Perfect Through Sufferings

I know we don’t like to hear about pain, about loosing someone we love, about struggles. We have enough of those, why go and read about them? We don’t like difficulty and struggles. We don’t like hearing about ours or other peoples’; it burdens us. But God has a purpose for sufferings, not necessarily for pain(emotional or physical), financial struggles, or stress, but for what they cause us to do: suffer.

Something that might be good for us all to remember is that our Savior was made perfect through suffering. Christ’s example of what a perfect life, of what a good Christian should be was perfected through sufferings. In Hebrews, it says that Jesus was made captain of suffering.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
–Hebrews 2:10

This doesn’t mean he destroyed it. Neither does it mean that he champion over sufferings. No, it means that he was put in command of sufferings; they no longer were to be pain for the sake of pain, and hardship for the sake of hardship. Jesus came to give purpose to our pain, to help us see a future passed our fears, to help us find security in sufferings. He is the commander, the captain of suffering; it has been put in subjection underneath Him and He leads it where He wills. Suffering is no longer a punishment. It is no more simply an effect of our actions, but an action to bring about an effect.

Jesus captained our sufferings to bring direction to them. Every hardship we endure in life as Christians is meant to push us towards something not to chase us away from something. Every trial, every tribulation, every difficulty that the world without Christ faces, pushes them away from Him. But Christians, with the Holy Spirit of God living inside of them, their sufferings only serve to bring them closer to the Comforter; to point them to the one who controls their circumstances.

Sufferings are human. But with Christ, fear is not an enemy, sufferings are not despair. Christ has become captain of our sufferings. What have we to fear of our personal well-being? Never should we doubt the capability of our Creator to care for us: His creation.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

The Beauty Around Us

I have a crazy weird and very hectic life currently. A few days ago I posted about how we lifted a refrigerator through a window on our bus as part of the construction project to build the entire interior. That’s been enough to keep us busy for a long time, but add to that travel, and concerts, and sleeping arrangements, and an impending Uganda Missions Trip and you have a busy life. Looking forward to Uganda though; this trip will be upon us in a matter of weeks. Right now I’m finding a bit of calm amid the storm in appreciating the specific beauty of nature God has gifted the vast diversity of the US. Appreciating the green and the life and the vibrancy of colors and creatures that we have the privilege to gaze upon and live amongst.

Nature was meant to be observed, studied, and appreciated because it points us to the Creator and exhibits His majesty and great power! Creation cries out, “There is a God!”. It’s inescapable. To walk on this earth, among God’s marvelous handiwork is grace and it is divine revelation of His nature and essence. It point us to the one we should serve and love for His goodness to the most despicable of His creatures. We all need a savior. That’s why we’re going to Africa to preach about Him and teach others how to follow Him.

They can see Him in creation, they know He exists, they just don’t know how to believe, they don’t know Him as anything but the Creator. We go to tell them that He is the Lord and Savior of every man. God is in creation. He is all around us and in us and through us, but until we allow Him to become Lord of us we can’t truly know Him as He is. We see Him in the bees, in the clover, in the grass, in the leaves, in the sky, and in the trees. Learn about them, look at them with fresh eyes of wonder for the handiwork of the Creator.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

Shadow Valley

Those hiding in darkness know how to hide, but we who have the light don’t know how to shine.

The world is darkness. Sin loves the shadow and the world is covered in thick enshrouding sin. The spiritual condition of the world is so pitch black that you couldn’t even see a bible right in front of your face. It’s pathetic in the way that a child without food, destitute and helpless is pathetic. This is our world; it’s spiritual economic status should stir within us feelings of sympathy not scorn. Darkness is a sad situation and a hopeless one as well. But, that God that’s not where the story ends.

