I’ve Got Confidence!

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song: he has become my salvation. Psalms 118:13-14 ESV

“Are you sure you can do this?” Mike yelled over the sound of the rushing water.

“No problem, I’ve got confidence!” I shouted back as I started my chainsaw and undercut my way through the trunk of the uprooted tree that I was standing on. But as the saw sliced through the last inch of bark, I realized too late to change things that I had terribly miscalculated the outcome. In one terrifying moment I was catapulted head over heels into chest deep freezing water. By God’s grace the saw flew harmlessly into the river, and I landed unhurt but embarrassed. Most humiliating of all was hearing my coworker Mike’s hysterical laughter, as he kept repeating over and over, “I’ve got confidence! Yes, I’ve got confidence!” Just as I didn’t think I needed help, until I was catapulted through the air, many of us find ourselves in spectacular fails because we have plenty of confidence but have based it on ourselves instead of God. Sometimes I wonder if God stands on the other side of the stream laughing hysterically and repeating our boastings a few times to the angels, before coming again to our rescue. But the good news is that even when we have catapulted ourselves into our own problem, He has promised to be our strength when we cry to Him for help. He is the one who not only is our song, but He also becomes our salvation. Through our prideful actions we may have sent us flying head over heels by unexpected outcomes, thank God that even at those moments, He will come to our rescue when we put our trust and confidence only in Him!

Our Garden Waves Good-bye!


While Tomatoes bow their frost tipped brows
Mrs. Broccoli gently smiles
Old Green Bean starts to shed his leaves
And Zucchini sleeps in piles
The Corn folks stiffly shake their stalks
And the Pumpkins wait for pie
Hot Peppers dream of summer walks
As our Garden waves good-bye

Glad to Be His Child

Having a child throw a tantrum in a restaurant is every father or mother’s worst nightmare. People stare, they wonder out loud about your parenting ability. We blush and sweat and rack our brains about what to do, because right then our kid is just making us crazy! But did you ever stop to think that there are days when we act just like that with God. We misbehave, talk back, complain and fuss and sometimes even complain at the top of our lungs to anyone who will listen. But just as any parent who truly loves their child, God doesn’t abandon us in the restaurant. Instead in those moments when we are at our worst, though God will correct us, He still claims us as His own. Now that kind of love and grace is something that makes me say, “He has made me glad, yes He has made me glad!” I hope you enjoy my memorable story and join in us singing this joyful chorus by Leona Bruce Von Brethorst. No matter what we face, what failures we are in the middle of or how far we feel from God, we can still turn back and “Enter His gates, with thanksgiving in our hearts,” because by grace God still claims us as His child!