Feet For the Path

Good morning and happy Friday. What if, has a hiker or jogger on many types of terrain, your shoes would instantly change into the perfect type needed for the road you were on? If it was rocky you would get a boot type with a hard sole and if smooth and even they changed into a classic running shoe.  God has a path for us to walk and run and jog down. It's not always gonna be easy or smooth. We are gonna face trials in our lives and many of us know that already. It's how we handle all this that's gonna make it better, faster and easier. It's when we go to God with our worries and woes that He begins changing our shoes for the path we are on. The most amazing thing is that sometimes He just picks us up and carries us through it. We have to allow Him to do this for us though. We have to have a receptive heart to Him wanting to be in our lives. He is a giving and loving God and pouring His heart out to us, helping us as we allow Him. Today, pray for the feet for the path you are on. Let God walk you through a spot in life and learn the lesson that is being learned through it. Where the shoes and walk in faith that He is God. In love always. <><

Be Seen As a Christian

Good morning and happy Thursday. How strong of a Christian are you?  When the storms of life come crashing in, how well do you handle them? What do people see in you that let's them know you're a Christian? This comes from a lady my wife and I met in Boston.  The people there are what I called politely rude. But in one store we walked in  the lady just started talking to us like old friends. I asked if she was from the South, and she said no she was from Boston. I said, then you must be a Christian. She said yes she was and then she said this, " Christians always know each other ". It didn't sink in at the time, but it has more lately. Turns out this nice woman is a gospel singer and author. She and Tana still email and check on each other to this day. That was two years ago and her words are still as clear as a bell today. I hope that my faith is being lived out like hers to the point that someone knows I'm a follower of Jesus too. That my actions and my words reflect that just as much as my heart pours it into someone else's life. You are as strong as you let your faith in the Lord above be. In love always. <>< 

" I Was Here "

Good morning and happy Wednesday. "I was here", " John was here '88 ". We've all done that at some point, left a mark to the fact we were there. I guess it's because we feel like we what people to know or maybe it's just because we want to say it some how. To leave a lasting mark that we were in this world at that point in time. Now that I'm older and a little smarter, I see that that's not the mark I really want to leave on this world. I have kids, and that's a mark I was here. But my hope is that I'm leaving a mark on them and the others that I encounter as God walks us through pathways that intertwine. But most importantly that it not be my mark but Gods. I see now that it's not about me here, it's about Him, and me getting to where He is. Oh lives will be touched and marks on the timeline left, so long as we walk with others as we walk with Jesus. There are people who become set apart on a bigger stage of life, but there are millions that are making God smile everyday by their devotion to Him and the cause He has before them. Simple obedience to His will leaves a legacy behind. An example of a sinner finding his way Home leaves hope for generations to make it there too. That's a mark that will never go away. In love always. <>< 

The Strength of David

Good morning and happy Tuesday. This morning I woke up with David on my mind. I'm not sure of the giants to be faced today but there must be some for God to tell me to prepare. I think about that young boy standing there so unafraid of what "could" happen to him. He stood firm in what God was "gonna" do for him. Huge difference in attitude. And I think that is where He is telling me to look inside at.  When we were young we felt like that. Nothing scared us really. We had confidence to the point of near stupidity. But this is different. This is eminent danger and even as kids we feared that. But David knew his God was there with him and when God is with you, whom shall you fear? David got that. I know it, but am I living it?  Today be David in the way you see challenges and deal with things in front of you. God is with you and will lead the way if we let Him. He will slay your giants. In love always. <><

The Bureaucracy of Church

Good morning and happy Monday. I love going to church and church functions. Trust me, it wasn't always like that either. But I figured out that what it is I like is not the "church" but the people, who are the church. The building and the bureaucracy that go with church, I despise. The more I study about what Jesus was teaching the more I see how much we are becoming the Pharisee. We love money and power and lost sight of the lost souls. We think if more are coming in then more are being saved. People in need of salvation are leery of the motives of a church  from the start. They look to see the heart of it and it's leaders. If it's not reflecting Jesus then it's not going to get them to seek Him. A church full of back patters who don't follow Him or really have deep concern for the soul of others, will end up just a building full of people. We all want to feel good, but there is a difference in feeling good and doing good. Feeling good comes from doing not sitting and being fed by someone else needing their own echoes stroked. That is the heart of the Pharisee, not my Lord and savior. Be more than a church building, be a church. In love always. <><

Social Media

Good morning and happy Friday. So now I'm seeing all these videos on YouTube about man and religion and Jesus and one not liking the other. It's interesting in the way they are presented these cases for Christ and religion. I'm glad it's there getting the reviews they are because maybe somebody will hear something that turns them in a new life direction with God. Social media dominates our culture today and I wonder where and how it fits in, and when you step back out of it it's amazing. The Word is reaching people from all over in a new way. But just like when it was written by a scribe and to be interpreted into daily use, man is able to twist it and make it fit his ideology. Nothing has changed except for the way the game is played. Newer more modern equipment and much a bigger audience. Jesus preached a lot of His messages at the ones in power and kept things, including the Word, from the less fortunate. I don't think the less fortunate today have a laptop or smart phone to play in the social media game. We still need to have our hands in the mess and getting dirty instead of calling this good enough.  We have powerful weapons at our disposal to spread the Word fast and far, but it still gets back to the basics of a relationship with Jesus and doing His work, however that may be. Get the Word out the best you can but being the Word is the best of all. In love always. <><

