Beyond Sunday - The Waiting Room: In the Meantime

...by Randy Parish

OK God, I did what Greg said, I waited a week and did nothing.

Hello…still waiting.

Ever feel like that? Waiting……………..on………….God………to…………..move.

One thing that sticks out for me from week one, is Greg talking about the waiting being transformational rather than transactional. Look at the insightful wisdom of the T-shirt that says, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”.

What do we do while we are waiting?

We get impatient because we have microwave ovens, instant messaging, instant coffee and instant potatoes. We want to wait for nothing. We pray and if God doesn’t answer us in 10 minutes we want to take things into our own hands.

God has never failed us. Why would he choose to fail us now? We need to remember the times God was faithful. We need to mark those points on our journey and be thankful for them.

My wife and I are in a period of waiting. We decided to put our house on the market just as the real estate boom started into its current nose dive. We just feel God is calling us to do something else right now. We prayed and we waited. We almost took things into our own hands a few times, but didn’t and continued to pray and to praise God for the blessings we already have. We laugh about the situation because we liken it to being on a journey and just looking out the window. We’re not driving, so we can just sit back and enjoy the scenery as we go through life. There have been several occasions we have said “God, we are glad you are in charge and we are not” because the decisions we were thinking about making would have turned out to be very bad for us. Life continues to change in ways we haven’t thought about before. We need to cast aside our worry and our fears and lean back into the arms of God. What a better week than this week to take some time and mark your encounters with God. A time to be thankful for the journey He has put you on. We need to enjoy the ride.

Giving Thanks...

Well, 'tis the season to be thankful.

I've heard it said in more than a few places by more than a few people this year that Thanksgiving is probably the most overlooked holiday in our churches, and frankly, in our world. I think that they have a point. Not to sound like Andy Rooney here, but I feel like each year, we get more and more hyped up for Christmas that we forget the beauty that is a holiday to simply say "thanks" to the great people in our lives and to give thanks for God putting them there (as well as all the other material blessings that many of us enjoy).

So this year, I've been intentional in trying to really be thankful around this holiday of Thanksgiving. And to be honest, I think it's really started to cultivate a great new attitude within my own heart regarding thankfulness and gratitude. Things that I normally just take for granted I'm now discovering I'm thankful for.

This Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I'd really encourage you to make a list of all the stuff you are thankful for. Share it with God. I think that's probably one of the best Thanksgiving exercises that anyone could partake in. Here's a few of mine.

1. I'm thankful for family. It's taken me a while to realize it, but I am super thankful for my family. My mom and dad are awesome; I appreciate how they always keep a positive attitude about everything, and that they're just solid people overall. As she and I both age, I'm starting to really appreciate my sister, Jennie, as well, despite all her quirkiness. There's never a dull moment at our home. I have two awesome grandparents who will never let me go needy. I don't think a person could ask for more than that.

2. I'm thankful for my friends. My first two months at Suncrest reminded me of just how tough it is to be lonely. I really felt out of place for my first little while here. But it was in times like that that I was reminded of how awesome my friends are, and how thankful I am for them. I am so thankful for my BFF (best friend forever, pretty lame, I know) C.J. and his wife Ami, who are both serving at Kingsway Christian Church in Indianapolis. Being away has also made me realize how much I miss my other best friend, Rachel, who is absolutely a joy for me to be around and is probably one of the best listeners and greatest people I know. I'm also thankful for a host of other friends... those from back home in Columbus like Justin, Kevin, Brent, and Ciara, as well as some other friends from school like Mikey B., Kelsey, and Brandon, and also some friends from the church I worked at in Dayton like the LeBlanc family, the Garlands, Jeff Archer, and soooo many others! And of course, can't forget a lot of the great folks here at Suncrest as well! I'm learning that friends are part of what help me get through life. If you haven't lately, say a huge "thank you" to your friends, because I think they all definitely deserve it.

3. I'm thankful for our Suncrest staff. I can't say enough how much I really love working here, and most of that's because we have what is, quite possibly, the greatest staff in the world. Every day I walk in and I know I'm going to get a chance to laugh and just have fun doing what I love to do with folks like Bobby, Doug, Jared, and others. I'm thankful that people like Kay Roberts and Robin McHugh always laugh at my stupid jokes. If you haven't had the pleasure, sharing an office with our leadership resident, Andy Kaser, is pretty awesome. I've never been a great children's ministry worker, but it's sure a great experience when you do it with people like Miss Sue and Julie Coons. Greg does a great job of always leading us and pushing us in the right direction. In short, what I'm trying to say is that I love our staff, and I'm thankful that for every day over the next year, I get to come in and work at a place like Suncrest.

4. I'm thankful for Bobby and Beka Jackson. Seriously. I know that Bobby's my boss/mentor and it probably sounds cheesy to say this, but I am very thankful for he and Beka's friendship. If you don't know this family, you are missing out on the experience to get to know people that really love Jesus and are totally committed to serving him. I couldn't think of two more refreshing people to be around and hang out with.

5. I'm thankful for Kay Roberts. Kay is like the ultimate volunteer/administrative support staff person. Also, she understands my extremely sophisticated sense of humor (see above), so you know she's cool. But in all seriousness, Kay has a heart for worship ministry, and watching her serve is always a real inspiration to me. If you don't know Kay, you should. She's pretty awesome.

6. I'm thankful for the kind families that have housed me. It's okay, I know... I'm kind of a slob, and probably not the easiest person to live with. That's why I'm very thankful to Lonnie and Tonia Marsh from our East Campus for housing me from August to October. And that's why I am thankful now for the Hines family, who is housing me know. And that's also why I'll continue to be thankful for families like the Stooksburys and McAgys who will be housing me in the future. Hospitality is something that is kind of missing in our world right now, and it's been a super humbling, super awesome experience living with these families.

7. Lastly, I'm thankful for Jesus. I don't get entry into heaven because of anything cool I did. I get it because Jesus decided to give a gift: the gift of grace. I can never be thankful enough for that.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Share with us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

wb

Beyond Sunday - The Waiting Room: Forgotten

...by Kevin McHugh

American society hates to wait for anything. We are a drive-thru, fast food, microwave, credit card culture - at the company I work for, it is considered unacceptable to say that you are waiting for anything. It's no wonder that we struggle with the idea that God might be trying to teach us something or grow us in some way through the very process of waiting.

One of the major points of Greg's teaching is that "When it comes to waiting, I think transaction; God thinks transformation." God wants us to be patient during the time we are waiting, all the while talking to Him and listening for His guidance. The problem for me is that I am basically not a patient person, and the world I live in reinforces speed and waiting is viewed upon as a complete waste of time, so I am taken once again to one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

Patience is tough when we are in a difficult situation and our prayers have not yet been answered. Let's keep talking to God and remain still long enough to feel a response for we may not know how he is working to transform us. When I got home from church, I went and found the Psalm that Dave selected for the communion meditation. It is a good one to mark and return to regularly.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret - it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more,
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace. - Psalm 37:7-11

Amen to that!

Prayer.

Okay, it's confession time for me on here:

I really, really, really stink at day-to-day spiritual disciplines.

I had dinner with my dear friend Mitch Wright earlier this week, and as we were eating, I shared that for some reason, I thought that when I became a pastor, when I entered the ministry, when I got to Bible college, that my spiritual life would all of a sudden fall into place. I always thought that I would just magically develop this awesome relationship with God and that amazing things would happen and I would just have this magical spiritual clarity.

Well, folks, unfortunately, that's not the case. It's really sad to admit, but there are times in my life where I haven't taken some real time to just sit and talk one-on-one with God for days, even weeks, sad to admit. There are some periods in my life where I feel I've only picked up my Bible to find a Scripture or to study like a textbook, never to read and personally reflect on regarding my own life.

But I really believe that spiritual disciplines are super important for our own personal spiritual growth and development. And for me, at least, the easiest and quickest spiritual discipline to get started with is usually prayer. I mean, think about how much time you spend each day by yourself in your car, at home, or wherever. It becomes easy for me to find time if I'm simply aware that I have it. Prayer is definitely a great way to establish a relationship with God and I believe is the most valuable thing you can do. I wish I had a better prayer life.

