Simple Thoughts

Do you ever just have one of those days when God reminds you, “Be patient.”? I’m having one of those days. So I decided to look up the word “Patient” in the New King James Bible and see what I came up with. 7 verses. Verse #1: Ecc 7:8 NKJV - The end of a thing [is] better than its beginning; The patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit. In the middle of words of wisdom, there is this saying. So much of this verse intrigues me. The first part, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning”, has so much to do with the end – being patient in spirit. The first thing that I think of is the return of Jesus, the end of days. That glorious day when Justice takes His place on the earth. The end is better than the beginning… like every good fairy tale. But it’s no fairy tale. It’s reality. We must be patient in spirit and here’s the very reason why. The end is better than the beginning!! What a glorious thought! Do you know why the patient in spirit is contrasted with the...

Last Saturday, I attended a conference at IHOP Tallahassee. Randy Martinez, from Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace, spoke a word to the House of Prayer on hiddenness… not despising the place of hiddenness, this place of preparation. It really gripped my heart. Oh that place of hiddenness. Most despise and hate it. Most desire to be seen, desire for their ministry to take off, and desire to be used greatly by God to touch thousands of lives. So what about when we are waiting in the place of the desert, the time of preparation? Does it offend you that Jesus cares way more about your heart than He does your ministry? He cares way more for your heart. John the Baptist was in the desert and in preparation for 30 years to “only have” a 6-12 month ministry. Does that offend you? Do you groan and say, “God please not me! It’s already been a decade! I’m ready to be released into ministry. The amazing ministry you have called me to, to touch nations and the people of the earth!” God cares....

Our house of community goes through cycles. There are times when it is easy to love, and there are times when it is difficult to love one another. And then there is a phase of those cycles that I like to call “when community becomes ‘Survivor’.” ------- Suddenly, the 10 or more people living in one house begin sectioning off. They turn into what some would call “cliques” and what I like to call “alliances.” It could be for any reason really. I like these people more than the rest. They are my friends. Those people bug me so I just won’t hang around them. She doesn’t really have any friends so I’ll be her friend. Being closer to certain people over other people is not the issue. The issue is when these factions begin to turn on one another. When they begin to agree that another person or group of people is annoying or frustrating to deal with. ------ The other thing that begins to manifest in Community Survivor is gossip. Every reality TV show has that side video camer...

I have a memory. In that memory, I’m watching a football game. This memory didn’t happen once or twice. It happened from when I was young to when I was in college multiple times. I can remember watching my favorite team losing… with only minutes or seconds left in the game. I can remember holding out hope. “Maybe they can pull it out! Miracles happen! Anything can happen… they could still win…” They usually wouldn’t if it was that far gone, but I always held onto hope. That was football… now here’s God. There is a place in faith that you have a choice. I’ve never been one to enjoy being disappointed. Often, if I suspect a surprise or a result that I would love in a situation, I will often prepare myself for the worst because I do not want to get disappointed. You always have choices in the journey of faith. But the choice I’m talking about specifically is this one… “Do I prepare myself for the worst so I won’t be disappointed, or do I keep praying and asking God in faith even ...

Okay, I recognize that a few people may get fired up by the title of this. But I wanted to write about submission-- specifically in the case of wives. There are a few topics that I feel like God has been teaching me about them, over a period of years. Submission is one of those. (The title was just for fun.) Let’s look at some verses that many people shy away from. Eph 5:22-24 - Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 1Pe 3:1-6 - Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- rathe...