The Purpose of a Life

Good morning and happy Thursday  sorry for the length of this today but its dear to me. The purpose of a life is not easily determined. A newborn who passes away; what was the purpose? Could it be that a person is born and raised and we meet and grow together and bond in a way that is beyond friendship, that their death is their purpose for my life. It happens to us all the time when a loved one or close friend passes away. We change the way we see our life and the way we're gonna live it. It's a huge feeling in the pit of your stomach that says; do it this way from now on. Is that the purpose of the life that has passed? Did God really put into motion a life born, lived and died just for the purpose of changing me at a crucial point? Yes He did. The little baby was born only for a few days before passing and has touched the lives of many people. A grandparent who dies late in their life that as they are dying the family is reflecting on their life and has a changing impact on a lot of lives. When those deaths happen, don't we begin to search for the meaning behind them and then make changes in our own lives. Well it happened a long and it was very deliberate in it's purpose. Jesus was born and lived and died to change our lives. Death of our loved ones and ourselves are simply that again, as a reminder of what's been done for us by God Himself through His son Jesus. Don't let the purpose of a life lived be lost on our own idea of life. Let your life be changed by those who have gone on before us, but especially by the one who went first before us all. That's where all life is pointed to. Jesus' life was to die for us. You are born to die so others may change from your life lived. Not to take away from the actual life itself, changing others as it is lived. But sometimes the only way we see it is when a life is taken away from us. Happy Birthday Trenton. I miss you. In love always <><

LIfted Up In Prayer

Good morning and happy Wednesday. Have you ever had someone just pray over you for no reason other than they just wanted to? To just lift you up out of love for you? It's an awesome feeling, but to find out that someone has been doing it everyday at the same time for a long time is simply amazing. To find out is not the goal and the intent was not to satisfy a need of their own, but to simply pray for them. We do a great service for others when we lift them up in prayer. Just as Jesus stands before God on our behalf, we can take a friend or family member to Him also. True, sometimes God needs to hear from that person, but to lift them slowly means that it will begin to sink in. God is a good listener. He will hear what we say to Him. And to be doing for others makes His heart swell. To go to Him on their behalf is a sacrificial act of service. That's what He wants from us. Especially if we are about that with a joyful heart and not seeking personal gain. That's what love is. When you love someone you will do these things. Love will have you doing all kinds of things. Love on someone today and pray over them. Really lift them up in love. In love always. <><

Right Where You Are

Good morning and happy Tuesday. I hope that you had a nice long weekend. Some of us didn't. I find it interesting how we look at others and wish we had what they had. A day off because they have a "good" job. They're money because they have a nice car. We don't really know the whole story or how happy or sad they are, or what their relationship is with God. I went through a neighborhood one time of a pretty poor and run down part of this small town. As I looked around I noticed some things; the families were outside cooking out and playing because they had no a/c in the house and it's cooler outside and they're together. It was all over the place and I saw how happy they were, where they were. I'm sure they want it to be better but for now it is what it is, make the most of it. God blesses us with the Holy Spirit and with meeting our needs. It's by the Holy Spirit we are guided and to see needs of others we can be a blessing too. We shouldn't want the place of another. Be happy where you are because that's exactly where God wants you. And you never know the troubles you may be wishing for in that fancy car. Or just because someone has the day off on a day you're working means they have a job at all. Be thankful where you are,move as God moves you and only then. He loves you and has great plans for you. In love always. <><

"Times"

I have always loved this song by Tenth Avenue North. These young men wrote about a conversation many of us have had many times with God. Its starts with them talking to Him, Then His answer. The key is being quite to hear Him speak over you.

"Times"

I know I  need You 

I need to love You

I love to see You, but it's been so long

I long to feel You

I feel this need for You

and I need to hear You

is that so wrong?

Now You pull me near You

When we're close I fear You

still i'm afraid to tell You

all that I've done

are You done forgiving?

or can You look past my pretending?

Lord, I'm so tired of defending

what I've become

what have I become?

Now the answer, listen to Him

I hear You say "My love is over,

it's underneath, it's inside, it's in between

the times you doubt Me, when you can't feel

the times that you've questioned 'is this for real?'

the times you've broken, the times that you mend

the times you hate Me and the times that you bend"

Well My love is over, it's underneath

it's inside, it's in between,

these times you're healing

and when your heart breaks

the times that you feel like you've fallen from grace

the times you're hurting

the times that you heal

the times you go hungry and are tempted to steal

in times of confusion and chaos and pain

I'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame

I'm there through your heartache

I'm there in the storm

My love I will keep you by My power alone

I dont care where you've fallen, where you have been

I'll never forsake you

My LOVE never ends, it never ends

I take great comfort in the fact that He is always with me, always. In love always <><

Do You Trust God?

