Monday, December 28, 2009

Looking Forward, Looking Back

As we approach the end of 2009, we naturally look back to the accomplishments of the year.  We recall the resolutions made at the beginning of the year that died an early death.  We remember those that became part of our daily routine.  We think about the things we tried to change but couldn't and the things that we should have changed but didn't.

The problem is that we sometimes dwell upon our failures instead of our accomplishments.  We consider what we resolved to do but could not complete.  We then become frozen in our thinking.  Our thoughts become focused on our inability to complete what we started.  We must not let that happen.  We must break ourselves free from those thoughts.  Until we do, we cannot move forward.

As we look to 2010, we will spend time considering resolutions and goals for the new year.  We will think about those things that we tried.  We will decide to retry some and let others go.  How will we decide which to retry and which to let go?  In making those decisions, we must pause to consider what we wish to accomplish.  What are our goals, our dreams, our aspirations.  In deciding what to do, we will inevitably look back.  We must, however, not dwell in the past.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Back to the Basics

As a pastor, Bible School teacher, and spiritual leader, I have read many books in my life.  But I must admit that none, except the Bible, have caused me to pause and consider the words printed on its pages as did Mark Batterson's new book, Primal.  This book is sub-titled "A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity."  It is that sub-title that made me stop and consider every page I read.

The book revolves around the Great Commandment:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Mark asks the question, "What does it really mean to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?"  And in seeking the answer to this question, he takes the reader on a journey that explores the primal teachings of Christianity and challenges us out of our comfort zone.

In the style of writing that has become his trademark, Batterson draws upon stories from his own experience as well as physiology, astronomy, biochemistry, astrophysics, literature and history to propel the reader forward in his quest.  The journey is both intellectually stimulating and paradigmatically challenging.  I believe that it is nigh impossible to read this book and be unaffected.

In his engaging style, Mark urges the reader to unleash the creativity, the wonder, the compassion, the energy God gave them.  He encourages us to leave the comfortable, leave the traditional, and move toward the uncomfortable; to re-capture our child-like wonder of God, to embrace our right-brain creativity, and to worship God with ALL of our being--our thoughts, our emotions, our creativity, our intellect, our humor, our wonder, our energy.  Our ENTIRE being should be used, and focused, in our worship of the God of the universe.

With a new year approaching, many will make resolutions regarding lifestyle changes.  I highly encourage you to read Mark's book first.  Then make your resolutions.  I believe your life will never be the same.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Traditions

In today's installment of this year's Advent Series Silent Night, we explored the sign given the shepherds.  The angel told the shepherds that a Savior was born in Bethlehem.  They were told to look for the baby Jesus in a manger, wrapped in cloths.  This is not were one would expect to find a king...or the Messiah.  But this is where the angel told the shepherds to look.  Not in the ordinary places one would expect to find a newborn baby--especially a King.

God specifically gave direction to the shepherds because they would be looking for a king to be born in a palace...or at least laying in a crib.  If Messiah was born, surely He would be in comfortable surroundings.  It would never cross their minds to look for the Messiah in a barn, laying in a manger.  God HAD to given them explicit direction.

We are no different today.  Our traditions have bound us to one way to do things.  There is only one way to sing in church.  There is only one way to present the truth of God.  There is only one way to worship God.

Maybe it is time we listen to what God is telling us; maybe we are so focused on the trail of tradition that we are missing the new path God is blazing.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Challenging Thoughts

I am presently reading Mark Batterson's new book Primal. My review of the book will be up next week, but I could not let some initial thoughts pass.

I was barely into the book before I was hit between the eyes. On page 3, Mark wonders "if the accumulated layers of Christian traditions and institutions have unintentionally obscured what lies beneath.". A powerful statement. A challenging statement.

As we celebrate another Christmas, as we close another year and look expectantly to 2010, let us reconsider what it truly means to call ourselves Christian. If we are to be "Christ-like", should we pay attention to what He said and not tradition?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Communication: Staying in Touch

Yesterday, I spent part of the morning working on the phone lines at the church.  We had lost dial tone on the phones and was about to call the phone company.  I just happened to be in the furnace room where the electric and phone lines enter the building.  Looking at the phone line, I spied the problem.  A splice had been torn apart.

