Daring to be Restless

“The Lord is my fort where I can enter and be safe; no one can follow me in and slay me. He is a rugged mountain where I hide; he is my Savior, a rock where none can reach me, and a tower of safety. He is my shield.  He is like the strong horn of a mighty fighting bull .” Psalm 18:2, Living Bible Drama, spectacle, bold colors, life and death artistry … There is something stunning and simultaneously frightening about the ancient tradition of bullfighting, something about its playful interaction with danger that creates a delicious thrill for the audiences it draws.  In its home countries of Spain and Portugal, nearly one million people attend these events every year, anxious to see who will conquer the bull with the greatest flair or be injured trying. [1]   To be honest with you, I have yet to fully understand all the intricacies of the sport or its appeal to spectators, yet whenever I read Psalm 18:2, I think of bullfighting.  Our God is like the horn of a mighty fighting bull. W

“But [Jesus] turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” -           Matthew 16:23, KJV Imagine the look of hurt in Peter’s eyes, the one who has been affectionately called “The Rock” by His Master for nearly three years now, the look of confusion and frustration and pain as the man he considered one of his best friends, His Lord and Savior, called him “Satan.”   Peter had been zealous for the cause, excitedly following Christ where no others dared to tread – and now, just a short time before he would “lose” Him to death, Jesus calls him a devil?   Rebukes him harshly in front of the other disciples?   What was going on here?   Perhaps the meaning is more clear when we read the verses before it.   Jesus, in verse 21, tells the disciples that He will go to Jerusalem, suffer cruel injustices, be brutally murdered, and on the third day, He will come back to life.   Bu

Thoughts on Tommy Newberry's book and my own personal battle this week ... Joy is the infectious and uncontainable fruit of divinely inspired growth.   It’s a deeply entrenched, unshakable belief, the result of sustained right thinking and dwelling on the nature and character of God.   Joy is an outward sign of inward faith in the promises of God .   It is a way of acting, and it is evidence of spiritual maturity.   Joy is not a distant destination at which you arrive; rather, it’s a path you choose to travel each day. – Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principle , page 6 Billboards are great advertisements.   They’re bright-colored, often times dramatically well lit in the dark, revive our attention span as we drive, and let us know where to find what we’re looking for on the path ahead – whether it be a gas station, a restaurant, or somewhere to stop for the night and catch up on some sleep.   And, according to this statement by Tommy Newberry, that is what our joy is.   It is the ou