country views

I have had the privilege to travel to many places. Over 40 countries on 5 continents that have proved to be quite the adventure of thrill and intrigue. I just love country views, do you?

What a blessing to see first hand so much of God’s beautiful creation that it makes me wonder how someone could deny His very existence.

The vast gorge and spurting geysers at Yellowstone to the height of Cuzco viewing Sacsayhuamán and traveling on to Machu Picchu to scaling the Eiffel Tower or simply basking in the sun crossing the straits of Gibraltar and riding off into the sunset in Tangier to taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the orient in Hong Kong both in city proper and rural trails around Victoria peak or Dragon’s tail to escape one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Glaciers in Alaska, children in Guatemala, rushing eaters of Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica, man-made marvels and feats of human strength in many ancient ruins like the pyramids in Mexico, and the list can go on and on.

There is so much in this world to explore.

I think if South Africa did not have political power struggles in the past it might be the most visited place in the world. It certainly rivals in beauty with Hawaii or the Amalfi coast. Other beach like encounters atypical are the pink sands of Bermuda or Mediterranean stone beaches.

Riding a camel through the Sahara or horseback through Tunisia are up high in my memory bank along with seeing undestroyed cities in Europe that make you feel as if you stepped back in time.

I still have 2 continents and 2 of the United States to see, but even if I never travel again; the memories in my mind’s eye truly will last a lifetime and most travel I was blessed with because of work.

If you can no longer travel or can’t afford to, travel through a book or movie. If you don’t know something about a place or hear about a happening in a country you don’t know much about, look up some information on it.

No longer are trips needed to be made to go use the Dewey decimal at the library. That dates me! How many of you out there is cyberland even know what that is or that Dewey really is the last name of the man who invented it?

I wonder if Melvil Dewey way back in 1876 knew all elementary kids going forward would know his name. The system is still used today often with the online version called WebDewey and guess what? I looked him up to learn more. Go do the same when you don’t know something. Back to country views…

Lately, most travel is in my mind with memories, so it has been exciting to see the different country views this blog has reached and it puts me over the moon. They have come from 5 continents representing 30 countries in just 6 months! I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months bring as I diligently post each day of the year. Thank you to all the 1k plus who have visited. I hope you all stick around. Hard to believe I have diligently and painstakingly reviewed the 82+k words that have already been posted. I pray each and every word has blessed you. It is so exciting to see the stars and country views. I look forward to what is to come. Hopefully views from every nation and continent.

What excites you?

What do you want to see or do?

Make a list of what you might even think the impossible and start moving towards them today.

I have always loved to write even started a blog at several points over the last decade plus. But, here I am finally living it out daily!

Make your mark on the world.

Perhaps, visiting countries or seeing the views from different ones does not excite you. That’s ok. We are all unique and different.

God has wired us each for our own purposes to live out to bring Him honor and glory. I mostly use writing, but also art, teaching, and counseling are ways I daily live out my calling.

How about you?

What do you feel your mission is while you are here on earth? I would love to hear. Please comment below.

Go back and look at your bucket list from above (you did write one, right???). Now, start connecting the dots of desires to your purpose and your joy in the Lord and thrill of living out your calling with purpose and clarity will put you over the moon too!

Perhaps those country views may literally end up taking you to the country.

It doesn’t matter the where as much as the why.

Live out the why and you will…

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And remember, God is in control and has the master plan; you and I both just need to listen and heed to His calling in our lives.

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29:10-11 MSG

Just for fun, enjoy some beautiful sites and see if you can name the pictures below from the above mentioned places:

to us, waiting is wasting, to God, waiting is working

This is a Louie Giglio quote. Ever hear of him? To be honest, I did not until I saw this quote and looked him up.

He is the pastor of Passion City Church, located in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also a public speaker, author, and the founder of the Passion Movement which is an annual conference for college aged students and attracts more than 50,000 each year.

Here’s some more noteworthy quotes of his:

“God calls each and every star by name. It’s not likely He has forgotten yours.”

“As Paul Hawken keenly observed, Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course.… We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television.”

“Be careful whom you fall in love with, because your better judgment can be overwhelmed by your emotions. You know when a situation isn’t God’s best, so don’t just drift along and tell yourself, “I can always fix the problems later.” Before you know it, emotion kicks in and there goes your judgment. All of a sudden, you are in a serious relationship with someone whom—if you thought about it honestly—you know you shouldn’t be with.”

“When you’re in the midst of a storm, it’s hard to remember that God is always good and glorious, and that God’s plans will always prevail, even when yours don’t.”

“Think of it this way instead: I got better and I have a story and I want to tell the world what Jesus has done in my life because I want Jesus to be glorified. God may use counselors, medications, doctors, and all that, but it’s Jesus who heals you.”

“Heaven will be full of the songs of worshipers who had once been broken people in a broken world, picked up and used for God’s glory.”

“Maybe your dream is to go to school or get a degree or accomplish a certain task or find a spouse or start a business or move to a certain place or create a movement or carry the gospel to people who’ve never heard it before. Those may be great dreams, but there’s a bigger dream that overrides everything else: it’s that your life counts for the glory of God. That’s the overriding dream of God’s heart. If we don’t embrace that dream, then we are in trouble, because all our smaller dreams are subject to change.”

