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Pennsylvania

2011-01-18T11:45:00.000-06:00

We have been here for 6 months and we are loving the change of seasons and we are redefining the ministry we see God setting before us in this new season of our journey here on earth. Life is vastly different here and we struggle somedays, but we will move forward until we discover our God called nitch here in beautiful Pennsylvania

2010-08-22T19:51:00.003-05:00

Time to get back to this blog, it's been way too long and I feel the Spirit leading me in this direction again. I will be blogging from a new location as Mary and I have completed our move to PA! I have been at work for three weeks now and starting to see a routine setting in. We have attended a church in Chambersburg that seems to be promising - at least on the surface. This morning I went to an adult Sunday school there - 45 people in this classroom!? It was a huge social event and out of a 1 hour time frame alloted - they only discussed the Bible for 15 minutes :( very sad. Many of then came to me after the class and asked if I enjoyed the class and hoped that I would come back - come back to what? It is so diasppointing to see people who call Jesus their Lord and yet have no reverence or respect for Him especially on this the Sabbath Day.... My work environment has changed drastically too, at Rucker I worked mostly with people who were at least "Social Christians", here it is a completely indifferent group of people I work with - they have no respect for the Lord or His people and theur language and attitude show it daily. I have been in Matthew for my morning quiet time and this has spoken volumes to me lately: Matthew 10: 16-18. Read it and see if you see what I see....

"Is there not a cause?"

2009-10-16T06:53:00.002-05:00

In 1 Samuel 17:29 David asks those around him this question, I see and understand his frustration. The Armies of the Lord, his Lord, are standing around prepared for battle but doing nothing. This philistine Goliath has them terrified and they are unable to move! David however sees Goliath in an entirely different way! He asks his brothers and those around him "who is this uncircumcised philistine, that he should defy the Armies of the living God?" In essence asking those around him - why are you afraid of this man, is he bigger and more powerful than our God? David, even as a young man, knows his God, and loves his God. David says - this has to stop, is there not a cause? David says - I'll fight him, and not only that - our God will be with me and deliver him into my hands!

Back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ

2009-10-14T07:04:00.002-05:00

My quiet time for the past three or four months has been going thru the New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and now 1 Samuel. Today I finished up Revelation and I am going back to reading the 4 Gospels every month for the next six months. I learned so much and my walk with the Lord was so good when I spent significant time in the Gospels, soaking in the words of Christ! I think for all of us, a close relationship with the Gospels is a close relationship with our Lord. This morning as i read Matthew 4:17 I see the very beginnings of our faith, repentance. I need to repent, every day, especially today - for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

The rising sun...

2009-09-08T06:11:00.002-05:00

As I have my quiet time now in the morning, the sun rises just off my left shoulder when I sit in the chair by the window. Every time it reminds me of Jesus. The sun provides for me physically what Jesus provides for me spititually. He says to me: I'm right here, I will provide for you today, you needn't fear or walk in darkness. It is just incredibly awesome.
We had an awesome weekend, did a lot of things - but the best part was the fellowship with believers! Praise be to our Father in Heaven and His Son our Lord Jesus Christ! Mary and I constantly reflect on where He has brought us and what He is having us do here at this time in our lives.
One of the passages I read this morning was Psalm 139:1-24, this Psalm really speaks to me, it comforts me beyond words. Knowing who and how I am, He loves me. There is no place I can go that He is not there. Thank you Lord!

Unity in community

2009-08-27T06:44:00.003-05:00

Psalm 133:1-3. As I fellowship with my brothers in Christ I see division and a lack of community amongst them. Each of them believing, loving, and serving Christ - but independently. I know and understand that we each have our own work to do for the Kingdom, but that should be done in context within the bigger community. We are all one body, my ministry includes and encourages your ministry and your ministry includes and encourages my ministry - because it is not ultimately about your or my ministry - it is about Jesus and His Kingdom - the bigger community! We cannot be independent contractors for Christ! I encourage you my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us return to and strengthen our community (the Kingdom) by reaching out in unity of the Spirit and in peace to our fellow believers.
We appear to the lost as a fragmented, broken, dysfunctional group. Each "denomination and congregation" separate from the main, and I believe that the lost think and believe that there is no more main church or body of believers anymore. If I see this as a believer - it must be so? The evil one has separated us long enough, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has called us to be one in Him as he is one in the Father! There are so many references to this in the Bible that I cannot quote them all here right now, I do however - encourage you you to look for them in your daily scripture reading.....

In His name and for His Glory,

Psalm 119:129-136

2009-08-21T08:24:00.002-05:00

I have been camping out in this Psalm for a few days now. At first glance this is a very long Psalm and I tend to want to go thru it quickly, huge mistake. This Psalm deserves time to soak it into my spirit, it's like walking into something that is so profound that as I walk into and around it - it takes my breath away and removes any possibility that I may talk and ruin it? The absolute truth and beauty of this Psalm just holds me in it's grip and draws me in. Take some time and read it, slowly, thoughtfully, and let your spirit be refreshed.
As I sit here typing this morning there is a man in my driveway changing out my truck windshield. For the second time in 5 months! Last week as I was driving to work on Thursday morning on 134 east toward the Hanchey Gate, a man on a Harley Sportster was coming toward me in the other lane at a really high rate of speed. About 20 yards in front of me something came off his bike, bounced high off the road, came down on the hood of my car and slammed into my side of the windshield. It sounded like a gun went off in the truck! The dude on the bike never slowed down and there was no way to catch him going that fast. So - $710 later I am having my windshield replaced, again. Part of that $710 is for the two gouges in the hood of the truck where the object initially hit. I'm thinking about getting a metal mesh screen for the windshield, maybe go for a "Mad Max" look with the truck?
My prayer for today and every day is that God's Will be done in each of our lives, I know there are things we want and need - but there is absolutely nothing that we need more than His Will done in our lives today. I pray that we would be attentive to the Holy Spirit as He leads us and guides us into the Truth- and that we would be willing to follow, especially when it gets uncomfortable.
John 14:1-6

Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, she'asani kirtzono
Blessed art thou, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who made me according to His Will

Shalom

Look up - and keep going

2009-08-20T07:27:00.002-05:00

This mornings quiet time was in Colossians 3. "If then you were raised with Christ" Paul starts out this portion of his letter with a reality check. Am I raised with Christ, what does it mean to be raised with Christ? If I am not then what follows is not going to make sense. In order to be raised you must have died - to yourself. Verse three tells us "for you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Do you remember dying? I remember it very clearly, the Lord taking the old life from me in order to fill me with the new life in Him. All these worldly things came off, I was stripped down to the spirit in the sight of the Lord - and I was lost again. But this time I was lost in the Kingdom! I had one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom! I needed new directions, new thought processes. The Lord did not leave me hanging, He gave me guidance thru His Word and Holy Spirit! Paul speaks about this in this chapter, how I am to do this new life in Christ! Paul's guidance to us thru the Holy spirit is clear - we need to put on new things, like tender mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another forgiving one another.....
In verses 14 thru 17 he sums it up well: "But above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfection, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts...." Hard work, very hard work... on your own. All this to go back to the beginning of this chapter, "if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth."
Look up, and keep going....

Blessed are You, LORD our God, Master of the Universe, Who created me in Your Image.
Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha'olam, she'asani betzalmo

Blind men have no business doing eye surgery

2009-08-13T07:01:00.002-05:00

Luke 6:41-42
Reading a good book in the morning in addition to my Bible reading, it's called "The seven conflicts", written by Tim and Joy Downs. The subtitle is "Resolving the most common disagreements in marriage". The portion that I am currently in uses the scripture from Luke. It is so easy to spot the speck in someone else's eye. Without the aid of a mirror, it would be impossible to find a speck in your own eye. There is no way to turn the eye in on itself or to focus on anything so close. We look past the speck at the world around us, and the speck remains invisible - even if the speck is one that can cause serious harm. Jesus took it one further and said "take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly....." Jesus tells us to remember our own log, approach every conflict by first considering what part WE play in it. We live in a world of "justified self-centeredness". Wow, major application for life! I am still grasping at this and wrestling with it. The Lord has something very powerful and personal to say about this issue to all of us. "A deep awareness of our own forgiveness creates a genuine humility as we approach others. A forgiven person is a humble person, and no attitude is more productive when it comes to resolving conflict."

Warfare and prayer.

2009-08-10T08:00:00.003-05:00

In my quiet time reading this morning I finished Ephesians, Chapter 6 really spoke to me, again. It is so easy to think that we are fighting against people, that people are the problem. Paul points out that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood! I like his usage of the word wrestling, the word picture it brings to mind is powerful, Satan and his minions are grappling with us all the time. I pretty much grasp that but what I continuously fail to see is that he is doing that with and thru people. A lot of the time he uses people we love and care about, a lot of times he uses us against the ones that love and care about us!
Paul says in verse 10; my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. In the Lord, in the power of His might! Only in the Lord can we overcome this wrestling match! I do not have the strength or the skill required to overcome the evil one on my own. I am not alone here, the Lord has promised me that He is with me always, that I need only believe and trust in Him and He will deliver me. I know this to be true in my life, when I put my trust in Him, when I believe - He delivers!
Wrestlers train, soldiers train. We need to train. There are exercises and equipment that are useful for training. The Father has not left us bare handed and ignorant - Praise His Holy Name! Verses 13 thru 17 provide us with the equipment and verse 18 is one of the primary exercises! Knowing our Lord takes time, we need to make the effort to know Him. We must talk with Him continuously. Notice I said "with" Him - not just to Him. Prayer is a critical part of living in the Lord. You can't read thru the Gospels with out seeing Jesus, our Lord and Savior, constantly praying to the Father - and He doesn't always do it alone! At the most difficult times of His mission here, He brings His closest friends with Him to watch and pray for Him! When we bring other believers into our prayer life we magnify the power of our prayers! When we come together on one accord to the Lord - He hears us!
We serve an awesome God, we too often underestimate His care and concern for us. I have to take, make the time to go to the Lord and put my life in His hands and ask Him to teach me who He is, and to trust that He will.... and he always does! Put your life down for a few moments, reflect on who God is and how much He loves you, ask Him to show you who He is and believe. Don't just read about Him - go talk to Him.

Today is the day the LORD hath made!

2009-08-07T07:25:00.002-05:00

Let's try this again,
There are and have been so many things going on since my last few posts. Most of those things have settled down a bit and after talking to a few friends about the blog I decided that it would be a good thing to get it cranked back up. So many things on my mind - and yours? There will probably be some ranting and raving about the current political situation in our great nation, there will definitely be some praising and worshiping of our LORD Jesus Christ! Who knows, I may even include some gun and motorcycle posts?
I have been reading and learning about the first century Israelis and the culture that our LORD grew up in, very interesting - gives a deeper meaning and perspective to a lot of the New Testament too. My main source of info for this is a great web site called: Hebrew4Christians.com go there and look around, I promise you'll find something there that will enrich your walk with the King Adonai Eloheinu;
Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD!
Shema yisrael, Adonai eloheinu Adonai echad!

The Hebrew blessing for Salvation:
Blessed are you LORD our God, King of the Universe, who gave to us the way of salvation in the Messiah Jesus, Blessed is He! Amen!
Barukh atah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam asher natan lanu et derekh ha-yeshua' bamashiach Yeshua, barukh hu, Amen.

This website has sound files so you can learn the various praises and scripture in Hebrew, really good stuff!

Scripture for today - Ephesians 3:14-21

It's amazing how once you give your spirit over to the Holy Spirit how quickly your focus changes! I was going to have a rant session about oblama this morning but now I can only bring praise to the One thru whom all goodness flows! Praise God!

Back again???

2009-07-13T09:31:00.002-05:00

Wow, when I look at the date of the last posting here it seems like an eternity ago? It's amazing how fast time goes by, things are constantly changing. I feel like it's time to get back to posting here on the blog.

Back again........

2009-04-08T07:17:00.002-05:00

We are moved out of the old and into the new house. Praise God! His provision overwhelms me. I told a friend the other day a saying that I like to use; "Life is the major cause of death." We were talking about the causes of death in our bodies like cancer. Cancer will only be cured when Jesus returns. There is no life without death and there is no death without life. Jesus said that unless a grain of wheat dies and falls to the ground it cannot produce more wheat. Unless we die to ourselves we cannot be a disciple of Jesus. If Jesus did not die for our sins we would not have eternal life with Him in the Kingdom.

Consider this,
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son....... The other side to this is - For God so hated sin that He sacrificed His only begotten Son, a price had to be paid. For new life - there had to be death.

Comments?

Back on track

2009-03-09T06:10:00.002-05:00

Wow, what a busy time we are in. Mary and I have a contract on our house and are preparing to get out of this house and into the next one. We have really been blessed with selling this home so quick! God is good all the time! I had a good week in Knoxville TN at University of TN Knoxville where I was introduced to Lean Maintenance Repair and Overhaul, great training - just not real relevant to my current job? After that I had a chance to spend some time in Clarksville with my daughter Beth and grandson Aven - which is always a blessing! That boy is growing and learning so fast, I can't wait to have him down here for a week this spring!
I have been meaning to catch up the blog for two weeks too. so here we go!
Quite time this morning was spent in Luke 11. One of the highlights in this chapter, and there are many - is in Luke11:14-23, "a house divided cannot stand". How divided we are, especially in our faith! We are divided everywhere; at work, at home, in church - no wonder the evil one is tearing us apart - we buy the lie and divide ourselves. Somehow we think there is strength in this division? Jesus talks about the relationship with His Father and the Spirit as one, Paul teaches the new believers in the early church that we are many members of one body. Our doctrine is that of unity and our lives are that of division. How do we bring ourselves and our lives back to unity?
Psalm 8:1-9, O LORD, Our Lord, How excellent is your name in all the earth!

Here am I! Send me!

2009-02-25T05:08:00.002-06:00

Isaiah 6:1-13. Isaiah was called into Heaven to be made a prophet of God, and he shares a brief glimpse of what he sees, verses 1-4. Immediately he realizes his sinfulness and brokenness in the presence of a Holy God. He is utterly broken before the LORD, the fear of he LORD is upon him. Through the seraphim, the LORD purges him of his sins. He can now be used by God, he is ready to be poured out for the Kingdom. He hears the LORD ask - "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" I can almost picture Isaiah jumping up and down like a young school boy who knows the answer to a question the teacher has just asked! He says "Here am I! Send me!" LORD, I want to go for you! As you read the rest of this passage, you see the message and task are not particularly pleasant. It matters not to Isaiah. He now understands his true position and purpose - nothing else matters but to do the will of the LORD.
LORD, draw us to this place where we realize our sinfulness, where we repent and draw close to You, were we can be used to build and glorify You and Your Kingdom. Create in us a zeal to know you and serve You! May your will be done in each of our lives.

Amen

Incident at Nazareth?

2009-02-22T08:37:00.002-06:00

Quiet time this morning, Luke 4:16-30, verse 16 says that as His custom was He went in to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. His custom, His habit, His routine was to be in the Synagogue on the Sabbath, prepared to read - and I imagine to discuss what was being read. The point is He was with those who were seeking God, as a habit and custom. He was also prepared to read and discuss the Word as they had it then. He was there for a purpose and it wasn't to be "fed". I have heard this way too many times in our churches, " I just don't get fed here?" If you're going just to get fed - stay home. It's kind of like going to a gym thinking that by going in you'll get healthy. if you don't participate in the exercises - you are wasting your time! You must be prepared to engage when you go there, you must participate, you must be prepared! You wouldn't show up to work out in a three piece business suit would you, after eating a three course meal? When you come into the church, you should have prepared your heart and mind to worship the Living God. It should be your custom, your habit, your routine. You should be prepared to stand up and read the Word, and discuss it with other believers.
Luke 4:18-22, Jesus stunned them. He told them the truth in His Word, truth that they had heard all along, truth they should have known. They were amazed at His speech and authority. I can imagine them being puffed up and thinking, wow this guy is GOOD! We like this stuff! We know this guy, he's Joseph's son! Here's the rub - it didn't mean anything to them, and Jesus knew it. He knew they were not prepared. Luke4:23-29. First you love me - then you hate me? They were not prepared to act on what He told them, on what His Word had been telling them. He gave them examples and they got angry, so angry they wanted to kill Him! I see this in our churches today too, "you mean I actually have to do something, like deny myself, take up my cross and follow Jesus, daily?" People get angry and leave or never come back. Why? Many reasons, the one that stands out in my mind the most is that we as believers are not prepared when we gather in fellowship, we're just showing up to get fed. And sometimes when we are prepared and we engage and participate - people get uncomfortable and angry, that's okay too. Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19 what His purpose was and who it was for; the poor, the brokenhearted, he captives, the blind, the oppressed.... They were there also, and I don't think they were angry, I think they were anxious to meet the Lord, they were prepared, they came to participate, to be engaged......

Mighty Oak

2009-02-20T15:28:00.002-06:00

The tree pictured above is a 200+ year old Oak in Geneva AL. I have been to the tree several times as it is a nice motorcycle ride from my home. We have taken other people to see it too, it is a beautiful tree. There is a plaque there that says this tree was here when the US Constitution was signed! How cool is that!

Webcam update

2009-02-20T07:28:00.002-06:00

Last nite we successfully tested the webcams. I bought one for the laptop, which by the way wasn't really as good as the desktop model. I downloaded Windows Live Messenger, latest version and we had it up and running in a few minutes. We had some minor issues learning how to operate the software - but no big deal. Once we had it all set up and operating we shut it down and tried another iteration and it wouldn't recognize the other person's webcam, more testing tonite! The webcam I used for the desktop worked really well, good clear picture and wasn't slow motion, very close to real time. Abby, if you don't have the new Windows Live Messenger - you'll need to download and install it to work with our webcams.

Psalm 23

2009-02-20T06:23:00.002-06:00

This is my personal favorite of all the Psalms, it is the perfect picture of who I am in Jesus. David, as a shepherd, understands this relationship very well.
I am like a sheep in far too many ways. I need a shepherd, a good shepherd who knows what He is doing and who cares about me. This shepherd knows me personally and still loves me and cares for me. He provides for my needs, I am not lacking for anything.
He knows that I need rest, and He takes me to the quiet place where all is well.......

Useless worship and traditions

2009-02-19T06:31:00.003-06:00

This mornings' quiet time was spent reading and meditating in Isaiah 1. The Lord has told Isaiah that He has no delight in their sacrifices and methods of worship because they are not sincere, in fact He is tired of them altogether (Isaiah 1:11-15). This is really convicting, am I doing the same thing today? Am I trying to bring something to God - to say look God , look what I have done for you, see what sacrifices I have made? I have even begun traditions to justify myself before you? Boy does this sound like modern day American Christianity?
Pride. I have become prideful, we have become prideful (Isaiah 1:16-17). The cure for pride is humility, I must humble myself, and turn back to the Lord. The Lord is merciful and full of grace, He knows us and loves us beyond our comprehension (Isaiah 1:18-20). He comes to us, to reason together with Him! How awesome is that! He reaches out to us and offers forgiveness and grace - but there is a choice and there are consequences.....

Third Day Music

2009-02-18T19:14:00.002-06:00

The guy in the picture above is the Bass player for the band - Third Day. I really like thier style of contemporary Christian music. If you know me well - you know I really like music, I have all my life. Now that I can play the Bass guitar - I like playing music alot! I'm trying to learn some Third day songs now, like "Cry out to Jesus" and "Consuming Fire", both of which really touch my heart. The reason I put this picture up on my blog is that in this picture he is playing a Fender bass, he normally plays a ""Music Man" bass!

New Blog

2009-02-17T20:56:00.003-06:00

If you get a chance - check out the link "Been thinking.." in my "Links I Like" portion of this blog. It's a great place and they have some really in depth discussions on our faith!

Webcams anyone?

2009-02-17T20:49:00.002-06:00

Today I purchased two webcams, my intent is to set them up and using the appropriate software or program and do video conferencing with our grandchildren across the three states! I got the cameras from the PX at a reasonable price, tonite I hooked one up to my desktop and tested it out - so far so good! The only problem is I have to have a contact on the other end so we can really test this out! So it looks like the first test will be with our grandchildren in TX once I send them the webcam! So far I plan to use Microsoft Messenger because that is already installed on my computer and I already have a Windows Live account. I am excited - this should help alleviate the "We're missing the grandkids blues" syndrome we have! I may even make a short video and post it on here, that's a scary thought isn't it?

Monday, again?

2009-02-17T07:34:00.002-06:00

I recently discovered some "closet" readers of this blog, I strongly encourage you to respond and leave a comment or two on what you've read here. If you would like to make posts here- just contact me and we'll make it happen.
Here we are at Monday again, sound familiar? Monday's used to be a real drag for me, before I knew the Lord. Monday now represents a resurrection of sorts? I know that the Lord's mercy and grace are new every day and are sufficient for us to make it through the day! My mindset - at least initially is that the Lord has this day in His Hand, and I need not worry - about anything, it is like the resurrection - a new day with a fresh promise of what is to be!
The key this morning, as it was then - is to actively seek the Risen Lord! Matthew 6:33-34 says it all!

Drop me a line, I'd love to hear your comments and have a discussion of our Faith.

Friday at last!

2009-02-13T07:29:00.002-06:00

Don't try to rush God!
Slow down, take a deep breath and think for a moment how big, awesome, wonderful, and magnificent He is. Think about how he has already conquered death, you now have nothing to fear. Don't worry that you don't everything about Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit - He will reveal them to you in time, in His time! His time is always perfect!
Be at peace today, not the peace of the world which is just the temporary absence of conflict - but the peace of Jesus which surpasses all understanding. Take the time to talk with Him, let Him fill you with His Spirit and Word. Rest in Him, what a wonderful thought!
You can, go, He's calling you right now - He's knocking on the door to your heart this very minute........

New Chiefs?

2009-02-11T07:13:00.003-06:00

Thanks for the KC Emblem Greg!
It really looks good on the blog and adds much needed class! There is reason to be excited and hopeful for the 2009 KC Chiefs! New head coach just fresh off a Super Bowl appearance - the first for that team ever! New GM in the front office who has built a dynasty in New England! I gotta tell you - I think the rest of the NFL is trembling a little right now, that bright Red glow in KC is going to get brighter and hotter as the year goes by! If KC is one of the teams your team will play this year - you need to be prayed up strong! For all you AFC West fans - there is a new sheriff in town and he's not happy about the neighborhood!

Moving?

2009-02-11T07:04:00.002-06:00

Mary and I have a contract on a home in Newton that we really like! We came to an agreement with the seller last nite. We retained the services of a local Realtor to sell our house and the adventure begins. We are really excited to be possibly moving to the country, I can feel the space and hear the silence all ready! The theme song from "Green Acres" keeps playing in my head! Mary and I covet your prayers that God's Will be done in this matter. If you know of anyone looking for a nice home in Enterprise - let me know!

Tough Love

2009-02-10T19:05:00.002-06:00

If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don't love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them. (Proverbs 13:24)

Being a divorced father I face incredible challenges when I am able to see my two sons. They have very distinct personalities and require different parenting (tactics if you will). I have to blend the "let's have fun" dad, with the "I'm the parent" dad. I have found in the years that have followed my divorce have been, at times, very trying as a father. As we progress from adolescence into adulthood we discover that our parents were usually only trying to help us and prevent us from getting hurt. God has instilled in most of us an ability to feel pain...I think He created us as a direct result of Love...
I've always thought we need to love our children the most when they feel like we love them the least.

Quiet time study

2009-02-06T11:10:00.002-06:00

If you want to know about something in particular - then you focus in on that subject or idea. The primary purpose of a quiet time with the LORD is to grow in your relationship with Jesus and to become more like Him. For those of you who are struggling with a quiet time I highly recommed studying the 4 Gospels thoroughly, with an eye towards who Jesus is and how He ministered to those He came in contact with. Write down revelations that are given to you and questions that you have and share them with a partner, a buddy and/or a mentor and see what they have gotten from that scripture. Heck you can post them here and we can talk about it in this forum?

Quiet time thoughts

2009-02-06T10:50:00.002-06:00

For my brothers in the Thursday night Bible Study! After listening to you all report on your quiet time experiences - I have a few thoughts I'd like to share. Your quiet time with the LORD is absolutely critical. it is the very heart and soul of your relationship with Jesus. There are so many references, examples and illustrations that I could use to make that point that it's crazy! There is one however that fits my concept of a solid quiet time and that is: Galatians 6:6-8.
What am I sowing in my quiet time, am I sowing into my quiet time with the LORD? I will reap what I sow - that is unmistakeable. Three things make up a good solid quiet time: Prayer, study, meditation. They go in various order and for various times but these three I believe make up the components of a good solid quiet time with the LORD.
Prayer prepares your heart and mind, in study you absorb the Word, and in meditation you link the other two together to make application of what you studied to your life.

Roadrunner -vs- Coyote

2009-02-03T16:19:00.001-06:00

Anyone ever wish Wil-e the coyote would've caught the roadrunner?
But then again he sure kept ACME products in business.

Prayer and preparation...

2009-02-03T06:18:00.002-06:00

In the first chapter of Mark, Jesus was very busy publically, being tempted directly by satan, calling disciples, casting out demons, and healing multitudes. Then in Mark 1:35-38 He disappears for some serious prayer. This is one of the scriptures that really got me thinking about my prayer life. When was the last time I got up early, a long while before daylight, departed(left my comfort zone) to a solitary (no distractions) place and prayed???? And stayed there praying until people came looking for me? What did He say to them when they found him? "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."

So what was Jesus doing early in the morning at a solitary place, He was spending time with His Father in prayer and preparation for the mission! I can tell you from experience that this is a powerful way to start your day, it is difficult to be sure - but it is possible. This is a glimpse of the kind of "seeking" that Jesus talks about to His disciples later, He is modeling this to them now.

Quiet time with our Lord is a time for us to seek Him, away from things that distract us, at a time when He has our full attention, it is a time of preparation the Lord uses to ready us for His work. It is a time to be filled fresh and anew with His Spirit, grace, and power. When His disciples found Him - He told them -'Let's go, we need to be fulfilling our purpose, that's why we're here!

May the Spirit of the Living GOD be strong upon you today!

Are you disillusioned?

2009-02-02T09:04:00.002-06:00

THE DISCIPLINE OF DISILLUSIONMENT

"Jesus did not commit Himself unto them for He knew what was in man." John 2:24-25

Disillusionment means that there are no more false judgments in life. To be undeceived by disillusionment may leave us cynical and unkindly severe in our judgment of others, but the disillusionment which comes from God brings us to the place where we see men and women as they really are, and yet there is no cynicism, we have no stinging, bitter things to say. Many of the cruel things in life spring from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts; we are true only to our ideas of one another. Everything is either delightful and fine, or mean and dastardly, according to our idea.

The refusal to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering in human life. It works in this way - if we love a human being and do not love God, we demand of him every perfection and every rectitude, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; we are demanding of a human being that which he or she cannot give. There is only one Being Who can satisfy the last aching abyss of the human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Why Our Lord is apparently so severe regarding every human relationship is because He knows that every relationship not based on loyalty to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no man, yet He was never suspicious, never bitter. Our Lord's confidence in God and in what His grace could do for any man, was so perfect that He despaired of no one. If our trust is placed in human beings, we shall end in despairing of everyone.

This text was taken from "My utmost for His highest" by Oswald Chambers. I first read it 8 years ago as a new believer, it really rocked my view of the people around me and my attitude towards them. This deserves meditation, only when we can begin to see others as Jesus sees us can we truly love them unconditionally.

The Perfect Revelation of the LORD!

2009-01-30T14:21:00.002-06:00

GOD is all around us, above us, below us, in us and in between us. There is no place where there is no GOD. I'm often amazed and dismayed at how seemingly intelligent people can look at the world around them and say - there is no GOD! They will tell you there is no Creator, no "orderly process" out there. I like to remind them of how fragile, detailed and balanced this all is. I like to be reminded of this myself - we frequently walk around like chickens in a barnyard - with our faces 6 inches on the ground in front of us.
My fellow Saint and brother in Christ King David was very much aware of how this all worked and who made it work. In Psalm 19:1-6, David explains it in the most majestic way! I know that the NKJV says it differently than other versions, this is just thow I learned and studied it. Do yourself a tremendous favor and read the first 6 verses aloud to yourself and meditate on them for a while and let that sink in. It goes to show you that you don't need to be a rocket scientist or a Seminary grad to see God is all around us. Barukh attah ADONAI!

Declaration of Faith!

2009-01-28T15:01:00.003-06:00

I love to read David's words in Psalms, he was a man's man, he wasn't afraid to burst into spontaneous praise or fall to the ground in total humility! I look at the Psalms he wrote as a kind of open diary where he communicated with GOD regularly and for all to see! I see my life in David's words of praise, in his frustration with life and how he wasn't afraid to really pour his heart out to GOD. I'll be sharing some thoughts and Psalms here regularly, please feel free to comment and share back!

Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?"

Wow, powerful stuff! Do you think he has a relationship with the Living GOD? I could camp out on just this first verse for a LONG time.....

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to???

2009-01-26T07:15:00.003-06:00

Another sunny day in paradise? It is warm this morning and not raining - but it is very foggy! Thinking seriously about taking the Goldwing to work this morning. Checked the Radar for the region and it looked clear, I think I'll step out in faith and ride the bike!
A theme keeps popping up in my life right now about "witnessing" or "evangelizing," that sounds like a harsh word anymore? But what we're really talking about is sharing our belief in Jesus. Wow, as I look at what i just wrote the thought hit me that maybe we (I) should stop "witnessing" and just share my belief in Christ with those the Lord draws near to me?
Witnessing sounds like an activity or event, sharing sounds more like a lifestyle? Agree - disagree? Witnessing to people I don't know about a subject they may not be prepared to receive seems to be a futile thing? I would say that most of those type of activities do not produce the result we think they should. And what is the result we are looking for? In the Bible, the book of John 6:65, Jesus says to His disciples: "therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." We need to read that very closely and then look at what witnessing really is and how we should go about it. Comments?

Motorcycle riding...

2009-01-25T20:07:00.002-06:00

I am so ready for some great riding weather! The bikes are clean, full tanks of gas, and miles and miles of open roads are waiting for me out there! The thing I really like the most when riding is the intense concentration of keeping that bike on the road safely, it really brings driving alive as you have no time to daydream on a bike. You don't have the "safety cushion" surrounding you like in a car or truck. I really enjoy living here in southeast Alabama because of all the available riding days during the year. Last year I took a small group of riders on a nice day trip to Lake Eufaula and back, we had breakfast at a small resturaunt (Michelle's) on the Georgia side of the lake. Good food, great fellowship, wonderful ride! I'd like to put together a few of these this year. I talked with the Chaplain today, who along with his wife - also are avid motorcycle riders, about doing a few "Chapel Rides" and he was excited about the idea and said he would support that 100%! He's a good man!

2009-01-25T19:43:00.003-06:00

Today was another awesome day of Worship! Mary and I spent the first half of morning in the prayer room of our Chapel. We pray for the service , the Pastor, the people in the service, the people in the praise band, our hearts, prayer requests and praises submitted by the congregation and visitors. What an awesome way to start the day! It reminds me very quickly and powerfully just how frail our lives are and how we are all in need of a Saviour!
The second half of the morning was listening to the praise band and the sermon from the Pastor. Today he talked about how it takes a leap of faith to trust in Jesus and make a commitment to Him. I though t he covered it pretty well, and as he talked I thought that this was something that really needed to be explained and talked about. people who have not given thier lives to Jesus don't really have a clue what we are talking about? We use our church lingo and think that everybody understands.
What does it really mean, in everyday language to be saved, to give your life to the Lord, to be born again? Can you explain it in a way that a non-churched person can understand? Great question! What do you think?

Figuring it all out?

2009-01-23T13:19:00.002-06:00

Well, day two of "blogging", having fun learning how this site and blog thing really works. I see lots of potential for this blog in generating some interesting conversations and disussions.

First Post!

2009-01-22T16:31:00.000-06:00

Not sure really what to start out with? I have been thinking about doing this for quite sime time and well - here we go! You are here because I've invited you in to share life with me. To quote an old Clint Eastwood movie, "the good, the bad, and the ugly" are welcome here. We'll figure this out as we go!