Daniel Skognes

You may not know this about worship, but there is GREAT power in worshiping the Lord. “Your worship is your warship.” How do I know this? The Bible says so:

Psalm 22:3 says, “God inhabits the praises of His people.”

Jeremiah 20:13 says, “Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.”

Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

So if God is in it, you can win it (no matter what challenges you are facing in life).

When are you to worship? That is easy: continually!

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

You should worship God when you feel like it and when you don’t feel like it. We need God’s power and presence 24/7.

How are you to worship?

Psalm 100 says: “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who has made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

P.S. Your “warship” is also the “love boat” because God IS love. It’s wonderful when you think about it!

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

When you look at the clock, what time do you think it is? At first glance it looks like it is a few minutes before 7, but if you look closer, you realize that it is backwards! It is really a few minutes after 5! I took this picture in the mirror because it brought home a couple of lessons to me that I think bears talking about.

This week I was talking with our music teacher and asking him how it was going trying to teach middle school kids music online. He shook his head and gave me a great example. He was showing kids how to hold a guitar properly, but this one kid had his guitar backwards because that is the way he saw it on his screen…just like the clock. It looked right…but it was wrong!

Much of life is like looking in a mirror, it seems. If you don’t do a reality check, you might be looking at something totally wrong! It is just another example of why in person teaching trumps online learning for a lot of kids.

I know that there are some kids who actually thrive with online learning because they have parents who are making sure they are on task and they work best with fewer distractions, but that is not the case for a lot of kids, and as my teacher friend pointed out…if a parent is not monitoring what the kids are doing, they tend to log on to the class and then play video games or play on their phones! My friend busted one of the kids this week during class. He called the parent of one kid who was not engaged and asked her to check on her son to make sure he was doing what he was supposed to be doing. Sure enough, she walked in and found him happily play his favorite video game! Busted! The teacher let everyone in the class know that if they were off task he would be calling the parents to check on them. You do what you have to do to get the job done!

The lesson here is that if we expect to raise emotionally healthy kids, parents HAVE to be involved in teaching the kids too. After all, they are the first teachers in their lives! If they don’t do their part…particularly with online learning, the child is the one who will suffer for it. Let’s each do our part and not expect someone else to do it for us. Future generations depend on it and need us to do the right thing for them…not just what is convenient at the moment for us.

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

“Just because you have a title does not make you entitled.” Daniel Skognes

People that have titles are often tempted to let the titles go to their head. They take the powers that they have been entrusted with and abuse it. One thing I know about power and privilege: if you abuse it, you lose it! Think of all of the great leaders throughout time who went off the tracks at some point and eventually got derailed. This applies to corporate leaders, politicians, clergy, educators, and public servants.

We all have been given authority to do certain things within our job description. It is up to us to use it properly to serve others and contribute to society in a healthy way, or to use it, abuse it, and eventually lose it. Choose wisely, my friend.

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

If I asked you which one you were, you might be tempted to say a little of both, but I have news for you. You were never created to be a worrier. Worry is rooted in fear and fear is the enemy of your faith. So knowing that, which one do you want to be? If you realize that you are in a war (a spiritual one) that is real and deadly, which one do you need to be? OK. Now that we have that settled, let’s move on.

Much of our worry comes from our feelings. Here is the thing about feelings. They are like the sails of a ship. They change which ever way the wind blows. What we need is the Holy Spirit to be our compass and our faith to be our rudder. We can’t ignore our feelings, but if we allow them to rule us we will be headed for rough waters and possible disaster.

Sometimes well meaning friends and family give us advice about what we need to do with our relationships or our career. The problem comes in when they give advice that is not Biblical. Many a relationship and career have gone sideways because of bad advice. When you don’t know what to do, press through! Don’t quit, commit! If God brought you to it, He will see you through it (if you allow Him to). If God is in it, you will win it! That is a lot to think about and easier said than done…I know.

You might be saying, “Daniel, you don’t know my circumstances.” That would be true. I have no idea what you are facing, but I do know that God has a plan for each of us, and we need to allow Him to be in charge. We need to be asking Him for direction and seeking His help in facing our fears and concerns..

In the movie, Jerry McGuire, there was a famous line which said, “You complete me.” It sounded so romantic and indeed it was, but it is not Biblical. People don’t really complete us, God does. We can’t expect an imperfect person to complete us. They can never meet all of our needs, no matter how wonderful they are. We are all works in progress, and God is the one who puts us together. When we allow God to be God and direct us, wonderful things happen. When we are Christ centered, we have the peace that passes understanding. Here is something to keep in mind: you will never have peace outside of your purpose. If you don’t remember anything else, remember that. God has a purpose for your relationships and for your career. It is up to you to find out what that is (with the help of the Holy Spirit). Matthew 19:6 says, “What God has joined together, let NO MAN put asunder.” You will have peace if you walk in your purpose and don’t get distracted or discouraged.

Don’t twist this to mean that you should stay in a dysfunctional or abusive relationship or job. I am not talking about that and would never advise you to do that, but…God always completes what He starts. He is faithful and will help you find the truth and the way. You just need to have the faith the size of mustard seed and you can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).

So, put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18) and get ready for war. If you are in it to win it, you have to be prepared. Expect the unexpected. The enemy of your soul will throw every possible obstacle in your way to trip you up. After all, he has come to steal, kill, and destroy. He may even use people close to you to derail you. Don’t let what God ordained be twisted, perverted, stolen, or destroyed. Be careful who you tell your dreams and fears to. If their advice is not leading you back to the Bible for guidance, you might be making the biggest mistake of your life and live to regret it. Learn to let go and let God.

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes