Did you know there are cars that actually increase in value over time? Some of them doubled in value from the moment they left the factory, like the Ferrari Enzo. Of course we might look at cars and say it does not happen very often.

What about people? Are people doomed to lose value over time?  I don’t think so. Like cars, people can lose value and rust, wear out, fade or stop functioning; but it doesn’t have to be that way. When we were in Cuba, I was delighted to drive around in many cars from the 1940’s. There was a pride of ownership and a special attention given to each car. At a car show in Florida, I saw that it was the old cars that had the most appeal and attention.

Friends, your best years are ahead of you if you will just keep yourself up! You are gathering valuable information. You have time tested experiences. You have evaluated mistakes and gathered information so you will not make those mistakes again. You are time tested and trusted. Rise up in expectation, you are ready for your greatest challenges today!

As a young person my father would often take us on hikes into the forest. I was always intrigued by the difference in the landscape of a northern and southern exposure on a hill or mountain. How could it be that this same mountain had such different types of vegetation or such different climates? Hiking up the northern slope was complicated because the paths were laden with slippery moss and wet rocks while the southern side was typically dry and easy to maneuver. As a child, I remember that I couldn’t wait to crossover from the hot, dry, southern exposure to the lush, cool, green northern exposure. It was refreshing and provided an entirely different perspective.

Embarking on a new opportunity may be like navigating a slippery northern slope. It’s worth the climb, but it will take concerted effort to enjoy the journey. Today, are you willing to stretch beyond your comfort zone? Will you take a hike up a different side of the mountain? You may discover a new exposure that lies just ahead of you!

Faith does not rely on feelings, but it absolutely does foster them. It is what we feel strongly about that happens in our lives. Only in the realm of strong conviction can we weather storms that arise. Our beliefs and our strong feelings must be intertwined to form a powerful seed for change.

Strong feelings could accurately be described as passion. Passion is a mixture of what a person loves and what he hates. Sometimes it’s a love of something that drives his passion to change the world, but at other times, it’s what angers or disappoints him about the world that leads to a passion to change it. All great achievements must be maintained through passion; otherwise, criticisms, setbacks, and pressures will eventually wear achievers down. In order for passion to exist you must be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right.

Without passion you will never stick it out when the going gets tough. It’s passion that keeps you going in the face of insurmountable odds, and it is the same passion that keeps one refusing to quit no matter how painful the journey to the top is. It is the energy that commits to a goal and stays with it.

We find people today are looking more than for a job. They are looking for a life of meaning and a work they can commit themselves to. At a young age with a certain degree of success and friendship, I had a question in my mind: Is this all there is? What I found was beyond my wildest dreams! A life without limits was being offered to me! This same life is offered to every person. Today people are scrambling for a job and glad to have one, but security is not satisfaction.

The good news is that every job is a joy if you see it tied to something bigger and more significant for your quest of life. Jesus came into this earth from the Father and Creator of all things. He said you can have life like My Father and I have life. You can let go of your limitations and enter a place where the source of all things is not limited by economy or government or education or country.

Jesus opened the door when He said: “Have faith in God. I assure you that you can say to this mountain, ‘May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart.
Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it.” Mark 11:22

The possibility stands before you. Go for it!

When I was in Moscow one winter, record setting freezing temperatures froze the pipes of the heater units and caused a real flood, as well as a dangerous freeze inside. Our director had the great idea of placing an old iron gas heater in the center of the main room to warm up the house until we could replace the whole system. The heater had to be turned off at night though, and the first thought in the morning was how to get that heater going again! A little spark was all it took, and everyone would gather round until the warmth began to spread.

Friends, don’t start your day without a spark. Yesterday’s spark will not do. The fire has to be rekindled every morning. What is that spark to you? You probably know how to find that java stimulant for your body, but it might take a little more time to spark the divine impulse within you that will lift you to a place of expectation and peace as you deal with the day’s issues. When you are warm then everybody around you gets to enjoy the warmth!

2 Tim 1:6 “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

2 Peter 3:11 “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior…”

Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful regions of the U.S known as the Red Rock Hills of the Sedona Canyon. My husband and I had gone for a peaceful drive through this beautiful area also known as a spiritual resting place for many Eastern Mystics.

On our journey we stumbled across a gift shop full of rocks, crystals and other spiritual images. I remember picking up a monkey statue and saying to my husband, “Isn’t it wonderful to know that we are created in the image of God and not a monkey?” Right at that moment the sales clerk leaned around the corner from her office and said, “I don’t know about that. I think it’s pretty good to be created in the image of a monkey!”

Immediately I thought of the phrase, “monkey see, monkey do,” the child’s game many of us played growing up. In other words, a monkey for the most part repeats what it sees. The monkey has limited capabilities and spends most of its time in repetitive, instinctive actions.

