May The God of Peace rule your life

There are many mornings out on the deck where there is a complete sense of stillness. No noise of any kind. Then there are mornings where I hear the roar of The Pacific Ocean crashing upon the shoreline. On other mornings I hear the shimmering of leafs as the wind navigates through the tree tops. Still other mornings where I hear the beautiful song of various birds, as they greet the rising of the sun. Each one of those sound are beautiful in there own right.

In our life there are various noises that are familiar to us, comfortable to us, as we navigate through the day. Then, all of a sudden, those things begin to bother us, cause us stress, or creates a number of other emotions that are anything but warm.

We begin to push and pull to do all we can do to get back to that place where we feel a sense of comfort. As we work to find that place again, we seem to drift further and further from what we want, what seems so right to us, and for the most part is right for us.

As I prayed for a number of people who were expressing this struggle on Facebook yesterday. I heard the Lord say to me, “I want people to know My Peace, because I am The God of Peace.”

Let’s be clear here, your situation will not change over night, but your perception of your situation will, as you trust God’s Peace in your life. Making room for God’s Peace is just a prayer away.

Now more than ever before so many of us need The God of Peace to rule our lives.

What are the noises in your personal life that are robbing you of peace? They were once comfortable, and you felt you had control over them, but now they rule your life. They have robbed you of your peace.

My thought from the deck today is profoundly simple. I share it with you as a prayer, as a starting place for many of us to regain a sense of stability in life. This is my prayer, “May The God of Peace rule your life.”

Blooms of Grace From The Masters

Today my thoughts from the deck are actually coming from the view from my couch. Here in California, we are being hit with an unseasonably strong storm. It actually started Saturday Night, and kept me inside most of the day yesterday. So I took advantage of the bad weather to watch the conclusion of “The Masters” Golf Tournament. Some of you guys out there are thinking I am pretty lucky that the storm hit the coast just in time for me to watch this years first Major Tournament.

Some of you may wonder why I would want to watch a Golf tournament, or why I have such a love for the sport of Golf. Some of you may be wondering why I would write about “The Masters” on this blog.

Simple, Grace makes room for Recovery, and Golf is a discipline of Recovery. Just like life.

I love the game of Golf for this very reason, because it is a game of recovery. I love watching the best Golfers in the world do things I can only do in my dreams. I love watching them recover from bad shots, to make the game look so easy.

This weekend at “The Masters” Grace was in full bloom as we witnessed it’s beautiful fruit in two unique stories of Recovery.

Yesterday the world was touched by the warm embrace of this years champion, Phil Mickleson and his wife Amy. They have over the past year worked together to battle cancer, which has stricken Amy. It was awesome to see their embrace, as they celebrated Phil’s victory. It was a moment where we were all allowed to celebrate a milestone in this couples journey toward Amy's complete recovery. It was a moment that gave us a glimpse into the gracious heart of Amy Mickleson, who is greatly loved on the PGA Tour. The Mickelson Family story is truly one of Grace and Recovery.

Another amazing story that was etched into the backdrop of "The Masters" this year was the acceptance shown by the Augusta Patrons toward Tiger Woods. As Tiger stepped up to the first tee the support for him was simply amazing. Hearing the crowd encouraging him during his rounds of golf this past week was an absolute blessing. The Augusta Patrons displayed to the world a character of Grace that would cause people to flood our churches if it were found in our Christian Communities.

I said earlier the very reason I love Golf, is because Golf is a game of recovery. For that reason, I celebrate Phil's victory yesterday, praying that his wife completely recovers from cancer. I also celebrate Tiger's return to Golf, and the beautiful acceptance, Grace, he was extended on the hallowed grounds of "The Masters".

May the church learn from the character of the amazing Augusta Patrons. May we make room for those who are "sinners" just like us, and extend The Grace given to us by God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Remember, Grace makes room for Recovery.

Grace makes Beauty out of ugly things

As I contemplate this day from my deck, the gray hues of the sky meeting the horizon look so beautiful to me. It is truly a beautiful sight, much like the empty tomb was to those first visitors once their mind was able to comprehend what the heart silently hoped.

This day is about the reality of Ugly becoming Beautiful, it is about the glass slipper fitting, it is about the frog becoming the prince, it is about sin being forgiven, it is about Death losing it’s sting, it is about God being faithful with His Grace.

You see, the empty tomb is the ultimate sign of Trusting God, something only Jesus could really do from this side of life. The very reason Grace became a gift on that day. For all who dare to believe, Grace will take the worst and make good, Grace will bring peace in the midst fear, love in the face of anger, acceptance in the loneliness of rejection. Grace provides forgiveness for the darkest secretes in our heart.

Jesus redeemed our Human Condition with his bloody death, and God completed Jesus’ act of Grace by raising Him from the Dead. May we be about extending the kind act of Grace all through out our life, especially if we are believers in God’s act of Grace to bring Life from Death. May we bring beauty out of ugly things.

If you have the time watch this youtube video entitled Grace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXEOEjRfDUs

The song is by U2 and is where I received the title for this blog.

Happy Resurrection Day.

