Baggage Claim

I was traveling recently by plane, and when I reached my destination, I went to Baggage Claim to pick up my checked bag.  I’m sure you’re familiar with the scene… A crowd of people huddle around the carousel waiting for the bags to emerge.  Everyone waits anxiously, necks craning and eyes searching for the one.  If you’ve ever stood there long enough, you’ll see the same bags circle ‘round and ‘round, time after time.  Some bags are snatched up right away, some are picked up by the wrong person in a case of mistaken luggage identity, and others are left there until the whole crowd has disappeared… circling around on the carousel, left unclaimed.

The term “baggage claim” got me thinking about what I do or don’t claim in my life in a spiritual sense. So let me pause and ask you:  What bag have you claimed?

Please give me a minute to unpack this idea (I know, cheesy luggage joke).  I believe that God has placed a unique calling and destiny in you.  For the sake of this blog, we will call this your bag.  You have a bag to claim, a unique bag meant only for you, a bag packed with an abundant life and tools to impact your world in a positive way.  But sadly, many people never pick up that bag.  Too many of us have either picked up a bag that was intended for someone else, or we’ve picked up bags that no one was ever meant to carry.  Too often, people are picking up the bags of guilt, shame, unforgiveness, or bitterness.   

We walk through life holding onto these bags instead of embracing and living out our own destiny from God.  In my own experience, I got to a point of being tired.  I got tired of living with unforgiveness, shame, and guilt.  Maybe you are at the same point. 

Our church has weekend retreats that are specifically designed to help us release this kind of baggage (and they are greatly effective), but you can let go of those bags anytime.  I invite you to join me in doing so right now.

1 Peter 5.7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”

God cares for you.  He cares so much that He sent his only Son to be beaten beyond recognition and to die so that you can release the bags that weigh you down. 

Will you cast that bag back onto the carousel?  Will you pick up the destiny that God has designed especially for you?  

What bag do you claim? 

_________________________

Tim

Why I'll Never Give Too Much to a Church

We live in a society that is desperate for balance. It seems we are constantly pitting one thing against another in search of what should take the greatest priority, what should demand more of our time, what deserves more of our attention and resources.

We’re presented with conflicting demands for our time on a regular basis… 

…Work vs. school vs. family time

vs. cleaning house

vs. hanging out with friends

vs. sports

vs. developing an art or skill or hobby

vs. studying

vs. bathing the kids

vs. feeding the kids

vs. working a second job

vs. forget-it-all-I’m-going-to-bed! 

The demand on our money and resources is no less exhaustive: 

Pay the bills, keep gas in the car(s), stock up on groceries;

Buy new shoes for the kids;

Pay this semester’s tuition and book fees;

Oh, wait! Could you please buy some cookies my kid is selling for a fundraiser at school? Some pizza kits?  Some candy bars?

Can you come to my co-worker’s best friend’s make-up party?  Candle party?  Jewelry party?

Let’s take the family out for dinner and a movie…

Would you like to donate $1 extra to our charity today?

Sponsor a child overseas?

Buy a $200 set of headphones for your teenager?

The demands are literally endless.

Then throw church into the mix – volunteering your time in various areas, giving in special offerings – and I can almost see why some of us might grow weary of constantly giving of ourselves when it comes to church… Almost.

With so much demand and opportunity shoved in our faces day-in and day-out, it’s no wonder that we’ve become a society that’s afraid of giving too much.  What do I mean by that?  Listen to the hidden fears behind our thought patterns…

I don’t want to give too much money, in case it turns out to be a scam (What if that preacher misuses my money?)

I don’t want to give too much time, in case I regret not having kept that time for myself. (Will my family suffer if we go to church yet another night this week?)

I don’t want to give too much information, in case they’re trying to steal my identity.

I don’t want to give too much love, in case my love is rejected and my heart is trampled.

 

We’re paralyzed by fear… Fear of giving too much.

In our pursuit of happiness, we often unintentionally neglect to pursue one very significant aspect of the character of God:  Generosity.

What do I mean by that?  Let’s start with what is probably the best-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16.  What does it say?   

