When thinking about what God wants to give you, it may be that we get things backwards.

God is the giver of all good and perfect gifts. He’s the source of everything. He’s the “uncaused cause” – nothing exists apart from Him. Nothing will come your way unless He sends or allows it.

Some days, I wonder if I have a grasp on this praying thing.

I’ve used all sorts of “formulas” to make my prayer life vibrant and intimate. I’ve been taught to hit all my marks. I’m supposed to have certain elements of prayer. You know – adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Praise. Confess sins. Be grateful. Pray for others. Pray for myself.

Know what? All these are critically important. You don’t want to camp out on just one component – your prayers shouldn’t be all me-centered, for example.

Which brings me back to my original thought – what is it that God wants to give you? Are there certain steps I need to take in order for Him to grasp what it is that I want and need?

You’ll have to determine for yourself what kind of prayer life you desire.

I’m so scared of my time alone with God becoming rote or routine. It needs to be authentic.

So if you’re of a mind to pray, the question is – is it about you or Him?

If you’ve prayed for something today, I can’t tell you what He’ll give you. That’s His call, and it’s one I can’t counsel Him on, if you catch my drift.

But He will give.

There’s one thing I can assure you that He’ll give you: He’ll give you Himself.

That’s a staggering thought.

Here’s what God loves to do: He loves to pour Himself into you. Problem is, we can’t sit still long enough to receive it.

And – and this is huge – when He pours Himself into you, it isn’t always pleasant or easy.

When God grips you, when He wants to give you His nature, there’s a significant change that He offers.

The reality is this, and it’s something you might not have prayed for.

You will weep over your sin and disobedience.

I can attest to this. There have been times when I’ve approached God in prayer, expecting just a sweet little devotional time. You know, that little boost to start my day.

And then – BOOM! Ka-POW! My quiet time is anything but quiet. Figuratively, it’s like God has wrestled me to the ground, straddled my chest, poked His holy finger in my face and said, “Tony? C’mon. Are you kidding me? How can you tolerate the crap in your life?” (I don’t know if God would say “crap,” but you get the idea.)

That’ll break ya.

And that’s what God wants to give you. He wants to give you Himself so that you’ll understand just what it is in your life that keeps Him from being Lord.

You don’t make Jesus Lord. He already is. We just need to acknowledge that.

Bottom line? You’ll have no peace until you’ve done the wise thing.

What God wants to give you may be far removed from what you wanted. And that’s okay. Actually, it’s a necessity.

So. Pray without ceasing. Present your requests to God. As it pleases Him, He may answer your prayers in a way that satisfies what you asked for.

But no matter what His answer on those specific prayers, whether they be for you or someone else, know this:

You’ve got all of Him. He just wants all of you.

Have you ever been guilty of putting God in a box?

Before you rise up in ire at me, let me explain.

All my life – and I mean all my life – I’ve tended to go to extremes when thinking about God and relating to Him.

For me, He can be a God of extremes. He’s either the God of all comfort, or the God of white-hot rage. Same coin, two sides, I’d reason.

That is putting God in a box. It’s a subtle form of idolatry – it’s like I’m forcing Him (at least in my head) to be something He may or may not be.

In that context, there may have been times when I presumed to tell God how He ought to handle me. If I was experiencing joy and grace, I’d say, “Oh, God, I don’t deserve this. I haven’t earned this. How can you be so gracious to such a worm as I?”

Conversely, I might say in times of heartache and sorrow, “God, you need to lay off me. In football, I’d call this ‘piling on.’ You need to cut me some slack.”

Neither one of these sentiments is exactly wrong. But it does smack of trying to put God in a box. If He’s in a box, then it’s easy enough to examine Him. He’s limited, right?

There is a subtle danger in trying to “figure out” God. Certainly He revealed Himself in Jesus, and that should be sufficient. Still, we sometimes want answers, and we want them on our terms, in a way that suits us.

As always, I’m not discrediting the primal cry prayer of “why?” I’m all about being honest and transparent with the Almighty (as if He didn’t know my heart already.) What I’m getting at is just for us to understand and accept that about the time you think you have it all figured out, and have God in a box, He’s fixin’ to bust the box.

There are some pretty significant implications here for all of us. Those implications should give you lots of hope and encouragement.

We tend to put God in one of two boxes, which I’ve already hinted at. He is either all-loving, approving of whatever we do (mutant grace – more on that in a minute); or He’s all-judging, condemning us for the way we live our lives.

So …

• He is all-loving, and He delights in forgiveness. That’s grace. But mutant grace is when we take His nature for granted. Yes, if you’re a believer, you are forgiven. Forgiven of all your sins – past, present, future. But we are not to exploit that. That particular box will be blown to smithereens, because even though you’re forgiven, He won’t tolerate known, willful sin.
• God has subtle ways to correct us and bring us back into a right relationship with Him. Okay … sometimes He isn’t so subtle. Grace is free, but it’s not cheap. Point is, He’s going to do whatever He needs to in order to conform you to the image of Jesus. Hold on tight.
• Conversely, if you check out the other box, it’s not airtight either. He is a God of rage – He hates sin in all its manifestations. He won’t tolerate it. But – and this is a big but – He is so, so patient. He gives us plenty of plenty of chances to live a life that honors Him. He’s not some cosmic potentate demanding His pound of flesh.

What are the implications of this for you personally? What happens when you insist in trying to put God in a box?

• Think about the times when you expected God to act a certain way and He didn’t. How did that make you feel?
• His ways are not your ways. Neither are His thoughts your thoughts.
• He always, always, always has His best interests in mind, not yours. He doesn’t exist to please you.
• HOWEVER – He loves you unspeakably lots, and all that He does in and through and with you is in the context of that love.
• I promise – God is a God of surprises. He will always act according to His nature, and He will always bring glory to Himself. The surprise comes when we think we have it all figured out, and He shows us a part of His nature we weren’t expecting. That, actually, is pretty cool.

So forget trying to put God in a box. It won’t work.

God does not lower His standards to accommodate us, but instead He extends to us the nail-scarred hand of forgiveness to raise us up to His level of righteousness.

O be joyful.

“Thank God.” You ever said that?

Typically, it’s in response to something good that has happened, something you’re grateful for. That is a right and proper response. Being grateful is a lovely state.

I’ve said that numerous times. Last year, I had the amazing privilege of being part of a “prayer boot camp,” a sort of training retreat. The name describes it perfectly. The only real requests the disciples made of Jesus was, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Well, most of what I participated in was being taught to pray. Good, good stuff. I was and am grateful for the experience.

Here’s the danger, though. We can’t imply that God is good only during good times.

Isn’t that our default position? We acknowledge the goodness of God when things are going our way, whatever that means. (The kinda scary implication is that we thank God when we think He’s served us in a fashion that pleases us.) See how dangerous that might be?

It’s that weird performance mentality, y’know? We think that God is blessing us because of our proper thoughts and deeds. We’ve done what we were supposed to do. We’ve read our Bible, we’ve prayed, we’ve encouraged others. We’ve served Him consistently. We’ve given sacrificially. And when our mojo is really working, we may have even talked about our faith with someone who doesn’t have a personal relationship with God. After doing all that, after being such a good Christian, isn’t God obligated to give us reason to feel good?

Conversely, when someone is facing trials or suffering, don’t we think it’s because they’ve done something wrong? Or, personally, when we are hurting, isn’t it God punishing us because we haven’t done the things we were supposed to do … or we’ve done things we shouldn’t have?

We need to be careful here. There is a law of sowing and reaping in the universe … in secular terms, we get back out of life in exact proportion to what we put in. This is true in our relationship with God, too. Sow extravagantly, reap extravagantly. Sow little, reap little.

However – if we aren’t careful, we’ll use this principle as a tool to serve ourselves. It’s like we try to cut a deal with God. We say, “Hey, God. I’ve done the stuff. Don’t You owe me a blessing now? Don’t You think You ought to give me a reason to be thankful?”

It doesn’t work that way. In some fashion, our relationship with God is asymmetrical. There’s no way we can possibly love Him as much as He loved us first. We can respond to that love, but in the flesh we can’t match it.

It’s like this: Praising God can’t be built on the quality of our circumstances. Rather, our praise and gratitude is centered on the God of those circumstances, however good or bad those circumstances may be. This is a challenging and uncomfortable truth.

Basing your gratitude on a situation is a sure-fire way to end up bitter and disillusioned with God. You don’t want that, now do you?

