Tag Archives: Peace

Message In A Minute: Poison or Peace

There is a large area in northern France where access is highly restricted.

This region is known as the “Red Zone”, it is over four hundred square miles of apparent viable farmland, but it literally holds a toxic history.

In World War I, this land was ground zero for battle after battle.

Germany and France had one of the longest and bloodiest battles in all of world history in this region. So many conflicts took place at this strategic location, it may never recover. It is reported that over the years, more than a million people, soldiers and civilians combined, lost their lives in what is now called the “Red Zone.”

Today, you can readily find rusted military ordinance, craters from exploded shells, and the remains of fortified bunkers. Poisonous chemicals have seeped into the soil and it will take an estimated five hundred years for the land to be considered habitable. After the war, instead of cleaning the land, it was deemed a casualty of war, and the residents who survived were forced by the government to relocate.

Sometimes, things get so ugly, no amount of clean-up will do.

Relationships may dissolve into toxic territories, places once considered safe can morph into dangerous ground, and habits formerly tolerated can end up ripping at the fabric of a healthy life.

You may be able to re-establish a relationship after forgiveness and healing, that’s a wonderful thing. But, not everyone will do the honest work of reconciliation. You may be able to go back to that place where something awful happened, but wisdom may lead you to avoid it altogether. You may be able to pick up a habit or hobby that once controlled you, but most of the time, it is wise to abstain completely.

If you’re a Christian, you are compelled to forgive, be it instantly or through an ongoing process.

But, the present choice to forgive someone, should never be permission for mistreatment in the future.

Grace is free, forgiveness can be total, but you don’t have to go back to the toxic places or people in your life.

You can show grace and at the same time set up boundaries that you demand be respected.

You can forgive and still move on from the source of the conflict.

You can live in today’s peace while avoiding the poison of yesterday’s war.

-Tom Wise


Message In A Minute: Name Your Place

When you go to the beach, the houses have names.  

Cute and catchy phrases are posted near the doors or on the fronts of the houses.  Names like “Something Fishy”, “Seaside Serenade”, “Driftwood Cottage”, and “Aftah Dune Delight”. Sometimes a little cheesy, it adds to the vacation getaway, relaxing, home away from home feel.

Streets and roads have names too.  Names are given to bridges and landmarks and mountains… a lot of times honoring local and national heroes.  Senators and congressmen often get their names used because of the impact they’ve made on their state and city governments.  Athletes are often honored too, especially when they’ve brought attention to their hometowns.  

Names mean a lot to us.

While most of us don’t have a cutesy name plaque by the front door of our house… we name the places we live.

Depression.

Sickness.

Betrayal.

Divorce.

Financial Defeat.

Failure.

Death.

We name these places and we name these roads and we name these mountains.  We name it because we have to live in it and carry it around.  With heavy hearts and weary legs, we walk up these summits of debt, pain, and heartache.

There goes Abraham, trudging up a mountain side with a fire in one hand and a knife in the other, his son beside him, knowing that at the top he was going to offer that son, his promised son, on an altar to God.  

Weary legs.

Heavy heart.

We trudge along carrying all this weight upon us because of the things that have been said to us, done to us… things we didn’t want, things we didn’t ask for, things we never imagined… but they happened anyway and now here we are.

Just like Rachel, she trudged along, pregnant, and in great pain she gave birth to a son who she named Son of My Sorrow.

Just like the wife of the priest Phinehas, when she heard that the ark of the covenant had been stolen and her husband was dead, she went into labor and gave birth and named her son Ichabod meaning “Where is the glory”… “Israel’s glory is gone”.

Can you imagine growing up and hearing your name every day and knowing it meant something bad?  That your name was basically a death sentence of despair and hopelessness?  When people said your name, it formed a picture of doom and gloom?

We do the same thing when we get up and look in the mirror every day, see our reflection and say “I just don’t know how I will ever be anything but a failure, or I’m just depressed, or I’m not capable of making it out of this crisis.”

Every step that Abraham took, God saw.  The mountain he climbed was named Moriah, “seen by Yahweh”.  God saw every step he took.  God saw his faithfulness, and He provided a ram.  Abraham built an altar and named that place Jehovahjireh which means “the Lord will see to it”, “the Lord will provide”.  

That mountain was the place of God’s provision.

So hang up a sign.  Give your place a name.

Forgiveness.

Healing.

Restoration.

Peace.

Renewal.

Because every place you are is a place for God to see and for God to provide.

“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

Genesis 22:14

-Rebekah Lilly

Message In A Minute: Protect Your Peace

A few years ago, I was sitting in my car waiting to be shown a building by a realtor.

I was early for the appointment and thought I’d just wait in the vehicle. Listening to the news on the radio, I was generally distracted from anything happening on the street. I happened to look in the passenger side mirror and noticed a young woman jogging in my direction.

She noticed me sitting in the car and she crossed the street to get as far away from me as she could. It was obvious, she made a quick decision, and played it safe. I don’t blame her at all.

We were in a business district of the city and I’m sure it looked suspicious. A man sitting in his car, in a metered spot, not appearing to be in a hurry. This lady made a judgement about the situation and acted decisively. It would be ridiculous for me to be offended by her actions. I hope my daughter would do the same in that situation.

It was a smart move.

This is a good spiritual move as well.

There is nothing wrong with avoiding potentially harmful circumstances or people.

Here’s a quick example, I have a friend who temporarily had to avoid restaurants that served alcohol. He had committed to quit drinking completely and those places reminded him of his partying days. That was a wise decision. He can go to places like that now without a second thought, but he protected his journey in an appropriate way.

Stay away from places or circumstances that tempt, discourage, or threaten you.

Along with negative or dangerous circumstances, there are also toxic people in the world. Maybe you have one in your life, you may need to protect yourself from them by setting firm boundaries, or avoiding them altogether. That decision could be temporary or permanent, that’s up to you and God. You should love everybody, but it’s fine to love some people from a distance, especially if they habitually disrespect you.

You should avoid toxic situations or people if possible.

I don’t want to suggest that you live in fear, in fact, I want to convey the opposite of living fearful.

Live faithful.

Dedicate yourself to spiritual growth, emotional health, and commit to wise physical, spiritual, and emotional boundaries.

Thrive in the opportunities God provides you, enjoy His blessings in your life, and protect your peace.

Live your life in liberty and grace, and at the same time, avoid situations that could compromise your faith.

That is wisdom.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Celebrate On The Way

I helped out at a church 90 miles from my home for a while.

I listened to lots of podcasts, music, and audio books during the long drive to and from the church.

A couple of days every week, I would see a gentleman standing on the side of the rode near a rest area. This special needs man would stand and beckon anyone, but especially truck drivers to blast their horn. His care giver would sit in a car nearby to watch over him while he pleaded with the drivers.

I wish you could’ve seen this man celebrate when the horns would sound. He would dance and clap like he won the lottery. 

He enjoyed it more than I could explain, but I grew to enjoy it myself. I would hold my horn down as long as I could see him.

His dancing was infectious, his celebration was inspiring, and his ability to find joy in the simple things brings a smile to my face even while I’m writing this.

Find ways to bring joy to those around you.

But just as important, let those same people fill you with joy.

After all, they are God’s handiwork, don’t let them pass you by without celebrating.

-Tom Wise

FEARLESS: WEEK #4

In this series, you’ve been challenged to overcome fear by letting it express itself and run its course, thereby losing its power. I realize this is counterintuitive to our preprogrammed responses of fleeing, or fighting. But this is a proven way to put fear in its place. This is a method to gain your freedom back, to take your life back, and to fill you with courage to do what you are gifted to do.

I hope you understand that the idea is not to never experience fear again, but to keep it in perspective. If you feel fear in a real dangerous situation, it makes sense and its beneficial. If you feel fear going up the first hill on a roller-coaster, that makes sense, trust me, I feel it every time. But if you are overwhelmed with fear the entire roller-coaster ride, you’ve missed out on the joy. And if you feel consistent fear in everyday life, it can be debilitating and agonizing.

I want to reiterate something I shared earlier in the series. If the methods I’ve shared here aren’t the answer for you, don’t give up. Many people are helped with counseling, medication, prayer, or other methods. My goal for you is simple, overcoming irrational fear.

Regardless of the methods you find useful, here are some way to arrange your life so that fear has less of a grip on you. Fear feeds on chaos, physical depletion, and emotional weariness.

So here we go: I may not be your favorite person after this short list, but this list can make an enormous difference. I understand that some of you may have physical limitations, financial limitations, or other circumstances that can become excuses to avoid the items listed here. But everyone can take at least small steps in each category. Also, each of these categories could be their own series. Concentrate on one at a time. Don’t be overwhelmed, celebrate small victories.

  • Declutter Your Daily Life: At home, work, or school, clean up the mess. For most people clutter causes stress and even anxiety.
  • Get Physically Fit: To the best of your ability, watch what you eat and exercise often. Explore ways to quit habits that are bad for you physically. I can’t explain to you how much easier my anxiety is to deal with when I am physically healthy.
  • Find Financial Peace: Nothing adds stress to my life more than worrying about money. Take steps toward easing this tension in your life. Pay off a debt, cut an expense, find a way to generate more income.
  • Reduce Relational Chaos: For some of you, this may mean having conversations about how to resolve conflict in a more mature way. For some it may mean you need to re-evaluate how you choose significant others. Also, it may mean you need to set healthy boundaries with family and friends.
  • Be Aware of Stress Producers: This will be specific to your life. For me, I have greatly reduced the amount of national and local news I consume. That alone made a huge difference in my life. For you, it may be other areas you should consider, but I imagine there are ways for you to limit the stress producers in your life.

The idea here is to set up your life in a way that reduces the fuel for fear. Fear will still sneak itself back in, but you now can limit the areas of approach. And on top of that, when fear shows up, you have the ability to let it be present and continue moving forward knowing it has limited power and sustainability.

I hope you find encouragement in this series. You are able to overcome all that fear has to offer. Make a small step today towards limiting fear’s control over you. Then begin to build on that.

Next week, we will focus on ways to help others who are struggling with fear. Also, I will give you my opinion on the proper understanding of fear from a theological perspective.

Tom Wise

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