Tag: change

“But Now”

February 5, 2022Blog, Encouragement, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, , Leave a comment

Sunday Sermon 2.5.22

It is said that there are two things that people hate. Change and boredom. Would you concur?

I raised my son with, and taught my middle school classes the oft trumpted reminder that, “boredom is a choice“. To this day I still believe it and live by it. I believe we can manage boredom. Change on the otherhand, is less under our control.

Change is what God is up to right now, though. He’s not changing, but times are and so are things for His remnant, those who have held on to Him during these perilous times. Check this out:

” But now, I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. (ESV)

Things have changed. I’m taking the side of of my core of surviving people. Sowing and harvesting will resume. Vines will grow grapes. Gardens will flourish. Dew and rain will make everything green. My survivors will get everything they need – and more. You’ve gotten a reputation as a bad-news people, … but I am going to save you. From now on you’re going to be good-news people. Don’t be afraid. Keep a firm grip on what I’m doing.” (TPT)

Zechariah 8:11-13

Although this encouragement was given by Zechariah to Israel some 500 years before Jesus was born, it couldn’t be more fitting for us today. And, we are well within our rights and understanding of Bible interpretation to apply Zechariah’s words to ourselves and not just Israel’s remnant.

The Apostle Paul teaches us that:

So, let’s look more closely at these tremendously encouraging words. I read them in my private devotions on 1.29.22, and felt such a strong impression and inspiration from them. So much so, I wrote it in my Bible, and then dug deeper into the text.

  • these things took place as examples for us 1 Corinthians 10:6
  • they are written down for our instruction 1 Coringthians 10:11
  • all scripture is breathed by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness… 2 Timothy 3:16

God is speaking to you, He is speaking to me. It is a promise of positive change coming!

God says, look, this is the way is was, and he lists a few specific situations. Zechariah 8:9-10 Then verse 11 BLASTS THROUGH with, “BUT NOW”. I love that. Everything that had happened was no longer the driving factor or revelant. It WAS that way, BUT NOW, things were going to change.

Whatever has marked your life in the recent months may have been big and heavy and oppressive, BUT NOW God is going to deal with you differently. Verse 11 tells us God is no longer going to deal with us as He did in past days! That is wonderful news to you (and me)!

Here’s the change – it’s all good and it is so amazingly encouraging and freeing. Look!

  • “there shall be sowing in peace” – there’s been enough division, quarrelling, warring and the days of peace are upon us.
  • “the vine shall give its fruit” – you will be fruitful. It is time for the fruit of your labors and efforts to spring forth.
  • “the ground shall give its produce” – the days of productivity are upon you. What you do will actually produce evidence, fruit, things.
  • “the heavens shall give their dew” – you are living under an open heaven of God’s blessing, outpouring and refreshing. Take full advantage and fill up, drink in.
  • “the remnant of this people shall possess all of these things” – those who have been clinging to God, His Word and His ways are the intended recipients of all these blessings!

Slow down. Stop. Go back and re-read those bullets. Those are promises for YOU, for NOW, because God is bringing change, now.

But wait, there’s more! (that sounds like an infomercial add, doesn’t it?)

It doesn’t end there. Zechariah 8:13 ESV

  • “you have been a byword of cursing…” – Christians, the God-fearing, Truth seekers, Jesus followers, believers who have been cursed, shamed, put down, humiliated, etc.
  • “so I will save you” – God is coming to our rescue. God is saving us from situations and God is turning it around.
  • “and you shall be a blessing” – the very ones who have been mocked, will be a blessing!

OMGoodness. When I read this passage last week, I physically felt that God was speaking it to the remnant of His followers. God was telling us that He was bringing change, doing things differently, because we had transitioned into a “BUT NOW” time.

Dear reader, you have transitioned! It is a new and different season for you. This is a season of peace, fruitfulness, productivity and fulfillment. The curses of the past have been broken and you have been released into a time of blessing, release, and possession of your dreams, and hopes in God.

