It happened on a hike in New Mexico…
23 May 2012 3 Comments
in Rod Tags: Albuquerque, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, God, Grace, Hiking, Kenya, Michigan, Moral Failure, New Mexico, Orphanage
It happened on a hike in the mountains of New Mexico, the very first time we met after connecting on loveandseek.com. Rose had invited me to come to Albuquerque for the 2004 International Balloon Fiesta. I lived in Michigan at the time -1613.3 miles away. A “safe” distance, we thought. No chance of anything “happening” other than meeting a new friend.
Rose took me hiking in the mountains, and it was on one of those hikes I encountered the grace of God in the form of woman. As we were descending the mountain, I told her my story of moral failure, and my eventual spiritual healing. I was totally unprepared for the response I got from her as she stopped on the trail, turned and embraced me, and told me she saw a man transformed by the grace of God. She says that’s when she first fell in love with me…in the midst of my “mess confession!” Imagine that!
A few weeks after our first encounter I traveled to Kenya to deliver medical supplies to an orphanage. When I arrived back in Detroit, Rose met me at the airport, and we enjoyed our second “date.” A few weeks later Rose and I were married in New Mexico—the 3rd time we met. We recently celebrated our 7th anniversary.
There’s something about the grace of our Lord that creates a bond that is beyond our ability to explain. For Rose and me, our personal stories are a living illustration of God’s amazing grace–and our love story is the Divine punch line!
When Life Throws us…Parkinson’s
22 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Fred's challenge... Tags: Brain Chemicals, Conditions and Diseases, Emotions, Faith, God, Health, Neurological Disorders, Parkinson's
My younger brother Fred was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It’s devastating news…the kind of news we dread. He had noticed he was having difficulty gripping things, and he occasionally stumbled. Apparently he’s had the disease for a long time; the doctor told him his loss of smell many years ago was probably an early indicater.
I think we all imagine what it would be like to be diagnosed with a debilitating disease. I know I have. When we hear about it happening to someone else, we wonder how we would react under the same circumstances.
Parkinson’s attacks the place in the brain that produces a chemical called dopamine. Our brain relys on chemicals to function the way it is designed to function. Without dopamine, things begin to change, both physically and emotionally. Nerve cells use dopamine to help control muscle movement. Without it, a person experiences tremors and stiffness.
Dopamine also plays an integral part in our emotional state by affecting the reward center in the brain. Most of us do what we do–to some degree–in order to experience some sense of satisfaction…or reward. We enjoy the feeling that follows our accomplishments.
And to some extent, we all rely on our feelings–or emotions–to validate our “okayness.” Without emotional validation, we tend to doubt what we “know” to be true. Spiritually speaking, we have inadvertently tied our faith to our feelings. No one knows this better than a person with Parkinson’s, or with some other condition that affects the production of certain brain chemicals.
How well are we equipped to handle “feelingless faith?” Are we able to press on in our faithfulness, even when it no longer seems to make sense–from our perspective. Can we continue to trust the heart of our Father?
I invite you to share your experience. We help others best when we allow God to use our story to spur one another on in the truth.
My heart is heavy for my brother. We are asking God to lead us in this journey. We need His perspective, because our own perspective doesn’t sustain us through these times. Kinda weird I suppose, but I also believe we will all learn some important lessons as we travel this road together.
When Fred comes to you mind, will you please pray for him–and for others you may know who are also struggling–that the peace of God will saturate his entire being in a way that boggles his dopamine-challenged brain!
This guy is OBSESSED with the Cross…
21 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Authentic Life by Rod Tags: Christ Obsession
Spiritual Blood Transfusion ~ HOPE!
21 May 2012 3 Comments
in Authentic Life by Rod Tags: Blood transfusion, Hope, Jesus Christ, John Piper, Religion and Spirituality
“This confident (or living) hope gives us the encouragement and enablement we need for daily living. It does not put us in a rocking chair where we complacently await the return of Jesus Christ. Instead, it puts us in the marketplace, on the battlefield, where we keep on going when the burdens are heavy and the battles are hard. Hope is not a sedative; it is a shot of adrenaline, a spiritual blood transfusion.” ~ Pastor John Piper
God Interlock…
20 May 2012 2 Comments
in Authentic Life by Rod Tags: Abundant Life, Bible, Christianity, God, Interlock
What if we had a “God Interlock” system in our lives so we would not be able to get started with our daily activities until God has breathed Himself into us through His inspired Word!
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Catapulted by Faith!
19 May 2012 1 Comment
in Holy Libido by Rod Tags: Faith, Fear, Holy Libido, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ
We can never be whole, or holy, as long as we are controlled by fear. And we will be manipulated by fear as long as we rely on our own resources. At times, we have all recognized the folly within for relying on our own resources, so we laid them aside and trusted God. But then we circled back and picked up what we had once laid down. Little by little, without even realizing it, we are once again disrupted by the entanglements of our second nature.
