It seems like it happens every year.

Complaints in October about Christmas decorations and carols making an appearance too early, are soon followed by surprize in January that they are gone already.

Yes, it's true that there are those that seem to basically live to complain about just about anything they can get their lips on, but others among us genuinely get caught up in the cycle of complaining and being unappreciative because we simply do not take the time out to appreciate things... even the things that we appreciate. 🤨

Yes, you read that correctly.

There are some things that we grow accustomed to, we like seeing, we like having around... or to be more specific, we like not to not see them, or not to not have them around.

Hmm 🤔... that sounds as tangled as a bowl of spaghetti.  Let's put it this way...

Sticking with our example of Christmas carols or Christmas decorations, or even Christmas services and events for that matter.  If we always have those around and available to us, after a while we allow them to fade into the background.  They carve a familiar groove into our mental pathways... but they've lost their significance to us.

Try to imagine a scenario, where October ends, November rolls around, we actually reach halfway through December and up to that point you haven't heard a single chord of a Christmas Carol or seen so much of a pepper light wink.

How do you think that would make you feel?

There are some among us who know what it is to experience Christmas in Jamaica and then subsequently find themselves in a situation where their new norm is Christmas in some foreign land.  For these dear ones, they probably don't have to try too hard to picture this as it might turn out to be pretty close to their new reality.

How would you feel?  Undoubtedly you would feel a sense of loss.  That sense could easily give way to a state of grief and maybe even depression.

What then should we do?

Well, whether it's Christmas music, or programmes... or places, or especially people... the prescription is for us to take the time out to reflect on what these meaningful things mean.  To appreciate the things that we appreciate.  To not take for granted the beauty all around us that can be found in our relationships... with friends, relatives, family, a community support system that has meant so much to you.

The end of the year lends itself quite easily to reminiscing on the things of the past.  It also gives itself aptly to opportunities to express just how much we truly cherish the delightful Blessings that have stood as hallmarks in our lives, through ups and downs and everything in between.

If we catch ourselves breezing and merely slipping through the seasons one after the other, here's a timely call to tap on the brakes a bit, slow it down and show some love to the treasures that grace our lives, because the truth is we might often think we have all the time in the world to stop, smell and scatter the roses... but all too many times, we find those chances are Gone Too Soon.

Have you ever heard someone that you know talk about themselves, perhaps as an introduction or some kind of autobiographical written work?

What did you think, or what would you think if the description being outlined or the character being painted didn't line up with what you knew factually about that person?

It would be hard to conclude anything beyond believing that the person in question was deliberately trying to trick their audience or intentionally misrepresenting themself as part of some dastardly ulterior motive.

Honestly speaking though, it is possible that that friend of yours wasn't intentionally bearing false witness in their presentation at all.  It is quite conceivable that he/she believes every single word of what they were sharing about himself/herself.

How is this possible you say?

Well, for a lot of us, the residual mental image that we have of ourselves is crafted solely by what we aspire to.

What does that mean exactly?

It means that we see ourselves in actuality as being the person that we want to be, simply because we want to be that person.  It has nothing to do with what we've actually done or what we do in practice.

This is why you'll find bios littered with people who love going on hikes and long walks, who have never been on a hike in their lives.

In the Bible, you'll find references to "in spirit and in truth".

In spirit speaks to what is established and emanating from your spirit, from within you.  Yes, you're aspirations, beliefs, dreams, convictions, intentions... all that.

In truth on the other hand speaks to that which has been made manifest, which is actual and factual.  Intentions that have been acted on and so moved from the realm of "want to do" to "have done".

That is why those who worship God, or profess Jesus ought to do so in spirit AND in truth.

One cannot profess to be a Godly person, just because they have the conviction but yet continue to live a life led by sin.  Heaven forbid.

Conviction - Action = Self-Delusion

Action - Conviction = Self-Deception

Action + Conviction = Self-Development

Let us then ensure that what we say is what we do... and what we do is who we are.  Let's ensure that we stand for righteousness and holiness, not just as lip service, but in Spirit And Truth.

Have you ever heard someone say that their heart was full?

