Enriched Affections

These past few weeks I've been wrestling with loneliness. It's been a difficult transition; moving from having someone to talk to about everything to... well, to sharing that with a journal, and maybe a few highlights for my friends. The huge positive is that I talk a lot more with God. I know He's always known me, but I'm feeling like we're communicating better, and more often, than I ever have in the past. However, the loneliness still remains. I know I'm not alone in this life situation. My mother-in-law (how does that work now?) who will always be my second Mom lost her husband several years ago, and I know she's wrestled with this. I have friends who have been single all their lives, seemingly content with their friends and their God, but go through seasons of doubt and discouragement all the same. I know others who have lost a spouse through death or divorce. Still others who simply feel alone even within their marriage and outwardly perfect life. ...

I come to this song in a very different place than when I first heard it. This was released way back in 2006, back when I had two kids and was just getting my feet wet in full-time youth ministry. It's another one of those tunes that's become an old friend. We don't talk every day, but she's there when I need her, ready to remind me of her simple, poetic, and paradoxical message. I love how it begins. "When you lead me to the Valley of Vision..." This must be the foundation for the Christian as we walk through the valley. Valleys don't happen by chance. We don't stumble into them. We are led there, sometimes gently by the hand, other times with a bit more force, like dragging a dog by his collar to the vet. As I look back at the valleys I've walked through I must say I've come to love them. That may sound strange, but it's true. Granted, it's a lot easier to say that on this side of a deep one. I know a few friends that are travel...

Today is the last day I'll be a married man, at least for now. I'm not sure how to feel about that, or what I should be feeling. Honestly, it's a whole spectrum of things, but one of the greatest emotions is relief. For so many months, going on almost a year now, I feel like I've been living a lie. I've been married, but unable to do really anything a married man is supposed to do. I haven't been able to shepherd my wife, love her, be intimate with her, care for her soul, or truly be one with her. But I also haven't been free to find that anywhere else. I think that's a great blessing in a way as it has forced me to seek the satisfaction and love that often comes from a wife from the One who truly satisfies- the Lord. I've been with Moriah since October of 1999 and married since June of '04. If you do the math then you know we'll be missing some great anniversaries this year. We certainly had many good years together. The end of it all wa...

As I prepare to post this, I can't help but wonder what state of mind you readers think I'm in. I wonder that myself sometimes. Despite the sad nature of many of these songs, I feel like I'm doing ok, at least for today. One day at a time, right? This past weekend was tough, dealing with some bitterness and doubt. But overall I'm doing so much better than I was. A huge reason for that is the overwhelming evidence in my life that God loves me and is working in and through me. I don't know how exactly, but I don't need to know. As this week's song says, "I can't understand all that you allow. I just can't see the reason. But, my life is in Your hands and though I cannot see You, I choose to trust you."  Now, I know what some of you may be thinking. Vineyard Music is not the typical place Josh Huff gets his worship music. And yes, you'd be correct. However, there are often small gems of music that God brings into my life from unexpecte...

This song has broken me down and built me up more times than I can remember. There are so many rich memories tied to it, and I'm incredibly thankful that God gave us this modern psalm. So, let's get real for a minute. Have you ever had a panic attack? I don't mean a moment of stress where your heart races a bit and you need to collect your thoughts. I mean a full-on, you can't move, catatonic on the floor, staring at a spot on the wall just to stay sane because your mind is firing off scenarios, memories, and false hopes like fireworks at Disney World. If you haven't, count yourself blessed. My first one came in late 2017 with many more to follow. They would come on unexpectedly; sometimes at home making a sandwich, sometimes unloading groceries, even once while driving. Thankfully I was almost home and was able to find a safe place. The most inconvenient one was on Thanksgiving with family over, although there's really never a good time for it. What I f...

Each Sunday in 2015 our church will be reminded of one of God's promises from His Word And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. The Lord said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man... Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." - Genesis 9:12-16 , 8:21-22 - A fun question we used to ask to get to know people was this: "If a huge natural or man-made disaster was to hit the world, what do you think it woul...

