Reigning with Christ

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Terrifyingly awesome

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Terrifyingly awesome

A great business opportunity had just opened up for the friend I was having lunch with this week. “Wow!” I thought. “What a terrific series of possibilities that would open up for the glory of God!”

Easy for me to say, of course. For my friend, the opportunity brought an equal mixture of great excitement and sheer terror. One minute all he could see was the risk, the next minute all he could envision was the reward.

And that is where so often God has us. One of my favourite phrases about following Jesus is the one my friend Don Smith often uses: terrifyingly awesome.

The kingdom of God brings with it endless opportunities to experience the supernatural and the mind-blowing, but at the same time makes incredible demands on us that stretch us far beyond our natural capabilities. We may complain about this, but we shouldn’t be surprised.

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Finding success in failure - how to hit the ground running in 2019

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Finding success in failure - how to hit the ground running in 2019

I saw two amazing statements quoted on social media this week. Here’s the first:

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

Few people in the last century had the ability to express profound truth more clearly than C.S.Lewis, and this statement proves it.

People make two mistakes in relation to past failures. The first is refusing to admit they failed at all, papering over their issues with other peoples’ alleged shortcomings, and moving on fearlessly to new failures in the future. And they succeed in reaching their goal.

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The path to kingdom advance

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The path to kingdom advance

Whiplash is one way of describing it.

We spent five busy weeks in a very crowded England, where there is never enough space for anything. Driving, parking, shopping, living - you name it, there’s not enough space for it. We spent the last ten days with friends who live not more than a hundred feet from a very busy motorway (interstate). Arriving back at Toronto airport, space suddenly reappeared. Wide roads, stores with acres of parking, space everywhere. And after four brief days at home, we found ourselves in our new accommodations in Michigan. Again we are perched on the edge of a highway. But as we looked out the window in the morning, the first traffic to appear was an Amish buggy.

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The door is open

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The door is open

Today Elaine and I visited Hampton Court with our daughter and two of our grandchildren. Hampton Court was the royal palace on the banks of the Thames built by King Henry VIII almost 500 years ago, and enlarged at later dates by other monarchs. It was one of the most stunning buildings in Europe when it was constructed. And still is. Henry seemed to add rooms every time he married, and the fact he went through six wives may partially account for the extent of the building.

I found one thing about it particularly significant. Each wing, no matter which monarch built it, had a similar structure.

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Be still and know that I am God

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Be still and know that I am God

Be still and know that I am God. 

It’s a verse from Psalm 46 that’s on a thousand plaques. But we get its meaning totally wrong. Discovering the right meaning, though, leads us to great encouragement. 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.