4:45 A.M.... Is it okay to call you?

Call me.  It doesn't matter what day it is or what time.  Life is not lived by simply being alive.  It's lived by connecting with others. 

My son called me to pick him up at 4:45A.M.   I had dropped him off at an all-night event (I didn't want him to drive home tired the next morning) and he was ready to go.   

I went, picked him up, and we stopped to eat.  As I looked across the table at him it made me laugh.  I wish I could show him what a blessing youth is. I wish there was a way we could download our experiences into our children so they wouldn't have to go through things the hard way. I wish we could make them understand the importance of enjoying and engaging others.  

As the thought crossed my mind, our server came over.  He shared stories of how he had been treated that day.   

Sometimes, what other people need most is a human connection. We should listen, be present, don't judge, and don't have expectations or conditions. 

I've heard people say, "Nothing good happens between midnight and daylight."   "They were out all hours of the night!  No telling what they were up to!"  How many times have you heard statements like this?  Stop it.  Don't be that person.  Judging others isn't helping anyone. Late night hours doesn't always mean people are up to no good.  

Some of my best memories happened during those late night hours.For example, when I was a young adult, I remember being in a fast food parking lot at 3A.M.  I was with my best friend, Julie, and maybe ten others.  We were not drunk or high. We were young and bored.  We played football with a 20-ounce soft drink bottle. It was great! 

Tonight, my son wasn't doing anything wrong but he wanted to come home.

Be that safe place for your friends, family, teenagers, and even the stranger.  It doesn't cost anything to listen.  The greatest investment you can make is to the people you share your world with. Be that safe place even when the person across from you is venting and grumpy. 

Treat people like people.  It is a simple way to let the light of Jesus shine through you.

Forgive me when I fail to listen as well as I should, when distractions overtake me, and when I forget to make time for you.  

Call me.   I'm going to invite you to church and I'll probably want to have coffee.  Regardless, I want you to know, it is okay to call me. 

Faith can move mountains. Do you have faith?

Rainbows come after storms.  April showers bring May flowers. It is always the darkest before dawn.  I could go on an on with these cheesy expressions.  I won't because you get the point.

The expressions are true.  I mentioned in a previous blog that 2017 was my worst year ever.  My church's theme for the year is "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." Isaiah 43:18.  I am not dwelling on 2017.  That year is past. That season of my life is over.  The next verse says, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way  in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19, NIV

I needed the hardships of 2017 to prepare me for what God is doing now.  This is a new season for me.  Growth and change are happening.

Most of my adult life has been an epic roller coaster. 2017 humbled me in more ways than I can explain.  I started this year at a crossroads. I wanted to stop riding the roller coaster.  I wanted to walk away, choose stability, and simply enjoy the level ground.

God reminded me, I like roller coasters.  I wouldn't be satisfied planted in the security of the world. Anything, outside of his plan for my life will make me miserable.  Still, I was facing a mountain and was not getting the answer I thought I needed.

In our own strength, it is easy to look at a mountain (an obstacle or challenge) and say, "I can't do anything about that. I'll find another way around it."  That is not how faith works.  Faith looks at the mountain ahead and says, "God, I'm not moving from where you put me.  Remove this mountain for me."

Faith can truly move mountains!

I woke up yesterday with the vision that I had been asking God for.  Last night, with the help of my wise councils I made the tough decisions I needed to make. My favorite pastor used to say, "When you've done all you know to do, stand still." 

My decision is to stand still and pursue the vision God gave me.  I won't go around the mountain. God will move the mountain.

This morning I went to have breakfast with a dear friend to celebrate her birthday. When I arrived, she had a gift for me.  She said, "I walked by this and something told me to buy this for you. I had to."   The box is inscribed with the words:  Faith can move mountains.  A picture is below.

Wow!  God's timing is impeccable as always.  He is an amazing father.

This doesn't mean that all my problems are solved and life is going to be easy. You know, the kind of life where you wake up in a Disney moving and the birds are helping you get dressed while you sing and dance.  No, life isn't a fairy tale.

My mountain is still there.  The difference is today I'm facing the mountain knowing that God will move it. Today, I have a vision and I know what I am supposed to do.

God is doing a new thing with me and with Faith Charities.

Have you faced heartaches? Are you tired of staring at the challenge in front of you? What about those bills?

Be reminded,  This is a new season for you as well.  Face your fears and keep your faith.  This is a new season and God will do a new thing. 

Your storm is over, find your rainbow.