Everyone understands that for current to pass through a wire, it needs to be intact.  There can be no interruptions in the system.  This is where the problem lay.  The electrical signals could not pass through the splice because the splice had been torn apart--there was no connection.

Our lives are similar.  The relationships in our lives are like splices in the phone cable.  As long as the splices are in good repair; as long as our relationships are in good repair, the connections hold and communication takes place.  The connections must be sound for communication to happen.

The splice in the phone cable was torn apart by outside forces.  The forces were stronger than the joint, and the splice fell apart.  When that happened, communication ceased.  Likewise in our relationships, outside forces pull at them.  We must ensure that the splices that hold us together are strong.  Looking at them on a regular basis is a good idea.

During the holidays, there are many stressors in our lives.  Do not let a joyous occasion become detrimental to a relationship.  Take time to relax.  Take time to invest in your relationships. Take time to examine the "splices" of your relationships.  Repair the splices and enjoy the communication.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Proud to Have Been Selected

I received an email from Multnomah Books yesterday.  I have been selected to review Mark Batterson's upcoming release Primal.  It will be released later this month.  I am excited at the opportunity to be one of the first people to read his book; but to be asked to review it is an honor.  I have heard Mark speak several times at various events over the last three years.  However, I never would have guessed this opportunity would have presented itself. 

While you are waiting for Mark's book to be released later this month, you can pick up a copy of mine book, The Covering of God,  at http://www.pastorric.org/  They are in stock and ready to ship.

Stay tuned for the review of Primal.  It will be up the week of December 15.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

We Are All Really the Same

I am finishing up the book by John Ortberg entitled When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box.  On page 208, the author quotes Wes Seeliger:

I have spent long hours in the intensive care waiting room watching with anguished people, listening to urgent questions:  Will my husband make it?  Will my child walk again?  How do you live without your companion of thirty years?


The intensive care waiting room is different from any other place in the world.  And the people who wait are different.  They can't do enough for each other.  No one is rude.  The distinctions of race and class melt away.  The garbage man loves his wife as much as the university professor loves his, and everyone understands this.  Each person pulls for everyone else.


In the intensive care waiting room, the world changes.  Vanity and pretense vanish.  The universe is focused on the doctor's next report.  If only it will show improvement.  Everyone knows that loving someone else is what life is all about.


Could we learn to love like that if we realized that every day of life is a day of life in the waiting room?


What else is there to say?  Much to think about.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thankful for Friends

I had lunch with a friend today. It was a beautiful day in the mountains and was even made more so by spending time with a friend.

After our lunch was over and I was sitting in my office, I thought about how friends affect our lives. Friends have the ability to speak truthfully into our lives. Friends have the ability to lift our spirits when we are down. Friends, most of all, love us no matter what.

In this season when our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving, let us be thankful for the friends in our life. And, purpose to be a friend. Because, in the words of Dean Martin: everybody needs somebody sometime.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Discontentment Syndrome

As I sit in my office, I am looking out the window at the sunshine.  It is a beautiful afternoon in the mountains.  The sun is lighting the valley, and the ridgetops are aglow in its warmth. It appears to be a warm, sunny day; the kind you have in late autumn.  But that is from my vantage point.  When you go outside, there is a breeze blowing.  The air has that chill in it which reminds you that winter is soon upon us.  Although it looks warm outside my window, the reality says otherwise.

Life is that way as well.  From your vantage point, things seem to be better on the other side.  The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  But when we get there, we discover it was just an illusion.  I call that the Discontentment Syndrome.  The main symptom is we are unhappy where we are.  We think things would be better if we were somewhere else, doing something else.  The syndrome causes us to not be content where we are in life.

I am not saying that we should just focus on where we are with no dreams or aspirations.  Quite the contrary.  The Discontentment Syndrome causes us to have NO dreams, goals or aspirations.  It causes us to focus on the latest view out our window.  It causes us to not be content with just the view.  It never allows us to enjoy where we are; it always causes us to focus somewhere else.

