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Grace, Hope, On the Journey Together, Words of Endurance

Trusting the Holy Spirit Within Me

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October 21, 2016

- Category : Grace, Hope, On the Journey Together, Words of Endurance

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But I need something more!
For if I know the law but still can’t keep it,
and if the power of sin within me keeps
sabotaging my best intentions,
I obviously need help!
I can will it, but I can’t do it.
ROMANS 7:17-19 (THE MESSAGE)



As I have shared before, these past five years have been one of the most significant seasons of my spiritual journey. I have learned about the power of my words and the hurt they can inflict but I have also learned that I, alone, cannot manage this sin. It is impossible, trust me, I’ve tried it and frustratingly it doesn’t work.



What I have been learning over these past five years is that I can trust the Holy Spirit within me to guide and transform my heart. I can trust that while my flesh is always with me so is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can reflect the person of Jesus in me for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and self control which my flesh is incapable of. The result of trusting the Holy Spirit within me is words spoken that affirm and don’t tear down.



Has this been easy? No! Trusting was really letting go of everything I thought was the way I “should” live and then relying on the Holy Spirit to transform my heart to speak the words that express my love and care, that encourage and build people up instead of tearing them down.



I really don’t know how else to explain it but I’ve discovered that this really does work! Although I haven’t been perfect my words have been more encouraging, more loving, more caring and understanding. I have learned to listen more and speak less. The result is my life looks so different today than it used to. It is more than just the words I speak – it is the way I am living and it has been oh so freeing!



Those who think they can do it on their own
end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle
but never get around to exercising it in real life.
Those who trust God’s action in them
find that God’s Spirit is in them –
living and breathing God!
Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end;
attention to God leads us out into the open,
into a spacious free life.
ROMANS 8:5-7 (THE MESSAGE)



On The Journey With You,
Dave Dravecky

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Fear, Grace, Hope, On the Journey Together, Words of Endurance

The Challenge to Trust Others

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October 6, 2016

- Category : Fear, Grace, Hope, On the Journey Together, Words of Endurance

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“I, yes I, am the one who comforts you.
So why are you afraid of mere humans,
who wither like the grass and disappear?”
ISAIAH 51:12 (WORDS OF THE LORD TO ISAIAH-THE MESSAGE)



Trusting the Holy Spirit to lead me out of my darkness was a relatively easy step for me to take. He had turned my darkness into light before – I trusted that He would again. No one knows my heart better – the good, the bad and the ugly – and nothing about my true self could separate me from His Unconditional Love.



But the harder challenge for me was to trust others who had conditional love for me. How could I trust others with who I truly am when I fear them? The Holy Spirit has shown me at the core of my people-pleasing nature is the fear of human disapproval especially from the ones I love and respect.



This fear has caused me to hide behind the masks I have worn my entire married life and bury my true feelings deep inside my soul. I put my true self in captivity. But thank you Lord that You came to set the captives free! I now know that I can trust others with my true self because I can trust You to protect my heart. However, knowing and living this truth out are two different things. I am on a journey.



The fear of human opinion disables;
trusting in God protects you from that.
PROVERBS 29:25 (THE MESSAGE)



On The Journey With You,
Jan Dravecky

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Depression, Guilt, Hope, On the Journey Together, Words of Endurance

Trusting the Holy Spirit Within Me

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September 27, 2016

- Category : Depression, Guilt, Hope, On the Journey Together, Words of Endurance

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“I’m baptizing you here in the river
turning your old life in for a kingdom life.
The real action comes next:
The main character in this drama –
compared to him I’m a mere stagehand –
will ignite the kingdom life within you,
a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you,
changing you from the inside out.
He’s going to clean house –
make a clean sweep of your lives.”
MATTHEW 3:11-12
(THE WORDS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST-THE MESSAGE)



It had become obvious to me that I was totally powerless to “change” from my old life after countless futile attempts – trying in my own strength. I felt hopeless. I was stuck in my own muck and mire. I felt much shame for not being able to “fix” myself.