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

–John 12:46

Before Christ came into the world, there was no light, because He is the Light of the World (John 8:12). The world is darkness. But, with Christ, there is light and darkness cannot coexist with light, it is an impossibility. In Christ is no darkness. Near Christ is abundant light. The wonderful thing about light is that even in a sea of darkness, one light can be seen for miles. All we need do to save someone from the darkness of sin and death is to point them to Christ, the source of all light. But also, we, as Christians, have been given the light of Christ for He dwells within us. The Bible says:

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

–1 Thessalonians 5:5

To us light has been imputed and installed. God is the first electrician; He invented light and has been installing it into the lives of believers ever since the Jesus gave us something to believe in. Those who believed in the coming Messiah were given the embers of a coming dawn. Slowly the glow of believers grew until the red embers turned into a blazing dawn. We are the noonday sun, the bright, burning light in the sky and still, we are only a reflection of the light of Christ.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; the rod and thy staff they comfort me.

–Psalm 23:4

This is my favorite part, so pay close attention. There is no shadow where there is no light. There is no shadow of death where there is no light of life. To walk through the valley where only a shadow of death exists is to walk beside the light of life which casteth the presence of death far from you. You see, it was called “The Valley of Death”, before the Master walked through it. Now, the Master is here with you in the valley and death has to flee, only the shadow remains; not because God cannot remove the shadow as well, but because He wants to remind us to trust in Him. Even though He always has everything under control, we still find reasons to fear. The shadow of death cannot harm us, but it can cause us to worry and doubt: even with the Master beside us and His light within us we can doubt. Human’s aren’t perfect. But God is, and there is no need to be afraid of the darkness.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

Love One Another

Has anyone ever told you how much they love you? Has anyone ever said that you’re beautiful? Have you ever been told that you brighten someone’s day just by being you? If so, count yourself as very fortunate: for it is a rare thing to receive such affirmation and encouragement. That’s not cool with me. The church is body of believers know to the world by their love one for another.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

–John 13:35

How do we express that love? By complimenting and encouraging each other, by building each other up instead of tearing each other down with gossip and slander. Not by gratifying the vanity of a brother or sister, but by encouraging them in Christ, and affirming their beauty in Christ.

Young women especially are self-conscious about the way they look and devote much effort to their appearance. Trust me, I have three sisters who at one time shared a bathroom with myself and four brothers. Now, I use the word share in the broadest possible sense, the time ratio of how much the girls took versus the guys was rather lopsided despite our advantage of numbers. Why? Because the took more time making themselves, what they thought was beautiful; as far as outward beauty is concerned.

Physical appearance means a great deal to many people, and without encouraging vanity, it is possible to reassure them that they are beautiful. We should encourage each other in physical and spiritual matters. But, love is also exhorting and reproving the brethren when they err from the path of righteousness. This is separate kind of encouragement, one that often hurts and is poorly received. But, if the heart of the person is truly for God and His kingdom, reproof is sober awakening to their situation.

Our job as Christians is to build each other up with our words and actions. To pray for each other and fellowship together in Christ. We are to be a society that the world would covet and desire to join for the sake of the sheer joy that they see in us. Encourage each other. Share the joy of Christ.

As I’m writing this, I am sitting in the cabinets below the kitchen sink… or at least where they will be once we’ve built the counter and such. Just sitting here in an unfinished bus, still raw wood and not much to look at, it makes me realize how poorly I’m practicing my preaching. I fail to encourage the brethren as often as I should. My life is like this bus, it’s not completed yet, much work still need to be accomplished. I’m still raw wood and I can’t see the end result, but if I work at it and diligently follow the plans for building, (the Word of God), I’ll get there some day.

The church was established by God for fellowship of the brethren and for the Body of Christ to unite for the purpose of helping the poor and needy around them and spreading the gospel in their community. We could all do better. We could all encourage each other more. We could all do with a little more loving-kindness.

If someone is insecure in their appearance it means two things:

1. That they look to the world to define and to ratify their desire for beauty.
2. That they place their identity in the words and actions of Man rather than God.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should complement each other on appearance, especially if it is a big deal to a particular person, then, in love, let them know that inward beauty is greater beauty, and they should strive to be beautiful in the eyes of God instead of the eyes of Man. If a brother is self-conscious about his lack of athletic ability, rather than mock and laugh as the football hits him in the face for the thirtieth time, we should help him up to his feet and encourage him to try harder. However, encouragement without accompaniment is just discouragement in a pretty package. Don’t tell someone to try harder and get better if you do not intend to help them to get better. If you won’t reinforce and back your words with actions and instructions, they are only setting the person up for greater failure and shame.