Take time today to enjoy life.  Stop and enjoy the view out your window.  Do not wish to be somewhere else; do not wish to be at another point in life.  Take time to enjoy the view where you are.  Enjoy your friends; enjoy your familyEnjoy life.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Thank You to All Who Have Served

On this day we pause to remember those who have bravely served, and those who are currently serving,  our nation.  This day of remembrance was first known as Armistice Day.  It signified the cessation of hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany.  It went into effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  However, on June 1, 1954, the name Armistice Day was officially changed to Veteran's Day to remember all soldiers who had served our nation.

But there is a group that is sometimes fogotten when we think of our soldiers and veterans.  It is their families.  While our soldiers have made great sacrifices, some making the ultimate sacrifice in giving their lives for our freedom, their families have made great sacrifices as well.  While fathers have been away, children have been born.  While mothers have been away, first steps were taken, first words were spoken.  Holidays have been celebrated without fathers, mothers, sons, or daughters.  Birthdays come and go without the presence of that loved one.  The families of our soldiers have sacrificed much so that their loved ones could protect us. 

When you pause to reflect upon our freedoms, when you pause to say a prayer for our veterans, remember their families.  Their sacrifice is great, too.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

What Are You Doing?

In Kevin Lehman's latest book The Firstborn Advantage, he asks the following three questions:
  1. When are you the happiest?
  2. What are your long-range goals?
  3. What are some things you do that you really don't want to (but you do them because others expect you to)?
Sometimes we are so focused on question number three that we can't even answer the first two questions.  This happens even if you are not a firstborn or only child.  We find ourselves, out of what we think is necessity, doing things that others want us to do but not really wanting to do them ourselves.  Now in employment situations that happens all the time.  But is your personal life filled with this?  Do you do things in your personal life because others expect you to do them?  If so, it is time to re-evaluate and re-prioritize.

First, sit down.  It is OK to do that....to NOT be busy.  (Take that from a recovering workaholic).  After you are seated and trying to relax, think about what makes you happy.  What do you enjoy doing; where do you enjoy going.  Then ask yourself what keeps you from doing those things, from going those places.

Next, begin to think about what you want to accomplish in life.  What are your goals, your dreams.  Take some time to think about them and write them down.  Begin to think about what you can do to begin to achieve your goals. 

The speed of life is fast.  Before you know it, it is passing you by.  Don't look back regretting that you did not accomplish something that was important to you.  Life is meant to be lived.  Life is meant to be enjoyed, savored.  So.....plan, prioritize and proceed.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

A Do-Over

Tomorrow morning at 2am, Daylight Savings Time officially ends.  We have the unique occurrence of gaining an extra hour--a day that is actually 25 hours long!  Now, most of us will be sleeping when this occurs...and we can always use an extra hour of sleep, since we are the most sleep-deprived nation on the planet.  However, the unique thing about this night is that we actually re-live the hour from 1am to 2am.  See, at 2am we set our clocks back to 1am, and do it all over again.

If only we could do that in life on a regular basis.  If only we could re-set the clock and re-live a moment over.  How many times have you said something and, after it was out of your mouth, wish you could take it back?  How about doing something you have regretted....or not doing something you wished you had?

While we cannot re-set the clock and "do it over", God can.  He can re-set our lives on the path they need to be.  He can give new beginnings....make things over....help us to re-make our life.  While the clock is never fully turned back, and while we never totally re-live our lives, we can make a fresh start with God's help.

Have an area in your life you are struggling to overcome?  Would like to re-live it, or turn the clock back?  Turn it over to God...let Him re-make it.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Looking for the Boundaries

I found myself driving home on Friday night from Virginia in the rain and fog.  Now, normally that would not have been a problem.  However, I ran into rain and fog as I was driving up the eastern side of the Shenandoah  Ridge.  The higher up the mountain I drove, the harder the rain and the thicker the fog.  It became increasingly difficult to drive.

Not wanting to totally stop, I slowed down and pulled to the right-hand side of the road.  I began to focus on the white line at the edge of the road.  Knowing where the white line was, and where the yellow line in the middle was, I knew my location.  You see, I had driven the road enough to know that there are areas where just off the edge of the road is a drop of 300 feet or more.  In other places you are against the side of the mountain...nothing but rock.  So knowing where the boundaries were gave me a level of comfort not available by just looking down the road.

Life is much that way.  We are not always able to see down the road.  We must rely upon the boundaries to keep us on the right path.  If I had not trusted the lines on the road Friday night, I could have landed in the ditch.  We have to trust the boundaries in our lives to keep us on the road.

What boundaries are in your life?  Do not resist them.  Do not ignore them.  They are there for a reason.  They are there to keep you headed in the right direction.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

The Value in Your Life

Sometimes you read a word and it jumps off the page.  This happened to me in the last 24 hours.  The word was "unappreciated".  When I first read the word, I stumbled across it.  It seemed to speak to me, but I did not want to listen.  However, as usually happens in circumstances like this, I made my way to the dictionary and looked it up.  "To hold in low esteem"; "to be ungrateful for"; "to assign a low value to"; "not increasing in value".  The sting of those words hit me in the face as I began to ponder them.

It is easy for us to just go our own way and take for granted the people in our life that give value to us.  It has been said "no man is an island", and that is true.  Not one of us has any value on our own.  Each of us has people that have influenced us, poured into us, and affected us along our journey.  And we in turn, have affected others.  It is the process of interaction that brings out the value in all of us.  

When you and I were in school, there was some teacher that stood out in our memory.  She was the best.  She easily explained that algebra problem.  She helped you understand how to diagram a sentence (but not necessarily why).  She seemed to know how to help you, pour into you.  But see, it did not start with her.  She was taking from her experience, her life-knowledge and giving to you.  That is the interaction.  Taking what we have been given and giving it to others.  

Each of us has something to give, something to contribute.  Don't be shy.  Pour into someone in your life.  Share your experience with them.  They will be better for it; and you will too!  And, just as important, be grateful for those who have poured into your life.  Tell them.  Show them.  Appreciate them.

Since this is Pastor Appreciation Month, let me say to all my pastor friends, thank you for pouring into me.  Thank you for your words of encouragement.  To my family, thank you for you support and love and understanding.  To my friends, thank you for being there when no one else was.  Thank you for understanding, listening, encouraging, and loving.  Each of you plays a different role in my life, but you all have one thing in common...you are loved by me. 

Be grateful for those in your life who have contributed to who you are.  And tell them. 

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Don't Let Your Dreams Die

At 8:41pm CDT, I was jetting down the runway at Houston Intercontinental Airport in a Embraer RJ135 heading for Torreon, Mexico.  As the plane lifted from the runway, I looked over the city.  My thoughts turned to two places:  My destination and my home.  I sat amazed as I thought of where I was from and where I was going.  I am presently living in the mountains of West Virginia and I am on my way to the mountains of Mexico.  I presently pour into a community of believers in West Virginia and I am headed to Mexico to do the same.

You see, this dream actually began about six years ago.  I was asked to dream big for the Kingdom.  And I did.  I wrote on the card they handed me "Teach at a Bible School outside the United States."  That dream was bigger than me.  At the time, I did not know any administrators of a Bible School...let alone an administrator outside of the US.  However, that dream did not die.  I held on to it.  I nurtured it.  I prepared for it;  even though I had no idea how I would fulfill it.  Or, even if it would ever come to pass.

Well, it has come to pass.  As I write this, I am watching the sun rise over the beautiful city of Torreon.  What dreams are you holding on to?  Has it been a long time in coming?  Don't let them die.  My dream did not die...it has come to pass...in a way I never could have imagined.   

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

While They're Around

On Monday, we had to put our Chocolate Lab, Charlie, down due to the cancer he was fighting.  It is funny how a dog can become so ingrained in your life.  And how you miss them when they are gone.  I walk through the door expecting to see and hear him and he is not there.  Then I realize the emptiness.

The same is true for others in our lives.  We are surrounded by friends and family that we take for granted.  We sometimes neglect to tell them how we feel; we just expect them to always be around.  Then, circumstances change.  They move...you move.  They end their their journey in this world.  Whatever the circumstances, when they are not there, we feel the emptiness, the loneliness.  We realize the missed opportunity to express our love.

Don't let today go by without telling those you care about how you feel.  Celebrate the friendship of that special someone.  Let them know you care.

To my family and close friends...you know who you are.  I love you!  You too, Charlie Dawg.

Monday, September 21, 2009

What Keeps Us Apart

On Saturday I visited a young man in a Federal Correctional Institute.  We had a great visit and God is doing a work in his life.  But the most memorable event of the visit happened while I was waiting for him to come to the visitation center.  As I stood against the wall watching families re-unite, my attention was drawn to a young man and a young lady.  They were standing about 10 feet from me.  Out of the corner of my eye I see a man approaching.  He comes to the young man and embraces.  He then embraces the young woman.  Then, he looks back at the young man, puts his arm around him again.  While he is embracing both of these visitors, the group turns slightly and I get a glimpse of his face.  He is smiling and crying at the same time.  A joyful, emotional reunion.

I was reminded of the Prodigal Son; how he chose to go his own way, do his own thing, but how his father welcomed him home.  The son, in his mind, had allowed his decision to become a wall of separation between him and his father.  The older brother, on the prodigal's return, allowed his jealousy to become a wall of separation between him and his sibling.  What have you allowed in your life that separates you from the ones you love and care about? 

See, there were walls that had separated this family I watched on Saturday.  But when those those walls were no longer separating the family, there was a joyous reunion.  Take time to assess your life; take time to look at the walls that separate you from friends and family.  Determine to scale those walls; determine to tear them down.  Because on the other side is a joyous reunion.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

When the Game is Over

I am currently reading the book When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg.  The basic premise of the book is that "we can't take it with us". There is a chapter in the book entitled "Fill Each Square with What Matters Most".  It begins with a Spanish proverb:  those who rush, arrive first at the grave.  The chapter speaks of life as a game board and every day as a square on that board.  We can only move one square at a time.  Can't jump ahead; no going back.  However, instead of knowing where the last square on the board is, in the game of life we never know until that square arrives.  You and I live our days not knowing if it will be our last.

As a disciple of Christ, I should seek to live my life with purpose.  That purpose should be expressed in everything I do....every day.  I should live my life intentionally.  Not haphazardly.  Because I do not know when I will arrive at the final square.

While most of us will never change the world, we can impact our little piece of it.  And we should live each day with the purpose of doing that.  We only have so many days on this planet.  We should intentionally live our lives to make a difference.  Because one day--and it could be today--we will land on the final square and the game will be over.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Eight years ago, on a bright, clear September morning, our lives were irreversibly changed.  Within hours, planes were grounded, the skies were silent.  By the end of the day, over 3000 of our fellow citizens had died in the unexpected attack. 

One of the pictures I will never forget is the image of the NYFD running into the World Trade Center.  Their fellow citizens were in trouble and their came to their rescue. With no regard to their own welfare, they risked their lives.  And in doing so, lost their lives.

September 11, 2001 was a defining time for our generation.  Much like the assassination of President Kennedy or the Challenger explosion, most people know where they were when they heard the news.  Defining moments change us.  We will never fly the same way again.  We cannot walk through an airport without removing our shoes.  Defining times bring forth character.  Men and women rise to the occasion.  We tend to call them heroes.  None are extraordinary people.  They are normal people reacting to abnormal circumstances.

Just as the firemen were on that fateful day eight years ago, you are surrounded by hurting people.  How are you going to respond?  Will you disregard your personal comfort to help them?  Will you reach out to a hurting world?  If you were in need, you would want someone to.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Affected or Effective?

We have all noticed how our circumstances affect our mood. We know that on bright, sun-shinny days we tend to beat more upbeat...eager to conquer the world. However, take that same day and make it cloudy and the eagerness turns to laziness.

Our environment tends to affect us. It affects our thinking patterns, our energy level, our desire to accomplish. We do not mean it to be that way, but it usually just happens. We take great effort to overcome those feelings; we press through trying to accomplish what needs to be done.

I am proposing we do something different. Instead of being affected by what happens around us, let's be effective. I do not want to be impacted by my environment. I want to impact my environment. That is what we have been called to do. That is the purpose for which we were created. Not to be tossed about by the wind, but to sail with a purpose.

Today, choose to be effective. Choose to make a difference in your workplace, in your school, in your home. Choose to pressure your peers instead of being pressured by your peers.

