Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

What draws people to Christ?  Scripture tells us that His Holy Spirit woos them.   So we can and should tell others about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. But it is God who moves in their hearts to want to receive Him. Then what? Once a seed is planted, it needs to be watered in order for it to grow and become whatever it is. Without water, the right soil, and sunshine, the seed will die. Once the Holy Spirit is planted into a soul, it too needs watering and loving care, or it too will never mature. Spiritual growth is a crucial part of drawing others to Christ.  How so?  When others see genuine love in our church communities, they will be drawn to God. But if we remain childish, not letting God have full sway in our lives to grow us up, our growth will be stilted and others may not want to join us. Growing up is hard.  That's why we call it "growing pains."  Yet that is precisely what we are called by God to do.  Scripture is filled wit...

Perhaps you think I am going to say that the #1 thing that changes people is God.  And that is true.  Only God can change a human heart. However, there is something that we can do to help others along the way, and it is this: Accept them as they are. It is that simple. People can sense when we are judging them.  No matter what we say on the outside, our thoughts and demeanor carry an intangible weight. Are we placing ourselves in God's position by acting as judge and jury?  "I would never do that," you may claim.   Yet we do it all the time when we make judgments about others.  Is it possible to see only the good, and is that what God requires of us? Well, let's go to the Source and see what He has to say about the matter.  As always, He is very straightforward about it, if only we would listen and obey! “ Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measu...

In the age of "unfriending" and "ghosting," divisiveness and polarizing, it is more crucial than ever that we be grounded in God's personal love for us. It is very easy to fall into the trap of comparing God's love for us to people's love for us. God's love is unlike human love in every possible, imaginable way.  The love we give and receive from others is but a taste, a tiny glimpse, of God's vast love for us.  They really cannot be compared at all, if we are honest with ourselves. People can be very fickle.  People change.  People have issues of their own that they are either dealing with or in denial of.  People can be looking more to get love than to give love.  Most wait to give love until they get it from another first.  It is the rare person who gives love freely without expectation. That is exactly how God loves us.  We love because He first loved us (see I John 4:19). While the world seems to be spinning out of control, resulting in a so...

I have struggled a very long time with my experiences with some Christians.  I could not figure out how they could claim to know God, some of them for decades, and still have such hatred, bitterness, and anger in their hearts. I could not figure out how they could treat others so unkindly, with no real love or compassion; hold onto grudges and such. Maybe you have met those kinds of Christians and they have turned you off to God and Jesus. I am here to say that I get you.  I totally understand where you are coming from.  And I am not going to make excuses for those people who harmed you, harmed me. But I heard a message online today from some very Spirit-filled Christian ladies and a light bulb went off in my mind.   I figured out why some Christians are not loving like the Jesus they claim to know and love. They have not let Jesus love them. They have not let Jesus fully into the broken places of their hearts. They have not let Jesus minister to them at a deep ...

We are called to love one another.  That is Jesus' command to us - Love each other as I have loved you, He said.   We can do this as a doctor, as a wife, as a mother, as a ditch digger, as a movie star, as a singer, as a high school teacher -- you catch my drift. Our job title or role factors into it zero when it comes to loving others.  We are to love people wherever we go, whatever we do.  This is Jesus' non-negotiable for us.  This is our foundational calling. Jobs comes, jobs go.  Relationships change.  Status wavers.  Careers can leave us wanting more and eventually end.   We have many assignments and roles in life - they change with the seasons or years, depending on our age or circumstances. But our main calling never changes.  Not ever.   If we're the greatest _______ (fill in the blank) who ever lived and yet have little love in our hearts, we're missing our calling. We've come to value the wrong things in li...

I am convinced that most people have a skewed viewpoint of God due to how they have been mistreated by people.   People cannot love us like Jesus can.  True fact. And then there are those who do not know how to show love, really, because they have never received the love of God.  So they fight against the very One - the only One - who can give them the love they need and crave. So I am writing this not to suggest, not to tell, not to cajole you to not blame God for how others have mistreated you.  I am writing to implore, beg, and plead with you - do NOT blame God for the pain and suffering you have experienced and endured at the hands of wounded, hurting people.   That is not from God.  Ever. God loves you.  I wish I could write this in 20 miles high letters in writing across the entire world's sky! His love for you is personal, intimate, vast, wide, deep, everlasting, pure, good, true, unchanging, unconditional, and so much more. ...

Do you know what it feels like to be misunderstood?  Do you have people in your life who truly "get" you? If no two people are really like, including identical twins, then how can there be "kindred" spirits?  Can we be like anyone else if we're not like anyone else?! When we feel misunderstood, like others just don't "get" us, it can be frustrating.  We all want to be accepted as we are.  But what if "as we are" is not at all how others perceive us? Remember, people look at us through their, mostly distorted, lens.  We don't truly see others, either, most of the time. But the comfort lies in this:  there is one - the only one, really - who knows us through and through.  He "gets" us because He made us!  No one else on earth can claim this place in our lives.  Though our mothers birthed us and probably know us better than anyone, there is still one who sits far and above even our mothers when it comes to being understood:  th...

Many years ago, I was part of a wonderful, small, and very loving church.  The pastor's wife was not typical in her appearance or personality.  She was artsy, dressed very fashionably, and was forthright in how she spoke to others.  And she had a great sense of humor!   She wasn't quiet and meek.  Nor was she boisterous or unbecoming. When she spoke, I listened.  She was a friend and I trusted her. Now since it was such a small group of us, she had time to meet up with me whenever I'd ask.  It wasn't often, but when I did, she was there for me. I spent three and a half heavenly years with that fellowship before the Lord moved me to another city. When I told my friend, the pastor's wife, that I felt led to move on, I could tell she was saddened to see me go.  It was clear that she preferred that I stay with them - the fellowship - but she wanted what was best for me.  And she knew that following the Lord was best for me.  Then she sp...