Cracks and Stains of Life by Pastor Karena Lout

“I can never escape from your Spirit.
I can never get away from your presence.
If I go up to Heaven, you are there.
If I go down to the grave, you are there.”
Psalm 139:7-8

I recently read this post by Mick Mooney, author of God’s Grammar. All of Mick’s books revolve around the love and grace of God. I read this at a time I needed to remember how present Jesus is, not only in my “highs” but through the challenges too. There is so much life and truth in the “cracks” of life we get to experience. If you’re going through something difficult right now, I pray Jesus shows you just how present He is with you in it and who He is for you.

Love, Karena

"Life from a distance is beautiful; unblemished, perfect, seamless--but life is far more beautiful up close, where we see the warts and blisters, where we see the cracks and stains, where we see the brokenness and the uncertainty. Why? Because life can only be truly experienced up close. Sure, we can observe it from a distance, but to experience it, to participate in its true beauty, we have to embrace it, we have to allow the imperfections to touch us, and we have to embrace the cracks and stains of life. For the cracks and stains of life are as much part of the experience as the sunsets and the waterfalls are.

Life is messy. That's beautiful, because it's real, it's living and active; it's a gift that may not glitter and sparkle, because this gift does not come off the factory's production line. No, this gift comes from above.

It is easy enough to set up an illusion of life, though it is not truly living at all, but more of a fantasy in which to imprison ourselves in. But if we are willing to embrace life as it is--not chasing after perfection, but rather, participating within the reality of an imperfect life--we soon find something within that imperfection we never expected to find there.

We find God there.

God has made his home in the cracks and stains of life, and it is there he can comfort us in his arms, it is there he can wash our feet. It is there that he laughs and cries with us.

It is within the cracks and stains of life we realize that God's perfection is only truly experienced when we are willing to embrace, accept and experience our own imperfections.

Be brave. Embrace your life. Let God reveal himself to you within it in ways you never imagined possible." -Mick Mooney

Earnest Expectations by Pastor Karena Lout

”For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but with all boldness as always so now also Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:19-21

For some time I’ve been thinking about this phrase “earnest expectation.” In the Greek it means properly thinking forward like an Olympic runner looking forward to the end goal with their head outstretched. The runner most definitely relies on their physical capabilities and endurance but to reach the end goal, they need to BELIEVE that they will actually win the race.

We already know the end of the story: Jesus won! Although I know this to be true, I have to be completely honest, with all of the catastrophic events happening around the world, I found myself asking God questions that still remain a mystery. I’ve come to a place where I’m okay with that. In a culture that wants answers quick, mystery can be a difficult thing to live with. We may not understand why there is so much suffering in the world but it’s extremely vital that we understand who God is in it. He governs the earth with justice, He is a righteous King, He is moved by suffering, He weeps with those who weep, He isn’t distant, He is victorious and HE IS GOOD.

Once God began to remind me about who He is, my question changed from, “why is this happening?” to “what is my position and response to injustice?” When I first became aware of human trafficking, I remember feeling that the problem was so enormous that I couldn’t possibly do anything to help. When we believe that to be true, we become immobile. So I began with prayer and soon after, I started volunteering working with survivors. This is the greatest moment in history for the church to rise up and respond. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been so aware of the fear and unrest around the globe. We can either give in to that fear and worry or we can look for the opportunity to bring comfort, to be peacemakers on the earth. We are ambassadors of Christ. What an honor and privilege!

I still find myself weeping, especially over the lives taken in Iraq. We’ve been given a new, soft heart that is moved by pain and suffering. At the same time, I am filled with earnest expectation in who Jesus is and the infinite possibilities to represent Him. You carry the most valuable commodity in the world inside of you, Christ in you, the hope of glory. I pray that God would begin to release strategies and ideas to you that will shape history and transform lives around you. I pray that He would fill your hearts and minds with earnest expectation and remove any fear of the future. You are loved and adored by the King of the Universe. The life and love you carry is a gift the world is eagerly waiting to unwrap.

