Let's Talk Story

In the verse 1 Thessalonians 2:8, it quotes “So we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Sometimes we can feel as if we can’t progress in our faith any more, that we hit “a wall” and can’t do anything more to grow into a deeper relationship with Christ. This verse calls us to love as Jesus does. To love one another that have this incredible desire to share both the gospel and our relationship with Christ. When we share the gospel, we are called to be delighted and happy to do so! Our mission here at FCA Hawai’i is to do exactly this! We teach young athletes from all over to flourish in their faith and build a deeper connection with Christ and other Christ-like athletes in order to share their own story! Dear Heavenly Father, teach me to love others as You unconditionally love me. Speak through me whenever I am able to share your story and give me strength and courage to share mine. Thank you for using me for your glory and allowing me to rely on you for strength. In Jesus’ name, amen!

In Psalms 121:2, the song of ascents says “my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” As humans, we can easily fall into a trap of seeking help from the things of this world and at our fingertips, but our Father desires a relationship with Him where we’re able to confidently rely on Him for help and have trust that He has the ability to do so. In this verse, we can be assured that God is our strength, and helper. If we ask, we shall receive. God wants to be our provider, we just have to trust Him and lay everything before Him! Dear Heavenly Father, I lay down everything that I’m going through, for I know that you will provide and help me always. Thank you for always being there when I need you most and remind me to always trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen! 

In John 14:27, Jesus responds to Judas with “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”   With current times being so uncertain and nerving, it’s hard to find peace within the chaos. It may be a financial burden, a laid off job, or a huge adjustment that may bring us a weight of anxiety.   In this verse, God reveals that He is the only one that can provide us with perfect peace; that He is not of this chaotic world. He commands us to not have troubled hearts and to not be afraid.   God knows our future and it’s in His hands, He just wants us to run to Him and trust Him with His Word. With this trust, we will find peace in God and our situation(s), knowing that He’s always in control. Dear Father, I pray for Your perfect peace to permeate every area of my life. Thank you for always being in control, even when everything else around me seems chaotic. Please help me to trust You in every circumstance. No trial is too big for You to handle. In Jesus' name, amen!

Prayer is such a beautiful thing, but it can be discouraging when our prayers go unanswered. That is why it is so important we share our own personal journeys through prayer with others, whether we have praise reports or are still praying. Regardless of the outcome, or lack of, God is a God who hears us. He is a loving Father who delights in hearing you speak to Him. Our prayer is that you will be encouraged by this post and will continue to fervently pray for the things on your heart!

Instead of worrying over our own success, we need to start praying for more Christians to rise up and use the platforms God has given them to glorify His name. Think about how amazing it would be if Christians were at the forefront of everything! God knows the desires of your heart and He wants to bless you with success. However, the success of others does not threaten you. When our Christian brothers and sisters succeed, we all succeed!