The disruption in our lives sometimes serves to remind us we’re back to operating on our own steam, under the influence of our own understanding of things. Disruption rouses us from our senseless stupor, and once again we renew our focus on God. When we are filled with our dependency on God, we are filled with courage to face the fearful things in life. It’s not that we will never fear again—we will not be controlled by our fear.
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is charging through the fear, catapulted by our faith and empowered by God’s Spirit. Our faith must find its Source in God—not in ourselves. Since He is our Source, He must be flowing through our spiritual veins if we are to experience a spirit of power and of love and of composure (2 Timothy 1:7). According to Jesus, who is the Source of Truth, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). The truth is… God’s got it. God’s Way is the way of freedom from the entanglement of fear.
(Excerpt from Holy Libido by Rod Smith, 2012)
A Fleeting Kind of Splendor…
18 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Holy Libido by Rod Tags: Christianity, Libido, Michigan, Newton, Newton's laws of motion, Passion, Splendor
Life is meant to be a fantastic heart pounding adventure. At least that’s the way it seemed to me one day when I was in my early teens. It was a picture-perfect morning in Michigan and I was riding Cheetah, my Quarter Horse, at a reckless gallop across a field of alfalfa. With the spring-fresh wind in my face the exhilaration of the moment filled my entire body with delight. It seemed natural to release my grip on the reins and lean back in the saddle, with my hands stretched high into the air. It was something I had seen in a movie and I was living it—the unrestrained freedom of such a breathtaking adventure. At that moment I determined to live my life at a wild speed with the wind in my face.
The next moment I was tumbling through the alfalfa like Raggedy Rod. I my fleeting thought it would have been better if I was holding onto something when the ring-necked pheasant flew up directly in front of Cheetah. I’m sure she was as surprised as I was when it happened. She veered to the left and I didn’t. I went straight. I think that’s called inertia—one of Newton’s laws of motion.
Cheetah circled back around to pick me up. As I was climbing back on the saddle I felt a little dejected. The reality of how fleeting these moments of elation are came crashing down on me—literally. As I rode back toward the barn with a firm grip on the reins I remember the distinct realization that the thrill of life could be easily tripped up; taken off course. The sensation of tumbling through the alfalfa has come to my mind several times throughout my wild, crazy ride through life.
But I’ve never given up on the idea we are created for something more profound than the lives we live. Knowing we are the brainchild of the One who spoke the magnificence of all creation into being, somewhere deep within me I believe we are created for something much greater than ordinary life. Possibly just knowing we were created for something more than the life we’re living today, even if our knowing is nothing more than a faint sense that something is missing, may be all we need to get on with allowing our original splendor—the splendor of God—to flow in our lives.
(Excerpt from Holy Libido by Rod Smith, 2012)
Are You Shipwrecked Yet?
18 May 2012 1 Comment
in Rose Tags: Christianity, Focus, Jesus, Storms, Trepidation
Matthew 8:24-26 “Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ Jesus responded, ‘Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!’ Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm”
Trepidation of the unknown can be paralyzing. We convince ourselves that the safe place is to remain in the boat. We’ve become accustomed to the familiar. It is hard to imagine anything else. We gaze out from time to time at the uncharted waters…so vast and seemingly untamable. We see a storm brewing…and the angst begins to swell within us. Suddenly–sometimes without warning–the storm rises! We are jolted out of our slumber and our first reaction is fueled by fear.
But rather than seeking our Master’s orders, we take matters into our own hands. In desperation we pick up the paddles and begin to row in our own strength, attempting to find a safe harbor. From time to time we dare gaze out but quickly retreat…trembling and fearing the raging swale of the storm. We become overwhelmed and lose our focus we go off course…that path that once seemed so certain. Finally after what seems like an eternity, our attempts to reckon with the storm prove futile. We finally lay down our paddles and look up and see our Master’s face. His resolute calm provides an undeniable comfort. We realize at that moment that He has been calling out to us all along…longing to reset our course and do life with us once again!
Ours is not to question the calling, it is simply to keep our eyes focused on the ONE who has the power to calm the raging seas…the ONE who determines our course. If we trust HIS hand…He will gently guide us out of our boats…that once safe place we settled into and stayed too long.
Are you ready to make a change? Then TRUST HIM….He will lead you into a splendorous adventure that will bring about unspeakable joy. He’s ready to breathe LIFE back into you! After all, He is our Creator–the Alpha the Omega–the beginning and the end! Let Him bring about the necessary changes to our weary souls, let him be the master of our ship! Let us finish well…having served His eternal purpose! Are you ready to lay down your paddles and heed HIS call? He awaits you! ~ IN HIS STRONG LOVE ~ rose
“We do not have a soul. …
17 May 2012 Leave a comment
“We do not have a soul. We are a soul. We have a body.” ~ C.S. Lewis
Rod & Rose 