And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

This morning started like most others; Got up, shaved, spent time in devotions, ate breakfast, saw the boys off to school, kissed MaryEllen “good-bye”, got in the car, and drove to church. But this morning was different. Not different in the routine, but different in my attitude. As I drove to church, I noticed how beautiful the sunrise was. It was so bright I scrambled for my sunglasses. The beautiful sunrise created an adventurous mood within me, so I took a different route to the church and got lost; at least for a moment.

While I drove and recalculated my journey, God began to speak to my heart. He began to remind me of the many storms I have encountered over the years; changes in ministries, financial difficulties, medical concerns, loss of loved ones. He allowed me to recall the feelings of being lost and alone, moments when I felt so far from God’s presence. But as the sunshine grew more intense, He spoke clearer of His promises. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be Strong and Courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NIV).

God is in the mist of the storms right beside us, often holding us and always encouraging us to be strong and courageous. No matter what storm of life you may be in, no matter how bruised and battered you may feel from the storm, remember He is holding your hand and right by your side. He will never let you go! Praise Him in the Storm.

Me and Allen Smith (Season 8 ) of the Biggest Loser

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Have you ever wanted to do something so bad but when the moment of truth came, you became frozen with fear? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us, yours truly included. There have been plenty of times when I wanted to do something and when the time for action came, I became fearful, insecure, and faded into the background. After the moment passed, I would spend the rest of the day or even days beating myself up over the failure to perform.

But what happens when we win over fear? What happens when we look at our insecurities, our fears, and tell them to their face that they will no longer have control over us? Truth is, Amazing things can happen. Such an event happened this past week.

For those of you who don’t know, I am overweight. I weigh 355 lbs, which is the same weight I have struggled with for over three (3) years. I have been on a roller coaster of sorts; working out, watching diet, injuries, climbing mountains, victories and defeats, successes and failures. Yet through this roller coaster, my weight has remained a constant. Recently I’ve put out several pleas to friends and family to keep me accountable. I’ve looked into alternative methods to eliminate my weight, and have even applied for the Biggest Loser.

I made several videos making my plea for why I would be a great inspiration for America as the next Biggest Loser. ( http://www.youtube.com/user/chumby1977?feature=mhum ). I even attended three open casting calls, two last year (Chicago and NYC) and one this year in Indianapolis.

So what does this all have to do with risk, courage, or even trust in God? How does my adventure come close to Joshua’s? Simple. Risk is not something that comes easily to most of us. To put ourselves out on the rim of the unknown causes most of us to fall back into our comfortable lives and miss out on life.

For me, there was a part of me that wanted to forgo going to the Indiana casting call when I saw the 12 inches of wet snow that blanketed western New York the day we were to leave. I knew the road was going to be a difficult one but something in me said, “be strong and courageous”. When I was standing in line to see the casting directors I was nervous and afraid I was going to make a fool of myself but a voice inside me uttered, “be strong and courageous”. Even when meeting Allen Smith, season 8 contestant, my knees couldn’t help but knock together. Again, a voice within me said, “be strong and courageous”. Whether opening up to my dad, meeting new people, risking vulnerability with my church family, friends, and acquaintances about my struggles with my weight, that still calm voice has repeated time and time again, “be strong and courageous”. Without risk there is no growth, there is no life. I want to live. My goal is to continue living as close to the rim between risk and comfort, enjoying the amazing adventures it allows.

Where are you living your life?

⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him. Psalm95:4

Over the last six months I have seen some of the most Amazing sights. I’ve climbed four mountains:  Blue Mountain, Owl’s Head Mountain, Panther Mountain, and Coney Mountain. Now none of these are considered part of the 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks. But as I’ve climbed each of these mountains and looked out over their view from the top I can’t help but be inspired. We are living in God’s Country. As a good friend once commented, “We get the privilege of living here”. He is so right, living in God’s Country is not only a privilege but an honor. When you stop and admire the view from the top, the world below seems so small. The problems melt away and a reality hits; the world is much bigger than me or my personal issues.

Pondering the bigger picture, I imagined what God must have seen from his View from the Top. How he saw a world in chaos; famine, drugs, war, politics, corruption, sin, a world lost without hope. How from his View from the Top, he chose to do something rather than simply dismiss the world as a lost cause. How he saw the value of each persons life; willing to help battle issues and problems, contribute to a persons dream and desires of the heart, even bringing freedom, grace, love, and victory at the cost of his own life. I imagine His heart broke for you and me, his heart broke for the world.

Scripture tells us that God chose to get his hands dirty. “¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”- John 3:16-18

From God’s View, he saw that we needed a Savior. He saw the trouble, the pain, the dissatisfaction life brought us and gave us an option for something else.  Jesus got his hands dirty, touched dirty lives, and turned the world upside down. He  joined in our pain, sorrow, and distress. With him, he brought grace, hope, and love off the mountain and laid it in our hands. God sent his son, JESUS CHRIST, down off the mountain to turn our eyes back to him. We are certainly blessed to live in God’s Country.

Confused by the answer, the mother asked, “If you were praying to God, why were you saying your ABC’s?”

With great wisdom the little girl responded, “Well, I felt like I should pray but I didn’t know the right words to say. So I figured if I repeated my ABC’s over and over again, God would fit the letters together to form the words my heart was praying.”

Words are powerful! As a pastor, I am called upon to use my words to pray, to give encouragement, and even hope in life’s darkest moments. But there are times I feel my tongue has fallen out of my mouth. Many times I am lost for words, having no clear direction on how to pray. Thankfully, according to scripture, I don’t have to worry about constantly coming up with the right words all the time.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself INTERCEDES for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

The Spirit of God, who is living, directing, and drawing us closer to God the Father INTERCEDES for us, knowing our heart. The Spirit knows the words to use. The Spirit communes with our spirit and God, sharing our concerns, our heartache, our passions, our desires, our frustrations, and even our weaknesses. And through communion with the Spirit, our will comes in line with the Fathers. No longer do we fear for the words which cannot be formed. No longer are we afraid to approach the very throne of God through our prayers. Instead, we can have BOLDNESS to go directly before God, whether we are eloquent or simple, whether we speak many words or few, whether we are certain of ourselves or struggle with insecurities and failures. The Holy Spirit speaks our heart directly to the very heart of God. When was the last time you approached God’s throne with Boldness? Why not approach Him today?