SATISFACTION “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10 God is so good to have blessed us with five senses with which to perceive and enjoy the world. He could have given us eyes that could merely see light and dark, but, instead, our eyes are made to perceive thousands of beautiful colors.  Food could have been made to be tasteless, but He chose to offer pleasure, even in what nourishes and fuels our bodies. Each of our five senses has the capability of producing pleasure, because they were designed by our magnificent God to make life on the Earth a joy. God’s presence IS the source of joy, and the richness of His pleasure is found in our obedience.  It is when our focus shifts away from pursuing Him to, instead, pursuing pleasure apart from Him, that we encounter danger.  A snare is set in the pursuit of pleasure outside the bounds of that relationship. Once exceeded, our s...

A SEASON OF SUDDENLIES By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.” – Mark‬ ‭13:36‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Opening the blinds this morning, I was more than a little surprised to see the clear, blue skies of yesterday, replaced by a homogenous light gray. Other than thinking our solar panels might be poor producers today, I honestly didn’t think much of it. So, I leisurely wandered around the house in my pajamas and was feeding the dog, when suddenly there was a strange noise.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until I casually glanced out the window to see torrential rain pummeling the ground at a 45 degree angle. My jaw dropped open.  I no sooner expected to see heavy rain come out of that light, wispy cloud cover than to see the Queen of England herself driving down our driveway. How woefully unprepared we were for such a weather change!  We had left the truck windows open, tools out alongside the house, as well as windows ope...

THE FOURTH MAN By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” – James 1:2-3 NIV Grapes must first be crushed, before becoming wine.  Coal must bear extreme pressure to become a diamond.  And oysters must endure prolonged irritation to develop a pearl. Isn’t it interesting, that for these things to reach their greatest value, they must first endure a great hardship? It is in the irritation, pressure and stress that, we too, are offered an opportunity to be transformed from the common and everyday to the extraordinary.  It can be extremely painful to endure loss, disappointment or grief, but in the skilled hands of our loving Father, the pain ALWAYS has a purpose. When we plunge our trust fully in Him, what emerges from the fiery flames of testing will be purified, strengthened, resilient and precious. These painf...

TAKING HOLD OF THE ETERNAL “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!”– Revelation 21:5a NIV Don’t you just love that “new car” smell? What fun it is to slide behind the wheel of a brand new car!  Shiny and clean without the smell of french fries or soccer feet, a new car glides rather than runs down the road. While I love a new car, I must admit that I have an affection for my old car.  I dread the day I will have to let it go.  It has faithfully served me and I have cared gently for it, but I see signs that it is closer to the end of its days than the beginning. The same is true about everything on this planet.  Everything and everyone will eventually pass away.  There remains a precious HOPE, however. When we are found in Him, we can never be lost in death. “...I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NIV‬ When life ends here, our best life begins with the Lord....

LET IT RAIN! By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the LORD, have created it.” - Isaiah 45:8 NIV It is still very early.  The first blush of morning is still hours away.  I can hear the gentle tap of rain on the window and it’s sound brings with it peace.  Fires have devastated so much over the past two years.  The rain is truly a shower of blessing. Devastation affects all of our lives, whether it is the literal burning of all we own, a death, the figurative burning of a relational bridge or devastation to bodies, hopes or dreams. As we look upon the ashes in our lives, there remains a powerful HOPE.  We serve a God who gives beauty in exchange for our ashes. “...and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourni...

BECOMING FISHERS OF MEN “And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:19 HOPE is found in this little verse—fifteen simple words that are easily stepped over on our way to weightier passages.  The promise of Jesus to MAKE us fishers of men, is one of great liberation.  With it comes the invitation to come as we are and be transformed. We don’t need to come equipped to be useful to His kingdom.  Coming self-equipped for service can, in actuality, lead to stumbling.  For when we rely upon our own strength and skill, later we also foolishly ascribe victory to ourselves that rightfully belongs to the Lord.  In so doing, we plunder of His glory, and take upon ourselves a crushing weight we are not designed to carry. Other times we look at ourselves, our faults and long history of mistakes, and we discount our capability for good.  The Father is unconstrained by time and space, and simultaneously sees the beginning a...

A WALK IN THE GARDEN By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” - Genesis 3:8 Adam and Eve heard the Lord walking in the garden that day.  It was not something that took them by surprise.  They were familiar with the sound of His footsteps as He approached to spend time with them in the beauty of the garden. My heart jumps in my chest at the thought of seeing the Lord face to face.  One day we will finally see Him and the splendor of all things made new.  What a glorious day that will be! So often when there are burdens on our hearts, we long to have audience with the Lord—to receive His wise counsel and healing touch.  What a wonder it is to consider that He is mindful of us.  And a greater wonder yet, that He doesn’t merely endure our visits, but He desires time w...

THE INTOLERANCE OF TOLERANCE “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” – 2 Corinthians ‭3:6‬ ‭NIV‬ Am I the only one that finds it interesting, that since the push for tolerance began, the world has actually become MORE intolerant and thin-skinned? A concept that may have begun with good intentions, is deeply flawed, striving to control heart issues with rules, as opposed to getting to the true heart of the matter.  As Paul so beautifully put it, the letter of the law kills, but the Spirit gives life. We have become a society of secular Pharisees, that are so focused on the letter of the law that we stumble over the intended spirit.  And the pursuit of tolerance has ironically led to intolerance of those that we believe are intolerant. We are pursuing the wrong thing. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does no...

RESCUING LOVE “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” - Psalm 34:17-19 We all go through times of frustration, grief and discouragement.  Even Jesus, when in the garden, was in such extreme anguish that His sweat was like great drops of blood.  The Lord not unfamiliar with our agony and sorrow. He understands the grief of ultimate betrayal, humiliation and abandonment.  Jesus wrestled with disappointment, discouragement and loss, exactly as we do. In this fallen world, it is part and parcel of being human to bear the weight of emotion—both good and bad.  The Lord knows it all.  He has deep compassion upon us in our pain, anxiety and fear.  He sees our tears and sleepless nights, broken hearts and longings for an answer. Father, thank You f...

CONFESSION: They say confession is good for the soul.  So, here goes.  Recently, I was whining to the Lord about some current difficulties. I was droning on and on about feeling like Job when the Lord, in His mercy, drew my attention to the Word.  In the passage below, Job is talking to God and he says: “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.  Nothing and no one can upset your plans.  You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’ I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head.  You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.  Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’  I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!  I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!  I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.” ...