I heard these words during Kairos tonight. They were new to me, but they still spoke deeper than any worship song has in a long time. May they speak as deeply into your soul.

“You will stay true even when the lies come
Your word remains truth even when my thoughts don’t line up
I will stand tall on each promise You made
Let the rest fade away

There’s a peace far beyond all understanding
May it ever set my heart at ease
Dare anxiety come, I’ll remember
That peace is a promise You keep
Peace is a promise You keep

You will stay true even in the chaos
Your word remains truth even when my mind wreaks havoc
I will be still for I’ve known all along
My Jehovah Shalom

There’s a peace far beyond all understanding
May it ever set my heart at ease
What anxiety fails to remember
Is peace is a promise You keep
Peace is a promise You keep

You are peace to a restless soul
Peace when my thoughts wage war
Peace to the anxious heart
That’s who You are, that’s who You are
You are peace when my fear takes hold
Peace when I feel enclosed
You are peace when I lose control
That’s who You are, that’s who You are

I’ve found peace far beyond all understanding
Let it flow when my mind’s under siege
All anxiety bows in the presence
Of Jesus the Keeper of Peace
And peace is a promise He keeps” (Bethel Music)

I thought you might need a pick-me-up at this point. Yeah, it’s Monday, but guess what? In 1 hour and 58 minutes (as of this writing), Monday will be over. But you won’t.

I know that for me, the joy of the Lord has been my strength. I’m not one of those who goes around boasting about how strong I am and how I can take whatever gets thrown at me. I’m not the storm (and I don’t want to be).

I cling to the words of the old song that says, “I am weak but He is strong.” In fact, in my weakness God’s power is made perfect.

That’s the testimony of the saints. We’re still here by the grace of God. Some days, if that’s all you can say, that’s good enough. It means that God’s perfect strength carried you through.

And yeah, you’re pretty awesome for sticking around.

I’m just gonna leave this right here.

All. The. Time.

If I’m honest, my mind wanders during prayer. Sometimes, it’s when others are praying. Sometimes, it’s even when I’m praying.

This isn’t about how you and I need to be more disciplined and if we loved God and Jesus more, out minds would never wander but be fixed.

This is about how God didn’t pick perfect people who had it all together but imperfect people who knew they’d never get it right but who daily depend on God.

The important part, whether in prayer or life, is that you keep coming back to God. You keep acknowledging you deep need and trusting in God’s ability to meet that need.

The main point is not that you pray well but that you pray early and often. Pray all the time. The Bible says to pray without ceasing. I believe that even during those ADHD moments when my mind is all over the place, Jesus is interceding and praying on my behalf. The Holy Spirit is interpreting all my groans, sighs, and tears into prayers.

Prayer isn’t a have-to but a get-to. Don’t think about it as another requirement that you have to check off to please God but as an invitation to come freely before the throne of God at any time because He wants to hear from you.

It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on the Red Sled. She’s still running strong. In fact, you’d never know that this classic vehicle is 22 years old. And just about to hit 350,000 miles on the ol’ odometer.

They just don’t make ’em like they used to way back in 1997.

The gas mileage isn’t the greatest at right about 19 miles to the gallon. But I seriously doubt I’ll ever have another car that is as tough as this old bird.

By the way, I took the red nose and antlers down after Christmas. It was a sad day, but I can put them back on in 10 months.

“Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work” (Colossians 3:22-25, The Message).

That’s it. Whatever you do, give it your best. If you’re not in your “dream job,” work with the attitude that that it is. Do every task with the same enthusiasm and vigor that you would put toward that dream job. You’ll find that maybe, just maybe you end up liking what you do and doing what you like better.

Everyone is a minister in some way. Your pulpit is your desk or your work van or your home or anyplace you give your life to for 40 hours a week. Your message is your work ethic and your attitude on the job.

I think Dwight L. Moody said once that while one person might read the Bible, 100 more will read the person who reads the Bible. One way of gaining their attention is living out every part of your life as an act of worship and giving your best in everything you do because your real boss is not a supervisor or manager but God.

“If God can use a crooked stick to amaze the Egyptian magicians, 
If God can convict Peter with a rooster, 
If God can make a donkey have a conversation, 
…If God crushed the walls of Jericho with the sound of a horn, 
THEN WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE for anyone who is His child?”

I didn’t write that. I have no idea who did. When I tried to Google it, I found anything and everything but what I was looking for. Stupid internet.

But whoever wrote these words definitely spoke into my heart 8 years ago when I first posted them on social media, and they still speak just as loud to me today.

Of course, the answer is that nothing is impossible for God. What seems impossible to you and me, according to a pastor I once heard, is not even remotely difficult for God.

It’s something to hang on to when everything else in your life seems to be falling apart. Trust in God’s goodness and faithfulness, even if it’s with faith the size of a mustard seed. That’s all it takes.

Tonight, Chris Brooks spoke from Philippians 4:1-9 about attacking anxiety.

I can vouch that at some point just about every single person will deal with anxiety to some degree. I’m not saying that you can always pray it away. Sometimes you need medication and professional counseling.

I do know that God has promised us a peace that passes all understanding. God has told us that His perfect love casts out all fear.

Much anxiety comes from imagining the worst case scenario and envisioning a world without God in it. Anxiety says that it is all up to me and that it must absolutely happen now.

There’s a reason that Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace. He can still speak peace to the storms that rage in our lives.

This is for entertainment purposes only.

I mean, really. Who would ever eat two dinners?

The real holiday comes on February 15, which as we all know is 50% Off Chocolate Day.

That’s what I’m really looking forward to.

“As long as you notice, and have to count, the steps, you are not yet dancing, but only learning to dance. A good shoe is a shoe you don’t notice. Good reading becomes possible when you need not consciously think about eyes, or light, or print, or spelling. The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God” (C S Lewis).

One of my regular activities is doing the graphics at The Church at Avenue South. That means that I press a button to advance the lyrics of the worship songs, cue the appropriate videos, and display all other assorted slides relating to announcements, the sermon, and just about anything else.

If I do my job well, no one knows I’m back there. That’s my goal. To remain anonymous by not screwing up. Most Sundays I do quite well, with only the occasional minor mishap (like being a split second late on a slide).

But I got to thinking. The best church service (according to one Mr C. S. Lewis) wouldn’t be one where we talked about how great the music was or how inspiring the sermon was. If anything, this service would inspire us to love and reverence and speak more highly about God.

If it doesn’t inspire us to greater obedience, it hasn’t been worship. If it doesn’t motivate us to draw closer to the heart of God, it might as well have been a great motivational speech instead of a sermon. If we aren’t transformed from hearers only into doers and followers, then it was a waste of time.

But the beauty of it all is that God invites us to know Him and to find community through His people. You don’t have to be perfect people with perfect lives to encounter God. You just have to have a hunger and a desire for God. That’s all.