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May 29, 2023

May 29, 2023

On a trip to Washington D.C., I took this picture shortly after a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. 

 

In the midst of a quiet time, the picture struck me as a unique visual accompaniment to my reflections on the sacrifice that so many made on our behalf to ensure the freedom that we tend to take for granted as a natural right.

 

My reflections also led me to a quote by General George S. Patton: “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived.”

 

How much more should these sacrifices remind us of the gift that God provides to all who are willing to recognize Jesus’ willingness to give up His life for us and the opportunity that we have to accept His invitation to enjoy true freedom and eternal life with Him? 

February 13, 2023

February 13, 2023

On Valentine’s Day we give top billing to our natural desire for love.

 

If it was not for Christ’s unsurpassable love for each of us, we could search for a lifetime without quenching this deep desire that God placed inside of us. 

 

Valentine’s Day provides a nice emphasis on love but falls short of the truth that there is no substitute for our Father’s Agape love. Not anywhere. It’s simply beyond our comprehension to know and understand how deeply and completely He loves us. 

 

It’s not uncommon for many of us to think that we’re not worthy of His love. We need to remember that Jesus came to save the sinners, not the righteous. To quote a favorite author, Hannah Whitall Smith, “Your very sinfulness and unworthiness is your chief claim upon His love and His care.”

 

Each one of us is called to accept that we are so special and precious to Him that, just as He left the flock of 99 sheep to find the one who was lost, He will seek you out to be rescued. 

 

We each need to experience the truth that John writes about in 1 John 4:16: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.”  

 

On Valentine’s Day, and every day, Jesus is the lover of our soul! 

 

God is with you. He takes great delight in you, quiets you with His love and rejoices over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). You are that precious to Him! Our Father loves you as much as He loves His own son, Jesus! (John 17:23)

 

Are you looking for true love? Have you accepted God’s offer of His love through a personal and loving relationship with Jesus? Want to talk about it?

January 23, 2023

January 23, 2023

In today’s vocabulary, hope is often used to express a desire for something to happen or to be true. The original, and true meaning of the word hope, however, refers to a firm and certain expectation.

 

God gives us access to “a living hope” through the resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3). Hope is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19). He is our hope!

 

Without true hope, the trials and troubles of this life will wear us down and take away our motivation to live the life that God would have us live – a life of abundance! 

 

Hope is manifested and materialized in the course of a helpful coaching relationship. Hope motivates both coach and client and provides a solid foundation for understanding and acquiring all that God has in mind for us.

 

What’s on your hope list for 2023? In what or, more importantly, in whom, are you placing your hope?

 

What are your goals for the year ahead? It would be my privilege to partner with you in building a foundation for true hope!

December 26, 2022

December 26, 2022

Why did Jesus come? Despite our rejection of God in the Garden of Eden, His love for us and desire for restoring a personal relationship led Him to provide a plan for our redemption and reconciliation.

 

Christmas Day marks the introduction of God’s plan to come to earth in human form in order to demonstrate that, even though we did nothing to deserve it, His love for us is so strong that He was willing to sacrifice His only true Son to restore a personal relationship with Him for any of us who are willing to accept His offer. Jesus was, and is, Immanuel, “God with us”!

 

No matter how lonely you may feel, you are never alone if you have accepted God’s offer and have personally accepted Jesus to fulfill that restoration with God. If you have, you can be assured of His continual presence with you. (John 10:28). 

 

Immanuel is the God of Hope. If you are feeling lonely, invite Him in and ask Him to fill you with the joy and peace that only He can provide.

 

Have you accepted Immanuel, God’s Christmas gift of love?

December 12, 2022

December 12, 2022

Advent, meaning ‘Coming’ in Latin, is the word most churches use to describe our focus on Jesus coming into the world as a baby. Advent is a time to concentrate on what Christmas is really about!

 

After telling His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit, He said to them, “Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you, not as the world gives . . .”

 

Today, the prospect of peace, both in our country and our world seems more distant every day. Our world appears out of control. We wonder if we can ever find peace and whether that peace will be lasting. 

 

There was also a great deal of unrest in the world at the time of Jesus’ birth. As it happened, Christ’s coming brought conflict rather than peace, ending with His death. But, as He promised, following His resurrection, He will provide the gift of personal peace to all who are willing to surrender their pride and put their trust and faith in Him, the Prince of Peace.