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This blog’s tagline includes the phrase, “Be encouraged.” I latched onto that thought early on, when I was determining just exactly what I wanted to communicate to folks who were simply discouraged. I know full well that most of our lives are centered in the thought, “It’s all about me.” That isn’t exactly a bad thing unless taken to an unhealthy degree. If you aren’t encouraged personally, it’s hard to be an encourager to someone else.

So, moving out of the realm of being a self-centered clod, thinking the world owes you something (it doesn’t), let’s suppose that we’ve reached a place that we can consider what kind of difference we can make in the life of someone else.

I have an odd aspiration – I’d love, when I meet and interact with people, for them to leave our time together thinking that getting to visit with me was the high point of their day. I hope you don’t interpret that as me being cocky, arrogant, or self-serving. I simply want to be a bright spot in a dark place. I can do that best by being an encourager. What does that look like?

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe said, “Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” I like that. In my dealings with students, my default attitude is “I need to straighten you out.” But a more appropriate attitude might be, “Let me come alongside you and prop you up.”

What does that look like? Here are three possible reasons you are called to be an encourager.

1. Your encouragement might be just the thing to keep someone else going. We’ve all had the experience of being in a total funk. You forlornly think, “No one understands me. I don’t even understand myself.” I know, right? So, providentially, your path crosses someone else’s. You may or may not know what demons they’re wrestling with. I’m not a believer in coincidences, and I believe that God engineers what may seem like random encounters. You don’t have to swoop down on someone and with a quiver in your voice, say “I care about you.” That can be sort of creepy. Rather, just exercise what I call “the gift of presence.” Just being there communicates your care and concern. If it’s appropriate, you might ask “How are you really doing?” And MEAN it. You can’t fake empathy. Then listen – really listen. Don’t stand there rehearsing what you want to say when they aren’t talking. You might just be a life preserver for someone one day.
2. God is a God of encouragement. You are made in His image. Get it? Romans 15:5 fits here: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.” It doesn’t take too much of a leap to realize that you can be an encourager because God is an endless source for all you need. Your role is simply to mirror what He’s done for you. Imagine that – you can be a little piece of Jesus. If you’re a believer, that’s part of your calling.
3. You have the advantage of seeing things others might not … you can offer hope because you see reason to be hopeful. This may seem tricky, because you may not be in the best of places yourself right now. But latch onto this: The world you now see is not the world that will always be. Here’s a sobering yet encouraging thought: For the non-Christian, this world is as good as it ever gets. But for the Christian, this is as bad as it’ll ever be. It may be tempting to look at the darkness all around and be bleakly discouraged. I’d encourage you to remember that the end is in sight and the best is yet to come. That should encourage you personally, and you can in like manner encourage those around you.

I hope this helps you think deeply about your purpose in life. Being an encourager is part of your purpose. Don’t forget that. You got this. You can be encouraged by being an encourager yourself.

What is success, anyway? Volumes have been written on this,
and the definition of success is oh-so subjective. Your success criteria and
mine might be in two different places.

Still, I’d like to tackle this one. As always, this is the
gospel according to Tony, and you might think you know better. That’s entirely
possible, and I’m at peace with you about that.

Foundationally, I’d say that unless you think you’re a
success it doesn’t matter what the world thinks of you. For instance, you can
be a gazillionaire and the world thinks you’re amazing. Yet your soul is barren
and your relationships are wretched. See what I mean? Success has to be an
internal thing if it’s to have any meaning to you. I love this quote from
Thoreau: “A man is rich in the proportion of things he can let alone.” So as we
ponder success, remember that I ain’t necessarily talking about finances.
(Although, I’d say that anyone who says that money isn’t important will lie
about other things, too.)

So what are some factors to consider?

1. Purpose.
   I’m all about goals – goal setting and goal achieving. Maybe one day I’ll post
   a bibliography of helpful books and resources. In the meantime, just latch onto
   this: You’re always moving toward some kind of goal, either by purpose or default.
   Live will mean something if you’re going somewhere purposeful and of your
   choosing. Habakkuk 2:3 says, “For still
   the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end – it will not lie.
   If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

• Consistency.
  If you’re remotely aware of how baseball works, you know that a batting average
  of .500 is pretty much a walk-on-water statistic. That means that half the time
  you’re batting, you get a hit, and, conversely, you miss just as many. Stated
  differently, you fail just as much as you succeed. If you’re successful, then
  count on having plenty of moments of failure. Wrap your head around this:
  you’re gonna screw up. But rather than burning energy worrying about what you
  did or didn’t do, how about using that energy on learning from what happened,
  sucking out whatever lessons you can, and moving on? It’s a matter of being
  consistent and not beating yourself up. Perseverance, in other words. How about
  this? “For the righteous falls seven times
  seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” –
  Proverbs 24:16.

