By Faith, Not by Sight

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.

He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a man.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified He can hear all kinds of noises.

Wild beasts must surely be all around him.

Maybe even some human might do him harm.

The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold.

It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.

He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone.

Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us.

When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Moral of the Story:

Just because you can't see God,doesn't mean He is not there.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

2 Corinthians 5:7

Jesus is Alive!

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Amazing comments from Foldiers:

"There is a huge comfort from this message, that we are good enough and in Christ we have value. All we have to do is accept it. We live in a society that determines our value by our success, be it in sports or school our main focus is to rise above the competition and that we should not get second place. I'm not saying that success is a bad thing or that being determined to gain things is wrong but when our "success" determines our value we have lost touch with how God values us. And in our daily walk we often times think we are not good enough for Christ. That is wrong because he tells us to come as we are whatever our maturity."

"This is SO true! We just have to accept the invitation. It amazes me every time I think about how God would never judge us and just wants us to live a life that brings Him honor. I think that we, as foldiers, should make it our goal to dance with God every single day."

Selection Sunday-Do You Want to Dance?

This was the message on the Middle School board at the HUB left by Kent after his awesome 945 message to us yesterday. It is a great question for us this week, especially. It reminds us that we do not have to anxiously sit in front of the TV cameras and wait to see if we are good enough (like some of the NCAA basketball teams yesterday) to be in the "big dance:" we are already in the greatest tournament of our lives. We are chosen by God who says we are good enough to dance with Him! A dance that will last into eternity; a relationship with our loving Father; a "madness" that is greater than anything we can imagine! Will we take the risk? Will we say "yes?"

Like the March Madness basketball teams, we do not have to play our way in. We don't have to be good enough or earn the position. There is no committee counting our wins and our losses; our good days against our bad; there is no consideration of how hard or easy our schedule has been. There is no "RPI" rating system with God. Everyone is in the tournament and no one loses. No one who wants to play gets left out! But like the seventh grade dance, you have to be willing to take the risk if you want to dance. You have to say, "yes Lord!, I want to dance with you not just today but forever!"

It is something far bigger than the NCAA National Basketball Championship: a personal relationship with a God who is always number ONE and who will never forsake you! A God who loved you enough that He sent His only son to die for your sins: because He thinks you are worth it; you are good enough!

So, the Holy Week is about being selected. He has chosen you and made the incredible sacrifice for you. Congratulations! You have been selected! Will you say yes to the "big dance?"

Stand Up, Stand Firm

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.