Translating God

I really respect and admire anyone who is multi-lingual. What an amazing talent! Unfortunately I have also come to realize I will never be that person. Early in the semester, my seventh grade French teacher kindly “suggested” that I drop his French class and take another option instead. Expressing that maybe the French language “isn’t for everybody,” he quickly added that I had “a long list of talents…but French is not on that list.” All aspirations of becoming the next ambassador to France came to an abrupt halt in that moment.

Perhaps it is this massive lack of linguistic talent that made a recent experience so amazing to me. I was asked to fill-in on drums for the weekly youth worship service at my church, and I gladly agreed. The service was going really well, until we reached group sharing time.

The first hand that went up was Lindsay’s and I felt a tension in my chest. Lindsay is an extremely sweet and beautiful fifteen-year old who regularly attends youth events. She was also born with a serious...

Friendly Neighborhood Insomniac - Part 3

Over the past two weeks, I’ve shared how I reached a breaking point with my insomnia and how God responded in a miraculous way. However, despite feeling His comfort, I still couldn’t sleep at night. For three months I waited on God to cure my insomnia. I knew God cared about my situation, but I saw no reason why He wouldn’t help me. Then youth camp came along and put everything into perspective!

To cut through the awkward silence of our first nightly church-group sharing time, I spoke up, “Hey not to sound like a broken record, but my insomnia is as bad as ever. Could you keep praying? Maybe God will take it away…”

“I need to share!” came a soft voice from across the room, and I turned to see who had interrupted me. It was a sixteen-year-old girl who had attended youth group off-and-on. She continued…“This past year has been the hardest of my life. Between a sticky family situation, an unhealthy dating relationship, and running with the wrong crowd, I drifted far from God. One night I came home really...

Friendly Neighborhood Insomniac Pt. 2

Isn’t it funny how the seemingly littlest things can change your life? I asked my girlfriend the other day how she decided to pursue fashion design. She responded, “Well, I watched the movie 13 Going On 30 and I decided what I wanted to do with my life….” After one quick laugh from me and a quicker verbal slap-to-the-face from her, I realized how much little things can impact our lives. For me, it was a bright pink, flowery piece of paper…

http://josiahroad.com/article/friendly-neighborhood-insomniac-part-1Last week we left off my story with me in a hopeless and lonely place. My insomnia had reached an all-time low, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Confused, I couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t answer my prayers for healing. On one particular night, June 8th, sitting alone in my basement I glanced towards the clock—3:15 a.m. I sensed another all-nighter looming.

Frustration swept over me; in despair and with watery eyes I collapsed to my knees and cried out, “God, why don’t you answer...

Friendly Neighborhood Insomniac - Part 1

Have you ever wondered about your limits? I remember seventh grade gym class and what they called, “The Endurance Test.” The test was simple; do push-ups until you collapse in a sweaty mess on the floor. The amount of push-ups done before the fall gives you your grade. I quickly discovered what my limit was! (Hey, nothing wrong with a good ‘ol C-, right?)

I think Christians have spiritual limits, too. When life is going well I trust God with everything and praise His name. But when things aren’t going so well I tend to struggle. Is there a point where you begin to doubt that God can help you or when you question if He’s even willing to help you?

Over the next three weeks I want to share my testimony of how I reached a breaking point, and how God used that situation to do amazing things, forever changing my faith and perspective on Him.

Around the time I was failing “The Endurance Test,” I began to develop another problem: I couldn’t fall asleep at night. I was assured this was a normal struggle for...

My NOT So Wonderful Day

The day started like no other. The sound of bluebirds softly humming the hallelujah chorus lifted me out of a deep slumber. The warmth of the morning sun’s rays burst into my room. I’d lived overseas three months, and never had the Norwegian sunrise been so beautiful. Surely today was a blessed day!

Stepping out of a warm shower, I reached for a comb. But no need—my hair had magically fallen into place! I flashed a grin towards the mirror; my teeth sparkled. What a day indeed!

Then it dawned on me, as if destiny itself was guiding my thoughts…today was the day to talk to HER! Long blond hair, nicely complimenting her sky-blue eyes. She was everything I ever wanted in a woman…she was my mail lady.

I witnessed her drive up in front of my condo every morning at approximately 8 a.m. Love at first sight! And on this wonderful day, I formulated the ultimate scheme to win this lovely maiden’s heart. Hearing the sound of approaching tires, I glanced at my watch: 7:55 a.m.—what a day this would be!

Gathering...

And the Winner is…

I had many hobbies and amusements growing up. I enjoyed hockey, guitar, PS2 etc. However, of all my pastimes—I won’t lie—my favorite was tormenting my little sister Carrie. Being three years younger, she was the perfect target for my cruel shenanigans.

For many years our house served as the battlefield for our ongoing wars. As we grew older, I began to grow painfully aware that my sister, tapping into her natural feminine powers, was becoming more clever and skilled in her pranks than I was. So after some devious scheming I devised the ultimate escapade to remind Carrie that I was still master

On Christmas Eve I put my malicious plan into motion. I purchased the largest, blackest chunk of coal I’d ever seen. I put it in a box and proceeded to wrap it in the brightest, prettiest, pinkest, sparkled wrapping paper I could find. Grabbing a marker I scribbled: “To Carrie, Love Santa Claus!”

I waited patiently, and then… under the cover of night I crept downstairs and strategically placed the gift under the...

Is There Actually Power In Prayer?

I have a confession to make. Ready? I pray for my favorite sports teams. There, I admit it! I’m a sports fanatic, and sometimes I feel my teams need an extra boost. The league can ban steroids; but they can’t ban my prayers! However, my almost undefeated New England Patriots’ massive choke in this year’s Super Bowl is proof that God doesn’t always answer those prayers!

You may be laughing at my pathetic attempts to help my team; but if I asked you if you believed God answers prayers, how would you respond? I think most of us would answer without hesitation; that of course, He does! However, I find it interesting that our lips and our actions often contradict each other. When life is hard, what’s the first thing I usually do? I’ll be honest and say that I usually try and fix the problem on my own. If (and when) that fails, I may go to my parents or to my close friends for help. I’m sure many of you can relate to me in that. It seems we go everywhere BUT to God in prayer. Why is that? Why is prayer...

Life is a Journey

“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” Job 42:5

All my life I’ve been surrounded by godly men and women. My grandfather, Henry Blackaby, and my father, Richard Blackaby, have traveled all over the world to countries I didn’t even know existed, preaching and teaching God’s Word, as well as authoring several books. My uncle Mel is my pastor. I have several aunts and uncles on the mission field and in Christian work of all sorts. As a result, I became a Christian at the tender young age of four (that’s several years before I stopped wetting the bed at night…Hey, we all have our struggles!).

But growing up, I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter who my relatives are. Despite all the amazing things they’ve done, my relationship with God is unique to me. God has convicted me that I can’t live their faith; I have to have my own.

The world is constantly changing. It’s not the same place it was twenty years ago (or two years ago for that matter). My dad can’t even beat Guitar Hero on Easy!...