Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 38). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Prayer can and will make all the difference in whatever we are facing. Michael continues, "Too often, however, people turn to God only when they’re at the end of their ropes or when something earth-shattering happens. This was my routine for years, praying only when I was in trouble or on trial. Can you identify? In the weeks following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, church attendance in the US surged as much as 24 percent. Online attendance at church services and Google searches for faith-based subjects skyrocketed after the whole world shut down in 2020 due to a global pandemic. Don’t get me wrong: in those times, it was necessary to pray. But I would much rather we intercede when something is in infancy than wait until it becomes enormous." He says, "Practically speaking, there’s nothing wrong with NyQuil...

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 31). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)  It really is! Michael says, "Each and every step you take in baby faith is a momentous occasion that’s bringing momentum for your miracle. People may not understand how valuable your pint-sized progression toward purpose really is, but don’t let anybody make you feel bad for working your muscle of faith. Every step out of your comfort zone is momentous . Each step past fear makes you a walking miracle. Every time you share your testimony is monumental. The words you speak in faith bring momentum. Even your attempt to grow your faith by reading this book is movement forward." Zechariah 4:10, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. " He continues, "For some of you, taking steps of baby faith means going back to the basics. Maybe it’s not your first ti...

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 31). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that for sure is the truth. Michael says, "If you had an absent father or a parent who fell significantly short of giving you the love, care, provision, and attention that you craved as a child, it may be hard to have childlike faith in a Father you cannot physically see. Psychological studies tell us that we human beings tend to associate the attributes of our primary father figure (or lack thereof) with God. If you couldn’t count on your earthly father, it’s harder, statistically speaking, for you to put your trust in God. You may have a tendency to correlate the earthly dad who never showed up for your birthday parties and soccer games with a heavenly Father who won’t come through when you need Him." He continues, " Yet this couldn’t be further from the truth. God is actually omnipresent, which m...

  A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 29). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Now that is what we need to do, isn't it? Michael says, "At the beginning of Matthew 18, the disciples come to Jesus and ask, 'Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?' (verse 1). If I were Jesus, I would have replied, 'Are you serious? Why do you even need to know that?' Aren’t you glad Jesus is always so patient with us when we’re insecure and trying to compete with each other instead of simply having faith that God has a great plan for each one of us?" He continues, "Jesus begins His response to His disciples’ question by pointing to a little child—not an astute, wise, experienced, or prolific adult but a baby. 'I tell you the truth,' He says, 'unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven' (verse 3)...

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 27). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) An immovable mountain He continues the thought, "... because from our perspective everything looks like an immovable mountain. Perhaps our culture is so built around microwavable, instant, two-day-shipping convenience that we have trouble grasping the worth and value of a baby step. After all, if I set a huge goal and take only tiny steps toward it every so often, I might eventually get there but it will take an exhausting amount of time, endurance, and patience. "The difference for believers is that our faith is not in ourselves and our own abilities but in the omnipotent God in whom we trust." He then says, "My friend works for a company that offers her great benefits, including a 401(k) retirement plan with dollar-for-dollar matching. So, for every dollar she puts into the account, her employer c...

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 24). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)  So, what is it? Michael continues, "If you can’t figure out what your first step of faith should be, God has given you an amazing tool to walk in baby faith. It’s called your imagination. That’s right, your imagination. Now, I need you to do something that might seem a little crazy, depending on where you’re reading this book. (If you’re on the treadmill, proceed with caution.) Close your eyes. No, seriously; read the next few sentences, and then close your eyes. "Imagine yourself in your favorite vacation spot, sitting next to someone who makes you happy and sipping unlimited refills of your favorite drink. You’ve got ten seconds. Go !" He says, "Ahh…didn’t that feel good? It’s okay if you took longer than ten seconds. I want you to understand the power of your imagination. I’m sitting in my offic...

  A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 22). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Okay, then what do we do? Michael continues, "No one walks into a gym for the first time in two years and jumps into bench-pressing three hundred pounds, and nobody in her right mind jumps headfirst into a pool for the first time and expects to perform like an Olympic swimmer." He says, "The night I first met Natalie, I didn’t get down on one knee, profess my undying love, and propose to her. She would have called me desperate! Instead, I took my time to get to know her, cracked a few jokes, spit some game, got the digits…you know, baby steps. Look, baby steps are annoying, but they are absolutely necessary to reach a big goal. Lifting heavier weights calls for gradual conditioning, and managing greater success calls for steady character building. You’ve got to do your reps. "But don’t get it twis...

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 12). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Michael continues, "I’m sure you’d agree that this world we live in is pretty out of whack, and for things to get right, we need miracles taking place far more often. If we really want crazy results, we’ve got to put in a crazy amount of faith—even if it’s hard. So I’ve got one question for you: How badly do you want it? " He says, "Merriam-Webster defines crazy as 'not mentally sound: marked by thought or action that lacks reason.' In other words, if something is crazy, it makes zero sense. There’s no reasonable explanation why it should be happening. Some synonyms for crazy are insane, impractical, erratic, out of the ordinary, and unusual. You can probably think of someone you know who fits that description—and if you can’t…well, then, it might be you! "I’m kidding. But for real, how many...

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book,  Crazy Faith.  (p. 7). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that's a great place to start. Michael continues, "Sure, the best time to start laying that foundation may have been twenty years ago, but the next-best time is right now . In many translations, Hebrews 11:1 starts off with these two words: 'Now faith.' So I’m encouraging you now, at this moment, that now is not too late. As a matter of fact, now is the perfect time. Right where you are, you can begin tearing down the walls of doubt, pulling out the lies of pessimism, and removing the framework of fear so that God can pour a new faith foundation deep within you." He says, "We each have beliefs, standards, philosophies, and habits, and these are all built on some sort of foundation, whether from family, friends, education, religion, or culture—or a combination of all of the above. I wrote t...

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book, Crazy Faith.  (p. 4). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Michael continues this thought, "(Okay, sometimes more than five minutes. But a lot can change in a very short amount of time.) Once we recognize that, it’s reasonable to acknowledge that many things that seem crazy to us right now could be normal in the future. Your student loan debt erased or your six-figure mortgage paid off seems crazy. Doctors going up to the ICU to tell the uncle you’ve been praying for that he’s cancer free and can go home seems crazy. The thought of your entire family accepting salvation and living for Christ sounds crazy. Getting your ten-year sobriety chip after abusing substances for decades sounds crazy. Leaving an inheritance of wealth for your great-grandchildren after you grew up in poverty seems crazy. Recovering from what seems like an unending downward spiral of depression to w...