GOD'S NEW WORLD

At a young age, Kal-el escaped the explosion of his original planet, Krypton, and landed on Earth. On the new world, he has superhuman powers and became Superman. But whenever he goes near Kryptonite, fragments of his former world, he becomes very weak.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5 17

When we ask Christ into our life, we become a new person, with new powers. He invites us to cast all our cares upon him, trusting that he will do the best for our new life. But the more we go back to elements of our former life - worry, anger, envy - the weaker we become.

REFLECTING GOD

The still pond in the middle of the bog perfectly reflected the azure sky and every detail of the cumulus clouds hanging above. When the traveler took a step into the muddy pond to test its depth, her boots sank ankle-deep into the ooze.

"And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his image with intensifying glory which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."  2 Corinthians 3:18

How well we reflect God in our lives does not depend upon having crystal-clear purity, but upon the quieting of our busy thoughts and activities to receive and know him better. 

GOD'S CLARITY

When I was in second grade, a vision test showed, to my surprise, that I was in need of glasses. When the glasses were ready, I took the elevator down from the optician's office and stepped out onto the city sidewalk. I was astonished by the sharp detail everywhere I looked, even far down the street.

“In the light of glory, my distorted perspective vanished.” Psalm 73:16

We can be fooled by assuming that our blurry vision is adequate, that our opinions are accurate. But inviting the presence of God brings unexpected clarity and wisdom.

ENJOYING THE PUZZLE

The pleasure of a jigsaw puzzle is not so much seeing the complete final picture as it is working out the location and fit of the various pieces. It is even more enjoyable to work on the puzzle with friends, sharing the delight of finding how each piece helps reveal the bigger vision.

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out." Proverbs 25:2

God loves to draw us by faith into his mystery and majesty, for us to savor the scope and beauty of discovering each new revelation of who He is.

LIBERTY

When my friend Mark would go out, he'd call his big dog Fritzy into the kitchen and lean an expanding dog gate against the door jamb. Even though the kitchen door was wide open, Fritzy would always stay in there until Mark returned. He explained that the gate had accidentally fallen on Fritzy when he was a puppy, so he was afraid to go anywhere near it.

”But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it - they experience God's blessing in all that they do!”
James 1:25

Jesus came to set an open door before us, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to set us free from the bondage of sin and shame and guilt. Even though we've been hurt in the past, we need to step by faith through the open door to experience the life of freedom that He brings. 

FAITH, HOPE, LOVE

The boat powers toward its destination, slicing through the waves. Its long wake rolls toward the surrounding shores.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

Faith points our boat in the proper direction. Hope is the fuel. Love flows out as the wake. Signs and wonders follow us.

TRUSTING AND RESTING

A hummingbird is almost constantly in motion, hovering to sip nectar, then zooming away to its next destination. It's good to see the busy creature sometimes stop and perch on our feeder. When it builds trust that the feeder is a safe place to rest, then it can pause and drink its fill of sweetness. 

      "...in quietness and trust shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15

We are often zooming through life from task to task, believing that the constant activity is necessary to sustain us. When we pause and rest, trusting in God, we can drink deeply the nectar he is always providing.

WIND HARP

The aeolian wind harp can have many forms, all designed so that the strings respond to the rhythms of the wind blowing through it, sending forth new harmonies and melodies and crescendoes.

The harp inside my heart will make music to you! Psalm 144:9

When we spend quiet time with the Lord, diminishing our agendas and personal concerns, the Holy Spirit is free to blow through us and express unique melodies.

SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF

Spider Man shoots his webs and swings from one skyscraper to another, chasing the Green Goblin as he soars away with his beautiful captive. In the movie theater, hearts are racing, eyes are fixed on the screen, breaths are held.

Nobody leaves the Cineplex planning to try jumping from one skyscraper to the next. The enjoyment of movies depends upon on willingness to believe what our logical mind knows is impossible.

“We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Cor. 5:7

Wikipedia defines suspension of disbelief as, “a willingness to suspend one´s critical faculties and believe something surreal; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment.” In life, if we are willing to look beyond sheer logic, it becomes easier for us to enter by faith the realm of the Spirit where the impossible is possible.

