Painting a New Perspective | New Part 2

-




Painting a New Perspective | New Part 2

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. – Acts 3:19-21

 PAINT

A few weeks ago, I was sequestered to my son’s room because both him and I were positive for Covid. I found that during this time period I was doing a lot of resting, waiting, and listening. Waiting is hard and I will be the first to admit it is not one of my gifting. I was listening and waiting, but then my mind began racing so I decided to paint. There is something soothing about painting. Paint covers a canvas, but it can also cover the scratches, the holes, and the dents. If you ever painted an old cabinet or wall, then you know what I am talking about. It can make a cabinet or wall look new. Paint brightens a room. Paint hides the blemishes of worn and used objects. Everyone who sees that newly painted cabinet or wall see a new creation. Paint can change how we feel about that space or object. 

 

MADE NEW

Right now, I look at the world and see a lot of chaos, pain, and the divisiveness. We are living in an unprecedent time. It can be really easy to look around and see what is not happening. What is not happening is business like usual. What is not happening is school is not functioning the way we imagined. What is not happening is society responding the way it did in the past. What is not happening is that we are able to rely on sources like we use to. What is not happening is interacting with one another like we did pre-covid nineteen. While there are a lot of things not happening, it is time to paint a new perspective. In this time, I have come to realize that God is in control and though I may want to grab a hold of everything, honestly, it is not possible. But what I can grab hold of is God. God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow is making all things new. The scriptures say that God is constantly working on our behalf to make all things new. Yes, we have a lot of scratches, holes, and dents but God can make us new again. God can and will paint a new picture. Jesus Christ came, died, and rose again so that we may start a new life. There is nothing that God cannot reconcile or redeem. In the book of Acts, it tells us there will come a time when All Things Are Made New according to God. 

 

CROSSROADS

My family is so excited to be part of Crossroads and to see how God will make new in this community. Already the community has greeted us with warmth and love. We appreciate individuals helping us unload, the meals, the encouragement, the invitations, and the support. I love that my wife, Brenda, invited to sing on the worship team and to make cards. I also love that my daughter is learning how to croquet and that my son made a friend through swimming because of Crossroads. We know with full confidence that God is in the midst of this community and is using his people to bring glory to his kingdom. God is going to bring about change, are you ready to paint a new perspective?

 

Practically Speaking | How Might We Paint a New Perspective

·       Be still and listen to what God is saying to you. Sometimes we need to take ourselves out of the situation to gain new perspective. 

·       Read the scriptures and see how God has made new things in the past.

·       Read about how He has been faithful and will make new things in the future. 

·       Spend time in worship and celebrating the amazing God that we have. We need our heart to be formed by His word and not the world. 


Popular posts from this blog

Leadership Tools 13- Speaking and Testimony

-
Image
Awww... Oh gosh what do I say... what if I say it wrong and my pits start sweating... or my lucky socks are dirty that day... What do I do!?! Speaking is difficult particularly when you're speaking in front of a crowd of people you don't know well.  Being in front of friends and family is usually easier cause those close to you will give you a bit more grace.  Speaking in front of adults is hard, but teens eeeeekkk.  After 14 years in ministry I still get the shakes before speaking.  It can be totally scary at times and a total blast other times. Remember to smile and have fun!  I am going to share a few tips I picked up along the way.  I also love this article by Kurt Johnson that was published in 2016 and thought hey I should share this too. I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated
Read more

Hope Unites

-
Image
HOPE UNITES By Alex Hardt Did you know when the sun set at night sailors   used the stars  to navigate? Stars move across the sky from east to west and some stars called rise and set stars begin and end their nightly path below the horizon. Sailors determined their heading by watching the movement of the stars the same way they watched the sun’s movement. Stars give sailors hope. No matter where they are on earth, they how to determine their direction based upon the stars. They know that if they just follow the stars they will eventually arrive at their destination. One of the things I have come to recognize is that God is like the stars in heaven. Our life can be overflowing with joy or overwhelmed by pain and yet God remains the same. Wherever we are on this planet He will guide us. I can trust in His direction because He is the one who has been here since the beginning of time and will be here through all of eternity. This gives me great hope in knowing that the one who g
Read more

Leadership Tools 9- Managing Confidentiality

-
Image
Are you barking up the wrong tree?!? Working with teens is a tricky thing.  You want to earn their trust, but there is a fine line between earning their trust and forgetting that your primary responsibility is to keep them safe.  And yes sometimes keeping them safe means breaking confidentiality.  After 14 years in ministry I know that at times it can be trick and that each situation is needs to be handled differently, but there are some basic guidelines to help us navigate these tricky times. "So I've been smoking with some friends lately." James tone seemed to indicated that he wasn't talking about cigarettes. "You mean you were smoking pot?" "Yeah." Then a pause. "Wait, are you going to tell my parents, come on I trust you, your not going to tell my parents are you?" How might you respond to a question like that?... Do we tell the parents right away... Do we work with the student in hopes they will tell their parents?... Do
Read more