Can’t draw a straight line?  No color sense?  Can’t feel the vibes in your creative spark? 

You loved drawing as a kid but since adulthood, nothing seems to be happening in any way that is creative.  You love museums and seeing a Van Gough or even a Picasso, but God simply left you out with the gift of painting.

                                           But what else? 

When reading the Hebrew Scriptures, the newly liberated slaves were told to make a tent for God where He would communicate with the priests.  He gave certain men the ability to make this dwelling a perfect place for them to be in tune with God. (See Exodus 35-40)

Artists and craftsmen today have a creative spark in them.  They have their way of seeing things that influence the outcome of their work.

All of us were gifted with a creative spark inside.  It might not be drawing or painting, but, like artisans of old, we each are blessed with our own  dispositions, and God’s creative energy. 

Perhaps your way of doing something is that creative spark within you.  It could be cooking, painting, writing. 

But God’s creative energy within you might be something else entirely.

You are gifted with the ability to make friends, to right a wrong, to get involved with others.  You and I are to be representatives of that creative spark which can be seen by others.  We are to use our gift of creativity to make our world a better place. Our own little sphere of influence.

It might be your ability of encouragement; to sit silently with the grieving friend; babysitting for a young Mother; making cookies for an elderly friend; visiting a sick friend.  You might not call that creativity, but you are being creative by using your ability as a Christian to find ways that God can use you! 

In your daily prayer, ask God to present you with an opportunity to use your creative spark. 

Give it a try.  Each creative endeavor will be a blessing.  It will build and grow.  Each creative effort will be in keeping you as a disciple. 

                         Use your creative spark! It’s God’s gift to you.

                       How do you and I want to be remembered? 
This is not a question that we often stop to consider in the hustle of daily life.  Yet it’s the thread that weaves together the story of who we are, etched in the hearts of others. 

                                                What will they say?

I hope to be remembered as someone with the courage to be authentic, the boldness to live with a faith that can be demonstrated, and the strength to choose the freedom to be courageous despite what I see happening around me.

 Social media bombards us with polished versions of success, happiness, and beauty……… tempting us to measure our worth against what we see on TV or tempting us to conform to pressures of a corrupt society. 

Being authentic isn’t always easy, especially when we feel like we’re not quite good enough. Are we putting on another persona instead of who we really are, inside?  Do you and I have a faith that makes us better people, or do  we play let’s pretend?

Faith doesn’t come with guarantees of success here and now.   Are we surprised when tragedy hits us despite our firm commitment to being a Christian?  Do we find that the door we expected to open is locked?  What we thought God wanted of us, just isn’t working out?

Faith is about stepping into the unknown.  It’s about trust….. believing that you will land on your feet no matter what happened.  It means that you and I are not always rewarded for being faithful.  That is, in this life.

Often, we are disappointed in someone.  He/She was thought to be our best friend.  We expect someone to be a certain way, act a certain way, or love and support us the way we need. When they don’t we lose faith in that person. 

Expecting people to be someone they are not is  like expecting them to carry the entire ocean when they ‘re only capable of holding a thimbleful of water! 

Perhaps they feel the same about me!  I haven’t lived up to their expectations of me!  They felt disappointed in me and what I am capable of doing.

However, this doesn’t mean that you and I cannot strive to be the best person we can be.  We want to be remembered as someone who gives of themselves; who shares willingly; who makes commitments and keeps promises; who is a true disciple of our Lord. 

                                  How will you be remembered?

One cannot turn on the TV or radio or podcasts without hearing the problems in society, and the social issues that we are witnessing.

Black or white or all colors in between, at some point God in His wisdom is Creator of us.  Our understanding of the first five chapters of Genesis makes us one people under authority of a Divine entity we call God. 

Without understanding the creation account in Genesis, we are missing the big picture. 

How many of us really believe that Genesis 1-5 isn’t just a cute kids’ story?  Or perhaps an analogy of some sort?  The Creation story itself really doesn’t address social issues of the day, or does it?  Is God our Creator or does He use millions of years of death and decay to bring forth man in His image. Why should we care?

Our world faces enormous problems of violence, war, domestic crimes, economic collapse and natural disasters.  The family structure itself is under attack.  We are witnessing a general decline in Christian values worldwide. Our own country, which was founded on Christian principles, is rapidly losing its Christian base.  We are becoming a pagan nation. How can this be?

If we lose sight of man as a special creation, based on God’s grand design, then we are no more than those of the animal world.  We are not required to be a civilized society.  We do not answer for our behavior.  Sin has no consequences.

The social issues we face are symptomatic of an underlying root cause.  The loss of biblical authority stemming from attacks on the Creation account.  If those first chapters of Genesis aren’t true, how can you believe the rest of the Bible?

Our values make sense in the light of God’s word written in Genesis.  That we, you and I, are created in God’s image. 

The sanctity of life, of marriage, human freedom, laws about justice….. all have their origins in the historical understanding of Genesis.

The understanding of Adam’s and Eve’s sin of defying God, gives rise to the remainder of scripture!  Man’s fall and decline.  Our inability to save ourselves.

Man’s failure has always been to define ourselves…….omitting our Divine origins.

      Without our understanding of man’s first sin, why do we need a Savior? 

God doesn’t seem to be listening to me.  He isn’t answering my persistent prayers.  

Is something wrong with my prayer?  Is there some special sin in my life that prevents His answer?  Or is God just capricious? Is He sitting on His big white throne passing judgements on who gets help and who doesn’t? 

We all have prayed for a special answer and there is no answer!

There are seasons in our lives when we are confronted with silence.

Does that mean that God is ignoring us?  Why do we do go through times when we feel like God has placed us in a season of isolation? This is not abandonment.  It is not punishment. 

                                              It’s a divine process. 

David was a shepherd in the wilderness with only his sheep.  He was alone.  Joseph was betrayed and sold into slavery.  He spent years in prison. Even Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness alone. 

These moments of isolation are not times of despair, but sacred seasons in which God refines, teaches and prepares us for a greater purpose.

When we experience dark days of the soul, somehow God uses these times… this opportunity for us to trust God and know He is orchestrating something better for us.  God refines our heart, chisels away our pride and builds perseverance for the journey ahead.

The quiet often brings clarity and loneliness brings dependence. The waiting cultivates our trust.  As we learn to trust God in the darkness we gain a deeper knowledge of Him.

“Now all discipline seems painful at this moment and not joyful.  But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Heb 12:11)

May we all crave the peaceful fruit of His righteousness as we walk through the valley.  

                                  Trust God in His Stillness

Our country is founded on basic principles of justice for all.  All people are equal under the laws of our Constitution.  We pride ourselves on freedom of the individual.  No one is above the law or beneath it. We have abolished human slavery.  All for the betterment of mankind.

                                                But wait! 

                  Slavery is not simply old news.  In fact, we are all slaves.

The Bible says it. And Bob Dylan sang it years ago.  “It might be the Devil or it might the Lord. But you gotta serve somebody.”

Chances are we don’t like that idea, in fact, human experience continually proves that we find this idea offensive and intrusive. 

But Dylan was right, our choice is a  binary one:  The Devil or the Lord, life or death. 

Our way through this is lit by a paradox: it is by serving as a slave of God that we find our deepest freedom!!  Various Christian philosophers have commented that the path of slavery is the road to freedom.  How can this be?

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul writes.” The fact is, you don’t belong to yourselves, for you were bought at a price. So, use your bodies to glorify God.” 

Notice, Paul is not calling us to be servants of God.  Servants receive a wage.  He calls us to become slaves of God, because we were bought with a price. 

When God calls us to Himself, He calls us to live as His slaves.

Being called slaves rankles our contemporary sensibilities, it tweaks the sin principle living in us.  But Yeshua told us that the only choice we have is to whom we will be enslaved: “Yes, indeed: I tell you that everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin, so if the Son frees you, you will really be free.”
(John 8: 34,36)

 Jesus sets us free to become slaves of God.  We are now free to become the real person that God intends for us, but only if we become His slave!  We long to do His will in our lives. 

If we would know the freedom to which God calls us, we must remember we are not hired, we are owned.  We have been bought by the kindest of Masters with the most precious of prices…….. the blood of His Only Begotten Son. 

                                  So, who are you gonna serve?

“It might be the Devil, and it might be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody.”

Adam’s responsibilities in the Garden included: reflect God’s image, take care of and protect the garden, name the animals, rule over all creatures, refrain from eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, and dominate the earth.

Initially, Adam was alone. Even with Eve’s help, these jobs are “mundane” compared to what we typically think of as noble and lofty tasks.

We may find that our own garden is full of thorns and thistles, not productive.  We are often discouraged that our small patch of earth isn’t worth much, but God has shown us, that it doesn’t take a Garden of Eden for us to be productive. 

We each have our own “gardens” to take care of and protect; we have our homes, workplaces, families, friends, communities, and countries. Only humans that were created in God’s image can connect the physical with the spiritual. There is glory to be shared in everything we say and do, even the most mundane of tasks.

Care for your spiritual garden.  It is God’s gift to you.  How can you do this? 

Be in touch with Him.  Study to show yourself approved, as Paul writes to Timothy.  (2 Timothy 2:15)

Your Garden will bloom and bear fruit.  Your good works will be your gift to our Creator. 

                        Yes, you can be God’s Gardener!

You found a bargain.  It’s just what you have been searching for and there it was.  A big sale.  You grabbed one.  Yeah!!  That’s Joy. 

But unfortunately, that joy only lasts for a short while and then it’s something else that we need, wanted, desire, crave…..etc etc. 

Joy can be a smile from someone in the grocery store; a letter from a distant friend; a Happy Meal for the grandkids; everyone loves your spaghetti! That first cup in the morning.

However, these bring temporary joy.  Real joy is found only in the realization that God is our Father and loves us.