In conventional reality it´s often said that seeing is believing, but in spiritual reality that saying is reversed: first there is believing and then seeing. Suspension of disbelief will allow us to see illogical but miraculous real things.

A GENTLE WHISPER

He carefully turned the dial of the radio tuner to the left and to the right, tuning out the static until he could hear the faint lyrical voice.

“After the earthquake came the fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12

The sounds of the external world can be very dominant: traffic, telephones, machinery, loud voices. Then there are insistent sounds that run through our mind: agendas, plans, resentments, memories.

God is a speaking God, but his voice does not try to overpower the other sounds that clamor for attention. When we make a conscious effort to pull our attention away from the competing sounds, His voice can be heard, in words and impressions.

SPIRITUAL CORROSION

Corrosion on car battery terminals seriously restricts the amount of power that can enter the battery to recharge it. The corrosion can also prevent enough power coming out of the battery to start the car.

And the One sitting on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."  Rev. 21:5

Corrosion in our mind and spirit can be an accumulation of hurts, wrong beliefs, anger and many forms of negativity and dwelling in the past. Forgiveness, looking to Christ to make all things new, and living in hope - these dissolve the corrosions that constantly try to accumulate upon us.
When corrosion is cleaned off, we can be filled with godly power and radiate it to people and circumstances around us.

VINYL RECORD

How many grooves are there in the average vinyl LP record? Trick question. Although vinyl records have many songs, every record has only one groove. The needle starts in the groove at the beginning of the record and stays in the groove through all the songs until the end.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who relentlessly accused them day and night before our God, has now been defeated - cast out once and for all!   Revelation 12:10

We have a spiritual enemy who is consumed with hatred for God and his children. Hatred is his one groove. This groove runs continuously through all the songs he tries to broadcast into our minds, with words of accusation, guilt, shame, discord, fear, racism, envy, greed. But Jesus is the antidote and the Victor.

REALITY?

What's your first impression when you look at this picture? Was it a woman with black hair or a saxophone player with a big nose? If you only saw one and not the other, is it easier now that you know that there are two alternate images?

            So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4: 18

  As there are two realities in the optical illusions, there are two realities coexisting in this world: the material and the spiritual. If we don't open our minds to the possibility that there is a spiritual world also present within the fabric of the material world, we may never see it. But if we tell our minds that there is another reality present, then this faith in God's unseen world will make us much more likely to see its reality – a coexistence of the miraculous.

MELTING POINT

The ice storm has moved away over the eastern hills, leaving sidewalks slick and treacherous. Car door locks are frozen, impenetrable. The windshield is like quartz.

Later in the day the temperature moves above 32 degrees. The sidewalks become wet and safe. Scales of ice are sliding off the car. Icy branches catch the sunlight and sway like diamond feathers.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

Just as only one degree of higher temperature transforms a frozen landscape, even one more degree of faith and hope transforms bleak circumstances.

Ah, the carnival´s in town. The Ferris wheel revolving, strobe lights blinking on ride after ride. The smell of popcorn and cheeseburgers. Cotton candy. Games and prizes. People of every shape, color and age.

But if you choose to walk between the trailers and out into the field, twilight is deepening and the grass is wet with dew. A rising mist blurs the muted colors of autumn trees. A crescent moon hangs above the violet horizon.

Breathe deep and look up to see points of starlight in a velvet sky. The carnival´s calliope sound fades.

My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. John 14:27

The earthly world constantly clamors for attention. Gaudy, enticing, flavorful, engaging. But if we turn our focus away from its enticements now and again, we rediscover the scope and peace of God´s eternal reality, always surrounding us, always available.

COMING MAY 25TH...

We are living in a time that the world has never experienced before, a time of global crisis, and global communication. Jesus said “I am the light of the world,” and we need light more than ever now.

Flashes in the Darkness will be a series of images reflecting the presence of God in “ordinary” life. Even one flash of light can illuminate the path.

Please check it out on this website beginning Monday May 25th, or on my BobFarrellWriting Facebook page and my Instagram page.