Fragile

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

When a package arrives at our house marked, “FRAGILE,” I always am curious to see how the item was packaged and wrapped inside. (Is it bubble-wrap? Is it cut foam to match a specific shape? Is it Styrofoam noodles? Is it simple newspaper?) Of course, I am disappointed if I hear the tinkling of broken glass when I move the package. The very word “fragile” carries with it a sense of careful and cautious handling. 

What happens if I forget fragileness? What outcomes may happen if I ignore the delicate composition of something? What results may take place if I forget that our lives- yours and mine – are fragile? I do not know of instances where our lives or our bodies are ever marked with the labels like: “Fragile;” “Handle with care;” “Breakable”! Yes, I am aware of “Intensive Care Unit” ICU; and I know about “Cardiac Intensive Care Unit:” CICU. I am really thinking about our view of life before medical personnel must get “intense.”

WAIT! Yes, there is a reminder from the Bible: 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay . . . The knowledge of Jesus being the Lord and knowing we are His servants, has been given to us, like a message in a clay pot. My “clay pot” is fragile and so is yours. We may have denied that we are vulnerable, but every risk we take will soon reveal the possibility of being “hurt.” So, if that is true, and it is, how do we remember that other people, who also have the knowledge of Jesus, can be injured, cracked, or broken? That could happen to people, who do not know Jesus at all, too.

A stone can break a clay pot. A stone can injure us. Careless handling may mean a clay pot can be dropped and broken. Carelessness in human relationships can wound, injure, or even break that connection. Neglect in the care of a container, like a clay pot, may bring a spoilage to the contents. Ignoring the unique history or contents of a person’s life may create a sense of abandonment or rejection. That sense of rejection could produce a roadblock to any further influence you could have with that person. Angry words do not affect a clay pot, but they do impact people causing hurt feelings and a possible broken heart. The destruction of a person through abusive speech is both demeaning and oppressive. This kind of thing happens when we forget “we” and “they” are fragile clay pots.

Have I been there? Yes, I have and the sickening feeling that follows that kind of ungodly behavior is prompted by God’s Spirit of conviction and my own personal guilt. (Guilt is not a bad feeling. It is an indicator that I know I was wrong and need a change that will begin with a sincere apology to the one I have hurt.) While I do not like the feeling of guilt, it is a healthy response that prompts a desire to admit, confess and seek forgiveness from my victim.

Here is a suggestion for today: Ask God to help you remember that you are fragile and that every person you meet today is breakable too. If we can remember that we will “Handle With Care.”

TRANSITIONS

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

Are you being promoted? Being transferred? Have you been reassigned? Are you preparing to retire? Usually, we think about transition being linked to a job, but practically we deal with aging, child-rearing or new technology, and they all require some kind of a transition. [CHANGE] With my own aging process, I am discovering that my physical strength is changing. (In golf I don’t hit my seven iron as far as I used to. HA!) So, the transition is to a different pace, to a gracious flexibility, a more focused attention, less hurry and a recognition that what doesn’t get completed today will get my attention tomorrow. (This doesn’t ignore emergencies however.) There are still times to hurry.

 All through my ministry of over 60 years, as a preacher, I have had a constant message of challenge that produces conversion, newness, and hope. In every experience of “conversion”, I have witnessed a similar phenomenon called change or transition. It was leaving the former and transitioning to the future through an exciting present. Sometimes it was leaving something so dark and wicked, the close friends were the first to notice the difference. Often there was an awful sadness eliminated by the joy of forgiveness. While lots of outward things changed, I watched the attitudes and even facial expressions change to a happy and hope-filled countenance. This welcome change usually accompanied an observation like: I wish I would have done this sooner.

