Twas the night before Thanksgiving...

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house....ok, not really. I am thankful for some new insight that I have with God and what he has confirmed in my life.  I have been walking with God for about 16 years already and yet I feel somedays that we just started our relationship a few years ago.  It never ceases to amaze me that God is still speaking to me loud and clear and that when I listen, He shows me some pretty cool things.  No matter how good things are going.  Even when your marriage is good, the kids are healthy and the bills are paid.  Circumstances are fine, careers are on the positive and friends are faithful, some things are just more important.  Even as Christians, we try to fill a void that only Christ can fill.  We still look to church, to our pastors and leaders, and even to good Christian friends.  But to no avail, only Jesus can do something in us and with us that makes perfect sense.  Its only his presence and purpose that we can have life abundantly.  Nothing else really matters...nothing....

Fruits & Vegetables

I was in unfamiliar territory the other day. I really had not visited this place very often and felt a little weird walking around here. Normally I know where to go and how to get around but this was a little different. I was in the fruits and vegetables section in Publix! I really hadn't frequented this area of the grocery store for several years. I know the bakery area far to well but this section was a little intimidating to me. The more I walked around the more comfortable I was. The more time I spent looking at each item and figuring out what it was and if I was going to put it in my buggy, the more things seemed to flow. God wants us to continue to be in a state of change with him as He transforms our hearts and minds into his likeness. He allows us to venture into unfamiliar territory which creates a stronger dependence on Him. The more time we spend with him, the more comfortable we are in his presence. He wants us to have an intense fellowship with him, unlike no other relationship in our lives. He wants us to be honest in our prayer time and reflective with his word. The next time I enter the fruits and vegetables section I will feel a little more confident that I know what I am doing. In the same way, each time I enter the presence of the Lord I feel like I know him a little better also. And thats a great thing!!

Tomlin Concert

This evening Jean and I had a date night and went to the Chris Tomlin concert.  He was in town with Louis Giglio and Christy Knockles and on the last stop in Florida for hsi tour. As we were parking our car we had a lady honk at us, as if to say, hurry up, I am late for the concert and I want to get a good seat.  She wasn't the only one who was excited and anticipating the night.  We heard another couple say to each other, "boy there are some crazy drivers out there tonight".  We went up the ramp to get in line and there were people everywhere. They had just opened the doors and you could hear a scream or two that came from the beginning of the bunch that got in as soon as the doors opened.  It was a mad rush and you could sense the anticipation of the crowd to get in there and get a good seat.  Oh, I didn't mention, it was general seating so you had better hurry and find where you were going to sit in hurry.  The concert started and was one of the most amazing worship services/times I have ever experienced in my 15 years of being a Christian.  All hands were up, people were engaged and voices signing in every seat.  As I scanned about the sold out arena, I was amazed at all the people that were there.  They were all fully there and diving into God.  I have never seen such expectancy to be with God as I did tonight.  The parking lot was a sign of people who were desperate to get into the presence of Almighy God.  Looking back now, the sheer excitment and hurry up-ness were people just trying to push their way into this Holy environment we were about to become a part of.  Nobody came away empty tonight.  We were all filled with his Glorious presence and all who were there there got a glipmse of what heaven will be like.  Selfless Surrender!

I love the new technology available today. Oh to be able to blog from my cell phone by texting.... Cmon really??!

His Word

We had a speaker come in a few weeks ago and he had a message I will never forget. Well, it wasn't the message I remember, but it was the message within the message. He basically shared his passion for Jesus and that we should all live and die for Christ in our actions and behaviors everyday. But it was the scriptures he used that got my attention. In fact, it was the amount of God'd word that this young man had hidden in his heart. He almost couldn't help himself as he would be going from one point to the next without the Holy Spirit prompting him to say a scripture that referenced his point. I left thinking and pondering the value in this and the challenge to hide God's word in my heart. In my devotions the scripture that came up is one that I now have memorized....pretty much.....it takes me a second to go through it....but I think I have it!! It is 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and it talks about why I think that we all need to understand and crave God's word even more. It says that " All Scripture is God-Breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness. So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." That tells me that we know that every single word in His Bible came from God and that its useful for many things in our life. We need it so we can be ready to make a difference in this world!! So next time you are asking God for wisdom and he's directing you to his word know that there is a good reason that he wants you to dive into it and digest it for eternal things.