On Nightmares

The other night I had a bad dream. It was probably the worst dream I've had in a long time. Why, you might ask?

I had a dream that I was getting chased by Michael Jackson.

No kidding. It was terrible. For some reason, I was in my old neighborhood in Thomaston (where I grew up), and I remember running down the street because Michael Jackson was chasing me.

I don't remember too much else about the dream (unfortunately). As I woke up, though, I was petrified. Who wouldn't be if Michael Jackson was chasing them down the street?

I really wish I had Joseph's abilities to interpret dreams. Perhaps God was telling me that I'm in danger. Or maybe I am running away from my problems. Perhaps I'm having an identity crisis....Who knows.

This I do know, however: I have no reason to be afraid in this world. My identity does not rest here. My faith does not rest here. My hope does not rest here. My security does not rest here. My joy does not rest here. My future does not rest here.

Why? My identity is in Christ. My faith, hope, security, joy, and future are in Christ. And last time I read Scripture, I remember Jesus saying that though we might have trouble in this world, we can have the peace of Christ because "neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39).

It doesn't matter what happens here. I could lose my health, my wealth (or lack of it...), my home, my family, my friends, my job, or even my life, but these things cannot separate me from Christ. I am secure in him.

I don't even have to worry about deranged psychopaths chasing me down the street, no matter how ugly they might be....

P.S. I'd love to hear your dream interpretations for this one.

On God's Provision

As many of you know, we had a BBQ fundraiser on Saturday to raise money for our youth to go to IMPACT this summer. If you read last week's posts, you might remember that I was struggling with having the faith that God was in control and would give us what we needed.

Well, he did.

We sold all 350 plates and even had to turn people away at the end. With donations and some extra dessert sales, we ended up making over $1600 for our youth ministry. Praise the Lord! Now our kids will be able to afford to go to camp this summer. I'm super excited.

The funny thing about all this is that before the BBQ officially started that day, I knew it was going to be a good day. We needed to sell about 150 plates from people just stopping by the church and buying--not including pre-sold tickets. Before 11 a.m. (when we started), we had already sold over 20 plates. Go figure.

As the day unfolded and we had a successful day, I praised the Lord for his provision. He knew our needs all along. As much as I thought I was in control, God truly was in charge. I was not, and he showed me that very quickly.

I still hate doing fundraisers. I'll be honest. However, I know that through a variety of means, God gives us what we need when we need it. We have to keep in mind, though, that just because we want something, it doesn't necessarily mean that God wants it for us too. His ways are higher than our own, and we must trust his will.

As one of my friends reminded me the other day, whether God gives us what we think we need or not, it is our responsibility to praise him nevertheless. After all, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

May I never again doubt his provision.

Psalm Saturday: Psalm 17

Psalm 17

Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!

You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who surround me.

They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
They have now surrounded our steps;
they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion lurking in ambush.

Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O LORD,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
____________________

What a beautiful picture of love.

Earlier in this Psalm, David describes how the Lord views him as the apple of his eye. David is God's prized possession, the thing for which God's heart beats and longs for. God comforts him and hides him in his presence as a mother does with her young.

But the men around David are trying to pry him from that place. They tempt him with things and an earthly lifestyle.

So many people in this world get wooed away from the Lord by earthly things. We get distracted by stuff. We fill our "wombs with treasure." We are satisfied with friends and family. We long to be successful and well-off enough to leave a nice inheritance for our posterity. While none of these things are inherently evil, I believe they rob us of the complete satisfaction that can be found in Christ.

David exhibits this satisfaction in the last line of this Psalm. Nothing else matters to David except seeing the face of God. He longs for this moment. Every time he opens his eyes he longs to see the face of the Lord, and every day makes him want that more.

When was the last time you desired God that much? When was the last time you sought him to that degree? If you're like me, you've lost a little of that love. You do not reciprocate the feeling of being the apple of God's eye.

Let us return to our first love and desire him above all things. He alone can satisfy.

On Students and No Faith (Vol. 2 of me having no faith)

First of all, thank you all for the encouragement with the BBQ. I am trusting that the Lord will provide all that we need tomorrow. He is the Lord, and he is sovereign (even if we don't sell all of our tickets). With that being said, please stop by East Vernon and get a BBQ plate if you're in town!

But of enough of that.

Wednesday night at church was phenomenal. Absolutely wonderful. One of my youth accepted Christ as Lord and Savior during our youth discipleship time! I'm so excited for her. Let's just say that she was not very receptive to things when she first starting coming to church a few weeks ago. She could care less about worship, Bible study, or anything else. The only reason she came was because some of my students kept inviting her. But the Holy Spirit has truly been working in her heart lately, and she surrendered to Christ Wednesday night. Praise the Lord for his unfailing love!

On top of that, we had several breakthrough conversations with some of our students. Some guys that haven't really talked much have started talking. Our small groups are really clicking and getting along well. Relationships are being formed between students and leaders alike. It's truly been awesome. There is no other explanation than the work of the Holy Spirit.

As we celebrated the moving of the Lord Wednesday night after church, the Lord really floored me, a couple of my students, and my leaders with this thought: why don't we expect the same results every week?

I am ashamed to tell you that there are many weeks when I don't expect the Spirit to move in the hearts of my students like it did Wednesday night. Although I would tell you that I wanted God to move and would pray those exact words, I had no faith. There were many students who would walk in the door to youth that night, and I lacked the faith to believe that God could break through their hardened hearts. And now that that has happened, I act surprised that God actually did what we wanted him to do all along.

I was once just like the worst of my kids--lost, hopeless, careless about what the Lord wanted for me, disobedient, wicked in my ways, arrogant, selfish, full of lust, and full of malice. But when the kindness of my Lord and Savior appeared to me, he broke my heart and gave me a new one and gave me an inheritance as his son through Jesus Christ.

Woe be me if I ever deny that same grace to anyone else. Woe be me if I ever fail to believe that the Holy Spirit is not capable of working in the hardest of hearts. Woe be me if I ever cease to preach the Gospel of Jesus faithfully and effectively to the people under my charge. Woe be me if I do not lift up my students in prayer, asking that the Spirit break their hearts. Woe be me if I consider any student a lost cause, a person beyond redemption, because I was once that person too.

Thank you, Lord, for what you do. Thank you for being much bigger than my puny faith. Help me to continue to trust in you. May you alone be glorified for what is done in the hearts of my students.

On BBQ Tickets and No Faith

**I know this post is quite lengthy, but I'm making up for not posting the last few days. :) Please read the whole thing. I'd love to know what you think.**

We're having a BBQ fundraiser this Saturday at the church to raise money for our youth to go to camp this summer (and this is free advertisement!....not really. It's more of me spilling my heart).

Let me begin by saying that, like most youth ministers, I really hate fundraisers! However, we have a lot of low-income students whom we're trying to send to IMPACT in June, and we just don't have the money to provide all of their ways. Our church is small, and while they can provide a few scholarships for some of our poorest kids, they just don't have the money to fund all of our students.

So, we're selling BBQ.

It's a lot of work trying to sell a bunch of BBQ tickets, particularly the way the economy is now. Businesses just aren't as willing to let go of a few dollars to give away this year. We're still getting some individual sales, but overall, we're having a lot more difficulty selling tickets this year than we did last year. For instance, last year we sold about 60 tickets at a couple of car dealerships. This year, we've sold 1. 1 ticket. Talk about frustrating!

I've been doing a lot of wrestling with God on several issues throughout this whole fundraiser deal. First of all, should we even do a fundraiser? I hate going around begging people for money. Part of me feels like we're not trusting God to provide for our needs. I don't know. I don't necessarily think that fundraisers are wrong. I've seen God bless fundraisers immensely and provide for them in ways that only he could receive the glory. I just don't know if we should have done one right now.

I was reading a story the other day about a man who had been doing ministry for over 60 years, and every time they needed money, all he did was post a note on their bulletin board about it, and their staff would pray about it until the need was met. Part of me thinks that's foolish, but most of me thinks that's true faith. Why don't I believe like that?

Aside from wrestling with that question, I've been doubting a lot that we will sell the 350 plates that we've committed to buying from the BBQ company. Without the car dealerships and big businesses buying, we're losing a lot of our big-ticket places. Things are really going to have to step up this week, or we're going to be stuck with a whole lot of BBQ and very little money raised.

As I think about all of this, I realize that my faith is very week. First of all, I doubted that God would provide for our needs and felt compelled to do a fundraiser (although you might disagree with me here....I'd love your feedback). Secondly, and more importantly, I have a hard time believing that we're going to sell 350 plates of BBQ. Right now, I've only got cash-in-hand for less than half of that, and the BBQ is this Saturday!

I admit that I'm struggling with trusting in God to provide for us.

I'll finish with this thought: I was reading yesterday about Gideon. If you're familiar with the story (Judges 6-8), you'll note that from a worldly standpoint, Gideon had no chance of defeating a vast army with only 300 men. God had taken away the majority of his numerical strength, and there was NO WAY Gideon could win the battle. It was too big of a task for him and his men.

But God provided, so that the LORD could be glorified.

I'm not saying this BBQ fundraiser is our battle against the Midianites, but we sure are in a similar situation. Our numbers aren't adding up to be successful right now, and for this thing to work, we're going to need the LORD to step in and provide for us, not so we can boast, but so that the LORD may be glorified and our students be brought closer to him.

May we have faith to trust in his provision.

Day of Thanks, 03.15.09

This week, I am thankful for:

1. Family: My family came into town this weekend. Amy had to play the piano for a scholarship audition at the college, so they all came up to visit. It was great seeing them all. Plus, we got to hang out with my brother and his wife the whole weekend, so for the first time in a very long time, the whole family was together for a few days. Plus, Mama's birthday is tomorrow, so that made it all the more fun. Thank you, God, for my family. Thanks for allowing them to come up and visit this weekend. Thanks for giving them safe travel here and back home. Thank you for their love and for the encouragement that they bring me.

2. Small group leaders: I'm very thankful for my volunteers that help me out at church. Without Robby, Krystle, and Mrs. Nancy, I'd really have a hard time effectively discipling my students. They all do a wonderful job and are always there to lend a helping hand. My volunteers always give me their time and full support in all that we do. I couldn't do my job without them. Thank you, God, for all the people that help me out in the youth group. Thank you for my small group leaders. Thank you for their willingness to serve and the hard work that they put in for the kingdom.

3. Working out: I started working out this week with Robby. It's the first time I've ever really gotten into the whole weights thing, but I'm giving it a shot. I've been ridiculously sore the past few days, but it's felt kind of good to be sore. I hope that we're able to keep it up. I enjoy the activity, but I also enjoy the fellowship. Thank you, God, for letting me be able to work out. Thanks for giving me the physical capacity to do so. Thank you for Robby, our friendship, and his accountability. I pray that you help us to keep this commitment.

4. East Asia itinerary: I got some details regarding our East Asia trip the other day. We got our plane tickets. I got my passport. I'm ready to go! The trip is 2 1/2 months away, but I'm still excited. I'm ready to see what God has in store for us over there, and I can't wait to serve him overseas. At the same time, certain anxieties are already starting to creep inside my head....Thank you, God, for the East Asia mission trip. Thank you again for the opportunity to go. May you continue to pave the way and provide for us to go. Please ease my fears about the trip, and help me to trust in you and your sovereignty.

5. Rain: The rain has been very peaceful these past couple of days. Not to mention the fact that it waters the earth (and knocks all the pollen off the trees...). I always have enjoyed rainy weather. Thank you, God, for the rain. Thank you for giving us what we truly need. Thank you for your grace, which falls down on us like the rain outside. Thank you for your mercy toward us.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.

On Being Worth It

If you have kept up with my blogging life at all, then you've heard me discuss my computer woes. It seems as though my computer is slowly dying. First it was the LCD, then it was the fan, then it was the LCD again, then it was my adapters, and now it's my power jack.

The power jack on the back of the computer is broken, and I cannot power my computer. As of right now, I have about an hour left of juice in my battery--just enough to go and save all my stuff and transfer it to my work computer before I can't get to it.

Now you're probably sitting there (especially if you are computer savvy) saying, "Just get it repaired." I've considered it. I've looked around for pricing, and most people charge $100 to $150 to repair the power jack. It doesn't sound like a lot of money, but when you're computer is 4 1/2 years old, you just get tired of putting money into it.

So here's my dilemma. Do I just man up and pay the money to fix a computer on which something else will probably break in the near future? Or do I forsake the computer, sell it for parts, and go without a laptop for awhile until I can afford a new computer? Decisions, decisions.

Sitting here in this position makes me think about how God views us. He invests a lot in us, pouring love and compassion into our lives, ultimately sacrificing his Son for our sakes. Instead of faithfully serving him though, we fail time and time again. We just keep on breaking. But God, in his faithfulness, keeps fixing us. He keeps forgiving and keeps on loving.

If I was God, I would stop investing in people. We just aren't faithful. We're not dependable. We're destined to break. However, God counts us as being completely worth it. He never gives up on us. He sees us with compassion and unyielding love and wants us to love him in return. He is truly good.

Too bad I don't see my computer that way.

On the Changing of Clocks

Yesterday marked the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, and consequently, everyone turned their clocks ahead as we all spring forward one hour.

