Life is Good on the Ark

Joseph’s faith became a kind of Ark , a place of safety for his family, when a seven-year famine hit Egypt and the surrounding areas. Joseph’s faith in God never changed despite the many difficulties he went through, difficulties which might have caused a less courageous, less determined person to fall away from God. But Joseph’s firm faith paid off when God finally placed him in the high position of “prime minister” over Egypt . In this role, the faith-filled Joseph was able to ensure the survival of the Egyptian people and also preserve the lives of his own father and brothers and their families. I’ve learned many life-changing lessons from Joseph’s faith. FIRST : When God gives you a dream, hold onto it! D on’t let anyone talk you out of the blessings God has planned for you. Even if it takes a long time, know that God’s timing is perfect, and you will receive every good thing God promised you. Joseph was only 17 when his brothers sold him into slavery. He was carted off

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen.”  Hebrews 11:1 New Living Translation (NLT) Tyndale The Prodigal Son’s father had faith. The dad was ready and waiting when his son came home; he trusted God to bring the young man back safely. “…And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 (NLT) Joseph, too, had the God Kind of Faith. Joseph was imprisoned in Egypt for years, having committed no crime! Yet, he did not stop believing that God cared and had a glorious future planned for him. Though still a prisoner, Joseph was willing to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and to give God the glory for it: “It is beyond my power to do this. But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” Genesis 41:16 (NLT) Joseph held onto his faith despite his difficulties. Soon, God made him ruler over all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh! What is faith? Here’s my

Lessons from Bill Murray’s “Stripes” They say laughter’s good for the soul. True. I watched Bill Murray last night in the movie “Stripes” and still have a smile on my face. (John Candy’s in it, too–double-fun!) Murray decides the Army is his ticket to the Good Life. But, he quickly finds out Army life is harder than T.V. ads would have you believe. When a new recruit can’t climb up the rope ladder, his sergeant hollers: “Even WOMEN can do this!” I laughed till I cried, watching Bill Murray (playing the role of John Winger) trying to get the benefits while avoiding the punishments of Army life: 10 mile runs at 5 am; hand-scrubbing garbage cans; doing 50 push-ups in the rain. More than once, John considers going AWOL. He would have, too, except it’s a federal offense and he’d be even worse off. Finishing Basic Training/Boot Camp feels like the worst thing he’s ever had to face in his life. I’ve been going through God’s Boot Camp making some major lifestyle changes. At first I threw

More and more I'm seeing this life on earth as “School.” Maybe God's Ark is a floating university! I’m going to need to re-take some courses there I've already taken. Currently, I'm learning to look for God’s Perspective and to practice not making a mountain out of a molehill. When a loved one and I experience a misunderstanding, it's just that. Not a catastrophic event. Misunderstandings do not mean the relationship is over or my life is ending. A misunderstanding, or a mis-communication, can happen for any number of reasons. For example, maybe one—or both of you—is hypersensitive, or even overstressed at the moment. You may have read something into someone else's comment that was not intended. They could say, "I'm working on organizing my finances." You could interpret that to imply you are being financially irresponsible! If I'm feeling stressed or depressed for other reasons, my "radio receiver" may not be accepting clear mess

My dear friend, Larry, a courageous man of God, recently went to be with our Lord. Larry, I can almost hear your voice now, like a cry in the wilderness. Everyone you met, you pleaded with to turn to Jesus Christ, “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Your strong faith in a wonderful and generous Creator-Father reminded me of what’s truly important—trusting our lives to Him. I remembered, too, to daily thank God for my two awesome children, my gifts from God. Your unwavering trust in God’s goodness renewed my own faith when it was faltering. You’ve never been afraid to speak your faith or stand up for what you believe. I remember the night my son said: “Larry gave me pamphlets to read on the Creation, and I’m going to read them!” Whether you were talking to a friend, a new acquaintance or the President of the United States, your testimony remained the same. I remember the glow on your face and your shining eyes when you showed me your replica of Noa

One important lesson I'm learning by studying Noah and the Ark: Everything happens in God's time. Impatience on our part is futile. God is in charge of the whole operation. When we finally acknowledge that and begin to cooperate with God's Plan, doing whatever part is ours to do, good things begin to happen. It all flows. When I began to write this, the Eastern Seaboard of the United States was being deluged with non-stop rain from the effects of a hurricane. Even today, the news is filled with heart-breaking stories of human suffering. Yet, I believe there is cause for hope. I believe our Creator will soon end the rain and dry the land. Good things are coming!

Love-in-action might mean building an Ark... Noah's setting out to build the Ark strikes me as a great act of love. He did it to obey God's command. I'm sure there were many hot days when he would rather have been doing something else besides hammering nails into wood or packing up supplies or organizing animals. But, something kept Noah going. And, I am so glad! Noah knew this secret: once God gives you a direction you'll be the most happy if you follow it.  In Noah's case, it saved his life. It also saved the lives of his loved ones...and those of us who came after!

I expect Noah needed to do lots of cleaning-up during that one year living on the Ark with up to 45,000 animals!

Recently I read the story in John 13 where Jesus showed love in action—by washing the disciples’ feet. He said (paraphrased): “I insist you love each other and show it by action.” These days foot-washing is not normal procedure when a friend comes to visit. However, there are many different and wonderful ways to express your genuine love for someone. Love-in-action could mean that I allow my loved ones freedom. I respect their choices without criticizing, when it’s not what I would do. When they don’t seem to need me as much as I need them, I try hard not to act hurt and angry. Instead, I try to understand what they are going through. I try to put myself in their place. Maybe there’s something I don’t know (and, there ALWAYS IS). I ask myself: "If I were that person, how would I possibly be feeling?" It’s like foot-washing. You may feel “one-down” and humbled when you care about someone and they don’t seem to return that same degree of love. The human reaction is to g

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark. One: Don't miss the boat. Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat. Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. Six: Build your future on high ground. Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs. Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. Nine: When you're stressed, float a while. Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow coming. ~~~~~ PS--The woodpecker might have to go!