Tag: spirit

A World Tearing Apart at the Seams.

I am not a negative or fatalistic person. But clearly the world is coming apart. In the United States, demographer Neil Howe has written a book, The Fourth Turning is Here. Simply put, the message of this New York Times bestseller is that history repeats in 80-100 year cycles made up of four “turnings.” The fourth turning is the “crisis” turning. The last three “crisis” turnings ended in WWII, the Civil War, and the Revolutionary War. I’m not predicting WWIII or a Civil War, but neither did the vast majority of people living during those previous fourth turnings.

Obviously, look past the United States to Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Asia and very clearly the world is tearing apart at the seams. Something has to give and it will. And as the world becomes more secular, turning our backs on God, things will get worse. Just ask the Israelites aimlessly wandering the desert and following false “gods” thousands of years ago. We may think we are a lot better now, and a lot smarter and sophisticated, but in many ways we are a lot worse.

Doom and gloom? No, just reality. I’m a very positive person by nature, always swimming upstream. But I don’t stick my head in the sand or ignore obvious signs.

The world is what it is, which makes me turn to God even more. There is one salvation for this world and it is God—Creator, Savior, and Advocate. That is my fall-back, my compass, and my salvation in this world tearing apart, which I believe it will. God is always, and always will be, regardless of what we do to this world.

If you haven’t already doubled down on God now is a good time to start. Only He can really help make sense of this crazy world! He is the constant and always will be. He is my sanity in this crazy world.

Enjoy the weekend and spend some time with God!

Spirit Power

I know this will sound like more religious mumbo-jumbo but anything is possible if you call on the Spirit of God. When Jesus left this earth to remove our sins, He left His Spirit as an advocate for us. If you want to hurdle any obstacle in your life the Spirit is always there to empower you forward. Spirit Power!

I know. This sounds so other-worldly and abstract. But it is earthly and real. You simply need to call the Spirit into your life and feel the Spirit. With God’s Spirit within you nothing is impossible. That’s why Jesus left us His Spirit to overcome any obstacle.

There’s no parlor trick to the Spirit. You simply call the Spirit into your life and feel His presence. It’s real and it’s powerful.

Sorry, but I don’t know how to say this any differently. I know it sounds like so much religion but I’m talking about life. Real life. The Spirit is waiting for you to call out for help, guidance, answer to questions, empowerment, etc. Don’t be one of those people who close out your mind to the reality and power of the Spirit of God. Jesus’ gift to this world. To you and me.

All you have to do is focus and ask for help. It’s that simple. No religion. No prayers or hymns. Just ask for help from the Spirit. Focus. Concentrate. Be open.

Have an AMAZING week ahead! Hit an obstacle? Call out for help from the Spirit. Keep an open mind and an open heart. There’s real power when you need it.

Filling the Emptiness

I heard a comment that we are all born with emptiness and I think that’s so true. That’s why especially in these “COVID” times so many are searching to fill the emptiness but so many are failing. That’s because they are looking in all the wrong places—drugs, alcohol, sex, food, gambling, etc. All these vices and more seem fulfilling but they leave you empty. There is only one way to fill the emptiness. God. Father, Son, and Spirit.

I know that this is preaching and sounds like religious mumbo-jumbo. But it’s life. Simple life with a simple answer to fill what we all have as an inherent emptiness. God. Father, Son, and Spirit.

More people are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Gambling is as close as your iPhone. You can bet on anything these days. Virtual sex is also as close as your iPhone. And we are inundated with everything food. I could go on and on. Lots of all the wrong things, available more so than ever before. And in all this God gets pushed back and back. It’s no wonder our world is increasingly screwed up. Like the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years—to simply go less than a dozen miles—we are lost. Because we have lost God in our lives.

There is only one way to fill the emptiness we all are born with, whether we realize it or not. God. Father, Son, and Spirit. God is a meaningful fill that satisfies and is not fleeting. In fact, I think understanding the emptiness of life and filling it with God is what this life on earth is all about. It’s the key to an eternity of never-ending bliss.

Understand the emptiness. Open up to it. Then fill it with God. Father, Son, and Spirit.

Have an AMAZING fulfilled week ahead!

Conform or Transform Your Mind?

So, what’s it going to be? Conform your mind (thinking) to the traditional and/or social media influences pulling you either left or right (or any other way) or transform your mind by being your own person? Letting others—with a clear agenda in mind—do your thinking for you? Or do your own thinking? Be someone else’s person/pawn? Or be your own person? It’s time to answer that question!

Paul said it best a long time ago…

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

Don’t conform to what everyone is saying, wanting you to say. Transform your mind by renewing it. That means constantly challenging your thinking by focusing on God’s will. Not the will of the media, pundits, politicians, advocates or anyone else. God’s will. What is good, pleasing, perfect to God, not any person.

I know I am hopelessly lost without God. Without figuring out why I was created by a Father who has a very specific purpose in my life. Without trying my best to follow the path set down by Jesus Christ. Without seeking the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The more I listen to this world the more lost I feel. Especially in the middle of a pandemic that has spawned more hatred than I have ever experienced before in my lifetime.

Challenge yourself and what you hear around you. Take your eyes off of the TV, computer screen, and smart phone. Focus on God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s not hard. It simply takes a determination to “transform” rather than “conform.” Conforming is easy. Transforming is tougher. Don’t let “big brother” rule your life. Let God. And let go so you can let God (do HIs thing in your life).

Have an AMAZING, transformative day!!!

Happy Father’s Day!!!

