Thoughts

Mending Broken Lives

Mending Broken Lives

By Jim Burns

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

He had only one eye and his arm was dangling by a thread. But four-year-old Hannah loved Bear. Bear always accompanied her to Sunday School. One day her teacher suggested the class pray for people who were sick and hurting. The children prayed for hungry children around the world, sick relatives, and broken relationships. Hannah put her arms around poor, tattered Bear. She prayed, “Dear Jesus, please make Bear better.”

Then Hannah had such a good time at church, she forgot Bear and left without him. One of Hannah’s teachers, who heard her prayer took Bear home to “heal” him. She replaced both eyes with pretty new buttons and sewed the arm back on. When she gave Bear back to Hannah on the next Sunday, Hannah was filled with joy. “God fixed Bear,” she said.

What Hannah would later understand about God, is that sometimes He heals directly; other times he uses people like her Sunday School teacher to sew our bears together and help mend the broken parts of our lives.

The top right corner.

The dashboard is the link usually in the top right corner of a blog that has a little home symbol. Click that. 

Click the Preferences icon that looks like a gear at the top of the Dashboard. Click on the blog you want to manage from the list on the left side of the page. Then, click the “Change Avatar” button. Upload a new photo and be sure to hit “Save” at the bottom! Pro-tip: square images that are 128 x 128 pixels or larger work best. -tumblr. cheers! 

"Day by day you are being made more into the Son’s image. One step, one choice at a time."

Don Schaeffer

Deep calls to deep

This time around, I’ve got to give more.

2012 is coming to a close with an air of excitement and anticipation. Much like the excitement and anticipation I felt around this time two years ago: the excitement of having only a year of college left, and the anticipation of entering the “real world” thereafter. And you know, I wasn’t ready last time. I had spent much of my time at TFC in idle thought, not applying myself as I could; sleeping through classes and rushing through assignments without considering what impact it could have on my mind and my lifestyle to actually try… to really try. In his grace, God made a way for me to stay in school and figure this kind of stuff out without getting buried in student loans or being plagued by feelings of failure for not graduating with my friends. May came and went… 

And now I’m here. And so is 2013.

The year I graduate. A year of preparation for the rest of my life. Because of my expedited music study, it will be the most intense year of preparation in musicianship to become the worshipper and teacher that God intends me to be. Because of my desire to meet and woo my future wife, it will be a year to learn how to value people more, listen better, and look past myself. Because of my desire to see unreached people groups come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, it will be a year to pray hard, and learn about the needs of this world and the people that are meeting those needs head on. And because he is faithful no matter what, God will be with me all the time. Even when I am consumed by business this year, when I am overwhelmed by the work, when I am too tired to think or pray, when I am completely distracted from what is important - heck, even when I am sinful - he will remain faithful, because he can’t deny himself. 

My heart is heavy with the time I’ve wasted this year and throughout my college experience, but with so much possibility on the horizon, how could I not be excited? Best of all, the God of the world is calling me deeper into his presence, and I’m not going there alone. I have a stronger community of believers around me now than in years past, and we look forward to exploring the depths of a relationship with God together, which is the chiefest of my anticipations for 2013. 

Will you join me in exploring the possibilities for our lives in 2013?

“Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”  -Psalm 42:7-8

“Call to me and I will answer you and show great and mighty things that you have not known.”  - Jeremiah 33:3

I’d hate to be God

People want to be strong, so they don’t come to God. Then their lives fall apart, and they blame Him. I’m just saying, I’d hate to be God.