New Beginnings

Too many people want to spend their time lost in the past. We have to move forward and continue to grow and become better and more mature people. When we are always looking backwards than we lose our focus and simply stumble through life. If we concentrate too much on the future than we lose sight of the here and now and then we miss out on the joys and blessings we are meant to have in life. We need to learn to be content with right now. When we realize the importance of where we are right now right here than we can truly start to feel the Spirit and just be.

As 2009 fades into memory remember the lessons learned but look forward to a prosperous 2010. Over the past year I have learned more than I can possibly convey in a simple blog. I am now teaching, I have preached my first sermon, I am unemployed, I am preparing to start a new session of schooling in seminary and I have never been happier. I have conquered major health issues, battled depression, avoided economic disaster, and found peace through it all. I realized that if I cannot control it than I cannot let it control me. What I can control is how I respond and how I act.

I decided to be content with who I am, where I am, and the decisions I make. I take time to pray, I seek Godly counsel, and I make the best decision I can and I live with the results. In this I have found that the decisions take better care of themselves when I trust God to guide me. Thus for 2010 I say here is to new beginnings, happiness in the here and now, and peace in the relationship through the comfort of Christ.

When we forget.

Sometimes the pressures of life are simply too much. We get frustrated and angry. Our focus and faith is shaken and we begin to lose hope in tomorrow. Our emotions go haywire, our bodies get sick, and our relationships suffer as a result. When stress gets too high our body will do what it has to in order to manage and cope. The results can be psychological, physical, and long lasting. When the darkness closes in and we have taken our eyes of Jesus then we are focused ourselves. The problem is that we are already beat down and exhausted. We don't have the energy or determination to change the circumstances we find ourselves in when we hit rock bottom.

But we do not have to resign ourselves to a life of solitude and destitution. God tells us that if we trust him in our darkest hour he is still there. Over the past year to a year and a half I have learned that it is crucial to learn certain scriptures, memorizing it, and consigning it to my heart to draw on when these days of sorrow and depression come on. When you are down and don't feel like praying or reading, you can still look inside and find that scripture that reminds you that Jesus loves me despite all my faults and failures.

It is amazing to know that even at our worst we are still beloved children. The Lord loves us and wants us to succeed. The key is that success does not mean wealth and possessions, rather it refers to wisdom and understanding that help us to live more like him in our lives everyday. When that darkness closes in look inside and find that special word he has given and use it to find the Lord that you learned to trust and love and he will lift up and help you walk again.

Fear and Failure

Sometimes life just doesn't work out the way we want it to. Often the perfect plan we envision for our life doesn't come to pass. We might not get rich, maybe we don't have perfect health, or perhaps we didn't get that promotion. The bottom line is that we all are going to fall down and face failure. There are going to be days when there is no way to get over the hill, we will not be able to cross the river, and we will not be able to see through the fog. It is during these days that we will have to rely on God to steer us through to the other shore.

One of my greatest fears is that I will not be a good father or a good husband. As I have struggled in this battle with Leukemia I have trembled in fear at the thought of not being able to care for my boys and my wife. What kind of a man lets down his children? What kind of man would I be if I cannot put food on the table or pay the bills? When I lost my job a few weeks ago I was beside myself with grief. I had hit rock bottom. I was the ultimate failure. My body was giving out. I had lost my job. I couldn't provide for my family. I couldn't do many of the jobs that needed done around the house. I was failing miserably. I was a loser and I didn't want my children to see that. But as I spoke with my wife and we prayed and studied God reminded me that there is a greater example to be shown. One of trust and reliance.

I have to trust God and allow him to carry me through this difficult time. I do not know what the future holds for me, but I do know who holds the future. In Him I will trust. He has provision for me that will not run dry and cannot fail. I went to see some of the specialist just two days after losing my job and they were glad I wouldn't be working they said the job might have been a contributing factor to my problems. I have now been off a couple of weeks and I feel better. I have applied for some new jobs (now that I have graduated with my bachelors degree) and they all would be at higher pay rates, the doctors are saying I may end up disability, and God is guiding it all. I do not know where he is taking me, but where ever it is, this is one heck of a ride.