“For God so loved the world that He GAVE…” 

We see throughout the Bible various displays of God’s giving nature. Whether through blessings, health, prosperity, opportunities, and most of all, the new covenant He gave when He gave His Son… We see over and over in Scripture that our Heavenly Father loves to give.  He gives of Himself to us in varied, creative ways, day after day, year after year.  He loves to give.

I absolutely love how the Apostle Paul summed up God’s giving nature: 

He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?  Romans 8:32 (AMP)

God doesn’t hold back.  He didn’t, and he doesn’t.  God gives with reckless abandon. 

…Or is it as reckless as it sounds?  The truth of the matter is that God’s giving, while it may look reckless to us, is just the overflow of His character: Perfect Love.  God can never give us too much, because everything He gives is done so out of who He is… and He IS perfect love (“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” 1 John 4:16 NIV).  When God gives, it is never out of fear, insecurity, or manipulation; it is always out of Love. 

That’s why He can give without holding back, and that’s why we can, too. 

All day long [the sluggard] is craving,
While the righteous gives and does not hold back.

Proverbs 21:26 (NASB)

 

God has given so much to me. So much of His love, His affection, His attention, His blessings, His resources…

            There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear… (1 John 4:18 NIV) 

This is why I will never give too much to my church… Because it is impossible for me to ever give too much compared to what God has given to me.  When I recognize how great His love for me is, and when I trust His love for me, then when I give of myself, I’m not giving out of fear anymore; I’m giving out of love. When I give – of my time or my efforts or my money – I’m no longer allowing myself to be afraid that my giving will go unreturned or unnoticed by God.  While the church is made up of plenty of fallible people who can make mistakes and do things less than perfectly, I’m not giving for those people first; I’m giving first because it is in my nature as a child of God to reflect His character, and His character is to give. I’m giving for Him to take notice, not for them. And He will surely notice. And He will surely respond to me, because He is surely attracted to His image in me. And I know that if I’m giving my time, He will replenish my time supernaturally. If I’m giving my money, He will provide monetarily for my family and me. If I’m giving my efforts, He will renew my strength. 

Nothing I could ever give could come close to matching His generosity toward me. But by my simple act of mimicking His character – by letting His perfect love flow through me and give through me – I open up myself and my family for peace and abundance like we’ve never known.  Am I responsible for using wisdom in my giving?  Absolutely.  But wisdom works together with generosity to cause my efforts to go further.  Fear works against generosity to cause me to hold onto that which I am called to give.

Wisdom looks for good ground to sow in – a church led by a pastor of integrity and accountability, a ministry with a stellar reputation above reproach; fear doubts that it is possible to trust anyone, so doesn’t give at all.

Wisdom evaluates the demands for my family’s time and determines whether missing church to be at a sporting event will yield any eternal rewards as compared to the lesson my children will learn by being faithful and consistent as a part of our local church body.  Fear thinks that my children will hate me and resent the church if I “make” them come on a regular basis, instead of trusting God to use that time at church to do more in a few moments in myself and my family than I could ever accomplish on my own.

Wisdom seeks God’s viewpoint and asks what can be gained; fear embraces a reality absent of God and asks what could be lost.

I’ve decided that in my life, in general, I’m no longer going to be afraid of getting out of balance.  I am going to walk in Love as much as possible and seek to do so more and more as I pursue the heart of my Father.  And I know as I walk forward, fear has no place.

Perfect Love is the rule of the day in my life now. 

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Luke 6:38 (NIV)

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.  Luke 6:38 (NLT)
 

Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”  Luke 6:38 (The Message) 

 

____________________________________

Amy

The Funeral of the Year

My mother has taught me something down through the years regarding successes and especially failures.  As a worship leader, I recall times that I came out of Sunday services feeling completely frustrated and defeated because of the way things had gone in the portions of the service for which I was responsible. Moments when we had finished all the songs on the list and something else needed to happen, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what.  Moments when I’d tried my hardest to lead the congregation to a point of freedom in worship and felt like I myself couldn’t even get there, much less lead anyone else. Moments when I felt like I’d opened my mouth to speak and had only managed to ramble a string of inconsequential clichés and jumbled thoughts.  Those moments are frustrating in life.  For me, those moments happen in ministry.  For you, I’m sure you can relate in your own pursuits in life, whatever those may be.  We have those moments, those days, those weeks, when it just seems like we totally flopped.  And for a lot of us, we tend to beat ourselves up over them; we digest, re-digest, regurgitate, and digest more.  We dwell on the negative; we analyze and replay the scenarios over and over in our minds.  Enter Mom. 

