reasons to stay positive

There are many reasons to stay positive. Some of them are highlighted in the series that I am sharing currently at The Community Fellowship. Some reasons are just not expected and over the top.

Yesterday I was granted several blessings that stirred my faith and built on my story of what God is doing. This is good stuff.

We have been helping some people who were involved in a fire at their apartment complex. This week we have been able to help provide furniture and other items through donations and partnerships with others. The attitudes of these people, their grateful words and smiles, made my heart swell with joy. Another piece that I didn’t expect was from a conversation with a local man who is incarcerated. He shared with me what God put in his heart and how God showed up after he prayed. This was big stuff. One last blessing came from a local pastor as I listened to him tell his story at an awards banquet. He talked about the power from God with great perspective.

These points and more help me stay positive, and there is more to come. The least several weeks we have talked about things that will flow through us and secure even more positive things in us and around us.

Romans 8:1-2 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Psalm 103:2-5 NLT

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

Romans 1:10-12 NLT

One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. 11 For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. 12 When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

Some of the most positive pieces of life and faith are in those verses. We have the truth of Christ that helps us be optimistic. We have so much to be thankful for, and the work of God highlights so many of those for us. Lots of things encourage me, but the biggest encouragement comes from the people I get to be around.

May God open more ways and more places and more people who feed us to live life making a difference and being positive!

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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