Behold the Plan

The wonder of creation shouts out the presence of the Creator, whether it’s the largest star in the galaxy or this little, insignificant mushroom on my path in the woods

The intricate attention to detail reflects a master plan, and a master plan necessitates a master planner. The fingerprints of God are there for all who have eyes to see.

Those same fingerprints are on you, too. His hand ...read more

The Power of Yielding

Nearly 6 million cubic feet of water careens over the edge to the boulders below giving the iconic scenery of Niagra Falls both its beauty and energy. There are actually two falls as the Niagra river splits around Goat Island creating waterfalls on both the Canadian and American sides. The force of the water is so great that the crest of the falls has receded nearly 7 miles from where it first began.

We visited the falls on our 25th anniversary and took a boat ride to the base. The power of the falling water resonated through our bodies while the sound deafened our ears. It was truly breathtaking.

Waterfalls are not alone in molding our landscape. The might of waves shape the coastlines of our planet from the shores of east Africa to the coast of California. The vigor of rivers carves canyons as vast as the Grand Canyons of the Colorado River in the United States to the Great Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet. Yet with all the influence water has to transform the environment, it is powerless by itself. The source of its strength is simply that it yields completely to gravity.

There is a greater source of power in the world than gravity--the One who formed it all. But often I find myself operating as if I were the source of strength for my life and the tasks God has called me to. And when I do, inevitably I falter. I imagine I'm not alone. 


Living a yielded life is living a life in obedience to God. Jesus provides us with a perfect model of this level of obedience. By emulating the nature of water we become more Christ-like and better tools for the kingdom. God is more concerned with our willingness than our ability. What He calls you and I to do, He will equip us for.





Message for the journey:

Imagine the change we could affect on the world around us if we, like water, fully yielded and let God's unlimited power work through us.

©Ann Wilds

original post-2011

Math to the Higher Power

Danielle’s daddy has always been ready to help her. When she first began to learn math, he was there to make a game of addition and subtraction. As she moved through elementary school, division and multiplication were practiced with flash cards and laughter. Now she’s in algebra, and he’s always ready to answer a question or walk through a formula. As a good daddy, he’ll always be there when she needs him. Has it been a while since you studied math? Take this quiz and test your skills.

     Math Quiz:

1 + 1=?

Was your answer 2? That one was easy. It’s the first math lesson we learn.

1 x 0 =?

Did you answer 0, relying on the rule that zero times any number is always zero? 

(5+2) x 1=?

Was your answer 7, following the rule to solve what’s in the parenthesis first? 

∞ x 1=?
It will take a while to work this one out, infinity actually.


When we study math in school, we begin with the basics, addition and subtraction, and progress to the higher levels of algebra and calculus. But even if you majored in it at college, there’s still another type of math you’ve likely never studied in school. God has His own form of math, Math to the Higher Power. It’s one that goes far beyond the laws of earthly calculations. As the Creator of time and space, He is not bound by their principles or linear equations. Let’s take a look at our quiz again, this time applying God’s math. We’ll find our answers entirely different.


Math to the Higher Power

1+1=?
Applying God’s mathematical principles, 1 + 1 no longer equals two. When He joins a man and a woman together in marriage, the two become one. No longer is there yours or mine, in God’s eyes there is only our.

1x0=?
Under God’s mathematical law the answer is not zero but infinity. Out of nothing, God formed all of creation. He can take your nothing and make anything, for with God all things are possible.

(5+2) x1=?
With earthly computation, this is just a single digit. Using higher power math, Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000 men and still have leftovers. No matter the need your God can meet it.

∞x1=?
What appears to be an infinitely large number is reduced to zero by the laws of God’s math. No matter how many sins we have, when we repent, accepting Jesus as our savior, every single one is wiped clean from our slate. No sin is too great to be forgiven.



Like Danielle's dad, your heavenly Daddy is there for you when the equations in life don’t seem to add up. Using Math to the Higher Power, He’ll help you find the perfect solution to every problem.

Diplomatic Immunity

I have a confession to make. I like action movies. You know the ones where, along with fight scenes, wrecked cars and explosions, the hero always saves the day. While there may not be much redeeming value in them, sometimes they can teach us a lesson.

In the movie, Lethal Weapon 2, the minister of affairs for the South African Consulate flashes his identification and indignantly invokes his diplomatic immunity to police heroes, Riggs and Murtaugh. Under diplomatic immunity, the minister and his employees are exempt from being arrested, charged or prosecuted for violation of American law. The heroes are forced to leave empty handed, their hands tied, without taking action.

Diplomatic immunity isn’t a creation of cinematic fantasy, it’s a reality; becoming international law in 1961 under the Vienna Convention. It’s a policy between countries, granting legal immunity to governmental representatives; designed to protect them from harm while serving on foreign soil. Not only is diplomatic immunity a political reality, it’s a spiritual one as well.

When you accept Christ as your Savior, you become a child of the King of Kings; no longer a citizen of this world. From that moment on you live on foreign ground. Along with child, you gain another title, ambassador. You become His representative on earth and, as a result, gain spiritual immunity. You are free from the bondage of the prince of this world. Oh, he’ll try to convince you that you are still subject to his rules. Don’t buy it. Your freedom from this world was paid for by Christ’s great sacrifice. When Jesus died for the sins of the world, he “destroyed him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and released those who…were all their lifetime subject to bondage”. (Heb 2:15) The prince of lies has no power over you, that is, unless you give it to him.

Had the minister in the movie not declared his immunity, he would have been arrested and tried for his crimes. You will come under attack, but now you have the power to fight against him for the “one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Flash your identification, your righteousness through the blood of Christ, and invoke your diplomatic immunity. As it says in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Too often we accept assault by the evil forces of this world instead of proclaiming our immunity. We are in this world but not of it. Speak the Word, the sword we are to use when under attack, and tie his hands; through God’s strength defeat him. Remember who and whose you are.

At the end of the movie, the minster shoots Riggs. Outraged, Murtaugh pulls out his gun to arrest him. The minister gloatingly holds out his identification and says “diplomatic immunity”, a dark grin on his face. Pushed to the limit, Murtaugh shoots, saying fiercely “It’s just been revoked”. But unlike in the movie, once a true child of God, your immunity can never, ever be revoked.