The Reader For Leaders Seminars, articles, and musings by Paul D. Casey

“I know where all is forgiven. Let’s go where we know love is alive. This love can change a life forever. The only way to start is giving Him our hearts. His love will piece us back together.  This is the way, this is the life, this love.” –This Love (Avalon)

One target to shoot at, that encompasses everything in my life: God’s love. He IS love, and He’s demonstrated it through the giving of His Son’s life, and the constant protection and good gift-giving He does for me now…the daily forgiveness when I repent, the alive-feeling I get when I’m in His zone, fully releasing what I cling to, to Him. He illuminates my path, brings color to my world, heals my broken pieces. This life-changing love.

“The individual spirit must be grounded in the impulse to yield–not my will but Thine.” –Sam Keene

When I drift to “life is all about me”, I am reminded that I’m not God, and it’s all about His plan, and my specific role in it. Just like yielding to oncoming traffic helps the flow without other more intrusive forms of traffic-control, yielding to God’s will improves the flow of the Spirit through me to others, without more intrusive methods of God getting my attention.  And, I’ve found yielding actually leads to contentment.

“It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” –Tom Brokaw

I find myself going here and there to make some extra money off to the side, in order to live with more of a cushion financially by paying off debt to get out of that bondage.  While God opens those doors and I am very grateful, what I like more is when those opportunities involved helping people grow forward toward what God wants for them.  I want that to be my legacy: that I made a positive difference in as many people’s lives as possible.

“When there is a storm, it is safer in the open sea. If you stay too near the dock, you will get beaten to death.” –Sam Keene

I think of the Apostle Peter, who took the plunge into the water in the storm to walk on it to Jesus. What a faith-builder! But it didn’t last long as he sank when he looked around at the limiting factors to this miraculous thing he was a part of.  I choose to reflect on the part of the story where he takes the bold step out of the boat, for it takes bold steps to make changes in our lives toward wholeness. Complacency dashes our dreams and our God-given potential; we mistake comfortable living for what’s best for us. But it’s out there on the waves that things get wet, and character is born. And it’s Jesus with His outstretched hands ready to pull us up when we can’t do it on our own strength. But He likes the steps we’ve taken to get to Him. He always comes to those who seek Him.

“You cannot get leeches if you aren’t in the swamp.” –Pastor Dave Bechtel

We take for granted how our environment affects us. The entertainment we watch or read, the music we listen to, the people we hang with, even the condition we allow our workspaces and homes to become–all influence us beyond what is visible. If those influences are cluttered, materialistic, full of lies or depravity, we start assimilating them into who we are, if we continually let them in. To combat this, we first must get out of the swamp and pull the leeches off; then the replacement principle comes into play: filling the void with people and stimuli that builds us up and leads to peace and points us to Jesus.

“Even If”

Zoegirl 

Stranded in the middle of a hurricane
I’ve got an umbrella but nowhere to stay
Do I give up now or do I face the cold
I better get some boldness
Looking to the left I see it coming
I’m alone and I’m scared and it’s heading my way
Do I run
Do I hide
Do I dare close my eyes
Do I face the fear inside

You give me joy
You give me hope
You give me love that doesn’t change

Fear paralyzes. Even if I know the action I need to take, fear pulls me back, making me feel inadequate, powerless, a victim–instead of a change-agent that possesses the greatest Power Source in the world: the Holy Spirit. He gives everything I need to push forward with whatever looms ahead of me.  Fear is a lack of faith in that power. Fear stands for False Evidences Appearing Real. I am an overcomer, but not on my own power. Only with His strength is the way paved in front of me. It’s really the only viable solution: running to Him.