Hope Victorious

  Faith is something.             It is no small thing.             It is not nothing Faith doesn’t just lead us to something, or give us access (although it does!) But the faith,           on its own,               it is something too. Faith has its own reward.             Faith is substance.              Faith is real. When there is none – you feel the absence of it.       You feel the empty void. That frightening place of uncertainty – where questions outnumber answers 1,000 to 1 Where hope and joy are sucked out of the atmosphere by a vacuum of fear, You feel it when there is no faith.   Yes, faith is something It may not be as good as when you can hold the thing you once had to have faith for,    or stand on it,       or in it,        or look at it,             or kiss it When faith is answered and that thing you once believed for, is now realized   -   faith looks small But faith is the reason that you keep going, keep believing and hoping Faith

  How can a heart hold love like this and not explode? I didn’t think I could love you more You kept growing; changing and becoming So did I Now I love you differently: stronger, more resolved And more – so much more You’ve hurt me and I’ve hurt you We have disappointed one another I’ve seen your best – all the delightfully good and sparkling aspects of you I have seen the hard and less than beautiful parts too I have held the treasure of you closely Just as I have held the sorrows and pain Through it all – love has grown   Love changes Strengthens and holds on You are a part of me I am a part of you Love holds us both

  I used to try to hide the parts of me I felt were unlovable. I knew love wasn’t something to earn; not a reward to be granted. But still I believed that my chances at being loved and accepted were both helped and hindered by various aspects of who I am. We all have strengths alongside our weaknesses and it is natural to want to show our strengths while minimizing our weaknesses. There are things we are proud of and others we are ashamed of. I viewed the parts of me that I was ashamed of as liabilities. They were the heavy encumbrances that I dragged along behind me and hoped others did not see or notice. To be loved, I thought I need to hide or at least minimize these things. To let them be seen increased my chances of being disqualified or dismissed immediately. Who would want me, with all this baggage included? I was convinced that the good and admirable things in me were overshadowed and overwhelmed by the liabilities. I viewed love as a scale, a balance. The good of me on one

  Peace stood quietly Called to me by name An invitation Just outside the border of my chaos Mind in over-drive My effort to solve, understand and achieve           It was not an evaluation           There was no accusation           His arms were out           Palms up           An invitation Peace called to me And I could answer and go Or I could stay           Peace would not enter my swirling chaos           There was no place for him to stand           To be with Peace, I had to leave           Step out of my mess of striving           To choose Peace stood quietly And called to me by name Invitation Peace invited me to stand At the border of my mind           Stepping Over           Passion - Effort - Striving - Pursuing           Swirling and Building           Worry – Desire – Performance – Regret           Increasing and Entangling           Stepping Out And as I stood with Peace Hand in hand I felt the power of this invitation           Rest – Assurance  -  Trust –           

  If I could fly – I would I would dart quickly from tree to tree I might land and sit But then I’d fly again Nearly forgetting the feet tucked up beneath me I would see the tops of trees And hide within the highest branches I would learn where to wait in the wind and rain Feel the sun’s warmth on my wings and the first drops of rain I would spread my wings and fly   If I could fly – I would I’d fly with the wind Then I’d fly against it Testing the strength of my wings I’d skim the water of a lake Dart through the mist of waterfalls I would fly through the damp colors of the rainbows Bathing myself in colors Rejoicing in the return of sunshine   If I could fly – I would I would soar high on the currents The air lifting me, carrying me I would rest; my wings outstretched And ride the momentum of wind and heights I would look down on tree tops Fly through the depths of clouds, just to see them from above I would savor the feeling of strength, wearing myself out The thrill of diving Th

  When I felt sure that darkness would win for good Hope rescued me                From fear and pain                From hate and shame Hope called to me Through all the questions and the doubts Louder than the lies that shouted and tore me down Deeper than the rules, both those broken & kept Hope called me home Hope reminded me who I am Hope set me free To love and be loved To dream and believe Hope held my heart, healed my sorrow and set me free to live   That first time, again today and a thousand times between; Hope has rescued me from disappointment, pain and questions Hope has been my answer in grief, fear and strife Hope has called me home To God’s goodness and deep love   Hope has rescued me     Lisa Smith April 16, 2014

  Faith pulls the unseen closer. Faith wants more. Apathy is settling for what you have. Apathy is contentment. Faith is risk. Faith is a hunger that drives you farther and deeper. Faith believes that there is more to be experienced. Apathy tells you to be happy with what you have and either that there is no more, or, that it is too hard to access more. Apathy is an enemy of faith. I am convinced that it is healthy to be aware and take action in the places where we are tempted to feel apathetic. If we truly believe what the scripture says: ·                       that all things are possible with God (Mark 10:27, 14:26) ·                       that all things are possible for those who believe (Mark 9:23) ·                        that God is limitless (1Kings 8:27, Psalm 147:5, Ephesians 3:20) Then we should be cautious of apathy, as it will erode and diminish our faith. These are the questions I am asking myself: Where am I at risk of being apathetic?   In what areas of

  Prayer is communication with God. We pray to God because we believe that He hears our prayers and cares about them. Communication with God is based on faith and trust. Our faith gives us access to what we believe is available to us in God. We trust in His love and willingness to act on our prayers. When we talk about prayer, more often than not, we speak of people praying to God; talking to Him with faith that He listens, cares and will respond in some way. But prayer also includes listening. We believe that prayer is a dialogue and that we can also hear God’s voice speaking to us. Prayer, as it is most frequently talked about, is a human activity. But there are scriptures that show that prayer is part of God’s activity as well. God prays?!   Why? To whom? In Romans chapter 8, Paul speaks of how the Holy Spirit helps us when we do not know how to pray. Paul says in verse 26 that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. The Holy Spirit prays for you and I?! In the second part of this sa

  The most common definition of faith is quoted from Hebrews 11. Verse one defines faith in this way: “ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is real, it is a substance! I think of it like this; faith is what you have while you wait for what you are having faith for. We hope for things, pray for things and wait for them to be realized. When we are still hoping and waiting, faith is what we have. We believe that the answer is coming. That believing, is faith. Faith holds the place. Once the answer comes, faith is no longer needed. My husband and I dealt with unexplained infertility for 5 years before we got pregnant with our first son. We had waited several years after we got married to start trying to get pregnant, then when we wanted to have a baby, we couldn’t! Without getting into the details of that difficult and complex time, I’ll just use it as an example of faith. We both believed that we had a promise from God that He would heal

          Unknowns shout Questions taunt me Like you, I have felt the looming darkness Fears pursue Disappointments pile around me Where can I go from here?   Facing faith, I too hear the demand What if it isn’t true? My doubts have made themselves so loud My unbelief demands my faith to answer   When did my faith become so quiet? Where has my boldness gone?   I confess my disappointment I repent of my unbelief But then I run as hard and fast as I can Straight into hope Anything is possible with God I may not understand There is much I surely don’t But I have seen enough to be convinced I am not deciding I have already decided   I have weathered disappointment Crying out my sorrow and confusion My questions and doubts nearly tore me in two But there beneath them was a remnant of faith Small and tenuous - far from perfect Perhaps it is not enough…   But how it grew – The day I stood and shouted “I have already decided!” I will not wait and wonder There is no room for “if”   I have se

  Don’t wait for perfect conditions.            One house that Phil and I rented had no room for a garden, but I wanted to grow some vegetables. I had time and energy to tend a garden, but no open space. We did have a big concrete patio that was in full sun most of the day. So I bought a couple of big plastic baby pools, drilled holes in the bottom, and set them on wood slats to provide air space and drainage. My birthday is in the early spring. We had a bunch of friends over and I asked for bags of potting soil as my birthday gift. Once they were filled with dirt, my baby pools were perfect for planting. I built a climbing triangle in the center of one for green beans and grew zucchini plants around it. The other pool was full of tomato and cucumber plants. My in-laws gave me a redwood planter with herbs to plant, and my patio garden was complete. The plants growing on all that concrete made a difference in the temperature and feel of our yard and house too. Conditions are often less