Through the Storm

Into every life a little rain must fall.  Every one faces storms.  Even Winnie the Pooh had a blustery day.  Stuff happens to all of us.  Just.  Unjust.  Really doesn't matter which end of the spectrum you fall on, rain will fall on you.  Most of the time, as Christians, we pray for God to deliver us from the storm.  We sit on the bow of the ship of life and we wait for Jesus to step from the hull where He has obviously fallen asleep and scream with His divine vocal chords, "PEACE BE STILL."  And then our storm will turn and retreat from whence it came.  Isn't that what most of us expect?  But the truth falls somewhere short.

I only find a few times in scripture where Jesus delivered people from the storm.  Rarely do I find him saying, "Wind stop blowing, Lightning stop striking, Thunder be quiet, Rain - that's enough out of you as well."  More often than not, I find a Jesus who says, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you. . . I'm forever faithful . . . My grace is sufficient for you."  David - unfortunately I can't calm this storm.  Your child is sick and will die . . . but I'll be with you through the storm.  Jonah - this storm is bad and unfortunately you are going to be swallowed by a big fish - but I'll be with you in it's belly.  Paul - yes - the storm you are in is really bad and unfortuately this ship is going to fall apart.  BUT if you will hold on to a piece of wood, I'll be with you and deliver the whole crew.  Most of the time, we just have to go through the storm.

The Bible describes the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, as a Comforter.  If we never have to go through anything, why would we need a Comforter.  The Greek word for the Holy Spirit is "Paraclete" and it literally means "one who comes alongside to help."  I need His help more often than not, and I'm thankful that He is an abiding faithful friend who never turns His back. 

I would love it if He bailed out out of every storm.  I would love to see Him step up and say "Peace Be Still" everytime I faced something that was bigger than me.  But instead, I find that He gently reminds me that He is with me and that His grace will help me to make it through.  The Apostle Paul begged on numerous occasions that God would remove from him "a thorn in the flesh".  Whatever that thorn was, God's answer was "My grace is sufficient."  And then I really like what He tells Paul next, "for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  I have lots of weaknesses and so I've come to the conclusion that His grace is enough and He's got a lot off opportunity to perfect His strength in my life.

Until next time - thanks for continuing to read.  I love all of you - always remember that He may not pull you out but He will see you through!  -- RP

You Belong. . .

To belong. . . isn't that what we all really want? We want to know where we fit. We want to know what our place is. We want to be accepted and loved for who we are - no strings attached, no questions asked. We want to belong. Countless millions all over our world join groups, become members of organizations, join in activities and attempt to make friends all in an effort to BELONG. We want to belong. This morning I woke up with a thought and it has stewed around in my brain all day. Everyone of us want to belong - particularly we want to belong, to be a part of a family.

At birth, I was adopted into the Pavie family. My parents were told they could not have children and so in early 1971 they began making plans to adopt a child and in July, I was born and left the hospital as a Pavie. I've never met my biological parents, don't even know who they are, but I'm thankful that I belong in the Pavie Family. I was welcomed in and loved and cared for and that's where I belong. Two years later, my wonderful parents adopted a second boy, also at birth and three months later what doctors was impossible happened. My Mom became pregnant with her third son. Notice I said her third son. While it was her first biologically, we never knew any different because we were Pavie's - that's where we belonged. Adopted or born. . . it didn't matter - we were a part of the family.

When we come to know Jesus Christ - the same thing occurs. We were born into a family - a family of sin. We're a member there and that's who we are. But then a father steps on the scene. He loves us with an amazing love. His love is so perfect and so unconditional. Romans 5:8 tells us that ". . . God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." I thought today - before I was ever born, while technically I still was attached to another family, my Mom & Dad began to make preparations for me to be their son. They prepared a room. They bought baby clothes. They bought a crib. They bought diapers and bottles and all the things that they knew that I would need. They paid doctor's bills and lawyer's bills all in an effort so that I would belong to them. Jesus Christ came and while we were still attached to that other family - that sinful lifestyle - that old way of living - He died for us. He paid the necessary price to purchase us from that sinful lifestyle. He made the necessary preparations so that if we wanted, we could become a part of His family.

At some point, my Mom and Dad had to sign documentation to let all know that I had been granted the right of adoption, so that I was no longer a member of my biological family, but now I was a member of the Pavie family. That I had been endued and empowered as a member of the Pavie family and that bond went beyond the blood that flowed in my veins. Their love was not contingent upon my pedigree or my birth. Their love was a choice that they made. They choose to allow me to belong.

Romans 8:15 says, ". . . you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba Father'." I love that verse. It's for me indicative of my physical life, but more importantly my spiritual life. You see, because of my background, my pedigree, my lifestyle choices, I really did not belong in the family of God. . . and neither did you. His family is pure and holy and righteous -- all the things that I am not. BUT He grants me an adoption. He says, "I love you, even though you don't deserve it. I love you even though I don't have to. I love you even though you don't live up to my standards. I love you even though you are not my blood relation. And because I love you, I'm adopting you into the family of God. I'm granting all rights and privileges of an heir in my family. You are My own. And because you are, you have the right to cry out to me as My child - like you would your Daddy - and as a child would climb upon the lap of His father - you are welcome in My family."

I realized one day that my Mom & Dad did not have to love me. They had no biological, paternal or maternal obligation to me. They were not required by some sense of loyalty or patronage to show love toward me. They simply chose to love me, to care for me and to make me their own. They did for me what someone else could not. They chose to allow me to belong. . . and Jesus did as well. He chose to love us when we had done nothing to deserve it. He loved us, not because He had to but because He wanted to. Oh, how thankful I am to BELONG to the body of Christ!

And so - having been twice adopted - I feel especially loved and blessed today. I have a wonderful MOM & DAD who CHOSE to love me and I have an even more WONDERFUL GOD who died for me to show His love when I deserved nothing -- and He did the same for you! Oh how He loves you and me! Love all of you - thanks again for reading - It's great to know that we BELONG to such a wonderful family - the family of GOD!

Passion

Passion - it's used to describe everything. Passionate Romance - Passionate Desire - Passionate Hunger - even in some states there are laws that give leniency in sentencing for murder that is committed in the heat of passion. Passion drives us. Passion moves us. It motivates us to take action. As the children of God, we ought to be striving to be the most bright, most hot, most passionate people on planet Earth for the cause of Christ. God would rather have 1 man, utterly abandoned to passion for Him than 1000 great speakers or great leaders who are not sold out to His cause. The men who left their mark on the word are those who expanded God's kingdom and God's influence through their passionate pursuit of excellence in the kingdom of God.

What are you passionate about? What are you hungry for? What is the thing that you have an intense desire for? What is the thing that drives your to sacrifice? Passion to me is the fuel that ignites the fire of meaningfulness in my life. It is the force that drives my soul. It is the reason that I exist - the reason that I live. Passion should drive your life . . . it should drive you every day. What drives you? What moves you? What is it that gives your life purpose?

Passion has always been the difference between good and great. Today many will join and watch Peyton Manning and Drew Brees lead their teams into the Super Bowl. The reason these two gentleman are successful quarterbacks is more than their athletic ability, rather it is their passionate pursuit of preparation and execution and excellence. Ferdinand Foch, commander of the Allied Forces in World War II made the following statement: "The most powerful weapon on planet Earth is the human soul when it catches on fire." Stronger than any bomb, stronger than any tank - give me one man or woman who's driven, who's soul has caught a burning passion - and I'll show you a force that can't be stopped. D.L. Moody when asked why people showed up in parks and in out of the way places to hear him preach, he simply said, "I set myself on fire and people show up to watch me burn." Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision which has fed hungry children around the world since 1950 said, "My heart will be broken for the things that break the heart of God." What is it that motivates you to act? What is it that will force you to move beyond your comfort zone and respond to what needs to be done with passion and desire?

When I study the life of Christ, I hear the words of Jesus saying things like: "I seek not my own but the will of Him that sent me." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." A complete loss of self, He must increase, I must decrease. Jesus was driven by such a passion to fulfill His purpose, an earthly kingdom couldn't dissuade Him. His disciples couldn't deter Him. Other's plans couldn't turn Him around. He was passionately pursuing His ONE purpose, to redeem mankind by dying for their sin. When the disciples heard Him pray, He prayed with such passion. His passion drove Him to touch lepers, to heal blinded eyes, to stop funerals, and to raise paralytics. His passion was always causing Him to love those who needed loving, healing those who were hurting and ultimately reconciling those who were separated from Him by sin.

I want to passionately pursue the things that God has put in my life to accomplish. God's purpose for me is bigger than I can dream for myself and so I must passionately pursue to accomplish His greatest dreams for me.

I'm sorry if this is long today - but one last thing I'd like to share with you. I have carried this in my Bible for nearly 15 years. It is a statement from a missionary who had lost his entire family in a foreign land for trying to impact that world for the cause of Christ. It is simply called "My Commitment as a Christian." It states:

"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit Power. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me -- My banner will be clear!"

What is the source of your passion? Find it, get in the middle of it, and use it to drive you to accomplish great things for God. It's time to make an impact for His kingdom - let's pursue the things of God with reckless abandon and burning passion. Until next time - God Bless - love you all! -- RP

I'm A Worshipper, No Matter The Weather

Today, I sit in my living room, looking out the window as we yet another snow storm has blown into the area - this one predicted to bring record amounts of snow to our area. Amazingly, in my lifetime I don't remember so much snow over a two month period in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I'm sure there is some weather historian out there who can prove me wrong but certainly if there has been, I don't remember it. Watching the snow pour down, the inches beginning to pile up, and coming to the realization that we will not be able to have services again this week at our church, I began to think how thankful I am that my ability to worship Jesus Christ is not contingent upon the weather.

Many people are worshippers only when they attend a church service, but when I came to know Jesus Christ, I made a lifestyle decision to be a worshipper - regardless of where I am or what day of the week it is. Coming to that decision, it gives me great joy because I experience the presence of God, not just on Sunday, but whenever I give verbalization to the decision of my heart - by extending praise and worship to the one whom I've decided to live my life for. Thus my worship is not hemmed in by a building, by a church service, and certainly not by the weather. I can choose to worship the creator of the universe, regardless of my circumstances.

One of my favorite songs that we sing at our church is called "Blessed Be Your Name." The bridge of the song refers to the words of Job when it says, "You give and take away, You give and take away - Still my heart will choose to say, Blessed be Your Name." I love this part of the song because I truly believe that my worship of Jesus is not contingent upon my circumstances but rather on my decision to LOVE HIM, regardless of the weather in my life. Another song that I love is by Clint Brown, the chorus of which says, "Lord, I praise you. Lord, I glorify your name. Lord, I praise you. Lord, I glorify your name. And if the sun says I won't rise and dark clouds fill my skies - Lord, just know that I will always give you praise. And if troubles on the way, I will always say, no matter, come what may, I'll always give you praise." I truly want that to be the cry of my heart. No matter what comes into my life - I will worship Jesus Christ FOR He alone is worthy of my honor, my praise, my thanksgiving and my devotion.

So don't let the weather get you down. Don't allow the conditions that surround us to influence how we worship the God who lives within us. Choose to be a worshipper, no matter the weather!
Until next time - I'm so thankful for all of you who read - God bless and love you all!

Jump Start. . . Your Connection To God

Have you ever gone to your car, opened the door, put your key into the ignition, turned the key and. . . NehNehNehNehNehNothing. You try again . . . and . . . Nothing. It had plenty of power the last time you drove it. It didn't even hesitate the last time you turned the key. But now for some reason, some failed level of maintenance, has now placed your power source in a faulty position. What do you do? You pull out cables and you connect those cables to a different power source, usually the battery of a different vehicle, and you JUMP START your car.

Sometimes our connection with God seems to be disconnected. Sometimes it seems that we have no power source in our relationship. Why is that? Just as in your car, more than likely a disconnect takes place when some necessary maintenance has been neglected. Jesus says that His burden is light and His yoke is easy and yet many times it doesn't seem that way. The reason is because we're trying to live our Christian lives without the source of power. Relationship with Christ has always been about vertical connection. We've got to connect to Jesus Christ, the source of power in our life, if we are to be a strong, fulfilled, growing, effective Christian. Otherwise at best, we're simply turning the ignition and there's nothing happening. The car looks good on the outside. The engine has the ability to run. But without the source of power, it's nothing more than a beautiful machine in the driveway. BUT You were created to thrive. So it's time for a JUMP START. It's time to reconnect to the source of power.

How do we connect to God? I mean He's God! What possible way can we be connected to Him? I am convinced that there is really only one way to connect with God and that is through communication with Him.

Communication with God all begins with prayer. Do you take time to talk with God every day? When you do, do you just recite your needs to Him OR do you actually give Him a chance to have a conversation? If, when you spend time in prayer, you give Him a chance to talk back, He will. Maybe it's through His Word. Maybe it's through His Spirit. Maybe it's through a prompting of things to do. Whatever it is, if you will talk to Him and let Him talk back you will suddenly discover your relationship with Him has gone to a whole new level.

Another way that we connect with God is through praise and worship. They are not equivalent but they are dependant upon one another. Worship is a lifestyle. It's a decision to show forth the value of Jesus Christ in my life. And because worship Him, not for what He's done but because of who He is, it causes me to have outward expressions of praise and thanksgiving to God. When we sing wonderful songs of praise to Him, I feel compelled to lift my hands in worship to God. Sometimes I feel compelled to express my joy with tears. Sometimes I've even compelled to dance before the Lord. I don't do any of those things to bring recognition to me but rather to show forth the praises of HIM who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Amazingly when my connection is right with God and I am linked to the source of spiritual power, Jesus Christ, my relationships around me seem to work better as well. Similarly to your car, when the battery is not functioning properly none of the electrical system seems to work as well. Lights, Radio, dash board gauges, everything just seems to be in crisis mode. BUT when the power source is properly connected, everything works like it's supposed to. The same is true in my life. When I am vertically connected (between me and God), my horizontal connections (between me and others) all seem to work properly. But when I'm in need of a JUMP START, I usually find deficiencies in my relationships with others as well.

Take the challenge today - it's time to JUMP START your relationship with Jesus Christ. Maybe you should make a goal of spending 15 minutes a day trying to share with God and allowing Him to share with you in a time of prayer. Also - the next time you are in a Church Service, don't be afraid to express yourself in worship. Do something you wouldn't normally do to let God know that He is more valuable to you than anything else - including what others might think. You'd be surprise at the surge of power you will receive AND I'm convinced that it won't be long before you're no longer just a pretty machine on the showroom floor. Instead you are in the fast lane with your pedal to the floor MOVING FORWARD into the great things that HE has prepared for you.

Until Next Time - God bless you as you JUMP START your relationship with Him! -- RP

Light Your World!

A few years back, we were having one of those spring thunderstorms that rattles the windows of your house and makes your walls feel like they are about to come down. You know the ones where the thunder crashes and the lightening strikes and the dogs and cats go running under the couch or the bed. I remember we went to bed, tucked our son in and turned off all the lights. But at about 2 am, we lost electricity at our home. We discovered at that moment that there is a major difference between turning off the lights and being in the dark. Without the electricity, there was no night lights, no digital readouts on the alarm clocks, no flashing lights on the answering machine. . . it was completely dark. And then to top it off, my son lets out a blood curdling scream that to this day, just thinking about it, makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYY -- it's dark in here." "No kidding, you're supposed to be asleep." But of course as every dad would do in that situation, after discovering that the flashlights are all just dead battery cases, I struck a match, lit a candle and like a knight on a white horse, I strode into my son's bedroom and with one solitary flame, I fought off the evil darkness. But of course 10 minutes later the light came back on and I was no longer needed --- all you parents out there can appreciate that.

Isn't it amazing at how bright one solitary flame can be in the midst of the darkness? Our world is filled with darkness right now. Moral failure by leaders - darkness. Economic collapse - darkness. Constant threat of terrorist attack - darkness. Divorce rate at an all time high - darkness. Stress and fear driving people to heart attacks and suicide - darkness. And yet we know from scripture that Jesus prophesied that all these things must come before He would return -- "As it was in the days of Noah. . ." and "As it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah . . . so shall it be. . ." when the Son of Man returns. And so we it sit at a time of unprecedented darkness AND YET we sit at a time of unprecedented opportunity. Because Jesus also said that we "are the light of the world." When it's at its darkest, the light is most effective. You may feel insignificant. You may feel that it's too dark to matter. But when it's darkest, your little candle, your little light, can force back the darkness and bring hope to our world.

And so today - my simple encouragement is this - Go light your world. Yes, I know it's dark. There are people everywhere with greater needs than ever before. It's up to you and eye to bring hope to the hopeless, the bring healing to the hurting, to bring help to the helpless, to bring liberty to those who are bound, and yes to bring light to those who are in the dark. The darkness is EVERYWHERE --- and we who know Jesus Christ, need to step out into the darkness and bring the light.

There's an old Sunday School song - maybe you know it. It says, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." One verse says, "Hide it under a bushel - OH NO - I'm gonna let it shine." Another says, "Won't let Satan blow it out - I'm gonna let it shine." One thing I know - it only takes a small spark to begin a great blaze. Why don't we make up our mind to let our light shine, to not hide it, and if we'll do our part to shine in the darkness, Satan or nobody else will be able to ever put out the blaze that will have begun. It's time to SHINE!

Until next time - make a difference in your world by letting your simple light to shine. You don't have to do anything supernatural - you just need to be who God created you to be and His love and His light will shine through! God bless you all - thank for reading. I'm ready to fight off the darkness - How about you? --- RP

Connected -- Are you really plugged into God?

Today, as I looked at my Facebook page, I realized that I am "connected" to a lot of people. I have nearly 800 "friends" and almost 240 blog followers . . . and yet there are a lot of times that I feel completely alone. Do you find it ironic that we are more "connected" as a society than we've ever been and yet many would admit that they struggle with feelings of loneliness? I mean we have e-mail, cell phones, home phones, work phones, e-mail on the phone, social networking sites, ichat, instant messaging, text messaging, blogs, video chats, etc. I've been amazed recently by my son's new Xbox system. He can play games on his system which is wirelessly connected to our internet service against people from all over the country. Not only can he play with them, but he now has a head set that the internet connection allows him to talk with his friends who he's playing with over the internet. I walk in and he's playing a game while talking with his friends who are playing the same game and are being represented by characters on my television screen. We are truly living in a connected world. Why then do we feel alone?

As connected as we are, we still need intimate interactions with others to feel complete. It's not enough to just get emails and text messages to feel like we belong. Rather, we need to be involved in the lives of others to shun the feelings of isolation. God created man and He understood our needs for connections - after all, His observation of Adam caused Him to realize that "It is not good that man is alone. . ." And thus He created woman, and all the men are so glad that He did.

Spiritually we are desperate for connection as well. Some people go through learning about God, hearing good messages, knowing all the stories, reading good books, listening to songs about God, even telling others about God. But at the end of the day, spiritual completeness occurs only when we are connected to God. We need intimate connection with God to discover how great He wants to be in our lives. The Bible tells us that He "will never leave us nor forsake us", so we know that God is always there. And yet there are moments that we wonder where He is. Where does the break down occur? It occurs, not because He's not there, but rather because we are not tuned in and are not aware of His presence.

Whenever I feel disconnected from God, I don't have to look very far to discover where the break down has occurred. Without fail, my lack of connection can always be rectified by working on my communication with God. When I focus on my prayer life, enjoy my time in praise and lose myself in worship, I soon will discover that the severed connection is fixed. That's why it's so important that we spend time in prayer everyday. That why our lives must be lived in worship of Jesus Christ. That why, with every opportunity, we must express ourselves in praise to our Great God. There's nothing like being connected to God.

We can have every possible connecting device but if we aren't intimately connected to those closest to us, we feel alone. Similarly we can know everything there is to know about Jesus, but if we don't maintain intimate connection with Jesus Christ, spiritually we will feel isolated, and we will not experience growth. It's time to place our focus on those things that matter most - maintaining our connection to God through prayer, praise and worship. Let's live a life of connection -- with God and with our fellow man -- and we will experience spritual growth and we will feel socially complete. Until next time - let's get connected! -- Love all of you -- RP