On The Edge of a Storm

So many times life feels like we are on the edge of a storm. The other day Rachel and I really were on the edge of a storm. We were driving home from grocery shopping and it had been sunny everywhere we had been. Then we could see these big dark storm clouds overhead in the distance. I thought, man, we're going to drive right into it. It was really quite fascinating because we were right on the edge of it. We were just close enough to see the rain, but not close enough to get hit by it.

I then started to think, how often is life like this moment? We can see the storms in view. Do we run from the storm or find shelter? In the literal sense most people do. Then there are just a few out there who instead of avoiding the storms in life, they trudge forward and press on trusting that God is going to help them grow even when the thunder is rolling and the lightning is striking all around them.

I think that is an important moment for spouses in their marriages too. Marriage has storms just like the rest of life. We all have the choice of how we are going to respond. We can avoid the storm by burying ourselves in our work or play, but too often that is when the thunder crashes between two people. We can play it safe and walk on egg shells just to make sure there are no conflicts within the relationship and still never deal with any struggles. Or you can pull together as a couple and be a team by facing the storms together.....not against each other.

Our greatest weapon, or in this case, umbrella in the storms is prayer. I firmly believe in the old cliche' "A Family that prays together, stays together." If Christ is not the center of the relationship, then how can we build our marriages on the rock. A relationship that is not covered in prayer and that does not have Christ at the center is usually walking on shifting sand. Even when all these things are in place, it is still easy to become self-centered if we are not careful. We as couples have that choice to make on how we are going to respond when we reach those moments in our marriages or any relationship for that matter. We need to be praying more each day for our marriages and our friend's marriages that Jesus will truly be the center and the glue that holds us together whenever storms come near.

I love Ephesians 5:22-33. Unfortunately it is a piece of Scripture that gets under read. Most of us men stop reading after verse 23 and go, "Yeah submit to me for I am the head over you." We neglect to keep reading where it says LOVE your wives as CHRIST LOVES the church. It says we need to give ourselves up....for our wives. It also says we need to cleanse our wives with God's Word.....So does that mean they have to be worthy of our love?!! I think NOT! We are called to encourage and love them as well as become the men that God has created us to be for our wives. We are called to adore our wives and to present them as a radiant church. So before we get into our little macho attitudes, I think we need to look deeper into what the Word says. Yes, wives submit to your husbands and give him the respect he needs, but husbands, we really need to step up and be worthy of that respect. There are too many of us who are willing to die for our wives, but are not willing to do the dishes or make a meal.

Doing the little things can help prevent storms, or if you can see the storm ahead, drive forward and face that storm with the love that you have professed on your wedding day. These are just some thoughts that I had after seeing all of the thunderstorms (real literal thunderstorms) here in Knoxville the past few weeks.

Sometimes it's the storms where God helps us grow the most.

Reflection of My Heart

Fridays are actually tough days for me because I often lack direction. My natural bent is to sit in front of the television watching movies or spend countless hours on facebook. For the past couple of months Rachel and I have been reading through the Psalms and Proverbs when we get up in the morning and they have been making a real impact on our daily lives. Today reading Proverbs 19 rang even deeper in my heart than it ever has before.
In my struggle on Friday morning to focus on anything that is constructive I have really tried this morning to put my focus on my relationship with Christ by reading over the Proverb again and then going to my devotional book "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers who I now call "Uncle Oswald." The Proverb spoke on many things about being a sluggard and how it causes us more detriment than anything else. "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry," v.15 This particular verse really echoes how I have spent my last few Fridays this summer. I really struggle not to be lazy. My heart desires to honor God but my actions prove a desire to only please myself.
Another issue that I often struggle with is trying to have control of my life. Instead of surrendering that control over to God. We often try to make our own plans for our life together Rachel and I, then we take our plan to God only to find out He usually has something far different or greater than we could have ever imagined. vs. 21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. We can try to make all the plans we want but we must first surrender anything we do over to God first before anything else. No matter what we do God's purpose is going to prevail in our lives. Does that mean we never make any plans? No of course not, but we must remain flexible to God's will in our lives whenever we do. It reminds me of an earlier Proverb that our friend John Newbury shared with me on more than one occasion. Proverbs 16:9 In his a heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. My desire as I plan my course today is to be open to the Lord determining my steps as I go about my day. May you be open to the Lord determining your steps as you plan your course today.

End Note: If you have a copy of Utmost for His Highest read today June 19. It has some really profound thoughts to chew on along with these other verses from Proverbs. Have a great day everyone..

Mark

Why Do We Fear?

"But God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

This is a verse that was taught to me during Teaching Bible class at Pensacola Christian College by Mr. Bower, and it has had a profound impact on my life in so many ways! Fear has been a natural part of my life since I was a young child. I believe the enemy of our souls saw my first moment of fear and pushed his way in knowing that he could use fear to control my mind and heart. I clearly remember fearing that I had been the cause of my sister contracting spinal meningitis when I was only five years old because of not watching her close enough and letting her eat some dirt while we were outside. That is my first recollection of fear and anxiety and it's been preying on my mind ever since then! I used to lie in bed at night stiff as a board fearing intruders with every noise or I would fear our home starting on fire and so I would plan in my little head how I would be able to rescue all of my family members from the flames. My sister (the younger one of us) can tell you stories of a flying object directed at her bed during thunder storms. Now, it would be easy to say that these are just common childhood fears, but the truth of the matter is that God does not desire us to fear, but our enemy does! He does not discriminate on the basis of age or anything else. If he can reel you in on his line of fear, he will do it in a heartbeat. And if he can set up a pattern for fear in your life, the earlier he can get started the better! Anxiety is a natural reaction for me now as an adult, but God has been showing me and helping to free me from this bondage to fear and anxiety. My journey to freedom began about a year or so ago and it continues until this day and will probably continue until I meet my Savior face to face. It began after hearing a message about how anxiety is a sin where we in essence say to God that He is not big enough or sovereign enough to take care of the things that are in my life. (I do want to say that sometimes extreme anxiety is due to a chemical imbalance that needs to be treated by a medical doctor, but I am speaking of the "normal" anxiety that many face.) Many times, I have shouldered things that were never my burden to carry, but the Lord's! The Lord revealed this area of sin in my life and I began to confess all of the times that I remembered being anxious throughout my life at different points. I then began this journey that is a daily if not moment by moment battle for me. Some days when I am leaning on my own understanding and strength, the anxiety and fears overwhelm me, but more days are spent learning to trust the Lord in new and amazing ways! He is soooooooo trustworthy and so desires for us to trust Him! He says in Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." So my encouragement for the day is to trust His hand to help you today and to hold you up throughout the day. Also, remember that "God has NOT given us the spirit of fear, but of POWER, and of LOVE, and of a SOUND MIND." (II Tim. 1:7) Be strong in Him, my friends, and He will carry you through!

Heading back to the Knox

Looking back on this past week it's hard to believe we are already at the end of our trip........almost. We covered a lot of ground. We have visited many friends. We have driven through five states and we have been blessed greatly along the way. Thank you Lord for all the family and friends you have blessed us with. Thanks to all of you who have made our trip such a wonderful experience. We have created many wonderful memories. For those of you who we didn't get to see, we are always thinking of you and keep you in our prayers. We wish you all well and hope to see all of you again soon.