Hope

This month we are studying the theme, "Hope, believing that something good can come out of something bad."  We spent some time with the kids last Sunday talking about all the Bible stories they know that started out bleak and without hope (Jesus on the cross, Daniel being thrown into the lions Den,  David facing Goliath, Noah on the ark)  and then compared it to how the stories turned with such good results we could have never imagined.

As I have reflected up on hope this month I was reminded of the flood of 1993.  I was only six years old sitting in church with my dad in the pulpit and my mom and brother beside me when the corp of engineers came through the back doors and told us the levy was in danger of breaking and we needed to all leave.  The levy didn't break that morning but not long after we were at my grandparents emptying their basement when the sirens started to blow.  We knew that meant the levy had broken.  We heard a noise and as we turned to look down the street we saw water rushing towards us.  We quickly loaded into the vehicles and took off.  The flood was worse than any flood our town had seen in recent history.  The church where my father pastored and where my brother and I were seventh generation members was destroyed along with countless homes.  How could something good come from something so destructive.  How would our church continue when we had no wealthy members who could build a new building and like everyone else in the town flood insurance had been unattainable.  The church board met and after a long meeting voted unanimously at midnight that they build a new church,  but that they would build it by faith as the money came in.  As they left the building the biggest brightest rainbow any of them had ever seen shown in the midnight sky, what a sign from God!  One year later and more volunteers and donations that you could imagine we were sitting in our brand new building completely debt free.  Hope is powerful, it's not just wishing, but it's a belief that God can take a bad situation and turn it into a good situation that brings Him glory.  My prayer is that this month you would find the true "Hope" found only in Christ.

Self-Control

We're only two weeks into this month's theme "self-control" and it's already been an amazing experience.  As I was preparing for Firm Foundation tonight and reading a blog on orangeparents  I began to realize just how important self-control is.  Seriously, think about a time when someone hurt you or you hurt someone...it probably had something to do with a lack of self-control.  Think about something that you regret in your past (super uplifting post huh?) The things we regret in our past usually have something to do with lacking self-control and choosing our way over God's way.  We say hurtful things when we need to speak blessings, we over schedule ourselves when we need to carve out time for family and friends, we indulge in a lifestyle that isn't healthy, we select our own path instead of allowing God to direct our paths.  While we serve an amazing God who is able to take the pain in our past and turn it into good (Romans 8:28) it's important to realize that this pain could have been prevented by practicing a healthy dose of self-control.  While this month is an awesome opportunity for our kids to learn about self-control, it's also an amazing opportunity for us to reflect on ourselves so that we can set a strong example for our children.  May God richly bless you as we explore this incredible fruit of the spirit together.