled this brilliantly while others said he should have hid it from its members. Transparency is always the best way to deal with crisis.  It nips any further speculation, gossip, lies or rumors from spreading. It’s also the fastest way for a situation to blow over.  This was handled beautifully. Very impressive.

The old ways of cover-ups never really work. Eventually, as more and more lies are told to cover up the initial sin, the truth will come out. Leaks do happen.  Just read the papers every day.  Also, in this day in age of social media, it’s harder than ever to keep things under the wraps. Every one with a smart phone now has a recording device with them.

Transparency is key in every situation as a Christian, not just for church leaders.  God calls us to be transparent with Him. No matter how much we try and hide our sins and try and cover them up – He’s all knowing.  The best way out is the honest way out.  Tell God everything that hurts you and where you need forgiveness and grace.  The burdens will immediately fall off your shoulders and the baggage will be left behind.   Transparency is the key to the other “t” transformation.  Always remember the importance of crossing your “t’s” in prayer.

Thank you Pastor Hamilton for being so transparent with us.

Also, as a sidebar to this discussion, Pastor Hamilton left us with some practical steps on how to avoid temptation.

5 R’s of Resisting Temptation

• Remember who you are – a follower of Jesus Christ – A child of the king!
• Recognize the consequences of your actions – will I feel better or worse after I’ve done this. Will I be proud or ashamed? Who will be hurt by it?
• Rededicate yourself to God – stop, drop and pray
• Reveal your struggle to a trusted friend.
• Remove yourself from the situation.

What I kept hearing this morning was so simple – if I keep to it – I won’t have any problems in my life. And that message was doing what God says to me through His word, prayer and others.  The scripture just shouted this out to me for here’s what it said plain as day.

Proverbs 4

A Father’s Wise Advice

¹ My children, listen when your father corrects you.
Pay attention and learn good judgment,
² for I am giving you good guidance.
Don’t turn away from my instructions.
³ For I, too, was once my father’s son,
tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.

⁴ My father taught me,
“Take my words to heart.
Follow my commands, and you will live.
⁵ Get wisdom; develop good judgment.
Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶ Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
Love her, and she will guard you.
⁷ Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
⁸ If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.
Embrace her, and she will honor you.
⁹ She will place a lovely wreath on your head;
she will present you with a beautiful crown.”

¹⁰ My child, listen to me and do as I say,
and you will have a long, good life.
¹¹ I will teach you wisdom’s ways
and lead you in straight paths.
¹² When you walk, you won’t be held back;
when you run, you won’t stumble.
¹³ Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.
Guard them, for they are the key to life.

¹⁴ Don’t do as the wicked do,
and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
¹⁵ Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.
Turn away and keep moving.
¹⁶ For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day.
They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
¹⁷ They eat the food of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence!

¹⁸ The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.
They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

²⁰ My child, pay attention to what I say.
Listen carefully to my words.
²¹ Don’t lose sight of them.
Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
²² for they bring life to those who find them,
and healing to their whole body.

²³ Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.

²⁴ Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.

²⁵ Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.

Doesn’t it seem so simple! God has given us this advice just as a Father should.  Read this Proverb over and over and over again.  If you follow its instructions, just as it says…you’ll have a full life.

God Bless,
Cindy

Looks are deceiving. Piranha fish may look harmless, but they have sharp teeth and leave a mean bite.

I really do not want to write this post….but I feel, it is part of my responsibility as a single Christian. I need to preface this post with the fact that I am not asking anyone to judge another person per God’s instructions to us – “How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you are well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” –Luke 6:42

With that being said, just because someone is involved in a Christian singles group, it does not attest to the fact that he/she is a born-again sold-out Christian. I’ve seen this played out so many times and have seen its destruction that many times. It can be devastating to the person who falls prey (not pray) to this evil behavior. Usually what happens is these people who have motives of landing another (for personal pleasure) is looking for someone who is a bit new in their faith and vulnerable. And like a piranha, these impostors devour their subjects all under the guise of being a Christian. And it makes me so sad.

The main point of this post is Please Realize that Christian Single Groups are Not Automatically Safe Places and better yet,  just because someone says they are a Christian…doesn’t necessary mean that they are.

So be very cautious about building relationships with others until you’ve seen the true character of that person.  When you’re not totally infatuated with them, its much easier to make a realistic assessment.  When you are head over heels in love, then its difficult to see the truth before your eyes.  But, keep a look out for those red flags.  There are several character traits that will tell you the type of person that individual is and I will list some in a few graphs. However, first I want to chat a bit about the two different approaches that I’ve witnessed.

Again, these are not tried and true facts and I am totally speaking about generalities here.  But, women in this category are seeking security (financial, emotion) at all costs and look to land a man who will take care of them.  Men, on the other hand, or looking for someone who will give them pleasure…that’s about all I’m going to say about that.

So how can you guard your hearts.  Here’s a few simple tips.

1) Take things slowly.

2) Become friends.

3) Go out in group settings and watch how that person behaves.

4) Listen to how they answer bible study questions or if they answer questions.

5) Observe their actions – who they hang with; how they spend their days off.

6) Watch their church attendance.  If they  seldom attend or church hop or singles group hop…that’s a red flag.

7) If they are constantly turning their heads around to see who’s walking through the door – move on. They are just interested in meeting the new kid in town.