We are to encourage and uplift one another. Don’t tell someone to find their worth in Christ while telling them they are worthless. Don’t tell someone they aren’t all that good-looking, but it’s okay because inner beauty matters more. Don’t tell someone that they are terrible at sports, but reading God’s Word is a better use of time. Although it all might be true, you are giving them good advice in the most offensive way, therefore they will not listen to you and you have sown discord among the Body of Christ. Speak the truth in love, build each other up with your words and actions. We are the Church, the Body of Christ, and the Body need all its parts in harmony, complementing the functions of each other to perform its tasks in the most effective and efficient way.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

Living a Life of Nostalgia

Hey everyone, I’m back to normal; hopefully. I know I’ve been a bit careless, a tad intense, and maybe even offensive in the way I’ve been articulating these posts recently. I have had very little time and inspiration to do these, but that is no excuse for my actions.

Well, now that that is out-of-the-way: many of you know that in the late months of 2014 a pilot episode of what was supposed to have been a series on my family aired on TLC. Since then, things have happened. Many things are different, and it’s thought-provoking, and mildly disturbing to see how far we’ve come since then; also to see the things that haven’t changed.

This year it seems we’re making a tour of all the places we visited in 2014, many of them significant. Last night we sang at the church where the filming originally began for that pilot episode, (which is now being called a “special”). It is where we met most of the crew for the first time who would be practically living with us for the next few weeks. This is where things started. But more than a dozen, close to a score of places where we were during the filming, we have visited over the course of this year. It’s sad, because many of the crew had become friends. It’s nostalgic, because it seems so long ago that all of this took place, but it hasn’t even been two years ago.

We’ve come so far in the past 22 months. Since the filming of “Home Sweet Bus”, (the special on TLC), We’ve had 13 children find hope and a family at our orphanage in Uganda, Africa. Since the filming we have wrecked a bus and purchased a new one. Since the filming, my oldest sister got married. Since the filming, our lives have changed and we have experienced the hand of God in mighty and astounding ways. These last 22 months have been a nigh unbelievable journey. I wrote a book, Josh acted in his first feature film, Caleb and Steff had another little boy. Life has moved on since TLC.

Really, I believe God took that opportunity away for several reasons. At first, it was awkward to experience the fame, however brief it was. At first it was all-in for God, and make His glory our #1 priority. But then, it was the spotlight, it was a smoke and mirrors trick: give God glory, get all the fame. I’m not saying this on behalf of my family, this was just me. The lights of stardom can often blind us from our goals we were so sure we would hold to before we were “famous”.

We’ve moved on, regretting the loss of an opportunity to make Christ known, but accepting that He didn’t need a TV show to do that. We’ve become wiser, more committed, more focused. It helps to remember that we did not seek out this chance to be on national television. The Lord gave it, and the Lord has taken it away. Does that mean I don’t believe He can revive this opportunity and use it again for His glory? No. It means I have faith that whatever happens, He will do what is best for me, my family, and the furtherance of His kingdom and glory.

I’m still living a bit of nostalgia, but with no regrets, and no remorse. God will do what God will do. I trust Him whatever may happen, and can’t wait to see what He does next.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

Of Wisdom

He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
–Proverbs 9:7-10

The secret of a wise man is to know when to keep silent and when to speak. To dignify a scorner is shame; to recognize the wicked is a blot to one’s character and integrity. The wise have no dealings with the foolish: for upon communication doth the dignity of a man hinge. Our mouths are our most potent tools, they can be used to build up or tear down. When we speak, we reveal our true nature and character.

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”

–Abraham Lincoln 

A wise man knows not to confront a scorner in public, if the scorner is proven wrong, he will despise his reproof. Better to take the scorn in silence than to make yourself look a fool and cause the scorner to become a man of scorn. A fool hates to hear the truth, especially when he’s dug himself into a pit. However, a wise man accepts his reproof for he knows the truth is the truth and his humility in accepting that will make him wiser. He will also look wise to those who see this. No matter how the reproof comes, the wise will humbly accept it.

