mahelland | Omniallinfinitude™

September 10, 2017April 5, 2018

Dead Stop

Now that I’ve got your Undivided Attention…

Let me help you.

Just when your journey appears to be going along fine,
you’re progressing according to plan,
right on target, and then……

CRASH!

Where did that come from?
And it seems you can’t go any further.
The road is blocked, the bridge is out.

Dead stop.
There is no more road…just miles and miles of ocean, or desert, or the deepest cliff you’ve ever seen, or enemies so big you wouldn’t stand a chance……

There seems to be nowhere to go but back.
Or is there?

At some point, our journeys with God crash headlong into the tough stuff…

disasters of all kinds,
evil beyond our imagination,
the consequences of our own actions or those of others,
relational dysfunction passed down through generations.

Our thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and faith are challenged.
We’ve come so far…… and now this.
And where did everyone go? Even our traveling companions seem to have deserted us.

We are all alone,
staring into the face of an angry God,
as the world seductively sucks us back into it’s black hole of the lust of the flesh and eyes, and the pride of life.

We reach our hands up out of the darkness hoping someone will grab them and lift us up.
How do we get out of here and back on our journey?
What is going on?

Someone, please come and save us.
We need help, right now.
We need to be rescued.

And that’s the point.

Let Omniallinfinitude help restart or empower your Journey. Rescue is on the way.

12 Journeys
Investigating the attributes of God
Implementing the spiritual practices

September 9, 2017April 5, 2018

Turn, Turn, Turn

The Same but Different

Making everything Beautiful for it’s own Time

From the bright lights of Christmas we plunge into the dark nights of winter.
From the clutter and bustle of holiday shopping, preparations, activities and get-togethers
It’s back to work and school.
We vow to eat less, spend less, and work out more.

It’s quiet – the trees are bare, the birds are hungry.
Perhaps we just want to sleep, to catch up
Or maybe we can finally focus on new goals and projects.
Maybe clean out the garage or the hall closet.
Get organized.

Are we revived and renewed or worn out and depressed?

Soon it will be spring once again. Every year – four seasons and we look forward to each one. Each one has its benefits.

For everything there is a season,  a time for every activity under heaven. 
A time to be born and a time to die. 
A time to plant and a time to harvest. 
A time to kill and a time to heal. 
A time to tear down and a time to build up. 
A time to cry and a time to laugh. 
A time to grieve and a time to dance. 
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. 
A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 
A time to search and a time to quit searching. 
A time to keep and a time to throw away. 
A time to tear and a time to mend. 
A time to be quiet and a time to speak. 
A time to love and a time to hate. 
A time for war and a time for peace.
Eccl 3:1-8 TNL

Do you ever notice how different people can go through the exact same experience with different results?

How they can be presented with the same information,
Watch the same movie,
Read the same book,
Take the same class,
Eat at the same restaurant,
Vote in the same election,
Meet the same person,
All with different responses or reactions?

Maybe they are in different seasons of their lives…..

What do people really get for all their hard work?

I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.
He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Eccl. 3: 9-11 TNL

Our journeys with God sometimes take crazy turns and we wonder what is going on. What is He up to?

God has much to show and teach us no matter what season we are in. Let Omniallinfinitude help empower your Journey.

12 Journeys
Investigating the attributes of God
Implementing the spiritual practices

September 5, 2017April 5, 2018

Drop A Pin

Taking stock

Are we coming or going?

I recently spent some time in a major US city well known for its freeways and traffic. Thank goodness for the map programs and apps now on most smart phones, tablets and computers…..the magic blue dot shows your exact location in the midst of all the chaos….Then you can put in your destination, get multiple routes, track the traffic along the way, and get an approximate time of arrival.

You can Drop a Pin on the map to mark your starting location, as well as where you hope to end up….

This got me to thinking…..perhaps we need to drop some pins along the way as we navigate life’s journey….and maybe we wouldn’t wander so, go in circles, or seem to sink into the mud.

Where are we?
Where do we want to go?
Perhaps we’re living in exile….
Perhaps our good intentions never became a reality…
Perhaps we’re waiting for something, someone, we have so much to do before we can get started…..

No matter what our circumstances, life goes on…..and so must we.

This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it , for its welfare will determine your welfare.” Jer. 29:5 NLT

Do you know where you are on your spiritual journey?
What have you been putting off?
What are you waiting for?

Things happen, we drift away, maybe its time to take stock and Drop a Pin.

There are natural breaks in the journey that give opportunities to start again.

Sometimes it’s a new season or season of life,

A new year, or a birthday that ends in a 0.

Sometimes it’s a life event whether planned or unplanned;
A marriage or divorce, an illness or death,
A new baby or a new job, a graduation, or a move to a new home,
A financial or natural disaster.
And sometimes you just know its time.

All good times to Drop a Pin….

Perhaps today is your day.

God has much to show and teach us no matter where or when we have dropped our pins. Let Omniallinfinitude help empower your Journey.

12 Journeys
Investigating the attributes of God
Implementing the spiritual practices

August 31, 2017April 5, 2018

Holding Pattern

Been down this road before

Are we there yet?

Beginning a journey is always exciting,
The anticipation…
The planning and preparation…

You’re finally ready, walk out the door and off you go!

But you soon discover the journey is long, and sometimes boring. It takes time to get where you’re going – and along the way there are roadblocks and detours, breakdowns and distractions.

Sometimes you stop, or take a wrong turn, or turn around and go back. On one road a bridge is out, on another a tree down, still another, a mudslide across the road.

It’s always good to have some traveling companions – and you quickly recognize, to your benefit, that some look straight ahead, some enjoy the company and some the view, while others are always checking out the rear view mirror. You watch out for each other, inspire each other, distract each other, misunderstand each other.

Are we there yet? How much longer?
Who knows?

Haven’t we been down this road before? It seems so familiar, like we’re going in circles. Round and round, circling the runway, but never landing.

How do we break away, break out of this wilderness?
How do we turn our dreams into reality?
How many times do we have to learn this lesson?

Just over the next hill or around the next curve, we look for a sign, any sign – but there is nothing to see for miles and miles, in all directions. There is no gas, food, water or cell coverage. Just the road… and the journey goes on.

Have we wandered into danger? Are there enemies all around?

Can’t we go back to ordinary and boring?

Do you ever notice how the seasons are just long enough – how we are always ready for the next one, even though they are the same every year. Each life journey has its seasons – the wintertime and the summertime and over and over again.

God has much to show and teach us no matter what season our journey is in. Let Omniallinfinitude help empower your Journey.

12 Journeys
Investigating the attributes of God
Implementing the spiritual practices

August 21, 2017April 5, 2018

God is the Ultimate Constant

He is so good at what He does – it seems we can’t help but take HIM for granted.

The extraordinary becomes so ordinary, we no longer take notice.

We become blind to God and turn a blind eye to others.

Oftentimes we get stuck, waylaid along the way, and we stop and settle for a life of routine and hurry, instead of one filled with compassion and creativity.

We . are . bored . to . death.

It’s so easy to get in a rut…..Three things can keep us from moving on with God and taking our spiritual lives off autopilot.

We’re just tired and weary, always stressed, chasing after the wind, trying to have it all, we don’t even realize what’s happening to us.
We’re afraid, afraid of failing, of our own inadequacies, that we won’t measure up, so we stay where it’s safe.
Life is good, comfort is king – why upset the apple cart, why risk something new, why take a chance. We become complacent and stop paying attention.

We give up, pack it in, and our gaze wanders from God – to anything else that might satisfy – but nothing ever does. Our accessorized lives do not produce the lives of adventure we long for and that only God can provide.

We . need . to . refocus.

Omniallinfinitude™ takes us back to the very beginning, who is God and how do I get to know Him, not just know about Him?

It’s time to turn away from our preconceived assumptions about a God who is about our size and looks a lot like us – to the wonder and reality of actually sharing our journey with a God who is beyond our imagination, yet as close as our heartbeat.

Yes, there will be struggle along the way – and it seems we have a million questions.

Can He be trusted? What can I count on Him for?
Is there evidence that God is real?
Why is this so hard? Why do we struggle so? Why is there doubt, fear, anger, depression, pain and suffering?
What is He waiting for?
Why doesn’t anyone care? Why don’t we care? Why doesn’t anyone care about us?
Why are we here? What happens when we die?

The answers are out there – to all these questions and more.

If you are ready to START, START OVER, or even just in need of a little TUNE UP along the way….

…. Omniallinfinitude™ is for you.