One of the greatest gifts in life I have is being a father to my daughter Katie (who now goes by Katherine, use to go by Kate, and started out as Katie). She is smart, gifted, and truly the apple of her dad’s eye. People say she looks like me. I know she absolutely thinks like me. Mom says she feels like the odd person out!

Although my biological dad is long dead, my Father in heaven is very much alive in my life. That’s also one of the greatest gifts in my life. To have a Father who loves me unconditionally—expecting nothing in return for His forgiveness and uncompromising love. Day in day out He simply loves me. He who made me.

Take a moment today to thank your Father. In case you don’t know it, He loves you more than you (or I) can ever comprehend. He made you. He loves you. It is that simple.

Nothing more needs to be said about something so simple. Regardless of whether your father is alive or has passed away, your Father is very much alive in your life. He’s always less than a heartbeat away.

Have an AMAZING week! 

Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

I was going to title this post something about, “Do you see light or darkness?” It’s trying times like these when our true characters show through. And when we face the reality of where God really is in our lives. Are you are glass half full person, or one who sees it as half empty? Are you a person who always sees light, no matter how dark it is out, or do you just see the darkness—or at least the darkness overtaking the light? Good questions to ask as the coronavirus seems to be overtaking the world. Or not.

If God is a constant in your life, I don’t know how you see anything as empty—half or whole—or see anything as darkness. I love, love the beginning of John’s Gospel…

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:5

That light, sent by God the Father, is Jesus, His only Son. He’s the glass that is always full, the light that no darkness can overcome. When your life is built on the foundation of God—Father, Son & Spirit—there simply can be no emptiness or darkness. It’s that simple. And, yes, I’ll say it again—God means life to be simple. We are the ones who complicate it.

When Jesus left this earth, He left behind the Spirit to empower us. The Spirit is that spark that keeps the light in us lit, especially when it starts to dim. It’s trying times like this coronavirus crisis—which will pass, and just be a mention in the history books—when we need to look at the fullness and light of life. And we have help if we just let God be a central part—THE central part—of our lives.

Have an AMAZING week ahead. Think full, think light!

Lost (Hopelessly?) in the Desert

I have written about this before but we (the world) are lost in the desert. We’re moving away from God and, as we do, the acrimony and downright hatred in the world increases. And we have no direction, no goals, and we’re just wandering. If you want a picture of this, and how it plays out, read the Old Testament. Seriously!

I hate to be gloomy because I’m an upbeat person, always trying to see the good. But it’s tough when you see the spitefulness and incessant arguing by the politicians, who we pay (with our increasing taxes!) to fix things—not break them. Riots, wars, and threats of nuclear bombs seem like a day-to-day constant. But most troubling is the fact that we are moving away from God.

It’s startling to think that 26% of the United States population now describes themselves as religiously unaffiliated; meaning, their religious identity is atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” and now stands at 26%. That’s up from 17% in 2009. So, translation, a quarter of the population basically doesn’t believe in God, or at the very least, doesn’t involve Him in their lives. If anything, He is just “he” (lower case intentional). Although an increasing number of people believes that He doesn’t exist.

The Israelites aimlessly wandered the desert for 40 years, taking that time to go about 11-12 miles. They turned their backs on God and bad things happened. All this is playing out now. We are the Israelites and we are wandering, turning our backs on God. And bad things are happening. None of this should be a surprise.

I’m not wandering. The world around me may but I’m keeping my eyes fixed on God—Father who sets my purpose, Jesus who has laid out the footsteps for me, and the Spirit who empowers me. Sorry if this sounds like religious mumbo-jumbo but it’s the only way for me to not get down and look straight ahead.

… this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. Philippians 3:13

Don’t wander. Look straight ahead with a plan. And keep your eyes fixed on God.

Have an AMAZING week ahead!

Purpose, Footsteps & Empowerment

This is real simple. God the Father sets the purpose, that special, unique purpose that we all have in life. And, yes, that includes you! Jesus the Son who walked among us provides the way—Christianity has been described early on as “the Way”—the footsteps we need to follow. And the Holy Spirit provides us with the empowerment to walk the walk—follow the footsteps in pursuing the purpose. Simple.

I could write on and on about this but, again, it’s pretty simple so I’ll keep is brief. One of life’s great secrets is understanding that purpose—special and unique; totally individualized for each one of us—and pursuing it. Jesus laid down the footsteps in His 3-year walk about how we should live our lives. And Spirit is all the empowerment we need to walk that walk in pursuing our purpose in life. And nothing is more fulfilling in life than knowing we have a purpose and pursuing it.

I know, I know. Sounds all too simple and packaged with a bow around it. But as I say and write all the time, God means life to be simple. We are the ones who complicate it. And boy do we complicate life!!! 

Don’t know where to start. Again, simple. Open up to God—Father, Son, and Spirit. Reach out. Talk and LISTEN. Spend some quality time with God. It truly is that simple. You can’t get results if you don’t invest the time. Seriously. It is that simple.

I hope you have a FANTASTIC week ahead on your walk!

Tough to Forgive When You Hurt!

When you hurt and/or are angry it’s tough to forgive. But that’s just the point. If forgiving was easy it would not be forgiving. To truly forgive you have to step outside of your own skin. You have to leave the the human baggage aside and connect your spirit (not emotions) with God. Take it from me—not easy!!!

Continue reading “Tough to Forgive When You Hurt!”

Are You Connected to the Spirit of God? Here’s the Test…

We all have the Spirit of God in us. That’s because God created us. We don’t have to go through some rite to connect with the Spirit in us; we need to do it by action. Here’s the test if you are connected to the Spirit… Continue reading “Are You Connected to the Spirit of God? Here’s the Test…”