I had recently been told that “The Cure” for my old life was to trust God and others with who I truly am. This was a scary step for me to take because I had worn so many masks to please others. How do I dare trust others with my true heart?



But I wanted so much for the Holy Spirit to make a “clean sweep” of my life. After years of my low-lying depression I could no longer feel the presence of God but I knew from my past depressions that God’s presence is not dependent upon my feelings. I would have to trust the God within me that I could not sense and the God within others to guide me out of my darkness by bringing the true me out into His light.



Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do everywhere you go;
He’s the one who will keep you on track.
PROVERBS 3:5-6 (THE MESSAGE)



On The Journey With You,
Jan Dravecky

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Hope, On the Journey Together, Pain, Words of Endurance

On the Journey Together

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August 19, 2016

- Category : Hope, On the Journey Together, Pain, Words of Endurance

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Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.
1 Peter 1:18 (THE MESSAGE)



For 25 years we have been sharing our journey with others and for 25 years others have been sharing their journeys with us. No two journeys are the same but we all have the same destination – eternal life with God. And along the way together we have traveled with a deep consciousness of God. Of course there are many seasons to our journeys and we all have experienced many – some joyful and some sad – some easy and some difficult – some were fulfilling and some found us empty and thirsting – some life giving and some life taking.



We shared last week that we currently find ourselves in a season of blessings yet we also find ourselves on a journey of discovery – trusting God and others with who we truly are. This has been quite a long and sometimes painful process – especially for Jan. It is difficult to trust others with who you truly are when you don’t know who you are. This was Jan’s dilemma.



We are still in the midst of this journey and it has affected but strengthened our marriage significantly. We plan on sharing with you this part of our story – no matter how difficult. We would love as we share that you will share with us and ask yourself the question “Do I trust God and others with who I truly am?”



And so this is still a live promise. The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God.
HEBREWS 4:8,10 (THE MESSAGE)

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Hope, Treasures in the Darkness, Words of Endurance

Discovering the Ultimate Treasure

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January 16, 2015

- Category : Hope, Treasures in the Darkness, Words of Endurance

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And I will give you treasures
hidden in the darkness – secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel,
the one who calls you by name.
ISAIAH 45:3


The most precious treasure Dave and I found during our time of darkness was the discovery that God was real and present in our darkness. We were so glad to discover that God’s presence was not dependent upon our feelings of His presence!


The amazing thing about that discovery is that if you had asked me during that time if I felt God’s presence, I would have said, “Absolutely not!” During those terrible dark days I would have told you that God was nowhere to be found – I could not feel His presence in any way, shape or form. And yet, at no other time in my life has He spoken to me more clearly or given me more reason to trust Him because He was and is faithful!


Although we tend to think that suffering will cause us to turn away from God, the truth is it often causes us to realize how very much we need Him.  When I became utterly desperate I finally entrusted myself to God.  I gave up trying to control my life and circumstances because it became obvious that I could not.


I did not choose that path because I had a great revelation or exercised a great step of faith.  I chose it because I was too weak and too exhausted to do anything but cling to the hope that God would hold true to His promises.

And God was faithful. In that darkness my relationship with Him grew to become the ultimate treasure! Now when I face adversity, I have the treasure of knowing – in a way I never knew before – that God is real and that I trust Him completely.

It is important that we pay attention to what we are learning in the darkness because the darkness is where our relationship with Him is tested. The darkness is where we learn and experience the Truth that God will be faithful.

 

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great is your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24 (THE MESSAGE)

 

On the journey with you,
Jan Dravecky

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Hope, The Treasure of Relationships, Words of Endurance

The Power of Grace

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January 9, 2015

- Category : Hope, The Treasure of Relationships, Words of Endurance

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God wants us to live authentically – fragile believers, learning to trust Him and each other in relationships intent on love. He wants us out of hiding, acknowledging each other without performance or quotas. He wants us to experience His power – healing us as He releases us into a life worth living. This is the Church. This is the Church in the Room of Grace!
THE CURE (JOHN LYNCH, BRUCE MCNICOL, BILL THRALL)



Grace is God’s love in action.  It is the glue that mends our brokenness.  It fills in the cracks, covers over the chips and holds the broken pieces together.  No wonder it is essential! Grace puts the finishing touch – the brilliant shine – on our most precious relationships.



