My mother is right again

How often over the years, when I would pour out my problems and fears to my mother, she would respond with these words: "God is so pleased when we trust Him." Then she would faithfully remind me again of all the amazing things God had done for me in the past.

In her book, A Chance to Die - The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, Elisabeth Elliot says:

"The Christian life comes down to two simple things: trust and obedience."

When Amy Carmichael's father died at the age of 54, her mother found strength in the words of Nahum 1:7:

 "The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth (or cares for) them that trust in Him."

This example of strength was passed down to Amy, just as my mother's words are passed down to me.

I like the way author Sarah Young refers to trust in her Jesus Calling devotional:

"Trust is a golden pathway to heaven." 

Ms. Young goes on to say that it is the most direct route to heaven. Compare the other route - focusing on our problems, doubts and fears. That route is filled with twists and turns in agonizing knots she says. So why would I want that route?

How to live this life of trust and obedience comes from one Source:

"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne." Hebrews 12:2 NLT

How to resolve worry and tension

When God says something to you three times through three different people, in the same week - it's important to listen!

What He has been saying to me is: you seek Me and My Kingdom first, then all other the other things you are worried about will be taken care of. (adapted from Matthew 6:33)

How does one seek God? In Matthew 6, Jesus instructs us. First, I must establish if I am truly a disciple of Jesus Christ. In verse 24 of Matthew 6, Jesus tells His disciples that they cannot serve two masters. I must make a decision which master I am going to serve. Jesus Christ or the the things and cares of this world. If I choose to constantly focus on and run after the things of this world, then, according to Jesus in verse 32 of Matthew 6, I am a Gentile (or a non-believer)! One of the speakers mentioned above said "Decision resolves tension." Another one of those three people said that the word anxiety means to have a divided heart about something. I must decide this day if I am completely surrendered to Him and His will.

In verse 7 of Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples not to use meaningless repetition in prayer like the Gentiles (or non-believers) do because His Father already knows what we need. Another one of the three people mentioned above said that after we lay our requests before God, we should thank Him for the answers that He has already set in motion. And we are to continue to thank Him for the answers that are on their way, because if we keep stating the same concerns over and over, we live in a state of tension. I agree!

So, I've made a decision to surrender my will and allow God's will to be done in my life. I've also decided to be thankful in my prayer life. Now only one thing is left. I must follow Jesus' example of doing the will of the Father. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." When we are doing His will, all the other things will fall into place. In John 7:17 Jesus says: "Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."  In other words, worry and tension will be resolved. Amen.

An unusual Christmas

I am a person who likes traditions and routines. I find I do things "because I've always done them" and it feels strange not to do them. But this year is an unusual Christmas because not only have I been sick for the last few weeks, but Christmas, the day our family usually spends eating breakfast together and giving gifts to each other, falls on a Sunday. So, we had to change it up a bit.

This morning I was thinking about the first Christmas and how unusual that day was. I'm sure Mary and Joseph did not relish the thought of travel at a time when she was about to give birth. In fact, nothing about that day was usual. Despite the prediction foretold Scripture, the people still had a hard time accepting the unusual way God brought the Messiah into the world.

Scripture tells us:

"Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

Perhaps God has allowed our routine, or our tradition to be shaken up a bit, so we will stop and reflect on what is important. Our church's theme this Christmas is "Keep Christ at the Center of Christmas." Is He center? Or are my plans center? The scripture above tells us that we do not know what will happen tomorrow. Our acceptance to what He has allowed is the only way to a peace-filled, Christ-centered Christmas.

In loving memory of Jim Seltzer

I'm not even sure when Jim and Carol started coming to our church. It seems like they've always been a part of our body - like a hand or a foot that you can't imagine what you would do without. Only now we do have to imagine it because Jim was taken from us last night. Jim was that part of the body - you know- the part that you take for granted. He and Carol sat in the very last row. They were always there, snuggled together. Kind of like an anchor that held us all in place. How did he start driving the van to pick people up on Sunday mornings? Or when did he start mowing the lawn? Was he asked to be an usher? It just happened one day I guess. Like the first day an infant discovers she has a hand and it works beautifully with the arm she has. He just fit and it worked beautifully. But today I ask myself: did I take that part of my body for granted? It was easy to do that because he gave and gave and never asked for anything in return. He asked for prayer for others. He asked how my mother was after her accident. But Jim didn't focus on himself. He didn't complain. He was too busy loving others.

Jim Seltzer was a Christian in every sense of the word. I am not only grateful for all that he did for our church body, but I am grateful for the example he was to me of a gentle and quiet spirit. I honor the faithful husband, loving father and friend he was. We grieve, but not without hope, because we know that someday we will be joined together again in heaven where we will rejoice together for all eternity.

Could giving be self-centered?

I heard something on the radio the other day that made me stop and think. Pastor Chris Brown, on his True Stewardship Show (hosted by Dave Ramsey), was talking about the difference between giving and returning.

In the church, we talk about giving to God - our time, our talent and of course, our money. Pastor Brown was explaining that while it's a nice concept, it's pretty self-centered! When we decide what we give to God, the focus is on us. What I am giving to God. How I am blessing God. If I am being used by God. Now flip that and think about this: All we have has been given to us by God. Yes, we may earn a living by working, but who gave us that job? Who gave us the mind and the skill to do that job? God, of course. So, it makes sense that we give back - or return to Him what He gave us.

When we acknowledge it's all His, the focus shifts from us to Him. We realize that we are stewards, someone who manages someone else's property, in this case, God's.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10

In his autobiography, George Muller, a true steward of God, said this:

"In whatever way God makes us stewards, whether in temporal or spiritual things, if we act as stewards and not as owners, He will make us stewards over more."

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 

Trials, choices and a harvest of righteousness and peace

This Sunday my husband will be preaching from Romans 1:17:

"For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

What is righteousness?

"The Father through the Son and in the Spirit gives the gift of righteousness (justice) to repentant sinners for salvation; such believing sinners are declared righteous (just) by the Father through the Son, are made righteous (just) by the Holy Spirit working in them, and will be wholly righteous (just) in the age to come." (biblestudytools.com)

OK, so I am declared righteous at salvation, but then I am called to live out righteousness by faith. What exactly does that mean?

A few days ago, I came across a passage in Ezekiel 14 where God is talking to the prophet and not once, but 4 times (verses 14,16,18 and 20), He mentions Noah, Daniel and Job and their righteousness! I began to think about the lives of these three men and what made them righteous in God's eyes. A common thread among all three was their belief (faith) and obedience despite extreme obstacles.

Then, as I continued reading George Muller's autobiography, I came to a chapter entitled Food for Growing Faith. Muller stated that when a trial came into his life, he would pray that God would uphold and increase his faith. He did this with every trial, no matter how small or big. He went on to say that if we stand firm in the hour of trial, we will see the help of God IF we trust in Him. But then came an extremely powerful point. The more I am tried in faith, the more I will have the opportunity of seeing God's help and deliverance. However, I must let God do the work of deliverance! If we get ourselves out of a situation, we show that we do not trust God. And then, in the next trial, we will be inclined to deliver ourselves again. With every trial met this way, our faith decreases!

Let me end with one more passage from Hebrews 12:11 which I hope will put it all together:

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

 

Declare it...just not with words

In his autobiography, George Muller writes of the true story of Baron von Kamp "for the encouragement of believers who are tried by having unconverted relatives and friends." This baron did many great things for his countrymen, but was not content with that. He was always looking for ways to win people to the LORD. When a talented university student wrote to the baron for assistance when his own father could not support him any longer, the baron received young Thomas in a most affectionate way. He offered him a room in his home and a place at his table. The baron served this young student in the most kind and affectionate way as much as possible to show him the power of the gospel in his own life. He did this without arguing with him or even speaking directly to him about his soul. Thomas was deeply involved in philosophy, reasoning about everything, even questioning the existence of God. The baron avoided getting into any argument with him. In fact, every evening when Thomas got home, the baron would meet him and serve him in any way he could, even helping him take off his boots. This went on until Thomas couldn't take it anymore. He said "Baron, how can you do all this? You see I do not care about you. How are you able to continue to be so kind to me and serve me like this?" The baron replied "My dear young friend, I have learned it from the LORD Jesus. I wish you would read through the gospel of John. Good night."