How about that that their heart was overflowing?

It sounds funny, but at the same time rings undeniably accurate in describing some emotions that we find ourselves experiencing sometimes.

The concept of the heart being a vessel or some kind of container is definitely one that is backed up by scripture and something that we see echoed throughout the Bible.

One of the things that we learn as we grow in wisdom, is the benefit of filling our hearts with good things.  We get to know and understand the deleterious effects that can result from harbouring bad things in our hearts... which by the way include anxiety and fear.

Sometimes this can be such a struggle for us, especially when it feels like we're just being bombarded with wave after wave after wave of stressful situations.  We want to just throw our hands up in the air and all hope through the window and give up.

It's in moments like these, that it serves us best to remember that no matter how gloomy the outlook of any situation, joy is but an outreach away.

Much like a match can be the source that ignites the pilot light, that serves an entire 450-degree oven, Jesus can be the source of joy that sets our hearts alight... and out of the happiness that He brings, a yield of gratitude is produced... and nurturing that heart of thanksgiving brings us jubilation... and from that jubilation, we have thankfulness, which evokes from us much glee.... and... well you get the idea.

Our responsibility then, when our hearts run dry, feels cold, or start to struggle is to reach out to Christ and get re-ignited.

We need only then to fan the flame of joy with the wind of gratitude and so nurture the conditions we need to stay centred in The Happy Cycle.

Oh what modern scientists wouldn't give to study Lazarus.

What journalists wouldn't do to interrogate his every experience.

What psychiatrists would trade for the opportunity to delve deep into the psyche of a man literally brought back from death to be once again among the living.

For that matter, what some of us wouldn't do to get even 5 minutes' worth of time to pick his brain, quiz him almost back to death or maybe even ask about our own Great Granny who passed away a decade or so ago.

Us human beings are quite fascinated by mysteries and puzzles.  We like to dissect that which doesn't fully add up and try to make sense of it all.

As the Bible says, right now we kinda see through a glass darkly.  We can't quite see the full picture from our vantage point and so try to put together scattered shards in the hope of gaining understanding and seeing more clearly.

It is no wonder then, that given the opportunity... had we been on the scene back then when Lazarus stepped forth out of that tomb, we would have probably been pushing and shoving along with the town criers and news reporters/scribes to catch a glimpse of Lazarus and maybe a sound bite or two.  We would for sure want to ask him what it was like, what did he see, how does he feel... all that.

...but guess what?  While we are busy doing that, Jesus slowly slips away, with barely a second thought or notice in that moment.

Jesus becomes the secondary story.

Sadly, this is typical of how we operate by default.

We tend to give pride of place to the miracle over the Miracle Worker. We focus on the created over the Creator.

In this story that we know so well, Lazarus' resurrection is the object... while Jesus is the subject.

It was Jesus who (in what seemed like an almost effortless gesture) raised Lazarus from being unquestionably dead.  He did what clearly should have been impossible and yet the natural impulse is to be in awe of the work of the miracle over the Worker of the miracle.

What we could learn from the poking and prodding and pricking for DNA could never provide us with the answers to life that we would be hoping to find... even with science as advanced and as modern as it is today.

For the answers to life, let us focus on the Life-Giver, the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ... the one who Himself was dead, buried and then came back to life on the third day.

The One whose return from the dead now gives us all an opportunity to have eternal (everlasting) life.

Jesus, the Son of God, is The True Miracle.

Who really knows where the true origins of that exclamation: "Man Alive"?

Something about it sounds stark and fitting of exclamation though.

In one sense, it conjures up the imagery of a sailor who may have been swept overboard by ill winds and high seas... and then much to the surprize of the crew... gets spotted, alive.

Thinking more about it, such a miraculous feat is undoubtedly cause for great rejoicing and is also reminiscent of what is evoked when we witness someone who we thought was lost to the treacherous winds of life and the rough and choppy challenges of its sojourn, is seen again, not in a state of death, but having turned to Christ and received life... Man Alive!

Many of us have been there... lost.

This means that many of us know well the journey away from there and towards the hope of rescue.

Having traversed that path then, as children of God, we carry the onus of sharing the good news of the ready availability of salvation... and not just that God's rescue and redemption is able to give life, but also to maintain life more abundantly.

Y'see, it's great to have life... but that is not a means to an end in and of itself.

Life isn't just for having... heaven forbid!

As the old adage goes... Life is indeed for living.

Let us then endeavour to make the most of it every day. Let us number our days so that we can prioritize what and who we should.

Let us fulfil, to the maximum, the potential of this life we've each been given, by feeding and nurturing that drive to help others achieve the full potential of the life in Christ that God wants them to have.

We should never get so caught up in our own existence that we have no time to carry out this God-given mandate.

Great is the joy to witness the seeds of your contribution sprout fruit in the life of another.

Help someone then to find and live that rescued, liberated, purpose-driven life.

It's great to know seh man alive... but it's even greater to know seh Man A Live.

Not to kick things off on too somber a note, but with all that you see going on around us and with all that is in the news, it may just be worth a ponder.

Some of the worst atrocities that we have seen in history, and even many of them that we have seen recently, have been committed by people that have been convinced that what they have perpetrated is right.

Sometimes the warped thinking behind these actions stems from growing up in toxic environments that for years feed them a steady and consistent diet of devilish notions that corrupt their minds and rot their heart.

Our mission as followers of Jesus Christ is to shine the light on the truths that Jesus came to establish and the lies He came to demolish.

Wrapped up in our purpose is to be light to this world and salt to this Earth, which means that we are all, individually and collectively, beacons of hope and Godliness... and keeping the standards and precepts of God held high, we preserve the integrity that God wishes and intends for mankind.

As humans, we are all prone to wander away from the Truth.  Can you not feel it, even as a believer?  We are prone to stray from and leave the God that we love.

We who have the Word of God, sometimes are tempted to want to bend it, to twist what it says and outlines, to suit our own pretexts so that we can convince ourselves, deep on the inside, that what we want to do, is not only right... but also sanctioned by God.

As God's children who have the Word of God written on the inside of our hearts, we often wrestle with ourselves when we try to wrest ourselves out of God's hands.  We try to bend the truth, but our souls resist and so we resort to numbing the voice of God and shun it over and over again, until we figure out how to bury the truth that screams out from deep within us.

There is none more dangerous than one who who would seek to bend, bypass or break God's commands on demand, as needed to soothe their conscience or justify their sin.

Let us then remember, that we ourselves are always accountable to God's unchanging Word... whether it suits us or not... and let us always remember, that ours is the responsibility to stand for the truth of God's unchanging Word, whether it suits others or not.

God's Word, His truth and His commands are always true and always remain the same and can never be Bent Or Buried.

The relationships that we have, whether within our families or circle of friends are such wonderfully dynamic experiences.

For good or for bad, they certainly do play a huge role in shaping us into the people we have become... even the people that we are still becoming.

These relationships, especially the ones that really mean something, have no doubt seen their fair share of seasons.  Real friendships have weathered storms and seen ups and downs and all kinds of turbulent weather.

Truth be told, sometimes it's the very same relationships that impact the ever-changing climate of our lives.

If you were to be honest with yourself, could you identify a few friendships that you would be really broken if you had to do without them?  Now, in reflection, have any of those friendships gone through rocky times over the years?

Then how can it be, how can people who have seen probably the worst in each other end up being inseparable?

The thing is, that this thing called life, is really all about relationships and the interconnections we make in our community network.

...and if this thing called life is about relationships, then this MUST be true about this thing called the Christian life.

Y'see, God has created us... all of us, to be his agents and representatives here on Earth.

When Jesus walked among us as a man, He made it extremely clear in His words and actions how critical the interpersonal bonds that he initiated and nurtured were to His overall mission and to the building of the Kingdom of God.

Just as our relationships have the power to influence us, if we know the significance the impact of a life lived for Christ can have on all the lives that bond with it, interact with it and embrace it, then though these relationships may face hiccups and turmoil, we would let nothing dissuade us from pressing forward to ensure that which is of utmost importance, the survival of the gospel message lived through us, triumphs.

Even the bonds that Jesus had with His friends (and the same goes for some of the most senior stalwarts of the Faith and their friends) were really tried and tested... but in the end, with eyes fixed on a higher purpose and enlightened understanding of the importance of the God-given tools of friendship and association, the light of Christ will remain aglow in us and draw others towards that warmth.

We are called then to open up not just our wallets and our homes to others, but also our hearts to those who need to be led by the Light and watered with the Word.

Let us then endure and enjoy all the seasons of relationships, knowing that they are working out the very calling of God on our lives, persevering through joy and pain, through Sunshine And Rain.

September 8, 2022 will no doubt be one of those days ever-etched in one way or another in the pages of history books for generations to come.

That date marks the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom's longest-serving monarch, who after reigning for 70 years, died at the age of 96.

What proceeds following her passing will undoubtedly be many-a-moments of silence, special acknowledgements and events intended to mark the milestone, comfort her family and quite likely many of her subjects.

Such a passing will unavoidably thrust into the spotlight of reality the truth that even as the royals grieve, so do thousands, if not millions of souls, not of the variety of royalty, mourn the loss of their own loved ones.

In some cases, families likewise mourn the loss of their own matriarch.  Sometimes it's the loss of the sole breadwinner in a family.  Other times, sadly, these lamentations seemingly too often include the tragic loss of life... as a result of both accidental as well as intentional actions.

The list of triggers and tributaries of our fountains of sorrow is extensive.

Our lives are constantly faced with threatening winds and disruptive waves.

We contend with broken relationships, broken dreams and broke pockets all the time.

Oftentimes we find that the deluge of pain and weeping comes upon us without warning.  Sometimes so suddenly, we just don't know what to do.

Here's the thing.

Regardless of the source of our storms one thing we know for sure, is that we are not short of assurances and reassurances that we serve the Lord of the storm.

Whether it's a named storm swirling around the Atlantic, or a thrashing wave soaking the innards of your life, Jesus can just speak a word to calm the mightiest of tempests.

That's it.  A simple Word. One amazing turn of events... and the Lord can extinguish your anguish.

Yes.  God can... and He will.  He only asks that we believe and anything that we ask, in His Name, without doubt, He will hear and answer.

Ultimately, everything MUST obey the voice of God when He speaks, even the Winds And Waves.

On a day like today, where we can easily sit and think about all the goings-on around us and realize how easy it is to be swept up and swept away by feelings of despair and hopelessness, it is then that we most need to be still.

When we listen to or watch the news, there is no shortage of gloomy and depressing reports that can bring down even the most chirpy, cheery and chipper person you can think of.

There are wars and rumours of wars, looming threats of old and new diseases, tragic death of people in droves... inevitably, the mind will ask: "Where's the hope?"

It is in times like these that we must draw upon our scripture bank for the evergreen reminder, that our help does not come from mountains or statues, it doesn't come from ancestors and those that have gone before us... our help, all of our help comes from the Lord.

Jesus is our refuge and our strength.  This sentiment is plastered throughout the Bible... and with good reason.  This is a timely truth that holds the power of rehydration and reinvigoration,  even when you find yourself in a dry and weary place, where it seems there is no water for quenching life's droughts.

Call upon the Lord, reach out to your Almighty God and be ye encouraged.

Then mount up on your mission and spread that hope to those around you in need of encouragement and upliftment.

There are broken hearts all around us, there are many who feel defeated and downtrodden.

They need you.

They need you to triumph over the onslaught of doubt and guilt and fear.

They need you to step out in Faith.

Be not deceived, for God has called you to be His handiwork and His mouthpiece to be the bearer of good news... that He is always in control and He is always in your corner.

So when life's trying to beat you down, always remember, it's never too late to take a breath, take a pause and take it to the Lord, even if it's just to say: God, Some Help Please.

Life can sometimes feel like a never-ending treadmill of playing catch-up.

We have seasons, where we just feel like we're going and going and going, waiting for that break to be able to pause, catch our breath and recharge.

So many times, it feels like a break that never comes.

We often find ourselves trapped on the hamster wheel of homework, or the conveyor belt of corporate demand.  Maybe some of us feel like our joy is being constantly choked by the unending supply of chores around the house.

Why do we keep finding ourselves in this situation?  "Where is this elusive joy and peace we've been promised?" is something we may find ourselves asking, especially when we feel bogged down and torn because our schedule is stretched thin by service.

You may feel tempted to ask, "Lord, where is my reward for serving You and serving others?  Surely, burnout cannot be what you have in store for me?"

Such feelings and thoughts are not as rare and unique as you might think.  This is a struggle that may manifest in one way shape or form when life and its overwhelming demands mount up.

What then is the answer to all these questions?

The answer is: Balance.

A quick reflection of your life would no doubt be able to affirm a time when perhaps you couldn't ride a bicycle.  You would also then be able to recall that it is something that you had to learn.  At first, it wasn't something quite intuitive.  After all, we're creatures that pretty much from the stage of toddlers get used to operating on firm footing, to the extent that this is second nature and walking (and even running) happens without much thought.  Then comes this new way to roll, scary at first, unfamiliar at first, but then with patience and sound guidance you eventually master the art of steering right, leaning right and course correction.  You learn balance, and then that bit of mastery now becomes second nature.

What's that?  You never did learn how to ride?

OK, well how about reflecting on a time before you learnt how to balance your budget?

At first, the impulse would be to get money... and spend the money, without much of a thought for careful and strategic planning... but then came the lessons, that taught you to count the costs and weigh them against the wages.

You learned how to measure what you have coming in against what you have going out.  You learn balance... and then that bit of mastery became second nature.

Whatever it is in life that you choose to use as your object lesson, the essence of it is that you have been able to move from a point of being untrained and overwhelmed, to learning how to apply experience and wisdom to not only cope, but thrive in circumstances that seemed unnatural and threats that took you way out of your element.

It is this principle that we must apply to the spiritual areas of our lives.

Regardless of who or how or where you serve, it is critical, that you always remember and regard the importance of balance.

Going too hard in one direction or the next, can lead to spills and falls, but a deliberate and conscious attempt to learn from others and one's own adventures can build a kind of spiritual mastery that provides the discipline needed to thrive.

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity here on Earth.

So when you start to feel and smell the burn, then it's time to pause and be still, look to the Master Teacher and say: Lord, Teach Me Balance.

Sometimes our devices' available storage capacity gets to a point of total depletion.

We find ourselves in so many different WhatsApp and other chat groups, where viral videos and funny forwards bombard us daily and sometimes hourly.

As we chow down on the millions of bytes of content hurtling towards us on the regular, they fill our phones, fill our times and fill our hearts.

Before you know it, our devices start to get ram packed with all kinds of non-nutritional morsels of information, a lot of which, to be honest, is neither educational nor edifying.

The result thereof is that our devices start to behave janky... which is essentially the popular contemporary term referring to the habitual malfunctioning of electronic devices that burden the owners and operators with having to perform frequent restarts, battery pulls and power cycling.

Interestingly enough, it turns out that it's not just the devices that suffer the side effects of an unhealthy diet of junk.

We are called to be responsible stewards of the spirit within us, that is called to commune with God's Holy Spirit.

We are guided by God's Word not to grieve the Holy Spirit who has sealed us until the day of redemption.  We are called to walk in righteousness and purity... to be holy, as God is holy.

When we invite and ingest folly, foolishness, ungodly jesting and such the like, it fills us up on the inside and tries to squeeze up and out the presence and fellowship we have with God and leaves us janky, slow and malfunctioning.

In much the same way as the solution for our devices is to guard what kind of content we intake and invest in, likewise, we must each protect and secure our heart, guarding it against all unholy incursion that would mute our ministry and dull our discernment.

Let us periodically and habitually then, take the time to intentionally clear out the crud that tends to gather around our spiritual arteries.  Let's shed the pounds of unwanted filth that easily weighs us down and delete all the things that would want to rival the pride of place reserved for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ so that we can ensure that we will always have room for the Spirit of the Lord to fill our temple and not be in any way hindered because we have run Out Of Space.

In 1964, American Singer-Songwriter Sam Cooke released a song that would come to be voted among the greatest songs ever released.

Even without knowing the history of the genesis of the song, titled "A Change Is Gonna Come", just listening to it one could feel the very palpable emotions and struggles from which it was birthed.

The song itself carried with it the weight of frustration and exasperation of a people tired of dealing with the injustices of racism and souls longing for a better tomorrow.

In fact, the prompting to pen and produce the ballad came from the author's own personal brush with discriminatory treatment against himself and his family... and out of that encounter, Sam decided to cook up something that would share his own internal grief that would inspire and ignite a movement that bore much fruit that many still enjoy today.

The song also brandishes deeply powerful lyrics that speak of an acknowledgment of a long and arduous journey faced by a people, clinging to the hope that propels them onward: the assurance that a change is just about imminent.

This is so very reminiscent of the struggle faced by God's people for eons.  We are pressed on every side, but not abandoned by God.

Sometimes we feel discouraged and sometimes we feel depressed, but there is always a hope that drives us forward: that God promised that He will never leave us... and that a glorious change is coming.

God gives us the assurance that he will never forsake His children here in this life... and He concretely lets us know that the day is coming when we shall be changed from mortal to immortality, in the twinkling of an eye and transported to eternal life with Him.

As it is in Sam Cooke's song, the breakthrough: the return of the Messiah, is a long time in coming and we may not know the exact day nor the hour, but we know for sure that that change is coming.

A line in the song says

"It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
'Cause I don't know what's up there, beyond the sky"

Thankfully... we, as the people of God don't have to live with such dreadful uncertainty.  We know what lies beyond the great gulf of the unknown... our new Heavenly home.

So encourage yourself, encourage someone else to keep on holding on and pushing on for Christ, because though it's been a long long time coming, we know that Change Gonna Come.

As a child growing up in Jamaica back in the day, you would most definitely be familiar with the term: "Bottle Police".

This is the designation given to someone who would either habitually or just in the moment (e.g. during or at the end of a party) go around and arrest used drink bottles with the intention of returning them to the original source for refilling, for a price paid per bottle.

We may not have called it that back then, but this was an early act of recycling that was culturally embedded and acceptable.

Jamaica over the years has come a far way in terms of caring for our environment, something very important for us living on a relatively small island.

Environmental studies are now included in schools and universities, as a country we've banned some plastics and started to embrace recycling on a wider scale... and not just for glass drink bottles.

This is of course an excellent direction to be moving in, because we are all called to be good stewards of what we have been blessed with on this Earth.

We've seen the consequences of shirking this God-given responsibility in our eroded beach fronts, garbage-filled waters and plastic-filled fishes... fishes we end up consuming by the way.

As a species, we have to learn, to do better and most importantly we have to pass on the knowledge that we gain, to the next generation to keep the progress going.

In the Kingdom of God, we should especially know the significance of the stewardship that our Creator has bestowed upon us.  He has called us to rule over the Earth and take care of it... and of course, if you truly know God, you know that "rule over" for Him doesn't mean "taking advantage of", "abusing" or "lording over".  It means to "lovingly take care of".

If we can hold that in mind and apply this mandate to the full breadth of our stewardship, then we will realize that this applies not only to the natural resources of the planet, but the human resources as well.

God calls us to actively collect souls that have been left used, empty and discarded and to bring them back to the Source where they can be refilled and re-purposed.

We should especially look out for and reach out to the Youth of the next generation and properly steward them.  That means lovingly taking care of them, teaching them the Godly things that we know and have learned, so that that knowledge can mature into wisdom, which they can then in turn pass on to the generation after them.

This is how we reach, teach and win the world. 🌍  A larger portion of a generation at a time.

Rinse the lost vessel of the world's sticky residue.
Recycle that earthen vessel by getting it back to the Source.
Refill that vessel and get it back out there to accomplish what God intended.

If we can reach 20% of this generation, who then, in turn, reaches 23% of the generation after them... and so on and so forth, before you know it... we'll make it to the point where we attain a critical mass of believers in a generation spreading the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all to be Blessed by.

