BREATHE

John 15:1-7 , says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. I was driving to my mom's house the other day; halfway there, I noticed that I'd been driving on "autopilot."  I had been trying to control the outcome of m y worries, cares, and plans  to such a degree that I allowed my body to drive without me. Very quickly, I brought my thoughts back to the wheel; I also thought about the passage above.  I get so wrapped up in the temporary cares, worries, and plan

But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding, Job 32:8. Mark Tyrell talks about an old l egend. According to the tale, Nasrudin was walking alone at night when he saw a group of people approaching in the far distance. Instantly, his imagination began to toy with him: "They are surely robbers!" he thought. "No, why just robbers? Murderers, cutthroats! About to set upon me, a lonely traveler, leave me for dead and steal all my possessions! How are my wife and children going to cope without me?!" Nasrudin's heart began to pound. His mouth became as dry as his palms became wet. He shook from head to toe and found himself breathing like an unfit man running to the finishing line of his first marathon. Having thoroughly terrified himself, he stumbled into a nearby graveyard and cowered shaking inside an open tomb, awaiting his fate.  Meanwhile, the harmless strangers, concerned by his dramatic behavio

The “bar” has been lifted (or the limbo stick lowered...depending on your preferred image) in the lives of our teens and even tweens compared to when we were in their place. In middle-school, they are pushed to take high-school classes and tests; in high-school, they are prompted, cajoled, and strongly encouraged to take dual enrollment classes and knock off college credit with no guarantee that the laborious studying will be rewarded with the coveted credits. Teens could be enjoying a couple more years of unencumbered wonder as they ease into adulthood; instead, in the name of success, they are pushed to reach their full potential, intellectually, spiritually, and otherwise; they are prodded to excel in athletics, the arts, or a club or two, and sometimes keep a job. They wear many hats at school, within their families, and in their communities while participating on various teams, suffering through standardized tests, some caring for younger brothers and/or sisters, worry abo

ANXIETY RELIEF ~ “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) Emotions are vital. They signal that our body is either in “homeostasis” (equilibrium) or in crisis. When, however, they become “body-bullies,” building, growing, and controlling what we can and can not do — it’s time to surrender those feelings to our Lord and focus on relief.  Let’s recognize ANXIETY as a signal instead of allowing it to trigger more and more anxiety.   HOW?         Purposeful breathing                          Taking a walk       Prayer                           Listening to praise music                                           We surrender worry, anxiety, or other strong emotions by focusing on ANYTHING other than the cause of the anxiety.  This allows our minds and bodie

I've been talking with several people who are experiencing strongholds in their lives. When I struggled through a spiritual stronghold, it colored my entire life; everything I touched, every thought, word, every action was tempered by the memory of this trauma that I could NOT surrender. A spiritual stronghold is a painful or traum atic memory, habit, or lie that the enemy continues to recyc le in our lives. He nudges us to be afraid, to remember every failure and/or injury, every personal affront and undignified moment. The enemy has a way of embedding hang-ups in us until we believe they are part of our identity. Evil thrives on our fear and pain, prompting us to hold onto the past like an infant clutches a blanket. When we allow the stronghold inside of us, the darkness expands to envelope our soul. Strongholds prevent us from moving forward, keeping us in a frozen state of fear and pain. How do we break strongholds? I used to live in Oak For

Breathe Peace into the New Year I had never been able to “keep holy the Sabbath.” It should be a simple thing. Take one day per week and rest. Exodus 20:8 tells us, “ Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the Lord” (Exodus 35:2). In fact, this verse is so serious about sabbath rest that it ends with, “Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.” Yikes! For years, I'd tried to cram in all of my work in six days, leaving Sunday for church, prayer, and . . . football. Somehow, this never seemed quite right. I tried going for long walks on the beach with the Lord after church, but I couldn't walk ALL DAY, and I wondered, “Is walking work ?” Leviticus 23:3 explains sabbath rest further, “‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it