“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness — secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.” Isaiah 45:3 (NLT)   “Before we start, I wanted to let you know that someone from the men’s soccer team was in an accident at one of the track and field events. All we know is that he is in critical condition. I understand if you need to sit out of our alumni game right now.”  My heart dropped. Through whispers, I knew who the victim was of this awful occurrence. He was a freshman who had just transferred in the second semester. I had only met him, but the weight of uncertainty was too much to bear.  All but two of us played in that game and let me just say there have been finer moments for us as a team. We were getting owned, but an alumni game did not seem to matter in the grand scheme of things.  We finally sat down as our teammate’s father, who was one of the first responders at the accident, was about to give us heart wrenching news. Ethan Roser, who had been working at the hammer throw event, was tragically hit in the head by the hammer in a practice throw and passed away at the scene.  Tears immediately flowed from all of us. We were broken for his family, for our good friends on the men’s team, and for the life that was cut so short. The heaviness of it all was overwhelming.  Though my heart ached, I knew I needed to be there for my friends. Despite finals being two weeks away, I dropped everything when someone needed a shoulder to cry on or when we would spend time together at someone’s house.  In my efforts to love those around me, I quickly got emotionally drained and had nothing left to give because I was giving from a place that was empty. I needed to let the Father’s love fill me first before I could love those around me. Maybe you have experienced this too.  When I reached this point, all I could do was weep and sit still with God. Words were hard to come by, but I knew God understood what was going on in my heart. In that moment, He reminded me of Mr. and Mrs. Rosers’ words at one of Ethan’s memorial services. While they were broken, they were not defeated. They were confident God would bring forth restoration and hope in others’ lives. How were they able to speak such things after losing their youngest son?  In today’s verse, God is speaking to the Persian King Cyrus telling him “I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness”. When we hear the word “treasure”, our minds immediately think about jewels, gold, and wealth, and success. In this context, God was referring to gold and silver that had been buried underground.  However, we can take this a step further. During dark times, treasure and blessing seem to be far off. When Ethan passed away, it was hard to see God’s goodness. But the more I sat with Him and let His truths seep into my heart, the more evident His goodness became. As a result, He slowly restored my heart and gave me a new perspective. I was able to love others well again and had a strength that undeniably came from Him.  There were many treasures that came from this darkness — a deeper understanding of how to love others, trust in His sovereignty, and a newfound appreciation for sitting still with God are some of the many blessings. God was also using this time to prepare my heart for my uncle’s passing which happened two weeks later. On a bigger scale, I witnessed friends rededicating their lives to God and having a fire to carry on Ethan’s missional mindset.  I do not want to minimize the hurt you are experiencing by telling you to find treasure within your darkness. The pain may seem like it will never go away and you may want to run away from God. I want to encourage you to keep questioning Him. Ask Him the hard questions. Your questions will not offend Him. Understanding what God is doing during these times is a slow process. He sees everything and our limited view prevents us from seeing the good He is working out in our lives.  I love the last part of today’s verse — “I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name”. Ultimately, the challenges we face gives us a closer glimpse of His character. He uses our trials to mold us into His likeness. When we come out on the other side, His glory is revealed to those around us as they are able to see the treasure He has given us. This treasure is not something physically tangible, but rather it is a spirit that has been renewed by our God of hope, peace, and love.  The things He will reveal to you during this time with Him may be some of the best life lessons you will ever learn. Be still and allow Him to recharge you. Allow Him to show you the treasures hidden in darkness. When you have been refilled with the Father’s love, go out in confidence knowing that He is right there beside you holding His hand out to give you the strength you need.  Dear Father, right now I am having a hard time seeing the treasures you have for me during this dark time. Because I do not have the eyes to see, show me what you are doing in my life. I can’t be effective for Your kingdom if I am depleted and emotionally drained. Fill me with Your love so I can share that love with others. Thank you for your sovereignty and for always being good. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

From the beginning God walked through the Garden daily with Adam and Eve. Although the fall did happen, He has been reconnected with His beloved children through His son, Jesus. Jesus, divine and human, came to be with us. He loved us so much that he even died so we could be reconciled to our Father God. Jesus’ functioned WITH God. His sacrifice gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit so everyone in the world could experience the joy of walking WITH God.  S: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41: 10  O: What caught my eye is God’s promise of security! It is a promise of relationship regardless of what we have done, claiming you are mine, providing strength and help, and intimately holding us with His hand. God uses the word “I” four times, twice telling us who He is to us, and twice what He will do about it. It makes me begin to imagine a dad kneeling by his child. He has one hand around their shoulder, the other pointing in a direction to show the way, and out of his smile I hear Him say, “Let’s do this one together”!  This promise of relational help is much better than any financial, even physical, or intellectual help to get through hard times. For me, it took a long time to grasp that God desires to be with me. Maybe my assumptions were wrong growing up. I was convinced that God was over me—over my sin, my continued weakness, and my inability to change. I don’t like being around people who let me down, so why would God want to be in a relationship with me when I continued to let Him down?  A: God hasn’t only pardoned my sins, He is looking past them and promises to be in a relationship with me. It is not not just a relationship as a distant God, but as a Father who provides and protects His kids. I’m amazed by this every time I see God doing this through the Bible.  Today we can live differently. For me I’m taking the unknowns, frustrations, fears and things that are confusing and I’m handing them to God. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” 1 Peter 5:7. When I slow down and approach God with these, I often find peace calming me, confidence returns, and courage to move forward! P: Thank you for promising to be with me, even when I don’t have much together. I want things to be different between us. I want you close to me in everything. Would you help me slow down and include you into every part of my life, especially the ones that I’ve tried to control? Would you fill me with love and courage to love and lead those closest to me, in the same way you are leading me? In Jesus’ name, amen. 

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 (NIV)     As a Christian, you long to honor and glorify God in everything you do, but when it comes to your sport you find it challenging bringing God into that part of your life. You are a Christian and you are an athlete, but you cannot seem to merge those two very important parts of your life together.   I will be the first to admit it is hard to combine your faith and sport together. The world we live in places such a high value on individualism and to make matters more challenging, partnering with God is something that takes place in our hearts and minds. It is not something tangible--like working together on the field with your teammates to accomplish a goal. Rather, it happens in your spirit and may not immediately bear its fruits.   Partnering with God in your sport does not happen overnight. Like any other behavior, it needs to be practiced in order to become second nature. In today’s verse, Jesus teaches of the importance of being connected to the vine on a daily basis. Without being connected to Jesus, it is hard for us to bear the fruits (or values) God calls us to live out, and thus it is nearly impossible to do things with Him.   So how do we stay connected to God and partner with Him in our sport? Remember, everyone’s relationship with God is personal to them--what works for me, may not necessarily work for you. However, the following questions will give you an opportunity to reflect as you navigate your journey with Him.   Am I connected to the vine on a daily basis? Besides being in the Word everyday, it is helpful to have constant check-ins, or prayer times, with God. This can happen at any time--during your devotionals, on your drive to school or work, or right before your practice and games. In fact, I would encourage you to check in with God several times during your day because it reconnects you to the vine. During this time, thank God for everything He has given you, ask for forgiveness for anything you have done, ask Him to show you where you are not allowing Him into your life, and invite Him to walk with you during your day. When it comes to your sport, be in constant communication with Him. Ask Him to provide you with strength, to humble your pride, to bring you joy when trials occur, and to reveal what you need to surrender. For me, I needed to let go of working hard and finding success in order to gain the approval from my coaches and teammates. My constant striving exhausted me and pushed me further away from playing my sport with God.    It took a really long time to correct this mindset, but eventually I started to notice silence. It was a peace I had never experienced before and I felt complete freedom to let loose and play the game I love. My mind was focused on God, as I relied on Him to provide me strength, courage, and joy.   What am I filling my head and heart with? Everyone has their own way of getting in the right headspace for practices and games. Some people like to get amped up and others like to feel calm. I used to love listening to all types of genres before games. However in my fifth year season, I played my worship playlist specifically having Surrounded (Fight My Battles) on repeat. The song was simple and repeated its lyrics, but the message was so powerful, “This is how I fight my battles...it may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You.” As a result, these lyrics would be running through my head during my games. Even in some of our biggest games of the season, I felt at peace as my thoughts were on praising God. He felt so near to me and I knew He was right there playing beside me.    You may not realize it, but the things we put into our minds have a great impact on our heart (Philippians 4:8). While you do not have to listen to worship, really think about how the music you are listening to is affecting your thought patterns and your heart. Are the songs you are listening to uplifting or are you noticing it is bringing out a side of you that you do not like? If you already have a pregame playlist, then you can read a short devotional or Bible verse. Soak in God’s Word and allow it to deeply penetrate your heart. Knowing His truths before playing your sport will serve as a great reminder of who we are doing this for.   Who are you allowing to speak into your life? I was fortunate enough to play on a Christian team. I had coaches and teammates who prayed for me and spoke truth into my life. These people would celebrate my successes with me and would encourage me when I was struggling. While this was my collegiate experience, I understand what it is like to not have Christian teammates surrounding me as well. It can be really challenging and lonely. This alone can make it hard to partner with God in your sport.    If you know someone on your team who can hold you accountable to partnering with God, then I would encourage you to reach out to them. Get together to pray before and after practices and games. Be vulnerable and tell them the areas you struggle with in your sport. Allow them to give you advice on how you can partner with God and observe how they carry this out in their own life. If you do not know of any other believers on your team, reach out to someone outside of your team. I promise that you will experience so much growth when you have someone walking alongside you, encouraging you to walk with God on a daily basis.   Partnering with God is a matter of the heart and mind. It takes persistence and intentionality. We have to reorient our thought patterns so our hearts may be transformed. It requires letting go of how we have been doing things and allowing God to take control over the reigns of our lives.   Do not be discouraged if it does not immediately happen. In fact, expect it to take awhile. Like any relationship, it takes time and work. When you ask God to run alongside you while you are playing your sport, you will experience everything God desires for you. You may face trials and you may experience blessings, but know that through it all, He is right there waiting for you to reach out to HIm.   Dear Father, I am sorry for not including you in every aspect of my life, especially my sport. Right now, I ask you to come alongside me. Be the loudest voice in my heart and mind, speaking truth and love. Playing my sport is not about me. You have graciously given me the gift to play the game I love. So right now with open hands, I am giving that gift back to you. May my actions, through the blessings and trials, glorify and honor you. In Jesus’ name, amen.  

SOAP Proverbs 3:5-6 Scripture: “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 Observation: Following last week's devotion I wanted to continue the theme of trust, especially in this time of uncertainty with the Coronavirus. There are a lot of questions that are leaving many of us fearful. Will we have an athletic season? When and where will the next paycheck come from? Will I contract this virus? It is a natural human response to worry and try to control or fix things on our own. But, we are so blessed to have a gracious and loving God who looks out for us. As I’m writing this, the Lord has just blessed me. My summer semester starts on May 11th. With it being less than a week away, tuition has to be paid. Unfortunately, this pandemic has made it difficult for some universities to give out scholarships. I certainly cannot afford it. My coaches told our team that most players would not be receiving scholarship money during this time. The only thing I could do was give it up to God and trust He would make a way. 5 days before tuition was due, I received an email saying it was ALL going to be paid. This scripture used to be my mother’s favorite scripture. She had it written out everywhere. If we questioned what to do next in any aspect of life, we gave it up to God. We trusted and believed that He would make a way. Time and time again, He did. By acknowledging that God is in control over it all, we open ourselves to His blessings and guidance. We serve a faithful God. Application: The Bible is a great instruction manual. Scriptures like these can help guide you through difficult times. I encourage whoever reads this to really trust God during this pandemic. What is one thing in your life that you are having trouble trusting God with? Journal about it, pray about it, and then fully surrender it to God. Trust that He will make a way. Trust in Him more than yourself, and He will show you which path to take. Prayer: Lord, I please ask that You show your light and wisdom in those who seek You. May You offer comfort in times like these, and above all else, may Your will be done. Amen.

In the verse 1 Thessalonians 2:8, it quotes “So we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Sometimes we can feel as if we can’t progress in our faith any more, that we hit “a wall” and can’t do anything more to grow into a deeper relationship with Christ. This verse calls us to love as Jesus does. To love one another that have this incredible desire to share both the gospel and our relationship with Christ. When we share the gospel, we are called to be delighted and happy to do so! Our mission here at FCA Hawai’i is to do exactly this! We teach young athletes from all over to flourish in their faith and build a deeper connection with Christ and other Christ-like athletes in order to share their own story! Dear Heavenly Father, teach me to love others as You unconditionally love me. Speak through me whenever I am able to share your story and give me strength and courage to share mine. Thank you for using me for your glory and allowing me to rely on you for strength. In Jesus’ name, amen!

In Psalms 121:2, the song of ascents says “my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” As humans, we can easily fall into a trap of seeking help from the things of this world and at our fingertips, but our Father desires a relationship with Him where we’re able to confidently rely on Him for help and have trust that He has the ability to do so. In this verse, we can be assured that God is our strength, and helper. If we ask, we shall receive. God wants to be our provider, we just have to trust Him and lay everything before Him! Dear Heavenly Father, I lay down everything that I’m going through, for I know that you will provide and help me always. Thank you for always being there when I need you most and remind me to always trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen!