It's not uncommon to get stuck in a personal 'spin cycle.' You've experienced that, right? Think of a 'dirt devil' - a dingy mini-whirlwind of dirt and dust that envelopes, distracts and isolates within the limits of its vortex. A weak little formation, in fact, but all consuming in experience and since we're at the center of the the swirl, our vision is diminished by the debris. God will not leave us to this demise, but forms His Whirlwind to speak into our little twister. The contrast could not be more compelling. He moves as the mighty cyclone in power, force and purpose. We simply spin and churn in our own...well, stuff. Distracted and distracting - like a poor soul tryin
Most of us prefer to take change gradually, if at all, so we can keep a sense of comfort and normalcy. Newton's First Law says, 'A body at rest will remain at rest until...' Yeah, so, God knows that sometimes pressure and a jolt are required. And we have decisions to make. When the pressures build and the jolt comes and we're hurled headlong into change and the chaos of the process, how will we respond? For indeed, our response is key in how quickly and readily we'll make the shift. And all that is hard when it feels like it came out of left field. (Hence the jolt.) The reality is that the pressures have been orchestrated and building for some time. But not for our harm. To
God's biblical calendar connects the dots of His Word to this world...in real time. Example: We're in His 11th month and in scripture the number 11 is linked to things out of order, chaotic, and unsettled. Of course, that has no relevance for us right now as individuals or as a nation.....right? Why disorder? Eleven is linked to the aftermath of betrayal: Eleven brothers remain after they betray Joseph. Eleven disciples after the betrayal by Judas. Disorder breaks out - sometimes for days - sometimes for years. Not a good feeling while you're in the midst of it all. Yet God loves to leverage times of chaos and crazy, of instability and 'insanity.' Shifts are made, work is ac
Most world cultures are fascinated with the start of a new year. So many wild traditions that are done the very first thing to try and bring good or avoid bad luck. We don't agree with the practices but we do agree with this: How we start matters. Firsts count. They point to priorities, beliefs, hopes, and even love. What are the 'firsts' you practice and where are they leading you? All firsts have a trajectory; an end point. In scripture, firsts are highly important to God. First word, first command, first nation, first love, first hope. God has set it so that firsts don't exclude other things but they provide a context, alignment and perspective so that the others are valu
