There's this thing called life. It happens.

You know what I'm talking about.

You go along day by day thinking things are going okay.

Oh sure, we all have our ups and downs. But generally speaking it's "okay."

And then when you least expect it.

WHAM!

Why are we so surprised by this?

Each time we are whammed in the head, somehow we think that if we survive that hit it'll be awhile until we are smacked again. A breather. A break. Whew.

Why do we think this?

I got some bad news the other day about someone I care about.

When one is in ministry, this tends to happen. Often.

You might be surprised how often.

But this one I did not see coming.

The Truth?

We make choices in life. And choices have consequences. We are human.

Our God is not bothered by our honest questions. He can take it.

We are not somehow immune to hurt, pain and disappointment.- none of us are.

But this I know:

We can have a hope that surpasses our unanswered questions.

We can have a peace that calms our "why me or why them."

We can choose to believe, despite our hurt.

He has a way of redeeming the pain.

Beauty of Love Divine

Check out this Sonnet by Michelangelo: The course of my life has brought me now Through a stormy sea, in a frail ship, To the common port where, landing We account for every deed, wretched or holy. So that finally I see How wrong the fond illusion was That made art my idol and my King, Leading me to want what harmed me. My amorous fancies, once foolish and happy What sense have they now that I approach two deaths The first of which I know is sure, the second threatening. Let neither painting nor carving any longer calm My soul turned to that divine Love Who to embrace us, opened His arms upon the cross. - On the Brink of Death , To Giorgio Vasari, Sonnet LXV WOW. This reminds me to think of life in reverse. It may seem weird, but looking at the end - or starting with the end in mind - can give us perspective. When we think (like Michelangelo did here) from the perspective of death, suddenly many things we chase after seem insignificant and deceptive. Things...

New Year Resolutions Worth Keeping

I can hear the audible sigh already. New year resolutions – why bother? Here’s the thing… often we trip over them because of our internal baggage. We start out with good intentions, only to end up in self-sabotage. • We want to be gentler on ourselves, but continue with negative self-talk We want to start (fill in the blank), but have no plan • We want to change a behavior, but don’t deal with underlying, contributing emotional issues • We want to get out of debt, but don't really want to do what it takes • We want to take steps towards a goal or a dream, but allow fear to hold us back What if we made our internal lives a priority this year? What if we focused on what we can do to build our character and energize our spirits instead of yearly external resolutions? A rich internal life makes us a better, more mature person. After all, everything trickles down from our inner lives anyway. This is why God makes the “heart” a priority - for all attitud...

Character Over Comfort & Control

Control. We all want it. We don't always get it. Sometimes we get it, then decide we don't want it. Sigh. In my life I've come to recognize control as an old familiar acquaintance, continually proving that my sense of having it is simply an illusion. Just when I think I have it, it's often yanked from my groping hands and there's not much I can do about it. When we feel like we are in control, we often feel pretty comfortable with it. You may tell yourself you've earned it. You may snatch it away from someone else and justify it. You may hoard it, thinking no one can hurt you. You may sacrifice pieces of your character to have it. You may hide behind it. When we feel out of control, we often feel frantic. Why are we afraid to let go of it? we feel weak we feel uncomfortable we feel ineffective we feel frustrated we feel exposed we feel like we are floundering, grasping we wonder what will happen and how we...

Michelle Renee Speaks

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