Fountains of Life

Better Than Normal

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There’s something about the phrase “new normal” I just don’t like. I’m not sure why, but I just don’t. Maybe it’s because I’m not willing to accept things as they are now as “normal” or what. Personally I want something better — something better than normal.

When I think of “normal” I think of consistent, regular, common, routine, usual stuff — nothing un-usual. Yet, when I read about Jesus, He wasn’t exactly what we could classify as normal. He multiplied fishes and loaves to feed thousands with only a prayer; he healed all kinds of diseases in all kinds of people by all kinds of different ways; he had extraordinary wisdom to confound the
learned religious leaders, and even called for a dead man wrapped in grave clothes to walk out of his tomb! That’s not exactly what I think of as “normal” or “usual!”

However…I’d like to.

I’d like to think that we, as the church representing Jesus here on earth, could be regularly working these same miracles. I’d like to believe that we, endued with the same Spirit as Jesus, could walk in the same power and authority as He did. (Rom. 8:11)  I’d like to see us, the church, become better in the coming days than in our old normal way of life.

Maybe we’ve been brought to this place so we won’t go back to our normal way of life. As it was in the case of 9/11, the world has changed because of Covid -19 and it’s for sure things aren’t the same as they were anymore. 

Yet, there is part of me that wants to get complacent again. I liked my routines. I liked things the way they were. I was comfortable. It’s much easier to live in what I know than to change and move into something I don’t know. The unknown can be scary. But God’s been nudging me to “move forward” and I’ve been dragging my feet. 

He’s calling me to get out of the boat; you know — to walk upon the water, take risks. People are hurting. People are afraid. People are anxious, depressed, and insecure. They need Jesus. They need the Jesus in me. (Gal. 2:20; Col.1:27)

I hear the phrase “new normal” and cringe. First because I’m rebelling against it, secondly because I feel the Lord pulling me by it. I really do want something better than normal. I want the church to be living and breathing – alive – in this world! I want to be walking in the Spirit, daily, being sensitive to everyone around me, listening for Jesus’ voice and direction, moving in miracles, signs and wonders! (Heb. 2:4) Yet, I know it will require sacrifices and risks on my part.

Nevertheless, here we are. So as I step out and risk moving forward, I’m confident His love will keep me safe. (Rom. 8:31) I can’t fail in Father’s eyes.

And I believe it’s gonna get better, my friend. Much better. Better than normal. 

 

(By Cyndi)

Law and Order

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Some think of law and order as something negative, especially these days. But there must be some sort of a system, or set of rules or regulations by which anything functions, whether it be a society, a company, or even an airport. God, Himself, is the originator of laws and order, and for a reason.

First of all, there are natural laws which keep us physically intact, such as gravity, aerodynamics, the changing of seasons or tides. (See Newton’s laws of motion.) All of us couldn’t function on this earth without the force of gravity holding us on the tierra firma. And not only the earth has laws, all the planets have an order too. They each orbit around the sun and have moons which orbit around them. It’s God’s natural laws that keep these aligned so there’s not chaos in the universe. (Literally!) Two plus two will always equal four and a right angle will always be 90 degrees. Science and mathematics are based on natural laws and order.

There are spiritual laws too, with sowing and reaping being probably the most commonly known. (Gal. 6:7; Ps. 126:5,6; 2 Cor. 9:6) This not only applies to finances but also to positive things as well as negative ones. If we think, say, and believe the best in people, we’ll receive the same in return. Generally speaking, I try to do this — believing humans will naturally tend to be kind and generous to one another. One time after having been delayed for hours at an airport, I’d lain down and slept using my backpack for a pillow. Later, after being awoken and lined up to board the flight, a guy came up and asked me if this was my laptop. I’d forgotten I’d taken it out and put it under my backpack. In a slumbered mind I’d only grabbed my bag and walked away from it not noticing. How grateful I was to that precious man who returned it to me! 

Months before this I had “sown” goodness to a lady who had unknowingly dropped her credit card walking through a different airport. I saw it happen, quickly ran to pick it up and rushed to give it back to her. She graciously thanked me. So in the case of my laptop, I believe I reaped what I had sown — in this case, kindness. 

Laws are principles. We can’t change these natural and spiritual laws even if we wanted to. You may not like or believe in gravity but if you step off the top of a building you will truly see how it functions with or without your belief in it. If you want to build a ten-story condominium, you’d better know the engineering laws to make up the plans for it or it won’t stand either.

“God is not the author of confusion (disorder or chaos), but of peace,” 1 Cor. 14:33 tells us. Law and order bring peace in our lives. They’re not meant to be restrictions on us because God wants to keep a heavy hand and control us. But they’re a structure by which we can be safe and secure in His loving arms. His laws guide us, just as traffic lights allows vehicles to flow without crashing into one another. Blessings flow from the top down (another spiritual law; Ps. 133:2) and when we stay under our Father’s care, just as a natural father protects and provides for his children, He will watch over and tend to us too. 

By Cyndi

Surf Dad

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By Cyndi

A man stands in chest deep water, with two of his sons close by. “Good pop-up that time, Ian!” he shouts to one of the boys in shallower water. “Looking good!” he says to the other one catching the next wave as it breaks. The third son, the eldest, about twelve I’d guess, is further away from them sitting on his surfboard. “Aaron, won’t you come over here and be near us?” he motions with his hand. He wants to be around all of his children. I call this man “Surf Dad” to myself because I don’t know his name but he’s a regular at this spot — a local surfer teaching his three boys to surf.

And what a fine example of a father I see in this man. I’m sure he’s not perfect, none of us are, yet, the manner in which he handles his boys outshines many other dads. He speaks to them with kindness and seems to be patient with them as they learn. There have been times when I have accidentally gotten in his way surfing but he always smiles and says, “No worries,” and paddles back out for another wave. I hear him constantly encouraging his boys, supporting all their efforts and pressing them on.

Observing Surf Dad made me think about Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. Jesus was taught the carpentry trade from him. I know the Bible doesn’t tell us how Jesus grew up, but from the little knowledge we have of how Joseph responded to Mary and his dreams from God, I have a feeling Joseph was probably a lot like Surf Dad. I bet he was patient when Jesus was little, sweeping the shop, sanding boards, watching His father work. I imagine encouraging words and “teaching moments” coming from Joseph as he trained Jesus in all the tricks of the trade. And I have a feeling they liked hanging out together. 

Isn’t this the kind of dad we all want? Well guess what? We have one. 

Some of us were blessed with one in the natural (I’m one of those people), but Father God wants to be this kind of a dad to each of us now! Jesus came to show us what the Father is like. John 14:9, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” He was meek and lowly of heart, compassionate and caring, gracious and merciful, and also liked to play with children! These aren’t just the character traits of Jesus, they’re of our Heavenly Father too!

It’s very possible that Surf Dad is a Christian, since his traits resemble Father God’s so much (plus I’ve seen a fish sticker on his truck), or he may just be a good dad. I don’t know for sure, but either way I feel he paints an excellent picture of how the Father wants to relate to us.

Both Surf Dad and Joseph show us that God always sees us as His sons and daughters with whom He wants to spend time with, encourage, comfort, and express love to. It’s up to us to believe He is, and receive Him as this type of Dad. 

 

(Photos taken from 911surfreport.com   Thanks Eddie.)

On the Side of the Road

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By Cyndi

A little wildflower on the side of the road,

Does anyone see it, does anyone know?

It lives in the sunshine and breathes in fresh air, 

But does anyone see it, does anyone care?

Ever felt like a little flower on the side of the road? Cars and trucks drive past you every day concerned only about their job and destination. Joggers jog and walkers walk past you with bluetooth earphones on or faces glued to a touch screen chatting away.

Sometimes in life we feel lonely. Alone. No one to care for us and no one who seems to care.