• Cost.
  Hey, guess what. There is no success for free. There are no shortcuts or
  work-arounds. I mean, what good is there in being successful if there wasn’t
  real effort to achieve it? It’s that old thing about how lottery winners tend
  to squander their gains because they didn’t have to work to get them. It needs
  to be hard, and God help us and others in our culture of entitlement. No one
  owes you squat. I can’t cite where I heard this, but I recall that a Steinway
  concert grand piano has 243 strings that exert a pull of 40,000 pounds on an
  iron frame. Music comes from tension, in other words. Isn’t that good? “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans
  will be established.” – Proverbs 16:3.

• Being
  pleased. This isn’t an original thought with me, but … success may be won
  with tears but it must be crowned with laughter. Hey, if success doesn’t please
  you and give you satisfaction, then it really isn’t success, now is it?
  Ultimately, you are the only one who can know what gives you pleasure in
  accomplishment. You sort of have to not give a rip about what anyone else
  thinks. If you’re pleased, poop on ‘em. What do they know? So be satisfied and
  don’t apologize. That means … you may be an abject failure in the eyes of the
  world, but if you’re content because you’ve reached a meaningful personal goal,
  good for you. Psalm 37:4 is a good one here: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
  Note it’s YOUR heart and no one else’s!

• Spiritual
  faith. All this talk of success ultimately has to be grounded in belief. We
  Americans have been taught to be individualistic, to pull ourselves up by our
  own bootstraps, be self-made men or women, ad infinitum. As a Christian,
  however, I yield to the connectedness that comes from being part of a purpose
  bigger than myself. In my naïve worldview, I just can’t see how I could feel
  successful without acknowledging the Author of my purpose. This, it seems, is
  the great leveler. Someone might be a successful yard man and another be a
  successful oil company executive. Both of these can be honorable positions in
  life, provided that those individuals feel that they’re successful in what they
  do, although they are separated by a huge financial gulf. But their spiritual
  faith – faith in God – could be exactly the same and just as meaningful. Different
  thread, common tapestry! The key, I suppose, is to courageously be yourself.

Persephone supervising Sisyphus in the Underworld, Attica black-figure amphora (vase), c. 530 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen

It’s hard to think of trials as being welcome parts of your life. We’d all like to experience smooth sailing, right? Or, to mix metaphors, wouldn’t you like to be able to avoid the inevitable roadblocks that come as we traverse life?

The sad truth is that many of us let our circumstances rule our happiness. You know the drill:

• Your family isn’t getting along.
• You’re getting your butt chewed at work.
• You are in a relationship that is rapidly headed south.
• You face a nasty health issue, either with yourself or someone you love.
• You’re in a funk and can’t figure out why.

And so forth. You can make your own list. You find yourself on an emotional roller coaster, unable to find joy or peace because life has turned sour.

So. Let me share two roadblocks on your road to joy, and some potential ways to remove them. Then I’ll pass along a couple of parts of a battle plan.

1. Hiding your hurts behind a fake smile. This is a tricky one, because no one wants to keep company with someone who’s face radiates sorrow. On the other hand, no one likes a phony. The balance comes when you are able to grieve appropriately when hurt comes. It can be healthy to tell loved ones what you’re feeling. It’s all about authenticity. You can be a very private person, and think that expressing hurt is a sign of weakness, but it’s just keeping it real. In Romans 9 the apostle Paul said, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” That’s some pretty raw stuff there, and he felt secure enough to let others know. Again, be sensitive and discreet, but it may just be that you being real can be an encouragement to someone else in the same place.
2. Never feeling down. Give yourself permission to have a bad day! It isn’t necessarily a sign of weakness to have those days. I’m not sure of the science and physiology of this – Google it if this gives you a buzz – but I’m thinking that there are natural biorhythms in each of us that contribute to how we feel. Think about the natural ebb and flow in nature – summer yields to fall. The tide comes in, the tide goes out. The sun rises, the sun sets. And so forth. It seems reasonable to believe that we are subject to those same rhythms and seasons.

