My Life Response

The problem is....

2011-06-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

The prophet Isaiah said about the Christ that "...He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Is 53:5 NIV).

What we have failed to realize is that this verse isn't necessarily talking about peace in this lifetime. It is referring to peace in eternity. It is peace from the wages of our sin, which is death. In fact, Jesus specifically said that in this world we would face many trials.

John 16:33 (ESV): "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

He said..."In the world you will have tribulation".

I say this because we hurt. We go through some really tough times that suck in the worst way. Bad stuff happens. Our hearts break, but most of all, they long for the peace that Christ gives. I long to see my Father and go where there are no more tears, no death, no hurt and no pain. I long to be in the perfect, sin free creation.

Until then, I have the peace that I will get there. Mark my words, (and God's), there will never be peace on this earth, but one day, we will inherit the peace that was purchased for us.

Watch This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRmBChQjZPs

Following A Path I Cannot See

2011-06-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

I found this today while flipping through a journal. I wrote this about a year and a half ago on 1/15/10.

Decisions, Distractions, Insight and Insecurity
Following a path I cannot see,
Longing to finally reach my place,
Hoping I haven't taken a wrong turn.

I Trust, I Stumble, I Sprint and I Crawl
Love is blind and so am I,
Following a path I cannot see,
I chase a light I'm unable to grasp,
Sometimes so close it's barely out of reach,
Other times, so far away I squint for a glimpse.

I walk, I tread, I limp and I stride,
Following a path I cannot see,
Beautiful, Peaceful, United and Calm,
Those are Your plans for me,
Though I am blind, I have someone to lead,
Regardless of my understanding, stubbornness, hate or pride,
You did not fail to deliver Your love unconditional

You Led, You Pushed, You Towed and You Carried,
This blind, dead being and gave me life.
All because...
I followed a path I could not see.

First.

2011-04-22T20:23:00.001-07:00

First.

They say there is a first time for everything and this year is the first time that I have given up something for Lent. My sacrifice has been varied as my goal was to blog each day during Lent. So, for the past 40+ days I have somehow found time to write. My sacrifices include time, sleep, time with my wife, and entertainment.

Thankfully I made it the entire time without missing a single day. There have been a few close calls and some very late night posts. Some of these posts have been done while sitting in a car, at work, at dinner and even in bed.

Here are a few things I have learned during this time:

1) Don't make a commitment unless you are going to see it through until the end.

2) Sacrifices aren't convenient or easy. This sounded easy but was more difficult than it seems.

3) You never know who might be reading.

4) it's hard to think of something to write each day.

5) sometimes you can have a positive impact on others without even realizing it.

6) typing out long blogs on my iPhone isn't fun.

7) I miss blogging and will purpose in my heart to do it more frequently than in the past.

It's been fun to write each day and i look forward to writing again sometime soon, but it'll be nice to take a couple of days off.

I hope you have a great Easter holiday. Take time to thank Christ for his sacrifice

God Bless.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Define.

2011-04-21T19:43:00.001-07:00

Define.

As we approach Easter, I was wondering, what does Easter mean to you? We all know that it is the celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, but what does that
mean to you?

Does it mean salvation? Does it mean healing? Does it mean eternal life? Does it give you hope? What does it mean to you?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What?

2011-04-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

What?

There is a movement that is saying that May 21st, 2011 will be the final judgment day. I think it is ridiculous and opposite of what the Bible teaches when it clearly states that "...no man knows the day...". Regardless, their hypocrisy isn't the subject of my thoughts.

Our Pastor brought up this question tonight: If it was true that the world would end on 5-21-11 (it isn't), then what in your life would you change? What would you do different? Would you change anything at all?

Would you witness to others about Christ? Would you give everything away? Would you spend more time in prayer? Would you spend more time with your family, telling them how much you loved them? Would you work less?

What changes would you make if you knew you wouldn't be around much longer?

Relented.

2011-04-19T18:34:00.001-07:00

Relented.

Today I finally relented and went to the doctor over something that was long overdue. For some reason, my months of home remedies and self surgery just didn't get the job done and it finally reached the point where it needed to get looked at by a professional.

How many times in our lives do we refuse the help that is available to us, especially in our spiritual lives? Whether it is sin, sickness, depression, hurt, confusion, a decision, etc... we wait and hope that things will get better but often times, things get worse because we haven't sought out the help we desperately need. The doctor I needed to see was only five minutes away, but I refused the help and technology that was available to me. We have immediate access to Christ (and no co-pays) yet many times we never even think about seeking Him for help. Rather than get the healing we need, we settle for a band-aid and hope the problem goes away.

The Bible says that God cannot lie, so, I cannot help but to believe that the following scripture is true (emphasis in red text)

1 Peter 5:5-11
⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“ God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”^[b]
⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because^[c] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But may^[d] the God of all grace, who called us^[e] to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. ¹¹ To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Beautiful.

2011-04-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

Beautiful.

A few years ago, I started singing the chorus to the Joe Cocker song "You Are So Beautiful" as a worship song. After some time, I decided to add a couple of verses to it and make a full song out of it, yet keep the original chorus. Below, I've embedded a very raw YouTube video of me singing it. The video quality is bad, as is the sound, however, as humbling as the performance is (its not good), the message remains.

What Christ did for us was beautiful. He was beaten beyond human recognition, yet He was beautiful. Have you ever seen a mangled animal lying on the side of the road? He probably looked worse than that, yet He was beautiful. He knew what was going to happen to Him, yet He did it anyway. During this Easter season, don't lose sight of His beauty. Lyrics are provided below the video.

Verse 1:
A face no one thought pretty
With nails in your hands
A crown of thorns sat on your head
As your blood dripped to the ground

Verse 2:
Everyone rejected Him
Said "He's not what we need"
"We'll trade Him for the murderer"
"Send Him to the tree"

Pre-Chorus:
How can I describe it?
What He means to me!
A portrait of the innocent!
Dying on the cross for me!

Chorus:
You are so beautiful to me
You are so beautiful to me
You're everything I've hoped for
You're everything I need
You are so beautiful to me!

Sacrifice.

2011-04-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Sacrifice.

The man I am proud to call my Pastor, David Cowger, spoke from the below passage this morning. He spoke from the perspective that Christ has called us to lay down and submit our lives to Him, that according to Christ, to gain LIFE, we must submit our lives.

This means that we must be willing to lay down anything that God requires of us in our pursuit of Him. The attached picture was taken after virtually everyone in the room nailed something to the cross. Each of us wrote something down that we felt God was telling us to lay down. It could be addictions, lusts, money, pride, hurt, anger, disappointment, geographical location, work, ministry goals, opinions, attitudes or something else.

My question is: What are you holding back? What are you holding on to that you need to nail to the cross? Is it your plans? Your beliefs? Your traditions? Your job? Your wallet? Your dreams? Your prideful pursuit of riches? Your hurt? Your anger? Your lusts? What do you need to nail to the cross?

Listen to this after you read the below passage: No Sacrifice, by Jason Upton

Luke 14:26-33 (Amplified)
²⁶If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [^[g]in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and sisters--[yes] and even his own life also--he cannot be My disciple.

²⁷Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be My disciple.

²⁸For which of you, wishing to build a ^[h]farm building, does not first sit down and calculate the cost [to see] whether he has sufficient means to finish it?

²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid the foundation and is unable to complete [the building], all who see it will begin to mock and jeer at him,

³⁰Saying, This man began to build and was not able (^[i]worth enough) to finish.

³¹Or what king, going out to engage in conflict with another king, will not first sit down and consider and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand [men] to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

³²And if he cannot [do so], when the other king is still a great way off, he sends an envoy and asks the terms of peace.

³³So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, ^[j]say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Tortured.

2011-04-16T20:45:00.001-07:00

Tortured.

My new favorite TV show is "24". I've been watching the episodes in order on Netflix for the past few months. In the last episode I watched, the main character, Jack Bauer, was being interrogated and tortured.

I admit, even though it was acting, it was difficult to watch. It wasn't near as difficult to watch as the beatings Christ endured in Mel Gibsons "The Passion of The Christ".

Neither of those compare to what Christ really endured. Scriptures say that He was disfigured beyond recognition and didn't even look human.

Imagine someone taking your punishment and then getting flogged until they no longer looked alive. Imagine them willfully agreeing to your punishment knowing the price they would pay is more than the human body can endure.

Keep this in mind as we celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend and Easter next weekend.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fist.

2011-04-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

Fist.

There is an old saying that says "You can't shake hands with a fist". So many times I see people that have an opportunity to handle a situation a certain way, yet seem to find a way to become abrasive or aggressive. They don't realize that they are trying to "Shake hands with a fist". They are unaware that rather than helping the problem, they are part of the problem.

Christ calls us to be peacemakers. He even says that the peacemakers are blessed, which is the opposite of what the worldview of a peacemaker is. A peacemaker is generally viewed as being passive or wimpy, but rather, according to Jesus, they will be blessed.

I admit I am quick to jump to conclusions and I tend to be a little straightforward and abrasive. But, most of the time, I am able to keep a calm head and think through the situation. There is no need to be a hot head or getting into a battle of ego's. You might not realize it, but you are the one who will suffer the most from it.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When someone offers you a hand, don't give them a fist, even if they really deserve it.

Matthew 5:9 (Amplified)
⁹Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!

