The Big Picture

    

Well... I guess it took seeing my home college football team losing a must-win game last night, to cause me to take a step back (again) and really examine just how important I have made some non-essential things in my life.

Non-essential things, like football, and yes, even fly fishing.

It's hard to see how excessively caught up we can get in some of the things that we enjoy until something shakes us out of our stupor. Life's non-essentials—like football and fly fishing—have a strange way of invading too large a place in our hearts. They certainly do in mine.

But as I saw last night, even when my favorite football team loses a crucial game and any hope of playing in a national championship has been dashed to pieces—this ol' ball of dirt still keeps on a spinning.

Life goes on.

It's amazing to look at pictures of the earth from space.

The earth's circumference is over 24,000 miles. And yet, compared to the galaxy in which it resides, it is just a minute speck. Now consider the galaxy that we are in compared to the entire universe—which contains billions of galaxies—and the earth is not even equal to a microscopic speck of dust in size.

So, in its proper context, the utter insignificance of my favorite team losing a football game last night cannot even be measured. My hooking and losing the largest rainbow trout I have ever seen last summer is absolutely meaningless—in light of the true meaning of life.

Ten thousand years from now, as we are perpetually set in our eternal destination, we will not be looking back lamenting over our football team losing to an arch rival, or of the 'big one that got away.'

Am I happy that our team will not get a chance to play in a national championship game this year? Nope.

But as I have seen, I apparently needed something like last night's disappointment to shift my focus off of the insignificant things in life, and to turn and consider the true meaning of life, and weigh the actions, thoughts, and intentions of my heart—in light of eternity.

In the Bible it is written that everything we ever did, said and thought--has been recorded. And one day, it says "The books shall be opened" and we will have to give an account to Him who sits on the throne in Heaven.

Kinda puts it all in perspective, doesn't it?

I want my life to count for something.

On that Day, I want to be able to give an account of a life that was fully devoted to the Savior who freely offered me eternal life. I want to live a life that is focused on loving God and loving people, and is not bound up in the temporary trappings of this life that, in reality, are utterly insignificant and meaningless in light of eternity.

Lord, help me to see the big picture, and keep my heart fully focused on You, and on the things and people that really matter in this life.

Here is an appropriate verse from a favorite song of ours...

When we've been there 10,000 years,
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days,
To sing God's praise,
Than when we first begun.
My chains are gone,
I've been set free.
My God, my Savior,
Has ransomed me.
And like a flood,
His mercy reigns,
Unending love,
Amazing grace.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Give Thanks

    Photo (c)Mark Faulkner 2010

It's been an amazing year...

And I want to take this opportunity to give thanks to God for all things.

My wife and I celebrated 27 years together this year.  I could never have imagined having a wife who would be such a blessing to me as she has been, and is today. Lord, help me to walk worthy of such an amazing blessing and responsibility.

As I have watched my children grow up, I have come to realize what an amazing blessing children truly are, and I am thankful for my daughter and my son. I love them so much and want to be a better dad to them.

This year, more than any other time, I have been reminded of what a great family I have, and I love my three brothers and my sister. I haven't been a very good brother to them but I want to be a better brother go forward.

I am thankful for the amazing friends that God has brought into my life—some decades ago, some more recently, and some just this year. The family of God is a priceless treasure, and is a family that we will be a part of for eternity. One friend refers to the brotherhood that we all share as a Band of Brothers.  We are in the foxhole of life together, and I am so thankful that I have brothers who are true friends who watch my back, and who would literally take a bullet for me—and I for them.

2010 has been an incredible year of fly fishing.  I have been blessed to have caught more big trout this year than in all other years combined.  I owe a large part of that to some local experts that I have met and have gleaned bits and pieces of their expertise. I am thankful for the growing friendships I have with these guys.

Due largely to catching all those huge trout, I developed a bad case of tendonitis ('trout elbow') and to this day, it is getting worse, even chronic at times.  I am thankful though for this, as it is a constant reminder of the many amazing fishing trips I had with good friends, and also for the reminder that this life is short, and a new body—free of all pain—is coming soon!  

Yee Ha! 

I lost my job this year.  I was there for almost 7 years, and had made a good income, learned some new skills, and met some really great people. Made plenty of mistakes too, and hopefully, learned from those mistakes.  Had some great successes and victories also!. I am thankful for having had a good job for so many years, and am now even more thankful to have been 'moved on.'  I'm looking forward to the next season of employment.

