Where is God?

What a crazy Thanksgiving weekend it was for our family. Perhaps you can relate? Not only did I miss the big Thanksgiving dinner, I missed gathering with you!  I did, however, take time to stop, remember and reflect on how blessed we are as a family, and as a community of believers.  

We have so much to be grateful for, don’t we?  Grateful for all God has done, and will continue to do in our lives and yet even set amid the plethora of grateful thoughts and expressions toward God, we still doubt, don’t we?   

As I hear of the number of Covid cases rising, the upcoming election in the States, the racial hatred demonstrated here in our own backyard….it is overwhelming.    

Sometimes I wonder, how is it that the world seems to be unravelling?  Where is God?  

Do you ever doubt?  I know that there are some of you who don’t.  You have a deep trust and faith that, at times, defies understanding.  I used to think you were naive, or maybe a little phony but I don’t think that now.  Now, I believe that you are blessed, no rather, I believe that you are gifted with faith... and that is an amazing gift.  

But there are others of us who wonder...where is God when a loved one gets sick, or when a relationship falls apart?  Where is God as I pray for the starving children, or the senseless wars in other parts of the world? Where is God in the midst of the crazy?

Do you remember the story of the disciples when they were in the boat, Jesus was on the mountainside praying, and storm came in?    

As the wind billows and the waves beat against the boat, Jesus came to them walking on the water.  And we read that “they were terrified” (Matthew 14: 22-33).  In the midst of the unknown, the uncertainty, the fear and the struggle, it is obvious by reading Matthew’s account that the disciples were not expecting what they saw.  In fact, because Jesus came in a way they didn’t expect, they almost missed seeing the answer to their prayers.

Maybe that is true for us as well, in the midst of our doubts and questions, unless we look and listen closely, we may risk making the same mistake. 

God is present, even in the midst of our doubt, even in the midst of the crazy, if only we’ll look.   God is closer than you think!

Join us this week as we conclude our 6 part series entitled, Optimism in the Midst of the Crazy. Tune in, doubt and all, and let’s look for God together!

Thank you for your words of encouragement!

This past week I was blessed to receive a number of very encouraging emails from our Amberlea family. Thank you. In this very unusual time, where I find myself writing, filming, producing, lighting and editing all alone in my office… I am so grateful to hear from those of you who have found God’s word encouraging. It is in fact an encouragement to me. 

We’ve all needed encouragement haven’t we?  The Apostle Paul wrote:

Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  (1 Thess. 5:11)

The church in Thessalonica struggled and faced an uncertain future. Sound familiar? Many of us today, find ourselves struggling amidst this global pandemic and the uncertainty we face, is real. 

The Apostle Paul wrote to encourage them, reminding them of their faith, love and hope in Jesus. He reminded them that with these assurances they could keep encouraging one another and building each other up.

We have all been on the receiving end of encouraging words. And you might agree that sometimes a word of encouragement has the power and potential to change the trajectory of our thinking, if not our life. 

En­cour­agement is a gift no matter where we are — at work, at school, at home or at church.  It is also a gift we can share! As we come alongside others we can be a blessing to them as we encourage them. It’s not difficult, encouragement can be as simple as listening, consoling, affirming, or just being there. It is truly a way of living out the command to love one another.

Who have been the encouragers in your life? The ones who were there when you thought you’d never laugh again. The ones who listened to you; while others just talked. They were very likely a blessing to you. 

We are so grateful for them, aren’t we?

So, when was the last time you encouraged someone? When were you that blessing in someone else’s life?

“Encourage one another and build each other up…”

This Thanksgiving weekend, be blessed and be a blessing!

Be Well.

Be Safe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turn on the light!

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Isaiah 60:1-3 (NIV)

Most of us can resonate with how the prophet Isaiah colours the earth in Isaiah 60:1-3. Isaiah didn’t describe the earth in brilliant blues and greens, or even the stunning orange and reds of a perfect Ontario Fall day. Instead Isaiah speaks of Earth's spiritual atmosphere in other terms… darkness.  Isaiah says, “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples . . ." (vs. 2a)

I received a touching email from a young woman just shortly after another senseless death of a black man in the United States…

"The murder of black people in the States has been spray painting all over what I knew to be true of God." She said that this and personally struggling in the midst of a global pandemic had been "defacing the image of Christ” that she has in her heart.

I was struck by the imagery she used. It made me wonder what had been marring my own view of God. 

In the midst of difficulties both near and far, how can we hold onto an image of God that highlights God’s power and goodness? So many questions come in the midst of darkness. 

• “Why doesn't God do something?" 

• "Why is there so much evil in the world?" 

• And more personally, "Why doesn't God help me?"

Isaiah didn't offer answers to these questions. Instead, he listened for God's voice and then spoke the word God gave him. 

He painted a picture of an earth covered in thick darkness, yet he also spoke of a light so strong it would pierce the darkness. "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you." (vs. 1).

Isaiah did not speak so much of a happy present, but of a blessed future. Though he didn't know Jesus' name, the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus (“the glory of the Lord”) approximately 700 years before His birth.

Isaiah is telling us that what we now know: 

• Jesus is our answer when we wonder where God is. 

• Jesus is the light that dispels the darkness and shows us God's great love.

Like Isaiah and the people he spoke to, we sometimes feel mired in gloom. There is so much darkness in the world. Fortunately, we are not left alone to stumble in the darkness. We have been given Jesus, the light by which we filter life's hardships.

Today, would you take a few moments to move your focus from the problems of the world and the problems in our midst to God. As you do, ask Jesus, to give you a deeper vision of who He is, praying that His character will shine like a light through you. Ask for His help in seeing all that is going on today through His eyes, trusting that He will work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Darkness is nothing but the absence of light. It's a negative—a nothing. As soon as you flip the switch, the darkness vanishes. Today, ask God to turn the light on in you, so that others will see God’s power!