How are you handling your own transition? In every working position and employment situation, there is a need to prepare for transition if for nothing else, continuity. That preparation is necessary so that the hard work done by you, is not wasted in the past, but is a definite investment in the future of the company or business or organization you have served. That preparation includes the following:

  • I must recognize that I am temporary in my tenure. My influence will be given to this generation with such open transparency that it may be duplicated. However, my influence will have some obvious time limits associated with it.
  • I will need to set an example of willingness to intentionally prepare someone to follow in my footsteps. Finding that person will require more than a good background check, it will require that I intentionally seek the person the Lord wants.
  • I will need to understand that this preparation will be hard work and often inconvenient. If I do not remember this, I may give up on the process when the first obstacle happens.
  • I will need to focus not only on skills and experience of that “someone”, but on the character of the person. Charisma may be charming and popular, but a person with conviction will be the person who will last.
  • I will need to remember that while my successor will be doing my job, the style of that work will not necessarily duplicate my own style. This is actually simple when I remember that there is often more than one way to get a job done.
  • I will also need to remember to get my audience, workforce, constituents and co-workers ready for the transition to come. This will include the consistent communication to all of them about what I am practicing and preparing as well as getting them ready for their cooperation and support, for me and the new person.

Did you notice anything about the above suggestions for transition? Do not miss that a transition must be initiated by the one who is leaving the position. That is the healthy way to do it.

Here is the exception to these ideas: A crisis transition or a sudden transition will not allow these preparatory steps. If a person is terminated, dies suddenly or is incapacitated by illness, those circumstances do not give the needed time to prepare. So, what can I do? The simple answer is that I think and prepare about it before it is absolutely necessary.

The attitude for the actual practice of leading that transition is the one offered in the Bible illustration of John the Baptist recognizing he was preparing for the Messiah. He was preparing the way for his successor, Jesus. His humble attitude was: He must become greater; I must become less. (John 3:30)

What an amazing attitude of transitioning that would be!

Choices

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

“It’s your choice.” “It’s up to you.” “I can’t make the decision for you.”

You may remember a parent saying this to you or you recall a teacher’s counsel to you about a choice you were about to make. Most of the time, during my childhood, I had to learn the hard way, every choice carried with it consequences. While it would have been easier for me to blame someone else for the results of my choice, I learned that it was healthy for me to admit my choice that led to a success or a failure. This pattern doesn’t seem to be a model for our society today. When ruin or disaster takes place, I tend to look around for someone else to blame for the mess that I chose. Right now, our country’s leaders seem to be very intentional about denial of choices they have made, that have led to disastrous consequences.

Why do they do that? Why do I do that? Is it because I think the choices I make are my business and do not impact anyone else? Do I ignore certain given precautions about a choice to be made because I think those guidelines are for other people but not for me? Do I think that my choices are so highly spiritual that I cannot possibly make a mistake?  Is it because I am so independently proud that I do not need any advice? What choice is so unimportant I do not need to discuss it with anyone? 

I have a confession to make: The best choices I have ever made have always included asking God and asking others for help with that choice.

Consider these opportunities for your choosing:

  • Ask Almighty God to guide your choice. (When Peter began to sink into the water instead of walking on it, his reaction was simple: Lord, save me! Ask Him for help.
  • Ask your family members about their thinking of your choice. (You may be surprised at their insight.)
  • Ask a trusted friend to advise you. (Actually, you may not have to do this because he or she may already be advising you without your request.)
  • Ask yourself about the urgency of this choice being made. (Some decisions must be made quickly in emergency situations. The disciple Peter spoke quickly about this need for Jesus’ help. Most of my own choices have not had urgency associated with them.)
  • When you ask God for help, He may want you to wait on His answer instead of demanding an immediate response. (Check Isaiah 40:31 for a consideration.)

The most important choice I have ever made was the choice I made to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. There were lots of Bible teachers who played a role in this choosing. They were not famous; they were not powerful or popular; they were not high-pressure folks nor threatening me with the hell-fires of damnation. They were steady parents, neighbors and friends who loved the Lord and longed to see me love Him too. I knew no one else could make that choice for me. I knew it was up to me. It was going to have to be my decision. The pattern in the New Testament reinforces the personal choice that every person made for himself or herself. So, yes, I decided. It was on a hot, muggy day when humidity was high and the aroma of the Fox River filled my nostrils in a church in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I walked forward at decision time, made my profession of faith, and was baptized into Christ in 1955. It was that single choice that has shaped the rest of my life, to this very day. How could I do that?

