Monday, September 26, 2016

Anything is Possible

So, I've heard all the time, "Anything is possible." Or "God can restore anything." And I've believed. But always for everyone else. Never for myself.

Let's take a bit of a journey together. A couple years back I moved to Nashville. It was a crazy journey and I was so full of faith and passion. The problem was that I had way too much passion for the level of character I had. So needless to say, people got hurt. People were drawn into my natural charisma and followed me down a path of destruction believing the best but experiencing the worst. By the time I realized what had gone down, it was too late. Wounds were too deep and friends were lost forever. Or so I thought...

Years went by and as I realized the depth I had hurt people I reached out and gave an apology. It was the least I could do. Believe it or not the apology was taken way better than I could have imagined. Was the bridge repaired at that moment? Haha. Far from it.

Bouncing back again, to the point where I was homeless, one of these friends would pick me up and let me sleep in her car while she was in class cuz I couldn't hardly sleep at night in the park I was staying in at the time. Daily would feed me and literally kept me alive. Knowing or unknowing, my pride manipulated the crap out of these two (and others) thinking "the call" on my life was more important than anyone else.

Then, we come into tonight. I go to see my friends band play (cuz they're really good). Yes, the friend who I screwed over royally. He couldn't have been more excited to see me there to enjoy him play. Before and after conversation was normal and not strained. Completely forgiven. Completely trusted? No, that will take years to earn as it should.

Anyways, the point of all this is to show that even when you screw up the worst you've ever screwed up, when you've hurt the deepest you've ever hurt some one... God can restore anything. I heard him say a few weeks back, "Watch me as I restore everything in your life." I was skeptical at best. But I kept my eyes open. And guess what, he came through.

I'm excited to see what else he has up his sleeve because to me this situation was impossible to mend. Be encouraged friends. There is no mess you've created that God cannot mend. There is no wound he can't heal. And no pit he can't get you out of.

Monday, September 5, 2016

The Butterfly Effect

Have you ever hit that point in your life where you feel like you're boxed into your destiny? Like all the good things you've been working towards or looking for are staring you in the face and running towards you at 100 miles per hour all while being backed into a corner and can't get away no matter how hard you try? Well, if so, that's been my last couple weeks.

It started a couple weeks ago when I was falling asleep and God started talking to me. I quick grabbed my phone and recorded all the things he was saying. (No, I didn't audibly record the voice of God. That would've been pretty neat! Haha.) Strike 1.

The next day my buddy comes up to me at church and told me basically the same things God told me the night before. Strike 2.

Then, a few days ago a friend I haven't talked to in months sends me a Facebook message saying the same thing and expounding on what I had heard. Strike 3.

Never before have I had God speak something so loudly to me as well as be so intentional about it to tell me again and again in just the matter of about a week and a half.

Now, you're probably wondering what he was saying. The basic theme of the word that was repeated was that in the next month, or 30-day period that my life would radically change. All the things I've been waiting for are going to be coming together. It should be a crazy month.

So, it's Labor Day and I'm hanging out at a friends house having some grilled meats and just enjoying the weather when a butterfly comes and lands on my shoulder. And then flies up and lands on my other shoulder. And then flies up and lands on my hat. This is the point when I think, "Ok God, I hear you. What are you trying to tell me?"

I look up what the meaning of butterflies on google quick and here's the first thing that pulls up.

"Imagine the whole of your life changing to such an extreme you are unrecognizable at the end of the transformation. Mind you, this change takes place in a short span of about a month too (that's how long the butterfly life cycle is)."

Confirming yet again that I'm in for an intense month. I'm super excited to see what happens and watch everything unfold and bring you guys with me on the journey.

Also, don't be afraid to let God speak to you through things like a butterfly. Nothing to go building a theology off of, but just know God is always speaking to you and not always in the way we might expect.

As always, be encouraged and unafraid to be everything you were created to be.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Making a Difference




As I was thinking this week about what to write about, I thought back to a wonderful picture I got while I was in church this Sunday. The picture was of myself with arms outstretched in front of a street sign. The scene was all desert and maybe 20-30 yards behind me was a cliff. The street sign was the metal pole with the two green street names pointing in either direction like I was standing at a 4-way stop, except without the road. 

The next thing I pictured was a sea of people blind and dead stumbling forward like zombies toward the cliff. I was there arms outstretched at least forcing people to change the angle they were walking at so they didn't hit the cliff as quickly. Once in a while my efforts supernaturally "awakened" one of the people. Instantly they grabbed my hand and our barrier grew. Before we knew it we had a line of people that stretched for miles containing a sea of millions of people who slowly were waking up. They were saved from a destruction they knew nothing of merely because one person stopped to care. 

One person couldn't save everyone. But one could help one. And then another. And that grew exponentially and we had a wall of people capable of saving millions by working together. The same is true of life. It doesn't have to be me. I don't have to be the first one to help someone. I certainly try, but that's not the point. The point is a culture can be changed by one person deciding to go against the flow and help someone. I challenge you this week to go out of your way to help someone you see. Whether they know they need help or not. Whether they have a hard time receiving it or not. Help someone. You don't have to "change" or "fix" anyone to make a difference. Just authentically show someone you care and watch lives change. 

I'll leave you with this quote Pastor JD gave from Sunday's message when I got this picture, "While I can't fix people, I can make a difference..."

Be blessed and till next time,
Tony Skinner