Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - John 10:10 NIV This week I had the chance to share a short devotional in our Anchor House staff meeting. It was about this word "thrive" that God has put on my heart for this year and in this new chapter.  The word "thrive" can be defined as "to grow or develop well, to prosper, to flourish."  When I think about thriving in God's kingdom, John 10:10 comes to mind.  But I must admit that I have struggled with what it says.  It says "life to the full" and I want it to say "life to the fullest". Isn't that what the world tells us to do? Live life to the fullest?  We are supposed to be the strongest, the richest, the smartest, prettiest, or any other "est". I want to compete. I want to live life to the fullest. That's not the way God's kingdom works.  It's not a competition. Jesus died...

When I started at Anchor House I committed to write at least one blog per week. Writing is something I enjoy and a way I get to interact with God. I can recall wanting to write about Anchor House in the days before I started, but my knowledge was limited..  To be honest I felt like I knew three things before I joined Anchor House. First,  Anchor House was a mission at Port Manatee (the Seaport, not the jail) Second, I knew it was a mission that my church, Westside Christian Church, supported with our Show Love funds.  Third, I knew God was calling me to serve Him there. However, what happened at Anchor House day to day was something of a mystery to me.   After being here for a few weeks I have learned quite a bit. I know where to look to find out when ships are coming in or departing.  I have learned that I am just tall enough to hit my head where most seafarers don’t. I have learned that flexibility is the key to serving at a seaport. One of th...

What if a father neglected his responsibilities and sat on his porch every night waiting for his estranged son to come home? What if one Sunday morning the people of a church arrived to find out the pastor suddenly cancelled services and instead he hit the streets looking for those who needed to feel love again? What if a teacher left their class to chase down a student who ran away?  Would you consider these actions reckless? The Mirriam-Webster dictionary offers this as a definition for reckless, "marked by lack of proper caution : careless of consequences.". Each of the scenarios above has an aspect of recklessness associated with it. There are consequences to neglecting responsibilities around the house. It seems careless to cancel church without advanced notice. It seems careless to leave behind believers for those who do not believe. What church is doing that on Sunday morning? There are consequences for a teacher who abandons their class. Each of these...

We have a tradition at Anchor House.  We keep a space dedicated to working on a  jigsaw puzzle.  When there is downtime the volunteers take a seat at the table and work on the puzzle. They sit there quietly and seek for the right pieces.  Slowly, over several days, the pile of puzzle pieces without a home diminishes. Each piece is found and put in the space it uniquely fits. No other piece could fit the same. The picture begins to take shape as each piece is found and placed. In Luke 19:10 Jesus says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” To apply it to this puzzle analogy, His purpose is to sift out of the pile each puzzle piece and put it in its proper place.  The Message version of the Bible says that Jesus has come to "restore the lost." Puzzle pieces once placed in their unique spot are restored to the position the creator intended for them to be.  Scripture tells us that God knows us intimately.  It says, "the very h...

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12 The imagery in this passage is vivid.  Most of us don’t run around using swords anymore.  However, we have seen them in museums, history books, and movies, of course.  We know that a double edge sword has a blade on each side of the sword.  As opposed to our kitchen knives that have a blade on just one side. This was a tool meant to make an impact.   Paul the author describes a sword that has the sharpness of a surgical scalpel. It is able to split the joints of the bones from the marrow of the bones themselves. It can divide a soul from a spirit. The operator of the sword has a steady hand with precision.  Prior to this verse, the Apostle Paul has just shared with the audience the importance of rest.  He challenges his audience t...

This week I had the chance to come through on a promise I made to one of our regular ships. When they were in port last we were hanging out in the break room with the crew. Somehow we got on the subject of strawberries, Florida strawberries of course. I made the bold statement that Florida strawberries were the best. Trish followed up by clarifying that Plant City’s are the best. She had a point that is hard to argue with. In the discussion, I told the seafarer that I would bring them some strawberries next time they were at Port Manatee. Sure enough the next time they were in port I ran to Detweillers, first thing in the morning, and picked up a half of a flat of some of the most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen. They were big, red, perfectly placed in the container in a neat and orderly fashion. They looked magnificent. As we approached the ship, the seafarer whom I had made the promise to waved and said, “You remembered!” After we boarded the ship, we t...

Be merciful, just as your father is merciful - Luke 6:36   Mercy isn’t a term we use much in our daily walks. Personally, mercy makes me think of my big brother putting me in some sort of a headlock or other torturous position big brothers are supposed to inflict on little brothers. If I said “mercy” he would relent. He was bigger and stronger and chose to impose his will upon me. He had the choice to show mercy when I asked or continue to impose his punishment.  Mercy can be defined as compassion or forgiveness towards a person whom you have the ability to punish. Mercy requires some form of wrongdoing to occur. It may be a mistake or it may be on purpose, but one person violates established terms of a relationship.  We may not be in a position of hierarchical power over someone who does something wrong towards us. It may be a friend who says something hurtful or doesn’t live up to their word. It may be a child who has chosen to go against the rules of the ho...