Educational systems based on rote memory or simple memorization have historically lagged behind cultures capable of processing information or thinking through complicated issues. You never see a monkey developing a better banana or better way of producing a banana! Monkeys are acting and living as they were centuries ago.

As I listened to this young woman comment on how significant it is to be created in the image of a monkey, I could only think that certainly God did not intend us to act or think like a monkey—He gave us His life and His nature so that we could live a creative, God-kind of life! As humans we cannot and should not except a dignity less than what God has created us for!

“Listen carefully to my words; let your ears take in what I say…” Luke 9:44

This bible quote encourages us to find a place of tranquility where we can take in God’s Word and take out God’s strength!  In the hectic day to day race that most people find themselves in, it is good to remember that we must take in God’s Word so that we may take out the kind of life He desires for us. This morning I am praying that each one of you would find time to enjoy God’s presence.

Remember we can find His presence in the simple things of life. One fall after a number of weeks of outreach in the radiation red zone just North of Chernobyl, I stepped out of the hotel into this grey Soviet era landscape. In between two 20 story buildings in the far distance was a little tree not more than 6 feet tall. On its branches were bright red leaves. I remember blurting out, “Look everyone! Isn’t that beautiful!?” The crowd around me was strangely confused looking for anything of beauty, but there in the distance was that bright autumn tree.

I encourage you today in the midst of your busy life to make a moment that refreshes your heart and your spirit. Maybe it is gazing at a special picture, taking a walk on the beach, or even throwing a few snowballs. Regardless, remember—take in His life and take out His presence!  Special moments come when we stop and glance at the beautiful landscapes of life!

Here are 7 things that will help you bring your dreams to pass:

1. Know you are not alone. How can you know your dream is in agreement with God? When it produces peace and brings out the best in you. Ask yourself these three questions: Is it good for God? Is it good for people? Is it good for me? If the answers are yes, then go for it!

2. Speak your dream to yourself. You are your best prophet. You know the future because you speak the future. If you don’t believe in yourself, then how can you expect others to believe in you? Use your words to bring up what is in your heart. Your words are signposts pointing to where you are going.

3. Find out what it will cost for your dream to come to pass. In Luke 14:28, Jesus told us to consider the cost before we build. Enthusiasm can carry you for a while, but accuracy in details is what carries you across the finish line of your dream. Study, preparation, and continued focus are necessary parts of the picture of your dream. Facts can change, and new ways of doing things may need to be discovered.

4. Find someone to agree with you. No load is too heavy when you have a friend to help you carry it. You don’t need a whole audience to cheer you on. One friend clapping is better than a gallon of water on a walk through the desert!

5. Don’t discuss your dream with those who could kill it. More dreams have died at the doorstep of a skeptical friend than in front of an army of enemies!

6. Discover the best role models who have succeeded in that field. Revelation can be caught quickly when the eye is imprinted. It is true that one picture is more valuable than a thousand words. Find someone doing what you want to do and look at them, and you will build your life on the shoulders of success.

7. Let time be your friend, not your enemy. Deal with time by not considering the past at all, and not thinking about the things you have no control over. Use your time to focus on what you want to have happen and what steps you can take today in that direction. God brings about our future and forgets our past!

Laying a foundation is not the easy part of a building project, but it is the guarantee of your future work.  To illustrate the importance of this unseen, under-appreciated work that makes our lives possible, I recall a unique place on the earth that would not be found in anybody’s tour guide book.

As we were pioneering miracle evangelism in Central Asia, we were given a rare opportunity to stay at the presidential palace built for Russian leader, Leonid Brezhnev.  At first glance it looked like a beautiful place for inspiration with its marbled walls and golden framework, but between meetings it quickly turned into an amusing challenge of survival!

We nicknamed this place the ‘ice palace’ because they built it without proper connections to the city heating system, nor did it have any individual heating system.  We sat around wrapped in heavy blankets watching our breath fog the room. To prepare sermons, I moved my desk into the bathroom and steamed up the shower to create enough heat to write. What had looked glamorous on the outside became an icebox of endurance on the inside.

Our outside value is only as good as our inside function. Consider what you build, and don’t forget the plumbing!

Discovery is a powerful word that opens up vast opportunity. Children have no limits on their curiosity or willingness to try out new things. In fact, their openness is so great that it could cause personal injury or peril. As we grow older, we seem to lose the ‘YES’ in life, and words like ‘routine,” institution,’ ‘insurance,’ ‘protection,’ and ‘safety’ become commonplace in our vocabulary.

I remember moving to Russia and finding a society that was based on the word “NO.” How could it be that this dynamic, creative society was cloaked in such negative expectation? Yet, for many of us today, regardless of our society, we allow the phrases “No! You can’t!” “No! You shouldn’t!” “No! That’s not right!” “No! It’s not possible!” to control our destinies!

Let’s realize today that Christ takes the parentheses off our lives. He puts a plus on our future because He says, All things are possible, only believe! Mark 9:23 paraphrased