My Faith Language

I have always known that the words that come out of my mouth are very important.  Too often I am problem focused and speak to circumstances as they currently exist. 

Romans 4:17 (KJV)
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 

My speech should be filled with expectation and faith for our future.  Why is it so easy to confess doubt and circumstance?  That takes no faith.  It may be more uncomfortable to speak faith into our lives because that language may not line up with what we are seeing.  

Romans 10:8 (KJV)
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Matthew 21:21 (KJV)
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Even if it feels awkward, I am going to start trying to change the way I talk.  I am going to make statements of faith, not because I have the power to make these. things come to pass, but because I have confidence that God can do it.  This year I am going to be more proactive in professing and declaring my faith in God.  I am going to speak the things that God has already provided for me and my family into existence.  We will not accept living with less than what God says we are in Him.

This Blog will document this life changing journey.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. So thankful that Jesus loves me Jesus loves my family. Thankful for my beautiful wife and my beautiful children. Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends wherever they may be today. God bless you

Coconuts and Peaches by Chelsea Yadon

Everyone is born a coconut. I certainly was, but due to self-searching and my upcoming adventure of college I have discovered I want to be a peach. This revelation is recent yet fervent. I have realized that my entire life, my primary goals, have always been centered on myself. What do I need? And how do I get it? I have consisted of a hard shell, which required taking a jackhammer to to reach the meat of my core so that I might serve another. But that will no longer characterize me. I want to be a peach who’s nectar is as accessible as picking me off a branch. I want to serve.


Humans are born vulnerable seeds and as they are exposed to the harsh, competitive world we live in, their shell takes shape. At three years old I went to pre-school and was mocked for the large pink bow my mother forced atop my mop of curls. Voila! We see the formation of the endocarp, the inner shell surrounding the seed of the coconut. It is human nature to protect oneself from disparagement. A few years later I found that I needed to get the right answers at school, and if I failed to meet authoritative criteria, I would be ashamed. This defined the mesocarp phase, the fibrous husk which ultimately surrounds the hard woody layer called the endocarp. The outermost layer, exocarp, formed with the belief that in order to have success (which intailed having straight A’s and going to a great college) life had to be a competition. The more people become self-serving, the harder their shells becomes. The seed has become too enclosed and the next thing you know a trained pig-tailed macaques is required to climb a 30 m tree just to be within reach of the real you.


My newfound purpose is to search for those who are in need and do everything in my power to help. In essence, serving others will free me from my restricting shell. IU is a matchless place of learning and excellence. I have the upmost confidence that is will facilitate my transformation. Through my experiences at the distinguished college I will become best suited to contribute to the world. The beauty of a peach is that it doesn’t take a jackhammer or a tree-climbing monkey. Simply reach, grab, and bite and the peach serves its purpose. Peach trees are 3 meters high.

Chelsea Graduation Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

2003 Vacation

Click here to view these pictures larger

What is Your Life Worth?

Today I am eternally grateful that my worth is not measured by the size of my bank account, what talents I may have, the things I possess or the any of the trappings of success so sought after. Jesus loved me when I was being formed in my mother’s womb and NOTHING can separate me from the Love of Christ. The things I carry in my heart, my freedom, my memories, my wife, my children, all the people I have loved, my relationship with Jesus; those are the things of true value in my life.  The things I am willing to die for are the things that make life worth living.

I like what one man said: “Life’s worth is not measured by the amount accumulated, but by the amount given.” 

My daughter Chelsea wrote a college entrance essay recently that touched my heart (I will post it in the future). She said she had realized that she had become a coconut with a hard shell that had fruit that was difficult to get at.  Her goal now is to be a peach, easy to access and ready to serve. The more we love, give and serve, the sweeter and more precious life becomes. There we find real meaning, purpose and substance. The cool thing is anyone can Love.  God doesn’t need our abilities to change the world, just our availability.

 

The Truth of the Mirror

A few years ago I bought a 1800s Seth Thomas Clock from a fellow in Strawtown Indiana. Best that I can tell from my research, this clock was made somewhere around 1834. The front door to the cabinet has clear glass on the top half which covers the clock face and a mirror on the bottom half. I was looking in that mirror the other night and the thought struck me of how old that mirror is and how many faces have looked in the mirror in the last 177 years. The mirror seems timeless, yet as time marched on, the faces that glanced into it cycled from babies to old and decrepit many times. You cannot see the past or the future in a mirror, only the truth of now. I don’t care how old the mirror is, if you look in it, you will instantly see the present. The mirror will show you your physical body but it cannot see inside your heart. If you want to see your heart, look into the mirror of the Word of God. It hasn’t changed and will do its job every time. I would say looking at your heart is more important than looking at your face. The cool thing is, as our faces cycle toward old age, our hearts are getting ready to soar into eternity.

Cancer is Limited

'Cancer is limited:

 

It cannot cripple love,

It cannot shatter hope,

It cannot erode faith,

It cannot eat away peace,

It cannot destroy confidence,

It cannot kill friendship,

It cannot shut out memories,

It cannot silence courage,

It cannot invade the soul,

It cannot reduce eternal life,

It cannot quench the spirit,

And it cannot lessen the power of the resurrection.'

 

Bulletin board in the Mayo Clinic

 

A Twist on the Serenity Prayer

God

 

Help me to Accept the People I cannot Change

The Courage to Change the One I can

And the Wisdom to know it’s Me

 

-John G Miller

 

BIG PLANS FOR YOU!

I happened to catch a commercial last night for the TV show “Biggest Loser”. It showed one of the new contestants struggling to continue walking on the treadmill. The fitness coach Bob Greene was standing there saying “don’t give up, I have Big Plans for you!” I turned to Debbie and said, “How would that make you feel to know someone believed in you like that?” She said, “That is what everyone wants, someone to believe in them”. Something about knowing someone else believes you can accomplish a big plan is motivating.

If there are times when we don’t feel like we have a champion in our life, there is no one there rooting us on, and we may feel like giving up, when our belief in our self is wavering and we feel like we can’t go on, we need someone to tell us “don’t give up, I have Big Plans for you!” Someone that can see us not as we are, but as we can become. Someone who has done it before with other people. Someone who is confident that it CAN be done.

It is a rare treasure to find someone who will truly come along side you and be your champion. Too often a self centered attitude rules the day. “How can I help someone else considering all my issues, problems, concerns, limited time, limited money…” Let’s pray that God will give us His heart for people.

Our young people need this. “God I ask you to raise up mentors, encouragers, people who will affirm them, people who will believe in them and people who can help to raise their vision of what is possible in their life. We need people who will look beyond the faults and weakness and SEE Powerful and Amazing individuals. I must be these things for my family, but our kids need more that Mom and Dad telling them they can do anything.

As adults we need a champion. I mean a specific encourager who can see our strengths and potential and speak into our lives specific words of vision and affirmation. “Oh I am tough, I don’t need anyone one cheering me on.” Please don’t kid yourself, everyone needs a champion.

While it would be wonderful to have another human cheering for me, there are times in life when it seem like we walk the road alone. During those times it is comforting to know that we can “encourage ourselves in the Lord” as David did. Just think, the very God of the Universe says to YOU, “For I know that plan I have for you”, Declares the Lord, “Plan to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God has BIG PLANS for YOU!

I want to internalize the fact that God believes in ME and is cheering for ME and already sees what I can be. Then I want to partner with God and come along side someone else and be their champion. There are no perfect coaches or champions, only willing people that allow God to use them to reach out a hand and pull someone else up to a higher level with them.

Finally, if you are reading this and know of a good life coaching, mentoring, Bible based program for young adults please post a comment and share the info. Love.

A Carol for Children - By Ogden Nash

God rest you merry, Innocents,

Let nothing you dismay,

Let nothing wound an eager heart

Upon this Christmas day.

 

Yours be the genial holly wreaths,

The stockings and the tree;

An aged world to you bequeaths

Its own forgotten glee.

 

Soon, soon enough come crueler gifts,

The anger and the tears;

Between you now there sparsely drifts

A handful yet of years.

 

Oh, dimly, dimly glows the star

Through the electric throng;

The bidding in temple and bazaar

Drowns out the silver song.

 

The ancient altars smoke afresh,

The ancient idols stir;

Faint in the reek of burning flesh

Sink frankincense and myrrh.

 

Gaspa, Balthazar, Melchior!

Where are your offerings now?

What greetings to the Prince of War,

His darkly branded brow?

 

Two ultimate laws alone we know,

The ledger and the sword -

So far away, so long ago

We lost the infant Lord.

 

Only the children clasp His hand;

His voice speaks low to them,

And still for them the shining band

Wings over Bethlehem.

 

God rest you merry, Innocents,

While Innocence endures.

A sweeter Christmas than we to ours

May you bequeath to yours.

Transformers

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your Mind…

Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

God is transforming each of us as our minds are renewed by the Word of God and we walk in the Spirit. Getting a NEW HEART is a WONDERFUL THING!!!!!!!

ADAMIC NATURE		NEW HEART NATURE
FEAR	-------------------------------------à	FAITH
CHAOS	-------------------------------------à	ORDER
SORROW	-------------------------------------à	JOY
ANXIETY	-------------------------------------à	PEACEFUL
HATRED	-------------------------------------à	LOVE
IRRITATION	-------------------------------------à	LONGSUFFERING
HARSHNESS	-------------------------------------à	GENTLENESS
AMILESSNESS	-------------------------------------à	PURPOSE
WORRY	-------------------------------------à	ASSURANCE
PESSIMISTIC	-------------------------------------à	OPTOMISTIC
PERFORMANCE	-------------------------------------à	GRACE
BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS	-------------------------------------à	UNITY
WEAKNESS	-------------------------------------à	STRENGTH
LACK	-------------------------------------à	ABUNDANCE
SICKNESS	-------------------------------------à	HEALTH
FAILURE	-------------------------------------à	OVERCOMER
SERVANT/SLAVE	-------------------------------------à	FREEDOM
DOMINATED BY FLESH	-------------------------------------à	DOMINION POWER
SELF CENTERED	-------------------------------------à	OTHERS FOCUSED
CRITICAL	-------------------------------------à	AFFIRMING
PROUD	-------------------------------------à	HUMBLE
LACKING IN CONFIDENCE	-------------------------------------à	SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
WEARY	-------------------------------------à	ENERGIZED
LIMITED	-------------------------------------à	CREATIVE
DOUBT	-------------------------------------à	BELIEF
CONFUSION	-------------------------------------à	UNDERSTANDING
FOOLISH	-------------------------------------à	WISDOM
FOLLOWER	-------------------------------------à	LEADER
HEAVYNESS	-------------------------------------à	PRAISE
TIMID	-------------------------------------à	POWERFUL
FAILURE	-------------------------------------à	SUCCESSFUL
WANDERING	-------------------------------------à	SPIRIT LEAD
HURT AND OFFENDED	-------------------------------------à	FORGIVING AND RELEASING
TAKER	-------------------------------------à	GIVER
SILENT	-------------------------------------à	A VOICE
PROBLEM FOCUSED	-------------------------------------à	POSSIBLITY FOCUSED
SEPARATION FROM GOD	-------------------------------------à	RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

 

 

Thanksgiving 2010

Today I am thankful for:

1.       HOPE – ‘For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope for a living dog is better than a dead lion’ Ecc 9:4 – I have been given another day to live.  I looked up some of the word in the Hebrew.  The word ‘living’ can be interpreted literally or figuratively.  Another meaning for ‘living’ in the Hebrew is ‘Merry’ anyway, I am glad I have Hope. 

2.       FAITH – I am glad that my reality is not defined by my circumstances. ‘Faith is the substance of things Hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ BY Faith I KNOW that my future will be WONDERFUL and that I can enjoy TODAY even if all my circumstances are not perfect and I am not perfect.  I don’t have to wait until I have conquered everyone of my weaknesses to REJOICE because my FAITH says God is working on me and changing me into what He wants me to be.

3.       LOVE – Even though God knows me so well, He Loves me and what he made me to be. He has so much Patience with me and it is His pleasure to shower me with His Favor.  I have done nothing to deserve it and I do not have to do a little dance and perform for Him to smile upon me.

4.       GRACE – I have been redeemed from Sin by His GRACE, but it doesn’t stop there. Each day I live I am blessed by His Grace, my family is blessed by his Grace. I humbly receive it knowing that my works are not why I receive it.

 

 

Today I am thankful for:

1.   After 8 years, my doctor told me that my pituitary gland as regained some functions and that my adrenaline gland is functioning normally and my thyroid is functioning normally.  So, I no longer need to take Prednisone and Synthroid Daily.  I know that God is healing me.  To God be the glory! Now I am believing for my pancreas to be healed.

2.   Chelsea received acceptance letters from Hanover and IU yesterday.  I know she will have many other options.  She has decided that she wants to be a Physical Therapist.  I think that will fit her style great!

3.   Debbie composed a beautiful piece on the piano last weekend.  It is has a very relaxing melody and a natural soothing effect.

4.   I love the cool fall weather.  Clouds, mist, fresh air remind me of Washington State.

5.   My cousin Norm who lives in Colorado Springs was just ahead of a huge pileup on I25 between Denver and The Springs.  Thank the Lord he was not caught in that.  He drives between The Springs and Denver every day.

 

JUST FORGET ABOUT IT!

Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before – Phil 3:13

For I know the plans I have for you.  Declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11  NIV

 

The enemy knows my past and wants me to focus on my past.  The GREAT news is that The Lord know my FUTURE and I am instructed to forget those things that are behind me and focus on the future. 