It is altogether fitting that this passage closes with this phrase,

“Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”

Zechariah 8:13 ESV

It is time to choose faith over fear and to get your hands dirty doing what God has put in your heart, or placed in your path. Whatever your hand finds to do during this season, do it with all your strength for the Lord and see His blessing on it. It’s time to produce. It’s time for fruit, evidence. It’s time for peace. And it’s time for you to possess all of these blessings so that you can be a blessing!

God is here to help you, save you and make you fruitful in what you do in 2022.

What has been, has been. BUT NOW God is doing something totally different with His remnant. Fear not and be strong!

Be a blessing,

Debbie

The Right Time & Place #4

December 16, 2021Blog, Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, , , Leave a comment

#4 of 5 in a series of Sunday Sermons 12.17.21

#4 – Daniel – a wiseman

At one time or another, we all wonder if we are in the right place at the right time. Because this is such a universal experience, this series seeks to illuminate for us, people who’s situations sure didn’t appear that they were in the right place, and yet, they were in the exact right place at the exact right time and were used in some pretty astounding ways.

In review, you will remember:

  • Job, a target, who in spite of his success, suffered greatly and was rewarded with great surprises.
  • Elihu, a spokesman, a tender young man, who waited patiently to speak and become a truth-teller.
  • Esther – a queen, and beautiful orphan, who lived as an exile but became queen with a brazen voice who blessed her people

Today, we will look at:

Daniel, a wise man. Purposed. Prophetic. Powerful.

As I write this, Christmas is next week, so it is not uncommon to consider wisemen this time of the year. I’m sure you remember those guys who came from the East, bringing gifts to baby Jesus. They were considered learned astronomers and wise in academia and spiritual understanding. The East at the time offered the best of learning of everykind, and these men came to Jesus, based on what they knew and understood about when the Messiah would be born. They had traveled a great distance, fueled by their learning, to present their gifts to this child wonder.

But long before these wise men sought to find Jesus there was another wise man. This wise man tho’, was different.

Daniel – a wise man

This wise man, Daniel, wasn’t even really a man yet. He is described (in the book that bears his name, Daniel 1) as a youth, or young man. Scholars believe he was actually an extrordinarily gifted prince in Israel. King Nebuchadnezzar, of Babylon had come to Jerusalem, overtaken it and taken captives back to Babylon, he took the cream of the crop.

Those that he deported were,

“… of the royal family and nobility… youths without blemish, of good appearance, skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning, competent to stand before the king…”

Daniel 1:3-4 ESV

These adolescence were the AP (advance placement) kids at school, who were also eagle scouts or gold award recipients. They attended the finest of private schools, were involved in community service projects, were tutored in etiquette, manners and public speaking. Daniel and his three friends were the “Creme de la Creme”. They were going places! Watch out world.

And here they were being deported to Babylon! What??? This could not possibly be right. This is not who they were training to become, or where they were expecting to live. Talk about hopes dashed and expectations shattered! Their education was not intended to be used in Babylon. How could they be in the right place and this the right time?

It was precisely because Daniel was a wise man that he was taken captive. It was precicely because he was appealing to the enemy king that he was being deported. His training and qualifications were actually all leading him to this very moment. Crazy, right?

Daniel – Purposed

When Daniel arrived in Babylon, he and his three friends were placed in a three year study program. During that time they would be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. Then they would be called before the king to see if he approved of them, their training and their expertise.

During this time, their food was to be the same food and drink that the king ate. They would be offered the best foods and wines, along with the best education, but, this is where the young and wise Daniel spoke up.

Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the kings food, but rather he would eat what foods were kosher to the Jews. After negotiating a plan with chief of staff, Daniel and his friends were proven to be better and fatter than all the others. In fact, we are told that there was none found like Daniel in all of the kings palace. God was with Daniel and gave him understanding, skill and wisdom, he also understood visions and dreams. His purpose had paid off and he was now beginning to realize that just maybe, he was in the right place.

Daniel – Prophetic

In the old teatament times there were men and women who were prophetic, meaning they heard from God and delivered God’s message to people for God. Prophets were recognized in every region and nation. Jehovah God had prophets and even the idols, like Baal had prophets.

A prophet seeks to do what God tells him to do, or say what God tells him to say, go where, etc., you get the point. This was the focus of Daniel’s heart. Here he was in Babylon, not his choice, but it seemed to be God’s. Daniel maintained his devotion to Jehovah God, his prayer, and his dependence upon God for insight, understanding, knowledge and wisdom.

Although the king’s servant had changed Daniel and his friends names to Chaldean names, thus attempting to contradict the truth of those names, none of them turned away from their prophetic destiny. Bred into their names was purpose, destiny, focus and strength and noting in the Babylonian reeducation system could break their resolve to serve Jehovah God.

Let’s peek at those names and their changes:

  • Daniel means God is judge. Changed to Belteshazzar – Bel will protect.
  • Hananiah means God is gracious. Changed to Shadrach – inspired of Aku
  • Azariah means God is my help. Changed to Abendnego – servant of Negro
  • Mishael means who is like God. Changed to belonging to Aku

Bel, Aku and Negro were all Chaldean gods. Herein lies the contradiction and opposition against them. Would they succomb to this change to their identity, values, practices and devotion?

Nebuchadnezzar and his systemic three year program to reeducate these wise men was all about tearing down their God given purpose, name, resolve and polluting it (reshaping it) for his kingdom.

Daniel cotinued to walk in the confidence of who he was before God. He continued to listen to God’s voice and he continued to speak what God showed him. Nothing was going to change his prophetic calling. No land, no king, no edict, no mandate and no name change.

For the next four chapters in Daniel, we find him interpreting the king’s dream. Being thrown into a firey furnace and surviving. Interpreting another dream. Translating a some grafitti written on a wall by a ghostly hand, during one of the kings banquets. Violating the kings mandate to not pray to god for 30 days. Being thrown into a hungry lions den, AND SURVIVING (again!).

This man was moving in the prophetic and God was all over him! Was he in the right place at the right time? (Duh!?)

Daniel – Powerful

Those experiences would have been more than enough for me to be satisfied that God was using me and I was in the right place and time. But Daniel continued to move in this purposed and prophetic lifestyle until he was 80 years old!

The furnace, lions den and handwriting on the wall were all just tastes of the power that Daniel was about to move into. Daniel’s true power came as he himself had visions and dreams.

His powerful prophetic messages are found in Daniel chapters 7-12, and they are not for the faint of heart. In these chapters he speaks of the end of times and the anti-christ. He sees beasts, The Ancient of Days, a ram and a goat, and he prays for his people. He talks in some veiled way about 70 weeks, a burning face that talked to him, falling down in fear, and kings of the north and south. He talks about the abomination that makes desolate, those who are against God, and the time of the end.

Daniel’s visions have been studied by all the great scholars through the years and many interpretations have been offered. Daniel’s descriptions are duplicated in the book of Revelation, by the Apostle John, who lived some 600 years after Daniel lived! That is powerfully prophetic!

So you tell me, my friend, was Daniel in the right time and place?

Job and Daniel share certain characteristics. They were both successful, educated, leaders, and they both had reason to question God’s timing. Yet, their preparation was exactly what put them when and where they needed to be.

Daniel and Esther start out pretty much as opposites. How could their lives have anything in common? Could they share the notion of being in the right place? Both Esther and Daniel ended up in the king’s palace by the mighty hand of God. Both exactly in the time they needed to be there.

Daniel and Elihu were opposites too, yet both were wise spokesmen at just the right time and the right place.

Dear one, it is my firm belief, that we need more Daniel’s. Those trained in wisdom, insight, and educated in the ways of God (and even academia). Those whose purpose is the prophetic and in the fulness of its intended power. Ones who hear what God is saying and share it. Ones who understand what’s happening, and can give strategic, prophetic direction. Ones who will not bow to the mandates of the king but purpose to obey God alone, no matter the lions den or firey furnace.

God is wanting to equip Daniel’s to speak His wisdom and interpret the signs. God is looking for wise men and women who are purposed, prophetic and powerful.

If that’s you, now is the right time and place.