That's the simple formula, the simple plan in which we can all participate.  It's not insurmountable, it is very doable, so let's get to it... say it: Rinse, Recycle, Refill.

Recently, the news has been in quite a stir over the disappearance of a local social media influencer.

Those that have been fans of hers are feeling particularly saddened and aggrieved by the whole situation... and probably a little fearful of what developments may come next.

If you're not really a social media person, or even if you are but perhaps you may not have been a follower of her particular channel, it would likely surprize you the kind of support that has mobilized, even to the point of national attention as a result.

Consider also another incident that recently went viral... that of the baptism of a very popular longstanding, local celebrity broadcaster, popularly known as "Barry G".

In a similar fashion, if you hadn't been following his channels, that news would probably have come as a complete shock to you.

While the sudden revelation of these kinds of news and events and happenings may catch us off-guard, do you think any of it caught God unawares as well?

Of course not.

The bigger point is that there are always a gazillion things going on that we don't see and just aren't aware of.  There is always a multitude of things that don't make the news and that we don't hear about until it either blows up and becomes unignorable, or maybe a producer or editor somewhere decides to shine some light on it and give it some focused attention.

Either way, this should serve as a beacon of hope for us.

"How so?" you ask?

Well, sometimes you pray and you pray and you pray... maybe for a person, probably for your nation, and you're just not seeing anything that looks like movement from God's side of the fence.  Then you start to lose hope.

However, as we've seen, MANY times, God is actually very much at work and on the case.  He is busy answering our very prayers, we just haven't seen it yet... it nuh reach our part yet.

Just as in the case of things that end up in the spotlight, there is sooo much that happens in the background leading up to that moment, that we are clueless about.

It is always a timely reminder when we encounter scripture that encourages us never to lose hope, that God is always working, that God is always in control.

Sometimes we forget, and sometimes in our low times, it starts to sound like something we merely tell ourselves, to comfort ourselves, like some kind of fairy tale.

The truth is that God IS in control... and not meaning just now, because you're going through some kind of challenge or struggle.  Everything that you witness going on around you is part of God's working.

Sometimes the more apt question to ask is whether God's work is going on in tandem with you, or in spite of you.  Are we trusting God, or kicking against the prick?

Without Faith it is impossible to please God, because we could never keep track of all the zillions of moving parts His plan has, we have to just trust Him with total abandon and believe in Him to act and to do what's best.

So keep on praying, keep on believing and keep on hoping.

Ensure that your every effort contributes to God's glorious end game, much of which, before it comes into the light, is Done In Secret.

As people who love God, why do we do what we do?

Is that a question that you've ever asked yourself?

The answer of course is all bound up in love.

Our God of love, who IS love, showed us love so that we can show others love.

That means that everything we do, everything we say, should be absolutely powered by love.

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads, struggling with which direction to go?  Or maybe you were in the heat of a particular moment and you already knew what the right thing to do was, but you simply and inexplicable couldn't bring yourself to do what you knew you should. When you find yourself buckling under the thought of turning the other cheek, being graceful in spite of abuse and injustice... when every fibre of your being screams to just step out and defend yourself... or reach for backitive to do it for you... it is in those moments of anguish that we have to reach down deep, beyond ourselves to pull from the wellspring of love that is within us, stored up in these jars of clay we call our bodies.

Sounds familiar?  Well, this is what Christ did... and this is what so many pages of the Bible teach.

It's easier to decide to do the right thing when sitting and reading comfortably in the joy of meditation and worship.  It is not often so when theory meets practical.

The secret is of course out, that the strength to be led by love always, is to always be connected to love.  The Bible calls us the branches to stay connected to The Vine.  This is how we stay nourished and strong.

So as we GO into all the earth, mixing and mingling... before we step one foot out the door, let us make up in our minds and determine in our hearts that we are going to treat everyone with

- civility (being kind, polite and courteous)
- humility (having a modest and not prideful view of one's own self and importance)
- dignity (regarding them with honour and respect)

There's always more to learn and master about love.  The more we practice, the better we'll get at it.

So, in all our dealings, with all people, all the time, may our output and expressions be guided by grace and Laced With Love.