Good morning and happy Thursday. Do you trust God? Do you really trust Him?  We all say yes immediately, but if we stop and think about our actions and how we're living our lives on our own terms, the answer might be different. As Christians we're supposed to trust Him, that's the rule. I'm a Christian and haven't been really trusting Him either. I haven't been out on many ledges where all I have is Him. But that's what we need to be doing. Getting to that place He's lead us to and just say I trust you to pull me through this. Today I am on a ledge because I don't know how it will be able to be done, but I am trusting God in His promise to see us through it. Right now it looks insurmountable, but with Him, it's all possible. His timing is uncanny and His methods are unorthodox, but I trust Him. It is easier to do in some smaller areas but this is bigger than I think. Which tells me He's been preparing me this whole time to take this on. It's amazing the work He's doing in lives every day. It's amazing to see how they all connect to make every one involved stronger than than know. Trust him with everything you have. Trust Him to always be there no matter what you've done or where you've been or how good you've been. In God we trust. It's not just a saying, it's "the" way of life. In love always. <><

A Place In Time

Good morning and happy Wednesday. Is there a time and place in history you would like to go back to to live in, not just visit but live out the rest of your days?  I don't know why but I would like to have lived in the time of the gladiators and Spartans. Ever think about why we would like to live at another time than we do now? What do you know about that time?  What do you know about this time and tomorrow?  Through our history books we can know a lot about the past, but the biggest thing is we know how it ends. Can't say the same about today can you?  This goes back to safe and secure. We like that feeling. But that takes us away from our faith in God. If we went to another time we would know things that were coming and so we would not have to rely on God the way we do now. So there's the rub; relying on Him now. That's not easy and it requires action from us. Well that stinks right?  I just want us to see our dependence on Him and to surrender to it. Then we will be safe and secure in this time. Trust Him to lead you on a wonderful journey with Him. It'll be worth telling later. In love always. <><

Something Worth Dying For

Good morning and happy Tuesday. MikesChair's song "Something worth dying for" just keeps playing over and over in my head. It's about seeing your own self worth in the eyes of the Father. That's the key to it all is seeing ourselves through His eyes with His heart. We place too much value on what other people think of us. With that said if you're going through it all wrong to begin with and actin like heathen, then yeah, peoples opinion will matter as they should be guiding us back on track. But aside from that situation, there's not a person one that can save you from hell or get you into Heaven. That being the case, who can? Then that's who matters and that's who loves you more than anything. He's the one and only person that can make an eternal difference in our life. They're are people who help and have a hand in but it boils down to Jesus and you. He's waiting for you to decide to join Him. The angels of Heaven wait to sing and rejoice your answer. All of heaven already knows you are worth dying for or else He wouldn't have came and done it already. And that's just Jesus' love. The Father loves us so much He gave His son up so we could be with Him. Love is at the root of all of this, and it's what we have the hardest time doing it seems. Don't let the world tell you you're something you're not. We all have a purpose that was given by God. That's all that matters; our relationship with Him. In love always. <><

God In The NFL

Good morning and happy Monday. So they said he really isn't an NFL quarterback. He had unbelievable stats in college and set all kinds of records. Became the first to win the Heisman trophy as a sophomore, why wouldn't he succeed in the NFL? It's because people said so. All the experts and they were saying it last night before the game even started. He did not have what it takes to beat the Steelers. Well, I guess people are wrong sometimes. Persecution is not something we face much if at all here in this country. At least not on a scale you would in the Middle East or China. But Tim has faced a little more than most and had his faith called into question. So how did he handle it? With the grace of a true Christian. He went out and did what he was supposed to do and shocked them all. Did he have a battle inside he was facing along the way, probably? But I'm sure he got on a knee and prayed and sought the guidance of the one true God. This is the Christian life being lived on a grand stage. Is God still at work here, obviously, because the experts said it couldn't be done. God showed them. Not to take away from Christians on the Steelers team, its just they aren't under the scrutiny Tim has been. And just for a conversation piece, Tim threw for 316 yards last night. That's cool. All this from not a Denver fan, but a  faith in God fan. In love always. <><

The Latest Craze

Good morning and happy Friday. Remember your latest "thing" ? That thing you told everyone about. It was the best that ever happened to you. You don't know how you lived without it. It's the best. Is it still?  Was it just a phase until the next best thing came along?  We're easily entertained aren't we?  It's a weakness Satan plays on too. All the things we get a kick out of and tell all our friends about, are just for the moment and time. Who still has their parachute pants? But one thing has remained throughout all time. God. And we do it  with Him as well. We get on fire and tell the world around us about it and it's the greatest thing ever. But then the world becomes a fire extinguisher and puts us out. But it's because we're weak and let it happen. Weakness is over come by conditioning and practice. It's a constant daily desire of wanting and realizing our need for Him. He is the greatest thing ever. God is the best thing that can happen to us. That's the craze of a lifetime. One that will never fade away. It's up to us to choose Him. He's already chosen us and we can't make Him love us anymore or less than He already does. In love always <><