At the beginning of a new day, we can’t possibly know all the opportunities or challenges we may encounter.  It makes sense, then, that we would have some kind of plan, right?

Unfortunately we cannot plan for everything.  There will be delays, distractions, and disruptions – but we needn’t be overwhelmed or derailed by these things. 

So, what do we do?  We need a plan.  What’s this plan?  I’m glad you asked!  It’s very simple.

First – begin with gratitude, God has given us brand new mercy!  Before a groan, grumble, or complaint – remember God’s goodness and faithfulness!

Second – ask God to direct your path! Instead of inviting God along as you go, ask God to order your steps. Get it?  

God knows and holds the future, and God holds our hands! It’s a brand new day.  

Let’s pray:

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love for in you I trust.  Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.  

Psalm 143:8

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

There is plenty of talk about finding and walking in our purpose, but not everyone means the same thing.

For Christians, our purpose is rooted in the plans and purposes of our Creator.  So that when we speak of walking in our purpose, we are talking about being who God created us to be!  

This isn’t as simple as dreaming about what we want to be when we grow up, or doing whatever piques our curiosity or inspires our passions.  Discerning our purpose is determined by our proximity to the One who made us!  

So, if we are going to ‘walk in our purpose’, then we must resist the urge to chase after it.  I know that sounds funny, but I need to make this subtle distinction – God does not call us to pursue purpose, inasmuch as we are compelled to follow Him!

Get it?

Chase God, stay close, obey Spirit, follow Jesus, and you will discover your purpose! Chase God.  Not blessings, not abundance, not fortune, not fame – chase God! 

Pursue God, and God’s will and purposes will be made known to and through you! There is no nobler goal! 

Chase God!

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Philippians 3:7

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

We need both encouragement and accountability.  Unfortunately, many of us chase those who compliment us while simultaneously fixating on those who criticize us.

I get it.  Who wants to be reminded that even our best can be improved?  Who enjoys having their flaws inspected?  Who wants to hear that we’ve missed the mark? None of that sounds fun, huh?  

I get it. We need to be celebrated.  We need to be affirmed.  We need to be edified. We flourish when we are appreciated. Who doesn’t love that? 

So what’s the problem?

We need both encouragement and accountability.  But we needn’t pursue either.

Maybe the problem is what we pursue. Perhaps the whole idea of seeking praise or criticism is just wrong.

Instead, do this:

Seek God.  Praises will come, but these are not our goal. They encourage and energize us.

Seek God.  Criticisms will come, but these don’t define us. These educate us and refine us.

Seek God. Live to honor God.  Live to please the LORD.  Labor for God’s, ‘well done!’  Everything else – whether cheer or critique –  let it be fuel to propel our pursuit of God.  

Seek God. Period.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:1

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

We live in a culture that often embodies extremes.  We always seem to be either ‘too much’ or ‘too little.’ We tend to overdo things or underperform.  But there is much to be learned about being centered and moderate!

When it comes to discipline, we need both encouragement and accountability.  To emphasize one without the other is to be either enabling or insensitive!  To receive encouragement without accountability is to be coddled, to encounter the opposite is equally disheartening.  We need both!

We need to be able to give and receive encouragement, but we also need to learn how to accept and demand accountability. This is how we protect one another and inspire one other to be our best selves!  This is the gift of being in a safe and loving community.  This is one of the gifts of true friendship!

So today, let’s stop mistaking your helpers for ‘haters.’  Let’s stop rejecting valid critiques and perceiving them as attacks.  There are people that God has placed in our lives to both challenge and encourage us – these are the ones who are looking out for our best interests and who drive us toward becoming our best selves!  

Get it?

⁵ Better is open rebuke than hidden love. ⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. 

 Proverbs 27:5–6

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

When we look at things, we are often attracted by how things appear.  It’s not always a bad thing – it’s why God gave us eyes. 

But when we overemphasize appearances, we can sometimes overlook and neglect what’s on the inside- the stuff beneath the surface that gives integrity, durability, and longevity.

It’s okay to want to look good, but health, wholeness, and confidence are inside jobs. Kindness, compassion, empathy, and goodness begin on the inside – in our hearts!  

So while we invest in appearances, let’s make sure that we give double attention to our desire for pure hearts and right intentions.

Ever heard the saying, ‘the only thing worse than a bright shiny apple with a worm in it, is one with half a worm?’

Let’s begin the day by asking the LORD to deal with our hearts, our minds, and the words we speak under our breath – the way we see others – our outlook and our attitudes.   

God looks on the inside, and people too will eventually find out what we’re made of!  

Let’s pray that the beauty we possess is beyond skin-deep!

Let’s pray that when people get to know us, they discover that we are who we present ourselves to be and not just shiny veneer but genuine, authentic, and full of integrity!

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Matthew 5:8

Good morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

When times get tough and we’re surrounded by emergencies, we can forget to care for ourselves.  We may lose our appetite.  We may become restless and find it hard to sleep.  Some of us start holding our breath…

This morning, before you allow the day to drive you, slow down for a moment and breathe…

Inhale…

Every single moment is a gift.  

Exhale… 

Every breath is grace.  

Inhale…

God loves you.

Exhale…

That’s the only truth that matters.

Inhale…

This is the day the LORD has made.

Exhale…

I will rejoice and be glad in it.

I will rejoice and be glad in it.

I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Don’t be driven today, be led by the Spirit.  Let every breath be your reminder!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

One of the ways corrupt people attempt to preserve their illusion of control is to convince us that we have no power.  

False and misinformation are just what they sound like – lies!!  These lies are tricks of the enemy to discourage and dishearten us – to distract us from realizing the strength that lies within us when we know who we are and know who God is.

One of my mother’s favorite sayings was, ‘The truth will stand while lies run out!’  And in times like these, I cling to these words.  I suggest that you do the same.

We are intelligent, creative, resilient, and we have the capacity to endure faithfully whatever lies ahead. ‘Greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world!’ (1 John 4:4)

While the enemy prowls about, sowing lies and discord, remember that we are ‘more than conquerors through Him that loves us!’ (Romans 8:37)

God is with and within us and we are going to be alright!  Remember who you are and who God is!  Get it?

So today, rather than give into the overwhelming flood of negativity and misinformation – Let us recall God’s goodness, God’s faithfulness, God’s sovereignty, and God’s love. We will not be afraid. We will draw on the Spirit’s power. We will dream.  We will build.  We will create and we will rejoice!

Join me? 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

Good morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

These days there is much that gives us cause for concern.  There is much to pray about.  There is much to protest.  We live in troubling times.

While  things are disturbing and frustrating, we have this confidence – God is still on the throne!  God is sovereign! God’s will be done – no matter what!

So, when fear creeps in and worry threatens to steal my joy – I put my trust in God. 

When I’m weary from circumstances – I meditate on God’s word, and I trust God. 

When it seems like wickedness is winning and daring to overtake me – I remember that my life is in God’s capable hands, and I trust God!

3  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?  

Psalm 56:3–4

Trust God!

Good morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Life is full of ups and downs. There are trials and struggles that we must all encounter.  There are obstacles that confront us all.  It rains on the just and the unjust.

But there is an upside to all these things.  While it may sound like nonsense, there is an advantage in the adversities we endure.

Through our troubles we learn what is really needful, what matters, and who sustains us.  

We are reminded of God’s abiding presence, when those people and things we trusted in are no longer reliable.  We discover God’s faithfulness when all else falters.  

While all else is fleeting and passing away, while illusions dissolve, and notions of our independence are stripped away, we find that God’s character does not fail.

There is an upside to every crisis.  There is an advantage amid the most profound adversity.  There is hope in the midst of every storm, and help for us in all that afflicts us!

¹ God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,³ though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. 

Selah  

Psalm 46:1–3

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Times are uncertain but God remains faithful.  It’s another brand new day, and by the grace of God, we are still here.   What will we do with it?

This morning, I will turn my heart to God.  I recount God’s goodness and mercy, God’s love, God’s wisdom, and God’s power. 

I consider God’s ways, and though I am often confused by the hardness of human hearts, the cruelty and apathy we display toward one another, I have this hopeful refrain.

Hope in God.  

Though the wicked seem to prosper and the powerful seem to go unchecked, my trust remains in God – the One who creates, cares, and redeems. I receive, again, God’s grace. 

Hope in God.

As I listen for the voice of the Spirit,  I recite the words of the Psalm, and my heart is encouraged.  

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.  

Psalm 42:5–6

Hope in God!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam