Filed under: Haiti, adoption, family, friends, fun, life, love, people, prayer, whatever | Tags: Baby, family, life, love
Yes, 4. We will be going from 2 to 4 just like that. As most of you know we are adopting a boy from Haiti which would make our 3rd child. Well, we just found out that Debra is pregnant again! Yes, pregnant! I am actually very excited and couldn’t be happier! Thank you God for your many blessings!
Filed under: life, love, ministry, people, prayer, religion, whatever | Tags: battle, life, struggle, victory
The battle rages. The war tarrying on. When will it ever end? Is victory in sight. I grow weary. My body, my mind, my soul; how they ache…tired from battle and wondering how much longer can I go on? How long until victory is obtained? Will it be obtained? Every time I think I have gained the advantage, that I have taken the higher ground, the momentum shifts swiftly and I find myself fighting again. I can’t do this on my own…I need reinforcements. I need rescue! But who will rescue me? Who can rescue me? Oh yes, it is He, my Savior, The Liberating King, Jesus Christ!
Oh, how often does my life reflect the battle Paul spoke of in Romans 7.
Spirit v. Flesh
Faith v. Fear
Confidence v. Doubt
Love v. Anger
and the list goes on…
Paul ends the narrative of his struggle with, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Thanks be to God that through Jesus Christ our Lord we have the victory!
In Him we find true salvation. That’s what Easter is all about. Salvation. The thing we fail to remember sometimes is that salvation comes through resurrection and resurrection only occurs through death…and death as we all know, hurts.
May we find true salvation in Jesus Christ and as we strive to follow Him may we die to self daily so we may become more like Him.
Filed under: family, friends, fun, justice, life, love, ministry, missions, people, prayer, religion, whatever | Tags: Christ, Giving, life, love, others, people, Relationship, religion
I want to start out by asking you to read this blog when you are finished here. It is a really good story of the journey a great and close friend of mine is beginning to travel. I am excited to see where the journey leads…
I really think it is an awesome thing to be able to see people as they begin to think beyond the norm, think beyond themselves, and dare to change…dare to be change. I think one of the best questions we can ask is “How can I make a difference; how can I create change?” It is when we allow ourselves to think this way and act upon the answers to these questions that we unleash a powerful, wild side of who we were meant to be. I truly feel that none of us were created to live just for and be about ourselves, rather to live in community; in relationship and with a desire to help, to make a difference, to create a positive change in the world and in others lives. There is something freeing; something liberating about being about giving, caring, loving others with a wild abandonment. To dare to be different; to make a difference. It has been said that we are never more like Christ than when we give ourselves away. This is an expression of love and we are called to Love God/ Love People. Pretty simple isn’t it? Simple to say. sometimes harder to do.
My challenge to you…dare to be different… Dare to make a difference…Dare to create change…Ask yourself, “What can I do to create change, what can I do to make a difference?” Then, when you get the answer…do it! Don’t think about it, don’t over analyze it, just do it!
Don’t forget to read my friend’s story here!
Filed under: fun, justice, life, love, ministry, missions, people, prayer, religion, whatever | Tags: dreams, love, Meaning, missions, others, passions, people
I have deep within a passion to be a part of something bigger than myself. To be a part of change; to make a difference. One of my greatest fears is to slip into the rut of complacency and live the life of the mundane. I am more interested in living life than making a living. I want to do more than just exist. I have a burning passion to travel the world and touch, and love, and feed, and clothe, and give drink, and minister, and be ministered to by the least of these. I want to help out churches, missionaries, and brothers and sisters all around as they strive to do the same. I yearn to be a part of that kind of life. This is the thing that when I think about it or talk about it my heart begins to beat faster, and my palms begin to sweat, and mind begins to travel in a million directions.
I also want to help others to be able to do the same. I am tired of just telling people about faith and about what it looks like, and examples of it in the Bible. I want to go beyond that and mobilize people to be able to live faith, to experience faith, to own their own faith and then to go out share it with others. Don’t just tell people they need to love God and love people but show them what it looks like and give them opportunities to do it.
What is your dream; your passion?
Filed under: justice, life, love, ministry, people, prayer, religion, whatever | Tags: Christ, Easter, Lent, Sacrifice
Tomorrow begins Lent in the Christian calendar. Growing up I always looked at Lent as something Catholics did and it didn’t pertain to me. I mean, it was nothing more than just a religious ritual…right? But then again so is everything else we do in the name of Christianity and religion if we end up doing it out of habit or obligation. Lent, I have found out, is like any other Christian “tradition” or “ritual”; it all has to with your heart and your motives.
For 40 days we have the opportunity to give up something; to sacrifice something in the name and for the sake of Christ. Not to say, “Look at me – look what I am doing for God! What a great Christian I am!” and not to sat, “Woe is me God, look at all I am giving up for you, I hope you’re taking notes!” It’s a beautiful opportunity to lay aside self; to lay aside something we enjoy, something of worth to remind us of the love and sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus, The Liberating King. As we yearn and desire these things our minds are reminded of the purpose of this fast and is refocused on Christ. It is an opportunity to purposely break ourselves of comforts and pleasures to draw us back to Christ.
As we begin the season of Lent tomorrow, if you have never participated I challenge you to lay aside any pre-concieved notions and any poius opinions you may have and consider what you could give up, what you could sacrifice in honor of your King, in honor of drawing closer Christ, The Liberating King, The Lover of your soul.
If you have practiced Lent my challenge would be that you approach it with a new sense and appreciation for what it is about. Approach it as a new oportunity to search self and come to God anew. Don’t approach Him out of mere tradition or ritual, approach Him with a pure and clean heart.
In Isaiah 1 it says, “‘The multitudes of your sacrifices – what are they to me?’ says the Lord. ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and of the fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs, and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, the trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings!…wash and make yoursleves clean. Take your eveil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong. Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the fatherless, pleasd the case of the widow. Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. “
Let us go before the Lord with broken hearts and open ears. May we search oursleves and our lives and our motives and approach Him in sincerity and genuiness. May we use this time of Lent, these 40 days preceding Easter, to redirect our hearts, our minds, and our souls to Him!
Filed under: justice, life, love, ministry, missions, people, prayer, religion, whatever | Tags: a life of impact, life, lifestyle, living, making a difference
I challenge you to read this and as you digest it, allow the substance of these words to fill you up as you apply them to your life. I must admit that as I came across them today they pierced deep within as I read them. This is everything I desire from my life. This is what I want my life to look like. I have talked a big game but my actions have fallen short. Lord, thank you for these words and forgive me for their lack of existence in my life.
“…Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke? To set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not turn away from your own flesh and blood? THEN your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. THEN you will call and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help and He will say, ‘Here I am!’
If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yoursleves in the behalf of the hungry and satidfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail…”
My prayer is this; that first of all I will live like this and secondly, that this will become a true picture of the church. What if….?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cars, contradictive, funny, irony, life, repair, truck
“Shop and compare prices on free online automotive repair manual”
Does anybody else think this statement is a little contradictory? Comparing prices on free stuff? Hmmm, Should I get it here for free or would it be cheaper if I got it here for free?
I ran across this statement as I was searching online for automotive repair manuals to help me work on m truck….
Something worth pondering…
“There is no shortcut to anyplace worth going.” – Beverly Stills
I am no doubt going to upset some people, especially some of you I call friends.
I finally watched the infamous Fireproof movie. I have been told time and time again how great it is and how I need to watch it. I was told with conviction how they did such a great job and the acting was much better than “Facing the Giants” which was the last “big” “Christian” movie which was also made by Sherwood Baptist Church. My wife and I were even reprimanded for going and seeing another movie at the theaters instead of seeing Fireproof. (We made the right decision.)
I have to be honest in saying that at least with Facing the Giants I finally got over the acting and for the most part liked the movie. With Fireproof, I understand the message that they were wanting to send. I fully agree that marriage is a commitment that is to last a lifetime. I can also relate to the message because there was a time when my marriage faced some difficult times. Since that time it has been my desire to help others through these times as well. I love the idea of sacrificially and unconditionally loving your spouse and praying for them and I love the heart and intent of Sherwood in the making of this movie but can’t help but find myself agreeing with this critic when he says,
“Fireproof isn’t merely preaching to the already converted; it’s helping to further alienate the unconverted and the skeptical.”
I guess I am just waiting for the day that a “Christian” movie actually measures up to the quality of Hollywood. It saddens me that many times “Christian” things end up being cheap knock-offs of secular stuff (such as all of the Christian tees that take the logo or slogan of a popular add and changes it up just enough to call it Christian – i.e. the “Godwiser” shirts that looks just like a Budwieser shirt) or fail to measure up in quality. Honestly, of I weren’t a Christian or if I hadn’t had so many people tell me I should watch it I probably wouldn’t have made it past the first 30 minutes.
Anyway, I have probably upset enough of you so I will resign for now and turn my attention to the Superbowl…Go Cards!
