Forged Together

Forged Together is about growing stronger godly families and relationships. What is broken, restored. What is missing, whole. Where there is sorrow there is joy.

During the Nixon era, a few people from his administration was jailed for their scandal with Watergate. One such person was named Charles Colson. Chuck was named the “Hatchet Man” as he was a heartless man that would tear people apart and not think twice about it. He ended up serving 18 months in federal prison and found God, radically changing his life.

While in prison Chuck saw something that bothered him about the incarnation system; the cutting off of the family from the incarcerated leading to the next generation ending up in jail. For the rest of his life, he devoted his time to reducing the incarceration rate by increasing access from those in jail to their children but also taught fathers and mothers how to value and care for their role as parents through Prison Fellowship and Angel Tree. It has been one of the largest and successful organizations to do this.

Over the recent years, God Behind Bars has been more intentional about things to allow incarcerated individuals an opportunity they may not have had when they were younger and interact that with their kids from Father and Daughter dances to mothers celebrating Easter with their kids. The idea is to bring the kids into an environment where the parent and the child is not distracted from the reason their parent is behind bars with hopes of making memories and incentives for them to make proper decisions upon release.

FIRST TIME Incarcerated Moms Wear Dresses to Reunite With Their Children | Alderson Federal Prison This is the FIRST time incarcerated mothers inside Federal Prison Camp Alderson traded prison uniforms for Easter dresses to reunite with their children. In ...

Fulfillment in Famine

John 6:35
New International Version
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

As I was doing the “death scroll” this morning, I came across an interesting video from a content creator named “Off the Kirb.” Kirby was talking about how the pyramids were made and how they align both geographically and constellationally. One thing he mentioned about the creation of the pyramids was how they were created for the purpose to store grain in a time of famine and one of the most famous stories that align with this is the story of Joseph from Genesis 38-47.

At the time of Joseph he was sold into slavery but elevated in position even after adversity. The timing of his elevation could not have been more perfect and as such, God gave him great wisdom to stave off starvation from a famine. If this is true, Joseph was an arbiter of the bread of life physically preserving something that people can make bread in order to sustain themselves in the middle of a famine.

As I was reflecting on this, I could not help but think of two specific illustrations Jesus said about bread. The first being in John 6:35 where He likens Himself to bread sustaining one’s life during a spiritual famine. The second illustration He shows about bread is during the Passover feast before His death with His disciples.

Luke 22:18-20
English Standard Version
18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.[a]

He broke the break in symbolism to His death and blessed the wine as representing His blood being poured out. Here is where things get crazy. In Genesis 40, Joseph was in prison with the butler (the wine taster) and the baker. The butler was supposed to be reinstated to a high place while the baker was to be broken in half and give his life in 3 days.

As we continue through this Holy Week, May we not forget the grain that elevated Joseph to a higher place during a physical famine and more importantly the Holiness of Jesus being the bread of life during a spiritual famine who was elevated to a higher place in the middle of being broken. Jesus did not come to give us stuff. Rather He came to give us life in our state of famine and hunger.

What is it that you are hungry for?

I have NO CONTROL over yesterday!
1 Kings 18:41-46

41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.

“There is nothing there,” he said.

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

44 The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”

So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”

45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Man it has been a famine, a dry season, but I have no control over yesterday.

Good morning God. As I wake up, I am reminded of Elijah in the time of a drought. He was no stranger to God’s miracles. In fact after killing Jezebel’s priests he goes to King Ahab and tells him to enjoy life as the drought is about to end. The thing that is interesting is Elijah did not join him. He went mountain climbing and shoved his head between his legs and face to the ground in prayer. This is a symbol or going on a journey to seek God increases a dry place all the while others are enjoying blessings.

This can be super defeating. You find everyone else being blessed, yet you are required to keep climbing, keep stumbling, keep going in a journey of being without. You get to the top and keep praying that God removes the lack. The funny thing is Elijah was the cause of the dry famine to wake up Ahab, yet after seven years he tells Ahab to enjoy life while he continues to walk in a famine. Why? The famine was less about Ahab and more about Elijah trusting God and showing the people of Israel who God is even in the dry times.

Elijah, in all of his fatigue tells his servant to go check if he sees a cloud. Six times the servant comes back and says “I see nothing” and each time Elijah puts his head to the ground crying out to agod to change the dynamics of that dry place. After six times, I can’t imagine how discouraged Elijah must have felt that there was no movement. You keep praying and expecting but no change. What do you do? Do you send out your servant to keep looking? How many more times do you need to send him out? Is God hearing my prayers.

So Elijah sends the servant out a seventh time and prays. The servant comes back and says “I see a cloud coming out of the sea the size of a man’s hand.” What do you do? Do you celebrate the change or complain about the size of the change? Elijah celebrates the little change knowing that can grow. And so it did bringing a monsoon. He warned the servant to tell Ahad to get moving or you are going to get stuck by the rain.

It is a funny thing to think that one can get stuck by their blessings. God wants us to be blessed but He also requires us to be prepared and manage the blessings He gives correctly and have a proper perspective of how that blessing may look.

I have been in a famine for some time. As I look back, the famine happened after God did a miracle. The last two times I made the most money of my life have led to those times of famine. You can’t control the losses. You can’t control the famine. All you can to is go climb to the high place and seek God. We keep getting a no to the relief of our famine, but there is something nagging inside that says “maybe the next time I check, things will change.” At the same time another voice says “what if it doesn’t?” What if it doesn’t, can I still seek and trust God in the middle? Can I wait in anticipation?

As I was writing this and reading 1 Kings and this account, a large rain fell. I had to reflect on this story from those two angles about praising God in the middle of the famine BUT also celebrating when a little cloud comes my way after the struggle. I cannot do anything about yesterday but I can celebrate the little job that comes my way and be diligent to manage it correctly as it is some rain on the famine. I may not have walked my daughter down the aisle for her wedding, but I can celebrate and pray for my little grandson.

Yes the famine is real, but so is the cloud. We may feel exhausted waiting on God to show up in a season of famine, but don’t focus so much on the drought that you miss out or undermine the little clouds of rain as you may get stuck by the blessings God is preparing to give you.

God thank you for my grandsons.
Thank you for my kids and my extended kids.
Thank you for the little jobs
Thank you for this day
Thank you for the little clouds.

“I can see a cloud , heavy with rain.
And it looks like salvation is heading my way.
I can hear a sound, and it sounds like rain
And it looks like provision is heading my way.
I can see a cloud, heavy with rain
And it looks like healing and it’s heading my way.”

New Thing Coming (Tiffany Hudson & Steven Furtick) | Elevation Worship The official live video for "New Thing Coming" by Elevation Worship featuring Tiffany Hudson and Steven Furtick. "New Thing Coming" is available now on the a...