Maundy Thursday, The Choice Jesus made for all people.

Choices!!! We are faced with choices every moment of everyday, and we do not always make the right choice. Some choices go unnoticed, while others choices change the direction of our life in significant ways.

Today, we can tell the world via Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, etc.., about the moment by moment choices we make as we upload our mobile status. The Tabloids make millions of dollars a day by sharing with us intimate details concerning choices made by the “Rich & Famous”. It appears that Choices have become a billion dollar industry in our culture .

Today while on the deck, The Master allowed me to reflect on Choices. No, not on all of my stupid choices, but on The Choice Jesus made in the garden some 2,000 years ago as He spent His final moments in prayer. It was there, in the coolness of the evening, and with great agony that Jesus chose the Father's will. "Father, Not My will, but Your will be done."

The Choice Jesus made in the garden, lead him to being betrayed with a kiss, beaten, mocked, nailed to the cross, and to uttering the final words, “Father Forgive them... It is Finnished.”

Today, I invite you to reflect upon The Choice Jesus made that evening in the garden. I invite you to the thought that The Choice Jesus made was for all people. I invite you to contemplate that Jesus understands the challenge of making the correct choice, and His understanding of our Human Condition is the very reason He chose The Father’s will.

It was in the privacy of the garden that Jesus Chose The Father’s will so He could make a way for us all.

Happy Maundy Thursday.

The Choice He made for all people.

The Week That Changed Heaven and Earth

This is a very important week for many people as we remember the Passion of Jesus Christ. It is a very reflective time for me personally, as I contemplate the intensity of the most significant days of my King.
Historically, the week started with His triumphal entry, His followers hailed Him as King. He cleaned out the Temple, His Father’s House; He had his last meal with the 12 and asked them to remember Him whenever they broke bread; He agonized in prayer before His Father, sweating drops of Blood; He was betrayed with a kiss (what were you thinking Judas?); He was beaten beyond belief, deserted by His followers; He offered up no defense, Pilot washed his hands from responsibility; He endured the cross unto Death, while asking His Father to forgive them, because they did not understand; He was raised form the Dead, ‘Why do you look for the living amongst the dead?’.
Take time to contemplate the importance of the week my friends. It was a week that changed Heaven and Earth.

When the Storm Clears and the Fog Settles in, Yes I am Still with You

Today was one of those amazing mornings on the deck. I looked out into the dark, pre-dawn sky, the view of the heavens was amazingly clear. I could hear the rhythmic throng of the fog horn cut through the calm air, announcing the advent of our coastal fog.
It was then that I heard The Lord gently say to me, “When the storm clears and the fog settles in, yes I am still with you.”
There were so many stories that immediately flooded my mind about Biblical accounts of storms. Especially the stories with Jesus and the twelve. It seemed that Jesus used these experiences to teach the truth that He was with them, with us, in the mists of the storm. But what happens when the storm clears? Is He only the God of the Storm? Or Is He the God of the transition too?
The Bible says that the breadth, and width of God’s love is greater than anything we will face in life, even our own personally generated storms. Jesus said that He would never leave or forsake us.
In life it seems that the most unsure place to be is in transition from a challenging period to the next thing for my life. We are happy to see the storm come to and end, but we can’t ignore the fog of insecurity creeping into our thoughts and emotions. In those moments of trying to gain a sense of perspective, direction, and renewed purpose I share with you this thought from the Deck. He is still with you.
“When the storm clears and the fog settles in, Yes I am with you.”
Have a blessed day.

My First Blog Entry

Thoughts From The Deck

So this is my first blog entry. I hope all of you who asked me to do this find my Thoughts From The Deck to be encouraging, heartfelt, and thought provoking.

Here is my promise for this blog.

On this Blog I will write only what comes to me during my Quiet / Contemplative / Prayer time. I spend a lot of that time on the deck of my home in Half Moon Bay, California. I am a block from the Pacific Ocean. When traveling, I spend it wherever I can find a quiet place. Although I have been known to find a place in a Coffee Shop from time to time.

On this Blog I will stay away from doctrines, dogmas, and other religious things. Sometimes there may be a place to have a doctrinal conversation, but I hope to avoid those conversations for the sake of this blog.

My hope is that this Blog will ultimately encourage you to find your place of daily communion with God.

About me.

I am a father of four wonderful children.

I am the husband of my closest friend.

I am a four sports coach; Basketball, Softball, Baseball, & Football.

I am a life coach, helping people find their purpose and passion.

I am an Entrepreneur.

I am Lead Pastor of Coastlands Church, HMB. We are a house church.

I am a Liberal Fundamentalist Christian.

I hold these four Truths as my Foundation for Life;

God Created the Heavens and the Earth.

Jesus is the Son of God and died for the Sins of the World.

God Raised Jesus from the dead.

Eternal Life is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ’s death and Resurrection.

Those are my Fundamental beliefs, all other conversation pails from there.

I am a lover of all people, and find myself most critical of the Church. That is because I am most critical of myself.

So Welcome to Thoughts From The Deck

Your friend

John Caravalho