Creation Speaks by Shawn Brown

In You, O Lord, I put my trust;Let me never be ashamed;Deliver me in Your righteousness.Bow down Your ear to me,Deliver me speedily;Be my rock of refuge,A fortress of defense to save me.For You are my rock and my fortress;Therefore, for Your name’s sake,Lead me and guide me.Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,For You are my strength.Into Your hand I commit my spirit;You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.Psalm 31:1-5 NKJV

Slow down. That's the word that sunk in on my way to work. We get hurried during the day trying to get somewhere we aren't as fast as possible. 

That's the realization I had on my way to work this morning as I tried to get ahead of the slow cars and get past the yellow lights. The Lord put on my heart, "Slow down." '

"Slow down" took on much more than "don't speed." We can get so caught up trying to get ahead that we miss what's right before us. 

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8 nkjv

When you see your lack, pray.
When you feel circumstances will never change, pray.
When you feel lost and alone, pray.
When you feel like an outsider, pray.
When you feel you can't get ahead, pray.

Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking.
When you are weak, He is strong.
He is patient, and He is kind.

And always remember what luke said, "men always ought to pray and not lost heart."

In my yard, I have daylilies growing. Each spring, they show off beautiful flowers. An interesting fact about daylilies is if left to themselves, they will never flourish as much as they should.

There on the beach, Jesus showed up and had breakfast with the disciples.

I love the story John writes about Jesus showing up on the beach. There that early morning, the disciples were worn out from toiling all night and catching nothing, and Jesus asked, "do you have anything to eat?" They answered, "No." Then Jesus instructed them to cast the net on the other side, and they listened, and their catch was great. Then John said, "It is the Lord!" God showed up, and they had an excellent breakfast. Just ask Peter.

As believers, the hope we have is not grounded in what is happening now but is anchored in him. You may be facing difficulties beyond what you care to, but in it, you have hope. It would be easy to surrender to the cold dark chamber of fear and live under a cloud of defeat. Yet in the dark moment, though you don’t feel him, he is right there with you. Oh, that God would strengthen your weary hands.

A little trail on the edge of town winds through a beautiful field teeming with life. There is much to see and experience and maybe even receive it as our own. Of course, I do not speak of a physical field in a geographic location. Perhaps this field is right outside, and you never once noticed that little trail leading into it. But today may be different, and you decide to venture off and take in the nature and abundant resources waiting for you.

I read from Ephesians 6 this morning. It was quiet. I had a good cup of coffee in hand, and the sun was fighting to make an appearance. As I sat, I thought about what Paul said regarding the work we do, we are to be sincere and to do our work as unto Christ, and when we do our work, don't do it just to be seen by man but "doing the will of God from the heart." Paul said, "whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord." Ephesians 6:6,7 Jesus said not to do your deeds to be seen by others but to do our deeds in secret and God will "reward us openly." The temptation is to do things to be seen, but the kingdom of heaven is different, much different.

How much faith do we have? When we align with the calling of Jesus, we find a better way, and I would suggest it's freeing. Jesus said that His yoke is easy and burden light. If we would give up greed, trust the Father will take care of us, and stop trying to position ourselves to be seen by men, we would be freer indeed. By the grace of God, we will. May we take His yoke upon us today. Oh Lord, change my heart.

Do you realize you have a purpose behind what you do? Each of us has something given to us by God to share with those around us.

Did you know that extraordinary people are only ordinary people who did something with the gifts and talents God gave them? As a believer, if God is dwelling in you, then you can do extraordinary things.

Are people waiting for you to show up? Showing up has nothing to do with the number of likes you get. Showing up can be as simple as giving a cup of cold water to a child.

Listen to this podcast as we discuss our calling and stepping up with what God has given you.

The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25

Life can have many difficulties. Sometimes it seems the trials never end like endless waves crashing on the shore. The Psalmist was in a difficult time and we get to look inside the mind of the Psalmist and how he handled this difficult situation.

Do we think about lovely things? Do we look for beauty everyday day, or do we only see what is broken? Do we always rejoice, and does joy fill our hearts?

In the same section of scripture, Paul writes not to be anxious but pray about all things. He says God’s peace, which surpasses understanding, will guard our hearts and minds. It is God who supplies our needs in the difficult moment.

It’s easy to spend so much time thinking about our life and trying to figure out everything. That, too, can lead to us being restless and frustrated. To be honest, we can’t figure out everything. God has plans that surpass our understanding. Spending countless hours stressing and figuring out life seems to be an exercise that is limited and lacking.

I do not think it’s wrong to plan and make goals, but we must understand “man plans his ways, but God directs his steps.”

Rather than being consumed by our plans, may we fill our minds with the things of God.

Prayer: Lord, I do want to think about that which is lovely, just and pure. I know I spend a lot of time thinking about my plans and ideas. I spend much time trying to figure out life and dwelling on the cares of life. I desire my days to be full. May I see your provision, and may I trust you. For it’s in you we “live, move and have our being.”

Do you want more peace in your life?

Do you think about lovely things? Do you look for beauty each day, or do you only see the broken things in your life? Do you rejoice always, and does my joy fill your hearts?

I know there is meaning every day; I don’t always understand what that is, but things are happening behind the scenes. Are you looking for answers to your day?

Lately, I’ve been asking what the essence of the day is. Some days do fill so full and rich, while other days feel off. I suppose even the off day lead somewhere and are part of a bigger picture I don’t see.

Off days are difficult. Don’t we all want to have days we feel focused and accomplished? Unfortunately, that does not always happen.

We are dreamers, thinkers and idea generators.

When I was in grade school, my teacher said to my mom, “Shawn’s a good kid, he’s here, but he’s not here.”

I was a daydreamer exploring imaginary worlds, running through the woods, all inside my mind.

I’m still a dreamer. I spend hours exploring ideas and dreams. Maybe that’s why I enjoy writing. Writing gives me an outlet to pull the thoughts from my head and get them on paper.

I’m wondering how I’m going to transition from that thought to what I have to say. Yes, it’s all connected.

I was flipping through my journal this morning, reflecting on a few ideas about our work, happiness, future, and our daily bread. Do I hold the future lightly, or do I tie being happy to a future outcome? The Proverb says that man plans his way, but it's God who directs his steps. 

Listen as I discuss these ideas.

I was thinking this morning about some of the ideas that I have. It’s actually a common occurrence writing in my journal and pondering those thoughts. What about you? Do you have ideas about your future?

Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7,8

The meaning of life is not something kept only for a few. It’s available for the asking. It may not always be what we think, but it’s open to us if we really desire the answers.

Don’t miss what God has for you today. You need to cast those worries on the Lord that you are carrying around in your pocket. Here’s a thought I wrote about a year ago in my journal...

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” Ephesians 4:7

This morning I read through Ephesians 4. Take a few minutes to read through the scripture and write down what stands out to you. For me, a few themes stood out to me as I read. Those themes were:

• Each believer has received grace.
• He has given spiritual gifts.
• We are called to put on the new man.
• Our faith should impact our conduct toward others.
• Our work and conduct is spiritual work.

God has given each of us spiritual gifts. Those gifts differ from one another, but the intent is to bring growth to the body of Christ. Don’t be afraid to share what God has put in you.

You can be a catalyst to change in the world around us. More than ever, we need peacemakers to step up to bring healing to our communities. Are you ready? Listen as we reflect on Luke 6:27, 28 & 6:30

“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." Luke 6:27-28

"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

Are we driven by our emotions and circumstances? How do we overcome and let the peace of God rule our hearts and not the things that happen to us? On a given day we can experience both good things and difficult things. Tune in as we discuss letting the peace of God rule our hearts and not the things that happen to us.

Do you want to experience joy? 

Right now God is with you and his heart for you is that you would experience the fullness of joy. Joy is not for a few lucky people. Joy is not for those who do everything right. It may surprise you but joy is for you today. If you aren't experiencing joy there is a good chance that something in your past or something in your future is stifling that joy. If that's the case I have good news for you. Joy is within reach today. Listen in as we discuss how you can experience joy.