For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
Truth is, you always have some advantage. But, you will never discover what it is if you live your whole life comparing yourself to and competing with others.
JC ©2018
Caution: Read at your own risk
Truly, the saying Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true is a wise saying.
I recently did a series on how God sometimes chooses to disrupt our lives, as seen from the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. The title of the first post was somewhat a prayer. I was seeing so many amazing things, so many amazing stories come alive. I’ve seen God answer prayers in unexpected ways and at unexpected times, but I was totally unprepared for what happened this time.
I had lost my voice sometime in September of last year after a dental procedure. Went a couple months sounding like I had a really bad cold, but I was never sick during that time. Despite exploring different vocal exercises I found on YouTube, in addition to my continuous consumption of warm fluids, tea, ginger candy, and mostly water – as a singer, these were really important – my voice only got worse. So, in early December, about the time of the Disrupt series, I booked an appointment to see an ENT. I was told I had a laryngeal cyst (it was a big, ugly thing in the back of my throat – I got pictures) and advised to schedule surgery – actually a microsurgery, but surgery nonetheless.
There were so many questions on my mind. Continue reading Careful what you ask for
Ever wondered about that?
But why not?
Why not them instead of a younger couple somewhere who had been waiting just 5 or 10 years?
God had His reasons. But as we can also notice, Elizabeth and Zechariah were tried, tested, and found to be true by God. They were consistent both in prayer and in service.
Think of it: “…your prayer has been heard…”
Zechariah had probably served as a priest all his life. So, if anyone understood the gravity of the instructions that were given for baby John, he did. He and his wife would have all the love you could expect to find in elderly folk – all that raw, pure love – without any of the compromise and the lure of the modern-day life. They would be loving enough yet also old-fashioned enough to understand instructions like “… no wine and no strong drink…”
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
You know, it’s amazing how God sometimes goes out of His way to make things happen for us.
Zechariah was afraid, no doubt, when the angel Gabriel showed up in the temple. I wonder what kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind in that instant, and how many. I am almost certain that one of those thoughts may have been that he would not make it out of the temple alive. I wonder if there was an awkward pause in that moment – if Gabriel observed him for a second before proceeding with his message – or if he made an appearance and just dived in. Whatever the case, Gabriel reassured him: “…Do not be afraid…”
The next thing Gabriel says surprises me somewhat, maybe because I somehow got excited too quickly and skipped ahead too fast in the reading. But, yes, coming back to this verse really surprised me.
…Do not be afraid… your prayer has been heard…
Hold on a minute. “Your prayer has been heard?” Continue reading Disrupt… (II): Your prayer has been heard
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Miracles are for disrupting the status quo. I like to think of it as God’s way of having fun. God loves to do the impossible. I’ve seen it many times, both in Scripture and in my personal life.
Now, we humans love having our minds blown – but not always the way God does it. Sometimes, His methods make us leap for joy; at other times, we have to sit and wonder what He is doing. Yes, we literally have to keep shut and let Him be God. Continue reading Disrupt my world: Zechariah
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:19 NKJV
How can we know something that surpasses knowledge? And how can we grasp something that is beyond reach?
JC ©2015
Two nights ago, I stumbled across some notes I took a few years ago while trying to follow a 21-day challenge by Pastor Kerry Shook. The first of the reference verses jumped at me as I read. My God. I had seen and read this verse many times before but it just became so real to me in a different way than I had always thought about it.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.
