Refuge

If a religious faith is anything, it is a refuge to run toward.  On the Hawaiian Island of Kona there is a large rock called Refuge Rock. 

People who broke the law of the King were exiled from their villages and chased down with the intent to be killed.  If the perpetrator could make it to Refuge Rock their sins were forgiven and they were declared safe and redeemed. (An abridged interpretation)

In other words, people ran to the refuge. 

And isn’t that what God is all about?  We run to Him with our worries, our burdens, our problems and our sorrows. 

In the Bible there is a story (Luke 7:36-50) of a prostitute who in so many words ran to Jesus.  She boldly invaded a dinner party, knelt behind Him and wet his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.  She was a woman in need and she sought refuge at the feet of Christ.

In another story (Luke 17:11-19) Jesus is on His way into the city of Jerusalem.  Ten lepers heard He was passing near them.  They began calling loudly, “Jesus, please has mercy on us.” 

They knew and understood the source of their refuge – Jesus the Christ.  They needed relief from their physical infirmities.  They headed straight to the refuge giver.  And His words were, “Go show yourselves to the priest.  And as they went their way, they were cleansed of their leprosy.”

They sought and found their place of refuge.  How about that?

And now, my friend, do you need a place of refuge?  Do you need relief from some burden, some problem, some indignity, some past that has you in bondage?

Perhaps now is the perfect time to seek your place of refuge.  Have you called out to God with boldness? 

Have you asked with confidence for whatever help it is you need?

He stands ready to be let into whatever situation you face, or to help handle anything you can’t handle on your own.  He is your refuge and strength.

A word of hope:  I am here. I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear me, will you open up and let me in?  I will come in and we will share in fellowship - you and I.

~Revelations 3:20

“Our tendency is to run toward the light of Christ.  

We want to be near the one who accepts us and loves 

us at our worst.  We feel something in that embrace 

that other life experiences can’t offer.”

~Philip Yancey

And remember this:

God is our refuge and strength.  He is a strong help in time of trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed and the mountains be swept into the sea; even if the waters roar and are full of waves, and even when the mountains shake. 

~Psalm 46:1-3

Thanks be to God!

Internet Church

Offering Words of

Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Where God Meets Us

In what setting do you feel most connected to God?  I’ve attended church all of my life.  In my growing up years I was in the church building three or four times each week. 

Am I better for it?  Probably not.  Shocked?  You should be.

Greatest of news … God can’t be confined inside the four walls of a building called a church, meeting hall, sanctuary, cathedral or tent. 

My Texas friend, Tim, says he worships God out on the plains of Texas on the back of his horse.  That is where he feels closest to God.

I had a wonderful worship moment not too long ago while lying on my living room sofa listening to Carolyn play a bunch of my favorite hymns and gospel songs.  That was a portal to heaven as surely as any other I’ve experienced.

I’ve had God moments in church, surely, and I’ve had them as I sat or stood gazing upon the magnificent natural beauty of this world.

I’ve had God moments in wonderful, intimate conversations with friends as we discussed life and God, struggles and success.  God can be as present in those moments of our lives as He can in any fine cathedral in the world.

I love this quote from Mother Teresa.

“In church is not the only place 

where we find God.

We find him in the mundane, 

the ordinary, the sick and suffering.  And we are closest to him,

perhaps, when the portals 

of eternity open up

to receive our loved ones.”

~Mother Teresa

Frankly, the idea that God can meet with us, any of us, all of us, whether in church or in a parked car, a small apartment, a lush hotel room, or a boat on the Pacific Ocean – the idea of God coming to me anywhere is what prompted me to start Internet Church.  

I have envisioned someone on the streets of Seattle, or in a town where you live, coming to wherever they call home late on a Saturday night.  Perhaps they’ve been wallowing in less than righteous activities, and they feel lousy about themselves and the state in which they are in and long, yea hope to make some kind of God connection.  

Through some miracle of God they stumble upon Internet Church and God directs them to some word of hope either in a current post or one of the back-list posts and for that moment in time God comes down and invades their world with love, hope and grace.

Now wouldn’t that be something?

As far as I know, most of my readers are Christian, and that is good.  Many of them have already had their weekly God-moment, and maybe in the middle of their week they find yet another word of hope to move them along the path toward God.

And if a reader hasn’t been to church in a while, or perhaps never, regardless of his/her state of dress, distress, financial, mental, physical condition, God invades their world through some words on a blog site, then God is doing His job, and I, perhaps, have had a small part in that too.

The big takeaway today is this – God is not restricted to four walls called church, or 3 songs, a prayer, an offering and a sermon.  He is much bigger than all of that.

What God most wants is to have relationship with each of us.  He wants to be invited into the everyday-ness of our lives.  He loves the mundane and the messy parts of our lives just as He loves the shine on our shoes, the knot in our tie and the press of our clothes. 

He moves best into the places we vacate for Him.  All God is asking for is a space in our hearts that meshes with the God-part of our heart.

Remember this – God loves us as we are – not as we should be. 

The invitation says “Come unto me, all who are weary and heavily burdened.  I will give you rest.”

That’s the kind of heart God is looking for.

Internet Church

Offering Words of

Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Will God Help Me

Let me tell you a story.

A six-year-old boy was digging in his sandbox when he hit a hard object.  The more he dug around it the more he revealed a rather large rock.  When he had uncovered enough of it he began moving it closer to the edge of his box.

He got to the edge and just could not lift or maneuver or use enough leverage to get the rock up and over the lip of his sandbox.

He began to fret.  His father heard him and came to see what was going on.

The son explained and then his dad asked, “Why didn’t you use all the strength you had available?”

The young boy was confused, and in his defense he proudly stated, “But Dad, I did use all of my strength available.”

Gently, with great kindness, the father bent down and said, “No son.  You didn’t use all the strength available to you.  You didn’t ask me, and I am available to help.”

And with that the father reached down and easily lifted the rather large rock and tossed it out of the sandbox.”

End of the story, but the meaning never ends.

We fret.  We grunt.  We maneuver.  We scheme.  We try to do life on our own, and yet we find ourselves on the short end of things.  Life just doesn’t seem to work out the way we hoped for.

Meanwhile, God is standing nearby offering His strength, His hand of help.  All that was needed was a simple prayer of “Help”. 

God is not an ogre.  He is not mean, nor does he mock us in our humanness.  He stands ready to assist with the large and small rocks that make up our lives.

The important thing is to reach out and ask for his help.  He wants to be in the mundane decisions just as much as He wants a hand in the big choices and big decisions.

Will you and I reach out and ask for His help?

Ask and you shall receive.  Seek and you shall find.  Knock and the door will be opened before you.”  Matthew 7:7

Psalm 34:4

I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.

And we are encouraged to come to Him with our burdens and cares.

Cast all your cares upon the Lord, for He cares for you.  I Peter 5:7

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me all who are weary and heavy hearted; I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn.  I am gentle and humble.  You will discover rest for your soul.  My yoke is easy.  My burden is light.  Come.

The rocks are many.  The load is heavy.  The way is steep.  The sun is hot and the road is long.  Invite God himself on the journey and He will help carry the burden.

Use all the strength that is available to you.

Trust Him!

Internet Church

Offering Words of

Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The World Will Not End at Election Time

If we listened to and believed most of the news today, one would think the world is going to end come election time in America. 

~Some like Donald.  Some hate him. 

~Some trust Bernie.  Some despise him. 

~Some believe Ted is a great man.  Others believe he is a liar. 

~Some trust Hillary.  Some want to crucify her.

So, we have a mixed bag of emotions that have escalated to a high level over this race for president of the US. 

And if the RIGHT person is not put in place, well, you better watch out.  The world will end as we know it, or so they say.

This is not a political rant.  This is not a political positional statement.

This is, perhaps, a word of hope and a reminder to all of us as to who is still in control of this world.

Big    G

Big    O

Big    D

G O D !

Where is your faith?  Where is your confidence in God the creator?  Let’s allow His word to reassure us.

Joshua 1:9 reminds us:  “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous; do not fear, and don’t be dismayed.  I your God will be with you wherever you go.”

If Hillary is elected I will be with you.

If Donald wins, I’m there for you. 

Need more?

Mark 6:50 says this:  “Take courage.  It is I.”

In this particular instance Christ’s disciples were in a boat in the middle of a terrible storm.  The winds were fierce, the waves were swamping the boat and their oars seemed useless.  Along comes Christ with great words of hope.  Take courage.  I am here. 

We in a storm of deceit, half-truths, empty promises and great upheaval. 

God wants to settle us down with these words.  Take courage.  I am here.  I see the storms and winds and waves.  I see the lies and half truths.  Never fear.  I’m still nearby.

And finally – Psalm 118:6-7:  “God is with me; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?  The Lord is with me; He is helping me.”

After the election – God is with me.

Will you like or despise the agenda of the new president?  Regardless, the Lord is nearby.  He is helping you and me accept, adapt, and survive.

You want to know what I see through all of this? 

We need a huge dose of FAITH in God. 

We need FAITH that God supersedes, and overrides and is watching and caring. 

And this even extends to people in other lands.  They have their problems too.  And God’s eye is on them just as it is on America.

Got FAITH?

Be encouraged.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Five Words of Hope and Encourgement

My Dear Reader:
I have a heart full of appreciation to you for your loyal readership and for passing these posts along to others who may need a word of hope.  

I am taking a much needed two week break.  Please enjoy these five posts from the past, and feel free to browse through the vast back-list of all the posts in this series. I'll see you with fresh words of hope and encouragement in mid-April. 

Blessings, 

Again and Again

Assurances of God

The Ticket Back Home

Sticky Grace

Calming Words

After Easter

And what do we do after Easter?  What remains to be said?

God remains faithful.  He was faithful before and so he remains. 

He promises to never leave us nor forsake.  And so it is true still.  His abiding spirit still abides.  

His word is reliable.  His promises remain as steadfast after Easter as before.  He redeems.  He restores shattered lives and broken dreams.  He still forgives and helps and heals.  He remains faithful.

He is still the guardian of our lives and our future.  He walks with us in the sunshine and in the downpour.  He is present in health and in illness.  He loves the saint and the less than saintly. 

God is the God of Easter and beyond. 

Call out to Him.  His hearing is as good as ever.

  

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

How Do You Do God

I grew up in a southern conservative evangelical church.  I've kept my presence in church on a pretty regular basis down through the years and consider myself a Christian man.

In my years of living, I've done God  mostly in the context just described above.  But there's more.

Friday night Carolyn and I attended a vespers service at St. James Catholic in downtown Seattle.  Amazingly, we did God Friday night.  It was different from my southern conservative religious roots, yet was a wholesome and soul satisfying experience. 

God came down and sat beside me in that Catholic service much as He did in my growing up church in Tennessee. 

How do you do God?

Some religious traditions raise hands, utter sounds in indistinguishable tongues, play tambourines, wear special pieces of clothing either on their head or shoulders.  Some use beads, some use guitars and pianos while some sing acapella. 

Thankfully, you don't have to be in a certain building, with the correct label on it or use some secret language to do God

Friday night we/they sang repetitive songs. I didn't sing at all, for I was there for my own reflective thoughts.  The man to my left sang every note and word.  Carolyn, to my right sang a few verses, harmonized a few, and was silent for a few songs.

The organ was magnificant.  The acoustics were perfect with the right amount of reverb.  The  crowd was a mix of races, economic rankings, and stages of dress with a variety of ages present.

In my southern evangelical tradition, down through the years I've noticed we are mostly uncomfortable with long periods of quietness in worship.  Friday night we had six minutes of total quiet.  It was amazing.  I did God in those minutes.  It took me a couple of minutes to focus my thoughts and settle into that time and space, and it was wonderful.

God was present.  We communed.  I can't tell you much of what we said, for there wasn't much that needed saying. In past moments of attempts at meditating I struggled with the fear of doing it wrong.  "Am I in a good body posture."  "What happens if I fall asleep during meditation?"  "How can I control my thoughts and focus on God and avoid wanderings about the need to get gas for my Ford when I leave here, or where will we eat dinner later, and 'boy that one customer at the bank was a real pill today.'" 

At one point I felt God whisper - just to me - "Be at peace.  I am here.  I'm glad you took a few minutes for us just to be."

And that was enough. 

I didn't come away with three blogs, two book ideas and a new poem.  I came away with a heart that had, for a few brief moments, touched the Divine. 

My experience didn't move anybody around me or beside me.  It didn't shift Seattle two degrees off it's axis.  For a few moments I had the privilege of sitting with God, and He allowed me to draw near and be quiet in His presence. 

I really hope you have some God moments equal to this some time. 

I did God Friday, and it was enough.

Internet Church 

Offering Words of Hope and Encouragement