Jesus wept. So if Jesus wept openly, then we shouldn’t be afraid to express our sorrow. But it’s one thing to express emotions, and quite another to be ruled by them.

That’s a couple of roadblocks. But if we want to master our circumstances and experience joy, we need to think about trading all the “stuff” – sorrow, pain, betrayal, etc., for a deep peace and joy.

If you want that quality of life, however, there has to be preparation for battle. (Thought it would be easy, did ya?) Here are two strategic components of a plan:

1. Don’t get caught off guard. This should be self-evident. For some reason – I don’t know if its because we are Christians and feel privileged (and we are indeed blessed) – we subconsciously assume life will be perpetually grand. We look at grief, disappointment, and sorrow as unwelcome intruders. Well, guess what, pilgrim – that’s part of what we signed on for when we were born. As a believer in Christ, I gotta tell ya – somewhere along the way, I was shown a false picture of the Christian life. I had times of letdown (okay, full disclosure – sometimes I still feel let down). But it was the perception of the Christian life, not Jesus Himself, that let me down.
2. Prevent unnecessary troubles. I won’t spend as much time on this one, but it’s simple: There is enough grief in the world. Why make things worse by bringing it on yourself? I mean … if you expose yourself to sin, if you visit that website, if you hang out with losers, if you have a rebellious spirit, if you watch that show on HBO or Netflix, if you drink yourself into stupid, don’t go whining, asking “Why me, Lord?” God’s been at His job a long time, and if He warns us against certain behaviors or mindsets, it’s because He knows what self-destruction is. He wants to save you a lot of grief.

The apostle Peter wrote the following, in 1 Peter 4:12 – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you …”. He wrote this, scholars believe, during the persecution of Christians by Nero around 64 AD. Rumor was that Nero burned Rome to the ground and blamed Christians. Christians were arrested, tortured, and murdered. They were dressed in animal hides and torn up by dogs. Others were crucified. Others were doused in tar, hung on poles, and set on fire to illuminate Roman streets. So – why should we think our lives should be easy?

Living for Jesus doesn’t insulate us from hard times. We need to learn that so we don’t fold when hard times hit.

There’s plenty more to say; maybe I will later. For now, though, just know this: no matter how far you’ve traveled away from that road to joy, God still loves you and wants you back.

This is for Christians, and it’s long.

Those of us who are baby boomers are living in, uh, interesting days. Bob Dylan nailed it when, decades ago, he wrote “the times, they are a-changin’.” We of a certain age were alive when Sputnik was launched, and when man walked on the moon; we remember where we were when Kennedy was assassinated; and in later years, we remember Viet Nam, Nixon’s resignation after Watergate, the Berlin Wall coming down … we may even remember Woodstock and the 60’s. Those were days of extraordinary social and political upheaval. We see the world differently because of those days.

Now we are in a period of social change that I believe, subjectively, dwarfs what went on in previous decades. It seems that what was once good is now evil; what was virtuous is now a lie; and what were once the moral pillars of our society are crumbling. It seems that change is upon us daily, and it is not change for the better. It seems we’re balanced on a knife’s edge – one haphazard move and we slip off into the Abyss as a country.

As believers, we watch centuries of the best of biblical scholarship and Christian orthodoxy become twisted to fit unholy agendas. We see double standards at work in the media, where Christians are maligned but other religious groups are accommodated and embraced in the name of political correctness.

My response to all this is a profound sense of loss. Sometimes I think about the plight of Native Americans in our country when the Europeans came. I’m not going to debate the why’s of their often terrible treatment – what’s done is done. But consider: here are these indigenous people, living their lives without intrusion, when others come and stake claims on their lands. Before long, wars break out. The mindset among many newcomers toward the Indians was “We’re more enlightened, more educated, more cultured than you are. We know what’s best for you. And through the reach of our government, we are going to see to it that you comply with our laws and mandates. Cooperate, and all will go well for you. If you choose not to cooperate, there will be penalties.” These newcomers were persuaded they were on the right side of history.

This may be a tortured analogy, and certainly it would be naïve to compare what American Christians are facing these days to what American Indians were subjected to. But I think about those native peoples who had their lives turned upside down. I’m sure they felt extraordinary loss because their way of life had been wrested from them. It appears that American Christians are losing their way of life too – not in dramatic ways (we aren’t being persecuted as other believers in the Middle East are, for instance), but in the most subtle and subversive of ways. We’re being told “We’re more enlightened, more educated, more cultured than you are. We know what’s best for you. And through the reach of our government, we are going to see to it that you comply with our laws and mandates. Cooperate, and all will go well for you. If you choose not to cooperate, there will be penalties.” There are many in government and in society who feel they’re on the right side of history, too.