Proverbs 15:1-4
¹A SOFT answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. ²The tongue of the wise utters knowledge rightly, but the mouth of the [self-confident] fool pours out folly. ³The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch upon the evil and the good. ⁴A gentle tongue [with its healing power] is a tree of life, but willful contrariness in it breaks down the spirit.

Rest.

2011-04-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

Rest.

Matthew 11:28-30
²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Tonight, after working 169 hours the past two weeks, I was looking for a good scripture that talks about rest. I thought it would be a good way to encourage those who are tired and need a break, whether it be a break from work, school, car trouble (Erik) stress, etc... I came upon the familiar passage above. As I read it, I saw that it was talking about much more than just physical rest. It's talking about spiritual rest.

Since the days of Adam & Eve, sin has been in this world. The below scriptures from Romans 8 talk about all of creation longing to be delivered from the corruption of sin. We are surrounded by the effects of sin. Sickness, death, disease, hate, murder, suicide, crime, drugs, natural disasters, etc... are all a result of sin entering the perfect creation of God. Just like us, you can see how creation is longing for peace.

Christ came to bring peace. That peace will consist not only of eternal life for us, but also of a new earth. There will be no more tears, no more hurt, no more crime, no more shame, no more disease, no more disappointment, no more death, no more effects of sin.

I encourage you to read the below passage to get a further glimpse into this.

Romans 8:18-30 (The Message)
^18-21That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

^22-25All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

^26-28Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Thankful.

2011-04-13T20:45:00.001-07:00

Thankful.

Keeping it short tonight. Today I worked 16 1/2hr and surprisingly I'm not complaining. There are lots of people who would like to be employed and have the problem of working too much.

Which brings me to this: Often we pray, hope and wish for certain things in our life such as a job, spouse, house, kids, ministry opportunities, etc but once we get them we are quick to complain or give up because we aren't willing to "Pay the price" and do the things the responsibility requires. So tonight after 16 1/2 hours of work, I'm gonna sleep for 4 hours then hit it hard again tomorrow. I'm not complaining, I'm thankful.

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Twist.

2011-04-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

Twist.

A few years ago, I was reading the following passage from 1 Corinthians 13. It has always been a favorite passage of mine, but this time I received a new revelation about the passage. 1 John 4:8 states that "God is love", so, below I added the word "God" in red text after every occurrence of the word "Love". I recommend reading it in the original text first then reading it in the red text afterward.

1 Corinthians 13

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love (God), I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love (God), I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love (God), it profits me nothing.
⁴ Love (God) suffers long and is kind; love (God) does not envy; love (God) does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love (God) never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love (God), these three; but the greatest of these is love (God).

Helper.

2011-04-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Helper.

It has been a little over twenty four hours since my wife Sarah made it back home to North Carolina. Without counting the days, I think it was close to five weeks that we were apart, although there were about four days where we actually got to see each other. Needless to say, it was a tough and trying time for us.

I can't tell you how great it was to lie down together last night. It was wonderful to see her in the chair across the room. It was great of her to finish my laundry, walk and feed the dog and to do some things around the house. None of these things are her duty, nor do I require her to do them, but it was nice to not have to do those things tonight. Which brings me to this....

God said in the book of Genesis that He would "Make a helper suitable" for Adam. I am so thankful for Sarah's help. It was much needed and appreciated. It was nice to have someone to help me with the things that I needed done. It was great to have my helper helping.

Today, take the time to thank God for the person He has placed in your life in order to help you along the way. Thank God for sending someone to be a helper. Ask Him how you can better help your mate. This is not a one way street and we should be just as eager to help them with whatever they need.

If you don't have that person in your life, pray that God would prepare you for that person. Pray that He will prepare you with every tool, skill and character trait necessary to love that person unconditionally. Instead of praying to find the one, pray that He will make you into "The One".

^{Genesis 2:18-25
18}The LORD God said, "It isn't good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him." ^19-20So the LORD took some soil and made animals and birds. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give each of them. Then the man named the tame animals and the birds and the wild animals. That's how they got their names.

None of these was the right kind of partner for the man. ²¹So the LORD God made him fall into a deep sleep, and he took out one of the man's ribs. Then after closing the man's side, ²²the LORD made a woman out of the rib! The LORD God brought her to the man, ²³and the man exclaimed,"Here is someone like me! She is part of my body, my own flesh and bones. She came from me, a man. So I will name her Woman!" ^[d] ²⁴That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person. ²⁵Although the man and his wife were both naked, they were not ashamed.

Conversation.

2011-04-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Conversation.

Have you ever had one of those conversations where you couldn't get your talking rhythm down just right and you both ended up talking at the same time? Then you stopped at the same time. Then you started at the same time. Then you both chuckled, waited silently, then somehow started talking again at the same time. How frustrating! Most of the time this happens when talking on the phone, but can happen in person. If it happens in person, most people can recognize the other persons body language and know when it is their turn to speak.

I wonder how many of our conversations with God go like this. I wonder how many times, when we are praying, that we do all the talking and never stop to listen to hear how He might respond. I can see how the above scenario could happen during our prayer time. We start talking, God silently listens, waiting to get a word in, then we pause, we don't hear anything within a few seconds, then we start talking again thus repeating the vicious cycle.

My mom used to frustrate me by saying "Jonathan, your ears don't work while your mouth is running". Now that I'm older, I realize the truth in that saying. I still don't like to hear it, but it is true nonetheless.

We are taught to "Cast our cares unto the Lord, for He cares" (1 Peter 5:7), but we also need to realize that our communication with God was meant to be two-way. Just like any relationship, there is a time to talk and a time to listen. We must take the time to be quiet and still and force ourselves to listen and reflect. Without a two-way conversation, our relationship with God becomes a "Santa Claus" relationship where all we do is tell Him what we want and then walk away hoping to get it.

Box.

2011-04-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

Box.

I can't count the number of times I've heard the expression about putting "God in a box". I have even said that phrase many times. The meaning of it is simply that we shouldn't limit what God can do in that particular situation. That expression makes for good preaching and good teaching. It sounds good and even seems logical. I understand the point someone is trying to make, however, it's not correct.

Are we so arrogant to think that we can limit God? Sure, we can choose to refuse His guidance and intervention in situations, but by doing this, do we really think we are putting Him in the box, or are we the ones in the box? If God is who He says He is, and I believe He is, then how exactly do we have the power to place Him in the box? God created everything around you just by speaking. He knows the name of every single star. He knows the number of grains of sand in the earth, and we think we are putting Him in the box?

This makes for good church speak and generates lots of "Amen's" and handkerchief waves, but it simply isn't correct. We are boxing ourselves in. We erect walls and place boundaries that limit ourselves and others. We turn our listening ears into deaf ears and seeing eyes into blind eyes. We make skilled hands into lame hands and soft hearts into hardened hearts, but we don't limit God. We limit ourselves.

Whoops!

2011-04-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Whoops!

Today at work I let a not so good phrase come out of my mouth. Honestly, I don't know where it came from. I didn't rehearse it in my head or plan to say it, it just launched itself out. I was as surprised as my co-worker.

That isn't how I talk, nor do I want to be known as someone who speaks like that, nor do I want to represent Christ one moment and then curse Him the next moment. In the book of James, it speaks about someone who blesses and curses God and how it ought not to be like that. I completely agree, but, I was that guy today, and I hate that I was.

James 3:8-12
⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Tips.

2011-04-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Tips.

Today I decided to post a few daily devotional tips that might help you out. Many times I get out of my daily reading routine and once I get back around to doing it, I forget where I was at or what I was reading about. So, just to help me get back on track or if I only have a few minutes to read, I like to start by reading in the Psalms or in Proverbs.

Both Psalms & Proverbs don't really tell long stories, so they are easy to pick up and read. You can easily read one of these within a few minutes. Most importantly, I like them because they are full of wisdom and they really let you see more of Gods personality and character traits. I really like reading these before work or during lunch and even sometimes before bed. It is a great way to gain wisdom and be reminded of Gods faithfulness. Btw, in case you didn't know, there are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs, so you can read one chapter a day during the month. I've been doing this for years and I always find something that I didn't remember from the time before.

Here are some examples:

Psalms 1:1-3

¹ Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
³ He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Proverbs 1:1-7 (These verses explain the purpose of the Proverbs)

¹ The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
² To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
³ To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
⁴ To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
⁵ A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Bride.

2011-04-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Bride.

My wife Sarah and I have been apart for almost a month now due to my work schedule, her wanting to spend some time with her family in Alabama and her cat being in the cat hospital for a week. Out of the last 4 weeks, we've seen each other for about 4 days total and had about a week and a half to go before seeing each other again.

Lucky for me, she called today and some circumstances have changed that will allow her to come back to North Carolina this weekend. I'm excited to have her and Raven (the cat) back at home. To say the least, not being able to see each other on a daily basis, for such an extended time, has been challenging.

I wonder how excited Christ gets at the thought of seeing His bride, the church? The Bible describes our relationship with Christ as that of a husband and wife. I'm guessing God did that because there is no relationship on earth as intimate as the relationship between a married couple. There is a love and excitement in being with your spouse. I bet you Christ is so excited to know that someday, maybe soon, He will be reunited with us.

Is your relationship with God as close and trusting as a marriage? Do you depend on God more than you depend upon your spouse? Is the reason you don't trust God because of something that happened in your marriage? What are ways that you would compare your two most important relationships, God and spouse?

Labels.

2011-04-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Labels.

