“God, I’m trying to do everything right, everything I believe I am supposed to, and yet disappointments and heartaches always seem to follow me.”

There are certainly absolute rights and wrongs, non-negotiable things, the "do not pass go & do not collect $200" sort of things in life, But not everything is cut and dried.

I recently had a dream that was short, but very vivid. In my dream I found myself entering heaven where, for the first time, I felt a total sense of love and peace. Then just as quickly as that reality hit me...

Everyone has hopes, dreams and what their perfect life would entail: the perfect house, job, car, family, friends. So, what stops them from living their perceived best life? What is it that knocks their desires out of phase?

Peace is something most of us long for. But, like the previous eighteen Out of Phase Blogs, peace is one more area of our life that can so easily get knocked out of phase. How is this possible? Because in our desire to avoid conflict we are all too willing to settle for a counterfeit peace.

Our story is the most powerful tool we have when it comes to sharing the Good News of Jesus with others. I remember hearing this in my early days of music ministry and thinking "I am not sure I want to tell my story, and I’m not sure anyone else wants to hear it either."

[An] equally destructive, out of phase response [to pain] is to seek to numb the pain through substance abuse, burying oneself in work or pleasure, or by chasing a constant need for accomplishment and approval. So, what is a healthy way to deal with pain? Head on.

We have family traditions, ethnic traditions, national traditions, and religious traditions. Traditions offer a sense of heritage and stability, they remind us of where we came from and help keep us grounded… when they are “in phase.”

Trying to control a person or situation always leads to frustration, doubt, and disappointment. However, when we are controlled by the Spirit we can live at peace knowing that we do not need to allow ourselves to be subjected to the manipulation of others.

Have you ever stopped to consider how you would like to be remembered, what kind of impact you hope to have on the world? If we allow ourselves, it is easy to dream big, to shoot for the stars, and go for the gusto! However, when the rubber meets the road often our dreams get high-jacked and our desires quickly knocked out of phase.