Apophatica

Many of us have events, problems, challenges in our lives that make us want to throw in the towel. Some issues really are big, and others just grow in our minds because of the fuel we feed them. It is like giving water to Jack’s beanstalk and watching our little problems become gargantuan in our heads.

Here is a verse for all of us – whether we worry needlessly or whether we really have a problem that seems insurmountable:

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew 6:25-27

I know that many are saying “Yeah, that’s easy for [i]you[/i] to say because you have no idea what I have to go through.” Yes, this may be the case, but we all have to remember that there is NOTHING that we cannot overcome through the strength God gives us. Talk your problems out with a friend or confidant and see what happens! Just by bringing the issue to someone else’s awareness, you not only gain a shoulder to lean on, but also build a possible network to find a solution!

Although I was not a huge fan of the book, “The Secret”, I do agree that as soon as someone becomes aware of your problem, you are that much closer to a solution. So, tell a friend, pastor, or confidant what you are going through and let God take away your worries!

*The majority of donations for First Step Ministries come from wedding officiating services. If you or someone you know is getting married or planning a wedding and needs a minister, pastor, or officiant for their wedding, please find Pastor B at www.ministerforrent.com .

How about taking a break from the hectic week and just sitting down and opening the Bible? Check out Romans 7:14 – 25. Oftentimes we feel that God cannot or will not use us because of something or things that we have done in the past. When we start thinking this way we become complacent and end up doing nothing for ourselves or for His people. Stop and think about this: EVERY person in the Bible who was revered has done plenty wrong! Paul and David were murderers and Paul even spoke out against Christ before being converted. Moses didn’t trust God, Peter denied Christ, Mark gave up and left the ministry for a while and on and on! There is NOTHING that we could have done to be unworthy of doing His work.

In psychology, there is a term called “cognitive dissonance” in which our actions are opposed to what our beliefs are. For example, if we “hate” smoking, but still smoke, that is cognitive dissonance. In Romans 7:14-25 I am always amazed at how like us someone as special as Paul was. “I do the things I do not want to do and cannot do the things I want to.” Please read this passage and take hope in that we are not alone in our struggles to be righteous.

If you read the book of Romans, you will see that it is the “meat” of the New Testament. There is a lot of Christological talk in there, but the main point is that we are “justified” before God because of what Christ did for us. Going forward, we must become “sanctified”, which means we have to be transformed into better people. So, let’s forget about the past, work on the future, and get to work on our lives and helping others have a better life as well!

Blessings,

Pastor B

* The majority of First Step Ministries’ funding comes from weddings. If you or someone you know is getting married in the Chicago or Northern Illinois area and need a minister or officiant, please check us out at www.ministerforrent.com!

I was talking the other day to someone about machine fabricating machines (exciting eh?) and we were talking about different parameters and data that tells the machine what to do along an x, y, z axis. When the machine gets out of parameter, the engineer often has to program the machine back to the point of origin so that the machine can reset.

I started thinking about how that was like a person being in a forest with many paths that branch off from one point – a point of origin so to speak. This is like us in our lives. If we are off on one of the paths, or worse, off of the path and trying to figure out where we are and where we should go, we will be totally lost. Until we get back to that point of origin, we can not begin to go or even know how to go where we are supposed to.

Isn’t that like us in life? We often have noble goals to help people as well as to improve ourselves. We often get confused about planning our careers or how to reach our goals. It is like being lost in the forest not knowing where to go. At times like this, we have to get back to our own point of origin – God. We have to go back to Him and seek what he wants us to do. Then, everything becomes amazingly clear! Believe me, I have done this many times wondering why something that was noble was not working out. It was because no matter how good it was, it was not His will, it was mine.

Trust me, if we go back to our point of origin and start doing what He wants us to do we won’t be dissapointed! Our stress will disappear and we will know in our hearts that we are on the right path with Him beside us. What a great and refreshing place to be!

Blessings,

Pastor B

First Step Ministries is supported in large part by wedding officiating services. If you or someone you know are getting married and need a minister of officiant, please contact us at www.ministerforrent.com for officiating services in the Chicagoland or Northern Illinois area.

My mother- and grandmother-in-law visited last week from Japan. Grandma had a stroke some time back and is unable to walk on her own. I had to carry her up the stairs to the bath, and carry her when putting her in the car. On the day before they left, as I was lifting her into the car, I had a thought: She is putting a lot of trust in me not to drop her here on the pavement. If I got a cramp or lost my balance she could be dropped and get hurt. It reminded me of the fact that God is carrying us, but the difference is where I could have dropped Grandma, God can’t and won’t drop us. It’s truly a comforting and reassuring feeling! It is like it says in Isaiah 46:4 – “I will be your God throughout all your lifetime – until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”

Sometimes we feel like God is not carrying us when stress builds in our life and careers. We just have to remember that he IS there and like the footprints in the sand, He has us covered!

Just a thought . . .

Pastor B

First Step Ministries is in part funded by donations from weddings. If you are getting married in the Chicago and Northern IL area, contact Pastor B at www.ministerforrent.com .

A large portion of the funding for First Step Ministries comes from the donations made from weddings. If you or someone you know is getting married in the Chicago area and need a wedding officiant, please see us at www.ministerforrent.com !

Recently I was holding my four year old son during singing at the beginning of church. I noticed he had tears in his eyes and I asked him what was wrong. He was staring at the cross and said “Poor Jesus. He didn’t even do anything and they did that to him.” It obviously got me choked up as well and then I thought how much innocence and wonder we adults lose as we get older.

One of my favorite books growing up was [u]Sophie’s World[/u]. This book is about a girl who starts getting letters in her mailbox from an unknown philosopher regarding life and its meaning. At one point in the book, the philosopher comments that if a family were to be eating breakfast at the table and one of the children floated to the ceiling, the adults would probably have a heart attack and the children would most likely laugh. This is because we adults are so set in our minds about what is possible and what isn’t.

So, imagine if we could still be like a child when we look at the cross and realize it for what it is as we stand in awe? Imagine if we could look at a project, a potential business, a potential job, or a major goal with the same sense of wide open possibilities as a child? Maybe we still can . . . Think about this when you are faced with a major task, goal, or hurdle and remember, with God, ALL things are possible! So, let’s go out there and make our dreams a reality!

Blessings,

Pastor B