They're everywhere. Almost every consumer product we use has some sort of label on it. It could be shampoo, dog food, human food, a DVD, a pack of BVD's, etc.... Labels are everywhere, except on God. We try to attach Him to various things such as our cause, our jobs, our fortune or misfortune, our music, our political affiliation, etc... But the fact is, we've tried to contain Him in some neat little package with an attractive label. Then, we put the container away and want to consume (use) Him at our convenience. We've made it all about us, rather than all about Him.

We've narrowed it down that God is a Republican and looks like Gandalf or Morgan Freeman. We're pretty sure that He has blue eyes, lives in the sky and is an Alabama football fan (After all, He is letting Bear Bryant coach his team up there, right? No.)

The video link below is a great illustration. I know that I went over the top with my examples, but what type of labels are we putting on Him? How are we daily misrepresenting Him? What type of God image are we portraying for others to see?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WybvhRu9KU

Dinner!

2011-04-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Dinner!

I'm not a fan of recycling sermons, teachings, etc... but I found this old blog post from 2008 and thought I would share it. Oddly enough, just like yesterday's post, it also references a time of me crying before the Lord.....

From October 17, 2008:

A few months before Sarah & I got married, we bought our first house. On my move-in day, her family and mine began to bring my stuff and make this new house a home. Sarah even brought a few things of hers that she wanted to leave so she would have less stuff to bring after the wedding.

After a long day of carrying & lifting furniture, I had a silent house to myself. It was a weird feeling. I was 27 years old and had never lived away from home. I had traveled the world, but always came back home to my parents house. I looked around and saw things that reminded me of home and of my fiancee, but it was a strange feeling. This was my new home.

After preparing a quick dinner, I sat down at the table, and for the first time in my life, I sat, as the man of my house, at my table. I took up the seat at the end of the table and something happened.

I broke. I wept and sobbed like I haven't done in a long time. Tears streaming down my face, I thanked God for His awesome provision for me. I felt so blessed, yet so unworthy. I didn't feel like I deserved a brand new house or a fiancee or anything else. I was overwhelmed at God's goodness and favor towards me.

In the midst of my thankfulness I pushed my plate over to the vacant spot at the table and said, "Here Jesus, you take this plate, I'll fix me another one". So I did. Sitting down with my plate, less food on it than the first one, and ate my meal with Jesus. I wish I could say that He physically consumed the food like this story in the scriptures, but He didn't. Nevertheless, I had a pure, holy time of worship with the Lord that night.

I know in that moment, my act of worship and thankfulness was worth more than a thousand offerings. What came from my heart that day, the crying, sobbing, thankfulness, and more was pure, un-defiled worship. It was spontaneous and un-rehearsed.

Somehow, although He didn't eat the food, I know He liked it. Want to know an awesome part about eating with Jesus?
.
.
.
.
He always lets you eat His leftovers. ;-)

The question we must ask ourselves is this: How are you worshiping God? It doesn't have to be like I do, or how your parents do, or even like anyone else. How are you showing your love to God, our savior, creator, redeemer, friend, comforter, counselor, peace, hope, etc... In what ways are you showing your gratitude? Could God say today that "He/She worshiped me in "blank" manner today?

Strength.

2011-04-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Strength.

For those of you who don't already know, my wife Sarah has had more than her share of medical problems. The specifics don't matter, but for the first couple years of our marriage, it seemed like we she was constantly in and out of the hospital. Sometimes she would be there for a day, other times it was for a few weeks. During these trying times, I was always strong, encouraging, hopeful and there for her. Somehow I kept my cool and was able to make wise and level headed decisions. These decisions were difficult to say the least and by far the toughest I've had to make.

On the inside though, I was scared, stressed, worried, doubtful and hurting. Many times after she was settled for the night and under the nurses care, I would slip away into the hospital chapel. Thankfully, for the sake of others, it was empty every time I went in there. Once I got there, I lost it. I didn't know my body contained that much snot and tears. My body ached from the strain of crying and I prayed until I didn't know what else to say. These weren't rehearsed prayers either, they were prayers of desperation.

After I was finished, somehow there was peace. It's completely inexplicable. There was a peace and calmness. I felt strong again. I knew we would make it. During these times, God was near.

I encourage you to read all 1 Samuel chapters 29 & 30 for the entire story, but I have included a key passage below. Seeking God during these times will provide you with strength for the journey. It's a peace that goes beyond understanding (Phillipians 4:6-7). God is near the brokenhearted (Psalms 34:18).

Without this strength, I know we wouldn't have made it.

1 Samuel 30:6
⁶ Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

The song, "Please be my strength", by the band Gungor, has been great for me. Please watch/listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VI0pkRBPZw GungorMusic.com

Contagious!

2011-04-02T17:54:00.001-07:00

Contagious!

Did you know that right now you are contagious? Yep, you are. The persons and/or pets around you have a great chance at catching what you've got. What do you have? You've got an attitude. Your attitude may be positive or it may be negative. Regardless of which one it is, it's very contagious.

We have the ability to instantly affect our environment. We can cause our families and pets to run from us. We can bring hope and healing to someone who may be sick or hurting. We can add tension and temper or we can add love and laughter.

Whatever the situation may be, we have the ability to be part of a problem or part of the solution. If you want to have a bad day, then don't infect me. If you're having a good day, then please share, you may have just what I need.

Phillipians 2:14-16
¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Action!

2011-04-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Action!

Recently a family near Salisbury, NC lost their home, vehicle, possessions and most importantly, their eleven week old son in a home fire. I remember reading the newspaper article after it happened and felt much sadness for the family. I hoped that the community would surround them with the love of God and meet all of their need. I prayed that God would move on their behalf.

Today, I found this article and saw that a complete stranger had purchased them a very nice car (their old car was worth $800.00) The lady that bought the car for them was in a very bad accident in 1953 and needed a vehicle for her family, and their community found a way to buy them a car. Fifty-seven years later, following the leading of the Lord, she wanted to repay the favor by helping this family out.

I really believe that if we, as believers, would put our faith and love into action, we would see more people come into the Kingdom of God. What if more of our church resources were put into outreach, evangelism, missions and meeting the needs of others than our suits, signs, salaries and sound system? What would happen if we showed the love of God rather than just talked about the love of God? What would have happened to Elijah if the widow had told Elijah that God would meet his need, rather than her actually meeting the need? What if we didn't look at our possessions as our own, but rather saw them as tools and instruments that God might want us to use? This is what I want, for my love to be more vocal than my words.

John 13:34-35
³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Acts 4:32-37³² Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. ³³ And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, ³⁵ and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
³⁶ And Joses,^[d] who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, ³⁷ having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Taxes.

2011-03-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

Taxes.

Is there anything worse than filling out your tax returns? Nails screeching on a chalkboard while I was being tortured by the dentist would be less painful for me than dealing with tax returns. My main problem with doing them is that I feel like I am being accused and have to justify my innocence. I've heard so many horror stories of people making honest mistakes and then being penalized with drastic consequences. Christ actually commands us to pay our taxes, something we are accustomed to, however, He also has another requirement....

Matthew 12:13-17
¹³ Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. ¹⁴ When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? ¹⁵ Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” ¹⁶ So they brought it.
And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And they marveled at Him.

Are we giving to God the things that are rightfully His? Our government has ways of getting our taxes. They can get them through our paychecks, wage garnishments, freezing our assets and more. God however, doesn't force us to give Him the things that He requires. He doesn't force us to spend time with Him, to pray, to give offerings, to lay down our lives, etc... He could, but He doesn't. Furthermore, would you want to worship a god that did require that? Of course not! You may like that for a while, but soon the relationship would wear off and it would dwindle down and feel like you were only paying your "God Bill". It wouldn't be a relationship, it would be a debt we were constantly trying to pay.

The truth is, we could never repay God for our sins. We couldn't buy our way into His favor. What we can do is worship Him like there is no tomorrow. We can passionately pursue Him like we do the opposite sex. We can lavish Him with praise for the good times and the bad. We can love Him for doing what we couldn't do, which is purchase our forgiveness. We've been paying our taxes, but what do we need to give to God?

Rain.

2011-03-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Rain rain go away, come back another day?

The weather today in North Carolina was less than favorable. It was kinda cold, it was windy and the rain never stopped falling from the sky. By most accounts, this was a dreary day.

I thought it was beautiful. You see, in order to transition from Winter to Spring and Summer, we must endure this time of rain. Its not always convenient, its not always pretty and its never comfortable. Furthermore, its important for us to not miss the blessing that the rain brings: green grass, flowers, water for the crops, lakes and rivers for us to enjoy, etc...

The problem is, we want the good things without having to pay the price for them. We want God to provide for us, but we don't want to work the extra over-time that our employer may be offering, that would help pay our bills. We want to go on vacation, but we don't have the discipline to save our money to pay for it. We want to be awesome musicians, but we never practice our instruments. We want, we want, we want, but we don't want to pay, to pay, to pay.

I embrace the rain in my life, both physically and spiritually. I embrace the things that I may not like only because the joys that come with it are so amazing. It amazes me how many people want change, but refuse to pay the price. What is your price? Is it a location price? Is it an attitude price, a time price or a monetary price? What is the price you need to pay? I'm not saying that we can earn God's favor, but I am saying that we could be ignoring the plan that has already been given to us.

Just so you know, I hate the pollen and seasonal allergies that greet me in the spring, but I can't get to summer without them, so I say "Bring it on"!

Six.

2011-03-29T19:17:00.001-07:00

Six. This is the final post in a series on Psalms 23.