Next week is our final lesson in this series and we will look at Mary and Joseph – carriers of Jesus. Betrothed. Believed. Became.

See you then

Go with God,

Debbie

I’ve Seen Alot Change

August 25, 2021Blog, Leave a comment

I have to laugh when I’m told by a “young” person that there is “nothing on TV”.

You see, I vividly remember the nights when the TV would turn to static at midnight, then change to color bars until 6:00 AM the next morning. THOSE were the days of nothing on TV. Ha Ha Those were also the days (nights) of making it nearly impossible to stay awake while babysitting. Oh, and getting paid a whopping .75 cents an hour!

I remember this well.

I’ve seen alot change.

This week, I proudly boast that I trun 67! So, allow me if you will, to recall some of those changes.

This is the city I was born in, in the early 1950’s, and it’s famous bridge that we frequented.

In those days schools taught memorization, discipline, and the 3 R’s. Books were read and used in the classroom and in homes and we all walked to school each day.

Those days, too, were powerful years for religion. Remember, this was the generation coming out of WWII and their desie to return to roots, family and community were driving forces. 97% of people those days had some type of religious affiliation, whereas today, 77% do.

The role of women has changed, too. In those days most women were housewives, today, 60% of women work outside of the home.

Families then were larger. My husband comes from a family where his mother had 12 siblings, and his father 13 (or was it the opposite, I dont remember). I have 3 siblings, so we were a smaller family in comparision.

Within the home, things have changed as well.

There was one telephone, and it was in what was considered a central location. Everyone in the family used it, although the children had absolutely no reason to (and usually no permission). When those teenage, long and dramatic calls came in, it was not without shouting, and recalls, and call backs – because your parent actually NEEDED the phone. Sometimes even the dreaded “party line” was picked up or listened in to. Now, those were the days!

Communication has changed alot.

Talking on the phone has been replaced by texting. People don’t sit face to face for hours to talk, plan or do much of anything else. Now it is sceen to screen, swipping, scrolling, or blocking. Letter writting is antiquated, and handwriting as a form (pennmanship, when I was going to school) is not really taught anymore. Keyboarding skills and shortcuts are emphasized instead.

Then, there’s the internet, where we literally have the knowledge of good and evil at our fingertips. It is the tree or web that connects us to anything we want whenever we want it. Oh my goodness!

Nightly news has become the daily news cycle. A repetited loop of partisan, talking points with very little informational value and no nutritional benefit. Twenty-four hour news with virtually nothing new reported.

Cars drive themselves now, and that cool Dick Tracy watch you talked to is on my wrist today. Very Cool!

TV has evolved.

Gone are the days of The Lone Ranger, I Love Lucy and Abbot and Costello. They have morphed through Gilligan’s Island, Star Trek, The Partridge Family, MASH, The Walton’s, Cheers, Growing Pains, The Wonder Years, and Magnum PI.

In the early 1990’s in marched the world of witches and vampires with Sabrina, Buffy and others. Then Harry Potter exploded in 2001.

I remember seeing for the very first time on a screen in my living roon scenes that just 10 years ago were unacceptable and morally repudiated.

I’ve seen alot change.

Selfies, fewer smokers, eating healthy, going green and even what it looks like to grow old.

CBS News even declared that 60 is the new 40! So how ’bout that? It simply means people are living longer today and they are healthier. And for alot of them, looking good at 60, too. Life expectancy today is 78.6 years.

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”

John Maxwell

You too, I’m sure have seen your share of changes. It is inevitable. But John Maxwell has such a solid point here, growing through and along with the change is optional. Growth is a choice only I can control.

The old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is one that I have single handedly set out to disprove in my life. Seriously. Whether it’s learning a new skill (like sailing), a new program (like Final Draft), a new vocation (like retail), I am choosing to keep growing and keep up with the changes.

Change is inevitable, often sad, and sometimes infuriating. We have seen alot of it.

Learning which changes to adjust to and grow with and which changes to buck requires wise evaluation. Somethings ought NOT to change and that too is optional and up to us.

I’ve seen alot change and I hope to continue to be wise in my growth through even more, and buck what is unacceptable. Won’t you join me?

