Jesus is faster than you are.
You might think it takes a lot of time to hear God, but the opposite is true. He’s speaking all the time and you can hear from Him right now.
Let’s practice! In just a moment you’re going to ask Jesus a question. It’s crucial to be honest about the very FIRST thing that comes to your mind after you ask. Hold onto it somehow. Express it out loud or write it down. But don’t dismiss it.
Read MoreI love this word “lovingkindness”. I think what I really like is that it combines what can be an abstract term (love) with a concrete one (kindness). When one talks about love, one is usually giving voice to positive feelings towards someone. That’s great, but I like the connection of this ethereal feeling with the down-to-earth realness of kindness.
Read MoreI wasn't really sure why I wanted to try my hand at it again after so many years. I love to cook and bake and share what I make, and now I have the time, so maybe that is reason enough. A few simple ingredients combined together multiply into something so delicious and satisfying. Full disclosure: in this process I have also produced a few flops, but at least the birds got a meal!
Read MoreLet me first say that we humans are made for connection. We are made for relationship. Many of us spend at least a little time cultivating some form of connection - with God, our significant other, our children and friends. I think the majority of us recognize that relationships need attention, intention and forgiveness in order to thrive.
Read MoreLook at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 I recently woke up with the song “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” on my mind. The two lines at the end kept playing over and over: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”
Read MoreEvery Wednesday at ONE, we offer “drop in” prayer and Communion during the noon hour. At least we did until a certain virus came on the scene. Many of you have availed yourselves of this sacred, set-apart time to worship the Lord, receive prayer, and take communion - and we are so glad you have! But until we are able to gather again, whether at ONE or at your church, I’d like to invite you to consider continuing all of these practices at home with your family or even by yourself.
Read MoreThe power of ONE! My time at ONE provided a life-changing breakthrough in a difficult personal relationship. I struggled with extreme judgement towards someone despite many attempts to forgive. Even though my judgement was actually supported by those who knew my situation, I knew that if I were to stay in the relationship, I had to lay the judgement down and never pick it up again. This made perfect sense in my head – just give it all to Jesus, right? I knew the right thing to do, I just couldn’t seem to do it.
Read MoreBy now you’re familiar with the lists. All the cancellations and postponements. School…Weddings…Funerals...Graduation…Proms…Fiesta…Sports…Travel…Nursing home visits. Along with routines and normalcy.
Read MoreLife has changed pretty dramatically and that is unsettling for some of us. Being unsettled translates into fear and fear sets off a whole slew of alarms. Imagine fear running through your brain circuitry like a prankster in a hallway, pulling all the fire alarms.
Read MoreI was feeling somewhat overwhelmed recently and asked Jesus, "Would you show me a picture that represents what you’re doing right now that would encourage my heart?" Then in my mind’s eye, I received a picture of His arms wrapped around a basket full of hearts. Something about this image instantly put me at ease. My heart was among them. Included were my family members, my friends. Even the hearts of individuals I didn’t know personally, but whose burdens I carried in prayer. Shared between us all was this space. Nestled together, held collectively by Jesus.
Read MoreTogetherness is foremost on my mind, as it’s the constant these days. I am grateful for this gift of time and the slower pace which gives us a chance to connect in ways we are not usually able to this time of year. However, living, working and eating three meals each day together, 24/7, magnifies our most obvious uncertainties. I’m often unsettled. Consequently, I am distracted, which makes way for doubt to creep in, followed by eventual discouragement.
Read MoreI’ve found myself lately pondering that word "essential." It’s interesting how words emerge at different times and take on more dimensions of meaning because of our circumstances. Right now that word gets used in phrases like "Who’s essential?" or "What’s essential?" or "How essential is he/she/it?" Everything - from people’s jobs, to our plans - right down to the most mundane things (I’m thinking toilet paper here) has to be reevaluated as to its essentialness.
Read MoreI’m owning up to the fact that so often I forget to do the simple thing we’ve been commanded: “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Many times I let these disruptive thoughts carry on for far too long, wreaking havoc on my mind and emotions. I’m grateful God exposed the shame root of these recent thoughts.
Read MoreWhen I first began reading the Bible, I was surprised how often scripture mentioned the Israelites forgetting God and the miracles He’d done for them. I found it puzzling that people could so easily lose sight of blessings and provision and miracles.
Read More“When I’m in a storm, I’d much rather have a helicopter than an anchor. An anchor implies that I am going to stay right where I am. But I’d like to escape, actually” says pastor Judah Smith. “Storms hit, and we say, ‘Jesus, I don’t want to stay here... It’s windy. It’s rainy. The waves are big. Where is my heavenly helicopter?’” I’m sure many of us can relate.
Read MoreIn our society, where families can be broken and out of touch, it is easy to feel like we don’t belong. And that feeling can come from that self-critical voice in our head that says we’re not valued, we’re not quite (you fill in the blank) enough to belong.
Read MoreI was thinking about an old friend recently when the phrase, “We’ve lost touch” came to mind. It started me thinking about that phrase and how, in our current situation, it is more apropos than ever before. With social distancing, we have all, literally, lost touch.
Read MoreBeing home “on lockdown” has forced me into a place of self-awareness that I had kept myself too busy to enter into before. Stripped of the ability to overly fill my calendar or run an extra errand, I’ve realized that many of my commitments or spontaneous outings were driven by a subconscious desire to change the way I was feeling, masking the inner voice of my heart that was saying “Hey, we’ve got something going on in here!” This physical lockdown has exposed a lockdown in my soul.
Read MoreSome of us can busy ourselves to avoid this quieter time, but others may be contending with thoughts we’d rather not have. Things like self-doubt, or even self-hatred, may be trickling in.
Read MoreAn unnamed woman with a hemorrhage. She sensed what the scholars of scripture and the religious elites missed - this Jesus would fulfill the promises of God. Their intense study kept them from seeing God standing before them in the flesh.
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