As cheery as this sounds, usually everyone is a little grumpy about the time change. Ever since yesterday morning, all I seem to hear are complaints about how people aren't adapting well to the time change. They can't go to bed at night. They can't get up in the morning. They don't like how it's so dark early in the morning now.

As it turns out, the biological clock doesn't change as easily as the clock hanging from the wall. Our bodies just don't adapt well to change.

Unfortunately, our spirits are often the same way. We get settled into daily or weekly routines, and we just don't like to break them. Whenever we think about change or hear the dreaded words "We've never done this before, but...." we automatically start freaking out.

Change is very healthy, though, I think. We are reminded that the Apostle Paul became "all things to all people, so that by all means he might save some." I don't think Paul fulfilled this description by refusing to change. On the contrary, it appears that Paul did a lot of changing in an effort to better reach people.

I don't necessarily think we should change just for the sake of change; however, change for the sake of better following the two greatest commandments of loving the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and loving our neighbors as our selves is very warranted.

One thing does not change, though, and that is the Gospel. We should never water it down, try to spruce it up, or twist it so that it is more palatteable. The Gospel never changes. It is always sharp, always humbling, always free, always relevant, and always true. We, however, are none of those things, and as such, we must change sometimes to better present the Gospel.

Refusing to turn your clocks ahead one hour would be a really foolish thing to do. The rest of the world would just move on without you, and you'd be an hour behind.

Likewise, if we refuse to change spiritually, we become just as disconnected.

Day of Thanks, 03.08.09

This week, I am thankful for:

1. Travis preaching: Travis preached tonight at church. It was his first sermon, and he did a great job. I was really proud of him and am glad that he had the opportunity. I'm hoping that he'll continue to get some experience and continue preaching the Word. It was really encouraging. Thank you, God, for Travis being able to preach tonight. Thanks for giving him a message, and thanks for giving him peace. Thanks for an encouraging congregation for him during his first sermon.

2. BCM: BCM was really good Thursday night. We spent the evening discussing prayer, and at the end, we spent a good deal of time praying for each other and for the school. It was a really encouraging night for everyone. Thank you, God, for BCM. Thanks for Cory and his leadership. Thanks for hearing our prayers when we don't even deserve to talk to you. Thank you for encouraging brothers with which to pray.

3. Snow day: We got the day off from work Monday because of all the snow that we had last Sunday. So, I got to sleep in for a little while, and I got to take the day and catch up on a few things. It was really nice. Thank you, God, for the day off. Thank you for the opportunity to take a small rest. Thanks for letting me catch up on some things.

4. East Asia details: I found out the other day that we're going to be going to an UNREACHED AREA in East Asia! I'm so excited. We're going to be teaching English at a local elementary school for a couple of weeks, then we're going to be doing some ministry in the city. I'm really, really excited. Thank you, God, for the opportunity to go to East Asia. Thank you for continuing to work out the details for the trip. I can't wait to go.

5. Forgiveness: God's love is so amazing. I truly do not deserve it. I was reminded of that a lot this week. God reached out to us when we weren't even interested in him. We did not merit salvation. It is a free gift, a gift I did not deserve. Yet, God still loves me, even when I stray. Even when I am a prodigal son, he welcomes me with open arms. Thank you, God, for that. Thank you for your unfailing love.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.

Psalm Saturday: Psalm 16

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you."

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
____________________

One thing comes to mind when reading this Psalm: peace.

If anyone had reason to fear or be shaken, it was David. He was a king who faced many problems throughout his tenure as the leader of Israel. In addition to the usual warfare, economic strife, and political turmoil that most rulers faced, David was victim to several personal attacks against his life and an attempted usurpation of power by his own son. He had every reason in the world to fear and to doubt, but he didn't.

David found assurance in the Lord. Indeed, David said that through the Lord, things had fallen into place wonderfully, and he was confident of a "beautiful inheritance." Things may not be the easiest at the moment, but David's trust in the Lord never faltered.

I think there is an important lesson here for us. Although we may not face the easiest circumstances in life, we can have eternal hope in the Lord. There is security there that cannot be found anywhere else. Althought it might be tempting to go and live a life of sin and temporary pleasure, David reminds us here that those things do not last. While that lifestyle might be temporarily gratifying, the sorrows of that lifestyle will quickly multiply.

