Don't give up hope.

There's a very moving column by Pastor Lynn Walker that ran in The Express-Star. In the column, Walker tells the story of a time in 1992 when he wanted to commit suicide and was running from a broken marriage and everything in life:

I fumbled around under the seat and finally got my hand on my daddy’s old Smith & Wesson snub nose .38 Special. I pulled the hammer back and stuck the barrel up against my temple. Just as I started to pull the trigger, something very strange happened. All of a sudden I felt like someone was pouring a bucket of warm water over my head, and that feeling went all over my body. Then God took his turn to speak to my heart. In a voice that was so real, I could almost swear it was audible; God spoke so clearly to me in just a few sweet words. All He said was, “YOU’RE GOING TO BE OK”. That’s all. He didn’t tell me how or why or when. Just that I was going to be “OK”. That’s all I needed. I was at the end of my rope and thank God I found the knot that kept the rope from slipping through my hands. That knot was the Love of Jesus Christ and He gave me everything that I needed. HOPE.

No matter what is going on in your life, God can give you hope. Whether it's unemployment, divorce or anything else, turn to God.

In God's time

Today after church I noticed that, in general, it's the same people that always are crying and needing prayer. I asked my wife, "Why doesn't God just fix their situation so they don't have to be miserable all the time?"

"Why has it taken so long for God to fix your relationship with your stepdad?" she replied. "Don't ask me. I'm not God -- ask him."

So I did. Here was his response:

I fix things in my time, not your time.

Fair enough. God has a plan, and his timing is always perfect.

Slow down...and listen.

I'm nearing the end of Phase 3 of Christ-Life Solution:  The Ultimate Journey. This past week's lesson instructed us to spend some quiet time focusing on God and hear what is on his mind. So, I slowed down, and here's what I heard:

• Bloom where you have been planted.
• Show my love to your wife and son.
• I will take care of you. You need to focus on me.
• Don't give up.

So often we go to God with our requests. Take a moment to slow down and hear what God desires.

The power of life and death

I'm currently reading an excellent book by Gary Smalley and John Trent, Ph.D. It's called "The Hidden Value of a Man."

The book talks about the two swords of value in every man. There's the silver sword, which relates to a man's positional power. This includes a man's job title, academic degrees, place in the corporate hierarchy, etc. Most men focus on the silver sword and neglect the gold sword, which is the ability to develop meaningful, fulfilling relationships and strengthen our families.

There is an interesting passage on p. 28 of the book under the header "The Power of Life and Death Lies Within a Man's Reach":

Writer Gordon Dalbey describes a deeply moving church meeting where the congregation had just watched the powerful anti-abortion film 'The Silent Scream.' Stung in heart and stirred to prayer, men and women began interceding for the pregnant young women faced with the appalling choice of bringing an unwanted baby to term or destroying it in the womb.

Others prayed for the parents of the young women, for the doctors and nurses in the abortion clinics, for the unborn babies themselves, and for the conscience of the nation.

Yet Dalbey felt a strange uneasiness. Something seemed missing somehow. Overlooked. 'Lord, is there something else?' he asked.

'Almost at once the words burst forth in my mind: Pray for the men! No one is recognizing that without a man to impregnate the woman, the abortion issue would not exist.'

Smalley and Trent go on to explain that the ultimate "choice" in the issue belongs to the man. As men, we have a tremendous amount of power; we need to be aware of how we wield our swords. It is possible to have an effective balance between the silver and gold swords.

Remember Nhu

Carl and Laurie Ralston of Akron, Ohio, were so moved by the story of a sex-trafficking victim named Nhu Thanh in Cambodia that they have dedicated their lives to fighting the sex trafficking of children.

'I had heard about Miss Nhu from a missionary in Cambodia,' Ralston said in a Plain Dealer article. 'After he told his story about her, God spoke to my heart. My wife and I wanted to help this young lady.'

Before the Ralstons even met Nhu, Carl sold his insurance business to establish Remember Nhu, a nonprofit to help prevent children from entering the sex trade.

The Ralstons then took six trips to Cambodia over a three-year period to find Nhu. They finally found her in 2006 working in a hair salon.

Remember Nhu opened its first home to educate and shelter children at risk of sex trafficking in Phnom Penh in 2007. The charity now has eight homes in five countries.

It really could be...Satan.

We live in a spiritual battlefield. As we advance Christ's kingdom, Satan takes notice. I have seen it happen before.

For instance, the outstanding leader of my Heart of a Warrior group took delight in being a father. His son eventually developed a brain tumor and died at the age of seven years and seven months.

The leader of my Focus of a Warrior group got laid off from his job. He was unemployed for nine months and somehow had to manage to continue providing for his wife and four children.

I led two groups (Raising a Modern-Day Knight and Sage Series) to encourage fathers of sons to raise their boys in a godly manner, and I got laid off from my job.

It's really easy to be angry with God when these types of things happen. I believe that there is a spiritual element to this -- Satan is trying to derail us and cause us to lose faith in God. The reality is that these are the times to double down on our faith.

In the midst of being trapped up to her neck

Omayra Sanchez

In 1985, the Nevado Del Ruiz volcano erupted in Armero, Columbia, trapping 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez in debris while she was trying to rescue a sibling.

As noted on Technorati, Sanchez calmly hung in there for three days until she died of exhaustion, gangrene and hypothermia. It was noted that, during those three days, Sanchez calmed people who were overcome with emotion because of her situation, sang and held normal conversations with visitors.

God must have given her courage and tranquility in the midst of a tragedy.