Cheers,

Debbie

Amazingly wrong, while thinking we’re right

August 21, 2021Blog, Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, , , Leave a comment

Sunday Sermon 8.21.21

It seems like in every arena of life we see people seized with passionate resolve to walk a path they are conviced is right, and yet, somehow, in the broader picture with added light and insight that path was horribly wrong.

Whether we look to politics, or the heated issues of the day involving what our children are being taught, or the traditions within our religious communities, or across the seas to a nation under seige by a violent sect of extremists, we cannot help but be gripped with the zealous threatenings and assaults on what is right by that which is wrong.

I am reminded of a man who’s zeal for his God put him on a path with authorization to capture and imprison all believers of The Way. He is described this way –

“____________, (his name) full of angry threats and rage wanted to murder the disciples of the Lord.”

Acts 9:1

This man, was zealous for his God, and had lived a pretty blameless life, according to his religious beliefs. He was a Roman citizen, raised in the strictest Hebrew teachings, and was well respected within his community of religious adherents.

He was on a manhunt for believers and followers of The Way. He believed what he was doing was pleasing to his God. He was firecely passionate, so much so, his passion turned to rage. His anger boiled over and in it he believed He was doing the right things.

But he was oh, so wrong.

The Passion Translation notes in Acts 9, where his story is told:

“The conversion of Saul the legalist into Paul the grace preacher has a significant lesson for us. We can be amazingly wrong while thinking we are doing right.”

Acts 9:11-12 TPT notes

So, what’s the lesson?

This man Saul, was a passionate persecutor of believers. This man Saul, was the one who was in agreement with the stonning of Stephen and watched it happen as he guarded the murders’ clothes. This man Saul, was on a mission that he thought was right. And this man Saul, gets knocked off of his high horse by a blinding light and booming voice.

A voice from heaven spoke to him, as his entourage listened, and told him his passion was misdirected, his efforts off course, and his beliefs out of whack. So, for three days, he blindly waited without eating, for more clarity and direction. He had heard the voice of The Lord, and he would wait for further instruction from that powerful voice.

It came via a messenger, sent by God. Ananias went to find this blind, angry man, and delivered God’s message to him.

” Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me to pray for you so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately he got up and was baptized… and within the hour he was in the synagogues, preaching Jesus is the Son of God. Those who heard him were astonished, saying, “Isn’t this the Saul who furiously persecuted those who called on the name of Jesus?”

Acts 9:17-21

Saul was amazingly wrong but God spoke to him redirecting his passion, re-charting his course, and realigning his beliefs. Giving him light, inspiration, revelation and boldness, God took this man who was so passionately off course and set him straight. There on Straight street, Saul was shown the right, true way.

Friends, this account gives me such hope!

God sees our heart. If that heart is desirous of pleasing Him, faith-filled, and honestly willing to change, He will show up in that life/heart. He will speak and knock us off our high horse, to realign us with what is right in His eyes.

There is hope!

Whether in the political arena, educational, international, or personal, God is able to reveal what is truly right in His eyes to those who are so amazingly wrong today.

Within an hour God can open blind eyes, change the passions of a man, and the course of history.

Let’s not give up hope on any situation or person.

If God did this for Saul, who was so amazingly wrong, there is no one beyond His reach.

Go with God,

Debbie

Break Out

April 20, 2021Blog, Encouragement, , 2 Comments

“an escape, often with the use of force, as from a prison or mental institution”

Dictionary.com

Has complacency set in? Is nonactivity the norm? Have you become more sedentary? Are you struggling to talk yourself (back) into exercise, and adventure? Is it time to break out?

It sure was for me, and today I did (again)!

You see, our brain NEEDS change. It is designed to grow new cells (neurongenesis) even in our older life. Our brain has a great capacity for change (neuronal plasticity) and in fact physically changes in adults that are learning a new skill.

That is why it is so important, no matter our age, that we keep escaping the rut of daily life and break out. Try new things, foods, restaurants. Find ways to engage your brain again, maybe a new location, activity, puzzle or recipe.