What a precious treasure! Because God first extended grace to us, we have the privilege of passing it on to others. Grace is a commodity of heaven that perfects the beauty of our most treasured relationships.



Some have said that if we would “walk in grace,” most of our relationship conflicts would never occur. So what does grace look like in our lives and in our relationships? Here are a few examples …



Grace takes the high road in human relationships.
It chooses to reach out rather than retaliate,
to forgive rather than turn away in contempt or indifference.



Grace doesn’t judge or condemn.
It doesn’t presume to be better than others.



Grace accepts us right where we are
and places no expectations on us.
It is given freely – no strings attached.



Grace has thick skin.
It isn’t easily wounded, offended or put off.
When wounded it refuses to wound others.



Grace isn’t shocked by the depth of human brokenness and sinfulness.
It embraces the one made in the image of God
no matter how marred the image may be.



Grace makes God’s love real to even the hardest,
most wretched, wounded and hopeless heart.



No wonder we need grace!  It is a powerful, necessary commodity for our treasured relationships in the darkness of suffering. We will close with the grace filled words of the Apostle Paul …



Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
Love each other with genuine affection,
and take delight in honoring each other.
Never be lazy, but work hard
and serve the Lord enthusiastically.



Rejoice in our confident hope.
Be patient in trouble and keep on praying.
When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them.
Always be eager to practice hospitality.



Bless those who persecute you.
Don’t curse them;  pray that God will bless them.
Be happy with those who are happy,
and weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with each other.
Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people.
And don’t think you know it all!



Never pay back evil with more evil.
Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.



Dear friends, never take revenge.
Leave that to the righteous anger of God.
ROMANS 12:9-19 (NLT)



On the journey with you,
Dave and Jan Dravecky

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Hope, Prayer, Words of Endurance

A Candle in the Darkness Prayer Guide for Treasure Seekers

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October 29, 2014

- Category : Hope, Prayer, Words of Endurance

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Prayers offered for those who suffer are like lighting a candle in the dark. Even the smallest flicker of light can push back the darkness to yield the treasures of hope and joy. Unfortunately, we often don’t know how to pray for friends and loved ones – or even ourselves – when we face suffering but the Word of God gives us abundant instruction. We can pray for these priceless, eternal treasures:



THE STRENGTH TO ENDURE
I know how to live on almost nothing
or with everything.
I have learned the secret
of living in every situation,
whether it is with a full stomach or empty,
with plenty or little.
For I can do everything through Christ,
who gives me strength.
PHILIPPIANS 4:12-13 (NLT)



WISDOM
If you need wisdom,
ask our generous God,
and He will give it to you.
He will not rebuke you for asking.
JAMES 1:5 (NLT)



DISCERNMENT
Be assured that from the first day
we heard of you,
we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds
and spirits attuned to his will,
and so acquire a thorough understanding
of the ways in which God works.
COLOSSIANS 1:9 (THE MESSAGE)



SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT
Two are better off than one,
for they can help each other succeed.
If one person falls,
the other can reach out and help.
But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
ECCLESIASTES 4:9-10 (NLT)



A TRUSTING HEART
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice
in everything you do,
everywhere you go;
He’s the one who will keep you on track.
PROVERBS 3:5-6 (THE MESSAGE)



HOPE IN GOD’S LOVE
Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge
between us and Christ’s love for us?
There is no way!
Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger,
not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing,
not even the worst sins in Scripture …
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.
I am absolutely convinced that nothing –
nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic,
today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable –
absolutely nothing can get between us
and God’s love because of the way
that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
ROMANS 8:38-39 (THE MESSAGE)



GREATER INTIMACY WITH GOD
I ask – ask God of our Master, Jesus Christ,
the God of glory –
to make you intelligent and discerning
in knowing Him personally,
your eyes focused and clear,
so that you can see exactly
what it is He is calling you to do,
grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life
He has for His followers,
oh, the utter extravagance of His work
in us who trust Him –
endless energy, boundless strength!
EPHESIANS 1:17-19 (THE MESSAGE)