Young Thomas did read the gospel - for the first time with an open heart and willingness to learn. And God blessed him. He became a follower of the LORD Jesus.

What was God up to?

I like to learn. I also like to share what I've learned.

In this post, I want to share something I read in a newsletter we receive from the Pensions and Benefits office of the Church of the Nazarene. The article I will quote from is by Daron Brown, a pastor in TN. You can read the full article at http://www.pbusa.org/index.php/enews-leftmenu/september-october-2016?id=884 but I want to highlight here what stood out to me.

In the article, Pastor Brown suggests that between reading the Word of God and applying it to our lives, ask: "What was God up to?"  He says that "There is nothing more important than seeking the activity of God." "God is not detached, nor is He passive. He is actively involved in our world. The point of the Bible is to illustrate the activity of God. In it, He was creating, calling, moving, blessing, descending, incarnating, healing, serving, saving, renewing, restoring, sanctifying, and empowering. When we begin to discern what God was up to in the settings of these passages, the Holy Spirit leads us to understand what He is up to in our present day. God is consistent, and His seamless story continues to unfold. He is still saving and renewing and healing. His activity is ongoing."

Wow. Yet another confirmation of how important it is to read and meditate on God's Word.

How to answer the world's questions

When the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by asking Him what He thought about divorce (Matthew 19:3), Jesus did not fall into their trap by talking about the evils of divorce, or the evil people who let themselves get divorced, but rather, he responded by saying:

“Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (verses 4-6 NASB)

Jesus did not get into an argument. Rather, He responded by quoting the Scriptures in such a way as to show God's original design for His people. In this particular passage above, He said "Have you not read?" because He was talking to the Pharisees, who were well acquainted with what the Scriptures said, but they were wanting to re-define them. Sound familiar?

When Jesus was in the wilderness, Satan tried to tempt Him several times. Each time Jesus would respond with "It is written." (See Matthew 4:4; 6; 7; 10) He could've boasted about Himself being the Son of God or He could've fallen down in despair that His Father was allowing this to happen to Him. Instead, He grabbed the strongest weapon available and won that battle!

As I Christ-follower, I can apply this to my life when non-believers try to "trap" me by asking me questions about homosexuality, divorce, abortion, etc. I need not give my opinion on any of these issues! And I need not get into an argument. If I truly believe in the reliability and authority of the Word of God, then I only need to respond by saying "It is written..."

When my enemy comes to tempt me to be discouraged and give up. Once again, If I truly believe in the reliability and authority of the Word of God, I follow my Master's example and respond with the Sword of the Spirit! But I must ask myself: Do I truly believe in the reliability and authority (and therefore power) of the Word of God?

Forgive us our sins

It all happened so fast. I saw something vulgar and my immediate thought was disgust for the morality of "those people." God's reply to me came swiftly and decisively.

It was just minutes after I had that thought, that I turned on the radio in my car and heard a very brief monologue. The speaker said that when we have thoughts of disdain for sinners, we must remember that we were once one of them and it is only by God's grace that we have been saved.

Ouch.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive others.

Thank you Father, for this gentle, but firm reminder.

The lesson from suffering

There seems to be a recurring lesson in the Scriptures. It is that suffering has a purpose. Elisabeth Elliot used to say that suffering is having something we don't want or wanting something we don't have.

Unfortunately suffering comes into all of our lives. Some, it seems, experience more than their fair share. Or so we, in our finite understanding, think. But, if we are truthful, how many can say they have gone through what Paul did? In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9a he says:

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death."

Another example of Paul's suffering is found in 2 Corinthians 11:24-26:

"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones,three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers."

OK, so I haven't been pelted with stones or been beaten with rods, but I have suffered and I have asked God why. The rest of verse 9 from 2 Corinthians 1 says:

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."

Now we are getting somewhere! If I am in relationship with Almighty God, then I am to rely on Him (the One who can raise the dead!). Another word for rely would be trust. With each and every suffering experience, He asks us "Will you trust (or rely on) me? Or will you go it alone?

The following verse from Isaiah 50:11 puts this in perspective by showing the results of going it alone. Be warned - it's not pretty.

"But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment."

The lesson from suffering

There seems to be a recurring lesson in the Scriptures. It is that suffering has a purpose. Elisabeth Elliot used to say that suffering is having something we don't want or wanting something we don't have.

Unfortunately suffering comes into all of our lives. Some, it seems, experience more than their fair share. Or so we, in our finite understanding, think. But, if we are truthful, how many can say they have gone through what Paul did? In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9a he says:

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death."

Another example of Paul's suffering is found in 2 Corinthians 11:24-26:

"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones,three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers."

OK, so I haven't been pelted with stones or been beaten with rods, but I have suffered and I have asked God why. The rest of verse 9 from 2 Corinthians 1 says:

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."

Now we are getting somewhere! If I am in relationship with Almighty God, then I am to rely on Him (the One who can raise the dead!). Another word for rely would be trust. With each and every suffering experience, He asks us "Will you trust (or rely on) me? Or will you go it alone?

The following verse from Isaiah 50:11 puts this in perspective by showing the results of going it alone. Be warned - it's not pretty.

"But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches,
go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment."

Woman falls to her death

Last week it was reported in the news that a woman fell 35 feet to her death from a zip line platform in Delaware. While the investigation is still on-going, it appears that she had disconnected herself from the safety system. Why would she disconnect herself, after going through the required safety training where she was instructed in the importance of the harness, and it's ability to bring her safely to the end of the course? Did anyone see her disconnect herself and warn her?

It got me thinking that as Christ-followers, we have a safety manual call the Word of God. In it, we are told how to protect ourselves, in order to safely reach the end of our course, which is heaven. Yet, for various reasons, some willingly disconnect themselves from that safety system and unless someone intervenes, they, too, can face death. The two scriptures below, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, clearly show the responsibility we have as Christ-followers to warn our brothers and sisters when we see them "disconnecting" from the only 100% no-fail safety system.

"If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too." Ezekiel 3:20-21

"You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God." Hebrews 3:13

I had nearly lost my foothold

"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold." Psalm 73:1-2

That overwhelmed feeling is back again. I feel "off-track." I asked the LORD how to get back on track, but I already knew what to do. And it's not doing another bible study or trying another diet. It's not going to a counselor or taking different meds. It's not getting rid of him or her ("If only he would...," "If only she would...").

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Renewal (or getting back on-track) happens by fixing our eyes on the eternal, not on the temporary nuisances of life. Only the Word of God can guide me back.

"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:21-26

Perhaps you should look in the mirror

There is a saying that what drives you crazy about someone else, is likely something you yourself do! "No way" you say? Test it out this week. When your roommate or spouse or mother or kids do that thing - you know - the thing that makes you want to scream - stop and ask yourself if there is any possibility that you do the same thing. (If you simply can't be honest with yourself, ask your mother.)

This hit home for me last weekend. One of the above mentioned people did something that made me cringe. My first thought was to make sure that person knew how awful it was, but later, as I was venting to another one of the above mentioned people, a terrible feeling came over me. That was because, all of a sudden, I got a very clear picture of what I look like when I do the very same thing.

Could that be why the Bible says:

"How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Luke 6:42 (also see Matthew 7:5)

A hypocrite? That's actually what I was thinking about the other person. Ouch!  Oh LORD God, I pray:

"See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:24

One way out of anxiety and depression

Yesterday, my husband and I listened to an interview with Tom Bowen, a firefighter who assisted with the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Teams and NYC’s Office of Emergency Management at the World Trade Centers following the 9/11 attacks. We simply cannot imagine the gruesome sights emergency personnel like Tom were exposed to. Not only did this man experience overwhelming anxiety and depression following 9/11, but he also suffered a severe on-site injury and the death of his beloved two year old son to cancer.

There is a lot of talk about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) these days, but not a whole lot of talk about how to deal with it, especially from a Christian perspective. We found Tom's story especially moving because of his honesty and his desire to put his family and the honor of his God above his own pain and suffering. He shares his story in hope that it will help someone else.

I encourage everyone to listen to this two-part interview and pass it on to anyone you know who is suffering from this all too common mental health issue. Here are the links:

PART 1

http://drjamesdobson.org/Broadcasts/Broadcast?i=9f308933-2001-49f0-907c-f63cddd08761

PART 2

http://drjamesdobson.org/Broadcasts/Broadcast?i=fb8a1f99-5a73-4295-ba39-0963b5e0985c

Distracted and deceived

Something happened to me this week that really caught me off guard, but the real problem came after that. So many emotions rose to the surface. Questions flooded my mind as to how I was going to respond to this. I became so distracted it was hard to function.

