Last time, we talked about offering to God those hints of angst that have no words.
For example, while floating in the hot springs pool and minding my own business, I randomly asked God the meaning of life.
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Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
I have some permanent lines on my face as I’ve gotten (a bit!) older. I like the horizontal “smile lines” on the edges of my face. I also have vertical lines between my eyebrows.
I got those because I have been confused most of my life.
It’s NOT that I ever get angry! I’m mad that you think that! Anyway, the article below shows one of the ways I felt (a bit!) confused at times.
And oh!
This article is one of the crowd favorites, so I’m sure there MUST BE some wisdom in the confusion! May you gain more insight as you read, even if you feel a bit more confused at first, too! I hope this helps you!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Click HERE to continue reading.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
As mentioned last time, I may not write QUITE as many new articles in the next while because I have to get my youngest kid ready to move out.1
Please “enjoy” reading about and laughing (at THEM, not ME!) in this previously published article.
You weren’t paying enough attention last time anyway, so you might as well reread it!
My family, it seems, is seeking some sort of revenge because of the embarrassing things I wrote about them and posted on the internet this week. But I don’t think that kind of attitude is a very Christian response! We are supposed to forgive those who wrong us! Wait – Let me find the right Bible passage to support my cause.
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Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
When my dog ran to greet me as I arrived home, I questioned him with exasperation, “Aren’t you ever going to lay an egg or DO something useful?”
The next day, my alarm blared earlier than my preference. I was up, busy (Of course!). My dog lay curled up in his comfy bed, his little eyes still closed.
“Wake up, Wake up!” I yelled at him.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
“How are you going to get all the things on your list done today, if you’re lying there, asleep for such a long time?” I asked my dog. And then I remembered that “Lie down and sleep for a while” WAS one of the items on my dog’s to-do list. And so, these thoughts got me perseverating on the fact that ALL of my pets (a dog AND a bunny) are completely useless!
Why did we have all the useless animals?
My friends have goats, chickens, and things that actually DO something!
And then, the next day, as we were driving home, our dog climbed onto my daughter’s lap as we drove silently. My daughter and I were pondering the discouraging news we just received. Our dog seemed to lick her a little more often.
I don’t know why.
Maybe because she was a little more ready to receive his love that day? She realized she needed an extra hug. She brought him with her to her seat, after all, instead of leaving him in the backseat, where he often sits, waiting for someone to notice him so he can love them.
And as we drove home that day, I remembered that loving others IS actually the most productive thing we can do in a day.
And so, perhaps, maybe my pets aren’t COMPLETELY useless.
These thoughts unintentionally reminded me of that season in our church when we got a LOT of things right. But I forgot to love people QUITE as well as I had in past seasons, I realized later.1 I may have taken them for granted a bit, remembering they would always be there in the backseat, ready to love me when I needed it (They were).
Our dog is the one who (irritatingly) seems to remember the most important things.
I, however, unfortunately, seem incapable of learning this lesson, but my interactions with my dog this week were ANOTHER STOP sign, it seemed, that God was placing in front of me, hoping I would notice.
Could it be that Holy Spirit is sitting right there next to my mini-goldendoodle, or your dog or cat or bunny or other useless animal you notice out your window, willing to offer a crumb of His love to any of us who notice him?
While I was trying harder and doing more, there was a yawning emptiness under it all that no amount of activity, Christian or otherwise, could fill.
(Oh! And the joy comes after we remember these most essential things.)
. . . in your presence there is fullness of joy . . .
So that’s why I’m going to try to be more like my dog (or my bunny) a little more often this week and a little less frequently, a reflection of my friend’s (helpful!) goat.
How about you?
Oh! And by the way, doggy love changes the world and culture, too! Proven HERE in the news this week.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
As the song below plays, consider asking God – What is the ONE most important priority to focus on this week? What is one small step you can take to remember this priority item? (And may you give and receive a little more love from your furry friends – or even God! – this week, friend.)
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits – My AWESOME Dog by ME, Need Some Love? by Helena Lopes on Unsplash, and Did You Stop For The MOST Important Things? by Juli Kosolapova on Unsplash, My AWESOME Bunny by ME.
1 Although it was mostly their fault.
As mentioned last time, I may not write QUITE as many new articles in the next while because I have to get my youngest kid ready to move out1.
And if you are still deep in the throes of homeschooling, friend, or are trying to get through another nearly impossible situation this winter, well, JUST GET THROUGH FEBRUARY.
You got this.
Click HERE to continue reading.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
I may not write QUITE as many new articles in the next while because I have to get my youngest kid ready to move out. What that involves is figuring out all the ways I messed her up, and then gently revisiting those topics to say things like, “Ha Ha! I was kidding! Of course!”
That type of process is what motivated our first daughter to begin her own healing journey, so I’m hoping the same method works again!
Click HERE to continue reading.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
Tony Robbins1 is larger than life, both in terms of stature (6’7” – 1.98 m) and influence.