I like the saying “There is nothing I can do to create a new past; but I can start today and create a new future”

The greatest gift I am given is the blood of Jesus which will cover my past failures like they never happened.  Every time the enemy throws the past in my face, I must remind him and myself that it is under the Blood of Jesus. 

Jesus has already taken care of all my weakness and failures.  When I look at the Bible I see so many areas where I fall short.  Reading the Word is like a mirror and sometimes I don’t like what I see, but then I realize that  the Word’s purpose is to lead me to the cross! At the cross all of my shortcomings, failures, and weakness are completely covered, forgiven, atoned, justified and forgotten!

As a child of God I declare that the work of Calvary is a reality in my life TODAY!  I release freedom from condemnation TODAY! I release the JOY of my salvation TODAY! I curse every lying condemnation the enemy attempts to burden me with TODAY.  My past, present and future are in the hands of a Loving God!

 

 

check out this interesting artwork

http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_zoom/?artpiece_id=379

 

http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_zoom/?artpiece_id=353

 

 

 

 

"Melody in F" (The Prodigal Son)

In memory of my Uncle Dave Wiens.  I loved hearing him quote this. He was FANTASTIC!

 

Feeling footloose and frisky, a feather-brained fellow forced his fond father to fork over the farthings, flew far to foreign fields, and frittered his fortune feasting fabulously with faithless friends. Fleeced by his fellows in folly and facing famine, he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farm yard. Fairly famishing, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from fodder fragments. "Phooey, my father's flunkies fare far finer," the frazzled fugitive fumbled, frankly facing fact. Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father's feet, he forlornly fumbled, "Father, I've flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family fellowship favor." The farsighted father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch a fatling from the flock and fix a feast. The fugitive's faultfinding brother frowned on fickle forgiveness of former folderol. But the faithful father figured, "Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found! What forbids fervent festivity? Let the flags be unfurled! Let fanfares flare!"

 

First Fruit of the Garden

 

We had the whole family out working in the garden last night.  I picked a couple young zuchinni and an onion and took them home and sliced them up and boiled them.  Delicious! Everything is growing well, that includes the crab grass!  It is a lot of work to stay on top of the weeds, but I think it is good for us to stay close to our food.  The kids are learning that it takes work to make a great garden.

 

Dog Counseling

This gave me a little chuckle this morning.  Our friends have a Yellow Lab that recently bit a young girl on the eye.  This isn’t the first person this dog has bitten.  They offered to put the dog down, but the victims family didn’t want them to do that.  So they are sending the Lab to a Dog Counselor and are putting him on Prozac.

 

COUNSELOR: “Why did you bite the little girl in the eye?”

 

DOG:.  “There were nine of us puppies, but mom only had 8 teats, so I have always felt rejected because the other puppies wouldn’t let me in to suckle,  so therefore, I bit the girl in the eye.” 

 

COUNSELOR: “Now take a deep breath and let it go because NOW you get all the Dog Chow you want and you are huge”

 

DOG( thinking to himself and wagging his tail): “I am offended! You just called me huge!  Just wait until I see a skinny jogger come running by.  They are MINE”

 

COUNSELOR: “Remember to take this pretty little pill everyday”

 

DOG: “Hey this doesn’t taste like Beggin Strips! Now I’m Really Mad”

 

 

 

KEYS

Last Sunday Morning our family was amused during church by the cutest little Pakistani girl. She is probably 2 years old and just full of curiosity and wonder. She wandered out of her seat and went a couple rows and found a seat where someone had laid their ring full of keys on the seat. She picked them up and was looking at them, pushing buttons (I was waiting for the car alarm to go off), she chewed on a little plastic flower attached to the ring, rattled them and just generally had a great time with the keys. The thought struck me, she has the keys, but she had no idea how to use them or the power they represent. This little two year old could not even open the door let alone climb into the SUV, start it up and drive home. To her the keys were a play thing.

How many of us are just playing around with the keys to spiritual success in our lives. We ALL have heard enough Word and enough Teaching that if we applied the knowledge we already have, our lives would begin to change instantly. But we want to hold the keys up and look at how shiny they are and how they rattle and maybe chew on them a little. It is time we start using the keys that God gave us. We don’t need to look for more teaching and another self-help book. We need to start exercising our Faith, Start Speaking the Word of God into our lives and the lives of the People around us. We need to start using the Keys of Prayer and Fasting and Praying in the Spirit. We must put the Key of Submission to God into the ignition and turn it. We are not going to go where we want to go until we stop playing with the Keys and start using the Keys as they were designed to be used.