God put her in my life for a very important reason (um, besides birthing me and raising me and all that, of course).  My mom cuts to the chase; she doesn’t beat around the bush, and for me, that’s a very good thing, because I tend to get lost somewhere over on the far side of the bush, and that’s where she usually finds me, beating away.  So over the years in ministry, she has taught me one thing that has served me well on the subject at hand:   “Amy, let the curtain fall on it.”  Much like a theatrical production, when it’s over, just let the curtain fall; let whatever happened just be. Pick your head up, and start looking to make the next thing better.  Yes, correct what needs to be corrected, learn from it, but don’t forget to move on.

So I’m planning a funeral for the year.  That’s right: a funeral for 2013.  The curtain is about to fall on the year, and I’m ready to let it.  Granted, I’m not going to drop the curtain prematurely.  I’m determined to make the most of every opportunity that presents itself even still (Ephesians 5:16; reference All I Want for Christmas); however, when midnight strikes at the end of December 31 and launches us into January 1, I’m lowering the curtain on 2013 just as fast as I can...  It’s time for something new!

I celebrate the good things this year brought… New life, new dreams, the fulfillment of some long-held dreams and promises, groundbreaking achievements, greater understanding about the principles of God and His Kingdom, breakthroughs in relationships… A lot of really good stuff has come out of it, when I stop and think about it!  And of course, we’ve walked through a lot of really bad, too.  But 2013 is coming to an end, and I’m determined not to punish 2014 with the residue of 2013.  Will I carry lessons and benefits from it?  Yes, absolutely.  But I’m not going to allow the new year to be birthed in the shadow of the old. 

As I prepare to let the curtain fall, here are some of the things I am packing up and carrying with me:

1. I have learned that God is bigger than my dreams, and that He not only wants to bring them to pass, but that He really will bring them to pass.
2. I’ve learned that God is bigger than my fears.  I’m still wrapping my head around it, but I’m so thankful that it’s true.
3. I’ve seen first-hand that extraordinary things can be achieved if you (a) believe God, (b) start where you are, and (c) have a team of people with you together in unity.
4. I’ve learned that I could do more than I thought I was capable of doing, and that when I stopped limiting myself by my previous expectations of myself, then faith and God could really kick in and show me what’s possible. 
5. I’ve learned that a lot of people in my life are stronger than I ever realized they were, and I’ve seen proven more than ever that we will not be shaken (Psalm 62:6; Hebrews 12:27-28; Hebrews 10:39).  Along with that, I’ve seen how it’s ok to be honest when you’re hurting without losing faith that God is still who He says He is, and He’s still good.
6. I’ve moved into a new mindset regarding giving and regarding expectation of God’s provision for my life and our family and church. In doing so, I find myself even more dependent on God and simultaneously more confident of His faithfulness than ever before.
7. I’ve seen demonstrated in greater ways than ever how much God wants to be with us and to do good both for and through us.

These things I will carry with me into 2014, and I place an expectation on 2014 to live up to and surpass all of this (Ephesians 3:20).  With that established, I want to dream big for 2014.  I don’t want to allow fear of disappointment to dictate what I will dare to believe God for this year.  I don’t want to allow weights or failures or even successes from 2013 to hold me back in pursuing all that 2014 has to offer.  I want to move forward.  I don’t want to stall and stand still. 

Would you dream with me?

As we let the curtain fall on 2013, can we ask ourselves questions that really do put a demand on the year to come?  It has been said that expectation is the breeding ground for miracles.  Do we dare to expect more from this year than we’ve ever seen before? 

