You Are Priceless

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill.

In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him."

Faith

"Childlike faith in God is not only what pleases him but is also the secret of our strength and power." ~Jim Cymbala.

God's Unchanging Love

For some, the holidays are a painful reminder of rejection caused by a dysfunctional family. Perhaps it was alcoholism or a parent who was overly-critical. Maybe you were just excluded from activities altogether.

The Psalmist David knew about dysfunctional families! Despite trying to live with integrity, he did mess up. Consider his illegitimate child, Solomon or his devious son, Absolom.

Yet David found in comfort in God's love. How could this be? Perhaps he knew something most people don't ever take the time to consider.

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up." - Psalms 27: 10

David knew God was his family. David knew that whatever happened with his earthly family, he could be secure in God's unchanging love. Read David's bold statement again.

The apostle Paul wrote some of the most beautiful words describing God's love.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39

Let God be enough. Let God's love wash over you, comforting every ache and healing every wound. Let God be the family that you always wanted.

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." - Romans 8:15

God loves you unconditionally no matter who has rejected you before. Don't let other people's rejection shape your beliefs about God's love because God loves you.

"Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not." - C.S. Lewis

Wordle

Recently, I did a wordle of Comfort in the Storms. The picture below is what they came up with...I'm delighted that words like God, worship and storms were frequent. (The bigger a word the bigger a keyword it is one your site).

Exciting Changes

You may have noticed that Comfort in the Storms looks different since your last visit, that's because we've installed a spiffy new template and are currently re-focusing our ministry. We hope to have the new site up and ready to re-start by Thanksgiving! : )