Posts Tagged ‘weakness’

Awake from your Slumber

pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks ~1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 My prayer life has sucked lately. It’s one of those things you don’t dare say as a Christian but if we are honest with each other I think we can all admit we have times where we just struggle with some particular part of our walk, whether it be prayer or reading or being kind or patient. For whatever reason though it’s okay to admit we are struggling with patience but prayer and staying in the Word seem uncouth as if we lose part of our Christianity if we dare admit it. I’m unclear why I felt dried up in this area. In reflection there are things on the horizon for me which will require deeper strength and diligence and wisdom. Perhaps like a tree without water I needed to be thirsty in order to grow roots much deeper into… [Read More]

Through a Child’s eyes

Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ~Matthew 18:3 I got a note from my sister several weeks ago, posted to facebook, that said my nephew had prayed and asked Jesus into his heart. He’s 3. My sister figured he wouldn’t remember but later that night while praying before bed he prayed “thank you Jesus for coming into my heart, I love you God”. Several weeks before, I was visiting my brother in law who is going through some deep struggles of his own. Old Dana would have written him off. Angry and bitter, determined to let someone else’s problems be their own, I would have pulled the knowledge card. I know better, I’d never let myself get there, you deal with it. But when it all happened, as each new detail was revealed, I tried to… [Read More]

The Sin you Love

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. ~James 1:14-15 The sin you hate is the sin you love. Seems a little confusing right? Sin is always enticing, otherwise why do it? Each of us struggles with different things and while one thing may stumble you, it may not weaken me. Those things which stumble us most often are those that we can easily pick out in others. They drive us crazy. It’s impossible to save someone from themselves when you haven’t looked into yourself first. Matthew 7: 3-5 tells us this plainly. Yet for me, I’m constantly in the mode to critique others without first coming before God on my knees for my own struggles and inadeqacy. If you’ve ever played any… [Read More]

Love, Marriage, and Super Hero’s

My little nephew was running around the house as we waited for the rehearsal dinner for my sisters wedding playing with his toy sword and killing bad guys(rocks). As someone asked him where he was going after mommy got married he started rambling on about his “big friends” in rapid succession: Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Tinkerbell. He is so excited to go see them. The whole situation of love, marriage, and superhero’s got me thinking. The story of Superman is fascinating as a young kid. Someone who can’t be hurt, who fights for justice, and rights the wrongs. He has one only weakness, kryptonite, that make his power hopeless and strips him down to human. Since, as a little kid, we don’t know of any kryptonite, we run around pretending simply that we are invincible and can fix or right anything. Somewhere along the line as we grow older we lose… [Read More]

We make it far to easy

Now they sin more and more; ~Hosea 13:2 Over the past couple of weeks I have been working in Boston for a company near the Garden. While I do feel blessed to have a job in this economy, I also hate getting up that early to do something I don’t feel benefits the kingdom of God in any respect. Early Thursday morning, after rolling out of bed at 5am I began my trek to the train station in the center of town. There was a fresh coat of snow on the ground and it continued to fall from the sky. I threw on my jacket and pulled my hat down over my head. As is generally the case when I’m alone with my thoughts, I had an epiphany. About halfway to the train station I realized I had been following earlier footsteps in the snow. Some were freshly stomped, as… [Read More]

Let the horse do the work

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.. ~Matt 11:28   “I want you to take your hands off the reigns and trot over the bars without holding on.” The instructor said. “You want me to do what?” I looked down at her perplexed from atop a beautiful, large horse. I hadn’t ridden on a horse in over 20 years and I had only been on this one for about 15 minutes. “You’re leaning forward with your shoulders, using your own power to keep you up.” She replied. “You need to sit back more and allow the horse to do the work.” I’m a sports guy, I’ve played them my entire life. The instructor went on to explain that in sports you are trained to lead with your shoulder and in horseback riding it’s the complete opposite. There’s this large, powerful horse… [Read More]

Get off your butt

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ~2 Corinthians 12:9 Any one who’s ever been in a relationship long enough or who is married has seen this scenario. You both are exhausted, you can barely keep your eyes open. Maybe you’re lounging on the couch or falling asleep in bed. And then men, you hear “Honey, could you get me a glass of water?” Perhaps if your relationship is young you jump up and grab that glass of water or whatever she asked for. But the day comes later on when you’ve been together so long that the voice in your head wants to tell her “Your legs aren’t broken, I’m tired.” See, the Bible tells us to die to self(1 Peter 2:24) but inevitable our selfish nature creeps back in. When we started out as new Christians with our baby relationship we… [Read More]

I met someone

I will lead the blind along ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. – Isaiah 42:16 Coming back from lunch, I parked in my familiar spot and reclined my chair. David Crowder was playing through my ipod as I day dreamed for the last 20 minutes of lunch. I like to zone out during lunch, take my mind off of things and just relax. I stare at a computer screen for 8hrs a day so breathing in some fresh air and closing my eyes does wonders to break up the day. Moments later I caught a silhouette in my side mirror, followed it through my rear view mirror, and then suddenly through the passenger side mirror… She was walking up to my door! She caught me off guard, with a… [Read More]

Holding on to long

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. ~Romans 12: 9-10 We as a human race have a tendency to hold on to things just a tad to long. How about that favorite t-shirt? The one will the moth size holes all in it. That’s still sitting in your bottom drawer and you’ll pull out every now and then to wear working around the house or working out at the gym. It’s probably time to let go but we have memories, sentimental ones, that we just don’t want to let go. That may be a very simplistic example but consider this; We all have fleshly desires and pitfalls that regardless of how strong our walk is with God we continue to hold on to. The longer we hold on to these materialist desires the more we are… [Read More]