Life is sometimes like a roller coaster. One minute you are slowly chugging up the hill and then the next minute you are plummeting down the other side at breakneck speed with the g-forces pushing you into your seat. Then, suddenly, the ride hits a bump in the track, and you are lifted out of your seat, feeling as if you are about to be launched into the air. And then the ride comes to a screeching halt. You get off dazed and dizzy only to get in line once again. Sound familiar?

The fastest wooden roller coaster in the world is Lightning Rod, located at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which hits speeds of 73 mph. Kings Island’s Son of Beast held the previous record at 78 mph, however after several major incidences, it was demolished in 2012. We rode this coaster soon after it opened in 2000 and it was a truly unforgettable two minutes and twenty seconds. Those speeds pale in comparison to the fastest steel roaster coaster, which reaches a maximum speed of 149 mph. Due to its extreme speed, riders are required to wear goggles.

Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey) houses both Goliath, which has the steepest (85 degrees) and largest vertical (180 feet) drop for wooden coasters, and Kingda Ka, which while “only” reaching a maximum speed of 128 mph, has a mind-boggling vertical drop of 418 feet, the longest drop for any roller coaster in the world! The steepest steel coaster has a drop of over 120 degrees.     

Did you know that when a roller coaster is speeding up, the force you feel is the seat pushing your body forward but because of the body’s inertia, you feel a force in front of you which pushes you into the seat? And then as the coaster reaches the top of a hill, inertia lifts you up out of the seat while the coaster car begins to descend, creating that moment of “airtime.”

While we tend to be happy or sad, enthusiastic or dispirited, hopeful or discouraged, energized or tired, based upon whether the roller coaster of life is traveling up the hill, down the hill, or around a turn, one thing remains the same through it all – God is a good and faithful and loving God, worthy of our unending praise. Psalm 107:1 reads like this, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his lovingkindess [goodness] is everlasting.”

From the writer of Chronicles, “The LORD is great and deserves our greatest praise! He is the only God worthy of our worship. Other nations worship idols, but the LORD created the heavens. Give honor and praise to the LORD, whose power and beauty fill his holy temple” (1 Chronicles 16:25-27 CEV).

And when David pretended to be insane to get out from under Saul’s intentions to murder him, here is what he wrote after being allowed to flee, found in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the LORD at all times, his praise will continually be in my mouth.”

Psalm 34 is an acrostic praise psalm, meaning that each new verse starts with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which consists of 22 letters, all consonants, although four of them are also employed to represent long vowels.  

So, today, whether you are chugging up the hill or speeding down the hill, whipping around a turn, being pushed into your seat or lifted out of your seat, take time to praise and worship God! There is a saying that goes like this… In the happy moments praise God, in the difficult moments seek God, in the quiet moments trust God, in the painful moments trust God, in every moment thank God. 

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We live in a world that is orderly and predictable. Everything goes as planned. There are no surprises. Think of words like balance, unanimity, systematized, normality. All words to describe the planet on which we live and the cosmos that surrounds it. Wait? What? Right now, you are asking – what world do you live in?

Okay, I must be dreaming. Chaos is more like it. How about these words – disorder, confusion, unpredictable. Is there anything in us, under us, around us, above us, that is anything but chaotic? The world in which we live is one chaotic mess, spinning faster and faster, out of control. And not just on the ground, above us as well.

Since my stroke in late 2021, my brain has a difficult time in multi stimulation environments. I have a hard time differentiating between background noises or movements and the ones I am paying attention to. For example, say you are in a restaurant. You most likely are attentive to the person sitting across from you, enjoying conversation with them. And everything else around you are nothing more than in the background. You can hear the noises throughout the space, but it is only noise. The servers moving about, nothing more than background movement to you. The guy playing the piano over in the corner, to you it simply lovely background music to add ambience. However, my brain wants to listen to all the noises and watch all the movements simultaneously. As you can imagine, that creates tremendous chaos within my brain.

So far, you might be thinking – this writing has conveyed a message that is anything but encouraging or hopeful. And you would not be too far away from the truth. This world that we find ourselves living in, on its own, is a big chaotic mess of colors.

Is there hope or should we all just lock ourselves in the basement and ride this train to some bitter end? Let me be to the point. Without God, there is not real hope. With God, who turned chaos into the heavens and the earth, there is tremendous hope, not just for today, but for every moment in time hereafter. The Bible opens this way – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:1-2a).

God started with a world that was formless and empty, one that was chaotic, and turned that chaos into an orderly creation. With God, disorder and chaos give way to order and peace. In Corinthians, we find these words – “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33a). Revelation gives us a glimpse into the end of the age which culminates with a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21); God restoring order to his creation after sin brought chaos and disorder.

And all throughout the pages of Scripture, from the first creation to this new creation, we find God offering you and me order instead of disorder, calm not chaos, hope rather than despair.

I do art therapy to help my brain interpret and communicate the chaos swirling inside. When I begin painting abstractly, my brain is chaotic, often very chaotic. As I paint, the chaos gradually gives way to order, and when I put the last brush stroke on the canvas, usually my brain is somewhat orderly again. Sometimes it takes two or three paintings, but eventually my brain settles itself.

Will you, today, and every day, put your hope and trust in an orderly God, rather than sink into hopelessness in our world, one filled with so much chaos, disorder, hopelessness? It can be said of God and with God that chaos does give way to order.

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During the course of any given day, we are inundated with sounds and noises. Our hearing system connects us to the soundscape of our environment and provides us with the tools to identify and interpret acoustic cues. Our brain then catalogs those sound patterns, allowing us recognize and process sounds in the future, both familiar and unfamiliar ones.

For many of us, there is an incessant need for constant noise. That noise helps us feel safe, because in our silence we are sometimes left to address and deal with our thoughts, thoughts that often scare us. Silence often forces us to deal with the soundtrack in our souls, a soundtrack that plays and replays worries, fears, failures, all the things that keep us up at night. It is in the silence that we most often find the rest and relaxation that our body and soul truly need. And it is in that silence that we also frequently can hear the “voice” of God.

In my opinion, one of the toughest things in our noisy world is to create enough space and silence so as to hear God’s “still, small voice”. But if we are to follow Jesus in a serious life-changing way, we must find regular time to be quiet and listen. Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Building this silence discipline into our lives requires work. It begins with a desire to carve out space. It requires giving up something, desiring to turn off the noise, and find stillness, find quietness, find stillness.

Timothy Leary, the Harvard clinical psychologist, and of hippie fame, encouraged young people in the Sixties to “turn on, tune in, drop out.” His countercultural phrase encouraged the usage of psychedelic drugs to find true consciousness. While that is certainly not my advice, I do think that if we “turn on” a sensitivity to God and His presence, if we “tune in” by listening, and if we regularly “drop out” of the noise around us, we will “find” God and be better able to hear, and be changed by, His “still, small voice.”

We find a reference to God’s still small voice, a gentle whisper, in 1 Kings 19:12. Elijah had just been victorious over all the prophets of Baal. He heard that Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab, wanted to kill him. So, Elijah ran into the wilderness to hide. God sent an angel with food and water, telling Elijah to go to Mount Horeb and wait. In that cave, Elijah voices his displeasure that all God’s prophets had been killed by Jezebel, all except him. God instructed Elijah to stand on the mountain and wait for His (God) presence. Elijah was likely expecting God’s to show up in a loud and powerful way. Yet, wind, an earthquake, and fire came and went, and no God. It is after those had passed that God spoke to Elijah, in a still, small voice. To read this story, click here.

It is important to note that God is not confined to speaking in a still small voice. He speaks to us in many ways. God spoke to Job out of a whirlwind (Job 38:1). In Psalm 104:7, God’s voice sounded like thunder. To Moses, God appeared as fire coming from a bush (Exodus 3:2). God is not limited to a single method of communicating with us. Regardless of how He chooses to speak, it is of utmost importance that we hear and recognize His voice. And at least for me, I am best suited to hear God when I carve out time and space, eliminating as many distractions as I can.       

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” Psalm 62:5

“Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray.” Job 6:24

So, take a page from the hippie playbook – turn on, tune in, drop out – and listen for God.

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All throughout life we seek direction. Your parents gave you directions and guidance from the moment they brought you home from the hospital, sometimes even well into adulthood. Teachers and coaches give direction. Bosses give direction. Pastors give direction. If you are traveling, you input your destination into your navigational app or device. Or if you are old school, you look at a roadmap.

There are an endless number of books that provide guidance on just about anything you need help with. I recently was at a local bookstore and right there on display, “Sex for Dummies, 4th Edition.” Really? We need a book for that? And does the 4th edition unveil newly discovered intimacy secrets that the previous three editions were unaware of??

Google any topic and you will probably find many websites claiming to offer insight and direction into just about any subject you can imagine. And we all know that if it is found on the Internet, then it is completely reliable.

Sometimes the direction and guidance we get is solicited, other times, we get it without even asking for it. Some people are just lifelong “advice-givers.” Know anyone like that? Are you one of those people?   

Regardless of the source of the direction or advice given to us, sometimes it is flawed, short-sided, done so with selfish motives, or just downright bad advice. Sometimes what appeared to be good advice ends up being not so good. There are also times we choose to ignore the advice of others. For good reason, these days we are suspicious of most advice, and we don’t always trust the advice we are given, even from reliable sources. 

On the other hand, when you go to God for His direction, you can trust the answer 100% of the time. In order for you to hear God’s direction, you need to surrender your heart to seeking His ways not your ways (James 4:3), you need ask according to His will (1 John 5:14-15), and often times, you simply need to wait for His answer (Isaiah 64:4).

