Who do you trust?

(I often wonder who I trust this much... to just stop)

From The Mountaintop to the Valley

Who do you trust?

As I looked at my icy back stairs this week I thought of a story a kid’s pastor told a group of parents. The pastor was living and working with his family at a camp and ventured outside to the front porch of their cabin one very cold and icy morning.  He hit the first step, slipped and tumbled down a long flight of stairs head over heels.  Hearing the commotion, his pregnant wife rushed out. He yelled “Stop!” and fortunately she did.  Her trust in him saved her from an almost certain fall down the same stairs and the great physical harm that would have followed for herself and their baby.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

Over time we learn to trust people…or not.  By their words and deeds, those around us can rise to the level of trust worthy or prove otherwise.  God, on the other hand, needs no such time.  His word is truth and his love for us is complete.  There is nothing to fear and everything to gain.  Instead our trust and confidence brings us blessings.  

Be blessed!

Brian

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Volume 7, Number 50

Right in front of you

 (pretty much the only Super Bowl I ever missed... saw the very last play though!)

Right in front of you

The Super Bowl draws incredible interest each and every year. Even people who don’t watch or care much for football get caught up in the hoopla and hype of the big game.  Advertisers spend heavily in the hopes of gaining brand recognition during the breaks in the action on the field. The game is special to us also as our oldest daughter was born on Super Bowl Sunday the year the Rams won it all. Kurt Warner was the quarterback of that team and achieved enormous success throwing the ball. His arm was strong and he read defenses well, but his receivers found he also had the unusual ability to put the ball right where they could catch it without breaking stride. The ball invariably arrived at eye level directly on the path they were running.  Everything they needed for success was right there in front of them.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

Trusting in the reality of the existence of God and the amazing love he has for us is a long road for some. They may look for signs and miracles.  They may seek intellectual knowledge or empirical evidence. They may look for examples in the changed lives of believing friends. All those steps, and many others, are perfectly valid and we shouldn’t begrudge other’s journeys. But too often we miss the truth that what we needed is right there in front of us all along.  The beauty and majesty of creation is all around us, proclaiming the truth of God’s glory.  The enormity of the ocean laid out before us at the beach. The amazing vistas seen from the tops of the mountains.  Even the miracle of a newborn baby on Super Bowl Sunday.   It’s all right there!

Brian

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Volume 7, Number 49