As we get closer to Christmas the word "content" seems to used more often. Am I content? Will what I receive make me more content? I'm not content, so buy me ____. Today's song reminds us that, no matter what comes our way in this life, we can be content because of what Christ has done through His death. Presents won't satisfy, job-security doesn't last, and even the most stable members of our family can be taken from us in a moment (as happened to the author of this song). And yet, even in the midst of things that should rock our world, we can still say "It is well." I hope this message is an encouraging one for you today. "It Is Well" by Horatio Spafford (1873) When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, "It is well, it is well with my soul." Refrain: It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul. *Though Sat...

The final verses of Psalm 46 tell us to "Be still and know that I am God..." Be still. Two very simple words that are so difficult to obey. In our culture we are bombarded with non-stop calls for our attention. Children cry for our help, cell-phones beep with "important" messages, ads on TV tell us to buy this and invest in that, and of course we have to know the latest on every bit of world wide news from the status of our sports team to the health of our favorite celebrity. It's hard to be still. We have a million excuses to stay busy, but that doesn't change the command of this Psalm. We are to "Be still and know that [He] is God." I have found great encouragement from the times I've obeyed this command, especially when it was difficult. The busy seasons, the trying times, are the moments we need to remember who really is in charge of everything. As the final verse of this Psalm says, "The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob i...

" There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear ." ~ 1 John 4:18 Why are trials so difficult to weather? What is it about hard times that causes us to worry and lose faith? I believe much of the difficulty comes with a fear of the unknown. We don't know when a trial will end. We don't know what the results of the test will be or how we'll come up with the money. We don't know how someone will respond or if we'll be able to handle something. Fear is a powerful emotion that can cripple those who don't know how to handle it. So, how do we as Christians handle it? We rest on the love of God. The verse quoted above speaks an important truth. Perfect love casts out fear. That perfect love cannot be achieved by us alone, but it flows from God our Father. It enables us to trust Him because we know nothing we do and nothing outside of us can separate us from the love we have in Christ Jesus ( Romans 8:38-39 ). When I've been surroun...

It finally happened. It wasn't the first time, and I'm sure it's happened to you. You take your car in for a routine fix, like an oil change, and the mechanic tells you your car has the equivalent of a failing liver and needs an immediate transplant that costs about half of what the car is worth. Something about a catalytic converter and rust and other expensive words. That's what everyone loves at Christmas time right? A large bill. But wait a minute. In the grand scheme of things, what is the big deal? Our pastor this morning reminded us of the truth that all we have is the Lord's and we are simply stewards. So, the reality is that our loaner needs to be repaired, and we will just use some of the money God has lent us to deal with it. In the end we still really have nothing of our own, and all that we enjoy is from God and still belongs to him. This truth reminded me of the encouraging song for today, Be Thou My Vision . One line in particular really struc...

At the end of 2009 our family was going through a particularly dark time. I was wrestling with sin, and we were struggling at our church as it split in two. Little did we know that we were about to enter one of the hardest years of our life together. The highlight of the year came in February when our daughter was born. Sadly, the year ended with the death of my wife's father. Today actually marks the 3 year anniversary of that dark day. I worked several different jobs that year to make ends meet. We tried to make sense of what God wanted for our future, all the while knowing that the bank account was running thin. Even in the midst of this, God was working out His plans. He was getting things ready for us to move to southern IL for a new ministry. He was healing our church by merging it with another in the area. I was reminded that sometimes God does His greatest work in the midst of our greatest trials. During that year I consistently went back to this song. So many of the...

"Dear refuge of my weary soul..." That's how this, one of my favorite hymns, begins. I was first introduced to this song in college by the man who sings on this recording. He was of the mindset that college students, much like everyone else, need to be reminded that God is our refuge in the midst of difficult seasons of life. As my life has gone through ups and downs, this song has been an incredible encouragement. I've had the privilege to teach this song to several different congregations over the years. Dozens have come to me during that time saying how this song has ministered to them in dark seasons, and I have to agree that these simple words from Anne Steele speak volumes. For me, this song will always remind me of my introduction to the world of deep, rich, uplifting hymns while I was in college. So, in honor of that I've put together this recording from that time along with the original slides we used in chapel. I hope it ministers to you as it has to ...

