It is a rare thing for me to ever leave the house without a watch on my wrist. It doesn’t matter what I am wearing or where I’m going, something feels off if I look down at my wrist and it’s bare.

Sometimes life is like that though, huh? We put together an outfit and head out feeling confident, only to realize that something is missing… 

Believers are clothed in the righteousness of God by grace through faith in Christ.  Whatever sin exposes, by our own doing or otherwise, is covered by grace so we don’t have to move through the world bare, ashamed, afraid, or exposed.  

Whatever circumstance has undermined our confidence and left us feeling undone… Whatever insecurity arises because of our frailty or forgetfulness… Whenever our carelessness catches us off guard… God has us covered!

Are you feeling uncovered because of something that you did or didn’t do, or because of something that was done to you? Accept the grace of God. Forgive and be forgiven.  God’s grace has us covered.  It is enough.

There’s no need to move through the world feeling afraid or ashamed – none of us is defined by our worst moments – mistakes or missteps!  So we need not to walk around feeling incomplete or as though something is missing.  God’s grace is enough for all of us!  Remember that, huh?

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.  Isaiah 61:10

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

There are times when it seems like everywhere we look there is trouble. The places, things, and sometimes even the people that used to give us comfort are no longer doing the trick.  We ride unpredictable waves of emotion up, down and sideways. We become tired,disoriented, frustrated and threaten despair.

What do we do?

In times like these, we need the Savior.

In times like these, we need an anchor.

Be very sure.  Be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the solid Rock…

When life and circumstances go awry, we need to ground ourselves in the One who promises to be with us.  We need to ground ourselves in the grace that gives us hope – the grace that stabilizes us amid life’s storms.  We need to ground ourselves in the unfailing character of our loving God.  We find solace in the non-anxious presence of Spirit, who gives us peace that surpasses understanding.

Be very sure.  Be very sure, your anchor holds, and grips the solid Rock!  

This Rock is Jesus!

In times like these, we don’t lose heart. We don’t lose hope.  We don’t give up. Breathe…

This is not the end.  

This is not our end.  

This is not your end!

We ground ourselves in this grace, and we keep on going…

⁷ But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. ⁸ We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 NRSV

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

There’s a story about a farmer who planted wheat only to discover that an enemy came and secretly sowed weeds among the good seeds.  The farmer’s servant immediately wanted to uproot the weeds but was warned against it.  He was told to leave them be until harvest time when the reapers could separate the wheat from the weeds.

The farmer understood that weeds, though annoying, wouldn’t keep the wheat from reaching maturity and that trying to uproot them too early could be potentially dangerous to the good seed that was growing. So, he left them alone until the harvest.

Though confusing and probably a bit frustrating, the weeds were left to grow alongside the wheat. Only at the harvest, would the reapers do the separating. But in the meantime, the wheat grew among the weeds…

We must learn to grow among the weeds.  

We may never find ourselves in ideal circumstances.  There’s no such thing as a pristine environment.  There’s no escaping the presence of sin in a fallen world.  While we covet and crave a perfect situation, it’s unrealistic.  

Grow anyway.  Flourish anyway.  Mature anyway. Create anyway.  Be fruitful anyway – even among the weeds!

Jesus said that while we are in the world, we must not be of it!  We must learn to grow – even among the weeds! And God, in due season will bring about a harvest and do the separating!

I do not know all the particulars of your circumstances, but I want to encourage you to grow anyway! I know you see the weeds sprouting up and spreading around you, but don’t be discouraged or distracted!  

God planted you, and it is His will that you become who you were created to be, and nothing can prevent that!  

So, focus on your own growth, and trust God to deal with these weeds!  Don’t allow your energy or attention to be diverted from God’s plans and purposes for your life!  Trust God!

Grow anyway – even among the weeds!

²⁹ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”  

(Matthew 13:29-30, NRSV)

Grow anyway!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

My mother used to say that lying was one of the worst things. She said that lying was the only thing you couldn’t defend yourself against. The surest way to incur her wrath was to lie. She may cut you some slack if you were honest, but lying was not tolerated!

She taught us that while we may guard against thieves and robbers, there’s no escaping a liar. Lies can only be endured and outlasted. There’s no point in chasing down a lie or rumor, you just have to let it run out!

I never knew my mother was such a sage. Her words return to me frequently. In these strange times, when it seems like nothing can be trusted, and so many have fallen prey to deception and lies, her words have never been truer.

The devil is still a liar. Only now, without subtlety, the enemy traipses about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. No longer skulking about in the shadows, but he is a bold-faced, loud, and blatant liar.

While many realize the lies, most make excuses for them or simply lack the will to resist. The worst among us, however, repeat these lies, and with some twisted notion believe that if they are repeated enough they will become true.

“The truth stands, and lies run out,”
my mother said.