However, think about this: for the Christian, this is as bad as it will ever get. But for the non-believer, this is as good as it’s ever going to be.

I’m not advocating retiring from humanity, climbing a mountain, and waiting in solitude for the End of Days. I would suggest, though, that we be mindful of the truth that this is not our home. We are pilgrims here. Exiles. We are, by birthright, out of step and out of synch with the culture. If we conform to the changes around us, then we can’t be salt and light to the culture. At the same time, if we don’t engage the culture, then the salt remains in the shaker and the light stays under a basket. We have to adapt as missionaries, but we also have to confront wickedness.

The challenge is plain. The world won’t love us for the stand we take. We have to embrace the biblical combination of conviction in God’s truth and compassion for His creation. We don’t do that by standing off at a distance and hollering. We love others, even those who hold views contrary to ours and might even want us silenced. We see the world as perverse, abnormal, and destructive – and we must be willing to lay down our lives in love for those who are citizens of that world. Christ Himself personified this. His example is our call.

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Tony Martin here. Several months ago I started this blog. Since then there have been some, uh, significant changes in my life.

In June of 2018 I suffered a nasty concussion. At first it wasn’t too big of a deal – my eye swelled shut, I had stitches, but it all seemed pretty routine. CT scans and x-rays showed no head or brain damage, but I did have three broken ribs.

About a week after the injury, I started getting headaches on the opposite side of my head from the impact site. Overnight I developed a sensitivity to light and sound. There were some cognitive issues – it’s like my brain was shrouded in fog. Worst of all was the deepest, darkest emotional funk you can imagine. Anxiety, depression, and what I characterized as “a sense of impending doom” became realities. It was/is perfectly awful.

After another round of scans and x-rays, my internist – whom I love much – told me I had post-concussion syndrome. No, I’d never heard of it either. All my symptoms were textbook. The cure? Time. I was to be patient. It would “take time.” (I’ve heard that “take time” phrase so many times that I’m afraid the next time I hear it I’m gonna punch someone in the throat.) He also put me on a killer combo of depression/anxiety meds. Apparently PCS victims are prone to suicidal thoughts. Praise God that hasn’t been an issue.

Since then, I’ve been to a chiropractor, I’ve tried acupuncture (which was actually pretty fun, but it didn’t really help), and talked to a counselor. All well and good. I’ve also been to a neurologist, and that’s been very encouraging. I’d had a migraine headache 24/7 – that was taking its toll – but again, she’s tinkered and experimented with several drugs and danged if the headache is only maybe 8/7. It’s not constant, and when it comes it hits with a vengeance, but it’s so much more manageable. Next week I’m seeing a neuropsychologist. I’m turning into a professional patient. Lordy.

This incident – which has come in many ways to define my life – comes on the heels of the darndest year ever. Our house flooded and had to basically be gutted; we were displaced for seven months. I had surgery for two benign parathyroid tumors that were messing with my head. I was diagnosed with cancer – renal cell carcinoma. The upside of that one was that the doc went in, got the tumor and a piece of kidney, and I was good to go with no chemo or radiation or any of those nasty things. And our beloved ancient Boston terrier, Teddy, went to doggie heaven.

Why am I sharing all this?

Simple. My story is your story.

We all deal with challenges, do we not? Life is full of joy and heartache in equal measure. Everyone faces something.

Many people respond to life with despair, or at least a sense of hopelessness. Well, I am here to stand before you and declare that hopelessness is not an option. Hence, this blog.

My admittedly lofty goal is to give you hope. By God’s grace, I will encourage you. I’ll give you the best I have with this blog, which will be updated twice weekly (maybe three times a week if my mojo’s working.) I promise to be positive and affirming. The blog is bedrock of what I feel I’m compelled to do.

In days to come – and I don’t want to share a timetable with you quite yet, although I do have one – I will offer you some practical tools that will help you banish hopelessness from your life. No kidding. For the time, though, consider these as “coming soon.”

Stick around. God’s good. Let’s experience His goodness together.

http://www.joemckeever.com

More good stuff!