Perspective

A good friend and Pilot of the Space Shuttle mission STS-130, Col. Terry Virts asked me to write a devotional while they were at the Space Station in February. This is what I wrote...

The Front Range in Colorado is one of the most beautiful places in the country. The magnificence of Pikes Peak is defined by how it towers above the surrounding peaks into the blue Colorado sky. Most of the year, its’ summit is covered elegantly with a graceful blanket of snow.

On a recent early morning drive down I-25, dense fog had settled over the front range. The mountains were no longer visible. Pikes Peak had simply vanished overnight…her beauty was hidden by the thick cloud cover. I wondered how many people were driving through Colorado Springs for the first time thinking, “Where is the beauty? I have always heard that Colorado Springs was scenic.” Unimpressed, they travel on, never witnessing the beauty that was right next to them. They never laid eyes on the 14,000-foot giant beside them. They simply drove by, oblivious to her majesty.

Perspective is an amazing thing. One day the sun shines brightly on the towering Goliath and the next day it seemingly disappears into thin air.

For twelve days, you will enjoy a perspective that few humans will ever have the honor of witnessing.

As you float past Asia, I wonder if the Great Wall of China will resemble a string of Lego blocks quickly assembled by a two year old? As you soar over Mount Everest, perhaps you will be reminded of a Q-tip rising sharply from the surrounding landscape. As you drift over Africa, will the Great Pyramids of Giza look like sugar cubes sprinkled over the countryside? From your vantage point, as you slowly drift over the United States of America, does the grandest of the canyons look like a small footprint in the desert?

It’s amazing that man’s greatest monuments are almost unrecognizable from your perch. God’s grandest creations on Earth quickly focus into perspective. I suppose from 200 miles above the Earth everything seems small.

Astronauts have the unique ability to see our Earth from a new and different point of view.

Today, like those who sit in the Pilot’s seat on the Space Shuttle, I pray that my obstructed view becomes unobstructed. I want to see clearly, not because my circumstances have changed, but because in faith, I can see through the fog of life. I pray that I allow God to elevate me above the haze of my circumstances. I pray that I understand that the One who created the mountains also commands them to bow down in His presence.

It’s all about perspective. Some days God’s majesty is clear, and some days it takes faith to remember what He looks like. No matter the weather, it’s good to know that the mountain hasn’t moved.

I have to admit, I have astronaut envy. How I long to see obstacles for what they are…objects that stand in between me and God.

The majesty of the mountain still towers next to you. Remember this moment in space and time…no matter what obstacles you face.

Psalm 36: 5-9 (The Message)

God's love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks. How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings.

George Washington with Nate

A friend of mine, Mark Collins, came to speak today for the National Day of Prayer at Focus on the Family. Afterwards, he talked to Nate and told him an impactful story. After Valley Forge, a 6 year old boy approached General Washington at church, staring at the sword on his hip. Timid, the boy asked General Washington if that was the sword that won the war. Washington asked the boy if he wanted to touch the sword that won the war. The boys eyes lit up. General Washington pulled his Bible out and told the boy that this was the sword that won the war, not the sword on his hip. You should have seen Nate's eyes....priceless.

Gabe's Recent Paper

Stone

“In first place is…” Stone and Tony were sitting on the bench waiting for the announcer to declare the winner of the U.S. skateboard competition.

“Stone Jefferson from the town of Sapphire, and in second place is Aaron Wood from Aspin, in third place is Tony Peterson again from Sapphire” Stone and tony flew from their seats so fast it looked as though they didn’t even touch the ground. Aaron had won this event before so he just walked up to accept his award with a smile. There was a golden miniature skateboard for Stone, a silver one for Aaron, and a bronze for Tony. Stone and tony gathered their things and started the walk home.

“Dude, I entered that competition knowing I wouldn’t win, just trying to see new tricks, but it turns out we did it!”

Tony was always thinking positive. He usually wore his black collared shirt, his blue jeans, and brown hat turned sideways.

Stone was the popular showoff and was always trying to get attention. He had long brown hair with hazel eyes. No one knew how stone got his name, so it has always been a mystery. When ever some one asked him, he would always change the subject.

Stone burst through the door and shut it behind him. He walked up the stairs to his room to put his trophy away. His parents were at work, so he would have to show off his trophy later. Stone walked into the kitchen to get a snack then watched TV. A few hours later his dad walked in the door.

“Hey Dad,”
“Hey, how did the skateboard competition go?”
“I won!”
“Out of all of those people?”
“Yep,”
“Wow!”
“Hold on one sec.”

Stone walked down the steps with the skateboard he won, then showed it to his dad
“That is awesome! You must have worked really hard! Now go put it in your room and let’s eat dinner, your mom will not be home till after you go to bed.” Stone put up his trophy, had dinner, then went to bed.

The next morning Stone got ready for the day then got his skateboard and was about to go to the skate park in the warm summer sun when the phone rang
“I’ll get it! Stone yelled “Hello?”
“Hi, this is Mark Rhodes. I’m the judge for the county fair, and I invite you to perform at the fair on your skateboard. Will you come?”
Stone didn’t hesitate at this offer. He said, “Yes,” hung up the phone, then ran to his skateboard and started for the skate park to start practicing.

Once he got there, he stopped and wondered what trick he should perform. After a while he decided he’d perform a Hoho, a hand stand on your board. He did this a few times, then left wanting to call Tony to tell him the good news. As he walked through the door he went to the calendar forgetting that the county fair was today. Stone ran to get his mom and dad to drive him to the fairgrounds.

Once he got to the place where the skate park was, he noticed it was a half-pipe with a rail to the side. He saw Tony there and walked to him. About seventy-five people were standing around the halfpipe. Tony encouraged Stone before he started to climb the ladder to the top of the half pipe. Stone looked around, and he saw all of the people. He felt weird doing only a hoho. The announcer interrupted his thoughts.

“Now Stone Jeffererson!”
Stone took off. As he did he started to curve over toward the rail. Stone did the hoho and did an olie on to the rail which he had never done before. After gliding for about two seconds, he slowly started to lift one hand.

Then, “Stone, Stone! Wake up!” When he opened his eyes, he could see the white of the blankets. He sat up. Stone looked around for a while. Then he realized he was in a hospital room. He saw his parents in a corner.

“What happened?” Stone asked a nearby doctor.

“You had a nasty fall on your skateboard. I guess you were tring to show off, or at least that is what your friend Tony said.” Stone laughed then felt the cut on his head. He laid back down. In the car, Stone fell asleep. When he woke up, he saw their log home with the green roof. He felt much better. He decided not to show off again, ever.

The Miracle of the Moment

I love the imagery of the resurrection. Sunday school teachers around the world are breaking out their flannel boards and felt characters in preparation for Super Sunday.

The scene might look something like this. High atop a barren hill sits an empty tomb. A perfectly round rock has been rolled away from its’ perfectly symmetrical opening. Beams of blinding light burst forth from the blackness. Approaching the tomb, you notice Clorox-clean burial clothes neatly folded, laying in the exact location of where Jesus body was laid. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining.

All is well in Resurrectionland. It certainly puts a storybook ending on a gruesome chapter that transpired only days before.

What if you found out that the burial place of Christ was not actually sitting atop a hill all by itself? Perhaps the burial plot purchased by Joseph of Arimathea was one of many holes hewned into the rocky side of a mountain, full of other dead people.

What if there was no bright Heavenly light blinding you as you walked up to take a final peak inside the tomb? But instead of rays of light, you were greeted by darkness.

What if the perfectly crafted rolling rock wasn’t perfect at all, but instead was just a big, clunky boulder that Joseph found laying near the grave?

What if the burial clothes that once draped the lifeless body of our Savior weren’t quite as pristine as the pictures depict? They probably more resembled the dried bloodstains and water that rushed from the side our Savior. Perhaps the clothes actually smelled like something that had enveloped a lifeless body for three days.

What if in Christ’s excitement to his ascent to glory, he failed to properly make his bed and neatly fold his clothes?

If the scene of the resurrection was a little less felt-boardish and a little more realistic, would it be good enough?

Would it be good enough that Jesus left his Father’s side in Heaven to hang out with a bunch of sinners like you and me? Would you be satisfied knowing that he lived thirty-three fully human years without sinning? I find it hard to live thirty-three fully human MINUTES without sinning.

During his time here on our tiny blue planet, he healed your blindness, raised your daughter from the dead and gave you a purpose to live...and die for the first time in your life. His reward? A brutal Roman crucifixion. On Friday, Jesus was sentenced to thirty-nine lashes with a whip equipped with bone, glass and metal at the end of each strand of leather. Why not forty? Because under Roman law, forty lashes would be considered a death sentence. There were eight inch spikes driven through both of his wrists and feet into a cross made out of wood, which ultimately led to his suffocation.

As sad as Friday was, Sunday was coming. How good is it knowing that his death was not final, but temporary? It doesn't really matter what actually happened that Easter morning. What matters is that it happened at all. The plot thickens now that there is no one in Joseph's grave.

He did it for only one reason. You. If you were the only person on Earth, His plans would not have changed.

The miracle of this event is not in the scene, but in the act itself. I stand amazed at the act.

Into the Reeds

Take a listen to "While You Were Sleeping" by Casting Crowns.

It makes me think about our country and its' current direction.

United States of America, looks like another silent night,
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies, save the trees but kill the children.
And as we're lying in the dark, there's a shout across the eastern sky.
For the Bridegroom has returned, and has carried his bride away in the night.
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again and leave us slumbering where we lay?
America, will we go down in history as a nation with no room for its' King?
Will we will be sleeping?

Oh, by the way, the State of Colorado just passed a new law.

If a man wakes up in the morning and "feels like a woman" (gender confusion), he is allowed under State law to use whatever public restroom he chooses...men's or women's. If that establishment, say Chili's Bar and Grill, asks this man to leave the women's restroom, they face a mandatory $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail...all in the name of "equal rights." Never mind that a child molester can hang out in the stall of the women's restroom waiting for a little girl to enter. Internalize that. Think of your daughter, niece or friend that is 13 years old. Why should she fear entering a public restroom? Why should she wonder if the feet she sees underneath the next stall belong to another woman or a predator?

Governor Bill Ritter (D) just signed this into law. It is not a joke. If I had told you 6 months ago that this would be a law, someone would have told me I was smoking something. I would have been ostracized as a right wing nut job. Unfortunately, it's reality and coming to a State near you. This is not fear mongering, it's not intolerant...it's reality.

Are you kidding me? America and our Church better wake up and rise up...otherwise we are in for some dark days ahead. Remind me again, why is the good for America?

Can we not just use our own restrooms for crying out loud?

Did you know that in the first century the Roman's form of infanticide was throwing their unwanted babies into the river? Where was the church? Were they cheering the women's right to choose whether she wanted to drown her baby or not? No...they would quietly wait in the reeds and rescue the babies from the river...refusing to stand by and allow their helpless to simply die. They would take them home and raise them as their own. I'm afraid the church is leaving the reeds and heading for dry land...washing their hands of any ill responsibility. It's easier that way...definitely less messy.

My prayer is that our Church will wake up and quit relying on others to fight the fight. If you are not fighting, we're losing. If you're voice is silent, we lose the opportunity to be heard. If we stand on the sidelines, who's making the plays?

I wonder if Jesus would wait in the reeds, or wash his hands as Pilate did? Rhetorical question, but one that is currently confusing our Church I'm afraid.

Oh The Places You'll Go

I wrote this as a dedication to my wonderful mom. For those who know her, you'll appreciate the "Dr. Seuss" theme, as she taught 2 year old's for over 40 years.

When Evolution Makes Sense

Even a monkey can walk down the middle of a broad highway. It takes someone with Intelligent Design to see the impending train wreck and choose to navigate the narrow road.

Ever since Matthew Murray wielded his AK-47 shooting helpless worshippers at New Life Church as they left to load up in their minivan, I have been prematurely forced to discuss topics unfit for my 5, 7, and 9 year old boys. Evil, desperation, sin, wickedness and malevolence…not exactly my favorite dinner table discussion.

Thanks, Adam. Since the moment you stuck your incisors into that apple, humankind has had to find answers to the unanswerable. Congratulations. You ate your way to a new highway being named in your honor…Broadway. The hard decision was to listen to the voice of the Lord and simply say “no.” How long did you struggle with the decision? Perhaps as long as it took me to decide on that second helping of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.

Why is it that Broadway seems to scream at you with eardrum piercing decibels and the Narrow Way simply whispers?

Once again we find the dichotomy of the Bible.

Greatness means becoming the least. To be first means you must be last. To lead means you must first serve. And, low and behold, God hangs out on the Narrow Path. That is where you will encounter Him.

Nothing good ever came out of taking Broadway. Cheating, lying, stealing and kicking the cat are the easy decisions. Biting your tongue, turning the other cheek and asking your enemy for forgiveness…welcome to the Narrow Path.

It’s never too late to make the right decision. If you find yourself cruising down a path of bad thoughts and correlating actions, and you see a fork in the road, as Yogi Berra says, “take it.” It’s called grace.

Webster defines evolution as “a process of change in a certain direction.” In other words, be transformed or metamorphed daily into the likeness of Christ. God smiles at this type of evolution. It takes a conscious, daily decision to follow the Narrow Path.

Life’s too short. Quit monkeying around. Evolve.

The Empty Chair

Around the dinner table tonight sits an empty chair. The chair seat is cold, as cold as the Colorado winter outside. Death resides where life should live. A grieving loved one stares at the empty chair through tear-stained eyes with the reality that they will never ever return.

The weather in Colorado Springs was Narnia-esqe. A fresh blanket of snow covered the pine trees and the mountains in the distance. Pikes Peak pierced the deep blue sky. The air was brisk and filled with anticipation as Dr. Jack Hayford was to speak today at New Life Church. Five thousand people filtered out of the first service as my family and five thousand others replaced their seats for the second one. The congregation listened attentively as Jack delivered an amazing word on preparing your heart to be softened. He spoke eloquently on the importance of not allowing your heart to become hard. The title of the message was “A heart for Christmas.”

After church we made arrangements to meet friends at a local restaurant. We picked up our kids from their classes, visited with more friends, loaded up in the Sequoia and left the building at 1:00 pm…only five minutes before the crisp, cold silence was interrupted with the popping sounds of gunfire.

The gunman’s shoes crunched through our tire tracks in the snow as he made his way towards the church. Shots were fired on the innocent and the unknowing. The beauty of the fresh snow was soon tainted with the blood of his victims, as well as his own. By God’s grace, one of the security guards at the church confronted the shooter, fatally wounding him. It was a scene fit for an episode of CSI, not New Life Church.

As my church grieves tonight the irony is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Ten thousand people left the sanctuary with a renewed conviction of the importance of a soft heart. As we exited the building, we were confronted by one of the hardest, darkest hearts imaginable. Instead of sitting in his car loading his weapons, what if he had been in the back row listening? Would it have changed the outcome?

The joy and excitement of Christmas was interrupted today…gunfire and death will do that. Today we had the occasion to introduce to our boys a reality that they should never have to deal with. Even so, by God’s grace, I counted five people tonight around my dinner table. All were present and accounted for.

At another home, at another table somewhere down the street another family counts one less person tonight. Only fifteen days before Christmas, a family will go to bed with an uncontainable chill throughout their home.

The brevity of life once again rears its’ head. I think about how easily we could have run into another friend…delaying our departure 5 minutes. Tonight I hug my wife and children tighter. I look into their eyes deeper than I ever have and tell them I love them. I think about God’s grace, that He would allow me to live another day. I don’t claim to understand all that has transpired over the past 6 hours. I only claim to be the son of a living God who loves his children deeply. Incredibly, He loved the shooter no less than He loves me. He only longed for him to know Him.

If he had, there would be no empty chair tonight.

Michael W. Smith's Christmastime

Me and my bride...celebrating 14 years!

The Man of the hour...fantastic concert

John Rivers from K-LOVE mornings

The Meyerson Symphony Center was beautiful

Melinda Doolittle from American Idol fame...rocked the house!

Boom!

Hi! I am Tom Turkey
And I am feeling very bad
Because just yesterday I lost my dad
A few days ago I lost my brother
Tomorrow I am going to lose my mother.
I am running in the forest. Zoom,
There I go. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
I think they flung some led.
I am very big and plump.
I think I am dead.

Gabe Phillips
11-21-07

The Snow Globe

The splendor of living in a mountain town is the snowfall.

There is nothing more beautiful that the fresh flakes from Heaven slowly drifting quietly to the Earth. Unhurriedly, one by one, each individually crafted creation softly finds its’ way into the backdrop. The more they join together the more they change the surrounding scene. This is the tender side of snow.

The competing side of that beauty comes in the days that follow. Industry, pollution and cars quickly take their toll on the white landscape. Soon the white strips of covered roadways will heat up from the friction of passing cars, and will become watery and slushy. Puddles form making easy targets for cars to splash brown mud onto the roadways and sidewalks. What was the night before a scene of tranquility, solitude and peace has quickly turned into the hustle and bustle of industry and melting muck.

The blessing of the newness and the freshness of the virgin snow can quickly be tainted and soon forgotten.

Too often my life reflects this Creation amnesia.

Like a fresh snow, I am reminded of the grace that surrounds my life. I gaze into the eyes of my beautiful Godly wife and three precious boys and stand in awe of the One who trusted me with such incredible blessings. I look at my career and my church and my friends and find myself amazed with overwhelming gratefulness. I am surrounded with newness and a fresh awareness of my God’s love for me…that He saw fit to give someone so undeserving such an avalanche of blessings.

And, in the very next heartbeat, something happens. My world heats up and my snow begins to melt. Suddenly someone drives through a puddle, violently splashing mud into my otherwise protected snow globe. The beauty of the blessing disappears in an instant. I forget how richly blessed I was only moments before, although absolutely nothing changed. My wife is still beautiful and my boys are still amazing. My God has remained constant and close as ever.

It doesn’t take much mud to taint the beauty of a white fleck of snow.

My challenge is remain constant. I want to choose to feel blessed regardless of the weather. I want to choose to embrace the beauty in my life, without allowing events surrounding me to melt my snow. I want to learn to deflect the mud that is sure to splash my way. I long for the strength to withstand the pollution that can so quickly turn my snow to slush…because there is always something lurking, looking to invade my snow globe.

I believe that we serve a great Creator…a God of second chances. When things look still and feel stale, He grabs our snow globe and gently shakes it, stirring up a fresh glitter of snow to gently fall on us and remind us of His faithfulness.

My challenge to you is to stand firm, taking up your shield of faith. Protect with passion the world that God has intended for you.

Troubles will come. Hardships are on their way…be assured of that (see Job). But in the midst of trial, don’t allow your circumstances to muddy the truth of His blessing.

I just heard the forecast…the Weatherman is predicting snow!

True Worth is in the Adjectives

I felt like David in the land of the Giants.

I’ve never seen an assemblage of men this size. One by one, they walked single file by the open casket. One by one, each paid tribute to a man who changed their lives. Most of these giants shed tears. Many passed by with look of confusion, shaking their heads, wondering if this was really true. How could he be gone? Where had he gone…somewhere other than this earth? Watching from the 2nd row, I found that the gravity of the moment was overwhelming.

The sanctuary was filled with a virtual who’s who in the world of Dallas/ Fort Worth sports. Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers filled the seats. Whether their trade was football, baseball, coaching or ownership, they all came under one roof for the same purpose…to pay their final respects to an amazing man who changed their hearts, not just the world around them.

In order to assemble this kind of talent and fame, surely this man must have had his life described as “powerful, rich, good-looking, talented, driven and successful.” After all, that’s where true worth resides….right? The more of each that you posses the better off you are…right? Surprisingly, none of the thirteen people who eulogized their father and friend used any of those adjectives to describe John Webber. No, the man that packed out the church with the rich and famous was described much differently than that.

John was described as “a wonderful father and husband, a lover of God, faithful, passionate, full of integrity, a man with purpose, compassionate, servant-hearted, humble and simple.” This is what brought these giants to their knees? These are the words used to describe a man who affected such a diverse group of successful people? Yes. The most unlikely man had the most incredible impact on their lives. John was described as “colorblind and power blind.” It didn’t matter who you were or where you were from, he would listen to you, give you a bear hug, look you in the eyes and tell you that he loved you.

Life can be summed up in the adjectives.

What words could be used to best describe you, and will describe you one day, when you move on from this life? Will they be words that will leave a legacy, or are they adjectives that only matter in the living years?

Each one of John’s five children touched on one of his resonant teachings…”Do not strive to be spectacular, but faithful.” John was faithful…first and foremost to his God, then to his family and lastly to others.

I sat amazed at the impact that this man had on so many diverse lives. I wondered what I am doing now that is leaving a legacy with my family and my friends. I wondered how often I find myself striving for adjectives that could describe accomplishments on earth, but yet have little to no eternal value. Unfortunately, too often. As I exited through the maze of giants in the lobby, I wondered whose life was forever changed because of what they witnessed today. I prayed that those who sat in that audience will live differently because their lives have been touched by such a simple man with a humble spirit. I know that I left a different man…and I’ve never met him.