He also gives joy in simple everyday living. Things we often take for granted.  The birds singing their song; the little squirrel on the fence unafraid of being with us. 

As I write this, I look out my window and see a blanket of snow on everything.  I know that spring is coming.  God planned it that way.  We have seasons, we have times, we have blessings.

 Despite the pain in my left knee; the aching back; the often-sleepless nights.  I know that there is more than this life.     

 Be filled with a sense of awe.  Joy can be found in kindness, honesty and in the acceptance that you are a special creation.  You are unique!

Everyone reading this has problems in life.  You have yours, I have mine. But take heart.  God knows.  It will work out.  Perhaps not in the ways you expect.  Joy comes in knowing that He is able. 

                                     Just perhaps you are looking for joy.

                                                Real Joy will find you!!

                               “Thou shalt not Steal;” Genesis 20:15

                                                              That’s It?

God didn’t elaborate on just what He meant.  Just what is stealing anyway?  You would say. “Taking something that doesn’t belong to you.”  Sounds so simple.   Could there be a deeper meaning that we are missing?  No wonder the rabbis spend a lifetime contemplating this command. 

I certainly haven’t spent much time thinking about this commandment.   We all feel safe.  We have never stolen anything.  We aren’t thieves.  We didn’t rob houses.  We never took a shirt from Walmart!

God might just have something else in mind when he told Moses to write this down.

Perhaps God meant not taking from Him.  How can we take anything from God?  He is the Giver, and we receive. 

Every good and perfect gift is from Him.  But we also could be stealing from Him. 

We steal time!  We take the time he has allotted to us and spend our minutes/ hours doing for ourselves.  Time stealing is a major problem for all of us.

Stealing is an active verb.  Stealing involves action.   Stealing time from God can be subtle but still active.    We spend wasted time on caring for ourselves.  Not all bad.  We do need our down time. However, time is a precious commodity.

 Just perhaps we are stealing time from God.  Doing good works, helping others,  study, worship.  These are good uses of our precious time.  These are active uses our time. 

Could you give up that TV show for worship?  Could you stay an extra hour helping and listening to a friend who needs you?  Could you visit the sick friend in a hospital.  Just being there. 

We show our love to God by how we care for the time given us. 

                                                Let us not steal from God. 

                                                 We can be reformed thieves!

      Why am I here?    What am I doing anyway!  What should be my goals in life?  Does my life have meaning? 

We all have goals in life, whether you recognize them or not.  Perhaps it is the acquisition of money in the bank. Acquiring a new skill. More intellectual knowledge. Getting ourselves “right” with God! When we purpose with sincerity and honesty, we will seek to find God’s purpose for us. 

Sometimes the very thing we think is our purpose isn’t what God intended. 

God doesn’t wake me up in the middle of the night with a message about my purpose.  Wish He did.  Things might be easier that way.  He lets me muddle through at times and finally with a little push, a door will  open. 

I never intended on getting old.    That was just for others.  Then suddenly, I was one of the them!!

Since I am on the short side of life, my purpose has changed.  I am not raising children, making lots of cookies, or being in a carpool. 

            So, what’s my purpose now?  I can’t really have long term goals. 

Each day might present a new purpose.  I do know that He wants me to be a disciple.  That means making myself open to sharing my faith.  It might mean just giving an encouraging smile to the waiter. Saying hello to a complete stranger. Helping at a local soup kitchen. Laying aside money for a meaningful cause. 

One good friend works at the local prison.  Helping the prisoners to help themselves when they return to the world.  He asks them, “If your life now isn’t working for you, how will you change it?”  Their old purpose didn’t work, now they need a new purpose! 

Having a sense of purpose is what we all need, not just those prisoners.  It need not be something spectacular but should be meaningful. 

                                    Having a purpose will put you to work.    

                                           Have you found your purpose? 

When I was a kid one of my favorite activities was to connect dots.  I would take my pencil and go to each number given.  In the end after all the dots were connected there was a picture!  I then could color the picture and had a work of art!

There was a story I read about a little girl in Bible school.  The teacher asked them all to draw angels or perhaps a picture of baby Jesus in the manager.  One little girl was drawing furiously.  The teacher asked her, “Mary what are you drawing?”  She replied…”. I’m drawing a picture of God. “To which the teacher replied……”No one knows what God looks like.”

  Mary told her……..”They will in a minute!”

We too might like a picture of God.  We like visuals.  We see shapes in clouds, and rainbows make us happy. All Moses saw was a burning bush!

We can’t quite connect all the dots in our life.   How is God using this problem for my good?  I can’t see where this is going.  The big picture just isn’t there for me. I wish I had Mary’s faith.  She was able to “see” God.  In her childlike faith she connected the dots! 

But then again………. When I look backward from where I am now, suddenly those dots connect.   I can see what God was doing after all. 

                                    That’s why faith is so important. 

      We often cannot connect the dots from where we stand now

But wait!

                                          God is connecting the dots.