Be Courageous

~ Two things change the rules of engagement...
1) When at war
2) When dealing with family (which includes church family)

Immediate response as a Christian.. not so.. but not according to Ecclesiastes 3.


~ While I was fishing yesterday.. I found myself replacing hook and sinker time and again which is a common chore with fishing.. and the frustration over snags is so intensified when they come free and you discover that you have lost everything and have to reset everything for the bahzillionth time..

and suddenly God put it in my head.. such is the Christian life.

And I asked him, how do you mean Lord?

He answered and said that as fishermen in this world, you're gonna suffer loss on a regular basis. You need to embrace that. You need to realize that one of the most important things about fishing is having your tackle ready to restore and repair what is lost. I will always supply the tackle, but you have to embrace the chore of setting the tackle on your line time and time again.. after every loss.. no matter how frustrating, no matter how painful, no matter how often, no matter how pointless it may seem.

Embrace the loss as a constant part of the process, knowing that the tackle will always be there if you are willing to stay in the game.


 ~ As Christians we want to see everything as defined and in place and orderly progression.. neat and tidy.. but that is seldom the true walk as a believer.. because that is seldom the true walk in a war zone.. the rules of engagement change tho the Gospel and character of God never change.. that is why being led by the Spirit of God coupled with the Word of God is so key.. either without the other will always lead to error.


~ Devastating news yesterday.. I just heard that a couple that has been in ministry since way back when I was new to my walk has divorced.. He had an affair about a year ago and is leaving her for another woman.. I am just so heartbroken.. she left town for a year just after finding out because she was just so broken.. and is returning soon..

This scene from THE GUARDIAN movie (start at 1:00 to 5:05)) where the husband is pushing the woman under the water and almost kills her is an excellent illustration of an adulterer.. wanting what he wants, not caring if he kills her. Such men are quitters, cowards.. yes, there is forgiveness, but the pain to the woman whether they weather out the storm or not remains with her her entire life, just like the tender scars in the hands and side of our Lord. Love and relationship can be restored and even blessed, but the pain... always there..

I think of the excuses that sound so logical but are so small and nauseating, and it brings to mind when God confronted Adam in the garden after his sin. He blamed the woman and even God subtly.. " The woman you gave me.. " Basically saying this was her fault and your fault, God. It didn't fly then and it doesn't fly now. If only that over 50% of Christian men would choose to be men of courage rather than cowards..

Someone once told me that "it's not like he forgot to take out the trash".. even tho ppl want it swept under the rug or out of their sight and hearing.. altho it is a crippling ill that the wife carries to the grave whether divorced or not.

But I also love this scene because of the rescue swimmer. He makes me think of the presence of God who rescues us in such tragic circumstance. Even when those we love sin against us and it's just more than we can bear, he intervenes keeping us from death, searching us out in black water that covers us, working the details to get us to a place of safety, and breathing life back into us. And life goes on until all is fulfilled in the earth, despite the battle scars.

This is a war after all and such things involve grief and loss and casualties... but it will not last forever.

~ The thing is.. when those we love act as cowards.. it tempts us to do the same.. the world screams that we are justified to sin as well.. but that's a lie. If everyone around us cheats, if all our friends and key ppl in our family or our church family all quit on their marriage or relationships in their lives.. is that really God's stamp of approval on our cowardice? no. It is key moments like that that God needs someone to step up and be courageous.. unafraid of the pain or the controversy or the messiness... if everyone else around you fails you.. do not quit on God, do not go the way of a coward, do not fail to fight as that man or woman of courage that God has called you to be. As in this movie, there is a whole network that God has put in place to get you on your feet again and in the fight to win. GOD WILL NOT FAIL YOU, tho the freewill of mankind will. God has the final say and all authority. You're gonna be okay. I love so many scenes in this movie.. but in a later scene when they are lost at sea, the commander sends a chopper over so they will hear the engine.. even tho it didn't have the gas to rescue them in that moment.. he wanted them to hear it and know that they were not alone, that help was on the way... God wants you to know that.. HELP IS ON THE WAY.. be strong and full of courage, he will get you to a place of safety, a place of ministry, a place where you will find your feet again.. and stand <3