Even though I'm not always great at it, I want to help you develop a prayer life as well. Allow me to humbly pass on a few things I've discovered that have really helped my prayer life (and hopefully yours as well):

1. Recognize that you can pray anywhere at any time. Have you ever been totally stressed out about a situation or something happening in your life, thought about it all day, had it totally ruin (or at least hamper) your day, and then out of nowhere remember that you could pray about it and give it to God and just feel stupid? I know I've felt that. I've had stuff totally stressing me out, and then just had this moment of clarity where I remember, "I can pray about this!" Never forget that you can pray anywhere, anytime. It doesn't have to be in a church or by your bedside; praying in the car on your way to work is great. Sometimes, it's great just to pray a quick one minute prayer for something as you think of it, or just say a few one minute prayers throughout the day. You could even do something like that at work, maybe as you see a co-worker struggling or are just reminded of a need that should be prayed for. Basically, all I'm trying to say is that you should never forget that the power of prayer is accessible to you 24/7/365, no matter where you happen to be at that moment.

2. Talk to God about everything, not just "prayer topics." I think there's this feeling that some stuff is just sort of "off limits" or "stupid" to talk about with God (maybe like what you did that day, or about this girl you like... whatever). I used to be one of those people. But as I grow and mature, I'm realizing that's not the case. I truly believe that God wants to be invited into every aspect of our lives, and that includes stuff seemingly mundane or silly as our day-to-day activities or that person we're crushing on. There are no "prayer topics" and "not prayer topics." There are only "prayer topics." Anything you're going through, thinking about, or experiencing is a "prayer topic." Is your heart lying with a particular issue right now? You can totally pray about that. Prayer isn't just reserved for stuff that we deem to be especially "holy" or "sacred."

3. Give God time to speak. This is the part of prayer I stink at the most and probably need to make the most improvement on, but I truly believe this is an important aspect of prayer. It's hard for me, given the different nature of the human-to-God relationship, but I'm trying to approach my time with God as I would with a great friend. In great relationships, one person doesn't always speak... they dialogue together. Think of the last great, in-depth conversation you had with someone. Mine was a few weeks ago with my best friend Ami. I shared with her about something I'm thinking about in my life and she listened. When I asked for her advice, she answered. And after that, she shared about a situation in her life and I listened and then offered my opinion when asked.

Great relationships are like that. There's ebb and flow. Sometimes we speak, sometimes we listen. The same goes with God. Sometimes we need to talk and share. But there are other times where we need to be quiet, listen, and allow God to speak some truth into our lives. It's kind of different (and a little risky-feeling) for me, but I'm learning to ask God questions... to ask for His advice and wisdom. And then, I wait. Sometimes, I feel God responds right away. Sometimes, I feel and hear nothing, and I know I need to just keep praying or keep waiting. Sometimes, it's appropriate just for us to just sit and listen, without saying a word. Bobby Jackson challenged us to do that at our ministry staff retreat, and I believe God had something very important to share with me... and it was something I didn't expect.

4. Find a few things that you're passionate about that you can pray for every day. There's this story in Luke 18:1-8 where Jesus talks about the power of being persistent in our prayers. He talks about a widow who has been hurt by someone, and she comes before this unjust judge to offer her plea that he take action against her adversary. Because this judge is not just, he refuses. But the widow comes back again and again, and the judge eventually grants her the request for justice. Jesus uses this as an example that just as the widow was persistent with the judge, we should be persistent with our prayers before God. In Matthew 7:7-11, we are told to keep asking, seeking, knocking with the prayers that we offer God. I don't know how it works, or why it is this way, but I believe that the Bible tells us that there is something special that accompanies prayer that is persistently offered. Imagine the power we could discover if we would pick a few things, no matter how big or small, and just kept praying about them each day! I think the results could be pretty incredible.

5. Talk to God conversationally, as you would a friend. This has probably helped my prayer life the most, and is probably most closely related with #2 and #3. When I talk conversationally with God, I feel like I do a better job of inviting Him into my life, and I feel like the relationship with God grows more in those moments. As I look on my life as a Christ follower, I think that in my "infancy" years, I had a tendency to look at things in a very transactional, non-relational perspective. That was good to develop the exterior characteristics of a Christ follower, but on the inside, the relational aspect with God wasn't there. It's a challenge daily for me, but talking with God conversationally has helped me to develop that relationship aspect. I know it will for you too. If it helps, imagine like God is sitting in a chair in your room or maybe like you're having a phone conversation with Him. But whatever it takes, talk to God conversationally... there's a lot of great things that can happen from that.

Like I said, I probably need advice on prayer just as much as anyone. But for me, these 5 things have been effective in helping my prayer life and in helping my spiritual life in general. If anything, I hope they're able to serve as a springboard for you to use as you keep cultivating your personal relationship with Jesus!

Beyond Sunday - East Campus

...by Andy Kaser

Sometimes we leave informed. Other times we leave inspired. Maybe there are times we leave with a plan for change. On Sunday I left with a mixture of each of these ingredients. The reality is that as Doug verbalized scripture and concepts, the Holy Spirit was breathing strength and encouragement in me. The question I have to ask myself is; “Do you really trust God Andy? I mean really trust him? Or do you give your energy over to ‘helping’ God out?

It’s a great question. Am I in control of my own destiny? Because if I am, I’ve made a pretty pathetic run at it. I mean if my life’s worth is fueled with the ‘good’ I’ve done, I’m not sure it provides any good content for someone to say at my funeral. The heartbeat, or to put it the Suncrest way – Big Idea, is that God is involved in us. The battle is His. And the good news is that our ‘limp’ or ‘handicap’ (that we pray for God to take away) is the very thing that keeps us attached to a dependence on God. It is the thing that allows us to keep Christ at the center, and the thing that gives people the ability to understand, empathize, and relate to. The thing that should most disqualify us from making an impact on humanity is the thing that God uses to bring good. Another example of the upside down Kingdom of God.

Doug used a powerful video illustration to drive this point to the center our souls. Lonely, lost, hurting, desperate, desolate, malnourished, decrepit people who pray for ‘healing’ in some capacity…and yet God remains silent. God is not distant, he just seemingly resists that prayer. As the story unfolds we begin to see the light switched on inside them…and they worship knowing that God has a purpose to our weakness and frailty.

Doug used the story of a guy with a funny, long, and hard to spell name. So why Jehoshaphat? Here’s a brief summary; He’s a King commissioned by God to engage the battle God’s way – not his own way. God’s way always sounds insane. His confession; “For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (God)." His response; "Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Doug even sang this for us…you would have had to been there!)God’s victory; “And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. (Kaser’s paraphrase – the victors worshipped and put their trust in God and they did not use one of their manmade weapons to defeat the enemy…the enemy destroyed itself. God has a knack for using the low to humble the strong).

So what’s this all mean for us? It’s not about us. It’s about God. And what is impossible with man is possible with God.

“God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.”

And that is a promise that makes me dance with gratitude and peace.

What Are You Reading?

At our ministry staff retreat a few weeks ago, one of our staff members made the simple observation that you can tell a lot about a person based upon the kind of stuff they put on their bookshelf.

I think that there's a lot of truth to that.

I also think that there's a lot of truth in the simple fact that reading can be a great way to cultivate our relationship with Jesus. Of course, the first and foremost book that cultivates your relationship with Jesus is the Bible. It's never a bad idea to start there, and if you're not reading your Bible on a regular basis, I'd definitely encourage you to do so. It will really make a difference in your relationship with Jesus (and in your life).

But what I'd love to know is what are you reading or have read outside the Bible that you feel helped cultivate your walk with Jesus? I'd love to have you comment on this post and share. And in the spirit of sharing, I guess that I will go first by sharing some books I've read that have really helped me in my walk with Jesus.

1. Seeking God's Hidden Face by Cecil Murphey. This was probably the first book I can remember reading that really, truly helped me cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus. I read it when I was 16 and at a really tough time in my life. For the first time in my life as a Christ follower, I felt like God's Spirit and presence had completely left me. I was left asking questions like, "God, do you even exist?" and "Jesus, are you real?" and "Is there something wrong with me? Am I even a Christian anymore?" This utter darkness in my life just came out of seemingly nowhere, and I wasn't ready. People around me thought something terrible was wrong, but I think I was really just going through an important phase in my growth as a believer. Murphey's honesty was of great comfort to me in this time; in fact, I may not even be a Christian today if it weren't for this book. If you're going through a time in your life where you feel God is absent for no reason, you need to read this.

2. The Thomas Factor by Gary Habermas. I read this not too long after the first book. I am a skeptical, doubting type person by nature, and this book helped me to learn how to deal with that. It reminded me that even if I doubt sometimes, it doesn't mean I don't love Jesus. It just means that I'm human. I highly recommend this book if you're a doubting-type like myself. If you're looking for something more like why you should believe, I'd highly recommend The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.

3. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This was the first book I read that really made me re-think the way I looked at Christian faith. Miller writes from the standpoint of just a regular, honest guy, and I really like that. This book helped me lose some of the baggage I carried with my faith, and to embrace a relationship with Jesus that was open and honest while being grace-filled and loving to the world around me.

4. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. This book kind of goes into the Blue Like Jazz category as well; it was just a work that made me re-think what a relationship with God looks like. This book really made me re-think the teachings of Jesus and the kind of life that Jesus asks me to live. While Blue Like Jazz is more of a story, this book is a little more like a message. But seriously, two of the seven chapters in this book were life-changing for me. Maybe they can be for you as well. If you're a big fan of Rob Bell's work with Nooma, you'll love this book.

5. Sex God by Rob Bell. Okay, kind of lame to have two books by the same author on this list, but what can I say? I love Rob Bell. The title of this book implies that it's all about sex, and while sex is definitely a topic of this book, Sex God is more about what makes a good love relationship, whether that be with God, with your spouse/significant other, or just with friends and people in general. Sex God gave me a better idea of what love really looks like, and also helped me to see how sex plays a part in that. Definitely a great read.

6. Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis (so nobody) knows that I pretty much have a (totally platonic) big-time man crush on Francis Chan. I love this guy, mostly because of his incredible heart and because he's a guy with no real personal agenda; he just wants to teach people what the Bible says. If you ever get a chance, watch some of his teaching online from Cornerstone Church in California. You won't be sorry. Anyway, Crazy Love probably wins the award for the "most challenging" book in terms of my relationship with Jesus. Seemingly each chapter hit home with solid, real truth on how in a lot of ways, I've settled for a lukewarm life that only kinda loves Jesus. Crazy Love reminded me in a powerful way that Jesus teaches us to be people who live with a crazy love for Him that shows itself in the way we give, serve, and love other people in all places at all times. This book gave me a real spiritual "kick in the pants," and if that's what you need (or even if you don't think you need that), I'd highly recommend it.

7. Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. I think I've mentioned it on here before, and I will do so again. This is a great book. It's a study of several spiritual disciplines (like prayer, meditation, fasting, solitude, silence, etc.) that we can use in order to further our relationship with Jesus. Foster gives some great insights on all of these disciplines, and I believe that the practice of all the disciplines in this book will be of great help to any person wanting to cultivate their relationship with Jesus.

So there's a (long) description of some great things I've read to cultivate my faith in Jesus. What are some of yours? I'd love to hear!

wb

Beyond Sunday - Passover: “Moses’ Captivity” (West Campus)

...by Kevin DeBraal

Do you ever leave church and think that the sermon was meant for you? It happens to me frequently, I’m guessing for you too. Why? Because we all are human and are susceptible to the deception and temptation of the devil. The messages we hear are reminders of the devil at work in our lives and the struggles he creates for all of us.

Blake Bergstrom did a great job of explaining the challenges the devil creates for us and the response that we frequently make to those challenges. We create our own “prison”, a place we go by addiction, habit or behavior, to escape the pain, guilt and problems that we are suffering. I have mine, I’m sure you know yours. While we feel safe in our escape mode we are really confined and restricted. We don’t live life or face it, we hide from it. We are not free and in our confinement we are separated from God.

The symbolic chains we used to illustrate our prison were a reminder of the restrictions that it creates for us, remember how it felt when you broke your chains in church. The only way to break those chains is through Christ. Through Him we can be free.

Beyond Sunday – what do I take away from this message? I am reminded that I am involved in spiritual warfare, that the devil is actively trying to disrupt my life and separate me from God. I realize that instead of hiding from my problems I need to trust God, go to Him for my refuge and know that He has already saved me.

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29

Dirty Laundry

Nothing like airing out all our dirty laundry and getting things off our chest!
All those things that we cling to in fear that someone might find out about. Yeah...those secret sins that we keep so well hidden deep in our heart. Instead of confessing to our brothers and sisters in Christ like the Bible tells us to in James 5:16,"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed...",
we keep them hidden allowing our "dirty laundry" to darken our heart leaving a deep dark stain.



James must have been onto something here. It's amazing the amount of healing that takes place when we allow God to light up our dark corners and expose sin for what it really is and how confession completely disarms the hold that sin has over our heart. Oh the power that God has given through confession!



I would like to encourage you to check out this website that gives you an opportunity to confess whatever it is that you are holding tight to. This is a completely safe and anonymous site that one of our sister churches has setup.

http://www.ClotheslineConfessions.com/



Go and enjoy the freedom that God desires for us to have when we confess all that we have! Experience His wonderful joy that only comes from God!

Beyond Sunday - Servolution: the power in everyone

...by Gordon Barker

I don’t know about you, but this Servolution series has really been working on my heart. Service seems to be one of those things that I’m always “going to get to”, but doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should. This series has been loaded with thoughts to push, prompt and hopefully motivate me. Here’s a few of the things I hope to remember and use.

1. Greg’s questions of: What bothers me? What is the thing I cannot not do? What is my passion? He then challenged us to discover, or more likely, remember the answers to these questions. This has made me think a lot about the way I choose to live my life and I have decided it is no longer acceptable for me to hide from the pain in the world.

2. Bobby’s personal interpretation of Jeremiah 22:16: …defend the cause of the poor and needy. Is that not what it means to know the Lord? For me, I know that the next step in my spiritual maturity is to develop a deeper relationship with God, to try and know Him more. Deep thinking is hard work and easy to procrastinate doing (and I am a champion procrastinator). But here is some simple, easy to understand instruction from the Bible. Serve, and you will know the Lord.

3. The interview with Charlie and Lisa: this was awesome! It made me proud of my church and proud to be a follower of Jesus. Charlie’s description of his personal changes over the past 5 years and his heart for service now were inspiring. Lisa’s response of being motivated to serve others because of the service she received.

Now the challenge for me is to serve, I hope you are feeling challenged too.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Some Trust...

I posted about this on my own blog yesterday, but I'd love to go a little more in-depth with it here today.

I don't believe I've shared it on here before, but I have an incredible love for the Fray. I've seen them live in concert 3 times now in my life, and each time was a very enjoyable experience. Really love their sound, and while I don't know any of them personally, I've heard rumors that the guys in the band are all Christ-followers, which if true, would be pretty cool.

But I also love their music. I feel that I can empathize with a lot of the situations they write about. Something about their songwriting seems to really strike a chord with me again and again.

Take a listen to this song, called "Some Trust."

I was casually stumbling through my iTunes library the other day when I came across this little gem. Pretty catchy sounding, which got me listening at first. But then I really listened to what the song was saying, and I was quite floored, mostly because I think that at one time or another, I've been prone to trust in all of those things.

I've trusted in love.

I've trusted in others.

I've trusted only myself.

I've trusted in hate.

But a lot of the time, I haven't placed my trust in God. Granted, I'll have a little trust there, but not all of it like He asks. I'll say I've got all my trust in God, but really I'm putting it all in my possessions, in some girl to make me happy, or in my own talents and abilities. Yeah, I might disguise it as "the words I pray" or "my saving grace" or "my security blanket," but God knows what it really is.

It's the thing I trust in more than Him.

So today's cultivate question is really simple. When the Fray sings that "some trust in (blank)," what goes in your blank?

I think that answer can say a lot about each of us.