Revitalizing, Renovating, and Renewing.

You Don’t Even Know It’s There

You never see this fern slumbering atop the branches of our live-oak tree. It is hardly noticeable, but after an overnight rainfall, it rebounds into a vibrant, leafy plant, covering the branches with lush green vines. It is aptly called “Resurrection Fern”—nature’s way of teaching that we can rebound and sprout new growth even after our darkest hour. 

Darkest Hours: Words We Cannot Take Back

Consider Peter, one of the Jesus’ early disciples.  Following the arrest of Jesus, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.  Imagine the remorse he carried, the three denials he could not take back.  But Peter’s failures were not the end of his story.  He chose to be present in his own rebirth, his own creation story. He became the Rock, upon which Jesus would build his church. And I wonder if Peter revealed these denials to the world to teach us something about forgiveness, especially self-forgiveness.

I fail.  I have failed.  I will fail.

There.  I have conjugated the present, past and future of my human condition. But my story is ongoing and so is yours. The important thing is to not to miss the next act of your own story.  I plan to show up . . . as a participant in my own continuing story.

God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. 
It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.
               ― Vance Havner

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He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. (2Timothy 1:9)

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