I have considered myself larger than life as well. For example, that time when I gained some weight! So, I point out, however humbly, that there are some slight similarities in the impact of my life, Tony Robbins’ life, and God!
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
The context of today’s article is that I was part of the energetic, jumping crowd that listened to some of Tony Robbins’ free Time-To-Rise teaching series on YouTube this week.
When Tony Robbins’ talk began this week, I thought he said there were two billion people at his online meeting. At that level, he would be helping almost as many people as Jesus in that moment! However, I got order of magnitude confused, and it was ONLY two million people that he was helping!
It’s easy to mix up how many zeros there are after a number when we consider how many people we have helped!
As for me, I don’t have quite as many zeros after my two people that I have helped,2 but, as Tony Robbins helpfully points out, it’s not the order of magnitude that matters so much as how much value you provide!
Tony Robbins set himself the goal of helping feed one billion people.3
Jesus feeds every person on the planet every moment, if our eyes are open enough to see. For example, check out this YouTube channel. He is helping lots of people!
I am not up there on that website of people Jesus helped because I don’t have a neck tattoo, and I didn’t spend time in jail (which is basically the same thing) before I decided to follow Jesus, so my story is less interesting, but He still helps me!
And there are tons of other people with boring4 lives like mine that Jesus also helped!
For now, we have firmly established that Tony Robbins and Jesus5 help people! A future article will compare the details of how Tony Robbins helps people (He helps a lot of people!) and how God helps people (God also helps a lot of people!). We hope that, after delving into this theme in more detail, you, too, can find someone (awesome) to help you transform your life!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – Which Way Will You Go, Friend? by Majestic Lukas on Unsplash
1 A guy who helps people. Learn more below.
2 For example, I helped two people in my church a few years ago! Once, I helped a child in our church find her toy after I gave her toy to my daughter because I liked my daughter more! I also helped one other person way before that, but I can’t remember the details now.
3 It should be noted, just as an aside, that I feed my family almost every night, which is also impressive because I’ve cooked even when I didn’t want to!
4 And by boring, I mean exciting because I write online, so of course I have a fascinating life under the boring bits!
5 (And me!)
In the last article, we discussed the hints of a spiritual revival breaking out, especially among youth. Here’s another example of a quiet revival that occurred among some youth several years ago. And when I say ‘quiet revival,’ it wasn’t so quiet.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
A few Christian youths who lingered after church to pray made international news headlines.
The Washington Post: Why students at Asbury University are praying and singing round the clock
The Washington Post: Asbury University revival set to end after attracting thousands
A reminder that the Washington Post isn’t sympathetic to the majority of a Christian worldview on social issues. The newsworthy facts remained that over 60,000-70,000 people from 200 academic institutions and multiple countries came to a sleepy 6,000-person town over two weeks to experience the felt sense of God’s love more deeply. This event, however startling, was not entirely dissimilar from what has happened in previous generations and places when multitudes gave their lives to Jesus.
Many of us have experienced something similar to what happened at these events.
For example, several years ago, I was sitting beside a lake one morning, minding my own business, when God’s spirit ushered into my life and gently woke me.
Not from my sleep but from my life.
Wake up! Holy Spirit seemed to be nudging me.
What happened at Asbury reminded me of this experience. A bunch of regular kids attended a church service. It was an uneventful day.
But God‘s spirit rushed in and grabbed them, gently shaking them with a deeper awareness of His love.
The kids stayed and worshiped.
We know someone who attended that event. This person said that the sense of God‘s love was palpable as soon as you entered the building. Many others felt it too. In the sermon that Zach Meerkreebs preached just before this outbreak, he said, “Make sure you experience God‘s love. Don’t graduate until you have experienced God‘s love. Don’t leave this building until you have experienced God’s love.”
How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding – this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!
And, coincidentally perhaps, I was asked this question this morning: How would this (day, month, or) year look different if you really understood that you are deeply loved? A good question. (Who wouldn’t fly around the world to experience a bit more of the felt presence of God’s love?)
But we can also experience this type of powerful felt presence of God’s love in our own homes.
The time when God touched me, powerfully, precisely as happened in Asbury, I also experienced a deeper understanding of God’s love just before it. I had listened to a sermon by Rolland Baker. He said that many of us are seeking outpouring, seeking even what happened in places like Asbury, but what we need to seek is simply God.
And so this touch of God at Asbury that shook the world, that is waking us up to say, there is more, is possible within each of our hearts and in our homes and in our churches in every moment.
Got time for God?
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – Where is Love Found? by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Recent articles on this Substack taught us:
These startling truths came from a story I was telling about when I made some doggy pants HERE and HERE.
Here is the last part of that story:
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
As I was about to leave the coffee shop, I thought Holy Spirit was nudging me to buy another coffee. But I didn’t want another coffee! “Maybe my life is not entirely about what I want,” I reminded myself.
I stood in line.
Clerks were running everywhere, and many different people were taking orders. Again, I wasn’t surprised when I got the same clerk, because this felt like a God-appointment.
Ask him about his church, Holy Spirit seemed to prompt my heart as I ordered coffee.
“Hey, you said you are a Christian. Have you found a good group of people at a church around here to belong to?”
I wasn’t surprised when he said no. Theology that revolved around the type and frequency of product he smoked, the topic of our earlier conversation, didn’t seem completely orthodox. “Even though my mom is an atheist, I used to go to church. But I don’t have a ride right now,” he said as he gave me my change.
Again, a nudge from the Lord.
Do you have a car? Holy Spirit seemed to ask me, tongue in cheek. I offered him a ride to our thriving church. He declined, and I presumed there were deeper reasons why He wasn’t part of a church community.
I walked away, carrying a bagel I was too full to eat.
Lord, there is so much spiritual food here at Your table. May many young men truly know they are forgiven and loved and thus seek their next steps in a relationship with You and other believers. May these young men find another who can lead them to the feast.
Update to this article: This story is perhaps an UNSUCCESSFUL example of spiritual renewal. However, this event happened a couple of years ago, and since then, God has been answering my prayer (I state, however humbly). For example, check out this report from Britain1.
News of a growing number of young people – and in particular young men – turning back to Christian faith has grabbed the attention of even the secular media in recent months.
Premier Christianity – 6 Lessons You May Have Missed From The Quiet Revival
To be clear, I am NOT talking about a rise in Christian Nationalism, which is weird, but I am talking about young men nudged by Holy Spirit to show up at church. Then they get touched by God, and their lives are transformed, which is not weird (In the traditional sense of the word – wait – maybe that is weird, but weird in a good way!)
I hope everything is much clearer for you now!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
1 We are excitedly noticing a similar trend of a quiet revival among youth in our area of Canada.
I can finally be authentic and write about something I know a lot about! The promise in the title of today’s article is TRUE in my own life! So I can actually help you today!
As you know, and I’ve humbly hinted at once (or possibly twice?), people in over fifty countries have read my online writing!
Join people in over fifty countries who read this!
Let me share my formula (”Patint1” Pending) for how to get strangers to like you, too, even though physical (what do you call those who aren’t online?) people in your life find you (very!) annoying!
First, a story to illustrate the process.
You can read the first half of the story HERE. (Bonus: You can also read a helpful analysis of how to know if you are a Christian, based on the type of cigarette or weed you smoke there!) In that helpful article, I begin by explaining my magnetism, noting that I followed (what seemed to be) God’s nudge to sew some pants.
I ended up making doggy pants.
And now, without further ado, here is more of that story of the clerk and me at Tim Hortons.
After these initial discussions between the clerk at Tim Hortons and me, it seemed that God wasn’t finished speaking to him yet, but I had some pressing paperwork to do. I’m busy! Would I trust Him to interrupt my more essential tasks again?
It started when I realized that their staff had burned my bagel.
I could eat a bagel, slightly dark at the edges.
Tell them it seemed God was saying.
Really? How rude! Plus, I already had one (successful!) interaction in which it seemed God somehow fed this young man a crumb.
“Why did I have to ruin it by criticizing the food and be a loser again, God?” I wondered.
After sulking for a bit (which I would NEVER do!), I obeyed this seeming nudge, and coincidentally, perhaps, it was the same young man whose turn it was to speak to me. Several others were working the till. I showed him my bagel and explained that I recently learned that burned food contains carcinogens, substances capable of causing cancer.
I apologized for the nuisance.
“Maybe I should come to you for advice!” the clerk called loudly across the restaurant, as I walked away.
(!)
I smiled. He thinks he is drawn to me, but he is drawn to You in me. May he learn the difference.
We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at.
And so, how do we get the servers at Tim Hortons AS WELL AS people in over fifty countries (who have read my stuff2), to like us?
How would I know? [Editor’s Note: Online writers are confident!]
Well, as confidently explained in THIS ARTICLE, I believe people like to listen to me and to read my online writing for one of the following reasons:
a. They are laughing with (or at?3) me.
b. God sometimes whispers between the words to mysteriously touch their soul, which should be the case for all of us who learn to listen to and follow Jesus4.
c. I am finding my inner cool.
But it might be b. Whatever. Regardless, we’ll finish this story another time.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – My Doggy Pants! by Someone Standing Nearby When I Needed A Picture Of My Doggy Pants! and Follow The Crowd! by Valentin Lacoste on Unsplash
1 Yes, I did spell that correctly. Why do you ask? The paperwork for an actual “Patent” is so tiresome!
2 Did I mention that?
3 It CAN’T be that entirely! Please!
4 He speaks through our lives. (So no, I’m NOT saying I’m special (you Loser!) because we’re all losers -but this is good news!– remember?)
Restoring Life 