My friend and I were flying to Cincinnati to be in a mutual friends’ wedding and to celebrate the new chapter in her life. At that point in my life I had only flown a handful of times but even as inexperienced as I was I could tell, after a while, that we were flying in a big loop. After a while the captain made an announcement that due to a very bad storm we were in a holding pattern, maintaining our position, above the storm clouds over the city that had lost a large portion of its electric during this storm.

Before the captain of the plane spoke, all we knew was that we were scheduled to land in Cincinnati at a certain time. It was well past that time and we didn’t seem to be making any kind of descent to our destination. We were frustrated. Concerned that those who were waiting on us would be waiting much longer than expected to pick us up. Even some FOMO. You know…fear of missing out of the festivities that were probably starting without us!

That holding pattern was such an inconvenience! But, really, that holding pattern saved our lives! Keeping us above the storm was not at all what we wanted, but, it was definitely what we needed. And how often do we find ourselves frustrated with our circumstances, feeling as though we are in a holding pattern, as though nothing seems to change? Maybe that holding pattern is keeping us above the clouds of disaster, some storm that is brewing just beyond our foresight and God is keeping us safe from it. Maybe its building character in us as we wait…or its the timing of someone else’s story that coincides with ours. Regardless of the reason, Romans 8:28 (CEV) reminds us that, “We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves Him. They are the ones God has chosen for His purpose.”

Whatever the holding pattern is that seems to be keeping you from what you’ve been praying for…God’s timing is always right on time. And someday if God allows us to look back on our lives and fully see the intricacies of the details that God has orchestrated in our lives…we will have even more reason to give Him glory!

Is there something you do when you’re really stressed? My girlfriends always knew when I was feeling the stress because I would come in wearing a brand new perfume. I don’t know when it started but I found myself shopping for a new fragrance any time I felt as if I were in over my head! After a dozen or so fragrances lined up on my dresser I realized I had a problem and figured I’d better find a solution!

I discovered that when I called or visited one of my most trusted friends and shared my current situation or frustration she would listen intently, perhaps offer some advice, often remind me that it wouldn’t always be this way, and always prayed with me before we said goodbye.

Proverbs 27:9 (NLT) sums it up so beautifully. “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.” Little did I know that the answer to my specific situation….was spelled out in God’s Word! I love how God surprises us with nuggets of wisdom and directs our steps when we seek Him.

Whatever it is that you’re stressing over today, God has the answer for you. He promised to give us wisdom in generous amounts when we ask Him for it. Ask Him today. Sit for a bit in His presence and listen for His response. He is waiting for you now!

One of the hardest words in the English language for me to say over the years might surprise you. It’s just two letters. It might even be a word that you struggle to speak. The word… is ‘NO’. You may have spoken it successfully at times. I finally learned that I could say no to some things.

For years I said yes to almost everything I was asked to do. I’m not talking about the obvious things that we know we shouldn’t do. Some things that I said yes to were important things that I really needed to say yes to and some were things I probably should have taken a step back from to have time for the important things in my life. Some were things I just really didn’t want to do or didn’t have time to do but I said yes so I didn’t disappoint someone and, in the meantime, I missed out on what I should have been doing.

Even a good thing is a bad thing when it replaces the best thing. Saying no to the good can give us the ability to say yes to the great! And I’m not saying that we should say no just to avoid doing things. I am saying that I believe the secret to knowing when to say yes OR no is what Jesus told us in Matthew 11: 28-30 from The Message. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I definitely want to learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Walking and working with Jesus will teach us how to be in tune with Him to know when to say yes and when to say no.

When my daughter, Abby, was in the first grade my husband and I received a surprising comment from her teacher at our first parent-teacher conference. The teacher told us that she was having trouble with Abby in one very specific situation. Abby did not want to leave classwork unfinished. Whether it was lunch, gym, recess, a trip to the library…it was a frustrating interruption to her focus to complete her assignments. No matter how much the teacher tried to assure her that she could finish when she returned…she was not a happy camper.

The other day she told me that one of her most frustrating things at work are days when interruptions are so frequent she is not able to finish her workload before she leaves for the day. Sound familiar? My girl finds satisfaction is finishing the work. All these years later she still has that same work ethic!