Praying for all who are seeking the treasure,
Dave and Jan Dravecky

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Cancer, Grace, Hope, Loss, Prayer, Treasures in the Darkness, Words of Endurance

My Most Unexpected Treasure

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October 22, 2014

- Category : Cancer, Grace, Hope, Loss, Prayer, Treasures in the Darkness, Words of Endurance

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Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do,
everywhere you go;
He’s the one who will keep you on track.
PROVERBS 3:5-6 (THE MESSAGE)



One cloudy gray day several months after my amputation, I was driving the car and my emotional state pretty much matched the weather. I was struggling to make sense out of all that had happened to me during the previous few years and I wasn’t coming up with any answers. I had achieved my dream of becoming a Major League Pitcher but a diagnosis of cancer in my pitching arm rocked my world. First there was the surgery that promised to end my career, then my amazing comeback – then just a few days later my arm broke mid pitch – then the reoccurrence of the cancer, more surgeries, radiation, infection and finally – no arm.



I knew I could trust God but I had begun taking a hard look at my life. I wondered where my life might be headed. No arm, no career – just where did God want me to go?



Through the gloom of that day a song came over the car radio and caught my ear:



“First I want to thank You Lord
for being who You are.
For coming to the rescue of a man who’s drifted far.
For calling me to be Your son
and calling me to serve,
Lord the way You’ve blessed my life
is more than I deserve.”



Somehow that song touched my heart right where I was at that point in time. As it continued I broke down and cried.



“Let me be the evidence of what Your Grace can do,
to generations struggling to find themselves in You.
May they come to know the love of God.
May their eyes be made to see.
Give me the opportunity to
share the truth that sets them free!”
That was it! That song spoke into my life and directed it to where it needed to go. It perfectly expressed the vision in my heart – a vision I had not yet been able to see.



I never expected to cry from a song but I prayerfully and tearfully joined in the chorus:



“This is my prayer,
lifted to you,
Knowing you care
even more than I do.
This is my prayer lifted in Your name.
Your will be done
I humbly pray.”



I haven’t heard that song for years but the memory of it takes me back to that grey rainy day when God broke through my fog and gloom and reminded me of my heart’s deepest desire – for my life to reflect Jesus where ever He will lead me. What a treasure!



When you hurt,
I mean really hurt,
Where are the blessings?
What good can actually come of it?
Suffering can not only draw you closer to God,
But He can use it to reveal blessings
that will give you hope to hang onto.
JONI EARECKSON TADA



On the journey with you,
Dave Dravecky



(The song “Prayer” was sung by Petra and written by Bob Hartman, John Elefante)

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Anger, Depression, Hope, Pain, Treasures in the Darkness, Words of Endurance

There is Treasure in the Darkness!

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October 22, 2014

- Category : Anger, Depression, Hope, Pain, Treasures in the Darkness, Words of Endurance

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Treasure is not something
I expected to find
in the darkness.
All I wanted was to find a way out!
JAN DRAVECKY



When Dave and I first began to experience the injuries and illness that eventually led to the amputation of his left arm, I thought God would miraculously deliver us. I expected us to emerge in a few months as victorious examples of what God could do for those who followed Him. I never imagined our journey through that dark valley of suffering would last for years.



As the weeks stretched into months and then year, I became consumed by our suffering. I tried harder and harder to get back to our “normal” life but I was powerless to change our situation or to understand what God was doing. As I became weaker and more exhausted from trying to fix everything by my own efforts I became increasingly desperate for relief.



I certainly wasn’t looking for any treasures from God. Deep inside I was fighting God and felt completely shut off from Him. When people suggested that God might be doing something wonderful in our lives I got angry. I knew only that I was drowning and I wanted out!



But in spite of my bad attitude – in spite of me doing things my way – in spite of my overwhelming depression – God was still at work within me. There were indeed treasures in the darkness and He would be faithful to give them to me.