And most importantly, pray. Seek God in the relationship and be patient to hear what he says.

Heck at the end of the day…it’s best to be friends, then to go through a relationship that God never intended for you.  Friendship is a win-win for all…and if it moves into finding your soul mate…is there anything better?

So be careful.  Satan is very crafty and knows that Adult Christian Singles Groups are fertile ground. I have to confess that I learned this the hard way and feel prey to a piranha fish…and I don’t want you to have to experience the same heartache.  It’s affects were profound.

Simplistic Beauty

Read this today and thought you might find this inspirational as well.

Zephaniah 3:17 (New International Version)

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Sometimes its so simple. If we can keep our mind on those thoughts all pain, confusion and struggles will do away.  You are Loved and He’s there singing about you right now!

What song do you think he’s singing about you? I hope mine is Happy Day.

Amen,

Cindy

God Always Provides Warm Embraces

Why does it take one cruddy day to ruin what I have been working on for a lifetime?  It seems because I’m struggling a bit more than usual that I forget that God loves me through and through.  I forgot that today.   And He had to do something remarkable to remind me He still cares.  What an awesome God we have.

Today I was feeling pretty alone in the world – like everything rests on my shoulders and it’s overwhelming.  I thought that this pain would over take me and that God was no where near.  And then I got one of those cheesy chain letters in my email.  And its sentiment hit me at the right spot.  Here’s what it said.

I never put any belief or energy into these things, but today I sent it to some friends for it touched me.  And you know what….a miracle happened.  When I went to my mailbox this evening I got a letter that I wrote to myself at a church retreat last September.  The Pastor of the conference told us to write a note to ourselves from God – I had totally forgotten that I had ever written that letter. But, it arrived on the perfect day. And here’s how it started out.

From the moment you arrived at the Retreat I gave you love and sent you messages to show you how much I loved you and love you.  I want you to start to feel my love  deep, deep, deep into your soul.  Never forget how much I love you every day and that I am always near.

Lord, I pray, that you help me never forget how much you do love me.  I repent of my doubt and open my arms to receive your mercy and grace – me this woman of little faith.

Things Just Seem to Pile Up

Life can get messy at times. The mess can come all at once like a ransacked house or in drips and drabs as things pile one on top of the other. Either way, they are no fun. They are hard to navigate around, they make you clumsy and are emotionally overwhelming.  A mess makes you feel uncomfortable and you just want them to go away. And more importantly, they always catch up with you if not dealt with and they won’t ever go away until something is done about them. Ugh.

I must admit I’ve caused a few messes myself in life…and not one was fun.  They did cause me to grow in character, but ouch.  Stuff was thrown all around and other people caught got up in my mess too. It wasn’t pretty.  But, thankfully, messes don’t have to last. They can become part of our past, if we bring God into the situation.

Thank goodness God is there for us when we call on Him to be our mess picker upper.  To me, He’s like that Brawny Paper Towel guy.  When I pray and ask Him to handle my mess, He swoops right in with His big hands and heart and wipes away the clutter – sometimes it just take one full swoop.  Other times, He has to come back and scrub and bit more and then a bit more until the mess is completely gone.  When the mess is cleaned up by God you can’t help but notice.  You are at peace.  You are no longer clumsy. You are not overwhelmed by the mess, but full of mercy.  It’s freedom and how God intended life with Him to be.

God's Paper Towels are Always There to Clean Any Mess

Yup, that’s my God.  Smiling down on me with the beauty of the evergreens at this back.  He’s ready at a moment’s notice to clean up any one of my spills, no matter the stench, severity, dirt, grime and size.  He’s never afraid to get His hands dirty or become involved.  He’s never too busy and he’s never in a hurry.  He is thorough and the only person who is perfect.  He is amazing.

Do you know that God?  Has He helped clean up one of your messes?  If not, He’s there for you.  All you have to do is knock.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  (Matt: 7:7-8)

God Stands Right in the Middle of Darkness and Brings Us Light. Credit: Flickr-thundershead

God is teaching me some really rich things at the moment- so personally rich that I can’t explain what he teaching me with mere words.  But, through my cleansing, much healing and new thinking is being born.   It’s like a beautiful meteor shower.  All these incredible things just keep whizzing by my brain – and it’s a beautiful light show.

One such piece of matter that is coming front and center is how we are to shine His light into darkness.  I think I’m finally figuring that equation out. I’ve got a few things that have caused me fear my entire life and God knows it.  The last few nights before I’ve dropped off to sleep the Holy Spirit has been whispering to me to bring Him into those feelings and situations – that I should not leave him out.   In the past, they’ve sacred me silly and thus, I didn’t want to let anyone in, not even God.

But, God has called us to handle our fears this way. He wants to know everything about us and free us from strongholds and bondage.

• When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12
• “A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light.” John 11:9

So no matter how dark something appears to you at this very moment and for me, some of my friends have some pretty heavy situations on their hands right now – that’s when we especially need to shine His light on the situation.  He’s the only one we can trust to see us through. He’s our Father, our healer, our friend and our help through the darkness.

So dig out that flashlight and turn it on.  And let me know how things turn out.

In His Guiding Light,

Cindy

(Cover Photo Credit: piterart (Flickr))