Move!

Another a day, another fight
It always feels like an uphill climb
Another step, another mile the story of your life
It's harder than you ever thought
And it cost you everything you got
When your back's against the wall and you feel like giving up

Chorus:

This is only a mountain, you don't have to find your way around it
Tell it to move, it'll move
Tell it to fall, it'll fall

Jason Castro from American Idol fame, came out with this catchy little tune called Only A Mountain.  Even if you just listen to it once, the chorus will literally be stuck in your head for days. And that's a good thing because the song is derived from a scripture verse we sometimes are reluctant to put into action:

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Mathew 17:20)

So why is it that we are reluctant to use our faith and speak boldly to those mountains that are in front of us?
 Jesus has already reminded us to:

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides. (Ephesians 6:10)

When we draw near to Him we are strengthened to a greater ability and have already been given authority in His name to declare to that mountain (situation) that is before us to move. But we must by faith acknowledge that we have that power within us:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (Ephesians 3:20)

I recently did a word search through scripture on boldness and speaking with boldness and found several verses. It's sad that we forget to exercise this in our own life:

In the day when I cried out, You answered me. And made me bold with strength in my soul. (Psalm 138:3)

,in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. (Ephesians 3:12)

Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech. (2Corinthians 3:12)

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Mathew 17:20)

Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word. (Acts 4:29)

 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. (2 Cor. 7:4)

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb.4:16)

So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb.13:6)

,and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
(Philippians 1:14)

If you find yourself with a mountain in front of you that looks unmovable, no need to find your way around it; exercise your faith and tell it to move, then watch it move.

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Mathew 19:26)

I Like This!

Your sitting in the waiting room at the dentist office, staring at the fish tank that is supposed to deter you away from the fear of sitting in the dentist chair. The sound of drilling fills the air along with the occasional groan, grunt or, "Ouch!"
It is very rare that you get a feel good story from the dentist, unless you come away with no cavities, than it's an emphatic,"Yes!"
But here's a great story:

While at the dentist the other day, the same dentist I've had for 5 years now, I learned that my dentist does not charge Priests for their dental work if they have no dental insurance. And even if they do have some sort of insurance, whatever that insurance does not cover, my dentist still doesn't charge them.

 My dentist is also a great humanitarian, he and a group of dentists go to Haiti each year and provide free dental service to the people there. On one occasion my dentist said he pulled 800 teeth in one week there.

Five years ago I had a cracked tooth which led me to this dentist which is close to my job. I barely got in there because he was not accepting new patients. He is a popular dentist and I can see why. When you go there for your dental checkup your immediate impression is that everyone working there enjoys being together; kind of like family. And they express that love towards their patients making sure that they are not in any pain no matter what the procedure. They go leaps and bounds in making sure you are pain free and comfortable on your visit.

I love the fact that my dentist recognizes and doesn't take for granted the amount of success and business he draws. He understands and is grateful for his success and in return goes out to perform humanitarian acts with his skills.

Yes, I love my dentist!

Forgiveness: Sports vs. Reality

Why is it when it comes to sports that forgiveness becomes much easier than when it comes to life in general?
Perhaps it's because of one word: winning. If a player from your favorite team's arch rival ends up on your team and gives your team a better chance to win, than it happens: all is forgiven. Such a sad world we live in.

1. When Dennis Rodman was with the Detroit Pistons basketball team he was considered a bad boy because he did all the dirty work such as knocking opposing players around. He was disliked by many including his team's top rival Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, as they knocked the Bulls out of the playoffs two years in a row. So, years later when Dennis Rodman came over to the Chicago Bulls to play and help them win three more championships, all his past bullying versus the Bulls was forgiven by both players and fans.

2. First baseman Bill Buckner was famous for booting an easy ground ball that cost the Boston Red Sox a World Series Championship. The fans held a grudge against him for years, Buckner even received death threats. It wasn't until a  few years later when the Red Sox finally won a championship that they would forgive Buckner. The following  season the Red Sox invited Buckner back to throw out the first pitch and declare it Bill Buckner Day. Some fans held up banners to say they forgave him. Umm, he didn't do anything wrong in the first place! All he did was boot a ground ball in a baseball game. It was Bill Buckner who should be forgiving the fans for what they did to him and to his family with their bad sportsmanship behavior. I mean come on, death threats?
 Buckner did forgive them during a press conference after the game.

 Mathew West's latest single called Forgiveness describes the hardness of saying and acting upon that one simple word in "real life":

It's the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those that don't deserve

It's the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just to real
It takes everything you have just to say the word...

Forgiveness

Mathew West's song was written after crossing paths with a woman named Renee who lost her 20 year old daughter to a drunk driver. Renee had a lot of anger toward the man, and rightfully so, but it was affecting her healing process.

Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness

It wasn't until Renee visited the driver, Eric, in prison and forgave him that she was able to experience true freedom from the anger she harnessed inside. Not only that, but Renee asked the judge to release Eric early, so that he could join her speaking around the country on the dangers of drunk driving.

I love how Mathew West finishes his song describing how the prisoner is being set free, and that prisoner is us in our unwillingness to forgive others:

It'll clear the bitterness away
It can even set a prisoner free
There is no end to what it's power can do
So, let it go and be amazed
By what you see through eyes of grace
The prisoner that it really frees is you

Forgiveness

Until we truly learn to do the impossible and forgive others, we will never feel set free.

I Like This!

Just recently a woman was struck by lightning. When the paramedics arrived they had to resuscitate her back to life. After she came to, she told the paramedics that she was fine, but they insisted that they had to take her to the hospital for precautionary measures. She asked them that they take her to the church first; this after hearing how the paramedics had to resuscitate her back to life. They would not budge on that notion.

After  some tests were taken at the hospital and everything checked out normal and fine, the woman got her husband to take her to the church. Today, the only health issue stemming from her being struck by lightening was a bad back.

I love this woman's first response after being brought back to life of wanting to go to the church first. She was obviously eternally grateful of being given a second chance at life; and her first initial response was to acknowledge and thank God

And I believe if the same thing happened to me, I would be spending quite a few days in church thanking God for giving me a second chance too.