What does it take to be a wise man? Well, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. By learning and experiencing the holiness of our God we obtain understanding into His plan and purpose for us.

Wisdom is the fantasy end of all mortal life.

We long to know: it’s the root of the curiosity impulse, the obsession of scientists, and the basis of the sociopathic desire for power among all men. We want to know, we want to discover. We are the only living things on earth that have imagination. Our minds are complex and we pursue new canvases of knowledge on which to paint our imaginations. We want to know, but God withholds the future from us. Why? Well, with the dandy of a mess we’re making of the present, He knows we would make a worse one of the future if we only knew what it would be.

Wisdom is in honoring and serving the Lord, seeking His will, and following His commands wherever they lead. A silent defense was what Christ gave His accusers, showing true wisdom in when to keep silent. Nothing He said would change their minds and wisdom would not be quick to waste words on stone ears. We learn to be wise through listening to what the Master has to say when He would speak and applying ourselves to His teachings. Read, study, listen, and find wisdom.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novlelist

Our Plans For His Purpose

I was scrolling down my Facebook feed last night, mindlessly searching and purposefully praying for inspiration to jump from the lifeless words on my screen. It’s a habit I have been in the custom of keeping when long hours of work, pressure, and distraction have drained my creative stimulation for the day. I needed a post for this morning and had nothing prepared. Several thoughts leapt to mind and I had even written portions of posts before scrapping the ideas altogether. So, I wandered Facebook and asked God for something, anything.

Thank God for friends like this. Guy Batton is a close minded friend of mine who always happens to pull through when I need him most. This time even without knowing it. I ran across this post last night and stopped on it for several minutes, pondering and thanking God for it. It was a reposted message he had written back in 2012, a dream he had for the future: his prayer for his life. This is what I read:

I pray that my life can be used to do something meaningful. And not like… “oh, you held the door for someone!” or ” oh, you gave a homeless person clothes.”
I want to change nations. Move mountains by my faith alone. I want to live on the edge, live the impossible. I want to really, truly, fully live. Even if it causes my death.

He then, followed the post with a comment of how his point of view had changed since the time of the original post, and he wrote this:

I now see that, in light of the eternal kingdom of God, my little things like holding the door for others have significance and meaning because God doesn’t plan to simply scrap this world, but to bring Christ’s kingdom to it. Praise God that people aren’t doomed to be stuck in the errors of their ways.

That stopped me dead in my tracks. This was a message. This was something people struggle with. This was what I needed to write about.

Do the little things we do make a difference? Is Guy right? Was he right before? What manner of heart does God prefer? Sometimes I believe that God wants us to reach as far as we can see, and dream beyond as far as we can reach; that God wants creative, imaginative, inspiring people to bring His message to the world in the most efficient and effective way.

Then other times, I believe God likes using the humble, the simple, the average and ordinary folk. But which is it? I’ve always heard that if you want to make God laugh, then tell Him your plans. But does God really care so little about what we think and what we aspire to be that He would make mockery and sport of us? No. We were not created for God’s amusement, but for His pleasure.

So does God mock our plans? No, He loves us and cares about what we do and what we think we want to become. He loves a yielded and surrendered heart. He loves spontaneity for He says to be instant in season and out of season, to always be ready to give a defense and an answer. But, He also loves using our plans for His glory. Our plans for God’s purpose is called vision. Vision meaning a plan of future ministry for God’s glory. God loves to use the spirited, the bold, the dreamers, the visionaries. But He also seems to choose the meek, the underestimated, the lowly, and the downtrodden.

You’ll find that the best way to make yourself useful and available is a mixture of vision and spiritual brokenness. We must realize our spiritual depravity and daily die to ourselves, asking for God to make our plans His purposes.

God also says to despise not the day of small things. So, the little things like holding a door, a kind gesture here, a helping hand there, they really do matter to God. But, what’s more important, a willing heart, or a vision for the future? Well, both are necessary, we need to see beyond ourselves to the future and how God would use us, but we also should not shun the small things that get us to that point. If we are faithful over few He will make us ruler over many.

