I walked out into the warm, humid, early morning air to take my jog for today and headed up the road. I could tell it was overcast. Even though it was dark as night, the cloud cover seemed thick and low. There are two paths I can take in the morning, one heads north toward two nearby neighborhoods, the other east toward a big neighborhood. Either way, I have to do my warm-up walk by dark woods before I get to sidewalks and houses. I don’t relish that as the dark woods kind of give me the creeps! On a clear morning the dawn begins lightening the sky by the time I head back toward home…but I knew it wouldn’t be that way today.
As I walked, the path was barely visible but I know the route well. I was determined to warm-up at a fast pace and get to the street-light lined street quickly. Whenever a car appeared, heading my way, the headlights were blinding. I made the mistake of looking toward them the first time and the path disappeared – the lights being so bright everything else became completely black. The next time a car drove by I kept my eyes on the path and even though it was barely visible ’til the car passed by, I could still see where I was going. It made me think of a great devotional I read a few days ago by John Piper about the verses in Matthew 6:22, “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. 23But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness.” I’ve read that verse many times but often thought Jesus had it backwards. The eye as a lamp? It gave me a mental image of someone with eyes shining like flashlights on everything around them. Now that would come in handy on these dark early morning jaunts! Continue reading
When I don’t fully trust God it shows fear, and that leads to discouragement. Conversely, when I decide to lean out over the edge of the unknown and fully trust in God, even though I can’t see what’s coming, I have such peace and freedom.
One night as I was steaming and scouring my girls’ room for the little boogers, God spoke to my heart and said I should be as diligent about making sure I’ve gotten rid of all the sin lurking in the edges and cracks of my heart. I have to let God daily survey my heart, crush any sinful “pest” He finds there, and cleanse me again. I have to search my heart all the time to make sure some bitter attitude isn’t growing in the corner or some small temptation I’ve let remain isn’t crouching in a shadow waiting for an unsuspecting moment to trip me up.
“Sometimes I feel I’m living a meaningless life, and I get frightened. … I don’t handle fame well. Most actors on most days don’t think they’re worthy. I have no idea where this insecurity comes from, but it’s a God-sized hole. If I knew, I’d fill it, and I’d be on my way. … Actors live dependent on being validated by other people’s opinions. … The good actors are all screwed up. They’re all in pain. It’s a profession of bottom-feeders and heartbroken people.” —23-year-old Shia LaBeouf
The alarm clock sounds, I drowsily hit the button and sit up in bed. I can almost hear it: the clacking sound of God’s clap board as he gives me a new day. Today He said, “Take 15,330!” Lamentations 3:22-23 tells me, “The faithful love of the L
Many have seen the You Tube video of Susan Boyle, a middle-aged single woman who appeared on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent”. When she walked out onto the stage the judges practically rolled their eyes with contempt. One could almost hear their thoughts, “What on earth is this frizzy-haired, plain-faced woman in an old-fashioned dress and heels doing here? She’s way out of her league. Delusions of grandeur, here we come.”
I read this morning in I Samuel about the anointing of King David. King Saul had proven to be a disappointment to God so God told Samuel He was going to choose a new king. Samuel went to the house of Jesse, a man with seven sons. Six of the sons walked in front of Samuel – tall and strong, strapping young men. As each one passed Samuel thought, “Surely this is the one” and each time God said “Nope.” 
Along the Narrow Path 