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

Love, Karena

Casting All Our Cares Upon Him - By Bill Hernandez - Blazing Fire Overseer

I tend to be a worrier sometimes becoming obsessed by a situation where I fear the worse possible outcome. It's called catastrophizing. I was relieved when I discovered the behavior actually had a name and that in essence it meant my state of mind was not unique. We all catastrophize to one degree or another. The origins vary, some of it may be inherited, some of it learned from being raised in a non nurturing environment, some as a result of spiritual attacks and so many other ways. The end result is discouragement, hopelessness, anxiety and general suffering that affects us emotionally or physically. Some of us go through phases where it comes and goes without rhyme or reason just like when heavy traffic on the freeway mysteriously clears with few cars in sight. There is a relief and hope from this emotional roller coaster ride and it takes a bit of being preemptive. The definition of preemptive: "Taken as a measure against something possible, anticipated, or feared; preventive; deterrent."

The solution is simple. In I Peter 5:7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you..." It takes an act of humility by giving the situation to Him and acknowledging and knowing that He is genuinely involved with everything that concerns us. Easier said than done. I've been working on this for decades, but it can be easier now as I have slowly learned. We will all make progress as we practice casting our cares upon Him. Why can it take so long? We each have unique backgrounds that can take a lifetime of unraveling, but it does say in Isaiah 40:28, "He will not grow tired or weary..." He really cares!

What does it look like to cast our cares upon Him? I've done it symbolically by imagining a stone in my hand as being the problem and then I throw it into the sea and say, "I give this to You Lord." I sometimes place my hand over my heart and pretending I'm pulling something out, I gesture into the air away from myself to the Lord and give the issue to Him. Journaling can help because in a way the paper is the sounding board or my confessor/confidant and I try to be as honest as I can with what I am feeling. When I am done the anxiety can really clear. Similarly you can do this with a trusted friend or counselor. You can talk with the Lord as well. I imagine Him sitting in a chair at home and I rattle off all that I am feeling. In a way, you are expelling all the stuff that is swirling around in your heart and once you are done, then it's very important to be silent and wait. He will speak and offer solutions or just say kind and affirming things. The enemy has no place in this intimate moment with the Lord.

Does it always work to cast our cares upon Him? Sometimes it takes several applications. Sometimes it has to be renewed daily or hourly and especially if it's something deeply serious and disturbing. I know emotional pain and heartbreak often takes time to heal. Most of us have been through really tough things. The hope is that we really have someone on our side rooting for us and drawing our hearts up into becoming men and women of sublime valor and serene character eternally nestled comfortably in the arms of our great Lover.

We inherited eternal life through the work of the cross. As a result we became the possession of the Lord in which He took ownership of all of who we are including our cares. His tender love bathes us daily as it says in Lamentations 3:22-33, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

We are not alone, we are adored by the most important person in the universe who is attentive. He checks in daily with fresh goodness for our sakes because He cares for us His beloved.

Love and Blessings!

Bill Hernandez

Life Lessons from a Sunflower By Pastor Brent Lokker

I want to share with you a pretty funny story.  Suzanne likes sunflowers so several months ago I picked up a packet of sunflower seeds (the kind that grow actual sunflowers, that is) to secretly plant them in our front yard flower garden and surprise her.  I read on the label that the sunflowers would be two feet tall.  “Perfect!” I thought, “little miniature sunflowers will fit nicely in our garden.”

So I planted a few dozen seeds and faithfully watered them every few days even though it took about a month to see the first green buds breaking the earth’s surface.  After another week or so, I thought, “These are getting close to two feet tall—the flowers should burst forth any day now.”  Only that’s not what happened.  The 2 feet tall stalks quickly turned into 4 feet which soon turned into 6 feet and before I knew it, these gargantuan botanical specimens were towering over me at a robust 9 feet tall!

Now, I had long since thrown away the package, but here’s what I figure must have happened.  What I thought read the plants would be two feet in height must have actually read the sunflowers themselves would be two feet wide!  Here’s a picture of our “miniature sunflowers” taken just yesterday!  If you look carefully, you can see 4 feet high rose bushes that are now lost in our sunflower jungle!

Our heavenly Papa is a fun Father who wants to talk to us about anything and everything if we have ears to listen. In the midst of being able to laugh at myself (it’s very important that we not take ourselves too seriously!), I thought about what God has to say about sowing and reaping.

"Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life."
Gal. 6:7-8 (The Message)

Here's what I heard the Lord telling me:
Son, sowing and reaping isn't about expecting to get an immediate return.  Nor is it about getting back what you put in the ground.  You placed a few dozen seeds that fit into the palm of your hand into the ground.  You had a hopeful, expectant heart, and you thought you knew what the outcome would be. But as you waited a miracle was happening underground that you could not see.  For a time, it seemed as if nothing was happening.  Then out from the ground burst life, but not in the same measure to what you placed in the soil.  No, you received abundantly more than all you could ask or imagine. You received a full measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing.  You sowed sunflower seeds, so out from the ground came sunflowers, but each seed you planted produced hundreds more seeds.  This is my heart. This is my Kingdom. This is why I want my children to sow good seed--seeds of love, forgiveness and generous giving. And I will make certain that what they release will come back. When they choose to love, the love returns.  When they live a life of forgiveness, they are more readily forgiven by others. When they give with a generous heart, it comes back to them.  Not instantly. Not on the same scale.  No, I'm much better than that and you can fully trust my exceptionally good heart for you!

"So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith."
Gal. 6:9-10 (The Message)

What Time is It? By Pastor Brent Lokker

Earlier today I looked up at the clock to see what time it was.  Usually when we check the time it’s because we don’t want to be late for an appointment or because we are assessing how our time management is going for the day.  If we’re being honest, we’re often trying to gauge how productive we are (As in, “Am I feeling good about myself that I’m getting enough done by this marker in the day?”).

My next flow of thought went to a very old (originally 1960’s) Dr. Pepper advertising slogan, “Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2 and 4.” (I know, pretty weird, but true and obviously this slogan came out long before we knew the toxic nature of consuming so much sugar.)  Since the numbers have to do with the time of day, many Dr. Pepper clocks were made to highlight those three hours.

Upon doing a little research, I found out that doctors back in the day had discovered a natural drop in energy at 10:30 am, 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm.  So I guess the logic is that if a person drains a bottle of carbonated sugar water 30 minutes beforehand, it will somehow offset the condition.  Hmmmmm…

So then, this God-thought popped into my head.  Because we have a Heavenly Father who adores His children, what if each time we looked at the clock, our first thought went something like this: It’s 10 am. I’m loved at 10 am!  It’s 2 pm.  I’m loved at 2 pm!  It’s 4 pm.  I’m loved at 4 pm!  Clearly God’s love is the supernatural pick-me-up that we were born for and the only one that can offset any emotional or spiritual doldrums we might encounter along the way.

The best news is that His love and affection isn't just for 10, 2 and 4, but for 5 am, Noon, 8 pm, Midnight…you get the picture.  God never turns His love off! What would happen if every single time we looked at the clock, it became a reminder of Papa’s affection for us at that precise moment? It would not only change your outlook in the moment, but it would change your day, your week, your month and your life!

I’m going to get really practical here.  Most of you will read this article and think, What I great idea! and then promptly forget about it. So how about this: Put a little sticky note on at least one of your clocks that you view regularly—the one in your bedroom that you look at before you go to sleep and when you wake up.  The one in the kitchen that you glance at several times during the rushing moments to get out the door.  The one in the dashboard of your car that you glance at frequently to see if you will be on time to your destination.  Or better yet, put a sticky note on each of them that says... “I Love You!”

Then when you check the time and see the note, you can remind yourself, “I’m tired this morning, but I’m loved!”  “I’m a few minutes late getting my kids to school, but I’m loved!”  “I have an appointment in 10 minutes and I’m loved!” “I have to get that report done in the next hour and I’m loved!”  “I have some time to sit and be quiet with you Lord--You say I’m loved!”  “I didn’t get all my to-do’s checked off today, but I sure am loved!”

Often, during the busyness of a day, I will intentionally look for Suzanne, my wife, and affectionately embrace her saying, “If we are too busy for this, we are too busy.”
Your heavenly Daddy says the same to you.  Take the time to be loved.  It’s what you were born for!