Psalms 23:6 (CEV)
Your kindness and love
will always be with me
each day of my life,
and I will live forever
in your house, Lord.

It is so great knowing that we serve a God that is with us always and that will never leave us or forsake us. This verse is a wonderful way of summing up a chapter full of His promises to provide and protect. In essence, this verse is saying the same things as the others, "God will be with us all of our days on earth and provide for all of our need and after that, we will dwell with Him forever". What more could we possibly ask for?

Even in my toughest times and trials, I knew that God was with me. I didn't necessarily see Him but I knew that I wasn't alone. It's these trying times where your faith goes from being a noun to being a verb. It's where your faith is put into action and you really have to trust Him. Once we reach that point we realize how incapable we are and how mighty He is. Once we have tried to fix it on our own, and weren't able to, then we are finally willing to accept His help, love, forgiveness and mercy.

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Five.

2011-03-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Five. This is part five of six in a series regarding the verses in Psalms twenty-three.

Psalms 23:5 (New King James) ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

At the heading of my blog home page, I have written the following statement: "Worship is my life response to God. This blog contains writings from a heart devoted to worshiping God. It contains honest contemplations from my joy's and struggles as I passionately pursue my number one". Notice I put the words "Honest" and "Struggles" in there. I meant that.

Here we go. Honestly, I am struggling with the meaning of verse five. I have ready many thoughts as to what it may mean. I've ready thoughts that stated the verse simply meant what it said . Other thoughts said that this verse had a deeper meaning tied to the Jewish traditions of receiving guests.

Frankly, I'm not sure which one it is alluding to, and it could be both. If the tradition I read about is true (LINK), then I can see how it would apply to this verse. My thoughts are this.... Throughout this entire chapter, a picture is being painted of God supplying our every need. This chapter shows that He is our provider, protector and leader and I don't see the theme changing in this verse or the next.

I know I raised more questions than I provided answers to, but I promised to be honest. Your thoughts?

Shrinking.

2011-03-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

I am delaying my posts on Psalms 23 for one more day. I hope to continue it tomorrow.

Shrinking. Not many people know this, but I have written the following verse on the neck of my guitar, where only I can see it.... John 3:30 (Amplified version) "³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.]".

These words were spoken by John the baptizer in regards to Jesus. He had the opportunity to receive glory and honor for himself. He had followers and disciples. He had the chance to make "something" out of himself. But he didn't. He didn't want to forsake His King for a small earthly kingdom that would fall. He didn't want to trade eternal life for something temporary in this life, and neither do I.

As for why I wrote that on my guitar... As worship leaders, we must keep our selves in check. It is too easy to worry about who is watching you, who likes or dislikes your music, who thinks you sing good or who thinks you suck. Its easy to lose your focus. I need the constant reminder that I am playing the music Furthermore, the same could apply at church, work, school or anywhere else. Our purpose in life is not to receive glory and honor for ourselves. It is for us to decrease so that He may increase. Our purpose is to passionately follow after Him regardless of the cost or convenience. We were not created to increase ourselves, but to decrease, in order that we can be more like Him.

Delayed

2011-03-26T21:08:00.001-07:00

Due to a lack of resources tonight, I'm not able to continue my series on Psalms 23. The next verse, number 5, is one I want to spend some time researching and delving deep into.

Today, I had the honor of having lunch with my dear great aunt. As always, it was a treat to hear her speak and share her wisdom with us. I love to hear the passion in her voice and see the tears in her eyes as she speaks about our Lord and Savior.

My brother and I have always enjoyed this time with her and today was no exception. One thing we've learned over time is to listen during these moments. How can we expect to learn if we are doing all of the talking?

How many times do we pray and do all of the talking? Shouldn't our quiet time be a time where we not only pray, but also get still and listen to see what God might be saying? Is it possible that we aren't hearing because we refuse to listen and obey that which was already spoken to us?

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Four.

2011-03-25T19:32:00.001-07:00

Four. This is part 4 of 6 in a series on Psalms 23. Since I am without internet access and typing on my phone, this will be shorter than normal.

Psalms 24:4

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,
they comfort me".

God is with us wherever we go. We cannot escape His presence. Even up to the point of death, He is with is. Through our toughest times and lowest valleys, He is there. He is even there when we don't think we're gonna make it.

Not only is He there, but He comforts us. God is with us in our time of need. Not only does He protect us, He comforts us.

I hope you see in these psalms that God is constantly amongst us and is able to meet any need we may have. There is nothing that we will ever need that He cannot provide.

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Three.

2011-03-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

Three. This is post three of six about Psalms 23.

Psalm 23 (Contemporary English Version)

¹You, LORD, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.
²You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water,
³ and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths.

How many times have you felt completely worn out? During those times, all you want is a break. We need to rest, relax and take our minds off of the matter at hand. Doing so will refresh us and allow us to see things from a newer perspective. There really is something to the statement "Let me sleep on it and I'll let you know in the morning". Rest gives us strength, better vision and a clearer mind.

Frankly, we need restoration. Not only in our physical bodies, but also spiritually. God has plans to restore us physically, emotionally and spiritually. He refreshes us and gives us rest. 1st Samuel 30:6 says that "David strengthened himself in the Lord". This clearly shows us that God is a source of strength and renewal. Through the work of the cross and resurrection, God is restoring us spiritually as well. Remember, Jesus said to the woman at the well, that He was the giver of living water, which we all know...water, restores our body. Jesus, restores us spiritually.

Furthermore, it is impossible for God to lie. He is true to His name and will always lead us along the right paths. If it is impossible for God to lie, then it is impossible for Him to lead us down the wrong path. We may not recognize the path or even think that it is the correct path, but we must trust God to lead us to the rest, provision and protection that He has for us.

Here is the latest update to Jonathan's translation of Psalms 23.

1.)"I am God, I always have been, and always will be. I'm here to lead you, protect you, guide you and provide for you. Because of that, you will never lack anything that you need. I'm God, and I've got you covered".

2.) "I will safely lead you to where you need to be. If you will follow me, I will take you to a place of rest, safety and nourishment. If you follow me, you'll be right where you need to be".

3.) "I am renewing you physically and spiritually. You're gonna be brand new, inside and out. I will lead you to exactly where you need to be. You will arrive and depart at the precise moment that is necessary. All you have to do is trust and follow".

GO! GO! GO!

2011-03-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Double Sure. The decision to leave Alabama, our families, our jobs and a wonderful church last year was very difficult for us. I can't tell you how hard it has been for us to leave family, nieces and nephews, Sarah's horse, our house and countless friends behind. It was a decision that Sarah and I knew was the Lords leading, however it was a huge leap of faith for us. We haven't doubted the decision, but today, without getting into any details, we received another confirmation that we made the right choice.

Moral of the story, if you feel the Lord leading you, GO! It might not be easy or even what you had planned, but GO! Six months later, we are very confident that all of this was Gods precise timing and leading.

I really feel like the Lord is saying to someone that they need to GO! This blog post is your sign. The light is green. GO! It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, GO!

Two.

2011-03-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

Two. Part 2 of 6 in a blog series on Psalms 23.

Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible)

A Psalm of David.

¹THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. ²He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

Before I get started, check out this neat nugget I found from www.Sheep101.info "Even from birth, lambs are conditioned to follow the older members of the flock. This instinct is "hard-wired" into sheep. It's not something they "think" about".

Sheep are known for their ability to flock together. I also learned that sheep can see up to distances of 1200-1500 yards away and have a very keen sense of smell. Also, sheep require anywhere between a half gallon and four gallons of water per day.

In verse two of Psalm 23, God promises to be our leader and provider. He will lead the sheep to fresh pastures where the sheep can rest, eat and also see any danger that may be coming their way. Furthermore, He leads us beside the still waters, where we can get the daily requirements that we need.

So, to expand Jonathan's version of Psalms 23....

1.)"I am God, I always have been, and always will be. I'm here to lead you, protect you, guide you and provide for you. Because of that, you will never lack anything that you need. I'm God, and I've got you covered".

2.) "I will safely lead you to where you need to be. If you will follow me, I will take you to a place of rest, safety and nourishment. If you follow me, you'll be right where you need to be".

One.

2011-03-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

One. Today, as I was thinking and praying about what to blog about today, I really felt like I was supposed to blog about one verse per day about the twenty-third Psalm. So, this is what you've got for the next six days.

Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible)
A Psalm of David.¹THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

When I see "The Lord" at the beginning of this verse, the "The" sticks out to me. It is "The" Lord, not "A" lord, "Some" lord or even "Slum lord". It is "The" Lord. The one and only true Lord. It is the same God that told Moses "I Am, Who I Am" (Exodus 3:14) The beginning of this verse is saying that "I'm Him, I haven't changed and I will always be".

My Shepherd, is the next part, which makes all of this personal. He is our Shepherd. He is the one to feed, guide, lead and protect us. He is ours. He isn't a fantasy or a comic book hero, He is our Shepherd.

Finally, He says that because He is God, He is our personal provision of everything we need. This is a precursor to Philippians 4:19, where He says: "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus". This verse goes way beyond just money or physical needs, because my God is rich in Love, Mercy, Forgiveness, Healing, Money, Rest, Peace, Strength, Protection, etc...... How do I know this is true? Because it says He will supply all of my need and all of the above are things that I need.