Instead, we need to keep the Lord always before us. This serves a dual purpose: the Lord guides us and he encourages us. Paul reminds us of this fact as he exhorts the church in the book of Philippians to "keep your eyes of Christ Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." In the same book, Paul tells us that when we do this, our present troubles will fade away, and we will be given a "peace that passes all understanding."

That is complete joy, not temporary pleasure. That is eternal good.

That is a satisfied and abundant life that God offers to each of us.

On the Pursuit

Last night I was talking with a couple of my friends/fellow youth workers, reminiscing a little bit about past relationships. As we discussed former girlfriends/boyfriends (one of these people was a girl), we exchanged a lot of stories and a lot of laughs.

As I thought about some of those things, it got me thinking about how we act toward people in whom we are interested. If you're like me, whenever you find someone that you're attracted to, you do everything you can to be with or around that person. You try to associate with them as much as possible in an effort to further your relationship.

It is a pursuit. You are chasing the person that you adore.

Our relationship with God is much the same way. It should be a pursuit, a constant longing for God which results in following hard after him.


I was talking to a new friend today about one of my favorite books, A.W. Tozer's "Pursuit of God." I love the image that Tozer describes in this book of desperately longing for the Lord, not just wandering aimlessly in your faith.

When you pursue something, you chase after it relentlessly, almost like a hunter chasing its prey, or a police officer chasing after a fugitive. It is non-stop. When a cop chases the fugitive, he doesn't spend five minutes chasing him and then wait for the next day to roll around so he can spend five more minutes chasing him again.

So why do we do this with God?

Yes, the pursuit can get wearisome. Yes, we can feel tired or unsure of what is going on. But if we are truly pursuing God, we will do whatever it takes to get as close to him as possible. We don't seek glory, we don't seek riches, we don't seek popularity.

We seek God.

And when we drop everything we have to chase after the God that gave up everything for us, we begin to better know and understand him.

That is the pursuit.

On Being Willing

I love how the Lord speaks to us through music. I don't usually write a lot about songs or lyrics, but I experienced the Lord through a song today, and I'd like to share the experience with you.

I've been wrestling a lot lately with being willing to go wherever God wants me to go, doing whatever he wants me to do, and not only going and doing it, but being joyful in it.

I was driving down the road thinking about such things, when this song by Ross King came on my iPod. It was truly a message from God.

Like many times, whenever a song comes on that I know fairly well, I start singing. I am unashamed of the fact that I sing in the car. However, I often sing without really understanding what I'm saying (sound familiar?). Then I started listening to these words:

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

I was singing this, but was I really praying it? Was this what I meant?

And I realized that my answer, unlike the song says, was "No." I wasn't willing to go wherever God wanted or do whatever he asked of me. I'm too busy preparing things the way that I want. I'm unwilling to drop what I'm currently doing to seek the will of the Lord elsewhere.

I don't want to be like that anymore. I want my answer to be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord." I want to go wherever he calls me. I want to be willing, and I want to be joyful, even in the midst of giving up my current circumstances.

I'll leave you with the lyrics to "Whatever You Ask" by Ross King. May they encourage you like they encouraged me today.
____________________

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

The fields are ripe for harvest
Few workers can be found
But you're worth more than this life is
So I'll gladly lay mine down

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

Your glory, Lord, compels me
And causes me to rise
I'll follow where you lead me
Even if it costs my life

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

It's your life
It's your life
It's not my life anymore

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

On Snow

It snowed this weekend, as I'm sure everyone is aware.

It was really awesome, playing around in the snow, throwing snowballs at my brother, building a snowman (and a snow-cat), and watching the cats play around in the snow. I even had the opportunity to help a person in a stranded vehicle out in front of the house.

One of the things that struck me most about the snowy Sunday was the sheer beauty of it all. The snow fell so heavily and so quickly, it was amazing. It covered everything in white, blanketing the entire city. It was pretty awesome.

As I looked at the snow (and played around in it), I was reminded of God's love towards us. David tells us in Psalm 51 that though our sins might be as red as scarlet, God's love washes us as white as snow. And like the snow outside, it completely covers us. There is no trace of what was there before. Our sins are erased by the love of God.

However, there is one difference between the snow and God's love. Today, the snow is all but gone. There are only a few remnants of it on the shady sides of some rooftops, but that's about it. With God, though, his love never disappears. It never melts. It never fades.

His love endures forever.

His forgiveness endures forever, too. It will never go away, leaving us vulnerable to our sins. Our old nature will never be seen by him again. Sure, we can sin and run away from him, but his love for us will never wear off. He removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.

Praise the Lord.

Too bad the snow isn't the same way.