Heaven's Sign

"Let's rush down to Bethlehem right now! Let's see what's happening! Let's experience what the Lord has told us about!" the Shepherds in Luke 2:15

The Shepherds excitement is contagious. Their desire to experience the good news drove them out of the hills of the ordinary and right before the Royal babe in the manger. 

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. the Magi in ‭Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭10-11‬

The joy of the Magi compelling. They traveled great distances from their homeland to fall on their knees in worship before the new King. 

The Shepherds had angels visit. The Magi saw the star. Heaven was communicating through a sign and their response was wholehearted abandonment of their present reality and an embrace of God's gift, heaven here on earth. 

Large or small, I think Heaven is always communicating with earth. Today, I consider the signs God is giving to me today: the gentle falling rain outside the window, the warmth of a child's hug, the air in my lungs. He is here. Found right here in the ordinary moment of the day, I fall on my knees and worship the great King. 

As you celebrate the birth of Jesus, may you find yourself running to experience Him as the Shepherds and overjoyed in worship as the Magi. 

Living in sync includes a response to the Divine. This is living life at its best. 

Merry Christmas!

Let the Bird Fly

The older I get, the more uncomfortable I am with captured & penned animals. I remember walking through a zoo about five years ago and really struggling with it. I am not sure what increased my awareness and sensitivity that day, but it's never gone away. Couldn't shake the thought that there's got to be more to their lives than this... 

And the same thought struck me recently about my own life. For whatever reasons, I felt like a caged bird on the inside. And I just wanted to swing open the door and fly. 

Why was there a cage? I think it was my way of organizing my life in such a way that everything could be well under control, predictable, safe, and successful. I wanted to build my own world and live there. 

However, the very things I thought would make me happy and secure, didn't. They became the cage that trapped me. The life I desired was domesticating me and robbing me of the adventure I was created for. 

I began to imagine life on the outside of the cage. Free to fly. Free to sing. Free to catch a breeze and soar. Free to nest in a great big oak. Clearly, this is living at its best for me.

As you pursue your life vision, be careful to build a nest, not a cage. It is easy to get caught up in designing and assembling a perfect life script, which becomes a trap rather than a launching pad. The alternative is the freedom to pursue new places, see new things, and be all that you were created to be.  

Living in sync is about self confidence, opportunities to grow, moments to share, and permission to live your life without self-restrictions. Let the bird fly. 

You Matter.

"Let him that would move the world, first move himself." Socrates

I recently had the pleasure of a canoe ride in the beautiful hill country of Texas. In the peaceful ride down the Frio River I saw the smallest duck swimming alongside. 

What struck me was the 'wake' his little body created, providing a distinct picture of where he had been as he progressed in where he was headed.

This duck reminded me that my presence makes a difference. That where I have been, where I am, and where I am going is noticeable.

You matter. Where you go, what you do, and who you are makes a difference. Your life, small as it may be leaves a 'wake' just as this little duck. 

How can you live & move in such a way that your 'wake' is for the good of yourself, those around you, and the world you live in? 

A few observations of friends who have left a powerful 'wake' in my life.... 

• Hug often.
• Smile big.
• Encourage lavishly.
• Laugh out loud.
• Learn names.
• Say thank you. 
• Lend a helping hand.
• Be real. 

Living life at its best is the power to control what you can control; and to intentionally move in sync with the design and purpose you were created for. There you will find a wake of freedom for yourself and encouragement for others. 

A Time to Remember

"I think it's God giving us some sunshine in the midst of the rain, Mom." says my daughter, Natalie. 

We had just opened an envelope with $50 in it. A surprise blessing. Of course it was Him. He has a way of pouring out His love and goodness in ways that capture my heart over and over again. 

And while, the money was timely for us and greatly appreciated; I think there was a bit more that the gift did for us. It reminded us of our Heavenly Father who is constantly watching over our lives and caring for us tenderly through our difficult times. It also reminded us of the people around us who love and care for us, who offer their lives as an incarnational reflection of Jesus here on the earth. 

"The Lord is for me among those who help me." Psalm 118:7

As we approach the Thanksgiving season, may we take time to remember Him and those around us who have shown us great love. And may we be an offering of His love to the people around us. 

Quite possibly, this is the greatest gift you will ever receive and the most worthy calling you will ever live. 

Heaven's Embrace

Eden. A picture of God's design for us. One of life, beauty, friendship, fruitfulness and purpose. Heaven on earth. The good life we all innately long for. 

As we know, this earthly paradise was marred & broken by sin; and no longer habitable by humankind. And before we get too uptight and angry at Adam & Eve, let's consider this... 

"We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us." Ephesians 2:3-4 

As you read on in Ephesians, we see what the embrace of Heaven means:

• life in Christ
• adoption as sons & daughters
• grace and kindness
• peace
• seating with Christ in heavenly places
• an invitation to join in His work
• a place in his family 
• glorious power
• explorations of heights, depths, lengths, and widths of his immense love

And the list goes on and on. Read it yourself! 

Now, back to Eden. It would seem to me, that Jesus brought Heaven to earth once again. And while it is not a physical garden to live in; he now creates Eden in our hearts. 

Life, beauty, goodness, friendships & purpose.. the good life is not something out of reach. And as we see here, not something we attain or reach anyway. It's a surrender to heaven's embrace. A big hug from your Creator that makes all things right. 

Where do you desire Heaven's embrace today? 

Need kindness, peace or power? Open up your heart to Him and feel the warmth of His enormous hug around you. 

May you find that Eden is right here within you.

Don't Go It Alone

“I do believe; help my unbelief.” 

Words spoken from a desperate father seeking a miracle for his son in Mark 9:24. 

Ever been there? You believe, and simultaneously shutter with unbelief. Usually occurs right in the moment when a miracle is needed most. We desperately try to hold it all together. And the more we grasp for it, the more we realize how much we fall short and it slips through our fingers. We believe; yet we don't. 

The quandary of faith is a wrestling match and seldom won alone. I've found that many times when I'm at my weakest; it's a friend's faith that pulls me through, not my own. Maybe I'm the only one who is fiercely independent and buys into the ridiculously proud idea that somehow I'll be able to perfect myself enough to believe on my own every time. And maybe at times I think my world is small enough to go at it alone, and why should I bother others with it. 

Whatever the reasons, in my wrestling matches I discover over and over again one simple truth.... My greatest strength lies not within me, but within the community surrounding me.

Living life at it's best is one where you have what you need, when you need it. At the critical times, that most often comes through the hands, words, and love of good friends. Cultivate those friendships, and be there for them when they need you too. 

You-nique Impressions

If not here, where? 
If not now, when? 
If not you, who?  

I have found that most of us are pretty good at qualifying and disqualifying ourselves in various aspects of life. Areas we feel secure about quickly become qualifications that others should just as quickly recognize and praise. And the areas we feel more insecure are immediate deadends and disqualifications; ignored, hidden, and riddled with excuses - or possibly insufficiencies we pour our energies into fixing. 


"Follow me and I will make you fish for people..." Mark 1:17

In scriptures we see that when Jesus called His disciples, the command "follow me" was connected with a promise "I will make you." 

The command to "follow me" is a clear invitation for relationship, which is where Jesus begins with all of us. 

The promise "will make" is clearly focused on Jesus' activity, not ours. The word "make" is translated from the Greek verb poieo, which is the root of the words "poem" and "poetry". He is forming and crafting our lives as an author writes a story. 

He doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called. 

How has God written a story through your life? 

Are you still disqualifying yourself? Or are you following and letting Him do the making?

"... you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God." II Cor. 3:3-5