Kissed by the Spirit

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Luke 15:7 (NIV)

A great aunt once gave me my first bible when I was thirteen. It had a white leather cover with a gold zipper, gold letters on the front, and all the words of Jesus were printed in red. I thanked her for it and then put it on a bookshelf in my bedroom, where it remained unopened for six years. 

During my teen years, I was pursuing my own path and left no room at all for God in my life. From the age of fifteen to nineteen, my mind was obsessed with the occult, which included astrology, card reading, palm reading and any other form of fortune telling. For a brief time, I even dabbled in witchcraft and spell casting, but God sent me a wake up call one night, through a dream.

I dreamed I was running to catch a train. Once I finally got to the train, I jumped on board, but discovered I was on a train of coffins, traveling through a cemetery. I woke up with my heart racing, but had a new respect and curiosity for God and His truth. I remember wondering, if there is a God, what does He expect of me?

The following year I had a life altering experience which changed the trajectory of my life’s purpose. While I was still obsessed with the occult, a friend mentioned a best seller book about bible prophesy and the events foretold that lead to the end of the world.

Being fascinated with any topic on prophesy, I took a city bus to an occult book store in Chicago. When I asked for the book, the clerk looked sternly at me and said, “You don’t want that book-it’s about the bible.” 

I passively accepted his opinion as if I had no mind of my own and headed back home. 

I caught a bus to the intersection where I needed to switch buses in order to get home. While I was waiting to transfer buses, I was standing in front of a small store that sold newspapers, candy, magazines, and cigarettes. 

I’ll never forget the moment I looked in the window of that little store on Western avenue, in Chicago, and saw that book in the front window.

I went inside, bought the book, got  on my bus, went home and read the entire book in my living room that afternoon. It wasn’t the prophesies or the knowledge gained that began to transform my life that day, it was someone. 

At the end of the book, the author had an invitation to pray a certain prayer, asking Jesus to forgive my sins and invite Him into my life. I was raised in the Christian faith, but it was the first time I ever thought of Jesus as dying for me, personally. 

After I bowed my head and prayed that simple prayer, a powerful sense of God’s love flowed over me. I felt a physical sensation of warm oil pouring over my head, which I now realize was the Holy Spirit. God’s forgiveness, love and peace swept over my whole being. Jesus came into my life and a transformation began that day. 

I looked for that dusty, untouched, white leather bible which still sat on my bookcase. I opened it and read the words of Jesus, printed in red letters. It was like reading a personal love letter from God. I lost all interest in the occult and never looked back again. 

That day was mysteriously guided by angels under the direction of the Holy Spirit, from the bus ride to looking in the window of that little store, to reading the entire book, uninterrupted. Angels and the Holy Spirit also guided someone to place that book in the store window that day. I was led to look in the window and in God’s perfect timing, nothing was a coincidence. 

I discovered the joy of knowing Jesus, instead of knowing about Him. Through all the ups and downs of life, the blessings and the losses, in good times and bad times, Jesus has been and still is, a rock of my stability. He is my Savior, my Lord and my best Friend.

Lord, thank you for all the ways you pursue us throughout our lives, by your Spirit, your angels, the power of scripture, and your steadfast love and mercy. Amen

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Philippians 4:8 (NASB)

Our capacity to maintain peace and contentment in Christ, depends on how we invest our thoughts. It’s what scripture has always taught, and is now supported by scientific research. 

Investing our thoughts is similar to investing money. If we invest our thoughts in negative, stressfull thinking, we will reap anxiety and stress which is damaging to both body and soul. If we invest our thoughts in gratitude, as the heroes and heroines of the bible did, we will reap a spiritual profit in return. 

A mind filled with gratitude can help us sleep better in the storm, pray calmly in a lions’ den, sing praises in a fiery furnace and slay our giants with a single stone. There is a truth found by uniting science and scripture to rewire our brain for the good.

God created our human bodies with chemical messengers that regulate our nervous system. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter known as the “happy hormone.”It’s the brain chemical that brings us a sense of well being. Research has found that if we intentionally dwell on a good God, good times, good people and positive experiences, we increase our production of Serotonin, which has a significant impact on our mood. 

Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone.” When thoughts are  focused on negative or stressful experiences, it increases the production of Cortisol throughout our bodies. Prolonged exposure to elevated cortisol disrupts sleep patterns, suppresses the immune system, raises blood glucose levels and increases depressive symptoms.

God is the one who wired our bodies this way, and science now confirms what scripture tells us. When we read scripture, it is “living and active” and works within soul and spirit, and reveals the deepest thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

(Hebrews 4:12)

If the word of God has such an organic living effect on our soul and spirit, it can surely help us overcome negativity and depression. Memorizing scripture has helped  people stay positive in difficult times. It’s one way to invest our thoughts wisely. 

Our attitude is so easily affected by how we talk to ourselves. Science tells us that self-talk activates the brain’s reward system, and leads to improved mood and cognitive performance. By allowing the Holy Spirit to police our thoughts, we can speak to ourselves and inspire our faith with an attitude of gratitude. 

I have a church friend who is in remission from cancer, who doesn’t read scripture but follows the advice of scripture. She speaks to her blood cells daily, telling the neutrophils to do their job, which are the cells that are first responders to fight off cancer. It has worked for her for years now. 

Whether we invest our thoughts in memorizing scripture, positive self talk, reading inspiring books and music, we can change our brain chemistry by finding good things to dwell on. 

In God’s mysterious ways, we are wired so that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

Long before science understood how our bodies respond to positive thoughts, Paul told us to find “anything” worthy of praise to be thankful for. The brain chemistry of talking to ourselves and investing our thoughts in gratitude is as old as the bible itself. God wants us to think about whatever is ‘right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent or worthy of praise.’ (Philippians 4:8)

Serotonin flows through us from positivity which leads to gratitude, and gratitude builds up our confidence in a good God who is our steady anchor in an unsteady world.

We must live, think and speak as  true citizens of Heaven, which is an invisible kingdom that cannot be shaken. It’s a kingdom that dwells within us, giving us the resilience to do all things through Christ, who is our source of strength. 

We are unshakable people  because Jesus is unshakable and He lives within us.

Lord, thank you for the science that proves what your word has always declared. Help us invest our thoughts in gratitude, so that we remain in your peace. Amen

“And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Mark 5:34 (RSV)

In most gospel accounts of healing, a sick person was brought to Jesus, because their healing was usually initiated by friends or family. A paralytic had good friends, who made a hole in the roof to lower him down to Jesus, because of the size of the crowd. Parents brought their children to Jesus, or invited Him to come to their home to heal them. Everyone had someone in their life, who played a supportive role in their healing, which is what a faith community is for. 

It’s a blessing to have the support of family and friends, but there are going to be times in everyone’s life, when our problems still leave us feeling isolated or alone. The woman with the hemorrhage was completely alone, but determined in her effort to see Jesus and receive healing. Having no one to bring her to Him, she inspired herself, saying, “If I but touch His clothes, I shall be cured.” 

(Mark 5:28)

Scripture doesn’t explain her situation, or why she came to Jesus alone. We are only told that she suffered with a hemorrhage for twelve years, so she had to be physically weak. According to religious law, her condition made her unclean to touch or be near. By all those factors, she was a stranger, alone, untouchable and very weak. As if that wasn’t enough, she needed to find a way to get through the dense crowd, in order to touch the fringe of Jesus’ clothing.

She was different from the rest of the crowd, because she had self directed faith, without a single friend or relative to help her out. There will be times in our life that, although we have family and friends, we still need to exercise our faith alone. In those moments, we inspire and direct ourselves to trust Jesus. We may go to church alone, go to the doctor alone, pray alone, have medical tests alone, and troubleshoot various problems alone. 

It is in those times, that we must speak faith to ourselves, by touching Jesus, with persevering faith, that unleashes the divine power of God.

With all that she was dealing with, the woman could have easily allowed herself to withdraw and indulge in self pity. She could have prayed, but sat and waited to see if Jesus would notice her, but instead, she initiated her miracle. She reached out with all of her strength, and unleashed His power of healing, before Jesus ever laid eyes on her. 

One unnamed woman, caused Jesus to abruptly stop walking and then curiously look around. She touched the hem or fringe of His garment, and a surge of power went out from His body to hers. He turned to the crowd and asked who touched Him. When He met her and learned her story, He was impressed with her faith, calling her “daughter”, and telling her that her faith has healed her.

Jesus knew that healing power went out from Him, at that precise moment. As I read this, I wonder how faith caused power to leave His body and heal the woman. It all started as she was speaking faith to herself. She had self directed, persevering faith which led to action, and unleashed the power of healing.

Maybe we should always be speaking faith to ourselves. Jesus called her ‘daughter’, even though He wasn’t old enough to be her father. He was reminding us that we are all sons and daughters of our Father, in Heaven, who we need to pray to with perseverance, because He loves us.

Jesus praised her, which teaches us that even when we feel weak or alone, God’s love is enough for us. As we motivate ourselves with words of faith, we unleash His power to receive a miracle. Could Jesus be saying to us as well, “Your faith has healed you, Go in peace.”

Lord, give us the strength and courage to speak faith to ourselves, and reach out to receive our miracle. Amen

“Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.”

1 Samuel 9:3 (NIV)

Saul and his father were having a bad day. Their entire herd of donkeys roamed away and got lost, which would be comparable to losing our wallet, credit cards or cell phone today, since a person’s livestock was a valuable asset back then. So Kush sent his son, Saul, along with a servant to go and search for their lost donkeys.

When they searched but couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere, Saul was ready to give up and return home, but the servant told him to consult the prophet Samuel, who lived in the next town. As they were searching for Samuel, they came across a few women who directed them to the right place. When they met Samuel, he anointed Saul to become the first king of Israel. 

God surprisingly planned the whole thing, telling Samuel in advance that the man who comes to his home is to be anointed as king. 

What started with runaway donkeys and a search mission, revealed a remarkable destiny for Saul. He also found his father’s herd of donkeys and brought them home, realizing God used their journey of searching to accomplish His purpose in Saul’s life. 

Scripture teaches us that God uses the journeys we are on, while trying to solve our problems. He leads us to certain people and one thing leads to another for good. He expects us to trust Him during the journey and He will bring us through it with purpose.

This week started out with some new problem every day.  Monday morning began with my cat finding a live mouse in my house, which he cornered in the spare bedroom of my home. After getting rid of the mouse, and calling an exterminator, there was another new little problem to solve every day after that. The next day my doorbell and my TV remote both stopped working, even after changing the battery. After speaking with two different TV customer service agents on the phone, who couldn’t solve the problem, I decided to go get a new TV remote. 

The new remote didn’t work either, so I called and spoke to a third agent who had me unplug the ‘HDMI cable’ and then replug it in. He told me how to find the right cable, I did what he said and the problem was solved. The first two agents never suggested unplugging the HDMI cable, so I was thankful for the third agent, who was a blessing, just like the number three.

The next day I came home to find a strange car parked in my driveway, so that I couldn’t pull into my garage. It turned out to be an elderly couple who were visiting a neighbor. They obviously didn’t know that residential driveways are not for public parking. At this point I am asking God what is happening and why do I have a new minor problem every day. Though nothing has been serious or life threatening, it still was very frustrating.

If you’ve ever had a week when not one day has been easy, each of us may react differently, depending on our personality. I found myself living on auto pilot, tackling one hurdle after another, while constantly asking God ‘Why?’ It felt like God’s answer was, “Don’t ask why, just trust Me.”

Our problems won’t end up making us kings or queens, like Saul, but God always has something for us to learn from it. First, I learned what an HDMI cable is and I will know what to do next time. I also learned that if I  didn’t have a cat, I wouldn’t even know that a mouse was in my house, and a bigger problem would have developed.

God has good plans and lessons for us to learn through every ‘problem’ we face. We are all interwoven and connected to one another more than we can imagine. There are numerous true stories of how people met their spouses in an unexpected place or situation. People have received renewed hope and developed new friendships through an unexpected crisis. What begins as a problem may even lead to a person’s career direction or a call to ministry.

To sum it all up, sometimes we only see what we’ve lost, but God sees all that He still wants to give us. 

Lord, help us to trust that your plans are always good for us in this life and in the life to come. Thank you for blessing us through others and make us a blessing in others’ lives. Amen

“David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today. Blessed is your good judgment and blessed are you yourself. Today you have prevented me from shedding blood and rescuing myself with my own hand.”

1 Samuel 25:32-33 (NAB)

Although David was anointed by the prophet Samuel, to be the next king, Saul, who was the current king, was not about to give up his throne. Instead, he set out to kill David, forcing him to live as a fugitive along with a group of men who were loyal to him. 

While David’s men were encamped in the wilderness of Carmel, they met some shepherds who were tending their master’s sheep. David and his men were kind and protective toward the shepherds, who worked for a very wealthy land owner named Nabal.

Nabal had thousands of livestock in the area, but also a reputation for being harsh and bad mannered. He was married to a woman named Abigail, described as intelligent and attractive. The custom of arranging marriages in those days, often resulted in mismatched pairs like Nabal and Abigail. (1 Samuel 25:3)

David sent his men to ask Nabal for some food to eat. Nabal’s response was rude and disrespectful to the messengers, chasing them away saying, “Who is David that I should care about him?” 

David’s anger was triggered when he heard about Nabal’s response. He was living with multiple stressors at the time, trying to survive the challenges of the wilderness and protect the men who were loyal to him, while they all were living as fugitives. 

Even though he was anointed and called to be the next king of Israel, that dream seemed very far off. Saul’s many attempts to kill David, along with Nabal’s unjustifiable meanness, pushed David to a breaking point that day, and he reached for his sword. He and his men quickly headed out to retaliate against Nabal. 

Abigail heard about what Nabal did and immediately had her servants prepare a package filled with loaves of bread, raisin cakes, figs, fruits and wine. She headed out ahead of them, to meet David and ask his forgiveness for Nabal’s offenses, by bringing him a peace offering of food and wine for him and all his men. 

When Abigail met David, she bowed down before him, asking forgiveness for Nabal, her foolish husband. Abigail had remarkable wisdom and patience, and her peace offering did cause David to pause. She gently reminded him that he was made for more, persuading him to trust God, and not tarnish his soul or taint his calling, by shedding blood unnecessarily in revenge.

She redirected David to the more noble side of his nature. Her gift of calming words brought peace and wisdom, and David was touched by her remarkable insight. He turned from his obsession with wrath, declaring that she helped him to rescue himself from himself that day. Abigail was a peacemaker during a difficult waiting period in David’s life.

Soon afterward, Nabal died of a stroke, Saul died in battle, and David was crowned King of Israel. Later, King David went back to Carmel and married Abigail, who was a widow. 

We are not all called to be kings or queens, but we are all called to be peacemakers in this world. We will probably encounter many Nabals in our lifetime, and some challenge our patience more than others. Like David, our dreams may be delayed or put on hold, by unpleasant people or events, but God will fulfill His plans and promises in His perfect timing. 

Abigail inspires us to look at the whole picture, reminding us that we all have a higher, more noble calling. We are all called to be peacemakers, as Jesus said, 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Lord, help us to look at the big picture as children of God, which is our higher calling, and use us to be peacemakers in the world. Amen

“After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

1 Kings 19:11-12 (NIV)

Elijah, the prophet, was in a cave hiding out, depressed and waiting to die. Overwhelmed with fear and grief after Queen Jezebel killed all the prophets, he was now the only prophet left, and her assassins were out searching for him. 

While hiding in the cave, Elijah was emotionally exhausted and prayed,

“I’ve had enough, Lord, take my life; I’m no better than my ancestors.” Then he fell asleep, but God sent an angel to wake him up twice, to force him to eat and drink, which shows us how much the Lord not only cares for our mental, emotional and spiritual well being, but for our physical health and nourishment as well.

Looking outside his cave, Elijah observed a powerful wind, followed by an earthquake and then a fire, but God did not speak through any of those dramatic forces of nature. Instead, He came to Elijah, speaking in a gentle whisper that swept over him like a comforting  breeze. The whispering voice asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He told God that all the prophets had been killed and he was the last one left. Then God told him to “Go back…” 

God sent Elijah back to the chaotic world he was running away from, and informed him that he was not the only one left, that there were 7,000 other believers besides him. God intends for us to find others who share our common faith, to know that we are not as alone as we think. Elijah left the cave, found those other believers, and the brutal leadership of Jezebel and Ahab was soon replaced by a good and just king, named Jehoshaphat. 

The Soul whisperer let Elijah know that things were not as bleak as he once feared, and that a change was coming. He also learned that he was never alone, and the situation was not as hopeless as he perceived it to be.