Jesus felt alone too when He was on the cross. It’s recorded both in Matthew’s and Luke’s books: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  And if I may be so bold to look into His human side for a bit, I think there were times when, even though He was with His disciples, He probably felt very alone and misunderstood. 

One of the best things about wildflowers is that they are usually NOT alone; they naturally grow in groups or clusters. Think about it. When you look on the side of the road, if you see wildflowers,
there’s usually more than one. Many times there’s a whole color palette of them — purple, yellow, white, orange!  My dear reader, can you not see the spiritual significance of this?!

We are never alone! Yes, it may feel like it sometimes — Jesus did— but the truth is that God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Heb.13:5) And I believe Father sees every single wildflower on the side of the road, each one with its unique colors and tints, each one totally different than the one next to it. Yet there are masses of us blooming beside one another! We are distinctively collective.  

It may be hard for you to see yourself as a flower (especially you guys) but God sees you as His Beautiful Creation. Beautiful as an individual stem, and beautiful as a bunch on the side of the road. 

Now to answer my wildflower poem from the introduction of this article — Yes, He does! 

Yes, He sees you! Yes, He knows! And yes, He cares! You are not alone! We may feel disconnected at times, but remember — we have brothers and sisters who are also bunched up with us on this palette of life together, all of us being held by a loving Master Creator. Rest in the sunshine and fresh air from the Father, my friend. Breathe it in and soak in it. You are never alone. 

 

(photos taken off of Wonderwood Dr.)

Refocus

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By Cyndi

I remember when this year began many people were speaking words like, “This is gonna be a year of vision,” or “This will be a year where our vision gets clearer.” And, yes, having the numerical date of 2020, that all seemed to be apropos.

And then March Madness came. No, not the basketball playoffs, the madness that cancelled those playoffs — COVID-19. Who’d-a-thunk-it? Where did this come from? All of a sudden the whole world seemed blindsided by this virus. Blinded, shut down, not seeing clearly, foggy, confused, no 2020 vision.

Or were we really blinded?

Well, maybe at first. But as time marches on in this state of flux, I find myself truly refocusing and actually seeing clearer. Things I valued and deemed important in my life beforehand have become more obvious now.

I think we could all say indisputably that our family and our health are near the top of our most valued assets. Being able to spend so much time with our kids, the positive and negative of it, is something we may never have again in our lifetime — at least not like this. This containment scenario is making many memories and may one day be viewed as a blessing, though it’s a bit trying for the time being. My son is older and, not only out of the house, but quarantined in Chicago. For me, I wish I had more time with him. Kids grow up fast. 

And our health can change fast over time too. During this “stay-at-home” order Robert and I have been refocusing on eating well and exercising better, because we want to live active and prosperous lives for many years. Plus with all the stress of the situation, it’s also a good time for prayer ministry and noticing how we’re dealing with the pressures. Our emotional health and personal growth are important too. 

At the top of our values most of us would put “faith in God.” Perhaps this priority in our lives is being tested these days. We may be questioning: “What is God up to?” “Did He cause this?” “How will He fix this?” “Why is He allowing this to happen?” 

My only answer is — I don’t know.

I don’t know any of the “why’s” or “how’s,” but I do know we have to focus on Him and not the circumstances. This is where the 2020 vision does come in. Recently reflecting on Jesus dying on the cross and Easter — things weren’t what they appeared to be in this story. Today I have to look beyond my natural eyesight and what I think I see. This is walking by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor.5:7) If ever there was a time to understand this verse, it’s now.

So how do I do this? I relax and trust that Father God loves me and that His love is always good. I rest in not having to know everything and instead simply know that He’s here with me, in the middle of it all. 

I, too, can’t wait to see my friends in church again, to surf at the beach, to go out to dinner, and to be with all of my extended family. But for now I’m trying to refocus back solely on Him and I’m seeing much clearer than I have in a while. After all, it is the year 2020.