These are the times we are living in. Too many have accepted or become apathetic about this distorted and destructive reality. We live in a time where telling the truth is so rare that it has become radical. It’s exhausting…

I can hear my mother’s words, “The truth stands, and lies run out…”

I wonder if there are any among us who have the courage or will to stand.

8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers* all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
(1 Peter 5:8-9, NLT)

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,
just adam

Yes, we are in the middle of an information overload. We are inundated with lies, misinformation, and bad news. The adversary’s intention is to intimidate us, to exhaust us, and to make us anxious.  The goal is to make us afraid and to wear us out with worry – to paralyze us with fear and frustration – to hamstring us with hopelessness.

The enemy is on the job daily, sowing discord and lies. But please understand this, even if a devil presents some fact, his wicked intentions are to undermine the truth! Do you hear that?

You see, when truth-telling is the supposed motivation, then love, liberation, light, and redemption become possibilities. But when the truth is weaponized by wicked intentions, then the outcomes are guilt, darkness, oppression, hatred, and separation. Thus, any such expression of ‘truth,’ becomes a lie!  

How do we know the difference?  It’s simple.  Ask, ‘Why?’  

We must learn to interrogate not only the source, but the substance of, as well as who is being served by these sayings.  Know that the devil is always a liar –  even when quoting the truth!  

Guard your heart today. Train your eyes and ears to recognize lies.  Discipline your mind to ask questions that expose deceit.  And whatever the circumstances, brothers and sisters, don’t despair – love and truth will prevail!  

The devil is subtle, but not creative.  The same old tricks we witness in the creation stories, are the same old tricks and traps from the beginning – the devil is always a liar!

Pay attention!

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made… 

Genesis 3:1a

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Four years ago, I walked away from a job I had been on for twenty-three years.   I was part of an organization that was growing and as it grew I prospered.  I had the best team and worked with some of the best people I have ever known. I am grateful for my time there.

But, after about twenty years the work environment changed.  The people who built the company began to retire or leave. The leadership and ownership of the company changed and things got really bad. I was put in an ethical dilemma. And when I protested, I went from being respected and valued to being isolated and ignored. In an attempt to do what was right for the organization while preserving my integrity and protecting my team, I paid a heavy price.  And, I probably stayed too long.  

Needless to say, things got increasingly hostile.  And while the quality of my work could never be challenged, I was routinely disrespected.  At about that time, I started hearing from recruiters and headhunters about jobs that I hadn’t even applied for.

One day after a particularly rough week, my wife looked at me and said, ‘If they offer you a job, you need to take it…’ This was not Job’s wife speaking – I could hear the voice of the Spirit.

The job offers came, and unsurprisingly, I ended up better off. While I lamented leaving my team and felt like I was somehow letting them down, my fears and anxieties were unfounded and I ended up in a good place.  That was four years ago, today!

God is faithful. God is a provider.  God is more than a resource. God is the source of my supply. 

Things around us are going to change. How we do things will change.  Who comes and who goes with us will change. Which way we go may change… But, God is faithful!  God takes care of God’s own.  

I was not expecting to change jobs after so many years. I planned to retire from that place.  I had been a part of building something.  I had a great team.  But, it was time to go! 

When things get tight around us and uncomfortable, and maybe even downright hostile; this is growing season.  When things become unhealthy and your integrity is being challenged; this is a going season! 

When you are encountering all these things all at once – this is a knowing season! 

Take heed… Pray and ask God about where you are, where you should go, and when.  And then, when you can hear God clearly – take the step! 

God will take care of us!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

There are legitimate occasions when confusion about how to move forward should cause us to slow down.

When we are in a new place and don’t quite know our way around, speeding is ill-advised.

When we’re cooking a new recipe, rushing and improvising may not be such a good idea.

When we’re entering a new relationship, being cautious may be wise. There’s some veracity to the saying, ‘fools rush in.’

But when we’ve examined our hearts , after we’ve asked for help, and heard from the LORD, we must accept guidance, and then ACT on what we know to be right.

While we may not be able to see or control all of the outcomes, we can not allow the ‘paralysis of analysis,’ cause us to rationalize our disobedience.

Being patient with others, gracious, generous, loving, and polite are always appropriate. Even in challenging and holding one another accountable – as Christians we do so with a grace that affirms dignity. When we have to approach sensitive matters, and even while our emotions run hot and our anger may be justifiable – we do not sin!

Even when our critique is valid and our protest is well-founded and the truth is uncomfortable – we must strive to do what is right. When we don’t, in a moment we slide from being a victim into becoming an offender.

Many would call it weakness to lead with love and grace when one is confronted with hatefulness and cruelty – but this is the cross we willingly bear as followers of Jesus.

In the words of MLK, ‘the time is always right to do what is right…’

James writes,

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

James 4:17

In the words of the Mayor in Spike Lee’s, Do the Right Thing, ‘Mookie… always do the right thing!’

For you and me, that means we lead with grace, we lead with generosity, we lead with compassion and mercy; we lead with love!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam