Above the Noise

It has been a rough, soul-searching sort of couple of years has it not? Tragedy struck, and the world watched. Headlines filled our newsfeeds at lightning speed - some distorted, some not. Confusion spread like wildfire and somewhere in the midst of trying to understand, speaking became shouting and shouting became blame. Words became weapons and love got a little lost. In the midst of it all, God was there. Above the noise, His still small voice spoke.

1 Corinthians 13 NIV says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."

If you were to recount those moments and ask yourself,

"how were they?" would you be satisfied?

If that is not a reminder we should all keep in our back pockets, I'm not sure what is. If you were to recount the moments you've had and ask yourself, "how were they?" would you be satisfied? Were you tender? Did pride override humility? Did you leave your encounters knowing the person you left felt cared for? Did you remember to listen? Did you seek to understand? They are hard questions, but questions worth asking, and I can tell you, I have not gotten them all right. But for today, we have breath in our lungs, which means another opportunity to try again, and gosh do we try.

Life's Storms Have a Way

of Beating us Down

Life's storms have a way of beating us down. It's hard to stand in perseverance, while tightly clinging to hope, yet hope exists. Hope is a He, and He is at the heart of everything.

HOPE is a He

John 16:33 - "I have told you these things,

so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Thank you, Jesus, that you have overcome the world. You are bigger than our problems, bigger

than our emotions, and bigger than our mistakes. Your mercies are bigger than we deserve, but they

are new every single morning.