Defending Peace

In a recent speech President Obama shared that in the best interest of negotiation between Israel and Palestinian, Israel needed to pull back to its 1967 borders with mutually agreed swaps. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that this would prevent Israel from being able to defend itself. He went on to make the statement, “A peace you cannot defend is a peace you cannot hold.”

I’ve wondered as of late as to why so many individuals live without peace? I realize we live in a day of so much uncertainty.
Financially, average American families are doing everything they can to simply make it from day to day.
Job loss is rampant all over our nation.
The norm is no longer the norm in our world. The very core of our lives is being tested in every way. So I can understand as to how so many live in an unpeaceful setting.

(Rainy Days)

But I feel that our lack of peacefulness goes far much deeper than the surface of what we see. Scripture does teach us (Hebrews 12) that only the unshakeable things will remain when turbulent times come. 

Marriages are in turmoil. Families are being broken and torn apart. I propose that doubt, worry, and pain is taking over the thought processes of more and more because so many have tried to build their peace with things that don’t last.

* Many have built their hopes around that certain rung on the ladder, while the ladder has been leaning on the wrong wall the entire time.
* If I could only date and marry him/her, then I know we will live happily ever after.
* Moving to that certain city…that would answer all my desires.

The problem with these, or any other reasons we could come up with, is that there is nothing in this world that will give us complete joy and peace. You might find yourself in a ‘happy place’ for a period of time, but let life happen, and our peace can quickly be turned into chaos.

(Inner Harbor)
Baltimore City, MD

Remember, “A peace you cannot defend is a peace you cannot hold.”

The only real peace you will ever have is when we develop an attitude that…we will not move our ‘borders’, no matter the cost. Voices around you might try to convince you that another way is best. Your own flesh might even try to deceive you into following the broad way…but the only peace that lasts is the one we can defend. You will never defend it with the things of this life.

(Back Roads)
Forest Hill, MD

Philippians 4:6-9 says, 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Wondering why your peace process is not working? Why not make a decision to change your motives and desires? I think you’ll find that kind of peace is truly defensible. 

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Stuck in Security

Jane Wagner once said, “I personally believe we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.”

* The weather can be too cold or too hot.
* Our boss is just too this or that.
* Life has thrown a few curves that were not ‘planned’ for.
We could go on and on about any number of things that cause us to grumble about how ‘mis’treated we are.

(Forest Hill, MD)

And yet, we shake our head and point a finger at the children of Israel, wondering how in the world they could complain about being set free from Egyptian bondage. God sent Moses to deliver His people from under the hand of Pharaoh and lead them to a land of promise beyond anything they could imagine. 

- They witnessed the plagues brought upon the people of Egypt.
- They walked across the Red Sea on dry land, then saw Pharaoh and his army drown in it.
- They were led by a cloud during the day and fire by night.
- They were given manna from heaven when they got hungry.
- And they even had clothes and shoes that grew as they did, never wearing out. (That’s pretty cool, I might add)

Even after experiencing all of this, they still complained.

In Numbers 14:2-3, Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”

How could they desire to return to a place of punishment and slavery after all that God had done for them?

I believe it’s because their slavery was actually their security.

Sheep in Pasture
(Jarrettsville, MD)

Even though the bondage they woke up to every day was punishing and degrading, it brought a security to their lives because they knew what to expect. There was no depending on God because everything they did and received came directly from Pharaoh. Slavery was their security.

How could God see into the future and desire to lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey? Why not just leave them in slavery and bondage?

We point a finger at them, yet when we have to walk by faith and not by sight, many of us complain just the same. God places a call deep within us to break out of our present security into a life based strictly upon dependence on Him. And so we jump. We start out on the journey with such zeal and excitement, and then when our path winds through the valley, we begin questioning whether we should have ‘jumped’ in the first place?

Cherry Creek Bridge
(Rocks State Park)

Let us be careful that we don’t become a slave…to our security. It might just be the thing that keeps you from experiencing your ‘promised’ land.

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Do Elephants Jump?

Elephant experts have been asked on many occasions whether or not it is true that elephants jump? Many feel that a mature elephant's weight is far too much to support landing back on all fours, and their legs are designed more for strength than leaping.

S.K. Ettingham said, ". . . because of its great weight, an elephant cannot jump or even run in the accepted sense since it must keep one foot on the ground at all times."

Many go on to say of elephants...'Why bother jumping when you can walk through or around just about everything in your natural habitat.'

'Approaching Storm'
(Forest Hill, MD)

I have had to ask myself on many occasions why I continue to jump around?

By that I am referring to the tough moments when the Sun is not shining in my world and the storms continue to roll in...I want to 'jump' on a spiritual plane and fly somewhere easier.

When it comes to cross-bearing time, why be so quick to 'jump' out from under the weight of responsibility?

This happens for one reason alone: 

I don't keep one foot grounded in God's promises. 

The promise that with Him, I can do all things.

Most animals have the ability to run and jump in order to be able to evade predators that might hunt them. The elephant has no predator other than man who might slip in and take their life.

We have one adversary that wants to steal, kill, and destroy us. Yet scripture teaches us that He has no power over us unless we give it to him. If only we realized how BIG we are in Christ! 

'Philly Phanatic'
(Philadelphia, PA)

All the elephant has to do is look at its reflection in a pond to see how large he/she is. And all we have to do is look at our reflection in His word and through the dialogue of prayer. . .

Daniel saw it.

David understood it.

Gideon believed it.

When predators showed up and tried to alter the direction that God was taking them, they did what elephants do - they trudged forward. There was no lion too scary, no giant too large, and no army too strong to stop the force of God's power.

As God's child, you were not meant to 'jump'...you were meant to keep at least one foot grounded in His promise and trudge completely through to your purpose. Elephant-sized faith doesn't jump!

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It's Dark in Here

John 9:41 (NLT)
“If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you can see.”

When I was a kid, I did not care very much for the dark. Now that I am older I still do not care much for it. The dark is full of the unknown, yet it contains things that are around in the light. 

The difference is we just can’t see them anymore.

I’ve often wondered what life must be like for those who do not have the ability to see. I am always humbled and find myself being a bit more grateful for sight when I see those that are being given assistance just to make their way across a room. 

With eternity in mind though, I wonder if it would not be better 

(in some instances) to go through this life without the gift of sight?

Rainy Day
(Forest Hill, MD)

What I mean is the gift of sight brings with it our perceptions. 

We begin to perceive that certain things are the way they are because of what we ‘see’ with our natural eyes.
We begin to perceive that our ‘way’ is the only way because we refuse to ‘see’ the words of Christ.
We perceive that things are never going to get better because we don’t ‘see’ a light at the end of the tunnel.

Jesus told the Pharisees that they were guilty because they could see.
Many have seen so much that they no longer just believe. We don’t see things working out the way we thought they would, so God is no longer the way.

(Downtown Bel Air, MD)

We have no choice over whether we can see in the natural; our decision lies in what and how we look at things. That is why some of those who were born without sight are the happiest people on the planet. They have chosen to see ‘light’ while their world is surrounded by darkness. 

I think the Apostle Paul was on to something in II Corinthians when he said, We walk by faith and not by sight.

Let your perceptions begin to find their foundation on God’s promises and not on what you see with your natural eyes.
You may see no way that your financial situation is ever going to improve; but God said, I shall supply all your need according to my riches in glory.
You may see a sickness that medical science says is incurable; but God says, By my stripes ye are healed.
The list could go on and on.

(Forest Hill, MD)

In the end, let us not be found guilty because we could see…let our eyes continue to ‘look up’ from where our help comes from. 

(Psalm 121:1)

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Days like this...

Do you ever have a day that you would simply like to forget? My day began by walking down the stairs and stepping on a yellow jacket. I do believe its stinger went completely through my foot.
My night continued the fun with having a flat tire right outside the Baltimore Train Station. Literally hundreds of beautiful people walked by to look down upon me … then continue right on by as if I had everything under such good control that there was no need for them to stop and assist.

I sit here tonight trying to reason with myself to just try and forget about this day and its uselessness to my existence. While changing that tire and noticing as person after person passed by with only a glance, I couldn’t help but begin to think … this day was all my fault.

(Inner Harbor)
Baltimore,  MD

Huh? That doesn’t make any sense. Days like this just happen right? 

You know, Momma said there would be days like this. The tough days are just a part of life.

After experiencing another one of ‘these’ days though, I have come to a realization that they seem to occur more often when I find myself in a place of complacency.

* Many states are now passing laws to try and keep motorists from texting and driving. One of the main reasons is complacency. “It will never happen to me, so it won’t hurt if I shoot this ‘vital’ text off while driving down the interstate at 75 mph.”
* Some of the greatest teams in the history of sport have needed a loss to shake them out of complacency.
* Marriages fall apart in so many cases because of this one simple thing.