See, our plans or our flexibility and availability are not as important as our willingness and our surrender. Give your plans to God’s purpose and allow the vision to overtake you. Move mountains with your faith, but if you have not love, even in something as small as offering a cup of water or holding a door in His name, you have nothing. Christ wants you, all of you. Your plans, your lack of plans, and your simple acts of kindness when given to God, can be your greatest purpose. God will use you in whatever way He will use you. Just surrender.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

So, You Think You’re Worthless?

“I’m saved like the criminal on the cross. Praise God! I’m saved, no more to suffer loss. Well, He said I’d live in paradise, and he’s taken care of the cost. Hallelujah! I’m saved like the criminal on the cross.” 

Paul says that of sinners he was chief. Paul was right. But for this day and age, I am Paul. Though I have never acted upon many of the things that prey upon my soul daily, I feel I’m the worst sinner of all. I’m a lust-filled, prideful, spiteful, arrogant, fleshly, independent, self-centric, idolatrous, carnal and fallen man. I’m even taking pride right now in my use of adjectives to describe myself.

I am broken. I am worthless. I have nothing to give. I am talentless. I am hopelessly lost, and without grace. I am a dead man living in the shadow of life. That is who I am. That is not who I want to be. When we sin, we grieve and quench the Holy Spirit. When we quench the Holy Spirit, His transforming work in us is hindered.

I don’t want to sin. I hate sinning. Because I know the nails that pierced His hands were the price of my forgiveness. And when I sin, it not only hurts me, but it hurts Him. So, you think you’re worthless? So you think you’re without hope? Abandon, left for dead, at the end of your rope. Well, maybe you are. But forgiveness is for the broken heart. Until we realize, that our only worth is to Christ, and the only worth we will ever be to the world is through Christ; that without Christ we are worthless, we will never live lives of value.

I am worthless. I recognize that, I admit that. Not because I want to be forgiven: for grace is the abhorrence of a sin filled heart. It is the irony of the nature of Man that the one thing we covet and desire most we revile at the mention of and detest because of a lack of understanding. Our minds can’t understand grace: that someone we hated loved us; that someone we willingly slaughtered would forgive us; that someone would even want to spend eternity with His own enemies so much so that He would sacrifice Himself. This is grace.

We don’t want grace. We can’t fathom grace. And yet we need grace. Somewhere in the hearts and souls of men we welcome and except punishment for crimes. We take satisfaction in earning the end result. Serial criminals want to be captured, because in their fantasy the justifiable end of their story is in capture. That is their final glory: to be remembered. We feel justified when we receive punishment for our actions, So when we don’t, which is called grace, we feel the greater punishment: freedom.

To the rebellious, foolhardy, evil men living their lives in the jail cell of actions justified by punishment, freedom is the worst torture. We subject ourselves to the thinking that confinement is victory and freedom is loss… But someone eventually caught on. The criminal on the cross figured out the great secret of life. Until a person truly feels worthless, they will never find worth. Until a person is completely broken, they can never be made whole. Until a person is on their last hope, they can never discover the hope of glory.

So, you think you’re worthless? If you truly are, rejoice. Until we realize our worthlessness, we can never discover our worth. Not self-worth, but Christ-worth: for without Him, we can do nothing. That’s the definition of worthlessness. But, it’s also the definition of worth.

As always, thanks for reading, and find your worthlessness and thereby, your worth.

—the anonymous novelist

Hey! Don’t Judge Me!

The bible tells us in Matthew 7:1
“Judge not, that ye be not judged”, and as a general rule, that’s not a bad thing. However, I think we’ve taken this principal a bit farther out of context than what it actual means. I mean, sure the Bible says:

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
–Luke 6:37

But, that’s not all it says; not even close. Farther on down the line we see quite a different instruction for judgement.

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
–1 Corinthians 6:2

What to do now? God has both said that we should not judge, and that we are worthy to judge even the smallest matters. Are we to judge? God says that we are, but also that we’re not, so where do we draw the line? Well, there is a distinction between judging and condemning. To condemn is to act as a judge passing final sentence on a criminal. To judge could mean something as lightly as gossip: for what is gossip and slander but verbal expressions of judgement. The judging we should pronounce is in Christ alone. We will judge the world, but its verdict has already been set, we will condemn it with our authority given by God.

