Life is Beautiful

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”

Romans 8:11 CSB

I’ve been thinking recently of how beautiful life truly is. Maybe it’s due to the fact that the sun came out and I felt early signs of Spring, but I think it’s mainly due to reflecting on the beauty of the world around me.

When we first moved into our house, we noticed a tree in the back that looked dead, only to find out that a new tree was growing out of it. It is a crazy thing to see, this husk of the old and dead having new life burst from it. I’m encouraged by this, because it reminds me of how God never gives up on us, on how new life can always be breathed into us.

Life is beautiful because we have a beautiful creator, one who loves us and each day breathes new life into us and gives us a chance to start again.  

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You Can Control Who You Choose To Be

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“If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

Daniel 3:17-18 CSB

There are a lot of things out of our control in this world, but the one thing we can control is ourselves. I think this especially true in this cultural moment where a lot of what is happening in the world seems crazy, and it is, but rather than give up hope, we can control who we want to be in this moment. Do we want to make a difference where God has placed us? Then we must be active in how we love those in our circles.

I was thinking about this concept after reading through some of the icons in the old testament; from Joseph who chose to focus on God during temptations, David who chooses to remain humble under a tyrant king, and Shadrach Meshach, and Abednego who choose to remain faithful despite the threat of death if they didn’t worship false gods. These are strong examples for us now, to remain faithful to a loving God and choose to control our actions despite of what may be happening in our own lives and world.

You can’t control the world around you, but you can control who you choose to be in the world.  

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Made – Reflections in our Current Time

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“He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”

James 1:18 NLT

Current events have been heartbreaking. Heartbreaking because there is a continuing snowball effect of how people are being treated. Lines are being deepened and words continue to be used to vilify whole people groups to the point where people are taken, beaten and murdered.

What’s even worse, is we see this as a cycle, one that continues over and over, each time growing worse and worse.

As followers of Christ, we should not fall into this trap of treating others that contradicts the truth of Scripture.

The truth of Scripture is that we are God’s most prized possession, made in His image, loved so much that He made a way to restore a relationship with Him. Called to lead others into that same grace by how we love others.

What we are seeing, is the effects of sin, distorting the original image of God to our own making. My heart breaks and I have righteous anger especially when those who claim to be a disciple of Jesus, twist Scripture and truth in order to justify looking at others as if they are not made in the image of God.

This is wrong and I have to make the distinction that I do not align in any way with those who use God’s love as a weapon and not a free gift for all.

So, I am choosing to use my words, especially for those that desire to follow Christ, that we are all made in God’s image, worthy of love and called to love others no matter what.

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Preparing in the Waiting

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend, then Moses would return to the camp. His assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent.”

Exodus 33:11 CSB

I love the season of winter, which I know, is not exactly true for everyone. I love this season because it is a time to prepare for the warmer days to come. Both in the natural world, and in our own lives. We set ambitions and goals, waiting for the time to be right.

That’s the hard part; waiting for the time to be right.

We don’t know what the future holds, and often in our own desires we want to have the full plan laid out and know exactly what is coming. But this just isn’t possible.

We might not know what the future will bring, but each of us can prepare in the season of waiting by growing in the presence of the Lord.

God has designed each of us with purpose to do good works that reflect His heart, the timing might just not be what you thought it would. And that’s okay.

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The Cost of Community

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“They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”

Acts 2:45-47

The cost of community is inconvenience. I heard this statement from a while back and it really stuck with me, as I love the power that this communicates. Everyone desires community, because people want to be authentically known and loved, to have someone that will be there when life is good and when life presents challenges. The hard part is actually finding good, authentic community, because it comes at a price.

In order to be a part of a village, you have to be a villager.

What this means is that you have to play the role, and not just be a consumer. Which is exactly what we find when reading on how the first church operated. They came together and met the needs of those around them, and when they found themselves in need, they had cultivated relationships with those who had their back.

This is the type of community I desire, and one that I need to actively participate in, so that means that inconvenience is the price I must pay in order to foster deep community.

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Looking Back to Move Ahead

/ Joshua Thomas / 1 Comment

“…In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”

Joshua 4:6-7 CSB

For the last few years, I decided that I would keep a commonplace notebook, and as part of that, recap every month. I jot down major events that happened in my life as well as what I’m currently enjoying and what is filling my emotional tank. I have loved doing this, because it is a capsule of each month and where I’ve been. I always then, at the end of the year, look back through these notebooks and am reminded of what happened and how God moved in my life over the course of the year.

I use Field Notes pocket journals, and I have loved documenting the joys and little things in life so that I can be empowered to move forward. I believe it is so vital to look back and see how much you have grown in order to move ahead with a deeper passion. As a writer, I love journaling, but I believe everyone can benefit by taking time to mark down your reflections in order to have a history that you can look back and be grateful for.

When we look back, we see how God moved in our life, which gives us a greater ambition to move ahead in confidence that He will move again.

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Embracing the New Year

/ Joshua Thomas / 1 Comment

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:7-8 CSB

You did it! You made it through another year and are facing the start of the new chapter. I think it is always so important to celebrate the fact that you made it through another year, with all the good and the hard that came alongside it. You can be proud, because you are a wiser and better person because of this growth.

I love this time of post celebration and looking at the new year ahead of us, because it offers us a chance to continue a path of growth in our wisdom and love. Something I’ve done every year, is choose a word to be my focus for the year, not as a goal, but as a mindset or character trait that I wish to grow and center myself on. You may think this is a cliché, but I believe it is wise to set an intention for your year, not a goal that can feel shameful if you miss, but something that you can cultivate in your spirit so that you become a clearer version of who God has designed you to be.

My word that I chose for this year is, “embrace.”

To embrace something, is to hold close to your heart, to welcome in with deep love and affection, to step into the new season with open arms ready for whatever may greet you.

In a world where Jesus’ name is taken in vain by grifters, I want my life to be an example of love and light that the life of Jesus proclaimed, a life that Jesus called us to walk into and embrace.

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The Quiet Beauty of Christmas

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“Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.”

Luke 2:19 CSB

A little bit ago at this point, we had a small amount of snow come to North Carolina. By snow of course I mean a wintery mix of rain and “snow,” but that’s not the point. What I always love about these moments, is the beauty that comes. I was able to be outside at night and just listen to the snowfall and watch the little bits of it build up around the Christmas lights on the house, it was wonderful, and in this quiet moment, I was able to reflect on all of the joys that I have in my life.

I adore these quiet moments of Christmas, whether it’s the sound of laughter from Violet playing, nothing but the light of the Christmas tree in the living room after everyone is asleep, or the sounds of wrapping paper covering gifts as dear Danielle and I sit on the floor of our room. To me that’s the magic and it reminds me of the importance to embrace the quiet moments in our lives.

When you embrace the quiet beauty in life, your perspective shifts to the holy gift that Christ gives to each of us.

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Joy in Every Season

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Luke 2:10 CSB

Every night during our bedtime routine with Violet, we pray, and always end our prayers by saying “amen.” Violet loves this part, because since she is basically a sponge soaking everything from us up, and she belts out a big, “AMEN,” and it’s just so perfect. It’s her saying something we say every night with so much joy.

I love it so much every time I hear it.

It reminds me of the core message of this Christmas season, that we can have great joy because of God’s great gift.

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Slow Down and Listen

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Luke 1:46-47 CSB

December is here and I love it! I love everything about this season, the smells, the sights, the traditions, all of it creates a warm and cozy feeling of joy. It really is the best, this past weekend dear Danielle and I spent nap time putting up lights on the house, which was only slightly unsafe, but afterwards we had been able to look at our work and enjoy the season.

December also moves with blinding speed. Knocking out items on the to-do list, making plans, making sure you have all the gifts for the people in your life, all while trying to fully enjoy the season. In the past too, working in church ministry means preparing for a myriad of Christmas services that aren’t as necessary as you convince yourself is, which means downtime is not really there at all. This year though, we find ourselves not in that cycle, so we decided to be intentional with our time, to slow down and listen to what God is sharing with us in the season that reminds us of why we follow Christ.

When you take time to intentionally slow down and listen to what God is speaking to you, you are embracing the true spirit of this Christmas season.

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