For sale

So yesterday, I did an Open House at the house I grew up in. Signage was up on a fairly busy street pointing potentials to the home. When only a half a dozen people showed, and a couple were just the walking by looky-loo's kind, I started to get that sinking feeling one gets when things don't go your way...

When you fix your mind on problems, you stumble. When you keep your mind on God, the problems tumble. Somehow, His peace is the real deal. While fear is a natural response to obstacles, adversity and failure, the peace He gives, is the supernatural response given to us by His grace. Just as Jesus had authority over the wind and waves, He has authority over the storms, in our lives. He has authority over our doubts, fears and shame.

I know that in His time, the right buyer, seller, or investor will cross my path and I'll have another story to post. Until then, I just continue to put it out there "I'm an Ambassador of God, masquerading as a Realtor."

Rarely early, never late

In a prior blog, I talked about how God always comes through in His time; rarely early, never late. Another time, I lost my keys. These were the computer chip variety, not one you can duplicate at the local Home Depot. As a matter of fact, this key was about $250 to replace; not something you want to lose or misplace. But I left my keys somewhere; either in the church service, the kids Sunday school rooms, or the doughnut table. Again, this church was on a college campus so it's not like there was a lost in found one could go to.

I retraced all the places I'd visited on campus to no avail. I knew they were never to be found again. But my son said "let's pray dad." We prayed, and walked toward on of the staffers we knew to ask him to keep an eye out just in case. I start explaining to him what they look like, when he reaches into his pocket and says. "Are these yours?" Thousands of people, large campus, found keys. Wow. Thanks God. Isn't it great when our kids teach us to seek God first?

Sweat the small stuff?

I'm consistently reminded how God has a way of working things out ahead of time and usually out of view.

Several months ago, our house in Georgia was being shared with 3 families; each had gone through some of life's difficult turns and we opened it up as an ark so to speak. Thing is, when you have a ton of people living in you house, the utilities and everything else goes waaay up. I freaked out a little when my checking account dipped down to under what the utility bills were for the month. One of the families had gotten a job a few months earlier and had some unexpected other income come in. I had been selling off my personal belongings to make the payments, yet it wasn't enough to cover, so I actually got upset and asked the family to pitch in like the other family was doing. Guess what, I really didn't need to ask since God had worked it out already. Just a few weeks after that incidence, a commission check came in that covered the costs for a few months. I gave most of the money back in gift cards, but the damage was done, things were not the same.

I've had asthma since I was two. One day on my way to church, I neglected to take my inhaler with me. When church was over and I went out to the car, it wouldn't start. I knew I needed a battery soon, just didn't know I needed it that soon. I almost got asthma just thinking about the idea of pushing the car out into the lane to find someone with jumper cables. The first person I asked said she didn't have any cables. Then she turned around and said "I think I might, let me look." I started following her back, and guess where her car was parked? Nose to nose with mine.

Now you may ask what's the big deal about that? The church was so large, it was renting the auditorium of a local college. There were thousands of parking spaces, and the next service was about to start. So of all the parking spots and of all of people, the one that I asked, was the only one that wouldn't bring on an asthma attack.

Story after story, you think I'd know by now not to sweat the small stuff...and yes, it is all small stuff

DUI of the HS

Psalm 139 tells us that God is always present. He searches our souls and knows everything about us. When he sees us heading in the wrong direction--toward disappointment and destruction--he invites us to come under the influence of his Holy Spirit so that he can guide us in a new direction. When times come on us that seem disappointing like Habakkuk talks about, rest assured, God is in control.

Habakkuk 3: 17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.

A reason to ask God to test us is so we can discover what our next right step is. God sees the road ahead of us. When I ask him to search me and test me and lead me, I am asking that he guide me away from what offends him and toward a solid, lasting way of life. Then, rather than driving under the influence of my fearful, frustrated mind, I can choose to follow his guidance and rely on his strength. When I get wobbly I know he will hold me tightly. He sees past the next turn and wants to lead me to an amazing destination.

With God in command, it's easy to abandon the silly and destructive ways of our secular culture and refuse to live under its influence. Instead I can drive with strength and confidence, under the influence of God.

An App for That

"If you put away the dishwasher and the silverware, I'll take out the trash and the recyclables." That's the deal my boys worked out today since they didn't like how I assigned the chore list. So far, that transaction has worked out okay; few ever do however.



How often do we think God works on a system of give and take; that our relationship with God is a series of transactions? Living every day in a system of transactions means that we must do things to get God to do things. If we do bad things, then He does, causes, or allows bad things to happen to us. In the transaction system, God can be distant, cold, and disconnected. God is not relational but reactive. Many of us have been taught that this is how God works and daily strive to make good transactions with God. I've yet to find any instance in the Bible that presents a God of transactions but a ton on a God of transformation, who loves us and out of His great love, desires to transform our actions, our beliefs and our values in spite of ourselves. That's the whole Agape thing...I love you period. He's got an app for that.

I've blogged before on the importance of the rudder to a ship, and how important it is to start your day with your personal rudder pointed the right direction.

F. B. Meyer stood on the deck of a ship approaching land, he wondered how the crew knew when and how to safely steer to the dock. It was a stormy night, and visibility was low. Meyer, standing on the bridge and peering through the window, asked "Captain, how do you know when to turn this ship into that narrow harbor?"
"That's an art," replied the captain. "Do you see those three red lights on the shore? When they're all in a straight line I go right in!"
Later Meyer said: "When we want to know God's will, there are three things which always occur: the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances. Never act until these three things agree."

Attitude of Gratitude

Maybe it's just me, but I've noticed many people I come in contact with are not very happy; something is always bothering them and rarely thankful. An attitude of gratitude is imperative to living fully and God-centered. Our culture of comfort teaches us to be thankful for big homes and cool cars, nice clothes and a full pantry. While those are certainly things to be grateful for, we need to begin with thankfulness for our salvation and our relationship with God--regardless of our level of income, mode of transportation, or the brand name on our shoes. I've heard it said that gratitude and joy are the twin children of grace....gratitude follows grace and joy follows gratitude.


One blogger comments about meeting with a friend "Over lunch one day, he told me about a time when he was severely depressed and felt hopeless about his life stage and situation. As he sat at his kitchen table early one morning, he decided to make a list of the things he was thankful for. The list, he explained, kept growing and growing and growing, until he had hundreds of things written down. He fell to his knees in gratitude to God. It was that simple exercise that lifted him from his depression. His focus changed from all that was wrong with his life, to all that was right."


As we meet with God each morning, and walk with him each day, let's live with the perspective-altering attitude of thankfulness. Then watch how he changes us and works through us.