About one year after Dave’s comeback I was in the deepest throes of my depression from my perspective everything was very, very black. I couldn’t make myself do anything, go anywhere or see anyone. The three people I had depended upon most for support were Dave and my parents but Dave was undergoing radiation treatments and nothing left to give and both of my parents had died. Dave’s parents were doing all they could to help us but inside I was losing the battle. I felt totally helpless, hopeless and alone.



That is when I discovered the first unexpected treasure God had for me. And I wasn’t even looking for it! In fact, I was ready to give up everything walk away from God. But when I tried to walk away, I couldn’t. Almost to my surprise I realized there was nowhere else I wanted to go. I was just like Peter who when Jesus asked His twelve disciples if they would desert Him and …



Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go?
You have the words of real life, eternal life.
We’ve already committed ourselves,
Confident that you are the Holy One of God.”
JOHN 6:68-69 (THE MESSAGE)



When I realized that I truly believed those words I was thrilled! My faith was real! What a treasure!. Even when I was at the end of my rope and ready to run away I couldn’t do it Because I truly believe that God is the Only Way to eternal life and there is no hope apart from Him. Learning that my faith was real brought me great joy and gave me hope when nothing else could. That treasure was the turning point in my experience of suffering.



Although I had not realized it suffering had tested, refined and strengthened my faith. I discovered as 1 Peter 1:3-7 says that faith is far more valuable gold. That discovery renewed my hope and inspired me to search the Scriptures to learn His promises. The hope those Truths of Scripture brought to me became my greatest treasure in the darkness – my lifeline – in the midst of pain. I was still in the valley of suffering but I had learned there were rich treasures there also.



What a God we have!
And how fortunate we are to have him,
This Father of our Master Jesus!
Because Jesus was raised from the dead,
We’ve been given a brand-new life
and have everything to live for,
including a future in heaven –
and the future starts now!
God is keeping careful watch over us and the future.
The Day is coming when you’ll have it all –
life healed and whole.
I know how great this makes you feel,
even though you have to put up with
every kind of aggravation in the meantime.
Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure;
genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.
When Jesus wraps this all up,
it’s your faith, not your gold,
that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
1 PETER 1:3-7 (THE MESSAGE)



ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU,
JAN DRAVECKY

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Hope, Treasures in the Darkness, Words of Endurance

Treasures in the Darkness

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October 13, 2014

- Category : Hope, Treasures in the Darkness, Words of Endurance

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“I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel,
who summons you by name.”
ISAIAH 45:3 (NIV)



On that shocking day in Montreal when my left arm snapped in mid pitch and I tumbled to the ground in a crumpled heap of pain, I felt a surprising sense of peace and inner calm. From one perspective that day was a tragic setback to to the months of intense rehab and training I endured to make my “impossible” comeback to Major League Baseball. Yet strange as it may seem I didn’t feel a sense of loss at that time.



Although I nearly passed out from the pain – I had a sense that God wasn’t finished with me yet. Despite the uncertainty my new injury raised, I knew without a doubt that God was beginning a whole new chapter in my life. I had no explanation as to why – I had no specific knowledge of His purpose – But I knew that something much bigger than baseball was about to unfold.



The path I was destined to walk was no picnic. I never could have imagined the darkness of the valley that path would take me through. For two years I faced periods of pain and crushing disappointment as the tumor returned and my arm refused to heal. During that time Jan suffered from exhaustion and depression. After my arm was amputated I sank into depression as well.



The darkness of those days affected every part of our lives. The pain, sadness, confusion and the seeming endlessness of our struggle overwhelmed us. But just as Isaiah 45:3 promises, Jan and I found treasures in that endless darkness. We found riches that are now priceless in the secret places of our suffering.



Like markers on a trail those treasures gave us hope and the courage to endure. They pointed – indeed led us – to God Himself and helped prepare us for the new chapter of our lives.



Our prayer is that through these upcoming Words of Endurance you will be encouraged to discover your own treasures in your darkness so that you, too, will be drawn closer to God.

“When it is dark enough,
men see the stars.”
RALPH WALDO EMERSON

 

On the journey with you,
Dave Dravecky

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