Complacency sets in because we lose sight of the prize.
When times are bad and we are facing mountains of difficulty, it is not hard at all to find a reason to humble ourselves and pray. The focus we have is relentless, for we have a purpose that drives us toward His ways. We don’t have time to think, ‘It will never happen to me,’ because it IS happening to us. 

(National Mall)
Washington, D.C.

How easy it is though to slip out of the process He has us in only to find ourselves complacent. And sometimes it takes one of these days to shake us back into line.

What is important?
What is vital?
Is your mind, heart, and soul focused?
Are there areas in your life that are not getting the necessary attention?

Get rid of the notion that it will never happen to you. Cherish these days when things just do not go right. Allow it to guide you back to focusing on the process that will lead you toward the prize of an abundant life in Christ.

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Waiting around...

Some of life’s greatest masterpieces come with age. Time is a wonderful healer – experience-giver – and teacher. This principle is ingrained in any individual who has ever lived.

There is a word that goes with time though that this generation is not in any way a fan of in many cases…TIME = WAITING.

Don’t you despise it?
You set an appointment at the doctor. You show up on time…yet, you wait.
You gather all your items at the supermarket, roll your cart to the front of the store…and there is the line. Waiting.

This is the reason for drive-thru windows, Little Caesar’s Hot-N-Ready Pizza, TV dinners, instant coffee, and cell phones. We want what we want and we have been brought up in a world that has basically provided ways for us to have it. 

Where I have often run into ‘issues’ is when I try to put this label on my walk with Christ.
All the cliché words fit here: Each of us…Pray. Fast. Sacrifice. Give. Love. Worship. Honor. Live for. And because we do these things, we then expect God to not make us wait when we ask for something. How could He? After what I’ve given?!

We soon forget that:
Joseph had to wait for what seemed like ‘forever’ for his dream to become reality.
David was on the run, while waiting, before the prophecy of his anointing came to fruition.
Ask Daniel about waiting around in a den with lions.
The 120 gathered in the upper room waited – then waited some more before the Holy Spirit fell upon them.
The lame man at the pool of Bethesda was not healed on the first day that he camped out there.

I think you are getting the idea. There is no doubt that there will be moments spent waiting while God refines and sometimes redefines our process…But the question that has been rolling around in my head is what do we find ourselves doing while we wait?

(Art Museum - Federal Hill)
Baltimore City, MD

Do we take our toys and go home to pout because we didn’t get what we wanted when we wanted it?
Or are we content in the process? The process that leads us down paths that are not familiar. The path that blinds us in our natural eyes by not knowing exactly what He is doing or how He is working.

Be encouraged today. Don’t fret on your journey, for when the time is right, you will be called from the waiting room to the place of your destiny. You cannot control the TIMING…but you can control the TIME. What will you do while you wait?

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Step Down

Reading back through some older material of mine, I have been getting worked over concerning the content of my character. Unfortunately, many of us get caught in the trap of the defensive mode instead of the offensive. What I mean by this is, instead of working through the process of building our character, we spend much of our time defending why we are the way we are.

I came across a story recently where a judge that had sat on the bench for about seventeen years was put on trial for a personal matter. He shared that before this trial took place, he had become arrogant because of the position he had been in for so long. While sitting in the judge’s chair, he began to feel ‘above’ others. He had the highest seat in the courtroom and began to look at life this way. But as the trial progressed, his lawyer called him to the witness stand, and he said that as he began to testify, his perspective on his character began to change dramatically.  
He said, “stepping down just two short feet from the judge’s pedestal to the level of everyone else made me realize my perspective was way off.”


In life we have all been guilty of judgment. This leads to comparing our character, as to how it lines up, with others. If we feel that our makeup is better than that of others, we become defensive when Christ begins to work on us to be and do more.

The scripture says….He that compares himself to another is not wise.

We must grow out of this defensive mindset when it comes to our character and get to building. It has been said that this ‘body of work’ takes a lifetime to build, and one wrong decision to destroy. Often times, playing not to lose (defensive mode) will cause you to do just that.

Building character is not about playing it safe. It is about humility. It is realizing that sometimes the blueprint needs to be adjusted…and we adjust it. We will get to a point where we spend no more time trying to defend the why…because we are too busy building.

Climb down off the pedestal and stop attempting to fill a role that is meant for only ONE. If you spend all of your time in the chair of a judge, then there is no possible way for you to look UP where your help comes from.

Don’t delay…let’s get to building.