Yes I have been scared! Yes I have fallen prey to my fears! Yes I have failed! But Jesus has been there to comfort me! He has picked me up, dusted me off, and held my hand to walk me the rest of the way. I do not know yet where I will end up; but I am thankful that I have been given the wisdom to see His hand working in my life through these trials and tribulations.

When nothing makes sense.

Sometime ago I heard a song on TBN that caught my attention. It was by one of my favorite country artist, Clay Walker. The song is "A Few Questions". The song talks about things that don't make sense such as the death of a youth, a baby with no home, and the need for cancer research for children. I really like the song because I know I have questioned God through some of my trials. The key to the song is that it says we weren't there when he filled the oceans and how we didn't see him set the stars in the sky. We cannot always understand what is going on in the world. We cannot know all the things of God. What we can know is that we have hope and a friend who will never forsake us and will always walk with us.

As a firefighter I have seen too many accidents with death, dismemberment, and injury that changes lives. I have seen families killed, youths taken early, and people confined to a life that will never be the same. Each time I pray and ask for God's wisdom to have understanding but more importantly I simply ask that his presence be there for all to experience and feel. I know that life can be tough and there are often trials that we cannot understand, but if we are willing to stop and ask what it is that we should gain from the experience then we can begin to make sense of what we are facing.

Solomon is remembered for his wisdom and being the richest and most prolific leader of Israel. Why because he asked for wisdom so that he could be a good leader. We need to concentrate more on being good leaders and leave the mystery to God. This week I have been studying the Fall and how sin entered into the world. The evil we live with is a direct consequence of our actions and it is a price that has to be paid. Yes Jesus died to pay for our sins so that we could spend eternity in heaven, but as we go through life the effects of sin are still evident and occur for us to deal with.

What we can know is that as we journy through life we need to stop over analyzing everything. Some things we are not meant to know, some things we may never know, and some times we simply cannot understand even if we knew. What we can know is that we have hope, peace, and joy in a God that loved us so much that he was willing to lose it all to spend eternity with us. All we have to do is simply say yes. Let him in and then things will begin to make sense.

The difficulty of witnessing to family

I honestly think that sometimes witnessing to family is more difficult than witnessing to any other person on the planet. The familiarity we have with family often leads us to make assumptions that may or may not be true. Sometimes they have made it clear that they don't want to hear our preaching and teaching, others they just live so crudely that you feel any witnessing to them would be fruitless and useless. But we should realize that our family should be the one group that we want to witness to the most.

Today I spoke with my father about my ministry. Broaching the subject was very difficult, because it seemed that everytime I wanted to discuss it he would begin to curse or talk about something totally inappropriate. I felt as if with his behavior that if I brought up my ministry it would just bring on a tirade of insults or belittleling. I finally brought up the subject and he was totally cool about it. I learned that no matter what the situation we have to have the courage to trust God to take care of the testimony.

As I reflect on this occurrence and think about what this day means it made me realize something. Christ could have assumed that we wouldn't have accepted him. He could have said it wasn't worth his time. But instead he came and he shared in love. I think that is what we have to do. Simply come and share in love. People can be a lot more receptive than we think, and our assumptions can severly lead us astray. The world is searching for something and we should share with them the only thing that can satisfy them.

The resurrection showed us that Jesus is all powerful and trustworthy, so we need to rely on him and allow him to work through us. When we speak to our family we need to think about how these are the most important people in our lives. If we truly love them then we should want them to have an eternity filled with light, love, and Christ. When we allow our preconceived notions to deter us from sharing than we are helping to condemn them to hell and suffering. I can't stand the thought of allowing my family to suffer knowing I didn't even give them the opportunity to hear about Jesus. Today I learned to have faith and courage, and God will guide our words and their actions.