Today I broke out. I got in my car and drove to an unfamiliar place that I had heard of, parked and started exploring. A brand new location stimulated my brain through the use of every sense. I saw things I’d never seen before, heard new stimulating sounds, touched and felt unfamiliar textures and I smelled the fragrances of nature.

I witnessed the creativity of people, and experienced the fear of the unknown.

my husband says it’s a CA King snake

And all the while my brain was exploding with stimulation and growth, along with neural pathways and electrical impulse activity. My brain was celebrating adventure. My brain was happy. My brain was challenged and creativity was unleashed all because I broke out.

Every one of us NEED cognitive and social engagement for our own mental health. All of us, at one time or another need to break out.

Need some ideas for breaking out? Here are a few:

  • engage in physical activity of some kind
  • learn a sport or dance step
  • learn an instrument
  • learn a language
  • take a class
  • paint, write
  • arrange flowers, garden
  • volunteer
  • explore
  • try a new food or restaurant
  • take a different route while driving
  • use your opposite hand to brush your teeth
  • chew with your eyes closed and listen
  • listen to new music

Most people hate change and boredom. Yet change is what we need for a healthy mental outlook. So whatever it takes for YOU, find the time and break out. You will feel the surge of inspiration, energy and clarity.

Cheers to you,

Debbie

Simplicity

February 16, 2021Blog, , 1 Comment

When I was in middle school, a hundred years ago, I had to take Home Economics class. It was a class in which I would “learn to sew”. Ha!

I dreaded it in advance, hated it in the process and afterward had a “skirt” that I made using a Simplicity pattern to show for my halfhearted efforts.

What a joke it all was. Seriously. Two things I remember from that class. 1. I never finished the skirt 2. That Simplicity pattern

Simplicity patterns have been around a long time. In 2017 they became part of CSS Industries along with all the other pattern companies, (Butterick, McCalls, etc.) and so there actually is no more Simplicity.

That’s kinda fitting, tho’, because haven’t you also found that simplicity, the simpler life has also disappeared?

I’ll never forget the time my husband and I spent in Kenya. Man, how we loved it, loved the people and LOVED the simplicity. It was, they were, amazing. Being there, changed our perspective and outlook forever.

How complicated our Western society has become. How consumer driven and comfort seeking we are.

We seemingly can’t live without so much superfluous stuff.

We are more stressed than ever, less active, less present, less healthy. Projects, appointments, events, and others wishes frame our days activities. We have trouble keeping up, then procrastinate which only adds to the stress.

World events, national politics, virus news, etc. only add more layers to our complicated life.

Simplicity. We need it. Our brains need it. Our health, physical and mental needs it. Our family needs it. Look around, is there any place or anyone who would not benefit from a good, strong dose of simplicity?

I really don’t have any magic beans to sell you here, nothing profound to expound upon or advice to give. You’ve heard it. You know it already. You get it.

May simplicity be our pattern for life.

Simple message today, simplicity. Start somewhere. Just start.

Cheers to the simple life.

“A simple, humble life with peace and quiet is far better than an opulent lifestyle with nothing but quarrels and strife at home.” Proverbs 17:1

But God

November 7, 2020Blog, Encouragement, Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, , , Leave a comment
Sunday Sermon 11.7.20

Those two words are like a hinge. They open things up.

When I was teaching middle schoolers, I would often say, “I love the buts of the bible.” Of course, they laughed and leaned in to listen to what in the world I meant.

I explained, that no matter what was happening in the story, when you read the word “but”, things were about to change. Get ready. Then we’d look at examples.

But, what is even more exciting and powerful is the phrase “But God“. Because with God, a whole new world opens up; no more closed, dark, hard and constricting places.

It really doesn’t matter what the situation is before the phrase, because after the phrase it no longer is domineering. Think of it… blah, blah, blah BUT GOD, and now the pivot, the hinge, things change and open up!

Let’s consider a few bible examples.

The first, Noah. He found himself living in a wicked, violent, and evil world. Genesis 6:5-9 says that in Noah’s day, man’s heart was only evil all the time. So, God’s heart was deeply troubled and he brought judgment of the earth.

