Faith At Work

"So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.'" ~ Matthew 21:21

Last weekend, I saw the power of faith at work first hand.

During the delivery of my son, my wife was in labor for just over 20 hours. Things were going well until the pain started getting too intense for her. Her contractions were coming rapidly, but weren’t strong enough to push our 8 pounds, 11 ounce baby down the birth canal. The doctors were sure that they would have to do a C-section.

Then, faith stepped in. I texted my family and they started praying. They sent the word out to other family and friends, and they started praying too. After just under an hour, we got word back from the doctor that despite her certainty that Michele would have to undergo a C-section, her contractions were now strong enough to deliver naturally. The doctor said she couldn’t even explain it.

If that’s not God at work, I don’t know what is.

God bless,
J.W.

Walk On Water (Part I)

“’Lord, if it's you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’ ~ Matthew 14:28-31

When Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water, it didn’t require any skill, talent, or ability.

Rather, all it required was faith – faith in the one who created Him.

Likewise, we, too, can accomplish amazing, death-defying feats.

But first we must believe.

God bless,
J.W.

The Rope

Click the link below to read the story about the mountain climber and his rope... It's very thought provoking.

http://www.ticz.com/homes/users/bob/The-Rope/The-Rope.htm

Just Fine

Just thought I'd share with you an e-mail that was forwarded to me. It reminds us that: 1) God is always in control, 2) no matter what we're going through, things could always be a lot worse, and 3) the problems we complain about really aren't as big as we make them out to be. Hope you enjoy!

God bless,
J

Read the caption on the first photo, then look at the second photo.

Look at the picture above. The driver of the white pickup truck broke through the guardrail to the right (right where the people are standing on the road and pointing. The pick-up was traveling from right to left when it crashed through the guardrail. It flipped end-over-end, across the culvert outlet, and landed right side up on the left side of the culvert, facing the opposite direction from which he was traveling.

Now look at the 2nd picture below...

If this guy didn't believe in God before, do you suppose he believes now?

Where You At?

“When we dwell on the past, we tend to want to live there. When we dream of the future, we want to go there.”

I ran across this phrase in reading an article on the importance of faith in the time of grief. It is attributed to author Erwin Raphael McManus, a Pastor and leader of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles. While the author of the article originally used this quote to emphasize the importance of moving forward in times of grief, the second part of the quote is what struck me in particular – “when we dream of the future, we want to go there.”

Over the course of the last few years since I’ve gained a personal relationship with Christ, my mom and I have often compared and contrasted the advantages and disadvantages of the ways in which God deals with us differently. My mom is very much an implementer (that’s why I hired her as VP of Business Operations for J’Nointed). Once she is given an objective, she’s very good at implementing a strategy step-by-step until the job is done; but without the objective, she is rendered ineffective and unsure of exactly what direction to go in. So God tests her by simply leading her step-by-step to the end goal without telling her the objective in the beginning. Often times, she won’t know the objective until the very end of the mission.

I, on the other hand, am very much a visionary; so I am told the goal up front, before the mission even begins. And so, like the quote says, I dream of the future and want to go there. Most of the times, what I forget, though, is that God is showing me the future, not the present, and thus, what I see will only be accomplished in the future, not the present. So God, in turn, tests my faith by showing me the end goal, but hiding the step-by-step process to get to that goal from me. My test than comes in having to trust that somehow, someway, God will eventually bring that which He’s shown me to fruition.

Of the two, I’m not really sure which scenario is easier to handle. But I do know that God wants us to trust Him and has a way of bringing us to a place where we totally surrender will to His will. So, whether you’re like my mom and wondering where God is taking you, or like me, and wondering when God is going to do what He said he would, know that everything you go through is simply preparation for where you are headed.

God bless,
J.W.

Under My Umbrella

What happens when your dream becomes a nightmare? When the thing you wanted the most is taken away from you? When reaching your goals seems near, and then is snatched away from you, just like that? What happens to your faith, your spirit, your will to go on, when the thing God has promised you is in your sights, but just doesn't turn out to be what you thought it would?

Answer: You learn to trust in Jesus. You learn that your ways are not always His ways. You learn that no matter what, God is concerned and He's working things out for you.

Make no mistake about it: if God said it, then He'll do what He said He would do. It may not happen the way in which YOU planned it. But we have to learn to let go, and let God; to take our hands off of the steering wheel and let Him drive.

As I write, I'm reminded of the story about the man stuck on top of his roof in the middle of a flood. Three times, rescuers passed by with boats, ready to take the man into safety, and three times, the man refused the help, saying "God promised He would come by and save me. I don't need your help!" When the man died in the flood, and he got to Heaven, he asked God, "why didn't you come and rescue me?!!" Perplexed, God replied, "I did, three times, but each time you refused my help!"

The moral of the story is, God may not come when (and how) you want Him, but He's always right on time! Trust Him and he shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

God bless,

J.W.

I Believe

This past Sunday, Michele and I went to the Broadway Theater in the heart of Manhattan to see "The Color Purple" starring American Idol winner and J Records recording artist Fantasia Barrino. It was a very entertaining show, and to anyone who loves the theater, Fantasia, and/or "The Color Purple," or if anyone just wants to see a good show, I would strongly recommend that you see this musical.

However, in the week leading up to the show, I had mixed emotions about the play. First of all, Fantasia is one of my favorite singers, if not THE favorite, so I couldn't wait to see her live and in person. Secondly, however, I am not a very big fan of theater, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like it. On top of all of that, while I had seen the film version of "The Color Purple" before, I didn't really remember too much about the story except that Danny Glover, Whoopie Goldberg, and Oprah starred in it.

Well, after seeing the Broadway version of the story, I've come to realize exactly how inspiring, uplifting, and spiritual the story really is. While it is about a lesbian, domestic violence, and adultery, it's also about the resiliency of the human spirit to rise above life's trials. It's also about the importance of self-dignity, self-worth, and self-respect. But more importantly, it's about hope and faith in something greater than ourselves.

Throughout the musical, we watch as Celie, the main character, whose physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by both her father and her husband, struggles to find her faith in God. At the beginning of the story, Celie prays constantly to God. She prays for her children, who have been taken away from her by her father. She prays for her sister, who aspires to be a schoolteacher. And she prays for herself, that God might deliver her out of her situation.

However, over time, as the situations and people in her life continually beat her down, Celie loses faith in God, who she believes would not allow her to go through what she's been through if He really cared for her. "God ain't never did nothing for me," Celie exclaims, as every thing and every one that she's ever really loved is taken away from her, including her children, her sister, and later, her lover, Shug Avery.

But, by the end of the play, God has restored everything that Celie has lost and given her so much more. Celie finally comes to realize that God purposely allowed those hardships to take place in her life so that she might become a better person, that she might see beauty in herself even though people call her ugly, and lastly, that she might believe that she can have God's best for her life despite her situation.

And that, I think, is a message that we should apply to our lives as well, that no matter what our circumstances are, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we can have God's best for our lives if we just keep believing. So, if you haven't seen the play already, please see it. It will inspire, uplift, and motivate you to keep believing in yourself and in God.

Many blessings,
J.W.