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.

Night of Worship

It was quite an exciting night last night, August 1, as we all gathered together to worship our creator. We had fasted, prayed and came with expectant hearts and spirits, desiring what God had in store for us. God showed up and we were all in awe, from our heads down to our feet. Just being in God's presence in that setting, with that hunger, was like no other. Its hard to put into words! In fact, it was such an amazing experience, no one can put it into words.

I have never been in such a place as we were last night. The church came hungry and we left full. There were hands raised, hearts filled, desperate pleas answered and tears flowing. All because Jesus is alive and well and living out His plan in our lives.

God spoke to each of our hearts individually and personally. He wanted to get us in a place where we would hear his voice and submit to the bigger plan he has for our lives. By fasting, we were able to hear his voice and sense his presence loud and clear. He was even more real and alive in my heart. As I cried out to him I knew that our love affair had just gotten deeper. He filled me fresh with his joy and love. There is nothing like a good dose of Jesus and his mighty power, just when you need it. He is so worthy of all of our praise and all that we give him. May our hearts continue to seek after him and his perfect will for our lives!

Memorial Day Friends 2010

Our life Group got together and had a blast on Sunday evening celebrating our with our families eating and fellowshipping. We had tacos and the kids swam until they dropped. I was reminded of how God wired us for relationship and how much more "Full" life is when you invest with friends. Friendships help one'e soul to feel a sense of completeness and I cannot imagine life without them. Once you have tasted how good it is you can never go back, nor would you ever desire to do that. Once you have had the relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ you can't deny how awesome it is!!

Groups

Life is meant to be experienced together! When we gather together and fellowship in His name its amazing what we see God do through other people. He speaks to us and shows us things about ourselves that He wants to work on. We are all in process, no one is exempt!! There is nothing more rewarding than discovering the rich full blessings in friendships. It fulfills Gods plan what we were absolutely created for. First, relationship with Him. Then relationship with others. It has to be in that order for if we get it backward we will start to lean on man and will end up getting disappointed. He wants all of us first. By doing this He shapes us in the way He wants us so we can have the relationships with others in the way He wants it to happen. God is sooooo Good to us!!!

Training & Discipline

Many times and seasons in our life God allows us to go through times of discipline. The Christian life is a marathon and training for a marathon involves long runs to help develop perserverance. With our world quick gratification is what everyone wants. No one wants to wait for anything-we even get mad or upset and sometimes noticeably impatient if we have to wait in line for something! Imagine that-not being able to go right away-having to wait. When Jesus is molding us into Christlikeness he wont do it instantaneous. He loves us to much to do that. He knows that we must undergo training and seasons of learning. If we arent willing to wait on Him in these times we miss out in what has for us. God wont rush things even though we want him to-"Father knows Best". Sometimes the training can seem boring or dry and non-eventful but God works all things together for good. Hebrews 12:11 says that "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." So when you are going through a season of your life where you are undergoing training remember that it will produce fruit-fruit that will last!!