To sum it up, verse one could easily be translated as this: "I am God, I always have been, and always will be. I'm here to lead you, protect you, guide you and provide for you. Because of that, you will never lack anything that you need. I'm God, and I've got you covered".

Vow.

2011-03-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Vow. Just in case you are wondering, it is difficult to find a subject to blog about or to write a devotional about each day. So, if any of you have questions or would like to see something written on a certain topic, please let me know. I'll be glad to help as best as I can.

As for today, I'm keeping it short and sweet. Blogging throughout lent has been good for me. It has forced me to sit down each day and reflect and pursue. Although there are few comments left at the end of the blog, I have received some amazing emails and have talked to some people that have been impacted by it.

A lesson learned is this: Be careful what you vow to the Lord. Sometimes, our mouths & minds write checks that are difficult for us to cash. Ecclesiastes 5: 4 is below. It says to be careful what we vow to God. It even goes on to say that it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay. So, be careful the vows you make, to others and to God.

Ecc 5:4-5

4When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay

Nike.

2011-03-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

(Disclaimer: I fail way more than I succeed. I wish my ears were more sensitive to hear more and my heart had more courage in it to obey.)

Nike, "Just do it". Today I had the opportunity to visit with a sweet lady who may be nearing the end of her battle with cancer. As always, there is a chance she can overcome, but there is also the chance that she will not. This lady is a Christian and her love for the Lord is very evident. Even in this uncertain time, her faith remains steady.

As Sarah and I were about to leave, I really felt like I was supposed to pray for her. I didn't know what I was supposed to pray and didn't have my prayer rehearsed in my head. As I started praying, I literally did not know what I was going to say. I simply asked God to lead me as I led the prayer.

Strangely enough, my prayer wasn't about healing, but rather it was about peace. It was a prayer of comfort and peace. It was a prayer to settle her mind and help her realize that Christ said that He would never leave us or forsake us and that He was with us always. It was a prayer to remind her that God is our comfort in time of need.

This post isn't about the prayer, but rather it is about the decision to do it. Perhaps we should do like Nike says (and the Bible) and "Just do it". I could have left her house without praying, but I didn't. I took the time that I know she would have taken for me had our situations been reversed. To live a life devoted to Christ means that we are to be doers of the Word and not just hearers. What would the world be like if we all obeyed God? Perhaps if we put our love of Christ into action, people would see that God really does love them after all. Who knows what the impact will be of our simple act of of obedience, or disobedience.

God, help us to be doers of the word and not just hearers.

James 1:22-25

22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Additional reading: Matthew 16:24-28

Gold.

2011-03-19T20:15:00.001-07:00

Gold. When you hear the word "Gold" do you think of the element or the color? As I was watching tv this evening, it was obvious that the gold miners thought of money as they pursued the prized element.

I don't have a huge revelation to share tonight but watching this show reminds me of how awesome Heaven will be. The scriptures don't give many details about Heaven but do mention that it's streets are made of gold.

Gold is one of earths most prized possessions yet it is probably just a common item in Heaven. Which makes me wonder, if the streets are made of gold, then what other amazing and beautiful things await?

Heaven, wouldn't trade it for the world.

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Pickers

2011-03-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Pickers. Recently I've become semi-addicted to the t.v. show "American Pickers". No doubt, these guys are out to make money selling antiques and hard to find items, but they also love finding a nice piece with a great story attached to it. They travel the U.S. looking through houses, barns, attics, basements and more all in pursuit of the perfect piece at the perfect price.

One of the things that has attracted me to this show is my love for vintage items. I love older stuff. For example, there is a certain knife and rifle that I want right now that I could buy new, but would rather have them with some age and character on them. Another thing I like about this show is the fact that there is a certain amount of history attached to these items. Many times, people are able to recant the exact history of the item.

After the waters of the Jordan River were rolled back, allowing the children of Israel to cross on dry ground, Joshua built a memorial to remind the people of God's faithfulness. Not only was it for them, but it was for their children and grandchildren and so on. God had provided such a huge miracle for them and they didn't need to forget it.

What memorials do we need to build to remind us of God's faithfulness in our lives? Every time that God has provided for us (protection, food, money, etc...) it builds faith and trust. The next time we encounter an impossible situation, we have the faith and trust that God will provide for us again.

I challenge you to think back on your tough times and remember the times when God has provided for you. Furthermore, pass those experiences on to your family and loved ones. Let your children and friends know of God's faithfulness. By doing so, you will be building an amazing spiritual legacy that will impact people for generations to come.

Joshua 4:1-24

Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan

1When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

8And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down^a there. 9And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. 10For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.

The people passed over in haste. 11And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests passed over before the people. 12The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.

15And the Lord said to Joshua, 16“Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

19The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”^b

Stuffed.

2011-03-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Stuffed. Today at work we were treated to a huge meal for lunch. We had steak, chicken, smoked sausage as well as all the side items and dessert. After I stuffed myself, I proceeded to eat a large slice of strawberry cake. I had to stop and rest multiple times while trying to finish my piece of cake.

I've heard since I was a kid that gluttony is a sin. I admit, I've never put much research into it, but do know that any over-indulgence is wrong, so I'm sure eating too much is wrong as well. Believe it or not, this blog post isn't about gluttony or over-indulgence. Its actually about how much more impressed I am that Christ lived a sinless life on this earth.

In order to live a sinless life, Jesus never lied, stole, cheated, lusted, or did any other sin, including gluttony. This small revelation regarding over-indulgence impresses me all the more. I'm in awe.

As for the gluttony debate, here is a resource that I found. I'm not familiar with this site, so as with anything, be careful what you accept as fact. Read the scriptures and pray about it for yourself. http://www.gotquestions.org/gluttony-sin.html

Dog.

2011-03-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

Dog. This evening while I was eating dinner, a girl came into the restaurant with her seeing eye dog. I was amazed at the obedience, attention and care that the dog showed to its owner. Much more behaved than my English Bulldog, this black Labrador Retriever stayed right at its owners feet the entire time. Not once did the dog try to get up, beg for scraps or do anything. It simply waited for its masters command and then obeyed. Also, the owner, showed love and gratitude to her helper and frequently praised the dog for its help.

I wonder if I have the same faith in my God as that owner did in her dog. The owner has to completely trust this animal to safely lead, guide and direct her wherever she needs to go. Do I have the blind faith, no pun intended, to trust God to safely lead, guide and direct me? Do I trust him to meet my needs (Phil 4:19)? Do I really believe that He will never leave me or forsake me (Deut 31:6)? I do, but most times, my vision gets in the way.

John 16:33

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Never.

2011-03-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Never. The following words or phrases are synonyms for the word "Never": "At no time, don't hold your breath, forget it, nevermore, no way, not at all, not ever, not in any condition, etc..," (From Thesaurus.com)

Those words and phrases state that the subject at hand is an impossible task. The word "Never" has a finality to it. "Never" is definitely not "Maybe", "Sometime" or even "One day". It's never. Not gonna happen, ain't possible, nope, no way.

Regardless of what is going on in your life. No matter how high you are on the mountaintop or how low you are in the valley, the scriptures say that God will never forsake you. It doesn't matter how rough and tough you've had it. God didn't forsake you when you lost your loved one. God didn't forsake you when you were sick and hurting. God didn't forsake you when you were unemployed. God didn't forsake you. Why? Because, He said He wouldn't, and He is incapable of lying (Hebrews 6:18). Do we understand the tough times that come our way? Of course not, but all I know is that God cannot lie and that He said He would never forsake me. Hang in there.

^{Psalms 37:23-28

23} The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

²⁵ I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
²⁶ They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.^b]">[b]

²⁷ Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
²⁸ For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.

11,490

2011-03-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

11, 490. 11, 491 if you count today. That is the number of days that I have been alive. I have virtually no recollection of the early years, ages 0-5. I have a few faint memories, but it is mostly non-existent in my memory. Ages 6-10 brought a few more memories and I can recall many memories from that time. Ages 11-31 are easily recalled.

If I had to guess, I would say that roughly 80-90% of my memories are good or neutral with 10-20% being bad or not so good. All in all, I would say that those numbers are pretty good. The good definitely outweighs the bad.

The Bible says that one day, ONE day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. Therefore, of my 11, 490 days alive, one day with Him is better than all eleven thousand of my previous days. If every day for the rest of my life was exactly perfect, it would still be nothing in comparison to just one single day with Him.

Check out these numbers, if you lived to the below ages, this is how many days old you would be, and it pales in comparison to just one single day with God. That blows my mind.

18 years= 6, 570 days
21 years= 7, 665 days
30 years= 10,950 days
40 years= 14,600 days
50 years= 18,250 days
65 years= 23,725 days
90 years= 32, 850 days

^{Psalms 84:10-11
10} Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

Unending

2011-03-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Unending. I can't remember the specific date, but I can remember the moment that I realized that Sarah's love for me was real and would last a lifetime. I also remember the day that I made up my mind that I would love her for the rest of my life regardless of any circumstance that would come our way. Those two experiences were life changing for me. I didn't have to worry about her finding another boyfriend and I knew that she loved me for who I am.

Likewise, Christ loves us with an everlasting love. It is an unconditional love that at times is completely unexplicable and undeserving. My relationship with Christ completely changed the day that, just like my relationship with Sarah, I realized there wasn't anything that I could do to make Him love me less or to make Him love me more. All of the guilt and condemnation that I carried with me, as well as the pressure to please Him, in order to make Him love me more, was suddenly all washed away.

Think of it in terms of a marriage. I've made Sarah mad and have hurt her feelings, but just because I did that, that didn't make us any less married. Did we have to work out our differences? Of course we did. Did I have to apologize and ask forgiveness? Yes, but because of her committment to loving me, she was able to see past the wrong that was committed and see me for who I really am. Out of my commitment for loving her, I had to swallow my pride and ask her to forgive me and look past my "Exception-to-the-rule" behavior and see me for who I am. Out of her love for me, she forgave me. See what I'm saying?

Just to clarify, I'm not advocating a "Once-saved, always-saved" theology, where we can do whatever we want without any regard for our relationship with God, nor am I saying that there isn't punishment or consequences for our behavior. My point is that we cannot view our relationship with God as something that we have to continue earning day in and day out. Salvation is a free gift, and just like marriage, it's a beautiful thing.

Sore

2011-03-12T21:02:00.001-08:00

Sore. So, I had an ingrown toenail that had been bothering me for some time now. As I've been waiting for it to heal, it has caused me to walk different as well as take some ibuprofen from time to time. You see, in order to function properly, the rest of my body is dependent upon the health of the other parts of my body. So, if my toe is hurting, then the rest of my body suffers.

The church is the same way. In the kingdom of God, if one part of us suffers then we all hurt because we are not at full strength. This happens in our local church and even in our families as well.

If someone in our church body is hurting then we should surround them with love and help them where we can. If a coworker isn't performing up to par, then the whole crew or facility suffers, so we should offer any assistance possible in order to get things back to way it needs to be.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Test

2011-03-12T20:30:00.001-08:00

Test.

Peace

2011-03-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

Peace. I have it. Maybe, sometimes, it is misinterpreted as passivity. Maybe you define it as doubt. Regardless, somehow in life I've found a way to find peace when things aren't very stable.
I'm not sure when it happened, but since my early twenties, I've just been able to handle hurt, disappointment, sickness and tragedy very well. Today for example, my dad was in Hawaii when the tsunami was coming towards the island. I was concerned for him, but had a peace that regardless of the outcome, good or bad, that it was all o.k. When my wife Sarah was in the hospital in Alabama having major surgery, circumstances dictated that I needed to be in North Carolina. That was by far the hardest decision either of us has ever made, and trust me, I wanted to be in Alabama with her, but in the midst of the unknown, I had peace.

I guess it all boils down to the fact that God says that His plan for us is good. Yes, tragedy will happen. Yes, we will hurt and maybe even suffer. It's not going to be easy, but there is a peace, that regardless of the outcome, there is opportunity for us to come out of it stronger. I can't count the opportunities that I've had to completely break down or to even give up. It's been tough, but somehow, there was a peace that literally went beyond all understanding. If we can tap into that, there is nothing that we can't handle. Perhaps, it was this same peace that Jesus had when He prayed right before the betrayal and arrest: "Father, if it be your will, take this cup from Me, if not, not My will be done, but Yours be done.

Matthew 26: 36-45

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

Obey

2011-03-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

Obey. Perhaps the most difficult to harness of all four-letter words. "Love" is another difficult one, but that could be filed under "Obey" since "Love" is a commandment from God.

To obey goes against human nature. Since the beginning of time, humans have been disobedient. We've disobeyed other humans and God. One particular area in my life that I have chosen to obey is God's plan for adoption.

Since childhood, Sarah has known that God called her to adopt. I on the other hand, have never had a desire to adopt. It honestly never crossed my mind. After three plus years of marriage, I've embraced the plan that God has for us. Tonight, while reading a couple of different blogs by some people I know, I fully realized the plan. The peace overwhelmed me and brought me to tears as I truly realized the hand of God in this. We are unsure of the timing of this, but know that we will obey when the time comes.

The point of this blog entry is not adoption. It's obedience. What are you obediently doing? Who and what have you disobeyed? What passion lies in your heart? What have you ignored or thrown away? What are you going to do about it?

James 1: 19-27 : Listening and Doing

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

It's not about us

2011-03-09T07:10:00.001-08:00

I am amazed at how much we have made the church and Christianity about us. I don't think we intended it to be like that but in certain areas, that is what it has become.

Serving God could be compared to having a good job with awesome benefits. There are things that benefit you however those benefits are only a benefit of your relationship with your employer. The employer doesn't have to give you those benefits but they do. Catch my drift?

The troubling thing is that many times in our relationship with God is that we want to be intimate (benefits) without being married (committed). Our services begin with a pump-you-up speech about the awesome things God is going to do for us in that service. I guess I missed the verse that said going to church is about what God can do for us rather than us gathering together to worship and praise Him. Yes He does stuff for us but that's not the point. It's not about us.

What would happen if we modeled our lives and even our services to focus on passionately pursuing God without any thought of how it could benefit us? What if we stopped using Him and started adoring Him?

Will you lay it down?

2011-03-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

Acts 4:32-37

³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

³⁶ Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), ³⁷ sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

When was the last time you saw this in action? When was the last time we laid down our lives for another? When was the last time that we denied our selves so another could live? This type of thinking is counter culture. Perhaps, that is why Jesus commanded us to live like this? Are you willing to lay your life down, your bank account, your time, your possessions, your career? Are you willing to give something away? How will you use the contents of your alabaster jar? (Matthew 26:6-16).

It's official...

2011-03-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

It's official, I will be blogging during the 40 days of Lent. I've never done anything for Lent, but felt like I should this year. I'm not looking to make this into a diary, but rather just some contemplative or reflective thoughts that come to mind. Some of it may be opinion, revelation, teaching, reflection, etc...

Most people that I see observing Lent typically are giving something up (food, media, TV, sports, etc...), rather than doing something, so I questioned myself about doing this blog for 40 days straight. However, in order to do this, it will take sacrifice. It will take time away from my day and force me to seek, reflect, write and post. I will have to get up early or stay up late. I may have to skip lunch or seek out an internet signal somewhere, who knows what obstacles may come my way.

Typically, these things sound like good ideas and normally just fizzle out, but I'm hoping to find the strength and courage to fight past that. Please pray for me, comment, discuss, etc... to help keep me encouraged.

Sometime tomorrow, I'll have day #1 posted

-Jonathan

I can't believe its been so long

2011-03-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I have blogged on here. Wow, its been almost a year. I've got a lot I want to put on here, I'm just trying to put all my thoughts together in hopes of them making sense to someone besides me.

I'll be back soon.

a longing for peace

2010-04-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

I sit here with a broken heart on behalf of a friend and his family. This is something new for me. It's not something that I'm accustomed to. Before, I would acknowledge that something was really crappy or I might have even felt bad for someone. Now, I hurt for them. I hurt on their behalf. I long for them to be at peace. I long for their puzzle to be put back into place. I pray for restoration. I pray for their peace and hope. I long for their joy to come rushing back to them. I pray that God stitches the wounds in their broken hearts.

It has taken my wife being sick, friends putting parents in the grave, people getting divorced and more to bring me to this place. I hurt for you. I hate it for you. It angers me. So... I pray for you like it was my own need. I help carry your burden. I help hold Moses's arms up. I cry tears for you.

Despite the agony, I long for the day of restoration. I can't wait until the day where there is no more hurt. The day of no sin, no abuse, no tears, no divorce, no death, no disappointment, no sorrow, no miscarriages, and more. I can only imagine what it will be like. No hurt that we have ever experienced on earth will be duplicated there. Imagine it.

Where are our leaders?

2010-04-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today, I was talking to my pastor, Luke Camara of Safe Harbor Church, about the subject of leadership.

I've noticed that there are a lot of decision makers but very few leaders. In my opinion and experience a leader is someone that has vision, purpose and a plan. After getting said vision, purpose and plan, they begin to execute. Everything that they do is a part of that plan. Every step, exercise, decision, etc... is made as step closer to the ultimate goal.

Why are our leaders becoming extinct? Should we place them on the endangered species list, or should we put the ones without a leader on the endangered list?

Leaders, rise up. Lead us. Drive us. Teach us. Correct us. Steer us. Take us. Save us.

-Jonathan

ps: below is a definition of a leader from Dictionary.Reference.com
–noun

a person or thing that leads.

a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.

To Tell The Truth

2010-04-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am a very observant person. I just notice things.

For me, as a rule of thumb, I really believe that honesty is the best policy. I feel that if you are honest with someone, then most of the time, you are both better off because of it. However, I recently observed some people chose to lie when the truth is just far easier.

The situations I refer to were easy, simple and didn't involve any moral issues. It was simply a choice to tell the truth or lie. Also, they wanted to do it on my behalf, as if it was a favor to me. If you want to do me a favor, don't be a liar.

Are they afraid of the truth? Do they fear fallout or confrontation? Do they just want to keep their lying tongue sharp? There was no risk involved in telling the truth yet, they decided to lie. I say they assumed a lot more risk by choosing to lie.

I don't get it.

When was the last time?

2010-04-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

The scriptures clearly teach that we are to help those that are in need. However, after a little bit of reflection of my own life, I realized that most of the time that I am helping someone, it is out of my overflow, which is just a nice way of saying that I am helping them with my left-overs. Its easy to give away old clothes, an old lawnmower, an old this or an old that. As long as I have what I want, then the items without emotional attachment are easy to give away. Although it is good to give old things away, that type of giving is only a part of what we are commanded to do.

In fact, the scriptures teach that there are times that we should sell our possessions and give the money to the church or to the needy. Now that is a different mindset. That is a mindset of sacrifice, not left-overs. When was the last time that you sold something that you liked, that you really liked and gave the money to the church or to someone in need? Rather than just "praying" (which you probably really didn't do) for the person who just lost their job, when was the last time you sold something in order to give them the money for it? When was the last time you gave money to an orphan or window as the scriptures command? As for me, its been a while. We think that as long as we pay our tithe, like it is some type of bill, then we can keep our spiritual electricity on for one more month.

Call me crazy if you want to, but for some reason, I don't think God included this in the Bible because the publisher needed some "filler" material. Perhaps, God really requires this from us.

Furthermore, why are we not hearing this preached in our churches. Why are the pastors, prophets, apostles, etc... not giving us the true Gospel? If you are truly our shepherds, and if you truly love us, why aren't you telling us the truth? Why are the elders not demanding the truth be told from the pulpits? Why are we watering down God's word in order to make it more comfortable for us? Why are we treating the Gospel like it is a menu and we can order what we want? Why are we selling out?

Crucify me if necessary, take up your stones to throw at me, but I am tired of reading the Gospel and seeing Christs teachings, yet seeing something different lived and hearing something different preached. Kill me if you must, but I see a cause worth dying for. Silence me with murder, just as you have done with the others that preached the truth.

The truth is below:

Acts 4:32-37: ³² Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. ³³ And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, ³⁵ and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
³⁶ And Joses,^d]">[d] who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, ³⁷ having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Matthew 19:16-22: ¹⁶ Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good^e]">[e] Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
¹⁷ So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good?^f]">[f] No one is good but One, that is, God.^g]">[g] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ¹⁹ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’^h]">[h] and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”^i]">[i]
²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth.^j]">[j] What do I still lack?”
²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

I can't believe it's been that long!

2010-03-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that it has been over 1 yr. since I posted on this blog. I can't believe it has been that long. Seeing a dear friend of mine starting to blog, it has re-ignited the desire within me.

More coming soon. I have a lot to say.

2nd Hand Christianity

2009-02-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

Today at work we were talking about some of the decisions our government is making and we wondered if the lawmakers, congressmen and senators actually read the entire bill that is being proposed. We questioned how many of our representatives actually read all 1,200 pages of the Obama stimulus package.

As we discussed this we talked about how many of them probably just got bits and pieces of it from lots of different sources. We speculated that the news media was also just reporting what they "heard"rather than what they had read in the proposed bill.

Then I heard the Holy Spirit begin to speak to me.

How many of us are doing the same thing with our Christianity? How many of us have heard bits and pieces but never really dug deep into the word of God and discovered it for ourselves?

Perhaps this is why we have so many older Christians that have never made it out of the infancy stages. Perhaps this is why when the going gets tough, we just stop going.

Are you worshiping off of a 2nd hand relationship with God? If so, you need to seek and passionately pursue Him. Position yourself to hear, learn, receive and be instructed from Him.

Since I am an analogy person.... Before I was married, I had heard lots of things about marriage and how to manage my family. But until I got married, I didn't have a clue. I was informed, but did not have that relationship. God is in the relationship business not the information business.

What if discipleship occured?

2008-12-30T07:05:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, for the second straight year, Sarah & I were able to get our niece & nephew (Alexis, 13 & Jordan, 11) to spend a few days with us. This is something I think we all enjoy, but I don't think the kids know how much we love this time with them.

With me having knee surgery, then Sarah being in the hospital for two weeks, I had reached a certain level of burn-out. I just wanted a day to completely relax and had not been able to achieve that at all during the Christmas holidays. I had it all planned out that Sunday would be my day. I took that day "off" from my church duties and had planned a full sabbath day of rest.

It turns out that Alexis and Jordan had gotten their own Bibles for Christmas and they brought them to our house because they wanted to take them to church. Side note, I'm glad we have a church going reputation. Once they told me this, I knew there was no-way I was going to take a sabbath day. I told Sarah that if they were anxious or hungry to go to church, then I wasn't going to stop them.

Well, as fate would have it, I got a stomach bug Sunday morning. However, thankfully, God had other plans. Sarah and I decided that we would just do a little devotional with them and share some stuff with them from our heart.

We had them read from Genesis 22 and then we discussed the story of Abraham and Isaac. We then told them that God said in Phillipians 4:19 that "God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in Glory".

We explained to them that God is rich in love, mercy, peace, joy, hope, healing, money, forgiveness, patience, and everything else we will ever need. Therefore, just as God met Abraham & Isaac's need, He will meet ours and He never disappoints.

We then explained some unique and exciting ways that God has personally met our needs. It was a great time for Sarah and I to reflect on God's blessings on our lives, but also, it was a great way to instill faith in Alexis and Jordan.

After we finished our discussion, we took the time to ask Alexis & Jordan what they wanted us to pray about. It was important to us to make sure that they knew that their needs were important to us and God. Too often, I think we ignore the "kid needs" and simply write them off as being "juvenile".

We then took turns praying out loud. It was a nice intimate time with them and the Lord. I truly felt the Lord's presence in the room with us. All of this was accomplished in 15-20 minutes.

So... the point of this post:

Later in the evening, we received a text message from the kids requesting prayer. We called them to discuss and remind them of our study. They had already opened their Bibles and were searching for the story that we had shared with them earlier in the day.

What Sarah and I, plus The Lord, had done earlier, was provide them with the tools that they needed to overcome the situation that they were facing. They were fully equipped for what they were facing. If parents would spend just thirty minutes, one evening a week doing this rather than watching their favorite sitcom, then the kids would have an incredible spiritual foundation. What is wrong with the parents? Why are we relying on Sunday school and children's church to disciple our children? Is it because some parents don't know how to disciple because they are still babies in the Lord as well?

If you are a parent, please, take the time to teach your child how to pray and how to scripturally approach their problems. I've done both and it doesn't take much effort.

Are we REALLY seeking God?

2008-11-29T06:01:00.000-08:00

Are we REALLY God seekers? Are we REALLY pursuing God? I would like to challenge you to watch this short YouTube clip. It is from a preacher that I really respect and enjoy listening to. He is challenging us to be God seekers, people who passionately pursue God at all costs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8HP1Vbd9P0

If the thought of this clip annoys you, or if you are offended that it might suggest that you haven't been seeking God with all your heart, or if you are comfortable in your relationship with God, then this message is for you. This is what God wants, not church goers. God never wanted butts to sit in the pew or people to write tithe checks. He wanted people with hearts devoted to seeking Him.

I challenge you to honestly ask God if you have been seeking Him with all of your heart. I know I haven't been. Be honest with God and yourself. You know the truth. God requires us to passionately seek Him. He cannot be fooled. You can't convince God that you have been seeking Him wholeheartedly when you really haven't.

We must mature and grow up in the faith. No longer can we rely on others to feed us, but rather we should be feeding ourselves.

Another Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

I wanted to sit down and write a quick blog about Thanksgiving, but I didn't want it to be a traditional thanksgiving type blog.

As I thought about what to write, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me. He was saying, "This is just another Thanksgiving". As I thought about that "Just another thanksgiving"? Then it hit me, this is just another of MANY thanksgivings that I will celebrate this year. I have so much to be thankful for that I can't funnel it all into one day of thanks. Every day for my redeemed, saved, forgiven life is a day of thanks. It thanksgiving every day.

As Sarah and I were doing our devotional before going to sleep last night, we were convicted as we realized that often times we focus on what we don't have rather than being thankful for what we do have. For example, I complain about my job sometimes, even though its a great job and my bills get paid every month. Sarah admitted to complaining about the quirks and malfunctions of her car rather than thanking God that she has a car to drive.

Our goal is to elminate the negativity in our lives and spend more time thanking God for all of our blessings.

God, thank you for everything. You promised to always meet ALL of our needs, and You have never broken that promise. I thank you for Your forgiveness, grace, mercy and abundant patience. I repent for the negativity and frustrations that I have voiced. Help me to see Your faithfulness and provision in every area of my life.

Yet another reason

2008-11-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

Romans 5:7-8 (New International Reader's Version)

7 It is unusual for anyone to die for a godly person. Maybe someone would be willing to die for a good person. 8 But here is how God has shown his love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Copyright © 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society)

I saw this while reading today. There are some people worth dying for. For example, parents wouldn't hesitate to lay their lives down for their children. But what has captured me this evening is that God knew that I was a sinner, yet Jesus still laid His life down for me. This would be the equivalent of you laying down your life for the worst that society has to offer.

Would you take the spot in the electric chair for the person that murdered your family member? Would you lay your life down for the person that raped you? How about a total stranger. If a robbery occurred while you were in the bank, would you become the hostage so someone else could go home to their family? Where would you draw the line? Would you go to jail in place of the person that molested your child? Where is your line?

Fortunately for us, God didn't draw the line. Romans 5:18 says : 18Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life forall men. (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)

God didn't draw the line at my sin, your sin, or anyone's. He came and died and paid the price for our sins. These sins cover the smallest little sin all the way to the most heinous and cruel. As a matter of fact, all sins are considered equal in God's eyes, so really, the sin or sinner you hate the most is really no different than you and I are. Thats a tough pill to swallow, but we are born as sinners. Your sin, no matter how great or small is no different that anyone else's'. Your sin is equal to that of drug dealers, murderers, thieves, prostitutes, pornographers, etc...

Thankfully, I have received Christ's forgiveness for my sins. I no longer wear the labels of sin. I wear the spotless image of Christ. Hopefully, you have too.

God has proved His love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness for us. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us". There is no greater love. There is no greater act of love. This is yet another reason why I can't not worship Him.

Christian Men are still REAL Men

2008-11-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the annual men's camping trip at our church. As I sat preparing some material to share, I was thinking about all the manly men in the Bible. These ordinary men accomplished extraordinary things when they allowed God to work through them.

I want to convey the message tomorrow that just because you are a Christian, that you don't have to stop being a real man. It seems that the unfortunate picture that has been painted of a Christian man is that of a "soft" man or a "sissy". We see the Sunday school bulletin boards of Jesus with long, wavy blond hair and blue eyes as He holds a sheep and is playing with children, but we forget that Jesus was a hard working carpenter, made a whip and drove the moneychangers & flee marketers out of the temple, stood up to and debated with the Pharisees, and then allowed His beaten, mutilated body to be murdered in public, on a tree.

Does being a Christian make you weak? No.
Does being the Godly leader of your family make you "soft"? No.
Do you have to stop having fun in order to serve God? No.
Do you have to be Mr. Nice Guy with a corporate haircut? No.

God created you like you are for a reason. There was a reason that Peter was outspoken, and there is a reason you were created like you were. Don't allow your manhood or personality to be watered down in order to fit into some preconceived notion that Christians aren't real men.

Why don't I respond?

2008-11-03T16:59:00.000-08:00

This is something that has been bothering me for a while now. Why don't I respond to God's invitations? Why do I choose to ignore the wooing of the Holy Spirit?

This all came to head with me this past week. Sarah and I discussed it after our nightly devotionals and I was also troubled by it yesterday afternoon.

To put things in perspective, if Sarah Rae, my wife, was in the house calling for me, would I ignore her? If she was continually calling me on my cell phone, would I ignore the call? The answer to both questions is no. Sure, I may be busy or whatever, but I would answer her persistent calling. I would not be too busy to answer her. Would you ignore your screaming kid or persistent toddler?

Why then, do we do this to The Almighty God? Why do I put Him off when I know He is calling me? Its ridiculous. If the creator of the world, wants a minute with me, am I too important to sit with Him? Why do we ignore Him? Am I afraid of Him? Am I scared of what He might ask of me? Is my image of God so screwed up that I don't realize that all of His plans for me are good? What is the problem?

I am so thankful that Jesus wasn't too busy to answer the Father when He (God) asked Him (Jesus) to be betrayed and murdered for my sins. I'm glad God isn't too busy to hear my prayers and answer them in the manner He best sees fit. I'm glad the Holy Spirit isn't to prideful to deliver the words of God into my heart and spirit.

I hope that I am maturing in my faith. I hope that I'm better at responding that I used to be. Hopefully I'll be better at it tomorrow than I am today. I'm reminded of the following chorus. It is my prayer today that my family and all that read this, will embrace this and live this.

Father, I adore You
I lay my life before You
How I love You

Jesus, I adore You
I lay my life before You
How I love You

Spirit, I adore You
I lay my life before You
How I love You

Attacking the symptoms, not the source

2008-10-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

I've been sick with some seasonal "bug". I didn't want to go to the doctor, but I finally relented. I tried to rationalize that I could beat it with over the counter medication. Thankfully, I listened to my wife and mother and went to the doctor so I could get a shot of antibiotics.

As I was thinking about it, how often do I attempt to attack the symptoms rather than the source of the problem? I was trying to attack stuffiness with symptom meds rather than the source of the stuffiness with the antibiotics.

Just today as I was back at the doctor to have an MRI on my knee, I thought to myself, "its not that bad, I could make it with regular pain meds. Tough it out. I have good days and bad days, I'll be alright". I don't want to have surgery on it again, but if that is what is best for me long term, then I guess that is what I'll do.

Once again, I was going to attack the symptom, (pain), rather than the source (tear, scar tissue, etc...).

With that being said, how many times do we do this in our spiritual walk? Our marriage? Our relationships? Our jobs? How often do we try to throw a little spiritual medicine at the issue rather than address the real problem?

This type of action is crazy:
It's putting a band-aid on a problem that needs surgery.
It's trying to candy coat a rotten apple hoping that it will taste better.
It's putting a coat on inside rather than turning off the air conditioner.
It's putting more gas in our vehicle rather than fixing the fuel leak.

We should allow God to heal our wounds. We need healing for all of the hurts, pain, torment, disappointments, and character flaws that we possess. Choking the issues down or burying them will not heal the problem, but will only temporarily help the symptoms, its also going to cause more damage long term to both you and your loved ones.

Father I pray that You reveal to us the area's where we need healing. I pray that You will heal the hurts, imperfections, ailments, disease, anguish, and more from our lives. Please be the great physician that we need. Please give us the courage to take these steps, let us not be ashamed. Please heal the source and remove the symptoms. Thank you that our testimonies will be used to help others.

Dinner with God

2008-10-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

A few months before Sarah & I got married, we bought our first house. On my move-in day, her family and mine began to bring my stuff and make this new house a home. Sarah even brought a few things of hers that she wanted to leave so she would have less stuff to bring after the wedding.

After a long day of carrying & lifting furniture, I had a silent house to myself. It was a weird feeling. I was 27 years old and had never lived away from home. I had traveled the world, but always came back home to my parents house. I say again, it was a weird feeling. I looked around and saw things that reminded me of home and of my fiancee, but it was a strange feeling. This was my new home.

After preparing a quick dinner, I sat down at the table, and for the first time in my life, I sat, as the man of my house, at my table. I took up the seat at the end of the table and something happened.

I broke. I wept and sobbed like I haven't done in a long time. Tears streaming down my face, I thanked God for His awesome provision for me. I felt so blessed, yet so unworthy. I didn't feel like I deserved a brand new house or a fiancee or anything else. I was overwhelmed at God's goodness and favor towards me.

In the midst of my thankfulness I pushed my plate over to the vacant spot at the table and said, "Here Jesus, you take this plate, I'll fix me another one". So I did, sitting down with my plate, less food on it than the first one, and ate my meal with Jesus. I wish I could say that He physically consumed the food like this story in the scriptures, but He didn't. Nevertheless, I had a pure, holy time of worship with the Lord that night.

I know in that moment, my act of worship and thankfulness was worth more than a thousand offerings. What came from my heart that day, the crying, sobbing, thankfulness, and more was pure, un-defiled worship. It was spontaneous and un-rehearsed.

Somehow, although He didn't eat the food, I know He liked it. Want to know an awesome part about eating with Jesus?
.
.
.
.
He always lets you eat His leftovers.

The question we must ask ourselves is this: How are you worshiping God? It doesn't have to be like I do, or how your parents do, or even like anyone else. How are you showing your love to God, our savior, creator, redeemer, friend, comforter, counselor, peace, hope, etc... In what ways are you showing your gratitude? Could God say today that "He/She worshiped me in "blank" manner today?

God was in Alabama today

2008-10-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

So a friend calls me today totally excited. This person was completely blown away by God's Faithfulness towards his family today. My friend had a need. He needed God to move on his behalf. What blows me away is that my friend put himself in a position to experience God. He trusted God. He waited on God. He believed in God. Remember, Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness. My friend knew that God would act on his behalf. My friend, father of two, knew, he could count on his Heavenly Father to meet his need just as much as his family counts on him.

What happened? My friend had a financial need. He checked the mailbox daily. He knew something was going to happen. Today, as he reached in, he found a random check from his insurance company. Some would see it as chance, luck, or a coincidence. He saw the answer to his prayers.

"For The Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV

As I was speaking to him, I remembered a story I heard a preacher tell. He said "Someone once asked me, "Preacher, blessings seem to always be falling in your lap"". His reply was "I just try to put my lap where blessings are falling".

The moral of the story is that you need to put yourself in position to receive from God. Posture yourself in that manner. Wait on The Lord. Don't be foolish and blow all your money and wait for God to bail you out, but rather, be obedient. Stand on His word. Wait for Him.

Some people experience God. Sadly, others never experience Him move on their behalf. They hear about God, but He never becomes real to Him. Which do you want?

My Life Response

The problem is....

Following A Path I Cannot See

First.

Define.

What?

Relented.

Beautiful.

Sacrifice.

Tortured.

Fist.

Rest.

Thankful.

Twist.

1 Corinthians 13

Helper.

Conversation.

Box.

Whoops!

Tips.

Bride.

Labels.

Dinner!

Strength.

Contagious!

Action!

Taxes.

Rain.

Six.

Five.

Shrinking.

Delayed

Four.

Three.

Psalm 23 (Contemporary English Version)

GO! GO! GO!

Two.

Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible)

A Psalm of David.

One.

Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible)A Psalm of David.1THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

Vow.

Nike.

Gold.

Pickers

Stuffed.

Dog.

Never.

11,490

Unending

Sore

Test

Peace

Obey

James 1: 19-27 : Listening and Doing

It's not about us

Will you lay it down?

It's official...

I can't believe its been so long

a longing for peace

Where are our leaders?

lead·er

To Tell The Truth

When was the last time?

I can't believe it's been that long!

2nd Hand Christianity

What if discipleship occured?

Are we REALLY seeking God?

Another Thanksgiving

Yet another reason

Romans 5:7-8 (New International Reader's Version)

Christian Men are still REAL Men

Why don't I respond?

Attacking the symptoms, not the source

Dinner with God

God was in Alabama today

Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible)
A Psalm of David.¹THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.