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My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” I just love the thought that God already has plans for my life, for a future beyond anything I could hope or dream.

I’m not as crazy about the verses which come before, however. They were written to the Israelites, who were in captivity in Babylon. They were miserable and just wanted to go home. But God essentially told them, “You might as well get used to this, because you’re going to be here awhile.” He instructed them to settle down, build houses, plant gardens, marry, have kids and “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:7 NIV).

We all have found ourselves in unpleasant situations like the Israelites. It could be a job or a relationship or something else, but the last thing we want is to be told to stay put. Sometimes, however, that’s exactly what God does.

There are two important lessons we need to recognize from this passage. The first is God was the one who put the Israelites where they were. He said, “I have carried you into exile.” Sometimes God puts us in unpleasant situations, because He needs us to learn something. At other times it’s so someone can learn something from us. Either way, we have to accept this is right where God wants us to be.

The second thing is sometimes the peace and prosperity God wants to give us is connected to how we serve others. If they prosper, then we will prosper too. That’s why God told the Israelites to not just seek the peace and prosperity of Babylon, but also to “Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

We’ve been put on this earth to bless others and show them God’s love. That includes our bosses, our spouses, and even that guy who just cut you off in traffic. If you seek to live peacefully with others and help them grow and prosper, you’ll find you are blessed in return. And don’t forget to pray for them, because “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results”, both for the person being prayed for and the person doing the praying.

So, the next time God tells you to stay when you’d rather go, remember the Israelites. Who knows you may be right where God wants you to be. If that’s true, then you’re already in the best place on earth.

I’ve always had a restless heart, always looking for the next best thing, never quite satisfied with the status quo. My restlessness has led me across the country 3 times and given me wonderful experiences like seeing the Grand Canyon, snorkeling in Hawaii, and exploring Mammoth Cave.

However, this same restlessness has also had unfortunate consequences. For example, my constant search for that perfect job has resulted in our moving several times, including across the country, which was hard on my family and made things difficult financially at times.

I am not alone in this. Restlessness seems to have always been a part of the human spirit, going all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Satan appealed to this restlessness when he tempted Eve to take the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, assuring her “when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4 NIV). Unfortunately, he was right and humanity has been dealing with the terrible consequences of that decision ever since.

Esau was condemned to “be a restless wanderer on the earth.” (Genesis 4:12). Abraham, Issac and Jacob wandered from place to place and the children of Israel’s restless spirits led them to wander in the desert for 40 years. Job, that mighty man of God, dealt with an unsettled spirit, declaring, “My heart is troubled and restless.” (Job 30:27).

The root cause of our restlessness is our broken relationship with our Heavenly Father. Saint Augustine wrote, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” We are God’s children and it is only in relationship with Him we can find rest and peace and a place to call home.

This is why Jesus came to this earth, to heal the rift sin tore in our relationship with God. His death paid the price, setting us free from slavery to sin, and opening the way for us to finally find the rest we seek. He promises, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).

We will never find a cure for our restless hearts in the pursuit of the things of this world. Jesus is what we’re looking for. He says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29).

If you, like me, have a restless heart, come to Jesus. Stop your restless wandering, chasing after things which will never satisfy. Give your heart to Jesus and finally find the rest and peace you’ve been longing for.

The Journey

I’m on a trip with Jesus
A journey to the promised land.
There’ve been detours along the way
When I forgot to hold His hand.

Each time that this has happened
He’s sought me when I’m lost
Searching for me everywhere
No matter what the cost.

When He’s finally found me
He’s gently led me back
To that rough and narrow way
And got me back on track.

Though I’m still prone to wander
I’m learning day by day
To holder tighter to His hand
As we walk along the Way.

The closer that I stay to Him
The less likely I am to stray
And wander from the path of life
To seek a different way.

So as we journey onward
I’ll cling tighter to His hand.
By His grace I won’t let go
Until we reach that Promised Land.

My friend you are invited
To join us on this quest
To walk with Jesus along the Way
Your life with Him invest.

No matter where you wander
Or how far away you roam
Jesus will always seek you out
To safely guide you home.

Why wander any longer?
Let Him show you a better way.
Reach up and put your hand in His.
Decide never more to stray.

Together we will travel
Towards our Heavenly Home
Inviting others to join us,
And never more to roam

And when this journey’s over
We’ll still hold tightly to the hand
Of He who gave His life for us
As we enter that Promised Land.

We’ll walk with Him together
Through Heaven’s Golden Gates
Overcome with praise and wonder
At the glory that awaits.

Then, through eternal ages
Home ever more to be,
We’ll sing the praises of the One
Who came to set us free.

Pastor Roger Hernandez is the speaker for a series of meetings on “Hope” which are going on this week at Eastgate Seventh-day Adventist Church. Each evening there’s also a different guest singer. Saturday evening it was Jonny Diaz, who sang a couple of my favorites, “Just Breathe” and “More Beautiful You.” However, it was a song I’d never heard before which really made me think. It’s called “Scars.” (Here’s the link if you want to listen)

The song talks about a young girl keeping her sleeves pulled down to cover her self-inflicted scars and a man with a mark on his hand where his ring used to be. His scars are inside, but are just as agonizing. Finally it tells of a King with scars on his hands and feet and it says because of those scars we don’t have to hide our own.

It’s a beautiful song and an important reminder of what Jesus did for us. He left His throne in heaven to come to this earth to bleed and die for you and me. He “was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5 NIV).

Today, no matter how deep your scars, there is healing for the asking in the name of Jesus. You don’t have to hide your scars. He sees each one and loves you anyway. His nail-scarred hand is reaching out to you right now. Put your hand in His and He will cover your scars with His own. Give Him your life today and let Him begin to heal your soul.

When I graduated from high school I had great plans for my future. I was going to be a doctor, like my Dad, with a successful family practice, daily “stamping out disease,” as he described it. Little did I know what the future held.

My first semester was a rude awakening. I’d graduated at the top of my class in academy, but college was a whole different ball game. I struggled in my classes, getting decent, but not pre-med level grades. I felt like a failure!

I decided the school might be the problem, so I transferred from Southern Adventist University to Atlantic Union College, then to Andrews University. Same result – failure!

I took a year off and decided bioengineering was my calling, so I transferred to Walla Walla University. One quarter of calculus ended my engineering dreams. Failure!

While at Walla Walla I got engaged to a wonderful girl from back home who was attending Loma Linda University, so I transferred there, with teaching as my goal. Three weeks after arriving we broke up. Another failure!

Back home for a year, then back to Andrews. At Christmas break I met Ana and everything changed. With love, came direction and purpose. Two years after we married I graduated from the Kettering PA program, with a job all lined up and a baby on the way.

Since then I’ve been blessed with a wonderful marriage, great kids, a successful career, and an amazing life. Sure, there’ve been setbacks and failures, but I’m no longer defined in my mind by them. I have a God who loves me and who I know is directing my steps.

Why am I telling you all this? Because we all, at one time or another, fail at something. What we must realize is, failure doesn’t need to define us or determine our future. Just because you fail at something, doesn’t mean you are a failure. As Pastor Roger Hernandez says, “Failure is an event, not an identity.”

Even if you, like me, have failed over-and-over in the past, God is in the business of turning failure into victory. He is the God “who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:4, 5 NIV).

No matter how bad you’ve blown it before, remember this – you are not a failure. You’re a child of God. You have a bright future ahead. The Bible promises, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Just keep holding God’s hand and, no matter how you’ve failed before, He will lead you into a brighter tomorrow.

Last evening Ana and I spent about a half hour standing in a light drizzle waiting for our order at a local burger joint. We’d heard they made a delicious garden burger, so we’d decided to try it out. The place was super busy, so it took quite a while to get our food. Finally, order in hand, we headed home, cranking up the heat in the pickup to ward off the chill seeping into our bones.

On arriving at home we quickly unloaded the bags filled with greasy fries, onion rings and those much anticipated garden burgers. Eagerly we took our first bite, ready to gorge ourselves on this delicious meal we’d waited so long to try.

Turns out we should have kept waiting. The garden burger was underdone, the bun was soggy and the onion rings dry. I don’t think we’ll be going back to that place anytime soon. Let’s just say we were less than satisfied

Isaiah 55:2 asks the question, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” We waste so much of our time, resources, and energy in pursuit of things which leave us feeling less than satisfied or, even worse, guilty and ashamed. God wants so much more for His children.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” God wants us to have amazing, fulfilling, healthy lives, filled with purpose and meaning. But this can only happen when we daily walk with Him.

Someday soon all who have accepted Jesus as their Savior will sit down at “the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9). There won’t be any underdone garden burgers or greasy fries on that table! No, that will be a meal worth waiting for! Don’t miss it by chasing after “what does not satisfy.” Choose to follow Jesus instead and discover what it’s like to “have life, and have it to the full.”

Ana loves flowers and this time of year she enjoys perusing the garden catalogs for bulbs she can add to her flower beds. Recently we put a couple orders in for bulbs, but accidentally had them shipped to our old address in Cashmere, instead of here in College Place. We’ve spent the last couple days trying to track them down and get them redirected.

Like those packages, each of us has been heading in the wrong direction at one time or another. That’s why Jesus came to this earth, “to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10 NIV). We all were lost, but with His death on the cross He paid the cost to redirect us to a new final destination.

Unlike our missing packages, which have no say in where they end up, we each have a choice. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).

Today, make sure you’re heading for where you really want to be. Don’t end up lost like our missing tulip bulbs. Accept Jesus as your Savior, give Him control of your life, and He’ll make sure you get delivered safely to your heavenly home someday soon!

God bless and have a wonderful day!

I remember the first time I saw the Grand Canyon. I had been going to college in LaSierra, CA, and was driving back home to New York. I decided to take a detour to visit the Grand Canyon, not knowing when I might have a chance again. I’d seen pictures of the canyon, but didn’t really see what the big deal was. After all it’s essentially just a big, long ditch. At least that’s what I thought. Then I saw it and everything changed.

I was driving down the road leading to Grand Canyon National Park and saw a rest area off to the side. Pulling in I noticed a path leading through some bushes and decided to check it out. I wandered down the path, just enjoying the day, when suddenly I came around a corner and my mouth just dropped open. I’d never seen anything so amazing. Spread out before as far as I could see was the Grand Canyon, in all its majesty. It was massive! The sun was just setting and the play of colors on the canyon walls was breathtaking!

We get so caught in the mundane, everyday business of life, we forget there is something amazing awaiting us, just around the corner. As the old song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue…”.

Jesus told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for them and what a place it will be! Scripture tells us, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT). It is going to be amazing!

Today, when the stresses of everyday life in this dark world get to you, don’t lose hope. Keep following that narrow path that leads to life (Matthew 7:14). Just around the corner lies “a better place, a heavenly homeland.” (Hebrews 11:16). Don’t give up now. It will be worth the wait!

“You’re a great doctor!”

These kind words, from the mother of a child I had just seen, came at just the right time. It had been another long day and I was tired. Her words were just the pick-me-up I needed at that moment. Even though it was a little embarrassing, and I’m not sure I deserved her assessment that I’m a “great doctor” (especially since I’m a PA, not a doctor), it still brightened my day and gave me the boost I needed to keep going.

Kind words have such amazing power. Even when they’re undeserved, they can change a person’s outlook, bring comfort, and make their day. As Solomon wrote, “Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” (Proverbs 16:24 NLT).

Showing kindness, whether by words or deeds, is always the right thing to do, even if the person we’re dealing with doesn’t seem to deserve it. After all, if God treated any one of us the way we deserve, we’d all be in trouble. Instead, God “is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” (Ephesians 1:7).

Today you will run into all types of people, some who are pleasant to be around and others you’d rather avoid. No matter the circumstances, showing a little kindness can make a big difference. Even if it feels like the person doesn’t deserve a break, give it to them anyway.

Wherever you go today, choose to be kind. Spread kind words like honey and sweeten someone’s soul.

None of us likes to lose. Whether we’re playing Monopoly or tennis or competing for a promotion at work, we all live by the adage, “Winning’s a lot more fun.”

When it comes to the game of life, however, things get all turned inside out. God’s way is not our way. To gain victory in life, not just for now, but for eternity, we first have to surrender. Only by total surrender to God’s will can we attain total victory.

This is so hard for us to accept. We resist the very idea of surrender, of accepting our own weakness, our inability to save ourselves, but it is the only way to truly win. God promises if you “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10 NIV).

Sometimes it’s okay to lose. It all depends who you’re losing to. When you lose yourself to Jesus, you win the biggest price of all – eternal life. When we give up what’s holding us back from Jesus, we gain so much more. Don’t be afraid to surrender your life to Him today. It’s the only way to truly win the victory, both now and for eternity.