Think Big!

And that's just what we did! My publisher and I just went to Book Expo America (May 18th to the 21st) in Washington, DC and had conversations about the book, the industry, and most of all how God works with us through the challenges we face in life.

I know its a theme I keep bringing up - because WE NEED IT! You may not be in charge of the circumstance, but you are ALWAYS in charge of the response. What will you choose to live for? There's really only two choices when it comes right down to it - there's God and there's us. Jesus said: "If you love Me, keep My Commandments." Now there's a mission statement you can hang your hat on. And what is a summary statment of those commandments, on which hangs "all the Law and the Prophets?"

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ...And love your neighbor as yourself."

There you have it. The keys to the kingdom. The key to true happiness, fulfillment, and peace. If you're feeling lonely, isolated, depressed, or fearful - our Lord Jesus Christ has an answer for you. An answer that works. An answer that seeks to break that pattern of disillusionment, filling the voids in our life with something spiritually real and lasting.

Its useful to ask yourself when you go through times like this what you think the point of religion is. When you're worshiping, what are you worshipping for? When you're praying, what are you praying for? These are good questions, but in the end, the better way to phrase them is: "What are you living for." All worship is "of life." All prayer is "of life." Any true spiritual devotion is "of life." So humble yourself before God, sure. Pray to God, sure. But we live from God and for God - so it all better be leading you that direction.

Micah summed this up beautifully: "He has shown you, o man, what is good. What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love what is merciful, and to walk humbly with your God." (6:8)

Start walking. Why are you depressed and lonely - because YOU are not the center of the universe, and once you can put a bead on the source of your sadness, you might discover the reason is YOU. Our Lord didn't create you to sustain yourself alone - He asks you to care for yourself so that you can care for others. Its the same reason God created us - to love us - and He's looking for ROI. That's what heaven is: its full of people who layed down their life for their friends.

Be Encouraged. God is larger than any temporary struggle, whose care extends far beyond life in this world. "Let him who wishes to be eternally happy know and believe that he will live after death. Let him think of this and keep it in mind, for it is the truth" (AC 8939). You're preparing for an eternity that depends on your ability to forge relationships right now! Take it, and you're doing your part to ensure heaven will descend.

Lift your head up. Almighty God is being glorified through every act of selflessness, even as He - the Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life for His friends, that we might be freed to choose Him again. Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. ...A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:31-35 NIV)

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, God of the universe, be with you all!