Cheesy Thanksgiving Insight

I normally try to be thankful all year long so I rarely place extra emphasis on the "deep meaning" of Thanksgiving. But I had an insightful moment on Saturday on the beach at Cape May. Yes, are you jealous? Delisa, my lovely bride, and I had an overnight stay at the Jersey shore since my parents came down and watched the kids for us. (Thanks Mom and Dad.)
We walked out on the bright wide beach for a little while to see what it was like. We were on an exploration trip not staying in one place too long. It was a gorgeous day - clear sky, warm sun, big ocean. You've been there, done that. As we were leaving the beach we passed a lady sitting in the sand with her shoes off facing the ocean and the sun beaming down. She had a grin on her face and was looking in our direction. I said to her, "Enjoying the warm sun?" She said with deep contentment, "It's beautiful!"
As we kept walking by I wondered, "Does she realize who is blessing her - who set this up just to pour out the peace and warmth she felt?" I prayed that she would. God's goodness was after her that day, whether she know Him or not. Whether she trusts in Him or not. God is good and He pours out His goodness on everyone so that they will realize He is there and that there is much to be grateful for. So be thankful and see His goodness. (So how cheesy was that?)

Happy Birthday to me...

Happy Birthday to me...I turned 41 yesterday. I haven't thought about it much this week. When you are in your twenties and thirties you dread the day you turn forty. At my thirty-eighth Birthday, I ended up feeling forty and so for the proceeding 2 years I got through the idea of becoming forty, sober though it was. It felt great turning 40. The timing was right to merge my youthfulness with my years of experience.
Forty- one is boring. Nothing to dread and nothing to look forward to. I am reminded of God's love for me - mainly through my wonderful family who love me so much. So I pray the "Jabez prayer" from 1Chronicles 4,

"Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. Jabez cried out to the God of Israel,

'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request."

Not only do I need God's blessing I am convinced He loves me in a way that He wants to bless me. Thank you Father for your love and kindness toward me. Stephen

what does one do?

So in the past couple of weeks my husband and I have had some discussions. In the last blog that Stephen posted about peace it was brought to my attention once again. What does one do in the many different life situations without Jesus? I understand that some people believe in different religions, but sometimes I just can't help but feel as though without Jesus there is NO WAY I'd have true peace. Even in the worst of circumstances, I have something to rely on that is not myself. Some would criticize this thought process as being defeating and powerless. I am willing to be criticized. I know and I am very happy with the fact that I CANNOT make it on my own. I find great comfort knowing that the Almighty Creator God, my Aslan, of this universe is on my side - and not just on my side, but cheering, pushing, encouraging, challenging, and sometimes most importantly - waiting - for me. I feel His peace, even now as I type this and I have had yet another crazy week.

My husband's grandfather is currently on life support and probably going to be taken off in the next 24 hours. As sad as this is, the last time we visited it was so clear that he was just a shell of what used to be a vibrant human life. I take such peace knowing that this man who dedicated his hand to the hard work and sweat of his brow for his entire life is about to be wrapped up in the loving arms of Jesus.

So here I am again, just wondering, what would I do without Him? No assurance, no peace, no joy... it is hard for me to even imagine. As the Lord once showed my husband, I feel as though the world would become a desperately gray, barren, depressing place. I'm so thankful I know and believe... I want others to know this peace. Comment please - I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one...

His Love means My Peace

My beautiful wife Delisa lead Kids Club at our Saturday afternoon outreach at KCM in North Philly yesterday. Her topic was Jesus, the Prince of Peace. For kids in the inner city, "Shalom" is an obvious need. To conclude her teaching she had the kids write down things on a napkin that take their peace away. Then she had them pour water on each napkin and watch them disintegrate away.
As I closed my eyes to think on what takes my peace, fears came to my mind more than anything else. Fear in general and fear of failure, fear of lack, fear of.... I realized (or God reminded me) that most of the fears on my mind dealt with issues that haven't happened yet, but might. They were future possible events. Can I trust my Heavenly Father with my future? Can I ask Him to take this fear away about events down the road?
I then realized (or God reminded me) that He really does love and care for me. So YES, I can trust Him over future outcomes. I can have peace and I began sensing it right then with my eyes closed.
I later remembered ( or God reminded me) of the Scripture in 1John4, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
You are LOVED. Have a peaceful day. Later, Stephen

Light the Night - grateful

We did our first Light the Night last night in our front yard-games, refreshments and fun. I enjoyed meeting new people in our East Oreland neighborhood. We even met some from North Hills. It reminded me what a great neighborhood we have. Really nice people and lots of kids. I'm really grateful for that. That is a blessing that is hard to find today. I hope to see many of these newfound neighbors more often and see friendships develop. Last night's experience reminds me of a verse in the book of Psalms in chapter 133, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" Later, Stephen