God Can Be Trusted

He is faithful to keep His word.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man. he doesn't deal with weakness like lying. There is nothing He says that He doesn't make good on.

Psalms 18:30
The Word of God is tried and proven. His way is blameless. He is my shield and I can take refuge in Him.

Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth could pass away, but God's words never will.


Friends, family, parents, spouses ... they are not perfect. They WILL fail. They WILL disappoint. They WILL mess up. They WILL hurt you. We will be abandoned by people we care about. Some of us will endure unspeakable pain because of people close to us. This creates distrust in our hearts ... but God can be trusted. He can heal those wounds.

The reason some people have such a hard time trusting God is because people close to them have failed them countless times. They have no good example to go by. By taking refuge in God we can guard our hearts from being jaded. We can put our trust in Him and not in people. He gives us the character and strength to forgive and to remain truly secure in Him.

Everyone may fail you.

God will not fail you.

Dog Poo Patty - HAPPY FRIDAY!

Not much is worse than waking up Friday morning, throwing on the ole jeans, walking out the door for the last workday of the week ... and BAM your dog has left you a nice, warm, oozing patty of poo. Nasty.

That's life isn't it? When you least expect it ... poo. How we react says a lot about us because we can't prepare for it. You have no idea it's going to happen. Obviously you could pick a better way to start your day. Then wammo. Your reaction is immediate and very natural.

Me? I would like to say that I handled it in style, kept my cool, 'no-big-dealed' it, and remained thankful it was at least Friday. No. I exploded in frustration and anger ... throwing a conniption fit like an angry teenager. Hmmm ... unresolved issues?

Focus Grasshopper

So much going on, so many moving pieces, so many important details ... it's hard to prioritize. What's most important? What comes first? What's the best order of things? And we haven't even gotten to delegating. I've got to get my head wrapped around the game plan. I have to break it all up into pieces, delegate some responsibility, and take action. Action, Action, Action! 1 action is worth 1,000 plans.

So off we go!

Morning Workout

Made it 3 out of 4 days to the gym by 6am. It's not a 'kill-death-die' workout, but it's a start. I've been on my butt in an office job for nearly 3 years now ... and my butt-n-gut show it. We are launching a karate school and I'm 30 lbs overweight. Crunch Time!

The Game Plan
1400 Calories per day
Protein load - 6 meals a day
100+ oz of water per day
Burn 500+ calories/day workout
At least 30 minutes cardio

I've got to get more and more creative with meals and workouts. Total body, big muscle, calorie burning exercises - that's where it's at. Meals: lean meats, yogurt, veggies, low sodium and sat fat, and whole grain.

So far, 6 lbs lost. The next 10 shouldn't be so hard. Then it's man-up time!

God's Children in Chains

My morning study of John Bevere's Extraordinary series lead me to a side section in the workbook called BREAK FREE FROM HABITUAL SIN!. It spoke to me. Here's what he had to say about breaking the pattern of sin and its dominion in our lives.

ADMIT you have a problem. Call sin, sin; agree with God that it's wrong, and repent.

SUBMIT yourself to God. Humble yourself and receive His inexhaustible grace continually.

COMMIT yourself to the Word. Saturate yourself in specific scriptures that counter the conduct you want to be free from.

PRAY & SAY the Word over your life and against the enemy as needed throughout the day.

ANSWER to someone trustworthy. Be accountable to someone who loves you enough not to condone your sin or condemn you when you fall, someone who will confront you in love.

"But as soon as they had rest, they did evil again"

Think back to the times when you felt the closest to God ... those moments when you could almost physically touch His presence. What were your circumstances? Well, if you are like me, the large majority of those times came during great duress, grief, and even turmoil ... often self-induced. On the other hand, the times I can recall failing the worst or falling the hardest, my surrounding circumstances were close to ideal. There wasn't anything looming over my head ... no serious stress factor.

In my reading today I was in Nehemiah 9 where the people confess their sins and the Levites praise God and plead with Him for freedom from slavery. They recount numerous times when God had mercy and rescued His people. Times would get better and sure enough the people would turn away from God in arrogance and land themselves right back in a bad predicament. When times were terrible they sought after God and committed themselves to Him. When times were good they grew complacent and rebelled against God. This cycle repeated over and over.

There are so many lessons here, but what strikes me the most about the Old Testament is how closely my own Christian life resembles the plight of the nation of Israel. When I'm down and out, oh do I plead to God! I probably pray 30 times a day. But when everything seems fine, I'll go several days without even taking time to crack open His word. How quickly I forget Him and get absorbed in my own selfish little world. All the while He holds the keys to eternity and freely offers the grace and empowerment to live an extraordinary life.

Man I'm foolish!

Firming Feeble Knees

"Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees"
Isaiah 35:3

One of my favorite things to do that I get to enjoy 2 or 3 times a year is a long mountain hike. It's a hobby many don't understand. Oh they get the "beautiful nature" thing and the attraction of incredible sights, but most can think of something they would rather do with their time than strenuous, sometimes dangerous mountain treking. But I find peace, connection with God and His creation, and personal gratification of completing a great task. I draw many spiritual connections and similarities between hiking and my walk as a Christian.

On a long and mountainous hike, backs ache, knees grow weak and hurt, feet are sore and blistered. Discouragement can set in early as your body takes a chastizing. You can quickly become bitter as pain increases. More than once you doubt your ability to make it. Being swallowed by this doubt and fear, it can be easy to want to give up ... find an easy road and walk away. As with our race of faith, God calls us to be renewed. "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls" (Hebrews 12:3). If we like Jesus endure this chastening, "God deals with (us) as with sons" (vs.7). And how did He deal with Jesus after His suffering was finished and the race won? God sat Jesus at His right hand on the throne!

We are to renew our spiritual vitality. We must take time to be healed, strengthen faith, and continue the race. There were times on our long hikes that we had to stop, re-energize, re-motivate, and continue on the path. We must, in our race of faith, stop and pray, seeking wisdom and peace. God warns us to not become defiled, letting any root of bitterness spring up. Look to the prize! Look to the finish line! "We are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken" (Hebrews 12:28).

Now read Isaiah 35 to see God's promises for those who run the good race, and take some time to firm feeble knees. God loves you! Be renewed! Have faith!