 

Our acceptance of Jesus, a personal gift of Himself, includes His abiding presence along with the gift of His peace! He is with us continually, even in the midst of the storms. His peace is a lasting peace. 

 

Have you accepted Jesus and the peace of His presence? 

December 5, 2022

December 5, 2022

One of the highlights of Christmas for me is the focus on the message of hope!

 

In the first verse of his first letter to Timothy, Paul references “ the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.”  Vine’s New Testament Expository Dictionary explains that the most frequent significance of the word “hope” relates to “a favorable and confident expectation” and “the happy anticipation of good”.

 

Without Jesus as our hope, we have no real, eternal hope. We are only left with speculation and confusion that abounds in our fallen world.

 

I celebrate the Christmas message of hope, the “confident expectation”, that putting our trust in Him brings the ultimate Christmas gift!

 

He is our hope!

 

What, or who, are you putting your hope in?

June 27, 2022

June 27, 2022

Jesus comforted his disciples with these words just before he was arrested and taken away to die.

 

His words strike me as particularly relevant to the turmoil we have been experiencing over the last couple of years. 

 

Our faith has been tested and shaken because of the uncertainty and insecurity in the midst of overwhelming threats to our safety and well-being.

 

There are storms all around us. We’re facing the probability that we will never see a world without tribulation.

 

On the positive side, our need for Jesus is all the more clear, as is the reason why we can ‘take heart’.

 

We find our peace in Him because through His sacrifice, He overcame the world and all of its troubles.

 

He gave the victory to those who put their trust in His finished work on the cross.

 

Considering all of the tribulation around you, is your faith in Jesus, and His promise of security and victory, keeping you above the fray?

June 20, 2022

June 20, 2022

Where do you find peace?

 

Maybe in the sound of gentle waves quietly lapping the shoreline.

Or in the beacon from the distant lighthouse cutting its swath through the darkness,

Or maybe in the sweet, sleeping face of your child when checking his or her bed at night.

Or the still, quiet moments of the morning as the sun is rising over the horizon, coffee in hand.

Or you may simply think of peace being found in the absence of war.

 

Whatever your thoughts of peace may be, have you considered the peace of God?

 

Do you know that lasting peace can be found in your relationship with God? Only Jesus provides the promise of true peace, reserved for those who put their trust in Him. A peace that will guard your heart and mind.

 

Does your experience with peace include what Jesus offers?

May 30, 2022

May 30, 2022

As I reflect on the men and women who have served our country on this Memorial Day, I think of them as heroes. To me, a hero is someone willing to sacrifice his or her life for a noble cause to the benefit of their fellow men and women.

 

Jesus is the ultimate example of a hero. He is my hero because of His willful surrender to an agonizing death to provide a path for my salvation, an abundant life and ultimately the enjoyment of eternal life with Him.

 

I see coaching as an opportunity to follow Jesus’ example of servanthood by ministering to others who are hurting and in need of help along life’s difficult path. While I will not be called on to give up my life, I am lifted spiritually when my ministry calls for an element of sacrifice in order to meet a need of others. When we put the needs of others ahead of our own, not only do we find fulfillment, but God meets our own needs.

 

How is the Lord calling you to serve others? 

April 4, 2022

April 4, 2022

Through Christ’s suffering we have victory.  Victory in Jesus, our Savior!

 

In these days leading up to Resurrection Day (aka Easter), we reflect on the pain Jesus endured and the blood he shed on our account. We honor the Lamb who was slain for us, and we remember that it is through His sacrifice that we are healed. 

 

Having victory over our suffering can be better understood through the suffering that Jesus endured on our behalf. In our suffering, we can identify with Jesus and have fellowship with him. Our suffering can be healed if we look to Him. The cross turns our brokenness into healing. 

 

Though it is difficult when in the darkness of suffering, if we focus on, and remember, the purpose in His suffering, there are great rewards. Our trials test the strength and genuineness of our faith and result in praise, glory and honor when Christ is revealed. This is a cause for celebration! Because of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, we are born again to a living hope and a beautiful inheritance kept in heaven for us that will last forever (1 Peter 1:3-9).

 

As sung in the hymn “The Old Rugged Cross”, one day we will exchange all of our suffering for a crown.

 

Are you giving thanks for suffering – His and your’s?