“Simply by our proximity to Jesus, we can bring hope and life to people and places trapped in discouragement and despair.”

“God is not confined by what you can imagine.”

“What a way to walk through life: entering every environment with every intention to shine as little light as possible on me and as much light as possible on the Son of God.”

And the bottom line is this: “Jesus must increase and I must decrease.”

Yes, more of You, Lord, more of You. May I decrease in needs, wants, selfish desires so my life can reflect Your Son and bring You glory by all I do and say. Amen

In doing so, others will see me…

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By the way, it is Mr. Guglio’s birthday today. After reading all his quotes, don’t you feel like you know him a bit. Well, I do. So, happy birthday, Louie, may you have many more this side of heaven to give us more things to chew on and contemplate.

Here’s a link to a post earlier this month if you missed it. It is on waiting too: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/06/17/wait-for-the-sale/

this too shall pass

Ever get in a funk and wonder when it will be over?

Think: this too shall pass!

Know someone that can’t shake the blues?

Remind them that: this too shall pass.

I have heard it said God gives the hardest battles to His strongest soldiers. Not quite sure I fully agree with that but I do know whatever you are going through it will pass.

This simple statement uttered can remind whomever is saying it that whatever you are going through an end will come to it.

In the meantime, no matter what you might be dealing with here’s some sound advice directly from the scripture: give your problems to God (“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Deuteronomy 20.4); keep your eye on the prize (“…Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 NIV); and know this earth needs to pass away before a new heaven and earth are formed for us to dwell in for eternity (“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…”. ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:1‬ ‭).

Remember this also:

“…that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8.28

“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40.29-31

And remember above all else:

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. (Philippians 4.6)

And when you do, you will…

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even in the midst of something that needs to pass.

Chin up, soldier, God has got you!

But…

don’t forget to pray and give it to Him.

When feeling the spirit of heaviness put on the garment of praise (Isaiah 61.3) and let God fight your battle.

Be confident in this, you are surrounded by His love. Tap into it knowing whatever it is you are going through; this too shall pass.

the fight

Most in my life don’t know this little secret that I was an avid boxing fan and still like to watch a good fight every now and then.

When I was younger, I knew all the stats, had my favorite weight class, and fighters. Now I still love watching boxing matches. I never much liked ultimate fights or cage fighting, but give me an old fashioned rock ‘em sock ‘em* fight and I am there.

I have had the privilege to sit ring side and have had locker room access. I even have had catered food and drinks during a fight.

But, all that time used memorizing facts and statistics, I now wished I used those moments more productive.

I wish I had that many more verses tucked away in my heart.

I wished I had used that time to get to know God better because we are in a battle. The fight is a true struggle day to day.

For some it is a fight against physical sickness. For others, addiction or the sands of time that are literally running out.

What is it that you are up against? What battle do you need to win?

Often we do not have the right priorities and see the fight as something less significant as those facts I learned so long ago. The real battle belongs to the Lord and don’t forget often it is a spiritual one.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6.12

But…

“Don’t be afraid…This is God’s war, not yours…You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm…and watch God’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly…God is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:14-17 excerpts from the Message

Keep winning the daily fights knowing God has won the war.

be.the.church

*Anyone remember the old game Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots? Did you have to be blue or was red for you? I had the game and blue was my man if my siblings let him have him. Perhaps it is where my boxing interest began. It is ok to have interests, but balance is key for we all are headed towards eternity. The work for the Lord is the only thing that has eternal rewards.

be anxious for nothing

While traveling, my spouse was falling asleep. I became anxious and offered to drive. Response I was given: “Then I would be anxious.” And all the while I am thinking: safety first! How could I be anxious for nothing?

What do you do when anxious thoughts arise?

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4.6

Learn to take them captive and give them to God!

“take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” 2 Corinthians 10.5b

Then others will feel your peace and want to be drawn to…

be.the.church

you will be too much for some people – hint: those aren’t your people

Do you have a big, bold, loud personality which makes some gravitate away?

Don’t stress it! Know you will be too much for some people – hint: those aren’t your people!

We are made for community and as the old saying goes: be friendly with everyone, but you don’t need to be friends with everyone.

Understanding this will help you see it is okay to be attracted to some and not others. Yes, I am even talking amongst the family of believers. It is just how we respond and act.

Another great saying is this: you can’t control how others act only how you react.

So, be your bold beautiful self or quiet in the background self.

God created us all unique and different. Together let us all…

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Celebrate your uniqueness knowing you may very well be too much for some.

Find your tribe and then you will thrive.

read them the riot act

We are to be our brothers’ keepers. That means at times we might need to read them the riot act. We are to help others grow in their faith and protect them when going down the wrong path.

By the way, the Riot Act was a declaration from the 1700s where it was said it was unlawful for 12 or more to gather. It authorized the local authorities to disperse such a group, but first they had to read them the riot act before they could enforce it. Now the phrase has come to mean to reprimand severely.