The answer is simple: God made me with the ability to make choices. Yup, I’ve made some bad choices and had to suffer the consequences accordingly. I’m guessing that you have too. But, when I come back to my choosing Jesus Christ, I’ve never been sorry. You will not be sorry either.

Inspired

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

Just hearing her excited speaking was an inspiration so strong, I wanted to listen.

The song he sang was done with so much emotion, I immediately identified my own feelings.

Watching the skill of his work with freshly dried walnut was amazing enough to me that I wanted to try the same thing. Inspired!

Great works of art on museum display, classical music composed by Beethoven and Mozart, coordinated, and disciplined athletic prowess which is displayed during Olympic competition – all serve to motivate, challenge, encourage and inspire us.

Consider the people who have inspired you. I will mention only a few of countless people who have inspired me, through the years.

  • It was my dad who showed me the example of excellence in working and building. His advice: “If you don’t have time to do a job right, when are you going to have time to do it over?” That counsel is still locked in my memory some 70 years after his passing.
  • It was my mom who showed me the example of faithfulness in serving, when she went to serve on the mission field of Africa at 70 years of age.
  • It was my home preacher, Bruce Burdick, who challenged me for ministry by giving me opportunities to preach while I was a High School student.  
  • There have been elders in every church I have served, who took me aside to give me personal encouragement and prayer support.
  • It was my father-in-law, Andy Larson who was unafraid to commend and support my ministry, regardless of where I had moved away from his home with his daughter and his grandchildren.
  • It is still a blessing for me to have Karen as my wife, who has been with me through every situation in ministry.  I have never wondered about her love, her dedication to the Lord, her commitment to our ministry, our children or to me.
  • Then, there is the treasure of our friends who have been so faithful through the years with their love, advice, encouragement, and reinforcement of their care. (If you are reading this, you must may be one of those “encouragers.”

What is it that causes people to be an inspiration to others? I have a simple answer. That answer is we took time to look at what God has done and is doing. I witness the inspiring work of God Almighty in the creation of all He has made. That work points to a Master Designer, who has this wonderful order in everything He has created, from the mitochondria found in a DNA sample to the color in a butterfly’s wing. The condition for witnessing this inspiration is slowing down long enough to look and listen. “Take time to smell the roses.” God has been at work all through the ages. It is still inspiring.

Yes, I do have my bias: I believe the Bible is inspired and inspiring. That is not my idea, but it is a core belief, recorded in 2 Timothy 3:16-17- 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Inspired means: “God breathed.” Do you know what happens when God “breathes” into something? ANSWER: It comes alive. That is what happened to Adam, recorded in the book of Genesis. Adam became a living soul. God is the person from whom inspiration comes. He speaks and something happens. That kind of inspiring stimulus is exactly what I need to become an example in my generation. We could inspire folks around us. These are the people of our generation. They are friends, co-workers, neighbors, and relatives. We can do it, if we will watch for ways to encourage people around us. Decide to encourage someone. It may be the exact stimulus your friend needs. It is your turn to inspire! Let’s do it! I may even help someone to see the Creator of “inspiration.”

Absolutely

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

That was her standard answer to the question that I asked about something being possible for her to do. That one-word answer assured me that the task was to be done and I could count on it being done in the time requested. (Just for review, I also wrote a request on paper of what I had asked and thanked her ahead of time for doing it.)

Have you thought about “absolutely”? How about absolute? Or are there absolutes in our modern multi-cultural, self-centered mindset? The answer is always a YES! But, while this answer is simple, there are many who have bought the current philosophy that believes there are no absolutes. At least that is the verbal response to a discussion about the subject. Stick with me as I attempt to unpack some reasoning about “absolutes.”

