From Above!
An Online Ministry for the Men of CLF
When we venture into the world to earn a living, we all face our own unique set of challenges. As you can see, my office has a great view! But some days are more challenging than others. Long days away from home, weekly hotel stays, continuous jetlag and stress are some of the challenges we face in the travel industry. As men, sometimes our life is not aligning with our testimony...what people see on the outside is far from the feelings and emotions we are experiencing on the inside...
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Faith changes things!
" I went to America some years ago with the Captain of a steamer who was a very devoted Christian. When we were off the coast of Newfoundland he said to me, " The last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, something happened which revolutionized my life. We had George Mueller of Bristol on board. I had been on the bridge twenty-four hours and never left it. George Mueller came to me, and said, " Captain, I have come to tell you that I must be in Quebec Saturday afternoon." "It is impossible, " I said. " Very well, if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way. I have never broken an engagement in fifty-seven years. Let us go down into the chart-room and pray".
I looked at the man of God, and thought to myself, what lunatic asylum can that man have come from? I had never heard of such a thing. " Mr. Mueller," I said, "do you know how dense this fog is ?" "No," he replied, "my eye is not on the fog, but on God Who controls every circumstance of my life" He knelt down and prayed one of the simplest prayer I had ever heard. As I was then going to pray, he said, "Sir, you don't need to pray. You don't believe He will answer, and I believe He already has."
We exited the chart-room and climbed onto the bridge to find the fog completely gone. On Saturday afternoon, George Mueller was in Quebec." (author unknown)
Faith is the substance, the evidence, of things unseen...
We all have mountains to move, Goliath's to face, Red Sea's to cross, terrors to defeat, sins to battle and hate to overcome... and yes, even things as trivial as traffic to get through.
Thank God simple faith in our loving heavenly Father really does change things , or think where we would all be by now!
Cort
I looked at the man of God, and thought to myself, what lunatic asylum can that man have come from? I had never heard of such a thing. " Mr. Mueller," I said, "do you know how dense this fog is ?" "No," he replied, "my eye is not on the fog, but on God Who controls every circumstance of my life" He knelt down and prayed one of the simplest prayer I had ever heard. As I was then going to pray, he said, "Sir, you don't need to pray. You don't believe He will answer, and I believe He already has."
We exited the chart-room and climbed onto the bridge to find the fog completely gone. On Saturday afternoon, George Mueller was in Quebec." (author unknown)
Faith is the substance, the evidence, of things unseen...
We all have mountains to move, Goliath's to face, Red Sea's to cross, terrors to defeat, sins to battle and hate to overcome... and yes, even things as trivial as traffic to get through.
Thank God simple faith in our loving heavenly Father really does change things , or think where we would all be by now!
Cort
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Super long haul...
Years ago Pan Am Airways started flying across the Pacific in flying boats operated out of the nations major harbors. Flying slowly replaced the trans oceanic ship travel of the 1800's, and by the 1950's, more people crossed the Atlantic ocean by airplane than by ship. In those days that was the long haul flying of the day. Today, we see, and will see much more, 15 to 18 hour "super" long haul flying to many varied global destinations. Though these flights aren't new to air travel, they are now much more common. Two engine jets can fly longer and more economically than the older four or three engine transports.
Either way, 17 hours in an airplane is a long time. The fact is, for some people, that amount of time in a confined space can be a sort of torture. They struggle to relax and stay cool. Every bump brings up a panic response. Some have pain in their bodies and the sitting for hours is difficult. Some are traveling for vacation and are full of anticipation. Some have lost a loved one and are going to face the crisis. Some are on their way to war, some are returning. Some people are working...doing the traveling to safely deliver all those above mentioned souls to the place in the world that they need to go. All of these people have something in common for a while...they are all traveling together, no matter what their situation is, all will end up at the same destination...eventually!
God says we are all on a journey with a common destination... No one avoids death and our chosen final destiny. So how are you handling the super long haul trip? The short trips are exciting and human strength and energy seems to suffice. But when the years pass and the droning of the night goes into a new day and back to night again and your still going...and going, how's your heart for God... how's your faith for the super long haul?
Hebrews 11:40 tells us that those heroes of the faith are being held from receiving the joy of their reward in full, until we finish the race of life..." For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race."
Further...Hebrews 12:1 says " And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us."
And how?
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish"
"Think about all He endured when sinful people did such terrible things to Him, so that you don't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."
Our problem as men and women of the faith is not our willingness to fight, but recognizing the enemy. The war with our sinful nature is the long haul of faith. Don't ever give up the fight...the enemy is waiting for us to turn on each other and ourselves, but God tell us to resist the devil and he must flee! Think of Him, keep putting sin aside...and just walk on.
Blessings to you.
Cort
Either way, 17 hours in an airplane is a long time. The fact is, for some people, that amount of time in a confined space can be a sort of torture. They struggle to relax and stay cool. Every bump brings up a panic response. Some have pain in their bodies and the sitting for hours is difficult. Some are traveling for vacation and are full of anticipation. Some have lost a loved one and are going to face the crisis. Some are on their way to war, some are returning. Some people are working...doing the traveling to safely deliver all those above mentioned souls to the place in the world that they need to go. All of these people have something in common for a while...they are all traveling together, no matter what their situation is, all will end up at the same destination...eventually!
God says we are all on a journey with a common destination... No one avoids death and our chosen final destiny. So how are you handling the super long haul trip? The short trips are exciting and human strength and energy seems to suffice. But when the years pass and the droning of the night goes into a new day and back to night again and your still going...and going, how's your heart for God... how's your faith for the super long haul?
Hebrews 11:40 tells us that those heroes of the faith are being held from receiving the joy of their reward in full, until we finish the race of life..." For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race."
Further...Hebrews 12:1 says " And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us."
And how?
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish"
"Think about all He endured when sinful people did such terrible things to Him, so that you don't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."
Our problem as men and women of the faith is not our willingness to fight, but recognizing the enemy. The war with our sinful nature is the long haul of faith. Don't ever give up the fight...the enemy is waiting for us to turn on each other and ourselves, but God tell us to resist the devil and he must flee! Think of Him, keep putting sin aside...and just walk on.
Blessings to you.
Cort