We all could use some reprimanding from time to time. God even disciplines us if need be.

Here’s the thing though, He always extends love and grace so should we.

Yes, there is times we need to read someone the riot act, but we can do that in love. Even tough love is still love, but even then it can be done with gentleness and kindness.

None of us are perfect, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3.23) but from time to time we could all use some discipline. Be open to it. Be willing to change. And don’t close your ears if someone is reading you the riot act. It just

might help you…

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all the better so the world can truly become a better place by your actions or in some cases inaction as you become more self-disciplined. What in your life needs the riot act read about? Think about it then make a change for the better.

Go make our God proud!

c’est la vie*

Supposedly French makes up about 35% of the English language. While the Germans claim 40% comes from theirs. That leaves just 25% left. Hm.

Regardless, there are some phrases that do sound oh so French that English has adopted. Take ‘ohhh-la-la’ or ‘mon chéri’ for example.

“In everyday speech and writing, people usually issue a c’est la vie to shrug off slight disappointments or signal resigned acceptance of some unpleasant affairs or facts.”*

That is what we should do when disappointment comes our way – simply say: “C’est la vie – that’s life!”

So many times we ruin our witness by the complaining and wallowing in hurt or disappointment when troubles come.

The Bible tells us to: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 NIV

Joy!

Are you kidding me?

We are to choose joy in the midst of hardship?

Yep, that’s what it says. Not only that but by choosing joy in the midst of a trial our faith will be producing perseverance so we can grow in maturity.

Easier said then done, but that is what the Word teaches and it bares repeating: “Consider it pure joy…”

Maybe saying c’est la vie might just help you do just that and that, my friends, is how we can…

be.the.church

*from dictionary app: C’est la vie literally means “this is the life” in French, taken as “that’s life.” FYI this phrase was indeed found in the French language well before the expression was borrowed and adopted into English by the 1880s and is pronounced se la vee – your English lesson for the day, thank you, very much!

the real war is won within

40,000 thoughts a day is what I have been told we have.

What do you do with them?

Do you dwell on the negative?

Do you nurse and rehearse hurts like a broken record?

Or do you take those thoughts captive?

“…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” Matthew 12.34b

The real war is won within and we have a choice to choose joy.

What will it be for you today?

Need help keeping positive? Then memorize the following and recite it often:

“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you.” Excerpts from Philippians 4.8-9

And when you dwell on the above, it will then be easier to overlook offenses and choose joy. Then, others will see you…

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Since this was such a short entry, take a few extra moments and go back to this post for more ideas on winning the battle within:

https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/06/01/reactions-define-you/

Now go enjoy this Lord’s day – rest, revel in the beauty of creation, and thank God that today you won that battle within and chose joy!

a summer without floaties

The idea of a pool seems to just fit the family now that the kids are older rather than actually desiring to swim in it. I am doubtful it was even used more than 10 days all last summer. It was the easiest summer maintaining ironically. I wonder what this summer will be.

But still, if you are going to swim, you need the floaties, right? Who doesn’t love lazy rivering around a pool. I sure do!

The problem is the floaties were never brought down from the storage space above the garage. I asked all the other men folk in the house to help me but that never happened. It was on one son’s list to do before returning to college. Nope didn’t happen. Another was traveling for work so it didn’t happen with him. And last was busy finishing his thesis as well as raising support for his upcoming assignment so no go there as well. And it is ok, they were all busy or preoccupied with other priorities; I will give them a pass. I was just frustrated as I couldn’t maneuver the leader to do it myself.

You see, something is under the crawl space window to reach the storage and I don’t trust myself opening up and extending the ladder to get there without knocking something over, hitting my head, or both.

I needed help.

Help I asked for that didn’t come.

Just a little help and a few minutes of time and summer fun could have been had by all maybe even resulting in more swim days.

But here’s the thing, how often do we think of God in those same terms – like when we pray, we might have asked for help that doesn’t come or desire help from someone stronger than ourselves and equate a not quick enough response as non-help.

He is there and He is stronger.

Yet, His timing may not be on our schedules or what we think it should be, but it doesn’t mean the help isn’t there for the asking.

Perhaps I could have been more persistent in the asking or looked to someone else for the help, but no worries fun could still be had.

I had 5 kids in the pool recently and we went old school with jumping contests, made up games, and a few balls that kept us in the pool for over 4 hours.

I know the floaties and extra towels and other toys are all there waiting to be used, but how often do we leave things that are more important tucked away like a dusty Bible waiting to be read. Now we know there is power and strength within the pages, but why do we leave the book on the shelf? How about taking some time to talk to God. We know He is there waiting, but we get so busy and don’t invite Him into our daily moments.

So, what’s the point? We can have a summer without floaties, even though I like you might wish they were around to use, but a summer without God will leave us tired, weak, and feeling alone.

So don’t go “floating” along in life without God intertwined in your days.

He will keep you afloat (pun intended) and keep you strong.

Don’t waiver in your faith.

Let others see it clearly as you…

be.the.church

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10.23

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Ps 27.14

Look back at this post to see how our week should go: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/04/07/the-days-of-the-weak/