While you may have friends who say there are no absolutes, they expect and insist that others do practice absolutes:

  • Every time fuel is purchased, there is an expectation that what is paid for is an exact gallon. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services verifies that using officials who inspect the gas pumps and use a calibrated test measure called a “prover” to certify that the pump is delivering the amount at the stated price and gallons. (You can check this the next time you purchase fuel and see the sticker certifying the inspection.)
  • Grocery stores must have their scales inspected for the same reason to certify pounds. The same expectation is found for grain elevators. (That’s the reason trucks are weighed full and empty.)  Everyone expects that absolute accuracy.
  • Builders and contractors use a tape measure to guarantee length, width, and depth.
  • Engineers utilize measuring tools that reveal ten thousandth of an inch.
  • In lighting we expect correct wattage, voltage, amperage, and lumens.
  • In culinary arts we expect proper temperatures and verify those with thermometers.
  • In accounting, we expect to have accuracy, not just opinion.
  • In sporting contests, we expect the rules and boundaries to be carefully observed. (Now we routinely use “instant replay” to verify decisions.)
  • In theology, we expect the Almighty God to be absolute, simply for consistency.
  • In everyday life we expect truth to be told and are willing to have evidence examined to prove it.

Why do we assume absolutes? Just a few reasons would include consistency, safety, fairness, justice, and guidance.

Yes, there will be folks who will say foolishly that there are no absolutes. But they expect others to provide absolutes for their everyday living. The time for argument takes place when personal morals are discussed, under the ruse of rejecting absolutes.

Really?      Absolutely!

What Authority?

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

If there ever was a crisis that underscored our current culture, it is this subject of authority. To think that there is an absolute authority will bring all kinds of ridicule and doubt about our own person and character. We have been so conditioned that there is no authority except our own opinion, we resist most authority in business, school, family and even in the church.

Actually, every church does have an authority they advertise in almost every religious background or history. Most churches will say their first authority is to Scripture and second authority is established tradition. Regardless of the denomination, or the question at hand, one of those two authorities will win. Either Scripture will be the authority for the decision to be made or the tradition will be the decision maker. One of those two will win. Church leaders will face it regardless of the decision.

The early Church Fathers advocated the principle of “Sola Scriptura” – Scripture only. It was the absolute guide, qualifier and test of every belief. The poison that has infected the church is the same individual emphasis affecting our society, which advocates no authority except my own opinion and position. So then, every person does what is right in his or her own eyes. While that sounds very appealing, our society cannot operate without a set of accepted standards. We have lots of those “rules” and “standards” all around us which reveal absolutes: 1) Brick layers still use a level to determine where a wall is straight and plumb. 2) Builders still use a tape measure to get consistency in anything that is being constructed. (Machinists still measure in thousands of an inch.) 3) Pilots still use a magnetic compass to establish direction. These same aviators utilize the given MSL (Mean Sea level) to set an altimeter. 4) Sports teams still function with boundary and goal lines to mark the legitimate boundaries. All around us, we rely on absolutes. Why? Because we need the consistency that comes from those accepted absolutes. Having absolutes provides guidance for right, wrong, left, right, up, down, inside or outside. You get the point.

When foolish choices impact our morals, our ethics, our language, our education, our worship, our economy or life in general, the results are ruinous and destructive. Why is this destructive? The answer is very simple: Only truth makes a strategic, practical and eternal difference. Jesus’ words are still true: The Truth sets people free. The historical irony is that when Pilate asked Jesus: “What is truth?”, Truth was standing right in front of him.

How’s that for an absolute?

The Fear Knot

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

The Fear Knot

I was flying my first cross-country flight, when I mistakenly thought I could get to the destination before the overcast conditions took over. Momentary fear captured my mind and I did the only hopeful thing, in the face of danger: I called ATC for assistance. The short story is that ATC was tracking me on radar, calmly directed me to the destination airport, guided my direction and I landed safely. I had experienced the “knot” of fear down deep in my heart and was relieved only because I sought help.

The year 2020 has been a year in which I have been in direct ministry with people, who have been tied in knots due to the fear of the Covid-19 virus. We have been afraid of most everything and everyone and almost in a daily fashion were given warnings about the imminent dangers of a pandemic. Focusing on germs, washing our hands, utilizing disinfectant, wearing masks, practicing social distancing and remembering how we may be vulnerable became our priority. We began to be afraid, even when we weren’t personally ill. Even as healthy people, we began to isolate and quarantine ourselves from others. It didn’t take long for the desperation of loneliness to set in and frustrated most everything in our personal planning.

On the good side, fear is an appropriate response to danger and that usually results in an increase not only in our own heart rate and our own alertness, we even sense an extra-ordinary strength to carry out the necessary escape.

My friends, in the Psychology field, predict possible negative outcomes of chronic fear, of physical health being weakened, emotions exhibiting extra anxiety and worry, with memory and decision-making damaged. On top of that, fear just wears us out to the point of possible depression. My guess is that we think there is no hope.

Wow! If there was ever a need to hear a hope filled word from the Lord, it is now. “FEAR NOT!” It is the “fear not” of Jesus, that is the remedy for my “fear knot.” That remedy has worked through all of human history and still works today:

  • When Abram was afraid that God could not keep His promise, God said: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1
  • King David reminded himself of not needing to fear with this: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
  • The angels would announce to the shepherds: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10
  • Jesus would comfort his disciples in the middle of the storm: 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

When Jesus says: “Don’t be afraid”, He doesn’t minimize our fear. He recognizes it and knows that only His reminder of His presence will remove it.

Are you all in “knots” because of the events of 2020? Sometimes, I’m right there with you too, all tied up. It is then I remind myself of Jesus words and also the words of the Lord to Joshua, when he was about to assume the leadership of the children of Israel and lead them into the promised land: 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

The answer to my “Fear Knot” is His “fear not!”

Strife

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

When we want to ignore the fact that a conversation has turned into an argument, we just call it a discussion. It would be easier to just ignore a conflict than observe that the nasty words were actually hateful and poisonous. In the political world, the hatred for other people has produced a new kind of strife that makes us all want to run from any news feed.

So, let’s call it what it is: STRIFE! There is actually no practical reason for not identifying conflict. One can ignore it with the hope that it will go away, but it never will. We could even recognize it and still do nothing about it. That won’t work either, because the strife will just multiply, divide people and multiply some more. Another option is to admit and identify this struggle with a healthy and yet humble admission, so as to allow that admission to serve as the starting place for a remedy. The unhealthy contrast of doing nothing only leads to an attempt to find someone to blame. Often, we wonder: Why doesn’t somebody do something? (When I say that, I am assuming that the somebody is actually “somebody else other than me”.) The admission of the conflict supposes that together we might find a solution to the “strife”. Why should I even consider a solution? The answer is actually very simple: I don’t want to live in or with strife! However, not everyone will have the same attitude. There are some who are so consumed with the creation of strife, fomenting chaos, false accusing and hatred, that strife seems to be such a way of life, that there is no hope of peace at all.

When the Bible records the relationship of Abram and his nephew Lot, it is Abram (he will later be called Abraham) that speaks: Let there be no strife between you and me. Genesis 13: 8 This personal strife was carrying over to their respective herdsmen and Abram decided to not live like that. He determined to end the strife and did so by offering a solution that would be workable to all. He humbly offered to give Lot the choice of pasture lands and he would take the other choice. If Lot shoes the East, Abram would take the West or vice versa. Notice that Abram was the most prosperous, the most notable and most powerful and yet he gave Lot the privilege of first choice. He didn’t act with the arrogance of pride or a sense of entitlement. He gave the choice to his nephew. Abram didn’t give Lot the idea that he had brought him along from the town of Ur as a favor and that somehow now Lot “owed” him something. Rather, he took the position that he just didn’t want strife. This action wound up with rich blessing coming to Abram from Almighty God. There are some lessons for us:

  1. I need to be carefully alert to strife that is around me and decide that I don’t want to be a contributor to it.
  2. In recognizing strife, I will need to act responsibly even if I am not to blame.
  3. Strife must be recognized for the damaging impact that it has on our society and the lives of people closest to us. Anxiety and tension grows.
  4. It will be that sense of responsibility that will motivate me with the courage to speak the truth, in a loving manner, in order to bring about the needed relief to the tension that strife is causing.
  5. I will also have to be ready to accept the fact that my attempt at relieving strife may not be accepted by others. There is always the possibility that what is “wrong” has to be identified and that status is not a popular idea in our day.
  6. Rather than other people accepting the solution, they just might turn on us with hateful accusation of our being judgmental or even suggest that we have “hate speech” in our attitude and language.

