“It’s better to wait for the Father’s timing and have things fall into place rather than rush ahead and have them fall apart.”

The difference between a black olive and green olive is the length of time it spends on the tree. Green olives are picked before they ripen. Black olives are picked after they ripen.

Who chooses the timing of the harvest? The farmer does based on when he wants to market them.

Your Father has a purpose for your life, just like the farmer has for his olives.

You can choose to surrender to His purpose and have things fall into place or fight it and see them fall apart.

Jesus chose in the Garden of Gethsemane, where this picture was taken, to allow life to fall into place by surrendering to the Father’s plan for His life. I think that turned out pretty well, don’t you?

Learn from Jesus. Surrender to the Father’s purpose, especially when you get ancy, and life will fall into place in His prefect timing.

These mountains are just west of the city of Jericho. Can you imagine what they would say if they could speak?

They saw a massive caravan of people camping east of the Jordan River. Then they saw this mass of humanity cross the Jordan on dry ground!

They saw Jericho’s walls fall down simply because an army marched around them seven times. 

They saw a dude wearing camel skin roll up his jacket and smack the Jordan, which caused its waters to part so he could cross on dry ground. 

They saw another dude years later wearing the same get up dunking people, one of whom roamed their very hills talking with himself.

These mountains saw Israel come home. Elijah head home. John the Baptist immerse Jesus who then walked their hills being tempted by the adversary. 

They saw all this, but can’t be a witness of what God has done. Only, we can. 

Are you loving Jesus enough to let Him change your life? The world needs you to stop playing with Jesus and let Him do what He came to do – change your life today and bring you home tomorrow. 

If He is changing your life, are you praying for and taking the opportunities to share it? 

A good friend of mine once said, “Vision without action is a dream. Action without a vision is aimless. But a vision with action can change the world, one person at a time.”

Don’t play Christianity. Instead, love and share your Jesus. You CAN change the world, one person at a time.

This picture was taken at an Israeli desert oasis. A stream of water flows through this canyon that starts with a waterfall forming a small pool and then gathers water from the limestone rock seen here. 

This picture speaks volumes about living versus existence. How so? There are three Hebrew words for desert. 

One word implies there is water and land capable of agriculture. Thus, you can stay in one place and make a good living even in the desert!

Another word implies there is water only in oasis like this one. This means you would have to know where these oasis are and then move from oasis to oasis in order to exist. 

The last word means there is no water; thus no life, let alone existence.

Living in this world can be like a desert. It’s hot and cold and quite challenging, even in the best of times. 

And yet, Jesus didn’t come to give us existence, but life.

He said that in following Him we can know that our time on this planet has value and purpose despite its challenges. 

He said that we can make disciples or followers of Him no matter where we live or how we make our living.

Want to feel alive and not just exist? Take your Jesus given purpose seriously. Focus on helping others love, become like and share Jesus. 

As you do, you will feel fulfilled and at peace even in the desert.

I don’t know all the details of tomorrow, but I’m in the hands of One who does today.

I heard a poll that shows most Americans are not happy. In fact, they are pessimistic. Some of the factors were Covid, inflation, lack of trust in any political party, and a possible war in the Ukraine.

The first thing that came to mind was the power of hope. In a 1950 Harvard study, “Rats were dropped into a pool of water to test how long they could tread water before sinking. On average, it was 15 minutes.

“Right before they gave up due to exhaustion, they would be plucked out, dried off, given a few minutes rest, and then put back in for round two.

“How long do you think they lasted? 5, 10, maybe 15 minutes? Nope. It was 60 hours!

“The conclusion was that the rats believed that they would be rescued. It was this hope that allowed them to push past what they previously thought impossible.”

Who gives us hope? Jesus! He plucked us out of this world, washed us clean and gave us rest. He provides the hope needed for days like ours.

We, as children of God through faith in what Jesus has already done, have the ultimate life changer living inside us who will not only take care of us today, but also take us home tomorrow!

Stay focused on your source of hope, the one Who can get you through more than you ever thought possible. And then, be ready to share this hope with those in need of hope.

“On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.” Edward Motes

What I originally “saw” in this photo was a number of daggers. Then I looked closely and noticed they were the shadows of a number of rocks.

The rock was the reality and the shadow was merely the shape caused by the sun’s light blocked by the rock. No matter the position of the sun, the rock doesn’t change. The shadow does.

Religion is the shadow. It’s mankind’s attempt at being the rock that results in a series of rules that seek to either control your behavior or to conform Jesus into a shadow.

Jesus is the rock. He didn’t teach a set rules to control you, but a relational lifestyle that results in you being freed from sin’s damaging control.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey Me.” Notice He doesn’t say do this or don’t do that because He’s in charge.

No, He said love Him. This love is based in trusting Him to determine what is best for us to be and then do. And, if we actually love Him, we will then follow Him even when what we “see” differs from what He says.

A living breathing loving relationship with Jesus brings great stability to our lives – a feeling of safety and security for today, tomorrow and eternity.

Move beyond a rule based life. Learn to love Jesus, especially in the ever changing times in which we live.