Noah was to build a giant, floating, farmhouse to carry pairs of animals and his family when judgment came. You know the story, judgment rained upon the world and lifted Noah and his ark above earth and he floated on the waters.

He was in that ark for one hundred and fifty days, that’s five months, when we read this powerful lil verse:

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.”

Genesis 8:1

But God changed things for Noah.

Another good example, most of you will remember is Joseph, Jacob’s son.

Remember, he was the dreamer, who kept sharing his lofty dreams with his brothers, who didn’t take too kindly to his self exaltation. Finally, having had enough of his big dreams, they plotted to fake his death, tell their dad he was gone and get on with their lives.

It worked. Joseph wound up being sold to merchants who took him to Egypt as a slave. There, he ended up serving in the palace and became a trusted servant to Potiphar.

While in Egypt, Joseph went to jail on false accusations, was released from jail and restored, even becoming Potiphar’s Prime Minister of the land.

Eventually, after many years, Joseph’s brothers had to come to Egypt and face him. They didn’t recognize him, but when he revealed himself to them, needless to say, they were frightened, and they had good reason to be. But look what Joseph said to his brothers –

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done.”

Genesis 49:20

But God changed things for Joseph.

But God. A powerful hinge, a turning point, open door.

Last week, I was reading Psalms 64, about secret plots of evil doers, wicked conspiracies, cruel words, and unjust plans. The first six verses were like reading todays news. BUT, guess what popped up in verse seven?

“But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down.”

Psalm 64:7

In verse seven, after six verses of craziness, is But God, and what God will do in spite of the wicked, evil, cruel and unjust actions. But God, the hinge, the change, the open door.

It was then, that I decided to write this post, realizing no matter what happened in the coming week, the hinge, change, and door that mattered is that phrase – BUT GOD.

As believers, there is always a BUT GOD. Our circumstances, world events, death or the enemy do not get the last word – God does.

There are ample verses to support this thesis. Here are some Old Testament references. Psalm 66:19; Genesis 39:21; 45:8; 32:42; 1 Samuel 23:14; 2 Chronicles 20:15; Psalm 49:15; 73:26.

Here are some New Testament verses: Matthew 19:26; Acts 2:24; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 1:27.

Of course the bible is filled with stories of miraculous turn abouts, stories of divine intervention. I started a list, but you could too. Just think of the stories you know and see how the hinge, But God changed things.

But even outside of the Bible we can read stories of miraculous victories because of divine intervention. In spite of insurmountable odds and statistical improbabilities, the hinge of divine intervention – But God, changed things.

You can find such stories in the annals of every war of in the world. Go as far back as you like, stay current or don’t bother at all. But know, they are there, documented and clearly But God moments.

God is always the unseen thumb on the scale tipping things on your behalf. It matters little what hardship, trouble, impossibility, danger, defeat, or lack you face. The hinge, the turning point, the change comes with But God.

Therefore, we strive to stay focused above the battle, and beyond the immediate.

“Therefore, we do not lose heart.

We fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:16, 18

But God changes things for us, too. For you, for me, for all who focus on him.

But God, the hinge to open up and unlock new hope, perspective and victory.

Be encouraged today.

Go with God.

Times are Changing

September 1, 2020Blog, Encouragement, Inspiration 1 Comment

Sometimes it’s kinda fun to look back, especially when you can laugh at what you remember. Do you remember these?

Times are changing! Right!?

Sometimes the change is gradual and unintentional, other times change is targeted, and opposed. Consider the following that were inventions to target change yet they were criticized, opposed and spoken against when they were revealed:

  • Automobiles – in 1902, they were scorned and the leaders said, “the prices will never be low enough”
  • Liquid nail polish – in 1917, many doubted its usefulness
  • Talkies – movies in 1928 had no sound. When sound was introduced, the actors declared “talking doesn’t belong in pictures” it will be too distracting
  • Cheeseburgers – In 1934, in CA when cheese was added to beef, it was considered “just another crazy California idea”
  • Personal computer – those in the field agreed, there was “no reason anyone would want one.”

My, how times have changed.

Some changes really do stick around. Like these changes that are turning 40 years old this year – they were introduced in 1980 and are still with us; even bigger and (mostly) better:

Times are changing.

We are creatures designed to live in the present. We cannot live in the past, nor can we live in the future. Yet, our past affects our present and our future.

Our mind seeks possibilities yet it resists change.

In these tenuous times of change, what changes will be temporary and funny to look back on?

What changes will continue to be opposed? Which will be defeated by opposition and criticism? Which will overcome and change our world?

Which changes will be around another 40 years and make make our world a better place?

Times are certainly changing…

Cheers to you.

“Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents”

July 30, 2020Blog, Encouragement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, The History Files, , , Leave a comment

The History Files

Although written in 1770 by British spokesman, orator and political thinker, Edmund Burke, that title could have come from our headlines today, and certainly reflects my heart and message for this blog.

It is Burke who is credited with one of the most popular quotes of all time, (even though his speech never specifically said the words.)

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

I’ll still take it, wont you? It is so good, JFK used it.

What Burke did say in his writing “Thoughts on the Cause…” was –

When bad men combine – good men must organize.”

Edmund Burke

I feel such an urgency for good men (mankind) to speak up, step up, step out, launch out, reach out, take action, refuse the trends, stay the “good” course, and as Burke said, maybe even organize. Why not? It is time!

In the words of President Grover Cleveland, “What is the use of being elected or re-elected unless you stand for something.”

I am not running for office, nor are you most likely, but here’s the hitch- what are we standing for? Are we standing up for anything? Or have we allowed our voices to be silenced by fear, complacency, louder voices, cancel culture and censorship?

In the days of Women’s Suffrage there were suffragists and suffragettes. Suffragists believed in peaceful, constitutional campaigns for women’s right to vote. Suffragettes were activists, willing to take direct action into the community. Their motto, “Deeds not words” often led to hunger strikes and handcuffing themselves to the White House fence.

Both believed in the same thing – that women had the right to vote but they took action in different ways. The key though, they took action. The result? The passage of the 19th Amendment allowing women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony would have been proud, after being arrested and still voting 150 times illegally. She stood up for that right long before others jumped on board and made it legal.

Being a student and lover of American history (I hear a yawn 🙂 ) I can’t help but go to dozens of examples of those who stood up in the face of “discontents”, injustices, and hardships and joined with others of like mind to push through change.

The good people voluntarily organized and took persistent action so that the evils of their day would not triumph in their society.

What would the nation/world be without these who stood up for the cause that gripped their soul, and sacrificed their own self interests for the good of the society and future generations?

Consider the following and their causes:

  • Dorthea Dix – mistreatment of the mentally ill
  • Horance Mann – education reform
  • Frederick Douglass – anti-slavery, civil rights
  • William Lloyd Garrison – abolition
  • Ida Tarabel – investigative journalism (what’s happened to that?)
  • Jane Addams – help for the poor and immigrants
  • Booker T. Washington – black education and training (peaceful)
  • WEB Dubois – black rights, NAACP (violent if needed)
  • Sojourner Truth – abolitionist
  • Harriet Tubman – anti-slavery
  • Ralph Waldo Emerson – writer, reformer
  • Caesar Chavez – farmworkers rights
  • Malala Yousafzai – Taliban awareness, women rights
  • Florence Nightingale – nursing
  • Clara Barton – founder of the Red Cross
  • Marie Curie – medicine
  • John Muir – wildlife conservation
  • Upton Sinclair – meatpacking industry reform
  • Jackie Robinson – racial equality
  • Sally Ride – space travel

The world is a better and changed place because each of these did something with the passion they felt. They joined with others and got things changed. These good humans pressed through the evil and triumphed over it. “Overcome evil with good”.

Solomon, in Proverbs warned us:

If you do nothing in times of trouble, your strength is small.

Proverbs 24:10

So, how’s your strength? These are NOT “do nothing days”. Shame on us if we are “do nothing-ers”.

I conclude my thoughts on the cause of the present discontents.

Cheers to you.