How does someone judging you make you feel? Well, if you’re like Paul, you might feel something like this:

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
–1 Corinthians 4:3

In other words, Paul is saying “I don’t care what you say about me”. Paul gets it, that the things of this world don’t matter: that includes what people think or say about you. It should never effect you unless it should effect you. What I mean by that is, other people’s opinions of us can either stem from our actions or their imaginations. You can tell if they’re being negative for the sake of it, or if there is a problem in your life that they see and it’s affecting your witness. Judgement can be a good thing sometimes, whether we like it or not.

We are told often in Scripture to examine ourselves, to investigate and to judge who we are and where we stand; to uncover things in our lives that should not be there.

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
–1 Corinthians 11:31

He’s not saying that if we pronounce judgment upon ourselves then no one else will have anything to add. He is saying that if we are actively examining and judging ourselves, we will discover and get rid of the things in our lives that others would see and judge us for. In a sense, the entirety of the message, “judge not that ye be not judged”, is another way of saying, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”.

Well, that makes all of us lousy judges because we will never be perfect in this life. However, we should judge ourselves, and we will judge the world. Righteous judgment is never wrong and it only comes from God. That’s why Paul said, “Yea, I judge not mine own self.”. He wanted to make it abundantly clear that the judgement came from God and that he would get no credit for the examination and vetting of his self. Man’s judgement is always selfish and prideful, but God’s judgement worketh repentance unto righteousness.

But what about all the other kinds of judging? The Bible does say that we will not be tempted more than we can bear. Are we not supposed to judge stupid? Isn’t calling something “stupid” just passing judgement on it? How do we distinguish between the judging we can do, and the judging we should not…?

These verses by themselves tell us that we should or should not judge, but together, they tell a different story. Allow me to clip and paste these verses together.

But with me it is a small thing that I should be judged: for if we would judge ourselves in the smallest matters, we should not be condemned.

Paraphrased, these scriptures have the message that if we judge ourselves, (by Christ’s Spirit living within us), we will not be so quick to judge others: beholding the beam in our own eyes. But also, that if we judge ourselves daily to purify our hearts, we will not be as prone to judge, and therefore not receive the condemnation that comes from condemning others. Well… Unless of course it’s something really boneheaded. Just kidding: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect”.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

It’s Not About Me

Today is Monday. I have been struggling a little with writing a post for today because there’s this pressure to be inspirational, to be spiritual and uplifting. The funny thing is, pressure always seems to fall on me, and never seems to fall on God. Why is it that I’m the one worrying? That I’m the one pressured? That I’m the one who feels the responsibility to deliver something motivational ? Could it be that I consider this my blog, that I consider these my ideas, that I think I’m the one who does this? Well, I’m not. So I can get that thought out of my head. 

This Monday, rather this Sunday, (because that’s when I’m writing this), is all about disappointment. Disappointment in myself, for spending an entire day wondering how I was going to write something motivational; wondering how I could bring the most effective message; wondering how I would find a story, a topic for Monday morning that would move and motivate you. Notice all the “I”s in that last statement and you may understand why I’m disappointed in myself. Somehow, I’ve made this post, this day, about me rather than about God.

If this blog is truly for His glory, then He will bring the ideas. If I’m truly writing to make His name known, then the inspiration will come from Him. Worry’s just another word for a lack of trust. So, don’t worry. Have faith.

On blog days, which occur everyday, I learn something; and it’s not always directly related to a message in a sermon, or to something that occurs in the concerts when I am lifting up the name of Christ. It’s the spirit of the day that inspires me and lifts me up. I then translate that to you through these posts. Why should I worry if I am truly trusting God for my inspiration?

These posts are the themes of my days. When I write them, it is under the influence of what I have done, what God is leading me to do, and the grace of a new day on the horizon. So, today’s theme is relying on God for everything, even down to what I write and the things I say. Are you trusting God to set the vibe for your day? What theme does this Monday have for you?

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist