Dream Big and Believe

"Dream more, learn more, care more, and be more....."

Dolly Parton

It's always fascinating to discover quotes from successful people with humble beginnings.  So what was it that caused Dolly to be a superstar and elevated her to where she is today?

As we were sitting around the table after a mission trip to Atlantic City for our evening devotional yesterday, Pastor Bobbie said something that resonated with me.  He questioned whether or not he was dreaming big enough for his church in Alma, Georgia.  

How often do we limit ourselves from joys and successes because we dream too small?  Jesus can handle anything we dream up if we're willing to educate ourselves and care about the people in our paths.  Of course, it won't always be rapid success, but every experience will make us better and bring us closer to our goals.  And if we have faith in Jesus and ourselves, we will be even more than we could imagine!

One of my favorite verses about dreaming and believing comes from Mark 9:23, where Jesus says, "If you can believe? All things are possible for one who believes."

 So today, believe your dreams will happen and make sure your eyes are wide open!

Praying for the people we serve...

Pastor Lou Strugala

A Final Message About “Fully” Accepting Jesus

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.

Matthew 16:21

Pope Francis has a three step process to fully accepting Jesus, the first two are easy. First, we must find about Jesus. Doing things like reading the Bible, going to church or attending a Bible study. In this step we are both compelled and desirous of finding Jesus. The second step is our outward proclamation; which includes, wearing crosses, leaving Bibles on our desk, singing in church or speak openly about Jesus. In this step we are not embarrassed or afraid to say what we know about Jesus. 

The third in final step is where the word, fully comes into play. Pope Francis says we must fully believe in the resurrection of Jesus, to fully accept Jesus. While the first two steps are easy to absorb, this third step is the biggest hurdle in our journey to fully knowing Jesus. It involves believing Jesus’ sacrificial act on the cross gives all humankind redemption.  We must both understand the importance of the cross and the sacredness of the gift Jesus has given us. When we do, it moves us from seeing our lives as permanently residing in this world to seeing our lives as an eternal pursuit of the divine. In this moment of belief, we no longer intellectualize the cross, but fully have faith in Jesus’ act on the cross. With this faith we become both freed and redeemed. The movements of this world  take on far less meaning and our worries  subside. Both our inner and outer expressions transform to loving God and our neighbor.

Becoming Bold with Our Faith

And this is the boldness we have in him, 

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

1 John 5:14

We should not be hesitant in our prayers; we should be bold. When we ask according to God’s will and with a faithful hope, God will hear and respond. In our very asking, we are recognizing the sovereign nature of God. We have decided in our souls that God is the provider of all that is good and needed. In turn, when our prayers are formulated with thanksgiving and praise, our petitions will be heard. As God responds, we in turn will observe the response in the same faithful manner in which we prayed. We will be sure the response is from God and according to God’s desire. The response will be recognizable, and it will be breathtakingly clear that God is with us. 

Points of Reflection

·     What specific events can you recall that you knew were a direct response from God? 

·     What do you silently ask from God, and how do you ask?

·     What is the boldest request in prayer you have made?

A Woman Alone On A Bench

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16

 

This is a familiar story about how crisis puts us at a cross road in life. A place where we can choose which path to take. We can choose the path of why me or the path of hope. This crisis for a search for meaning and a sense of being loved is common. Most of us will or have experienced the same thoughts as Karina. If not, we are either very lucky and well-adjusted or  overdue. 

We can pour through the thousands of self-help books that show up on Amazon or in book stores. While helpful, not always on the mark. For Karina, it was her entry into the New Testament that lifted her out of her dungeon of despair. For others, it is the resistance of the pursuit of Jesus. An intellectual exercise in trying to rationalize if Jesus is real. C.S. Lewis rationalized for many years, before finally relenting in a dark corner of a library, describing himself as; the most reluctant and desperate of all converts. Each encounter of faith is very similar, a change is needed. While the individual’s journey to the crossroad of crisis, is always unique.  

An Illiterate Southern Baptist Preacher; To Whom Jesus Was Everything.

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12

Last week we began our four part series called Jesus Is Our Everything. Today we continue this series with a story about an illiterate preacher. An everyday person, who followed Jesus to the pulpit, to run a  successful racially mixed small church in the deep south. 