It reveals the tender heart of God, who comes and whispers to us while we seclude ourselves in our cave of desperation. He comes to us with a gentle whisper, inviting us to go back and resume the place we were meant to be in this world. Then He promises to walk with us, to restore us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The same divine Soul Whisperer embodied Jesus, who invites us to come to Him when we are weary and heavy laden, and He will give us rest.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by grief or discouragement, but just when we think we have no strength or faith left, the Spirit comes and whispers new hope to our souls. 

When I once felt spiritually depleted, the Holy Spirit whispered to me through some Christian music I was listening to. I felt His Presence, and His words within my soul. Though it wasn’t an audible voice, He was saying to me, “I want you back,” and then something changed within me, giving me new hope, faith and strength to go on. 

I believe the love of God comes like a gentle breeze, whispering to every person in whatever emotional cave they are currently in. Caves and mountain tops are great places for prayer or meditation, but they aren’t meant to be permanent dwellings. The Soul whisperer calls us out of our cave and away from mountain tops, to lead us back to the chaos of the real world, to be with others, and walk with Him on our journey of faith. 

Sorrow and grief can make us feel we may never walk with the same vigor we once had, but the Soul whisperer says, “Walk with whatever you have left, and I will be with you the rest of the way.” He equips us on our journey, showing us new mercies each day, and it all starts with a whisper within our soul.

Lord, help us to hear what you are whispering as you nourish, heal and draw us out of our cave, revealing your new mercies to us each day. Amen

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.”

Luke 10:33-34 (NIV)

I once heard a speaker tell a story about his son, Joseph, who got lost in the woods at 4 years old.

While looking for Joseph, his dad spotted a nearby pond, and fearing the worst, he vigorously searched the shallow water, for his son’s body, but found nothing. He prayed and said, “God, you have blessed me with so much in my life and I thank you for everything, but you can take it all back, if you would just please give me back my son.” 

Little Joseph was terrified and sitting under a tree in the woods, crying the whole time. His family searched all over until they found him safe and unharmed sitting under the tree. 

The father recalls how in his  desperation to find his lost son, he was ready to give anything to get him back. That whole experience made him more aware that the essence of the gospel message is about God, a Father who also wants His lost sons and daughters back, and is willing to pay any price for them, which He already did through Jesus.

The gospel message is so much more than a list of moral guidelines or beatitudes to live by. It’s a story of the bold and boundless love that God has for all of us. When I heard the story of the lost boy in the woods, I related to it right away, because I was also once lost in the woods at the same age as Joseph.

When I  was four, my family went on a vacation and we stayed in a cabin in a wooded area of Michigan. I also wandered off and got lost in the woods. A very kind family saw me wandering and took me into their cabin, until they found my parents, who were searching everywhere for me. I vaguely recall that the people who took me in, were kind and spoke gently to me, calming my fears. They kept me safe until the reunion with my parents. 

God is still searching through the woods of this world, for all of His lost sons and daughters. He is relying on some good neighbors like us, who may be in a nearby cabin, to show kindness to them when they cross our path. He hopes we will show the same kindness and speak calmly to prepare them for a future reunion with their Heavenly Father. 

Jesus described the Good Samaritan as being moved with compassion, who then did something to help the wounded man. Compassion will move us to action, according to our own capacity. The lost sons and daughters of God cross our path for a reason, not by coincidence. God knows what we have to offer them and He sends people our way according to His purpose. God may simply be asking us to be present for someone, to speak calming words, as they did for me when I was lost.

So who are the lost sons and daughters in our lives that we can help? They may be coworkers, relatives, friends, neighbors or total strangers. We each have a unique role in God’s search and rescue mission for the lost. People may enter our lives for a moment, or for a season and others for a lifetime, but it is God who places them all there.

God also sends people to care for us if we lose our way. He sends people into our life to give us what we need, to prepare and lead us closer to God someday. It might have been a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, a friend, neighbor or a total stranger.

Lord, thank you for the goodness you show us through others, and give us compassion for those lost sons and daughters you send our way. Amen

“Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.”

Isaiah 49:1 (NIV)

There’s no doubt that it makes us feel special when someone knows our name, especially when we least expect them to. Isaiah said it more than once, that God called our name while we were in the womb. Jesus said that He calls us, His sheep, by name, and then leads us out. Where did He lead us out to? The very first place He led us out of, is the womb, on the day we were born.

Not every scripture is to be taken literally, but what if God really did call our name while we were in the womb. It’s too bad we have no memory of it, but we can still imagine how it was. Think for a moment that at some point in your prenatal development, the voice of God spoke your name, while you were floating around blissfully in amniotic fluid. 

Then the day of your birth took place, which was a stark transition from the comfort and security of the womb to the bright lights and cold atmosphere of a delivery room. Suddenly, there were new sounds and shadows of people outside the womb, which is unpleasant at first, in contrast to the warmth of the past months. You let out your first cry and then ‘life after birth’ begins.

From then on, we hear our name called by parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, a spouse, and others. Years erase the memory of the prenatal voice of God, as we learn to discern the inner voice of His Spirit, who guides us in non-audible ways. He speaks through our conscience, and whispers in our heart, in prayer, or by reading scripture, through music, and by the words of others who inspire us. 

We may even feel at times that something is missing because we subconsciously long for that divine voice we first heard in the womb. 

When we see our name on a note, a greeting card or banner celebrating a birthday, graduation or anniversary event, we naturally rejoice. Jesus once told us that having our names written in heaven, is reason for the greatest rejoicing. (Luke 10:20)

I have a story about once seeing my name written, where I never expected to see it. After settling in my current home in 2019, I searched on a website to buy the right painting to hang on a long bare wall in my living room. To make it even more meaningful, I specifically looked for a landscape scene of a particular area of Greece where my father grew up. 

I found a painting on canvas, showing the Peloponnese mountains in the background, with six boats docked in the foreground. It was 5 ft long and would fill in the wall space perfectly, so I ordered it. 

When it arrived, I was looking at the details up close, and each boat had a name on it, but the letters were partly covered, except for one boat. To my surprise, on the fourth boat from the left, I saw my first name in Greek. (Μαρία) It was as if God was saying ‘hello’ to me, through that picture. My name was the clearest one to read on any of the boats. A painting I ordered to fill in a blank wall, turned out to be an unexpected blessing. 

The voice of God who first called our name in the womb is the voice we now hear with the ‘ear of our hearts’. He will call our name again one day, when He leads us from here to our eternal home in heaven with Him.

Lord, remind us today that you are always speaking to our hearts in various ways, whispering our name to guide and comfort us with your divine Presence. Amen

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression

of the remnant of his inheritance?

You do not stay angry forever

 but delight to show mercy.”

Micah 7:18 (NIV)

Most people consider living a long life as a blessed life. Longevity is a blessing, but it is not the defining feature of a blessed life. The people who are blessed are those who receive the grace and mercy that God offers to all, whether they live 20, 40 or 100 years. 

The thief on the cross couldn’t have been very old, and though his life was short, he received the promise of being in paradise with Jesus the day he died. Some might think that he wasted many years before that day, but the one righteous deed he did was in asking Jesus for mercy before he died. It was enough for God to receive him into heaven, which makes his short life a blessed one. 

Someone may be dwelling on what they have lost, or what they are about to lose, but God is focused on giving all people the blessing of His salvation, and He does it through a million chances. Whether we lose health, a relationship or financial stability, God is always trying to draw us closer to Him. He not only desires all souls to be in heaven with Him, but to recognize His love here and now, in our present lives as well. 

When our cross seems too much to bear, He is sanctifying us through that cross. If we were to ask God why He allowed a particular event to happen in our lives, His likely answer is, “Trust me, you cannot see what I see.” 

Even when we fail to trust or believe, we have not used up our last chance, since God offers us a million more. It’s what abundant grace and unconditional love is all about.

Speaking of a million chances, I recently learned the life story of a contemporary Christian singer named Jamie Macdonald. Her story is not what one would expect of someone who writes and sings chart topping songs in the Christian genre.

Jamie’s journey to faith began when her parents divorced before her teen years. Her mother remarried, and her stepfather was mean and abusive, kicking her out of the house at age 15. Jamie went on a downward spiral, dropping out of high school, and becoming addicted to drugs. 

She went to LA, and as young as she was, she lived in homelessness for about six years. After seeing many of her friends die of overdoses or be sent to prison, she remembered a time in her childhood when she believed in God, while at a church camp when she was 12 years old.

In the place she was at, surrounded by drug adducts, Jamie fell to her knees one day when she was 21, and cried out to God, asking Him to help her, and He began to do great things in her life. She finally left the drug scene in LA and received help to overcome her addiction. She always dreamed of a career in music, since she wrote and sang her own songs. While living in Kansas City, MO, she found work singing the songs she wrote, in local coffee shops. In 2025, she released her first chart topping single, ‘Desperate’, which was voted the break out Christian song of the year, which earned five music award nominations.

Jamie is living a totally new life in Christ these days, and although her first 21 years seemed to be wasted years, she has a deeper appreciation of God’s grace which gives us a ‘million chances’. She feels her life is blessed to sing only for Jesus, who inspired her to write and sing a song titled, ‘A million chances.’

Jesus once said that ‘the one who is forgiven much, will love Him much.’ May we all be able to see our life as blessed, in spite of the years we ever considered wasted or lost. Nothing is lost where God’s grace intervenes.

Lord, thank you for your abundant grace that gives us millions of chances to receive mercy, and your love that so powerfully transforms people. Amen 

“When you pass through the waters,

 I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”

Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

‘Mayday’ became a universal distress call because it’s easier to hear over the radio than ‘SOS’, since the ‘S’ often sounds like an ‘F’.

As air and water travel increased in the 1920’s, the Royal Air Force developed the word “Mayday,” which originates from a French phrase for help me, ‘m’aider’, which evolved into the word Mayday.  According to protocol,  “Mayday” is required to be called out three times in a row.

In 2009, a US Airways Flight 1549, collided with a flock of Canadian geese. They hit the plane shortly after take off from LaGuardia, disabling both engines. The seasoned pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, was a US Air Force fighter pilot before flying commercial, and was known by his nickname, ‘Sully.’

When Sully saw that both engines were disabled, his quick thinking used the best chance of survival by avoiding the Manhattan skyline, and  steering the engineless plane into the waters of the Hudson River. Sully made the Mayday call 22 seconds after the birds hit the plane. In less than four minutes from his Mayday call, he glided the plane into the Hudson River. 

The force of the plane spun violently in the water, but rescue boats quickly arrived, saving all 155 people on board. 

It happened almost two decades ago, but I once heard a survivor share his story on a Christian TV show. Fred Beretta, in the weeks prior to the accident, had been in a phase of renewing and deepening his faith in Christ. He decided to take along a Christian book to read on the flight. He was reading before and after the plane took off, when he glanced out the window and saw the engines in flames. 

Captain Sully told the passengers to prepare for an emergency landing, after calling in the Mayday. Within seconds, Fred wondered if the book on his lap, was the last book he would read?  Then he surrendered himself into God’s hands and braced for the end. 

To his surprise, he survived, as did every person on board the plane that day. Thank God for Captain Sully’s skills to steer the engineless plane into the Hudson. God also heard that Mayday call and kept everyone on board safe. 

News coverage and articles were written about this event, which rightfully credited Sully with his 20,000 hours of flight time, quick thinking, calm demeanor, and four decades of flying experience. 

There were still many factors that Sully could not control, like the flock of geese hitting both engines of the plane, or whether there would be ice on the water that cold January day.

Captain Sully also couldn’t control the violent spin after the plane hit the water, or whether there would be other boats nearby, but there were no other boats on the water that morning. Sully used the skill he had acquired over time, while God controlled the uncontrollable factors. 

Sully had many flight hours of experience, just as we have flight hours of faith.  Flight hours of faith come from daily communication with the Lord. We learn over time and experience that trusting God means being faithful while leaving the things we have no control of, in His hands.

Life at times, can feel like we are flying an engineless plane, as the troubled waters of life spin us around, but we send up our Mayday prayers to God. Then we hold on to what we know to be true and trust God with the uncontrollable details, believing His promise, that the waters will not sweep over us. 

Almost two decades later, the news recently reported that Captain Sully was just diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. We pray that God will hear his Mayday call once more, show mercy and heal him. 

Lord, help us to trust you with the details we cannot control, as we send our Mayday calls up to heaven, and keep us all safe as we pass through rough waters that come our way. Amen