Choose to live your life with purpose.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Re-acquainting with Old Friends

Over the last few days I have become re-acquainted with some people I have not seen in over 25 years. It really does not seem that it has been that long. However, after we began to talk, it was hard to realize that time had passed so quickly. We began to talk about marriages and children...and even grand-children.

It is funny how people who are so important at one stage of life become mere memories when change occurs. The people I have "found" were friends I knew when my Dad pastored in Texas. We moved to Ohio and my friends stayed in Texas. Over the years, those connections wore away. But, due to the miracle of the Internet, we have re-connected.

Sometimes our relationship with our Creator is the same way. Things change in our life, and our connection with God wears away. We must refresh that connection. That takes some effort on our part to stay connected. My connection with old friends wore away because other things became a priority. We cannot afford for that to happen with our relationship with God. We must take the time to nurture that relationship. Connections with friends, relationships take effort. But in the long run, they are worth it.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Impact

I just came in from letting the dog out before going to bed. It is 10:30pm here in the mountains and it is 44 degrees outside. It is apparent that fall is on its way. There is change in the air.

Change is part of life. We cannot keep things from changing. Our children change; they grow up. We change; we grow older. Time continues to march on and we cannot stop it. We cannot even slow it down.

With change an inevitable part of life, we must ask one question: What are we doing about it? Life continues and we cannot stop it. However, our decisions can impact our lives and the lives of those around us. That is the only thing we can permanently accomplish in this life. We must live each day with the idea of impacting lives for eternity. We must impact lives around us for the Kingdom.

Choose to live your life with impact. Choose to make a difference in the lives of those around you. Choose to make your life count.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

The Passing of Time

It is a funny thing....no matter how much planning, no matter how much anticipation, events pass as quickly as they got started. We spend weeks, and sometime months, planning and preparing for an event. The day arrives and all the weeks and months of planning are over. And in just a few hours the event is over as well.

That is a fact of life. We plan for events; we anticipate their arrival. And, when the day finally arrives, the event is over. All the planning sometimes seems to have been in vain.

The only thing for sure in life is that time never stops. It does not matter your economic status, your racial heritage, your income, the size of your bank account; time does not stop for anyone. We are all given the same amount of time: 24 hours in a day; 7 days in a week. What we do with that time is the only question that really matters.

What are you doing with the 24 hours given to you today? Once the minute is gone, we cannot get it back. You can spend the day sitting in front of the television watching the ball game or you can spend time playing ball with your family and friends. You can complain that your Congressman does not listen or you can pick up the phone and call them. The question becomes what are you doing to change your world. What are you doing to impact your world.

As a follower of Christ, I have an example of someone Who impacted the world around them. He was not just a bystander. He did not live His life in a vacuum. Jesus lived out His beliefs. And He calls us to do the same.

Live your life intentionally today. Impact your family. Impact your world. Do something to make a difference.

Monday, May 18, 2009

God in a Cup of Coffee

The mind is truly an amazing thing. It is funny how memories are triggered. It can be a simple as a song or a smell. This morning as I enjoyed a cup of freshly ground coffee, the aroma took me back to a time I was drinking that same kind of coffee and enjoying the presence of a friend. I thought about the time we had shared and longed to be with them again.

This reminds me of our relationship with God. Our relationship with Him should be the same way. Things in our life should remind us of times we were in His presence and cause us to desire that presence again. Our life should remind us daily of our relationship with God--the times we have shared and the times we long to share.

I have taken many jabs for my love of coffee. However, this morning it has helped me understand the powerful position memories have in our lives. How those memories remind us of past experiences. And how those memories should remind us of our relationship to the Creator of the Universe.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Today it is cloudy and rainy. Yesterday, it was sunny and clear. Funny how 24 hours can make a difference. Things can change quickly; that is just the way life is. However, there is always one Constant upon which we can trust.

No matter our circumstances, God is there. No matter our instabilities, God is unmovable. We can trust completely in Him. Life, by definition, changes. Life is not constant. We grow older by the minute. We should be used to change. But having experienced changes our entire life, we still are taken aback at the vicissitudes of life. Out of this life-experience of change, we seek stability. And only in God can we find true stability.

The weather changes. Our circumstances change. Our friends change. Hairstyles and clothing styles change. However, God never changes. We can always count on faith to sustain us.