Faith Will Take You Farther

Faith can move mountains.

And faith can take you farther than you dream.

I watched this yesterday as my best friend sang her solo in our Christmas cantata.

Two years ago, her dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. Being a man of amazing faith, he never let anything get him down. I never heard him say anything negative about being sick. According to him, he wasn't sick. He was fighting with every ounce of his being. And he depended on the Saviour he loved to get him through each step. He showed this faith to everyone around him. If you didn't see it, it's because you weren't looking.

This past Sunday, he went to the hospital for what would be his final time. As my preacher stated yesterday morning, human hands had done all they could do. The rest was up to God. He was discharged home Saturday with Hospice care.

My best friend's dad sang in our choir and he loved our cantatas. She had a solo in our cantata and she came to church yesterday morning because he wanted her to come and sing...and she sang her solo to honor her dad and her Father. Watching her faith strengthened mine.

The song she sang was called "Faith Will Take You Farther"; and I want to share those words with you this afternoon.

Sometimes faith will bring you, to trust a promise that's illogical

Sometimes faith will lead you, to cling to hopes that seem impossible

So often faith looks foolish, a leap into the dark

But that's not how it is for the believing heart

Chorus: Cause when all your dreams have fallen through

And your plans come crashing in on you

Don't lose hope, no matter how it seems

Cause faith will hold you closer

Faith will keep you safer

Faith will take you farther than you dream

Doubt will always whisper, there's no one there to catch you when you fall

Fear will come to rob you, of any chance to see a miracle

So trust the One who loves you, whose Word won't let you down

Cause resting in His grace is where your strength is found

Chorus: Cause when all your dreams have fallen through

And your plans come crashing in on you

Don't lose hope, no matter how it seems

Cause faith will hold you closer

Faith will keep you safer

Faith will take you farther than you dream

Her dad went home to be with Jesus last night, and the faith that he leaned on and professed so loudly became sight. He closed his eyes in death, and opened them in the presence of His Saviour that he loved so much. The words to this song explain his faith and how he depended on Jesus to get him through; and the words to this song explain my friend's faith as she has been through her dad's illness with him, and she sang so beautifully yesterday morning, leaning on the strength of Jesus Christ.

I'm a different person for knowing her dad and his faith. And for knowing her and her faith.

I challenge you (and me) today to take this time to re-evaluate our faith in our Saviour, and to examine our lives to see if others can see that faith that we profess to have. Can they see the Saviour that we say we love? If not, why can't they?

Are we standing on the Rock of Jesus Christ for everything?

It's just what's on my mind.

40 Stinks...But Has Some Good Lessons!

I feel like such a turkey (which is what I am holding in this picture).


I turned 40 on December 22, 2009. I received a notice from the DMV a few months ago as a reminder to renew my driver's license before December 22, 2009.


I remembered that I was supposed to renew my driver's license by December 22, 2009 LAST NIGHT as I was driving to UVA in Charlottesville.


I have been driving illegally since December 22, 2009. But when I didn't realize it, I had no guilt about it. I had been told what I needed to do and for whatever reason, I put the notice aside and FORGOT ABOUT IT.


Now that it has been brought to my attention (by my feeble mind), I know I cannot drive until the situation is rectified. I went online and found out I need a birth certificate to get my driver's license reinstated. Well, guess what, I don't have one of those, either! I had to order one from Richmond and it will be here sometime next week. So I'm depending on others until then.



This morning, I thought about how this very situation can relate to sin in our lives. Notice before I said that I had no guilt about driving until I "realized" my license had expired. I "knew" it needed to be renewed, and I "knew" that if I didn't get it done, I'd have a mess to deal with. But for whatever reason, I pushed it aside and chose not to deal with it. And I forgot.



Sin can be thought of the same way - God has given us His "notice" in the form of His Word, The Holy Bible. We "know" what we should and should not do, but for whatever reason, we decide to push it aside and we "forget". But sooner or later, God pushes that part of our hearts, and we "realize"that we are doing something wrong. And the repentance begins...



I always have to remember that there are consequences for our sin - choices we make have repercussions that we have to deal with. God forgives and refreshes our hearts, but we still have things we have to deal with from making bad decisions. In my situation, my repercussions are: I can't drive until I get my license renewed; I can't get my license renewed until I get my birth certificate; and I can't get that until next week (and never mind it cost me sixty bucks!).



My heart rejoices this morning for Jesus Christ, God's gift to us so that we don't have to pay the price for sin, which is Hell and Death. I love Him, I believe Him, and when my time on earth is done, I will go to spend eternity in His presence in Heaven. And I hope I don't have to have a driver's license there!




It's just what's on my mind this morning!