The 243rd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 242nd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 243rd day of 2015, my faith is still strengthened by what I see Him doing in the lives of others . . . ==> “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” [Psalm 121:1-2] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a safe week.]

The 240th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 239th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 240th day of 2015, I realize I've had a lot of smiles and a lot of tears throughout my life. But as I look back over everything, I realize how strong of a presence God has been through it all . . . ==> "Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." [Lamentations 3:22-23] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a safe weekend. And remember: our kids are on the roads again. So love them best by driving carefully. Thanx!]

The 239th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 238th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 239th day of 2015, might I remind you you that no road is a dead end if it takes you somewhere you need to go . . . ==> "But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." [Job 23:10] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy your day. And remember: our kids are on the roads again. So love them best by driving carefully. Thanx!]

The 238th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 237th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 238th day of 2015, I once again reflect on all He HAS done, on all He IS doing, and on all He WILL do . . . ==> "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand . . ." [Psalm 95:6-7] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and have a great day. Remember: our kids are on the roads again. So love them best by driving carefully. Thanx!]

The 237th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 236th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 237th day of 2015, if you can't find the words to pray, find comfort in knowing that He knows your heart . . . ==> ". . . We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." [Romans 8:26] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a great day. Remember: our kids are on the roads again. So love them best by driving carefully. Thanx!]

The 236th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 235th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 236th day of 2015, I challenge you to trust God, knowing that His answers are wiser than your prayers . . . ==> "But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.'" [Psalm 31:14] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a great week. Remember: our kids are on the roads again. So love them best by driving carefully. Thanx!]

The 233rd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 232nd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 233rd day of 2015, might I suggest to you that if your life with your problems were for sale on eBay, someone somewhere would gladly buy it" . . . ==> "Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong." [1 Corinthians 16:13] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a safe weekend.]

The 232nd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 231st day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 232nd day of 2015, don't you think He deserves NEW praises for the NEW mercies He's showering on you today? . . . ==> "Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things." [Psalm 98:1a] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and have a terrific day.]

The 231st Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 230th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 231st day of 2015, I believe that God's love for me is enough. That alone keeps me loving my neighbor as myself . . . ==> "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." [John 13:34] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 230th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 229th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 230th day of 2015, I still find great pleasure in telling you about my Redeemer, my Savior, and my Friend . . . ==> “. . .The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God's grace." [Acts 20:24] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 229th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 228th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 229th day of 2015, I dare you to celebrate the joy of living by letting people know that you're alive, and living ON purpose WITH purpose. GET UP, GET OUT, and LIVE OUT LOUD!! . . . ==> "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" [Philippians 4:4] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy your week.]

The 226th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 225th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 226th day of 2015, I'm reminded that Abraham Lincoln once said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.". . . ==> ". . . Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning." [Psalm 30:5] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy your weekend.]

The 225th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 224th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 225th day of 2015, I pray for you a Wonderful Day, and encourage you to keep your head high, no matter what comes your way . . . ==> "I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth." [Psalm 121:1-2] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy your day.]

The 224th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 223rd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 224th day of 2015, is He worthy of your Praise and Worship even when all seems lost? . . . ==> "If we are thrown into the fire, our God Whom we serve is able to save us from it. . . . But even if He does not . . . [Daniel 3:17-18a] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 223rd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 222nd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 223rd day of 2015, I'm thankful for the promise that no matter what I go through in life, I will never go through it alone. The Lord is always by my side . . . ==> ". . . And I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:20b] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 222nd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 221st day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 222nd day of 2015, I want to challenge you to walk just a little bit closer to the Lord this week . . . ==> "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple." [Psalm 27:4] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a great week.]

August 8th, 2015

~ . . . So I Was Wondering . . .
Is your relationship with God strong enough
That He could allow chaos in your life,
And still count on your testimony? . . .
(. . . So I Was Wondering . . .)

The 219th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 218th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 219th day of 2015, I don't know how I could face another day without knowing that He's constantly by my side . . . ==> "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me;" [Psalm 23:4] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy your weekend.]

The 218th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 217th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 218th day of 2015, I have discovered what is most important to God! If you want to see it, then run and take a look in a mirror! . . . ==> “This is love: not that [you] loved God, but that He loved [you] and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for [your] sins." [1 John 4:10] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy your day.]

The 217th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 216th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 217th day of 2015, I remind myself that worse than committing the sin, is knowing the man who then watches me from my bathroom mirror . . . ==> "...He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; . . . And by His stripes we are healed.." [Isaiah 53:5] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 216th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 215th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 216th day of 2015, might I suggest to you that the more problems you have, the more opportunities you have to see God at work in your life . . . ==> "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." [Deuteronomy 4:29] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 215th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 214th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, and FB! On this 215th day of 2015, is your relationship with God strong enough that He could trust you with trouble and still count on your testimony? . . . ==> "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him." [Job 13:15] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, PRAY for one another, and enjoy a wonderful week.]