The Little Things

It never ceases to amaze me how we take so much for granted. I remember growing playing cowboys and indians using sticks and our imaginations. That doesn't happen anymore most kids probably couldn't tell you what an Indian is. All they know are computers and video games. Don't get me wrong I am not knocking technology. As a matter of fact I love the stuff, but when did we get so lost in it that we can't imagine just a little.

One of my favorite past times is reading, but I don't just read I like to envision myself in the story. I enjoy feeling like I am there living and breathing the tale as it unfolds and comes to life. In today's world we are so busy there is no time for tales or stories. It's all about DVR, I-Tunes, and Facebook. We worry about having a cell phone that can reach everywhere and do everything. We are constantly connected and always on the go. Nobody wants to stop and smell the roses, not along take the time to spin a good tale, or imagine for a while. Instead we want a high definition reality to fill our mind.

Well I for one say its time to get back to a simpler life. Take a day and go fishing, feel the tug at the end of the line as you land that largemouth bass! Spend a day walking in the woods talking to your dog and realizing what a true companion he is! Love your kids and your spouse because they may not be here tomorrow! You have today, you have life, and most important we have God. We need to slow down and appreciate the blessings he has given us. Go on a picnic! Lay on the ground and look up at the stars.

Yes we have many perks, gadgets, and whatchamacallits to make life easier and simpler, but instead they have made it more complicated. We don't take time to relax and enjoy the amazing world God has given us. Tell a friend what they mean to you! Kiss your mom on the cheek and tell her how she influenced you! Smile at a stranger and show them their is kindness in the world.

We live in a world filled with anger, hatred, pain, and stress. Maybe if we all would slow down and simplify things just a bit we could ease the strain. The time has come to stop pushing to do more, quit planning every moment, and just worship the God who is. He gave us this world and our lives to honor and glorify Him not to act like ants on an ant farm. So as you dredge on through it all know there is hope and there is joy, and its found in the little things.

Bailouts, Buyouts, and Beliefs

In an economically crazy nightmare our world is turned upside down as everyone struggles to understand the current economic downturn. Wallstreet is down, the 401k isn't doing so well, the housing market is in total dissarray, and banks are on the verge of bankruptcy and collapse. How did we get into such a mess? Greed. We wanted fancier cars, nicer houses, and bigger credit limits while working less and not making enough to pay it all back. Credit has allowed us to spend our way into oblivion. We have focused on our wants and lusts for material things and lost sight of what should be important to us.

And what is our answer? How does our government respond? They say we need more credit. We should spend even more. Let's reward these companies for their poor performance and lack of leadership by protecting them and giving them money to bail them out. They say they have to protect our economy and keep our nation moving, but at what cost. How can the world look to us for guidance and leadership when our answer is to be fiscally irresponsible and spend money we don't have? We are creating a debt load that our nation will not be able to escape. How long before other nations begin to stop investing in our great production machine? When will foreign governments call in the loans we owe them? How will our children and grandchildren ever pay off this debt?

They say we need infrastructure, education, and better health care. But what good is all this if we compromising our ethical responsibilities and our morals? We want to improve the education system but we don't want to talk about God. We want to create a better health care system but we aren't suppose to talk about faith or the healing that Jesus gives us for eternity. And what better infrastructure can you build then to build to provide for your eternal future. Building for your future is about providing security and hope.

Having budgets that create huge deficits shows financial irresponsibility, bailing out poorly run businesses that are failing while executives prosper unnaturally sets poor examples for the world to follow, and leaving massive unimaginable debt to our descendants is morally irreprehensible and shows a lack of compassion for future generations. Our greed to create a favorable market here and now to provide for our material wants and needs, is showing our willingness to serve evil through our love of money. I pray that this nation will see the error of its way and turn to God to answer our problems, and stop turning to money to fix the damage we have done.