One of my favorite preachers I use to give me inspiration is Clarence Jordan. Clarence was the inspirational founder of Habit for Humanity. He was the father of Hamilton Jordan, who was Jimmy Carter’s chief of staff. Clarence was a pioneer in social justice in the mid-20th century, at a time when our country was deeply divided racially. His main message was to bring Jesus’s words to life with action and not rhetoric. A peace seeking man, who in every way lived this life. One of his formative learning moments occurred when he visited and preached at a Southern Baptist church in the deep south. 

Jesus Is Our Everything

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” -John 14:6

There is a need to move Jesus to the kitchen table. I see this within many of the people I talk with and listen to, as they give their thoughts. For them Jesus isn’t an academic exercise. Nor is it an exercise in judging, which I see far too often. For most people, knowing Jesus more intimately is an individual exercise in strengthening their faith in the Risen Lord.

One of the things I have also noticed is each of our relationships with Jesus is very personal and developed differently. Sometimes we find Jesus through crisis and other times through slow steady steps. Regardless, each of us arrive at knowing and finding Jesus- individually. Our relationship with Jesus is always unique, intimate and extraordinarily personal.

Acquiring a Life of Heavenly Direction

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

With Christ as the way, our prayers go to God, and his blessings come to us; this is the way that leads to our life’s purpose. Our eternal benefit comes through Christ’s presence in our lives and will be the primary source of our direction. Christ’s words and lessons guide us as we stay at our temporary, earthly place. We have an intercessor, prayer partner, and model in Christ. As we turn our eyes and hearts to him, we become humbled and strengthened. We move from being alone in our quest for purpose to being combined with eternal forces. Through him we speak to and see God. We are no longer adrift but firm in our course.

Points of Reflection

·     Why is Jesus the way and the truth in your life?

·     How often do you pray, and what do you pray for?

·     What is the biggest gap in your life’s direction?

Helping Those in Need

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak

and not to please ourselves.

Romans 15:1 (NIV)

Comfort springs from the words of Jesus; they are the surest and sweetest words of life and the greatest path to hope. Likewise, we are to live and show these words through all of our actions. In our humble obedience to these words, we become beacons of help to others. When these words are the direction of our heart, we move from a life of self-centeredness to a life of helping others. We become inspired to defend the downtrodden. We bring our words of encouragement to those who need comfort. Through our presence as children of God, we lift up those who struggle. It is not through our judgement that others receive help, but through our Christian attitude of service for humankind. With this attitude we imitate the very being of Christ our Lord. 

Points of Reflection

·     What acts of kindness have you shown this week and why?

·     When you see the weak, is it easier to judge or easier to help?

·     What motivates you to help others, and what is the source?

Jesus is Permanent and Life is Temporary

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

Philippians 3:20

One of my favorite quotes from Billy Graham is; My home is in heaven; I am just passing through this world.When I first heard this quote, I pondered it for days. Thinking through every aspect of why Graham said this now famous quote. Concluding Graham’s perspective was so very true. We are on a journey back to our permanent home and life can be very temporary.  Our life here is unknown and temporary, which in itself creates a sense of urgency to our connecting with Jesus. For none of us do not know the day when life will change. 

An urgency to never let our guard down. Each moment is precious as we are passing through to heaven. An urgency to intimately connect with our Lord and savior. An urgency to correct our failures and fix our wrongs. An urgency to be a beacon of love and hope for others. For we all exist for each other, when we accept Jesus. 

A Hopeful Faith Heals

Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:19

When we first go to Christ with our illnesses, both physical and spiritual, we are expressing a hopeful faith. Perhaps we have been left with no place to turn, or perhaps this is a repeating occurrence. Regardless, it remains a hopeful faith. It is this combining of our faith, led by a desire to be healed, that we form a partnership with our Lord. This partnership creates a path of healing. We do not know where it leads, but it ends with an intimate communion with Christ. Though we may not know how in advance, our hopeful faith will bear fruit. We are assured we will find an answer. It will be revealed to us in a magical way that is so very personal, only we will recognize it as meant for us. Through this answer, we will be freed and able to go on our way.

Points of Reflection

·     Why is it important that you have a hopeful faith when you pray?

·     How does your own faith connect with Jesus when you pray?

·     How do you rely on Jesus during difficult times, and why do you?