A couple friends of mine just had babies recently. I saw their pictures on Facebook. Beautiful little bundles of joy. And at Christmas time it’s such a beautiful thing.

Babies are completely helpless. Totally dependent on their caretakers for everything. They have no say in where they will sleep. They have to input on what they eat. They cannot choose their friends or family.

Jesus was a baby once. He was completely helpless. Totally dependent on Mary and Joseph for everything. While everyone was yearning for a king, they got a baby. Interesting.

The next time you find yourself in a helpless situation, remember this one thing: Jesus, your only true Source of strength, knows what helpless is like. He knows what it is to be totally dependent. For those experiencing loss instead of gain this Christmas, remember how everyone 2000 years ago was expecting a king and got a baby instead? Your strength will come from unlikely places. He was despised and rejected, yet He became the savior of the world.

Celebrate the Source of helpless strength.

Hope means I have options. Mercies are new. Manna is new. Energy abounds. It’s a wide open world full of possibilities. There is no limit to the things God can do through me.

Despair means I have little to no options. Energy is used up. Fatigue has the remote and watches whatever it wants to watch. I’m stuck. I’m in a rut. It’s miserable.

I’ll take Hope. Thank you.

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Have you been enjoying the posts on Serving Strong lately? Want them to come directly to you?

You can live under the circumstances.

Complain how others mistreat you. Fuss about the economy. Blame others for how unhappy you are. Not good.

You can live above the circumstances.

Make the most with what you’ve got. Turn lemons into lemonade. Grin and bear it. Better.

Or you can CREATE your circumstances.

Wake up with an abundance mentality. Lay your burdens down at Jesus’ feet and leave them there. Take responsibility for your demeanor. Seek to make someone else’s life better for having come in contact with you. Best.

How did you create your circumstances so far this week?

Are you serving God to make Him happy with you?

Are you serving so that one day you’ll earn your way into heaven for eternity?

Do you REALLY believe that unconditional love of God that you preach to your people?

Watch this video and follow along with the lyrics and see if it defines what’s really going on in your heart today.

Eyes closed in a veil of tears when I hear the sound
Once more you have come to me – You have calmed me down
You still the raging sea inside of me
My Lord has come for me
Why-why is it so hard for me to see
Why is it so hard to just believe
Show me what it means to be free

The only thing I need I already have
The fullness of Your mercy in my hand
The only One who loves me as I´m
The only thing I need I already have

My heart – a companion to my wounded soul
Again You comfort me-You take control
You quell the fear that owns too much of me
As it was meant to be

So why-when each & every word becomes a war
When there isn´thing I can see worth fighting for
You come into my heart & set me free

Chorus

You are all I need-already have it
All I need-already have it
All I need-already have it
All I need-already have it

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“If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one yar ago today.” E. Joseph Cossman

“Do not worry about your life…” Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 6.25

Life is dumping a lot to worry about these days. Wisconsin debates over union collective bargaining. Revolts in Egypt and now Tripoli. Massive layoffs. Housing values that have burst. Earthquakes. Floods. Sickness. Tsunami. Gasoline prices. Low giving by church members. A diagnosis. Cost of milk and eggs and meat. Healthcare uncertainty, tax law changes, interpersonal conflict…

Worry Sucks - Worship Sustains

Look at the laundry list of concerns above. Every one of them (every.one) represents a proposition; a fork in the road. One path leads to despair. The other leads to hope. The path to despair begins with worry. The path to hope begins with worship. At the fork in the road, what path do you normally choose? It’s an either/or proposition. You cannot take both paths and win.

You Lead Where You’ve Been

In your ministry leadership, you influence. Setting an example is part of the leadership mix. So I want to ask you, what path are YOU choosing at the point of the proposition? Are you worrying about your finances? The church’s growth?… Or are you choosing to worship God for who He is – plain and simple? Your followers are watching, make no mistake. Think of it this way: Every proposition for worry is an opportunity to show hope. When you show hope, you serve strong.

What is feeding your hope today?

pol sifter

Peter  

He raged. Powerful. Spewing murderous threats. He hated the church. He frequently stammered in the drunkenness of his enormous influence. BANG! A flash of light. A thunderous voice. A grand introduction to be sure. And now he lay in the dark of blindness. Caught in his betrayal. Bitter remorse.  

Paul  

She sat. Crying. In a garden with no desire to plant or weed or harvest. She meets two angels and bumps into a gardener. Her Lord. Oh, her Lord has been stolen. Who would steal a body? She pleads with the gardener, “Would you tell me where you have taken Him?”  She stood in the dark of the morning hour. Caught in her faithlessness. Bitter confusion.  

Mary  

However, their darkest defeat became their brightest beginning. For Peter, a change of heart and a church against even hell will never overcome. For Paul, a change of direction and an author whose writing encourages hundreds of thousands even today. For Mary, a change of perspective and the privilege of being the first evangelist to tell others about seeing the risen Lord.

Ministry been getting to you lately? Feel like you’re out of gas but still have miles to go? Yeah, I know. It happens to everyone. Ministry is tough. But because of God alone…  

There will always be hope…….