Last Minutes with ODEN

This video touches my heart because when I watch it I see the very heart and hand of God moving and touching lives through His creation. The Bible says that through viewing and experiencing creation people can come to know the invisible qualities of God (Rom 1:20). I believe Jason and Oden's story solidfies the truth to this Scripture. Through Oden, Jason experienced an invisible quality of God: unconditional love. If Jesus says that God can make "stones cry out" in praise to Him (Luke 19:40), then He sure can use animals to embody unconditional love. There are things we can learn about the invisible qualities of God, if we just slowed down and took the time to watch and enjoy His wonderful creation.

The way God brings redemption and restoration into our lives is always amazing. He really can use anyone and any situation to bring healing to our lives. It's no surprise that God used a dog named Oden to bring such healing to Jason. Animals don't argue with God about who they are or how they are to be. A dog will act like a dog, just like a cat will act like a cat or a horse like a horse. Animals don't fight the way God created them to be. They just obey God. There are things we can learn about trusting and obeying God, if we just slowed down and took the time to watch and enjoy His wonderful creation.

My Beloved Prodigal Son

The struggle portrayed in this video is all too familiar. Judging and condemning thoughts are ever present in my life and if I'm not careful they will consume me. But, thankfully God has shown me mercy. The devil, the world, even our own thoughts will try to continually condemn us by refusing to let us be free of our past, but Jesus offers us forgiveness and redemption from our past. When we come to Him, He wipes the slate clean and we get a second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. chance. He will hit the delete button everyday if need be. His forgiveness is total and complete. There are no conditions to His forgiveness, we just need to recognize that we need it and then ask for it.

The Bible says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Next time, when you are in the thick of battle with raging thoughts filling your mind, pause for a moment and invite God into the foray and let His peace descend upon you like a dove. Remember Jesus has already overcome the devil and the world. He will even overcome us and our judging and condemning thoughts if we let Him!

SafetySuit: anywhere but here

I've been in love before, it is wonderful. I long to be in love again. But, the sad reality of my past life of drug addiction was that though I may have known love, I lacked the character to be in love. Love takes work. It is a more than just a warm feeling of endearment, love is also a choice and a commitment. Today, by the grace of God, I am a different man than I was before. Truly I am a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17) as the Bible claims happens to those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. God has set me free from my 15+ year battle with drug addiciton and has been building character in me while bringing healing to my heart and redemption to my life. It's interesting, all my life I've been searching for love. but it wasn't until I meet Jesus that I learned what true love was. He has shown me that His love for me is constant and unending. He loves me despite any and all my protests of why I am so unloveable and worth leaving. He has become my first love because I know that no matter what: He will never, ever leave me.

A truth that has forever changed the way I see God, others and myself is that: not only does God love me, but He really, really likes me. He actually enjoys spending time with me. I believe many people believe that God loves them because He has to, but that He really doesn't like them. He only puts up with them, again, because He has to. But, nothing could be further from the truth. God delights in us (Zephaniah 3:17). In my journey with Him, I feel like He has sung these lyrics to me: "...you are, beautiful inside. So lovely and I can't see why I'd do anything without you, you are. And when I'm not with you, I know that it's true that I'd rather be anywhere but here without you."

Do you know that God is absolutely crazy in love with you? That He loves spending time with you and hearing you tell Him about your day, all day, everyday! Just like love, faith is also a choice. Each and everyday we all choose to put our faith in something (money, stuff, ourselves, others, etc.). Maybe today's the day you choose to put your faith in what the Bible says about Jesus and the truth that not only does God love you, but that He really really likes you and enjoys spending all the time in the world with you!

Where's the love?

I've been convicted more and more these days of the stinginess of my love. When I read about Jesus' life here on earth, it reveals a love that's full and free. Jesus loved people without strings attached. He met them where they were at and loved them. He gave people the freedom and dignity to choose for themselves how they wanted to respond to His love. That's why I really appreciate this video because it challenges me to love without question, to give my love away completely for free.

But, this video also challenges me to love people fully with all that I am. Again, that's how Jesus loved people, with all of Himself. He held nothing back, not even His very life which He willingly gave up for our sake. His sacrifice was the ultimate selfless act of love in which everyone who chooses to believe and accept this incredible gift can then spend all of eternity with Him in Heaven. Love is so amazing, yet so mysterious at the same time.

When I think about God's unconditional love for me, I am always floored and amazed. The bible talks about "the mystery of God," meaning there are some things about God that we may never, ever understand this side of Heaven. For me, part of the mystery of God is His unconditional love. The more I experience God's love, the more I am overwhlemed by the depth and breadth of His love. If I really sit down to ponder this, I believe that the only way to fully embrace and experience the fullness of God's love would take an eternity. 

The bible says, "We love becuase God first loved us" (1 John 4:19). I find comfort in this because this means that I don't have to generate this full and free love on my own. But the more I press into God's love the more His love will fuel my love both for Him and for others. What an amazing truth! My prayer is that from this day foward you would experience a greater depth and breadth of God's love in your life and that His love would bring healing, salvation and restoration to your life. I pray that God's love would literally begin to bubble out of your heart because it is so full of His love. In Jesus Name, Amen.