Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to  Real Life . Jesus walked on water. He wasn't the only one.  Crowds follow Jesus everywhere. No one speaks like he does. He heals the sick. He raises the dead. He sets captives free. (Who wouldn’t want to see this?)  One day, thousands follow him into a remote area. They are far from any village and without provisions. Rather than send them away to find food, Jesus feeds them. He miraculously multiplies five loaves of bread and two fish to feed 5000+ people (with twelve baskets of left-overs). He cares about their physical needs, as well as spiritual ones.  Evening comes. The crowd disperses. Jesus sends his disciples ahead by boat to their next destination, Gennesaret, across the Sea of Galilee. He remains behind alone.  Don’t worry about me, I’ll catch up.  He climbs the mountainside to find a secluded spot to pray.  In the darkness before dawn, Jesus descends the mountain. By this time, his friends are far out at ...

Welcome to  Real Life . “ You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. ” ~ C.S. Lewis. I was traveling alone on a plane to meet my husband in Las Vegas, where he was working. I was completing some homework for a life-coaching course. One of the questions asked, “What is your heart’s burning desire?” I couldn't come up with an answer. This left me with a sense of despair. Lord, who am I? I have no dreams, no passions, no hopes that are uniquely mine. Who did you create me to be? As a young woman, I dreamed of doing great things for God. I took on one leadership role after another in the faith community. I wanted to serve God. But, I also loved the praise and attention that accompanied leadership. My dreams focused on me doing great things. As I grew in relationship with God, he revealed glimpses of my hearty ego. He began to gently pull me back, out of the limelight. I was a young mom at the time and he redirected my ministry towards home: servi...

Welcome to  Real Life . John the Baptist is an odd character. He ministers in the desert wilderness. His garments are woven of coarse camel’s hair. His diet consists of locusts and wild honey. [1]  Weird. I find little in John I can relate to … until he begins to doubt.  John is a prophet. His calling is to prepare the way for the Messiah. [2]  Jesus launches his public ministry by going to the desert to be baptized by John. As Jesus approaches, John says, “ I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? ” [3] Jesus replies, “ Let it be so to fulfill all righteousness. ” As the Son of God rises from the water, heaven opens. The Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove and lights on him. A voice from heaven declares, “ This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. ” John is an eyewitness to this.   But then time passes. [4] The bold one who called men to repent did not shrink from condemning King Herod for stealing his brother’s wi...