The sun is up again this morning.  And if you are reading this, you have a reasonable portion of health and strength, and something of a right mind.  The blood is still running warm in your veins – which means we have another chance!

Even while circumstances are less than ideal, we are still here, and this is God’s grace to us. How should we use it?

As for me, I will try to do some good.  I will try to extend to others the grace I have been afforded.  I will muster the courage to be light and loving even when shadows darken my path.  I will try.

Ultimately, those who find peace and meaning are those who refuse to give up seeking it.  So, as I rise to meet this day, I will do so with the stubborn hope that the ‘arc of the universe is bending toward justice.’ (MLK). 

Be encouraged, my friends.  Hope sometimes requires intense effort, but I’m willing to try.  How about you?

God is still good.  God remains sovereign.  Jesus is LORD. The Holy Spirit remains present with me, so I will not give in to despair.  

Today is a gift.  Let’s be grateful and generous.  Let’s do some good!

After all, 

‘… whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin…’

James 4:17

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

In the Gospels, Peter is the most vocal and animated of all Jesus’ disciples.  His passion and zeal among the original twelve was unrivaled.  Jesus noticed Peter’s passion, but also let him know that trials were coming that would rock him to the core.

Passion and zeal are not the same as discipline.  Passion and zeal may inspire momentary motivation, but what happens when this motivation wanes?  What happens when we are confronted with heartbreaking situations, harrowing circumstances, and hardships?  

We need more than zeal and passion in tough times.  We need the discipline that comes from the Word and the Spirit. We need some divine intervention!  

Thankfully, as Jesus did for Peter, He continues to do for you and me!  Jesus intercedes for us!  Crushing and sifting will come. Trials and temptations will come. We will fall.  But there will be a turn-around!  Thank God, that God will turn it around!

 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Luke 22:31–32

“When you have turned again,” Jesus says.  

Isn’t that good news?  

Jesus says, ‘when’ not ‘if’!  

Things will turn around! You will turn again!  Your change will come.  Which means, You can try again with Jesus!  

Try again with Jesus!  

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Peter and Andrew were fishing when Jesus called out to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men…’ (Mark 4:19)

Under pressure, Peter denied Jesus, but after he realized what he’d done, he went away and wept bitterly.  Three times, Peter denied Jesus.  

But after the resurrection, Jesus found Peter in the same place, doing the same thing he was doing when He was first called. Peter had returned to fishing!

Once again, Jesus called out to Peter.  Jesus challenged Peter three times  Peter confirmed his love for Jesus, three times.  

Then in a moment, Jesus restored Peter and renewed His call…

“…And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

John 21:19

Yes, we mess up.  Yes, we fall short.  Yes, every single one of us is guilty.  But Jesus comes after, calls out, challenges us, and He restores us!  Beyond our betrayals and failures – Jesus calls, ‘Follow me…’

So, no matter where you are, what you may have done, or how you got there, hear the voice of Jesus, get up and try again!  

Try again with Jesus!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

One of the mysteries of our humanity is that the most important lessons in our lives are often the result of failure.   Think about it.  What meaningful lessons,  what lessons have we retained?  Did they not come through failure? 

Learning to walk, run, ride a bike, make a friend… Learning math, throwing and catching a ball, falling in love.  Oh, the lessons we’ve learned.  

Resilience comes as a result of encountering hardship, adversity, or setback, and learning how to respond to failures!  Resilience is, in fact, learning how to fail forward.  What does this mean?

So, how do we fail forward? 

We realize that failure is inevitable.  We realize that failure is a teacher.  We realize that we need help.  Help is available.  For believers, our help comes from the LORD.  We have what we need to get up and go on!

So… Let’s try again… Try again with Jesus!

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

2 Corinthians 4:8

Good Morning, I love you all!

Ihs,

just adam

To acknowledge God and to submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit gives us a strange and particular confidence.  

I say strange and particular because to lean in God’s direction, to be led by God, and to love and delight in his way does not mean that one will enjoy a perfect journey.  

There will be struggles, stumbles, slips, and yes, there will be falls…

But, those who belong to God ‘shall not be cast headlong!’ She will not be recklessly hurled down, sent reeling, or utterly destroyed!  

Why?

Because, the Lord upholds her hand!

Ever watch a loving and attentive parent watch their child learn to walk – at a distance but somehow always in arms reach – somehow always stepping between their beloved and dangerous sharp edges – ready to lift  them up as they teeter and plop down on their little bottoms?  

God is the most loving and attentive parent, and as God’s beloved we can be sure that God holds our hands, helps us when we stumble, and lifts us even when we fall!  

We can get up and try again – because the Lord upholds our hands! Get it? 

Now get up, and try again!  We may have fallen, but we are always in arms reach – the Lord upholds our hands!

Get up, and try again! 

23  The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; 24  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

Psalm 37:23–24

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Have you ever had an emergency in your home or on your job that required you to leave in a hurry?  Or maybe you’ve been in a fire drill where you were instructed to ‘leave everything’ and exit the building? Or do you wonder why airlines instruct passengers to ‘leave everything’ in the event of an emergency landing? 

Having lived through fires, floods, storms, and both medical and travel emergencies all that mattered was staying safe, and keeping those around me safe.  The priority was to get out of harm’s way and into a safe place – to be able to move quickly and calmly while also avoiding getting in the way. 

This is impossible to do if we are preoccupied with preserving’our stuff’.  Not only are our hands too full to help anyone else, but we can potentially do the exact opposite!  

Emergencies teach us how to:

Pack Light!

What we learn during emergencies is instructive for us.  Deciding what’s necessary and setting aside what is not, is a healthy practice for all of us – not just for our sake but for the sake of others.  Get it?

What might we be holding onto that may be hindering us or blocking another’s path? Do we have the will to let it go? In a real way, our lives can depend on these choices.

Pack Light!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

In our culture we have misdefined worry as concern and mistaken anxiety as an expression of love. 

To not get ‘up-in-arms’ or jump in the middle of every crisis that affects our loved ones gets us in trouble and can get us labeled as cold, unfeeling, or uncaring.

But worry doesn’t work and caring is not the same as carrying! We must resist the urge to try to save, fix, or change everything and everyone around us – we cannot replace the work of the Holy Spirit! As much as we love and care for those around us, we can only go so far, for so long! Think about it.

The four friends who carried their wounded friend to Jesus – they carried him to Jesus – get it? (Mark 4:1-12). It would have been silly if the story continued with these same friends carrying him for the rest of his life!  Get it!?

Are you worried about something or someone?  Stop worrying, take your burdens, and cast your cares on the LORD! God has capable hands!  

Your shoulders are not broad enough for the burdens you’re trying to carry!  You weren’t built for that! Don’t let that weight crush you!  And don’t be manipulated in carrying what (or who) is not yours to bear!

Pack Light!  

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6–7

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam