The Courageous Ones

Practice Silence: Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.

“Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”

                  
                                                               - CS Lewis

Courage requires risk. Courage requires vulnerability. Courage requires examples.

To watch others live courageously often gives us courage. This courage is based on great trust. This is not to be confused with fearlessness for often courage and fear go hand in hand. Yet for those that choose courage, their faith and trust trump fear.

Who are the courageous ones in your life? Those persons that live with great bravery, risk and vulnerability? How will you live courageously?

Practice Silence: Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.

Own Your Box

Practice Silence: Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.

"Own your box." A dear friend spoke these words to me in the midst of a class. I was talking about my fears, how I felt others were competing with me and rather than letting God's call lead, I was allowing fear and insecurity to lead. She was telling me to own my call, to fully live into it.

We all have calls from God. A call can be a role like mother, sister or wife. A call can be a career like teacher, attorney, EMT or housekeeper. A call can be a vocation of ministry in the church, volunteering in the community or serving internationally. Our calls vary and are given by God. We have the choice whether to let fear and insecurities lead them or faith and trust. If God has given them, he knows what he is doing and it is good.

Last weekend I repeated my friend's words as I stood before a large group of people to speak. I did just that and guess what? I was having a blast and honoring God. God had called me to speak a word to these people. Owning our call is not about self-confidence, but confidence in the One who gave the call.

What are your calls? Are you owning them? Are you enjoying them? How is God honored and glorified by living fully into your calls?

Practice Silence Again: Sit quietly for as long as is available to you.

Game Changers

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    "Because what if we believed instead, that those little people we are sacrificing for each day, that they are growing up to be game changers." A Mustard Seed Journey Blog

    These words convicted me and resonated with me. So much of my energy is spent on prevention rather than creation. What is more of my energies were spent on creating rather than preventing, trusting rather than fearing?

    What are the needed boundaries AND needed freedoms?

    Prayer: God help us. Help us to discern needed boundaries and needed freedoms. May our energies be spent on creating, stemming out of faith rather than preventing, stemming out of fear. Amen.

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Good Will Overcome

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    Some days it is hard to believe that good will win, that good will overcome evil. So many days it seems like evil is taking over, that we should expect more evil than good and that goodness will not make it.

    Some days our faith dwindles and we cannot see how good will come through, how God will come through. Some days we are grasping for any evidence of goodness and we hold on by a thread.

    Today, may God give you the grace to hope and the faith to believe. May your hope increase and your faith grow even in the seeming absence of goodness.

    Good will overcome.

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Lowered Expectations

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**


  In fear of being disappointed we lower our expectations of God. We pray yet do not trust. We ask yet do not expect anything in return. Yes, it is good to hold things loosely but that is different than lowering our expectations.

  I tend to lower my expectations because I don't want to be disappointed. I do not hope in order that those hopes are not dashed. I expect little from God because I do not believe that how He will answer will be enough.

  How about you? Do you approach God with lowered expectations or with great trust, believing He is good and able?

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Share Your Stories

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what He has done for my soul.” Psalm 66:16

    Many of us have stories of healing, redemption, transformation. We carry stories of God’s miraculous work in our lives. He has done great things for our souls and we hesitate to share the stories.

    When you share the stories, you offer others a little bit of faith. So many are pummeled by doubt of Who God is and His power. As you tell others the stories of what God has done for your soul you remind them of Who God is and you offer courage.

    Stories of transformation are contagious and offer courage. How will you encourage another today by telling them what God has done for you?

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Faith Made Stronger

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    Our faith is made stronger as we sit in the presence of Jesus. Have you taken the time to sit with Jesus today? This week? Presence has power and we are made stronger when we are with Jesus.

    No need to be super productive, just sit with Him and allow your faith to be made stronger as you grow in relationship with Him, in His presence.

    It is a discipline, no doubt. Sit with Him today.

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Anchor

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    My son asked me what an anchor was today. My initial response was that an anchor is something that keeps us steady. Thinking more upon it, I realize my initial response was not accurate. One thing an anchor does is it keeps a ship from drifting away. While there is the constant unsteadiness because of the water around and underneath, the anchor keeps the ship from being carried away.

    I think about this and realize there is always opportunity for the waters around us to grow incredibly unsteady, fast and even violent. There is always opportunity for the waters to send us rocking, swaying and unsure. The reality of life is the reality of a body of water, the unexpected can happen any time.

    So we need an anchor. We need an anchor that holds us while we are incredibly unsteady, an anchor the keeps us from drifting, an anchor that will not move. That anchor is God, who gives us the faith to live each day with the waters.

    How has God been your anchor lately?

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Courage, Fear and Faith

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in and silence for one minute before reading.**
 
    Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is walking forward despite fear … with faith.

    When God calls us into the unknown (it happens often, my friends!) we often a mixture of emotions. We walk courageously forward in faith. Often our faith is general, holding onto the simple yet deepest truths of God. He loves us, He is good and He is sovereign. We sometimes do not get any others details! (I know, it kills the type – A’s).

    How is God calling you to step forward in faith? What fears do you have? Talk to God, tell Him your fears and ask for the faith that helps you walk forward in courage!
 
**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

New Names

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**
 
“Often we cling to our old names because our new names, our new identities, may point us in directions we would rather not go.”
                         Compassion by Nouwen, McNeill, Morrison

    New names come at various times and new names can be both expected and unexpected. Living into a new name and identity requires great faith, trust and dependence.

    Faith is involved as we step forward in our new names because we have no idea what we are doing. God has called us into a new identity yet we have no idea what it feels like or who we are to be. We are used to our old name and the old name seems safer, predictable, we are familiar with it. This new name is unknown and we are not quite sure we are up for the task of living up to this new name.

    Trust is also involved in accepting and moving forward with our new name. To accept an identity requires that we trust God. We trust that through this new name is not a mistake. We trust that this new name is a greater reflection of who we are and a part of who God is calling us to be.

    Dependence is also required as we step into this new name. Dependence on the Holy Spirit to direct us in our new identity and trust the He knows what He is doing.

    What new name is pointing you in a direction you would rather not know? What old name are you clinging to? How will you step into your new name in faith, trust and dependence?
 
**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Community and Faith

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

“We are able to do many hard things, tolerate many conflicts, overcome many obstacles, and persevere under many pressures, but when we no longer experience ourselves as part of a caring, supporting, praying community, we quickly lose faith.”  Compassion, p. 59, Henri Nouwen, et al.

    Most of us are quite capable people, gifted in many ways and have been given great opportunities. We can do along and some of us have overcome a lot. We are hard workers, those who persevere and have made it. We have accomplished so much as individuals, or at least we think we have.
    I love how Nouwen connects faith with community. The nurture and growth of our faith is dependent on community. Sure our own individual times with God are highly valuable as are our times together in worship services, groups, neighborhood communities, etc. It is not only our faith that helps us through difficulties but it is the faith of the community, those who will cry with us and for us. Those who will hope for us when we cannot hope. Those who will strengthen our faith by letting us stand on their faith. Those who love when we are being very difficult to love. The community perseveres in their faith as they walk with us and we supernaturally receive the benefits of their faith.
    The body of Christ is a mystery, a mystery that includes dependence. Our God is so creative and gracious that He gives us others to grow in faith with. We need them and they need us. How has the community of Christ nurtured your faith?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Faith, Love and Hope

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

                                                             – The Apostle Paul, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

    Who are you thankful for? Who do you consistently mention in your prayers?
    I love the idea of continually remembering those who are living their lives for God. It is in their faith, their love and their hope that they serve. Their work, their labor and their endurance is a by-product of their faith, their love and their hope. The people who live this way inspire, encourage and challenge me. They remind me that working, laboring and enduring well are a result of faith and trust in God, love of God and others and hope in Christ. So many times I have it the other way around and forget that it begins with faith, love and hope. This cuts to my heart and brings me to tears as I write.
     May your prayers today be filled with those who have provided amazing examples of walking a life of faith, love and hope because of Christ. May our lives also become examples to others of walking in faith, love and hope.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Do you Know God?

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

“Faith, in the final analysis, is trusting someone you know, even when you don’t always understand what he is doing.”
                                                 – Carolyn Custis James, When Life and Beliefs Collide

    How well do you know God? Not just know about him, but know Him like you do a good friend, family member or even spouse? Have you ever noticed that the more you get to know someone the easier it is to trust them (that is, if they are trustworthy) and the less you know someone the more likely it is that you will make up stories of why they do what they do and who they are?
    I have found that relationship, getting to know someone helps me to trust them, especially when I don’t understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. The same goes for God yet we treat Him differently. We often learn much about Him (knowledge) and we thing that this is the same as knowing Him. Knowing Him leads to faith, not necessarily knowing about Him (although it does help).
    God desires relationship, trust and faith and wants our assurance to come from knowing Him. The more we know God the more we trust Him. Do you know God enough to trust Him? Will you sit for a bit longer than two minutes and engage Him in honest conversation, get to know Him and allow Him to speak to your heart?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Have more than two minutes? Reading the Bible is the best way to know God. Open up the gospel of Luke and start reading at Chapter 1. Get to know God.

The Camera Shot

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    Assumptions. We make them all the time. One great assumption we make is that if we cannot see something then it is not there. I think of how many times I am behind the video camera shooting a video of my kids or my kids with another person. I wonder if later on in life my kids will look at those videos and wonder why their mom is not in them. I am afraid they will think that I am not there and was not involved in their lives when in fact I am very present and very involved, I just did not get myself on video.
    Sometimes I wonder if that is how I see God – I do not see him in the camera shot and wonder if He’s there. Just like my kids, I have a limited view and cannot see everyone who is in the room. There is more to the room than what the camera is catching. We think that we can see it all, everything and everyone in the room but there is more to life than what we can see. If we limit our faith and hope to our sight then we can be led to wonder if God is actually there when in fact He has been there all along.
    Can you see beyond the camera shot?

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Hope Holders

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

    There are times in our lives where it's nearly impossible to have hope. A relationship is in shambles, we see no way out of a situation, we do not know how we can go on from a loss or hurt, we cannot imagine how life can be different. We struggle to hold onto hope.
In these times we need hope holders - those who will hold onto hope for us until we can. To have a community that can we can lean on and a community that is leaning on God with us and for us.
    You might be in a place where you need someone to hold onto hope for you. God may be calling you to hold onto hope for another. We all need and can be hope holders for one another, encouraging and giving strength to others. We need hope holders. We need to be hope holders.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Have more than two minutes? Read the story of a hope holder found in Acts 27:14-44.

The Unknown

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

God often calls us into it. It may be the unknown of a medical decision, the unknown of where we are moving to, the unknown of who our children will become, the unknown of finances, the unknown of (fill in the blank). Our lives are filled with unknowns and we often get frustrated when we cannot know. This frustration is based in fear. If we are honest with ourselves our fear is of the unknown and we wonder whether God will meet us there. The truth is God is already in the unknown. He is in the darkness and is waiting for us. He walks with us and meets us in the unknown. We love knowledge and we have been deceived into thinking we can have all knowledge. God calls us to faith. How is God calling you to have faith? What unknown will He meet you in? Prayers for you as you step forth into the unknown trusting God with it all.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**