The Puritans were no strangers to difficult times. As they forged a new way of life in America they faced disease, starvation, attacks, and persecution. One of their great fruits is a collection of Puritan prayers called The Valley of Vision . Many great songs have been based on these prayers, and one in particular is based on the introductory prayer of that book. This prayer speaks of the paradox of being a follower of Christ and how it's often through the valley of trial that we are led to the heights of blessing. In the Valley by Bob Kauflin, based on the Valley of Vision  prayer "The Valley of Vision" When you lead me to the valley of vision, I can see you in the heights. And though my humbling wouldn't be my decision, It's here Your glory shines so bright. So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown, to be low is to be high, That the valley's where You make me more like Christ. Chorus: Let me find Your grace in the valley....

I often get after my wife for having multiple favorites or "bests" of things. I tell her that having a "best _____" means that one thing is the greatest and all others are lesser. How can she have multiple best friends or favorite foods? It is frustrating as a guy that needs everything to line up and logically make sense. Can't she say I have ultimate and penultimate friends like the rest of us? However, around Thanksgiving I have to take exception to my normal "best" rule and say that I have lots of things that I'm the most thankful for. What are you thankful for? My list is very long this year. There are of course the traditional things - friends, family, a home, a great church, my salvation. All of these are incredible blessings in my life and I am grateful to God for each of them. Yesterday, as our family was talking about a few of the things that have happened in the past few weeks and months, I couldn't help but hear some music play...

I like being comfortable. I enjoy a routine, knowing what's coming next and how to get there. It's the comfort of that purple line on a GPS, a filled in calendar on my smart phone, or a clearly marked Order of Service for the time of weekly worship. The comfort of the known only comes after being in the same place, doing the same thing, for a long time. For the Huff family, all that got thrown out the window a few weeks ago. Now we've hit the "Restart" button on life and are beginning anew with everything down in beautiful Hixson, Tennessee. We are firmly in the unknown, learning new streets, new faces, and new routines. But it isn't completely new. We are still with the same family. Sure, the names and faces are different, but we're still related to one another through Christ. Plus, our little family of five is back together, bringing some known quantities. And, most importantly, our God remains the same, yesterday, today, and forever . Over the pas...

As I drove to work this morning, filled with emotions ranging from anxious to expectant, I knew I needed to listen to something in order to focus my mind. I had a good time in Colossians earlier with my girls snuggling all around me. I was thinking about Christ's authority over sin and the presumed "rulers" of this world... surely He loves His children... I opened my worship playlist and hit shuffle, not knowing what would be played out of the list of 150+ songs. As the familiar guitar of Caedmon's Call began to strum, these words came across the speakers: "My faith is like shifting sand, changed by every wave. My faith is like shifting sand, so I'll stand on grace. I stand on grace." That is exactly what I needed to hear. Jesus told this story in a similar way in Matthew 7:24-27 . The wise man builds his house upon the rock of hearing and obeying the words of Christ. I would include having faith as a part of that obedience. The foolish man's h...

"From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. He loads the thick clouds with moisture; and clouds scatter his lightning. They turn around and around by his guidance,     to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen." "Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God." ~ Job 37:9-14 These amazing words were spoken to Job by one of his friends. What's amazing about them is not just the truth that they convey about our sovereign God, but that they were delivered to a man whose children had been recently killed in a tornado. In Job 1:18-19 we read "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of th...

"The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." This is the promise I hold onto today from Psalm 34 . Over the years I've been greatly encouraged by this Psalm. God has used it to strengthen my faith in the midst of job loss, death, trial, sickness, seminary finals, injustice, and a host of other situations. I've even written a song about it . For some reason I find great comfort in its words, and I'm sure David, the author of this Psalm, did as well. Today I'm feeling a bit sick, much like my family has felt during this past week. Not matter what I did, I couldn't escape the bug. I can empathize with these lions, suffering from hunger. I would love to just feel content right now, but I know that if I try and satisfy my hunger I'll probably regret it with a trip to the bathroom. Yet, the promise of this verse isn't that I won't be hungry, but that I'll lack no good thing. David echoes this in ...