The Power Within

What would life be like if every day were filled with excitement about God's work in your life? 

It is easy to get excited about God's work when you hear about it from someone else:  a mission trip, a healing, a great VBS week, someone getting a new job.  We may get excited about news from an orphanage in Africa, a great sermon we heard on-line, or the latest book by a favorite author.

But how often do we get excited about what God is doing in our own lives?  When it comes to my own life, I exercise extreme caution.  "Yes, I suppose that's God working, but..."  When I look at my friends' lives, I can share unbridled enthusiasm.  My own life feels more fragile. 

God is doing something good, but it could go horribly wrong at any moment.  How's that for faith?

If I trusted in God more, I would realize that he is really taking care of me -- emotionally, physically, financially, spiritually.  I would see him as my loving Father, who is guarding me and guiding me.

With that kind of assurance, I can really take on the world!  I can get excited about God's work in my life without reservation.  I can look at the good and the bad, and know that God is up to something of eternal importance.  I can live every moment with anticipation of God's goodness.  I can take bold steps, following God's lead.  He can really use me to make a difference

Now, what if the church stirred this fire in every person, the fire of excitement for God's work in their own lives?  He could use us to change the world.

Fun with Pandas

We are in the middle of our Vacation Bible School now.  It's Pandamania!  With a panda bear theme, we are learning how God is wild about us.

Today we heard the "growl" of pandas.  Not real ferocious.  We also learned about Elijah, who challenged the prophets of Baal to prove that their god was real.  Then he let the real God show off a little bit.

My favorite part of VBS is being with the kids!  They get so excited about everything -- the music, the skits, the games and crafts.  They really throw themselves into the experience, and they get a lot out of it.

I want to live life more like that:  throwing myself into the experience, living in the moment.  It's so easy to miss out by not living the "now" of life.  Enjoying the moment helps me experience God himself.