"Trusted With Trouble"

“Trusted With Trouble”

Once upon a time, there was you. And you lived where you did, with the people you were with, and you lived how you lived. And one day something happened that changed your life: you had an encounter with Jesus! You struggled at first, not sure how to live from that day on. But soon everything just seemed to fall into place. And everywhere you walked the sun seemed to always shine, it seemed there was always a gentle breeze blowing, birds seemed to always be singing in the trees, and all seemed right with the world. And you lived happily ever-after . . . Yeah! As if!

Wouldn’t it be nice if our walk with the Lord made it seem like everywhere we went the sun would always shine, a gentle breeze would always blow, birds would always sing, all would be right with the world, and we would live happily ever-after? Wouldn’t it just be wonderful if our walk with the Lord created around us a “once-upon-a-time” kinda thing? Yeah. But in reality life happens. Even as we strive to walk with the Lord, life happens. And sometimes it seems more than we can bear. In fact, sometimes we can even get to the point where we feel that God has deserted us. “Oh, no! Not me! I’ve NEVER felt that way!” Sure some may deny it. But if we can get past the persona that we display for others, if we can put aside that holier than the word “thou” attitude, we’ll recognize that we have indeed felt that way. And probably more often than we care to admit . . . God knows I have. So what does it profit me to say I have not? Having that feeling is not a permanent denial of His existence, but a temporary doubting of His power. And it’s not a decision to run out on God, but a feeling that you’ve run out of God . . .

What do you do when you feel you’ve run out of God? Have you ever felt that the problem was too great? Have you ever felt like God said you’re on your own with this one? Have you ever felt like the situation was your doing, and He shouldn’t even be asked to help anyway? Have you ever felt that maybe you cried out to Him once too often? Have youever felt so very far away from His presence? What do you do when you feel you’ve run out of God?

Come with me to the 23rd chapter of Job.

1 Then Job replied:

2 “Even today my complaint is bitter; 

His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. 

3 If only I knew where to find Him; 

if only I could go to His dwelling! 

4 I would state my case before Him 

and fill my mouth with arguments. 

5 I would find out what He would answer me, 

and consider what He would say to me. 

6 Would He vigorously oppose me? 

No, He would not press charges against me. 

7 There the upright can establish their innocence before Him, 

and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.

After I gave my life to the Lord and during my years as a pastor, I can recall some wonderful times with the Lord. We would laugh together, cry together, walk and talk together, sit and share deep conversations together, and dance . . . How we would dance together! It was a wonderful journey where all seemed right with my little world . . . Then life happened, and it seemed that everything I knew, everything that made me who I was turned to sand. And though I tried so desperately to hold on, it all slipped through my fingers. And as I stood in the desert wondering what had happened and how it could have happened, I suddenly came to realize that the desert sand was not the dance floor that I had gotten so used to. I suddenly came to realize that the laughter and the music had stopped, and there was nothing left but the tears. There was obviously a problem, but was it something I had said or done? And then came the feeling that maybe, just maybe this problem was bigger than God. Or maybe He hadn’t even seen the problem, because He had already left me, and had gone to dance with someone else. Or maybe I had just taken up too much of His time. And suddenly I was met with the feeling of being totally alone. . . the feeling that I had run out of God. What do you do when you feel you’ve run out of God?

Let's go back to the 23rd chapter of Job.

8 “But if I go to the east, He is not there; 

if I go to the west, I do not find Him. 

9 When He is at work in the north, I do not see Him; 

when He turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him.”

So I thought, “Well, at least I still have my family and closest friends”. But how many of you know that when trouble comes . . . (Amen, somebody?). So as I stood there crying in the desert, some of those who I felt would NEVER leave my side– They had left my side, my back, my front, my top, and my bottom! And on top of everything else I was going through, they stood on a distant shore yelling out to me all the things that I must have done wrong. And I kept silent, though at times they even had me doubting myself. Ahhh, but there came a fullness of time. And in that fullness of time God said,

“Vince, I have never left your side. This was only a test. I was trusting you with trouble. And I trusted you with trouble because I knew that you would never leave My side.” He said,“I knew what you were going through, when you were going through it, and where you were going through it. And it hurt me to watch you go through it. But none of it was about you. I needed other people to see you go through it and to see how you would come out on the other side.”

And immediately I heard Job say:

10 “But He knows the path that I take; 

when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

So what do you do when you feel you’ve run out of God? Well you come to the realization that you CAN'T run out of God, and you understand that you HAVEN'T run out of God. You stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, knowing that the God you serve is greater than the mess you're going through. Take a deep breath and consider Job. Then get back to trusting the God Who trusted you with trouble. [vsm]