It’s never too late to alter your adjectives. Live differently.

Live Like You Were Dying

“Bart, are you sure that there’s enough room for Carol and I to join you Monday night?” John asked. “Of course,” I replied. “Well then, I look forward to meeting you in person.”

I was honored. The former Chaplain of the Texas Rangers and the current Chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys and I had just spent 45 minutes on the phone together, forming what was to be a great partnership in reaching professional athletes and their families.

That was the last time I spoke to John…forever. John Webber died shortly after of our conversation Thursday morning. For all I know, our conversation might have been his last.

The eagerness in his voice didn’t sound like death was near. To the contrary, he sounded full of life. John left our conversation to work out at the YMCA, and after swimming some laps at the pool, he simply collapsed into the arms of his Savior.

The day after the Monday night event, John asked me to join former Dallas Cowboys Chad Hennings, Russell Maryland and John Gesek to share their testimonies at a luncheon in Dallas. Coming too was legendary sports announcer Pat Summerall, who would be there to share how his encounter with Jesus Christ had changed his life. But earlier tonight I found out that I needed to change my appointment on Tuesday from a luncheon to a funeral. The brevity of life overwhelms me.

His life’s work here on Earth is done…but the prize of his life’s work is only beginning. With tears in my eyes I wonder who was there in Heaven to greet John. How many lives that went before him were there because he took the time to listen and care? How many more will join him someday because he worked tirelessly to help broken people heal?

Take a moment to reflect on the brevity of life.

What’s it all for? Why are you here on this tiny blue Planet? What will it all mean when you, like John, breathe your last?

Did you provide a warm house for your family? Hard work and labor are a gift from God, but not at the expense of leading your family into the richness of a deeper knowledge and appreciation of God.

Did you fill your children’s tummies with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and get them to their soccer games on time? A caring mother is a blessing. But a mother who teaches the love of Christ to her children, leaves a legacy far beyond. Sing “Jesus Loves Me” to your children…no matter how bad it may sound.

I challenge all of us to live out the commands that God gives in Deuteronomy 6:

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Take every opportunity to share with your children and to your world about the importance and the real meaning of life. It’s so much more than who you were or what you accumulated…because in the end, none of that mattered to John. It’s about your relationship with a great God, who wants to encounter you right where you are…no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done. It’s about a God who wants to give you life worth living…not just on the other side of death, but here on Earth as well.

To borrow lyrics from the great poet Tim McGraw, “And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying and he said someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying. Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about what’d you do with it what did you do with it what did I do with it what would I do with it? Live like you were dying.”

I pray that we will embrace life for what it really is…temporary. It only took John Webber 59 years to reach his ultimate prize…looking into the eyes of his Creator to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” God only knows how many years it will take you.

Live today like it’s your last. Love today like it’s your last. Live purposefully.

They're Off to see The Wizard!

Boat Dweller

There is little risk in staying in the boat. Growth occurs outside the confines of the wood and fiberglass.

Into the waves…that’s where Jesus hangs out...amidst the waves that are so violent and cruel that they whitecap as an oceans surf.

We often think of Peter as the one who experienced the only recorded episode of wave walking. However, the Bible is full of examples of those who decided to do the unthinkable. Staring intently into the face of God, they stepped out of a perfectly buoyant boat into a sea of darkness that couldn’t possibly keep them afloat.

Imagine holding the limp body of your lifeless daughter. Faith was evident as he sought out Jesus to breathe life back into death. Welcome to the waves, Jairus.

Imagine pulling the knife from it’s’ sheath, believing with reckless abandon that God’s plan is perfect when he told you to kill your own son. Welcome to the waves, Abraham.

Imagine staring a 9 foot giant in the eyes on the battlefield with nothing more that a piece of leather and a stone. Welcome to the waves, future King David.

Jesus calls us out in faith to do radical things. Believe for the ridiculous. Claim the impossible. Pray for the preposterous. We serve a God who delights in the prayers of His children. What circumstances are calling you out of the boat and into the sea of uncertainty? Is it your marriage? Is it the test results? Is it your job?

Stepping out of the safety of the boat is the hardest part. That’s faith. You will not journey alone. Stare into the eyes of your Savior, knowing that He wouldn’t call you into the waves without an outstretched hand.