Scripture is full of verses that make it clear that God desires to give us His plan, His direction for our lives. In Psalm 32:8 we find this – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

Think of a time when someone did not heed your advice. Think of the consequences, knowing that things could have been different for them if only they had listened to you. When we turn our backs on God and ignore the plans He desires for us, we also often face consequences. The prophet Isaiah, speaking on behalf of the Lord, says this to disobedient Israel – “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea” (48:17b-18).

We find this in Isaiah 55:9-11 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.’”

God’s Word, His wisdom, is our unrivaled and unfailing roadmap for life.

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Throughout the years, it was often said, “If you read it in the newspaper or hear it on television, then it must be true.” Sadly, we know that to not always be the case today. There are many accurate well written and well thought out news stories across all types of media outlets, but there are also times when the journalist or reporter seems to have an agenda that shades the accuracy of the reporting. It is sometimes hard to tell the difference, so these days we tend to view all news reporting with skepticism. The same can be said of the ever-increasing number of books that line the shelves at any bookstore, whether the book hits the New York Times best seller list or heads straight to the bargain table.   

However, there is one book – the Bible – that is the biggest best seller of all time, translated into more languages and read by more people than any other single book. It is accurate, trustworthy, reliable, authoritative, and relevant in all situations and to all people.       

I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. By inspired I do not mean inspired in the way that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was inspired to compose one of his pieces of music. By inspired, I mean that the writing of the Bible was done by human hands under the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In 2 Peter 1:20-21 we read these words, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus said these words to His disciples near the end of His life, “The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word in a divine act” (John 14:10b, MSG).

I also believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, meaning that it is more than a book of good ideas or helpful hints to guide us through life. It is my belief that the Bible has final authority over us for what we should believe (faith) and how we should live (practice).

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

In Hebrews 4:12 we see a similar message, “God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey” (MSG).

So, the next time you open your Bible, keep an ear tuned to God and allow Him to speak to you through the words on the page. Scripture is God’s Word to you, not simply human words about Him. Every word is inspired and hand crafted by God, perfect and true!

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Capitalism in its purest sense is an economic system in which there is private ownership, free market, profit motive. Individuals or businesses own the means of production, they hire laborers who are paid a wage, the goods and services are traded based upon supply and demand, there is a desire to make money. You have some product or service to sell. I want it. I have money. I buy it. An unforced and even exchange.   

Unlike what the rock band Led Zeppelin sings, she’s buying a stairway to Heaven, God’s economy is not like capitalism or any of the other world economic systems. We cannot buy our way into Heaven. We cannot earn our way into Heaven. We cannot barter or trade our way into Heaven.

Then, just how do we gain this eternal life? The answer: by putting faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. The world often uses words such as saved or born again to indicate someone’s eternal salvation. It is believing in the death and resurrection of Christ. The death of Christ was substitutionary, meaning He died in our place. Here is what we read in scripture: “For the wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God); but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

His bodily resurrection proclaims God’s triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who profess faith in Christ Jesus, this atonement (reparation for our sin) assures us of our final victory over sin and death. Our righteousness (morally made right) comes through faith. None of us are righteous on our own – Romans 3:9-31. 

It is the reality that your salvation, my salvation, depends upon what Christ has done for us, not what we do or will do for Him. You might ask, how do I know this is true? In Romans 10:9 we read these words: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Jesus himself claims that He is the only way to God, who in His great compassion offers those who believe in Him abundant life now (John 10:10) and eternal life forever (John 3:16, 36). That would certainly be an arrogant statement if it was not true. When questioned by his disciple Thomas about not knowing the “way,” here is what Jesus answered: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The alternative of coming to the Father? Separation from Him. Eternal damnation. Don’t believe me? It comes straight from Jesus: “Then they (the unsaved, the not born again) will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” Matthew 25:46.

So, unlike capitalism in which an even exchange occurs (goods/services exchanged for money), there is no buying a stairway that leads us to heaven, to eternal life. This peace with God begins by admitting you are a sinner (thus, you need a Savior), believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, and then asking Jesus into your heart and life.

That asking is not some magic formula, there are no special words. It is something like this – Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead to give me new life. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. I give myself to you.

In one way, this asking for new life is like capitalism. There is an exchange. But unlike capitalism, this is not an even exchange. It is free (for the asking) for you and me, but it costs Jesus everything, including His life. Amen

You might be asking, what if this new life thing is not true? Won’t I look kinda foolish by believing something not true? I counter that good question with this – what if it is true, but you fail to believe that which is true? Which one would you rather be wrong about?

Let me end with these lyrics, also from the song “Stairway to Heaven” – Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there’s still time to change the road you’re on.

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