• What sickness have you or your spouse or kids been putting up with that you want freedom from this year?
• What has been plaguing your thought life and holding you back from living in the fullness of joy and peace that Christ gives?  Do you dare to expect complete freedom from that this year, regardless of how many times freedom seemed to elude you in the past?
• What habits are you ready to drop?  What addictions do you need broken?  Do you dare to believe that this is your year to walk out of those things once and for all?
• What relationship do you want to see healed and restored in 2014?  Is it someone in your family?  A once-close friend?  God?
• What dream do you want to see fulfilled this year?  You know, that thing that you’ve always thought would happen “one day”… Do you dare to believe that “one day” actually has a date of 2014??
• What do you want God to clear up for you this year?  Maybe there’s some aspect of your faith and belief system that you’ve really wavered and struggled with, and you just want it to be settled in your heart?
• In what ways do you want to reach outside of yourself and really touch other people this year?  Maybe you’ve had ideas in the past, but what’s one step you can take this year toward making it happen?
• How can you give more generously and purposefully this year?
• What do you want to see happen in your relationship with God?  Do you need greater desire for Him?  Greater discipline in your time with Him?  Breakthrough in your prayer life?
• What ministry opportunity do you want to seize this year and dare to believe that God will help make it happen?  Is there a missions trip you know you need to be on?  Is there an outreach program you’re supposed to join?  Is there a place you should be serving in your church—kids’ ministry, meals ministry, transportation, greeting, ushering…???
• How can you shift your mindset this year to be more God-focused, more others-focused, and less selfishly focused?
• When you get to this time next year, what will success look like to you?

I’m not talking about New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m talking about dreams, plans, & expectations... Ones that require God... Ones we can't do on our own.  We've tried; we've failed.  Time to call in the One who can take us to the next level.

 

I refuse to wander aimlessly into 2014.  Everything that has been, well, has been.  It’s over.  It’s done.  I don’t understand all of it and can’t wrap my head around it all.  But a new year is coming.  It’s on the horizon.  I can see the glimmer of the new sunrise.  

 
The curtain is starting to fall on 2013, and as it does, which side of the curtain will you be on?  Will you be stuck alone behind a thick drape on a stage where all the lights have gone out and the actors have left, or will you stand with the audience, applaud the successes, and then exit the building to move onto the next thing God has for you?

And make no mistake:  God does have “next” things for you.  Big things, wonderful things, great things.  He wants 2014 to outshine any other year in your past.  Are you ready to let it?

I invite you to join me, just a few days from now… Let’s bury the old year, take the treasures we can find from it, strap them on our backs, and pioneer a blazing trail of high expectations and God-breathed dreams into 2014!

Never stop believing.

 

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  – Philippians 3:12

 

______________________

Amy

All I Want for Christmas

Our family had a lot of great Christmases while my sister and I were growing up. Christmas was always (and still is) a big deal to us. We enjoy the whole celebration, from the family get-togethers to the gifts to the special programs at church. And we have our special traditions... Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house, where my Poppy always pulls out a Bible so we can read the story of Christ's birth before we exchange gifts. And one of my personal favorites, the annual "Tacky Tour" we used to take late on Christmas Eve night, where we drove around town voting on whose decorations were the tackiest (sounds harsh, I know, but it sure was a lot of hilarious fun)!   

Through all the years, though, it's funny which Christmas stands out in our minds as one of the most memorable to us.  You can ask my sister, my dad, my mom, or me, and chances are, we will all give you the exact same answer: Christmas of 1991.

We lived in Columbus, Ohio (Canal Winchester, to be exact), in a small 2-bedroom apartment with a loft. According to my parents, it was the most financially bleak year my family ever had when I was growing up. My dad, who is one of the most highly skilled people on the planet, couldn't find steady work, and my mom was working an office job that didn't pay that much. They tell the story of how they didn't even know how we were going to have gifts for Christmas that year until some friends unexpectedly gave them a small cash gift. They used that to buy our Christmas dinner—my dad's now-famous Fettuccine Alfredo—and to buy Staci and me a few small Christmas gifts. 

I remember it well.  We got the movie 101 Dalmatians to share, and we each got a little metallic foil engraving art kit.  It may sound random, but we thought it was the coolest thing!  It was simply a small piece of cardboard that was completely black. Then you took an artist's knife and scratched away the black coating to reveal metallic gold or silver underneath.  By etching away the black film, you could make beautiful designs and images based on the pattern that came with the kit.  One of them was a gold lion or tiger... It looked so majestic and pristine with its glimmering image shining out from behind the dark surroundings.

It was by far our leanest and one of our favorite Christmases.

___________________________

Fast-forward 22 years.  (Wow, am I that old?)

The end of 2013 has seemed a little blah, to be honest. I found myself stressing in recent weeks over our budget for Christmas. Despite our plans and intentions, things kept coming up (not the least of which was the arrival of our new baby), and we hadn't been able to put the money aside like we'd planned. The closer we got to December 1, the more pressure I started feeling about how we were going to meet our Christmas budget.

That was just the petty financial worries. Overall, 2013 has been quite an exhausting year. We have walked through unprecedented loss and difficulties this year, both as a family and as a church. The harshest of these were when tragedy struck our congregation in March, September, and most recently November. Families are hurting this holiday season, fragmented by the loss of loved ones. And what's more, I can't explain any of it. None of these losses make sense. 

How do I get in the "Christmas spirit" with so much seemingly stacked against us? There are going to be empty chairs at Christmas tables this year. There are going to be voids in people's hurting hearts. Questions are going to remain unanswered.

In that regard, 2013 seems to be overshadowed with insurmountable darkness.  Bleak.  Black.  Let's get it over with so we can start a new year.

Then I remember Ohio... 

...And those little black art boards, completely undesirable to look at...unless you know that they hold special, glimmering treasures beneath for whoever will take the time and painstaking effort to both find and create the beauty waiting to be revealed.

See, as challenging of a season as Ohio was for our family, it yielded some of the most beautiful, long-lasting breakthroughs in our lives. That bleak, black season for us was what God used to birth through my parents, grandparents, and uncle & aunt the vision for what is now Church Alive International. The church might not have ever been a thought, much less a realization, had we not gone through that seemingly pointless season of difficulty. There would be a huge void in many of our lives without it. A dear member of the church may not have ever found freedom from cocaine addiction over 15 years ago. A husband and wife may have never overcome the silent resentment that was keeping them apart. Young girls and boys may have never found freedom in forgiving their absent fathers. Hurting people may have never known the acceptance of a church family who loves them regardless of their baggage. Men might not have a spiritual father, and women might not have their spiritual mother... if not for that very bleak season in our lives, when God took something dark and decided to create something beautiful out of it.

We all know this, but it hit me in a fresh way today.  Maybe this Christmas isn't about what I don't have. Maybe it's not about what we've lost. Maybe it's not about getting 2013 over with and behind us.

Maybe it's about taking what otherwise would be a very dark, black canvas—whether because of loss, strained relationships, or finances—and using whatever it is that we do have—family, humor, memories, talents, and most importantly, our faith in God—to etch away the darkness until we both create and expose the beauty that lies beneath.  Maybe it's about allowing the light of God's Presence to fill up and overtake the emptiness.  Maybe it's about holding out hope and in faith believing that we can still end this year greater than we started it. 

Maybe the dark parts of 2013 haven't even really been about us. Oh, true, they have been very personal. And while I still can't explain the tragedies (and still don't believe God caused them), I do believe a greater purpose can be brought out of them.  And I believe that greater purpose is both for you and me, as well as for people we've never even met yet.

So when it comes right down to it, all I really want for Christmas is for each one of you—my dear family and friends and maybe even people I've never met—to experience the love and peace of God's Presence, and as a result, to be able to find beauty in every moment God gives us as we end this year.


With that said, I wish you a very, merry—full of cheerfulness, laughingly happy, festive, joyous, pleasant, and delightful—Christmas. 

And let us not forget the very personal (for you and me) reasons that Christ came:

¹  The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
²   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
³  and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
²   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
³  and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)

___________________________________
Amy

Holding On & Letting Go: Life After Death

As I began my morning today, I was painfully aware of the heartbreaking steps many of us will take before the day is over.  It was one week ago this morning that I was awakened by a phone call to ask me to pray… A dear teenager in our church had been in a horrific accident, and the prognosis wasn’t good.  Of course, I began praying right away, but honestly, I thought, “Well, of course, he’ll pull through this.”  I was wrong.  Before the night was over, he had passed, leaving his family, friends, church family, and all who were acquainted with him reeling.

Today, we will do our best to honor our friend with all the dignity, love, and respect he deserves.  We will do our best to press past our own grief to celebrate fully and completely the 19 years of exuberant life that he brought to everyone who met him. 

I’ll be honest, I personally didn’t know Kyle himself that well.  But every time I think about Kyle, I will remember two things… The little kid waiting at the end of the driveway for the school bus in the mornings.  He would always wave from across the street when I pulled out of the driveway to go to work.  It struck me how friendly he was, even at such a young age.  But my most vivid memories of Kyle were to be made years later, after he had transformed from that little boy to a young man.  As a senior in high school (at the same school I graduated from quite a few years earlier), Kyle walked down the aisle of our church on Easter Sunday to give his life to Jesus Christ.  It was real.  It was special.  And just like Kyle, that moment was full of Life.

When I remember Kyle, I will remember him joining the other men in the altar of our church, hands raised to the sky, eyes closed, earnestly seeking God and drinking in all of God’s amazing Presence.  I don’t know Kyle’s day-to-day life; I’m sure he struggled like everyone does.  But I know that those moments when he stood face-to-face with his Creator - unable to see Him but still worshiping Jesus with all that was in him… Those moments were real. 

LIFE AFTER DEATH.

Of course, most of us have said or at least thought in the past week, “Kyle is in a better place now.”  I think most of us know - or if you aren’t sure, you’re hoping - there is life after death for Kyle.  Honestly, I’m not worried about where Kyle is.  I know he is in the Presence of the One who created him, who gave him all of that abundant life that he exuded day-in and day-out.   

My main concern now is for YOU, the ones who have lost someone dear to you, and I want to tell you this...

There is LIFE after death for you and me, right here and now.

You may find yourself asking questions like, “How can I go on from here?”  “If this happened to someone like Kyle, what hope do I have for my own life?”  “How can I live with this kind of aching pain consuming me?”

I’m writing this morning to you - out of my own pain and heartbreak - to try to extend hope to all of us. 

It was just six months ago that my family was burying one of our own, also taken from us abruptly, also leaving us and our church family reeling.  One thing I have found is that, although the questions whirl in our minds, and the day-to-day walk is challenging, there is life after the death of someone we love.

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 147:3 tells us, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

In your grief today, and tomorrow, and the next day…  As you walk out this process, please know that God is close to you.  You may not feel Him.  You may have questions.  But God is not afraid of your questions.  He’s not afraid of your honesty.  Our questions and our honesty are part of our seeking Him, and He promised that if we seek Him, He will be found by us (Jeremiah 29:13). 

HOLDING ON & LETTING GO.

Today, we begin the process of letting go of our friend in the physical sense.  We’ll walk away from his physical body for the last time in this life as we know it.  Our hearts will hurt; they’ll feel like they’re broken in a thousand pieces.  But as we let go, let us remember what to hold onto…

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”  - Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)

I may not have known Kyle as well as you, but I feel sure about this:  He would want you to find and hold onto the hope he had found and was finding in Jesus Christ.  He would want you to live life to its fullest.  In fact, as you walk out the path of healing in front of you, I must think that Kyle himself is praying to the Father for you, asking Him to strengthen your heart and walk with you through this process.

Letting go hurts, but if we know what Hope to hold onto, we will gradually find ourselves stronger than we ever thought was possible.  

As we each begin our journey today to healing, let us hold onto the hope that we are not alone and that our purpose in this life is not yet complete.  Let us live each day in the exuberant life Christ has for us, and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, I invite you to reach out to Him for yourself - even right now.  It’s not about a religion or a formula to get to God; it’s about a relationship with Him.  You can talk to Him just like you would talk to anyone else.  I encourage you to call out to Him, allow Him to come in and help you navigate through the pain and questions.  Then, like Kyle, find a church you can connect with that will help you on this journey.  Jesus is our hope, our purpose, and our life.  With Him, we can and will get through this and will know many brighter days ahead.

I leave you with two more passages from the Bible to hold onto in your heart…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:11 - 13 (NIV) 

“But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name…, He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.”    - John 14:26 (AMP)

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Amy