Timeless Wisdom

My dad, mom and me at a cookout at my grandparents’ house many moons ago.

Hardly a day goes by when I don’t miss my dad, especially his wisdom. And I can’t think of him without also remembering his work ethic even when he didn’t feel like it, and his undying passion for family, community and serving others. While listening to the birds sing through the rain this morning, I realized that not only was today Father’s Day, but it’s also June 18 and nearing the halfway point of 2023 already. Good grief time flies!

A couple of timely quotes that dad lived and that I’ll try to hold onto, too…

From the apostle Paul:

“Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days.” (Ephesians 5:16)

And from the late pastor and author Leonard Ravenhill:

"Though you cannot be the salt of the whole earth nor the light of the whole world, you may season your community and lighten your neighborhood.”

So be it, dad, ’til we meet again.

Awaken the Dawn

A downtown Sunday morning, just before sunrise.

Running will come later but it is hard to beat a before-sunrise walk around town to awaken the senses to each morning’s little miracles…like no rain clouds in sight!

And for each step, wise words from Solomon for a new day: 

“Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you toward the path of integrity.

Consider well and watch carefully the path of your feet, and all your ways will be steadfast and sure.” (Proverbs 4:25-27)

 Keep looking Up. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Roots

Along Rachel Carson National Wildlife Reserve, Moody, Maine

Through years of hurricanes, blizzards, floods, blistering heat, bone-chilling cold, and many joyfully beautiful days stands this familiar, solitary little pine tree on Bourne Avenue on the way to Moody beach. As many times as I pass it, like one morning this week, I marvel that it’s still there.

I think it is still there in the middle of the marsh only because ...

It has grown deep roots under stress Bends but refuses to break And still bears fruit of pine cones as it grows older It never gives in It stands strong even when standing alone …

I think I’ll frame this one.

God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn:

    When you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes,

When you avoid sin’s highway,

    When judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse.

For you, the Word is your happiness.

    It is your focus—from dusk to dawn.

You are like a tree,

    Planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry.

Your fruit ripens in its time;

    Your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun.

No matter what you do, you prosper.—Psalm 1:1-3, The Voice

________________________________________________________________________________________________

For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock

Always There

"After all, God is God, because He remembers."— Elie Wiesel

For photos on every camera roll, for every audio recording session, for every player on a team, and for every suggestion or good idea proposed to find a solution, the four hardest words to hear are these: “didn’t make the cut.” Unwanted. Not quite as good as something else. Destined to be forgotten. No one cares, really.

And then one day, that idea that was met with silence becomes recognized as “wait, that’s actually brilliant,” the player who gave his all but was cut gets a call and becomes an integral part of the team, that song somewhere on the cutting room floor gets picked up and becomes just what someone needed to hear, and a photo taken but entirely forgotten suddenly speaks like a symphony’s fortissimo.

That empty park bench on a rainy fall day is one of those loud, "forgot I took this one," photos. It looks lonely and forgotten, too. Except look again: someone noticed. A person with a camera walked by and instead of seeing lonely and forgotten saw something beautiful instead. Seeing that B-roll photo this week was a reminder of the amazing way that God looks at us—never unwanted and forgotten, or never accepted, loved and remembered only when our performance is just right. But...

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.

    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

—Isaiah 55:8

"I have loved you with an everlasting love." — Jeremiah 31:3

We can't be reminded enough that we are known intimately, watched continually, and loved deeply.

“Nah, not me, though. Not today.” Well, yes, actually! 

And, as is the case more often than not, it is His Words that speak louder and better than anything we could think or say or write—but just to reinforce the truth that God's Word always extinguishes the lies, and doubts, and fears of rejection, the sound track for His Words is photos that supposedly “didn’t make the cut,” all beautiful in their own way…

"O Eternal One, You have explored my heart and know exactly who I am;

You even know the small details like when I take a seat and when I stand up again.

    Even when I am far away, You know what I’m thinking.

You observe my wanderings and my sleeping, my waking and my dreaming,

    and You know everything I do in more detail than even I know.

You know what I’m going to say long before I say it.

    It is true, Eternal One, that You know everything and everyone.

You have surrounded me on every side, behind me and before me,

    and You have placed Your hand gently on my shoulder.

It is the most amazing feeling to know how deeply You know me, inside and out;

    the realization of it is so great that I cannot comprehend it.

Can I go anywhere apart from Your Spirit?

    Is there anywhere I can go to escape Your watchful presence?

If I go up into heaven, You are there.

    If I make my bed in the realm of the dead, You are there.

If I ride on the wings of morning,

    if I make my home in the most isolated part of the ocean,

 Even then You will be there to guide me;

    Your right hand will embrace me, for You are always there.

Even if I am afraid and think to myself, “There is no doubt that the darkness will swallow me,

    the light around me will soon be turned to night,”

You can see in the dark, for it is not dark to Your eyes.

    For You the night is just as bright as the day.

    Darkness and light are the same to Your eyes.

For You shaped me, inside and out.

    You knitted me together in my mother’s womb long before I took my first breath.

I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe."

Whenever whispers of "forgotten" or "not good enough" try to creep in (and they will), it will be good to go back to that park bench photo and see things once more from God's perspective, and be amazed, and grateful, and "filled with wonder and awe." And while there, maybe practice an ancient prayer that's worth carrying in our back pocket wherever we go…

“…Breathe in, ‘You are here, Lord’ and as you breathe out, ‘And I am with You.’” 

[Updated from "Where 'Forgotten' Doesn't Exist," originally published November 2017]

That's It

While revisiting old journal entries on a snowy Saturday morning out on the porch, listening to the spring birds…A timeless reminder that the Word of God says a ton of things about living well, but when it comes right down to it, it's pretty simple.

Start here, keep going...

The Wave

Building waves at North Beach, Ogunquit, Maine.

Once upon a time, in fact, only a few days ago, a man had a real-as-life dream that seemed to have been triggered by something far removed from whatever he may have had to eat before bed.

This was no usual mish-mash of his day’s or life’s events, or a weird blend of the stuff weighing on his subconscious, or the panic of classes he missed in college. This was one of those rare dreams when he knew when he was in it and when he awoke that it was not trivial but perhaps weighty and Eternal. The kind you don’t dismiss with a yawn and a strong cup of coffee, but the kind that you write down—every detail—and ponder, and pray about, and wonder, and pay attention to…

…The time was late winter, perhaps early spring. I was standing on a sidewalk outside our town’s elementary school looking out on the large expanse of playing fields down the embankment. Everything was covered with water, like a large lake or an ocean. The water was heaving and gently rolling. From the south end of the field, a train of snow piles that seemed to have gathered momentum, as though pushed by a river during spring thaw, paraded on to the back of the “lake.” This seemed to cause what looked like a huge building wave that was coming toward me and other unknown faces around me, and we sensed it was coming toward the school—but not in a horrific or fearful way. There was no panic, although I felt myself instinctively running for cover to get out of its way. As I turned around to look, the building wave was very blue, as if from heaven itself. Just as I was about to reach an unlocked door to the school gym, the wave had somehow surrounded me and was coming from the other direction as well. Again, no nightmarish fear. I remember diving through it and feeling neither cold nor warm but incredibly refreshed. A friend who had been with me said he decided to ride the wave, and though he was soaked, he was beaming from ear to ear with joy. Once inside the gym, although the wave had washed over the school, all was well. Peaceful. Of note, however, was where there had been an actual slow drip of water from a leaky roof had turned into a torrent. No one was concerned. Someone who appeared to be a teacher approached with a smile and gave off a vibe that everything was going to be fine. The scene suddenly transitioned to walking out of the school and back to my car. And as I walked down a hallway, it morphed into a sprawling restaurant-like atmosphere crowded with adults who were loud and having fun but who seemed to be totally oblivious to what had just happened down the hall and outside…

You have probably heard on the news or online about a wonderful wave of spiritual awakening that is significantly impacting several college campuses and even public schools across the nation. The media isn't quite sure what to make of it. Church people in my generation have tried to define it, label it, critique it, even make it their own. But this is not about us, really. This is about God sovereignly showing love to a generation desperately in need of some. Many are, reportedly, being healed of deep hurts in the process. They are discovering or rediscovering who Jesus is, that He is not “religious” or political, and that He is more than a figure from history. And they may or may not be interested in coming to our churches or listening to sermons…yet. Shocking.

Because this is a wave of Love that does not precisely fit a mold from “revivals” of the past, it has caused some to question its authenticity. In fact, however, it looks something like this: a young man who seems troubled and weighed down by the craziness of the world around him is approached by a Believer, greeted by name, told that God loves him, and is given a hug. And a dam breaks. Simple as that. That kind of “revival.”

If the man’s dream means anything, that sort of wave can happen wherever we live, and it is not to be feared but embraced. But none of us will make it happen. It can’t be announced or programmed or event-ed. If there is a wave in our towns, it will be a sovereign wave of God. And it will be because of one thing— someone and several someones prayed, and never quit praying, for the kids and teachers in their community. And it will be because our generation embraces the wave but gets out of the way and simply stands ready to be spiritual moms and dads. Ready with a prayer, a “God loves you” and an embrace.

May my generation never be like that oblivious, “who cares?” throng in the dream’s restaurant.

That would be a nightmare. 

“But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Swoosh

(Photo: Jon Flobrant @unsplash.com)

“When the peace of God follows the purity of God's wisdom into our hearts and lives, it will affect those around us.”—David Jeremiah

One day, on a snowy morning much like the many we’ve had this week, I was cross-country skiing through a field near my home. The freshly-falling snow seemed to muffle all sounds except for the swoosh of my skis as they moved forward. But then overhead, I heard a loud “Whooo—whooo!” A beautiful owl, blending in with the snow and branches, was observing my progress. Wherever I went, the owl’s head seemed to follow, watching over every glide forward, pause, and work-around of obstacles.

As I continued on my snowy morning journey, I realized there may have been more to the moment than just a cool encounter with a beautiful woodland creature. And while swooshing in the silence, I thought…

When I grow up, if I ever really do, I want to be wise like that owl.

Someone who somehow sees life more clearly in front, to the sides, behind, and to the front again—all the time,

Who seems to know what to do, what to say, how to move, and also how and when not to do any of those.

Is that even possible?

Maybe there is a reason that the owl’s cry is “Whooooo.” Because much more than a beautiful thing to be grasped, wisdom is a Person to know and hear and obey…

“For the LORD gives skillful and godly wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6)

Maybe it wasn’t coincidence that the owl was perched high above me so that I had to look Up...

...Because when it comes right down to it, the beginning of wisdom that can be life-changing is leaning hard into the Source of all wisdom…“Reverence for the Eternal is the first step toward wisdom. All those who worship Him have a good understanding.” (Psalm 111:10)

Start there…and then look for God’s footprint, God’s breath, God’s love, in everything—the big decisions of life and the day-to-day, the forks in the road, and in the arts and at the games, at the jobsite, out in creation, and in conservations and observations at the coffee shop and at the recycling center.

Sometimes, it’s hard to find God’s wisdom in the news, but it’s there, somewhere, too.

And if I look and listen carefully, it can come through other people, 

Even those who see life differently than I do.

It’s especially in that dog-eared book filled with wonderful words of life...

“The teachings of the Lord are perfect; they give new strength. The rules of the Lord can be trusted; they make plain people wise.” (Psalm 19:7)

Amen to that!

But He not only speaks through the pages of that book, but everywhere.

Like here in this snowy field…if only I will listen.

Is that even possible?

“If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking.” (James 1:5)

And I don’t even have to be grown up to qualify! Or an owl.

Just to remember, as the wisest Man who ever walked the earth said, ”follow Me.”

The world, even my own little world, will be better for it.

Swoosh….

Key of Be

Getting the right perspective down by the river, Depot Square.

"All that I am, praise the Lord; everything in me, praise His holy name." (Psalm 103:1)

A timeless prayer…

I really don’t care if the songs are the latest and greatest

Or 20 years old, or 200

Each day, just help me to choose to pick up my harp of David

Even if that harp is a shaky voice on a cold winter morning

Seated or standing

And whether I feel like it or not

In sighs, in a happy groove, or ridiculously off-key—doesn’t matter

Just awake my soul to go Vertical

Let simple words and melody draw my eyes and heart Upward

Where they belong

Each note, each word, building a crescendo of faith

In who You are and what is True

To be reminded once more of Your amazing grace and endless love

Because this stubborn heart is prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Every 30 seconds

Words ancient or lyrics modern, doesn’t matter

So long as they are life-fueling Truth and everlasting ropes to hold onto:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness…

Your Love, Oh Lord, Reaches to the Heavens…

Your Grace Is Enough….

But the greatest of these is Love

"So amazing, so Divine—demands my soul, my life, my all"

Every day, let me fill up my heart with these and more for this Great Adventure

Over mountain tops and through potholes, in sun and rain,

En route to the finish line…which really isn’t a finish at all

Because the song within will never end

But along the way, let me remember to exhale praise in every season

So I can keep breathing in deeply

The rarefied air of Your tangible presence in every step of this Journey

The rarified, pure, refreshing air that is like a brisk January morning

That is the mysterious, jaw-dropping power of Your Name

That Name…that alone can slake every parched thirst and dry season

That Name…that alone can reawaken awareness of entirely practical yet supernatural

Faith, hope, and love—wherever I go, even here

Alive in this time, this place, for one purpose only:

To walk each day with You in Your unlikeliest of mission fields

To sing to my soul of Your mercies for as long as I have breath

So that it comes out my pores

So that I may somehow reflect the Song that’s within to someone, anyone out there

Who maybe hasn’t heard it yet

Or feels adrift and confused in 5/4 time

Or, who simply needs to be lifted out of a minor key

To just… be.

“The way we perceive Jesus affects the way we live, and how expectantly we face our daily lives. If we have a huge and uncompromising view of Him, it'll lead to adventurous and exciting lives of faith.”—Matt Redman

[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 1-26-14]

What If I Just Yell?

Photo: StockSnap @pixabay.com 

“Lord, teach us to pray...”—Luke 11:1

What follows was originally written a couple of years ago, yet it could very well have been written a couple of days ago. The stuff near the end that happened back then is eerily similar to what happened this week when a country that may not have been sure about prayer stopped what they were doing anyway to lift Up a young football player fighting for his life. The organic power of it all, without formality or pretense, and the amazing encouragement to millions that has come from it, seem to be on repeat as if Heaven itself is waiting, longing for us to 'get it.' Selah...

Sometimes, like the persistent widow, prayer can be fervent and repetitive in seeking resolution to a really difficult situation. It can go on for days, weeks, and longer, and while there are often increasing glimmers of hope, it can also seem the answer is taking forever. And you know that you know that God is in it. These are the prayer situations when, as in my life, two wise and respected men of God (unbeknownst that the other had said the same thing) encouraged, “This story is not over!” Keep at it. God is listening, God is at work. Don’t quit.

This is how you pray.

But then, Jesus lays out the “how to” blueprint for His disciples: “Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, Your name is holy. May Your holy nation come. What You want done, may it be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the bread we need today. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. ‘Do not let us be tempted, but keep us from sin. Your nation is holy. You have power and shining-greatness forever. Let it be so.’" In other words, keep it simple, don’t make a show of it, and don’t just “say” the Lord’s Prayer either, but focus in on the multiple facets of who God is in your daily routine.

Ok, so that's how you pray.

But then, there's Anna the prophetess, the widow who spent day and night serving God by praying and fasting, the one who had been so in tune with the things of God that when she heard Simeon speak into the lives of Mary and Joseph about their newborn Son—“My eyes have seen the One Who will save men from the punishment of their sins.”—she knew it was true. And so she went and told everyone who was looking for some good news that Jesus was the One they had long been waiting for.

In other words, it’s good to dedicate your life to prayer so that you can get God’s heart on a matter, and know that you know that you know, so you can tell the world the Good News. Who wouldn't want that?

And so, if you’re really serious about prayer, that's how you do it.

Except, there was that time when a situation comes out of nowhere that punches you in the gut with its potential ramifications. Everything within you says, “This is not going to end well.” Words are few. Thoughts are incoherent and spinning. There is no persistent praying, model praying, or dedicated praying. Not even close. Only a gasp, a yell of "God, help, please!" and an inner resolve that "God’s got this"—but that’s about it.

And a couple of days later, again out of nowhere, a dramatic, table-turning answer that no scheme, great idea, or modern technology could ever pull off. The only explanation: God heard, and God answered....  

After all these years in the Walk, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t know how prayer works. Just that it does. Prayer has no neat and tidy confining boxes because God in His great goodness doesn't have any either. And maybe, in all kinds of prayer, all of Heaven keeps cheering us on to stop sweating the method and simply cultivate this for every situation, big or small, in our everyday life...

“Prayer is what happens when the soul cries out to its Maker, and no matter what the words, no matter what the feelings, no matter what the method, when it happens, it is prayer.”

—Steve Brown, “Approaching God”

Hope On the Horizon

A recent jaw-dropping Christmas evening in Northfield, NH.

My gift of thanks and appreciation to all of you who have been reading and a part of the conversation this year and the past eight: Words of hope and faithfulness from the past year 's Sunday Morning Vitamin (and some favorite photos) to carry into a new year and beyond. Because in this crazy world, we can't be reminded enough of God's goodness to us in every season, so that we can seek to live it out before those on our daily path. To remember to always keep looking Up...because Hope is on the horizon!

Remember this, O my soul: Whenever you clasp your hands in prayer, whenever you lift your hands in worship, whenever you write, whenever you grip the hand of another in fellowship, whenever you create anything with your hands, whenever you play a song or paint a landscape, whenever you applaud in encouragement, whenever you dirty your hands to grow a garden, whenever you offer a hand to someone in need—your hands are a weapon of worship created to bring glory to God… “Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.”—HANDS OF GOD“

Ah, Lord God! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17_…It’s good to be reminded that this Journey is not always as super-spiritual as we try to make it, but, rather, it is life to the full — just as He promised —in the midst of all of its circumstances, and through them. He is in it all. It just takes two words to get the right perspective back…“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is 'thank you,' it will be enough.” (Meister Eckhart)—WHAT’S GOOD?

Often, after I grab my coffee first thing in the morning, I’ll just breathe in deeply and thank God that it’s His breath in my lungs to live another day for His glory. It's “seeing” and feeling the Words on a page come alive: “This God is the One who gives life, breath, and everything else to people. He does not need any help from them; He has everything he needs.” (Acts 17:25) For the start of any new day, breathing that in always puts a lot of things in their right perspective. When you “see “ God, you see really well. With so much heaviness and troubles in our world and in the news, we all need that recalibration to remember that we are never alone and that He is always “God with us” and not off preoccupied with someone or something else more important.—SEEING

You are not “the Big Guy.” You are not “the Man upstairs.” You are not just a “higher power.”You are not just a lord to be respected but Lord of Lords—You are the plural of ALL majesty! You alone are ALL power, ALL authority. You alone are ALL-sovereign. You alone are maker of ALL heaven and earth. You alone are master and ruler over ALL-everything. And You alone own everything—and because I believe in You, that means I belong to You, too. I can cast ALL my cares upon You—ALL of them. The whole world—my whole world—even today, is in Your hands. And You love ALL that is Yours (even me at my worst). And You care for ALL that is Yours. And You alone are my only ALL-in-ALL protector, and provider, and Savior, and oh so much more. You never change—from everlasting to everlasting, You are Adonai Lord of Lords—a plural of ALL majesty! You are…worthy of ALL my praise, ALL my worship, ALL my life, for ALL of my days.”—THE JOURNEY OF BELIEVING ALL

There are few things better than the feeling of “git ‘er done.” But there is also this: "It is impossible to do everything people want you to do. You have just enough time to do God’s will. If you can’t get it all done, it means you’re trying to do more than God intended you to do…” (Rick Warren). Stay in your lane… Four of the most challenging words ever preached. But the smartest Man who ever walked the planet knows best and says it’s still the right way to go: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you, too. So do not worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow worry about itself. Living faithfully is a large enough task for today.” (Matthew 6:33-34)—FINDING OUR LANE

Just a bunch of cool-looking rocks holding up a corner of the old Granite Block building at the corner of Main and Grove in my hometown. Colorful, artsy foundation architecture for sure, but I remember when I took that photo a couple of years ago, it was intentional—to help practically illustrate a teaching on something mysterious that Jesus said about Himself many years ago: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very stone—the cornerstone—that holds together the entire foundation.” (Luke 20:17). That's a great image to hold on to when you wake up every morning to a world gone mad, where all around seems shaken and unstable. The Lord who made heaven and earth and all that is in them is still the firm foundation of it all. —FOUNDATIONS

On this porch, to everything there is a season…A time to savor a warm breeze on a summer evening and time to feel the roar of a winter gale. A time to hear all of creation awakening the dawn and a time to to hear the deafening silence of a January night. A time to be grateful, and never a time to be ungrateful…“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” He’s been faithful in all the rest, and He will be now.—THE PORCH AWAKENING

Before planning and scheming the day ahead, rejoice, even if just a little bit—which means don’t just feel gratitude, express it. Give Him praise from whom every single blessing flows! This day may seem full or it may seem like just another day, but don’t be fooled; Remember that every day is His day, and for His glory, and how I walk—even run—through it really matters. And even if (and when) I veer off course on this day’s journey, or my heart and flesh fail, remember to end the day as you’re doing now, even out of breath: Give Him praise from whom all blessings flow! This is living life in all its fullness.—FULLNESS AT TURN TWO

“One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord—in His presence—all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty, the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur, of the Lord…” (Psalm 27:4) That’s it! That’s the goal. In writing, in speaking or singing, and especially in photography, I knew that I knew that afternoon in the woods that the goal of my life was not retreat but advance—to gaze upon and then point to the beauty of the Lord that’s all around us “all the days of my life.” And then get out of the way. Yes, there is surely darkness and ugliness. The goal is not denial. But the goal is built on a promise that trumps all ugliness: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered, defeated or understood it.” (John 1:5) Never has, never will.—THE GOAL

“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.” Still. He is not some quarterback in the stands watching the game unfold, wondering if the players will ever get it right as the game seems to get out of control. From the rising of the sun to its setting. Our Captain of our Salvation is unfazed by wind and cold and storm...and headlines. His decisions are always perfect and unwavering. And He often calls amazing audibles, and plays that are not in our playbook and that don’t make sense Until at just the right time, they do. Even if we don't realize it until we look back later.—THE CAPTAIN IN THE FIELD

Stop striving. Stop trying to win this battle on your own. Stop running away and run perseveringly to green pastures instead. Stop trying to live by performance and approval and instead find God’s grace and mercy in time of every need. Be still and remember that you have a Savior who is forever your advocate, no matter what. He was, He is, and He always will be your defender: “The Lord will fight for you. All you have to do is keep still.” (Exodus 14:14)—FIELD OF DREAMS

“A very present help in times of trouble.” Whether it's times of sadness, weariness, stress, uncertainty or confusion, I needed to hear for the gazillionth time that God is not only my greatest-ever defense and offense, He is always “very present.” Things you know but things you forget in the heat of the moment. But very? How can anything be more present than present? Perhaps it was the psalmist’s “I don’t have the words for this” way of saying, of encouraging us all, that no matter what the season and unlike any other friend on earth, God is: Always ready. Always listening. Always near. Proven. Trustworthy...Undefeated! That wherever we go, there He is. That whether we are stuck inside during a snowstorm, or halfway around the world, or “If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, Your strength will support me.” (Psalm 139:9-10)—VERY PRESENT

"Jesus stands at the door and knocks, in complete reality. He confronts you in every person that you meet. Christ walks on the earth as your neighbor as long as there are people. He walks on the earth as the One through whom God calls you, speaks to you, and makes His demands. That is the greatest seriousness, and the greatest blessing, of the Advent message.”—Dietrich Boenhoffer