I’m guessing that you as the reader, may be just as sick as I am about the strife that is around us. We each still have a choice to do something about it.

Words

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

Pardon me! What did you say? Say again. What?

We are all interested in hearing accurately and clearly. While there are all kinds of obstacles to the hearing process, the one obstacle that is most difficult to accept is a personal hearing loss. I have it and the hearing instruments assist me in powerful ways. In fact, these “aids” are so strong that there are those around me who caution others with these words: “Be careful what you say, Neil can hear you.” Then there are other obstacles to deal with too: 1) Ambient noise in the room; 2) Multiple voices all talking at the same time;3) My own interest or lack of interest; 4) Inattention – simply not listening. (This includes my own preoccupation with my cellphone, messages, email notifications, reminders, etc.) I need to remember that my cell phone is for my convenience and not for other’s expediency. 5) Attitude. Isn’t that simple? I need to deal with my own attitude about listening at all. Usually hearing provokes or at least awaits some kind of a verbal response from me.

So then, there are words. They are the pictures in my brain that produce articulation in my mouth to convey meaning for the listening. My business is words. The use of words verbally has been a part of 57 years of preaching and ministry. Words have meaning and sometimes words evolve to mean something that I do not intend. It is the challenge of every speaker. Then the practical test comes. Do my actions match my words? Do I practice what I say? Can others depend on what I say to be carried out to completion? Is my word good? Does my “yes” mean yes? Does my “no” mean no? Or, is my life all talk and no action? I cannot just hope that others will see my example either. The words of truth have to be spoken and lived because they are tied together.

Today, I will use words to speak the truth. That truth can be carefully shaped or brutally delivered. Truth may have so much fact that it might be boring. It also could have so much nonsense that it may be unbelievable. The terms I use may be kind and gracious or unkind and judgmental. My words are important to me and to my hearers. The Bible reminds me that my tongue can get me into lots of trouble, when it is out of control. Often the words show up in overt action that does no one any good. (I have discovered that “eating crow” isn’t very pleasant, no matter how it gets served.) It just may be that I ought to practice this prayerful request more regularly: “Lord help my words to be tender and gracious today, for tomorrow I may have to eat them.”

Who Are You?

Posted on by neilnorheim2015

Do you ever wonder who you are? I guess I have always known, from the details that I was told. When I was a kid, I was Monty’s son. After we moved from Montana back to Green Bay area, I was the one who talked “funny”. (And I thought that everyone else was a strange talker.) In High School I was simply “Norheim”, because that’s how my friends labeled me. When I was in college, I was known as the son of the Bookstore Manager. Beginning in located ministry, I was “Pastor”. Yet, I was the same person in each case, only defined and described by perceived position or relationships.  However, from the Lord’s perspective, I have always known and believed that God loved me enough to send His only Son to provide my freedom from  sin.

I must confess, however, that I have never considered asking God the question: Who are you? I guess that the answers were so obvious, that the question didn’t need to be asked. I looked around at the order and design of creation and concluded: God must be a designer. I saw the orderly  movement of the earth, moon and seasons and concluded: God is in control. I watched the amazing changes that took place in the hearts and minds of people and concluded: God does that which everyone else thinks is impossible. I saw the metamorphosis of a worm to become a butterfly and concluded: God is an Almighty power  that produces transformation. It happens not only in “bugs”, but in people too. The results of those observations still impact my life today.

God is still changing me. I’m not what I was and not yet what God intends for me to be, but I am thankful that He has not given up on me, nor has His patience run out as He waits for me to follow His leading and quit trying to control everything myself. When Moses was called to do God’s work, He used a burning bush and Moses asked God the question: “Who are you?” Exodus, Chapter 3 provided the answer:

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

What a blessing we have in never having to ask the question that Moses asked on that holy ground around the burning bush. The answer is clear: GOD IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER. He is so consistent, so faithful, so loving and so amazing, I don’t have to ask about who God is. 

So if you are wondering about who you are or wondering about who God is, take just a minute to thank Him for Who He is. That gratitude may just inspire you to thank God for who you are.