I was reminded recently of a Bible verse that tells us our spiritual work ethic should hold the same level of importance if not more. Acts 20:24 (NLT), “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

God has specific Kingdom work for each of us to accomplish. The work of telling others the Good News that Jesus came to save us. The news that God’s grace is for everyone who will receive it. We have an assignment today. Tell everyone who will listen about Jesus. Finish the work!

We know our home church is a ministry. There are a number of non-profit organizations that serve in a ministry capacity. And you could probably name a number of people who are involved in ministry that impact you or someone around you in one way or another.

Do YOU have a ministry? Ephesians 4:11, 12 (CEV) tells us that “Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so His people would learn to serve and His body would grow strong.” Perhaps you are serving in one of those capacities. But many of us feel like we don’t fit into one of those five.

There are some talents and gifts that open the door for us to be part of a larger ministry and God wants us to use those talents for His purposes. Musicians, writers, speakers may all have ministries. But what if you don’t feel like you fit into any of those?

Did you know that we are ALL called to ministry? The ministry of presence…the ministry of just being there. Think of the last time that you were really struggling and someone just sat with you. Not trying to fix anything or pile on advice. To just listen…and wait. Could that really be a ministry? You better believe it!

To be truly present, not sitting in the same room watching tv or scrolling through our news feed on our phone, but patient, peaceful, prayerful. Present. That is a powerful ministry that you and I can both walk in as God leads us. The ministry of presence.

If you’ve ever watched a Nascar race you know the bulk of the attention is on the driver. The driver has to have disciplined his or her body for the length and stress of the race. They must stay focused on the track and any cars in front of them and they must be in tune with their own car. The goal? Cross the finish line first, or as close to first as possible.

But it takes more than an experienced driver and a finely tuned race car to win a race. Every driver has a team and each team member has a specific role to play to help that driver do the very best in order to win. The pit crew are ready to jump the wall and race to replace worn tires, refuel the engine, make minor adjustments in split seconds to get the car and its driver back in the race. The spotter sits way up high, can see all the other cars around their teammate and has the ability to communicate directly with the driver to give direction, encouragement and immediate warning when there is danger. The thrill of the crowd in the stands cheering for their favorite driver is exciting and energizing.

And when the driver wins…the whole team celebrates! My favorite part of the win is watching the whole crew run to the driver and high five and hug and throw their hands up high to celebrate the victory. And if you listen you’ll hear the driver thank the crew and crew chief, the owner and so on. Because that winner knows…they did not get there on their own. It was a team effort!

You and I are in a race. While we may feel, at times, like we are on our own, in this race, the Apostle Paul told us in Hebrews 12:1 (CEV) “Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.” We are not alone! God gives us people to come alongside to cheer us on, to help us AND He puts us in the pit crew of others to do the same.

We also have a spotter! The Holy Spirit can see everything and He will communicate with us, giving us direction, encouragement and warnings of danger. The goal of our race isn’t to cross the finish first. Our goal…is to finish the race well. So keep running the race. Let’s keep cheering each other on. And let’s listen closely to the voice of the One who gave His all so we could truly run this race well. And that’s the win!

Imagine that you are building a house. Money is no issue while we’re imagining this new house design. You have the ability to dream and design your perfect dream home. You tell the engineer everything you’d like and he or she gets to work creating exactly what you asked for. You review it. It’s approved and the builder begins to bring your dream to life.

If you’ve ever gone through the process of building a home you know. Things happen. Something unexpected. Too much or not enough. Maybe you realize you left something out or you’ve seen what someone did and you got back to the builder to add that in. But changes have a cost. And sometimes the change you want now isn’t possible with the work that has already been done. And already…your dream home…isn’t what you want. In real life, you may have had to give up some things you really wanted because they cost too much or its not feasible for the location or the space.

Did you know the Bible calls us the temple of the Holy Spirit? God, the Master Architect and Builder, designed and built us to His specifications that He planned for us way before we were even born. He left nothing out when He made us. But, He knew, that in this life…in this world that we live in…God knew that modifications would need to be made along the way. He counted the cost. His one and only Son, Christ Jesus, paid the highest price, to bring the Father’s plan to life. Real, forever life! Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) declares, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

God designed us and created us to do good things. His plan is perfect…and today…we have work to do!

I’m not sure which is more fun…to be the giver…or the recipient of a completely unexpected gift. When you have the opportunity to do something kind for someone whether it is a complete stranger or your best friend – it gives YOU a happy feeling. At the place where I work, The Bridge, our team looks for ways every day that we can do something kind and unexpected for those around us. We like to call it “Surprise and Delight”!

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference in our day. Like paying for the order of the driver behind you in the drive through when you pay for your own. Dropping off a basket of goodies or offering to help run errands or clean up after dinner. Surprise. And delight! Both the giver and receiver are delighted!

I know we would have a hard time surprising God because He already knows what we’re up to. But I believe that every time we choose Him, when we choose to pray, when we choose to spend some time reading His Word, every time we turn our heart toward Him in our thoughts and conversations with others….God is delighted!

And think about how often something happens that we totally didn’t expect that brightens our day. At times we may be expecting God to respond to our prayer in a specific way. Most often He moves in a way we never anticipated. Because He always knows what we need and just when we need it. I love this promise from God in Isaiah 43:19. This is from the Voice translation. Here is what God said: “Watch closely: I am preparing something new; it’s happening now, even as I speak, and you’re about to see it. I am preparing a way through the desert; Waters will flow where there had been none.”

That’s how God works. Surprise and delight. He is our greatest example of how to surprise and delight others around us. You won’t have to wait long to see His handiwork. I believe He’s working on your behalf even now and that He’s got something good on the way for you today!

When my brothers and I were growing up, my parents taught us that it was honorable to give up our seat to an adult, someone older than us, and for my brothers to always offer their seat to a lady. They taught us that we should always hold the door for the person coming up behind us…even if we have to wait a minute for them to get to the door. And that a gentleman always picks up something that is dropped by a lady. I love that they instilled those kinds of good behaviors in us.

Sunday after church when we were meeting my parents for lunch at a local eatery we arrived first. There were a number of people waiting to be seated in the front area with only a few seats. I had the thought that if I could find a seat I’d sit there until my parents arrived so they would have a seat while we waited. As I looked over at these two couples that looked to be the age I am (in my head)…they got up to give my husband and I a place to sit.

As I’m sitting there, thinking about saving this seat for mom and dad, it occurs to me that they had no idea that I’m reserving a space for my parents to sit. They were giving up their seats for us…their elders! It is the cycle of life, I suppose. The upside of that moment, looking back, was seeing that parents are still teaching kids to have good manners and – in their 30’s…and 40’s… they’re still living them out! And if that was you and you’re reading this – thank you again!

Kindness, especially unexpected kindness, is classy and beautiful and memorable. And it’s part of what God says reveals His love to others. Because love IS kind.* And it is blind to our age. Kindness can be exchanged no matter how young or old…and when it happens…we see a little glimpse of our Father. I believe that when it happens, if we listen closely, we might hear the Father whisper….”more! More of that!”

*1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 8

In the region that I live, depending on how close you are to the Atlantic, we are at or just barely above sea level. So imagine how my mind was blown when I visited the Dead Sea on the border of Israel and Jordan a number of years ago and learned that it is the lowest point on the whole earth at almost 1,400 feet BELOW sea level. It’s so much farther from the sun that you have much less chance of getting sunburned there. The water was exquisitely turquoise. And even if you never learned to float…you WILL float on the Dead Sea. Why? It’s estimated to have 37 billion tons of salt in it…giving it so much natural buoyancy that everyone floats on top. With such a high salt and mineral content, it has powerful, natural healing properties so people travel from all over the world to visit and take advantage of these minerals. It really is the largest FREE spa in the world!

It’s known as the Dead Sea because water flows into it from the Jordan but it has no path to flow out. So the water evaporates and leaves the salt and minerals behind. The Dead Sea has so many vital ingredients in it but because it has no outlet…no living thing can live in it. Think about that. So many good things go in…and because it bottles it all up without letting any of it out…it has no life within.

What if we choose to consume all of these good things. All the gifts and talents that God has given us. All the favor of God that He has bestowed on us. But we don’t share them with others. We don’t look for ways to use our gifts and talents for the glory of God to serve others. What a tragedy! 1 Peter 4:10 (CEV) is clear. “Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.”

Let’s not hold on so tight to what God gives us. Let’s be willing to live in the flow of what God is doing in us and through us to those around us!