In fact one of my friends who was a former client encouraged me to start a blog.  And I am thankful that God used him to help me get my thinking out of the box and he challenged me, asking, "What do you love to do?"  This is why I started this blog—because what I really love to do is to help people, with their marriages and with life.

I'm also extremely thankful for this season of being unemployed, because God has used this difficult season to draw me closer to Himself.  He has shown me that when I had a job and everything was going so well, I had actually become very complacent in my relationship with Him, and I had basically left my First Love.  Thank You Lord for drawing me back to You.  I desire to keep You first in my heart always.  Thank You for loving me and for saving me.

Today, we will be spending Thanksgiving with my brothers and their families.  We haven't been able to do this for a few years and I am so thankful to have this time to spend with my family.

Doggone it, I feel like George Bailey today! 

Even though I'm unemployed, because of all the blessings in my life—namely my Lord and my amazing family and friends—I truly am the richest man in town! 

It really is a wonderful life!   And I wouldn't trade it for anything... all the good and the bad things I have gone through have ultimately brought me to the place that I am today. God has, as He has promised, caused all things to work together for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Thank You Lord for all things—and especially for You Lord, I give thanks!

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

It's Covered

    Photo ©Mark Faulkner 2010

God's timing is always amazing, and almost always, just as unexpected.

A couple of days ago I cleaned out all the rain gutters on our house. Years of gunk and nasty muck had stagnated and built up in them and hindered the rain water from flowing freely out.

If that's not a startlingly clear analogy of the human heart—especially mine—I don't know what is.

The day I cleaned out the gutters, I was in a hurry, and didn't pick up the muck and junk I had cleaned out. It was all over the lawn and was pretty disgusting to look at.

But just a few days later, a fresh snowfall completely covered over my nasty muck and all memory of the disgusting mess that I had made faded from view.

A dear friend of mine used to sing this song when he was the worship pastor at our church and the words have been resounding in my heart all morning:

White as snow, white as snow
Though my sins were as scarlet
Lord, I know, Lord, I know
That I'm clean and forgiven

Through the power of Your blood
Through the wonder of Your love
Through faith in You
I know that I can be
White as snow

A fresh white snowfall covered over all the gunk and disgusting muck that had clogged up my rain gutters, and in the same way, God's love and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ completely covers the disgusting muck and shame of my heart and rebellious life, and my sin He will remember no more.

The Apostle Peter who (like me) had made many serious blunders and mistakes, but he was completely forgiven when he surrendered his heart to Christ wrote:

"But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins."

I had made such a mess of my life, and could never undo all the bad things that I had done and thought against God. But I am thankful today for the sweet reminder that in Jesus Christ—all my sin, my shame and my failures—God promised that He will remember them no more.

It's covered.


—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

J.O.Y.

    Photo ©Mark Faulkner 2010

Today's message is short and sweet.

The secret to having joy in this life is all about our focus.

J.O.Y. is:

1.  Jesus

2.  Others

3.  Yourself

Focus first on Jesus—our First Love.  He is everything.  We love Him because He first loved us.

Focus on others next.  Serve people, love people, help other people. Freely we received God's love—now freely give it away.

Focus on yourself last.   An inordinate self-focus is a major root of unhappiness and depression.

J.O.Y.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

The Reason For The Season

    Photograph ©Mark Faulkner 2010

I love the change of seasons.

Fall has historically been a time of change and transition for me. Sometimes that has been a good thing, and other times? Well, not so good.

Either way, I've learned that there is always a reason or a purpose--for the seasons of life that we go through.  Some are self-inflicted, and some are a gift.  Some are meant for our discipline, while others are to refine us in the fire of adversity.

One of my favorite quotes is by Victor Frankl, who spent several years in a Nazi concentration camp:

"What is to give light must endure burning."

As a survivor of the Holocaust, Frankl endured suffering and persecution, the likes of which most of us cannot begin to comprehend.  He sought to find meaning in all forms of existence--even the most difficult, and thus a reason to continue living. The following quote gives a glimpse into Frankl's epiphany of love:

"A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth - that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart:

The salvation of man is through love and in love.

I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way—an honorable way—in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory..."

Jesus Christ—The Light of The Word—came down to us in Love; to endure the burning fire of adversity, persecution, ridicule, torture and ultimately death on a cross meant for the worst of sinners like me. 

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  (Hebrews 12:2)

The salvation of man is through love and in love.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Learning To Be Content



Photo ©Mark Faulkner 2010


I feel like I am finally beginning to learn how to be content—no matter what my circumstances are.

And that has come about mostly, by not examining my life under a microscope, cataloging and dissecting every little issue or difficulty that I have.  But rather, by trying to view life from 10,000 feet up and have an eternal perspective on things.

This life is short and the present suffering and challenges that we face are only temporary.

Praise God for that.

The second reason I am learning to be content, is that no matter how difficult my situation is, I continually meet people who are going through stuff that makes my minor afflictions look like nothing.  It really changes my perspective when I see people who are suffering severely—going through some seriously deep water in their lives.

My heart goes out to you.

Another thing that I have learned through this refining journey is that it is so easy to give quick words of advice and encouragement..."Just hang in there brother!" to someone who is struggling when everything in my life is going well.  But when I am going through  my stuff and someone tries to do the same for me, I sometimes get irritated inside. 

I know.  Just like I was, they are only trying to help, and to be encouraging.

But what this has taught me is that I need to be very sensitive in what I say and how I say it to people when they are going through hard times. I can (and inadvertently have) come across as being pretty insensitive at times, even though I was just trying to help and be encouraging.

I'm reminded of an account given in the book of Job (see Job 2:11-13), after he had lost all of his children, his house and possessions, and three of his friends came to comfort him and to sympathize with him.  For an entire week, they did nothing but sit with him, uttering not a word.

And they should have just kept silent. 

But as is seen in reading the rest of the story, then Job's 'friends' began to criticize him and tell him that all this calamity that had come upon him was his fault. 

Some friends they were.

Even well-meaning friends can inadvertently hurt or offend someone when we too quickly hurl pat answers and cliches at people, failing to be sensitive to their pain.  Sure, what we say may very well be the correct answer to their issue.  But how we say it, and the timing with which we deliver the message is crucial. 

We have to be sensitive.

Sometimes just coming alongside someone who is hurting, offering a listening, understanding ear, can go a long way in helping someone get through a difficult time. People need our empathy--being sensitive and understanding.   They don't need our sympathy—"I know just how you feel." 

No, you don't "know just how they feel."    Sometimes it's better to just remain silent.

Part of learning to be content is to realize that many other people have it way worse than we do, and then to come alongside others who are hurting and just be there for them. Offer plenty love and understanding, and go easy on giving out any advice.

And again, for those who follow Christ, our suffering in this life is only temporary.   

I pray that Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 will be of encouragement to you today...

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,  while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

One day there will be no more sorrow, or pain, tears or death.

But until that day comes, be encouraged that God comforts us in all of our troubles so that we may be able to comfort others in their troubles... (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Our present suffering is not in vain.

Be content that God sees your affliction and that He causes all things to work together for good for those who Love Him and are called according to His purpose.


Glory awaits!



—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Look Up

    Photo ©Mark Faulkner 2010

As fall is on its way out and winter approaches, I am reminded at how everything in this life is only for a season. 

Some seasons of life are short and sweet, while others endure for decades. Some are difficult, and some are exhilarating.

Perhaps more than at any other time in my life, this year has been one of change. People come and go.  Good friends that you thought would always be just a few minutes away move on to another town, and what you thought would stay constant, can change in a New York minute.

Careers come and go. Finances and health can be fickle too.

I guess one of the constant things in my life this year has been that things have consistently changed.

So, why do we cling so tightly to things that are so subject to change, knowing that they will change at some point, sooner or later? And then why do we allow ourselves to become so devastated when the changes come?

So much of how we make it in this life (or not) comes through our expectations.

Half the battle begins with the old serenity prayer,

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change."

Knowing that change is eventually going to come, and then accepting whatever things I cannot change, is to have realistic expectations in this life.  How we react to change can largely determine our emotional well being.

As we appreciate the people and blessings in our life for the time that we have them, being thankful for both the good memories and learning from the bad, and then looking forward to whatever comes next in life, we will fare much better in our quest of learning to be content.

Dwelling in the past, while avoiding the reality of the present, is a recipe for depression, and we will only hinder our emotional and spiritual growth and healing.

For those who are followers of Christ, we are told to "set our minds on things above and not on things on the earth"—which perish and are only temporary. (See Colossians 3:1-3).  Material things, position, prestige, riches, and physical beauty—are all going to change or pass away eventually.  And yet so many of us cling to these things for our sense of well-being and our identity.

Here's a newsflash; it's called Entropy—The Second Law of Thermal Dynamics: everything in this material world and universe is breaking down and decaying. This stuff we put so much of our hope in is all going to perish eventually. 

So why we do we hold on to these perishable things so tightly? 

The things that do not perish are relationships in the Body of Christ. The people in our lives with whom we fellowship in Christ now are all part of the family of God.  If we think that we are enjoying hanging out with folks and having a great meal and fellowship together now... just wait.   It gets much better!

I am so thankful for the amazing friends and family in Christ that I have had the pleasure of meeting in this life.  But I can't wait to hang out with them in the next life.  And we who love and follow Jesus now, even though we can't physically see Him yet, we will one day be with Him face-to-face.  And oh, what a glorious day that will be!

Life on this earth is hard now.  People, jobs, finances, health—they all come and go.  Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to it.   It just is what it is.

But this present life is short, and compared to eternity, it is not even a blink of an eye in duration.

So, cling tightly to Jesus, fellow believers. 

And if you don't yet know Jesus, ask Him to reveal Himself to you. It will be the best decision you ever make.

For all those who love Jesus Christ and are patiently watching for His coming... be encouraged by Jesus speaking His promise of hope and redemption to all of us, His people, in Luke 21:28,

"Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Look Up... The King is coming!

--God is Love and Love Never Fails.



Be Thankful

  (Photo ©Mark Faulkner 2010)

Being content and thankful, no matter what our current circumstances may be, is one of the secrets to a joy-filled life.

I've been unemployed for the last couple of months, and it has been very difficult at times to try and stay active and be content within my circumstance.  For men especially, part of our self-identity is being useful and working, so as to be a provider for our family.  When our ability to do that is hindered, it tends to mess with a guy's mind a little bit.

Okay, maybe it messes with my mind a lot.

Fortunately, my wife has been amazingly supportive during this challenging season—encouraging me to enjoy some time off and get out in the beautiful fall weather and remain active and just enjoy this season.  Without her love and encouragement it would be much more difficult for me.

Looking back over these last two months, I am very thankful today that I am going through this difficult season of unemployment.  When I was working and the cash flow was good and consistent, everything in my life seemed to be clicking pretty well, and I had grown complacent in my relationship with God.  Although I didn't consciously decide to do so, I had set my relationship with Christ off to one side and just basked in the blessings of a good life.

I smile as I am reminded this morning of a street sign that is a couple of blocks from our home which reads, "Bumps Ahead."

Without this little 'bump' of losing my job, I would likely have continued on in my complacent relationship with Christ. But this challenging season of feeling not very useful as a man has only driven me to draw near to God, and He in turn has drawn near to me, as His word says He will.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."  (James 4:8)

Intimacy in our relationship with God is the true blessing.

But as I continue to experience, the temporary blessings of this life are subject to change without notice. 

Sometimes God chooses to provide the job, heal the marriage and cure the cancer.  And sometimes He chooses not to do what we ask of Him. Perhaps there is a greater lesson that He wants us to learn?

I've stopped trying to figure out the reasons why God does or does not answer "yes" to all our requests, and just trust Him in all situations—no matter what.

So, I am very thankful today for all things in my life.  For my current season of unemployment, for my wonderful marriage to my wife, for my children, for my family and friends, and most of all for my loving Savior Jesus—who knows what I need much more than I know what I need.

Because He is who I need the most.

When I had my job I was doing well financially, but spiritually I was drying up.  I was becoming critical of other people and was complaining about the imperfections of my life.  I was not being thankful. And because of it I was growing increasingly unhappy with my life.

We can all make a list of problems and of things that are not going well in this life. Some of us can make longer lists than others.

But if we are honest about it and we look beyond the self-focus of our current, difficult circumstances, and we sat down and made a list of everything in this life that we have to be thankful for, that list would be miles longer than our problems list.

Try it!   And then give thanks for everything in your life.

Thank the Lord for all things. Praise Him and tell Him just how much you love and appreciate Him.

And then thank the people that God has placed in your life and tell them just how much you love and appreciate them.

Making the choice to be thankful will absolutely change your entire outlook on life. 

Your circumstances may or may not change. But we have so much to be thankful for, regardless.

Be thankful!

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.