The whole experience got me thinking about the enemy and his tactics. Many have heard that he uses discouragement to weaken us, but distraction is another oft used weapon of his too. Luke uses the word distraction in his gospel in the account of Mary & Martha. Chapter 10, verse 40 says, "Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made." Many people (including myself), can relate to Martha. We think "If she didn't do all that work, how would they eat?" I heard someone say, "I think Jesus could've taken care of the meal if necessary." OK, true. Back to the point. Martha's sister, Mary, was not distracted. In fact, she was at the feet of Jesus doing nothing but listening (verse 39). And Jesus left no doubt that Mary had chosen the better way (verse 42).

So, I need to ask myself how the enemy is distracting me today. What is he using to pull me away from the one thing that is needed (to listen to Jesus)? Is it something simple like preparing a meal for guests? Is it taking on another project, or watching another episode of a favorite show, or is it something totally different - like fear over the latest terrorist attack? None of those things are terribly bad, but if they are distracting us, pulling us away from the one thing that is needed, then I believe we need to choose a better way.

Do any lives matter?

Terrible news this week. First, we heard about 2 African-American men shot by police. Then, this morning, we woke up to the news of 11 police officers shot at a Black Lives Matter rally. All this violence because one group is acting out of fear and another group is desperate to know their lives matter. The Word of God has the answer for both those groups. It shows us how not to fear and it shows us that every life matters to God because He created all of us. As Christ-followers, we have an opportunity today to share those truths.

We must share the gospel with everyone. The gospel or "good news" is that God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be born (in the flesh) into a world just as tumultuous as our is today. Jesus Christ showed us (in the flesh) how to live and how to love.

I used to think that if we lived a long time ago, when life was simpler and people had better morals, everything would be better. Then I realized that things were really no different then either. Morals didn't change slavery, segregation, fear or hate. Neither did a civil war or better laws. There is only one solution and that is for us Christ-followers to act like Jesus Christ. People who were around Jesus did not live in fear and they understood they mattered to Him. Likewise, we Christ-followers refuse to give into fear. We refuse to be part of any group built on the hate of any other group of people. We love. We lay down our lives.

Terrorists, Christians and Chick-Fil-A

As everyone knows, an Islamic terrorist killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, FL this past weekend. But what some may not know is that several Chick-Fil-A restaurants in the area opened on Sunday to feed blood donors, firefighters, police officers and first responders. The reason they did this is because their number one corporate priority is to “glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-Fil-A.” They were able to let go of a policy that they have maintained for seventy years (being closed on Sunday) to show Christian love in action.

Shouldn't their example be the same for all Christians? And not just after a horrible tragedy, but everyday? I see people every day that are hurting. It may not be from a mass shooting, but they are still in pain. Children acting out from their parent's recent divorce. A diagnosis that wasn't expected. Watching the mental health of a parent decline, etc. Am I willing to let go of my "policies" in order to glorify God and be a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to me? Will I have a positive influence on all who come in contact with me? Everyday, I have a chance to overcome evil with good. Will I take it? (Romans 12:21)

Against all hope

Do you know this scripture? Every person who calls themselves a follower of Christ should know it. It is from Romans 4:18:

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Why should you know it? Because every follower of Christ will come up against an event in their life that will cause them to doubt God. Doubt that He is God. Doubt that He is love. Doubt that He has a perfect plan for our life. At that crossroad, when we feel there is no hope, we have a choice to make. Believe or walk away.

Contemporary Christian songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman came to this crossroad when his youngest daughter, Maria, was killed in 2008. In the midst of his grief, Steven made a choice to believe. It's much better if you hear it in his own words. Listen to his testimony first and then make sure to hear his new song that was born out of his brave decision to believe.

http://worshipfuel.com/steven-curtis-chapman-worship-and-believe/?_cldee=amVob3NvcGhhdDYzQGFvbC5jb20%3d&utm_source=ClickDimensions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=A159