Tag: Rend Collective

Happy Father’s Day, God!

Because you know HIS NAME…he will protect you, save you, and be your place of refuge and safety.

Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.  Psalm 91:14

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For some, this concept (promise) can be difficult to fully understand. Some of us have been blessed with great father figures. Yet, others not so much. As humans, the difficulty is separating our experiences with earthly fathers from what we know and will continue to discover about our Heavenly Father.

Even those who have wonderful fathers (biological, step, foster, etc.) must not closely compare them to the father figure we have in God. Why? Because this can limit our expectations of God in heaven. Even the best earthly fathers cannot compare to the love, grace, gifts, and protection our God in heaven offers.

Conversely, some have not had the greatest example of a father in their life. Maybe you’ve even had multiple poor experiences. I’m truly sorry, but please work hard to give God a fair chance to demonstrate that he really is different. Don’t allow your bad earthly experiences to limit God’s influence in your life. No matter the depth of pain and hurt, take a step of faith. Become vulnerable and allow him to be the father you never had…and even MORE!

Take a minute to listen to this incredible song by Rend Collective. Sing the words of this chorus to your Heavenly Father today. And go ahead, wish him a very Happy Father’s Day.

Is there anything in this song that is hard for you to believe about God? Or is there something in it that you already know to be true and lean into daily for encouragement?

Join the discussion and LEAVE A COMMENT below.

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Join the #Identify3 Challenge

Needing a change of PERSPECTIVE this week…this month…this year?

Sometimes all we need is to modify our ATTENTION for our perspective to obtain clarity.

Try counting your blessings each morning. Like, REALLY counting them.

List them.

Acknowledge each blessing from God.

Challenge yourself to identify 3 ‘different’ blessings each day for a solid week. You will have a list of at least 21 unique, freely given blessings by day 7. Then, take time on the 8th day to give special thanks to Jesus for each of them.

And even if you’re not a follower of Jesus, that’s OK!  Simply recognizing the GOOD THINGS in our lives is something everyone should be able to do.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I’m going to do this myself!  Comment below if you’re going to accept the challenge too.  Also consider sharing this post wherever you are on social media.

Use the hashtag #Identify3 with your posts. 

To get you started well, enjoy this music video by Rend Collective! (they’re amazing)

 

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Movements Toward God

Watch this music video by Rend Collective.  My personal insights follow below.

I pray the lyrics to this song meet you where you are in life today.

 

I simply LOVE this worship band (family).  I appreciate their hearts for worship and Kingdom Ministry.  Because of their obedience to God’s call on each of their lives, I’ve been encouraged and strengthened through some significantly challenging seasons in recent years.  In fact, one of my favorite songs (My Lighthouse) is the reason we have a developing lighthouse theme in our home.

Check out this verse from the video…

I wanna stand true
No matter what’s new or comes through
I can’t stand still
Whatever hits I’ll keep making movements to You

As a believer in Jesus, this is what I hope to be true of me.  That whatever hits my life, whenever it occurs, I will be able to continue making movements (progression) toward my God.

Would you consider sharing this post with someone you know this week?

 

Comments, prayer requests, and questions are welcome below.

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Who I’m Voting For…And Why!

If you’re like me, you are completely fed up with all the negativity and immaturity that has saturated this Presidential campaign.  Sometimes I feel like America is the laughing stock of the rest of the onlooking world right now.  But worrying ourselves crazy about things that you and I have absolutely no control over does nothing to remedy the problem.

There is a plethora of highly opinionated bashing and slanderous commentary on Facebook and other social media platforms about this election.  It’s nauseating!  And this isn’t even where we should be focusing our attention.

For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. – Ephesians 6:12

Did you hear that?  Our ‘battle’ is NOT against any particular political candidate or party.  It is ONLY against the spiritual forces.  Our personal conduct, posture, and prayer life will ultimately determine not only the direction of America, but the validity of our witness of the name of Jesus to those around us.

For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.  So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18

What is temporary?  This ridiculous election.  And what is unseen?  Our Lord Jesus and the spiritual battle that has ALREADY BEEN WON!

Watch this music video by Rend Collective.  “Worship is our battlecry in the midst of the fight.  At His name (Jesus) every giant will fall.”  So who is YOUR giant?  Is it worry?  Clinton?  Trump?  The unknown of tomorrow?

To all of us who call ourselves ‘Believers’ and truly follow Jesus, I challenge us.  Vote well and with a good conscience.  But pray harder, and intentionally reflect the character of Jesus throughout this entire election.  Stop the negative posts and comments online about how you ‘feel’ about a candidate.  In stead, post a prayer for America.  Reflect hope, integrity, and faith in a way that highlights Jesus and not this political circus.

Who am I going to vote for?  Well, my ballot will reflect one of the candidates.  But my vote ultimately goes to Jesus.  Though I do not put my trust in our President, Congress, or Senate, I do trust that God is in control and I will pray for those elected to office whether I support their political agenda or not.

Will YOU accept this challenge?  Please leave a comment below.

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3 Ways To Find Real Joy

Joy…it can be an attitude, a destination, a journey, or an emotion.  Do we find joy, or do only some of us get to experience it when joy finds us?

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Some of YOUR most joyful moments might include:

  • Your first kiss
  • Catching a big fish
  • Your wedding day
  • The birth of a child
  • Winning the lottery
  • A memorable family vacation

These are all great things.  But they are merely experiences.  What you and I need is a constant state of being that is saturated and energized by JOY.

“…the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”   – Matthew 2:9-10

So, what was the star to these wise men?  It was simply evidence of Jesus.  And that led them to experiencing ‘great joy’ when they saw it.  You and I can learn something from the wise men in this passage.  Real joy is attainable if we just look and notice Jesus in our lives.  I’m not talking about on Sundays and in the 10 minutes of our devotional time each morning.  But really making an effort to notice his presence in every moment of every day.

Here are 3 ways to find JOY in your day:

  1.  Ask for it | Yep…pray!  Be on it like a dog on his bone.  Plead with God every day to let you experience joy to the fullest.  Believe it or not, God really does want you to have joy in this life.
  2. Expose yourself to it | Get creative here.  Read books on joy and happiness.  Listen to podcasts that are encouraging.  Follow people on Twitter and Instagram who constantly exhibit a joyful attitude and faith walk.  And hey…hang out with happy people, and limit your exposure to those who are always negative.
  3. Plan for it | Journal.  Write a letter to yourself describing the joy you long for in your life.  Talk to a friend or get a mentor/life coach.  Ask them to guide you and offer constructive accountability.

Take a moment to watch this music video by Rend Collective.  Let the lyrics marinade with your thoughts about true JOY.  And may you truly have joy in your life this week.