Blog Layout

I wanted my blog to represent what my blog is about. Learning Daily. Walking with God. Life's distractions. Arising from Distractions. Putting God First. Trusting God completely. Giving all to Him.

The Picture at the top is a narrow straight road. It's the road we are to travel on.

Matthew 7:13-14

13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The signs in the background are distractions. It's easy to catch your eye on something that is NOT on the narrow road. Life can be a distraction sometimes to the purpose God laid out for us. There are people around that twist the truth. It sounds like the Gospel but its not. If we are not submerged in the word and not listening to those who speak the truth, its easy to get off the narrow road.

I find myself more and more looking things up for myself. Not because I don't trust the person, but I want to know what the Bible says verbatim. Sometimes we quote scripture and not meaning to will leave out a word that can change the whole context of what is supposed to be repeated. I also want to read the verses before it and after it. You get the full meaning that way. One verse sometimes can be used incorrectly to suit your own needs at the time. God never said use my words against me.

So as we walk through life we have distractions but its how we walk through those distractions that define us. Are we still on the narrow road to righteousness? Are we on the path that leads to the narrow gate? But finding truth in God's word is what helps guide us where we need to be at any point in life. God knew that we would struggle to stay with him. He knew and that's the reason he kept giving us chances. He gave us the ultimate chance in knowing his Son, Jesus. Jesus was the ultimate and only way we could ever be with God.

John 14:1-7

1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going."

5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Funerals and Life

Funerals are a funny thing sometimes. They make you sit back and reflect not only on your own life but the people around you.

Last fall we had a series of "Life Sentences". We looked at 18 characters from the Bible and what kind of "Life Sentence" summed up their lives. What did you think of first when you heard their name. What is my life sentence? When I leave this life on earth, what will people say? Will they say I lived a good life? Will they say I lived a selfish life? And although it's not what others think of me and what God sees in me... I still want my "Life Sentence" to reflect HIM!

These last few days have been a roller coaster of emotions. Even though it wasn't my father that passed this time, it was my wife's father. Several emotions that I went through were anger, sadness, confusion, helpless, happy, relieved and other emotions related to those. Those who read my blog and know the relationship that her and her father had will understand the happiness and being relieved. The anger was in part to it was the day before our Anniversary and "that man" had screwed up something else that was beautiful in our lives. He messed up a day of celebration. What a "JERK". I know that doesn't sound like something I should say and how hateful those words are. But it just reminded me of the man he was. If I was to summarize his life in a life sentence... it would have to be... "He never knew true joy because he chose to miss out on God, Life, and Family and wasted his life in misery." It's actually sad how miserable he was. Anyways... I don't know how he lived his final days. Maybe he made peace with God. Maybe he did ask Jesus to save him. I won't know until I pass this life. As much as I don't like the things he did, I don't know how he spent his final days. My hope is that when Michele tried to minister to him a few years ago, he took to heart what she said.

Of all the things that I have learned over the last several years have taught me that even when someone does us wrong and Jesus enters in they are never the same from that moment on. Even though we remember all the terrible things they did. We might have forgiven them but we have never forgotten. God's grace is so much better than that. God's grace not only forgives but He FORGETS our wrong. That is what we are to do. It's not easy. In fact for me I would say that is probably harder than "Loving my neighbor". It goes with the Pray for those who persecute you.

Matthew 5:44

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

And...

Romans 9:14

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

When I started this I had planned on going a different direction but as you can see it went where God needed me to be.

I don't know if I have ever forgave that man for doing the horrible things he did to Michele.

As I read more of Matthew.. this is what I found...

Matthew 5:43-48

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

As I reflect over the last few days... I am glad that I was able to be with Michele thru this. I hope that she finds closure thru all of this one way or another.

As I head to bed tonight... I have the words from Matthew to focus on. Change is hard but necessary!

1 Timothy 6:7

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
1 Timothy 6:7 NIV

I read that daily bible verse just a moment ago. It was posted here on my blog and just thought WOW! We really can be just content to have food and clothing. Nothing else is needed to be content. I am definitely happier with a full belly. LOL

Anyways... I saw that I just had to share it. God has really been working on my heart to be content with very little. I used to make almost 3 times what I do now and thought it was never enough and never had a contentment with most anything. These days, I am more content with less. Don't get me wrong, I love my internet and computers. I enjoy working on them. I am good at working with them and they bring a sense of accomplishment and a job well done.

I am finding that God is showing me more avenues to be content with His guidance. It is a really awesome feeling to feel this way and know God keeps us safe.

Tonight during cooking, I almost spilled a full pot of boiling water on myself when trying to pull it off the stove. I kid you not, that pot quit moving until I could grab it and push it back on the stove. For real, I should be in the hospital right now with 3rd degree burns. It was an amazing miracle. God's hand held that pot on the edge of the stove top until I could grab it and get control of it. There was definitely something miraculous about that moment. I can't believe I almost forgot to share that.

I can't stop thinking tonight about how mighty our God is. How awesome He is. And the fact He proves Himself over and over again. It's like I have seen the power God for the first time and the control He has over everything. Nothing we do is worth anything unless it comes from God and His guidance.

This just goes back to the "Listen and Obey". There is something umm.... extremely special about God's handy work.

Pray for me to listen more often. God has shown me a path of a future that is waiting for me. I don't know when I will get there or when it will happen, or for that matter know where it will happen. My thoughts and my heart and emotions feel like they have almost done a 180 and I am trying to keep up with it. I get a little lost along the way and then God does what He did today and I can see His light again.

I want to be willing to go when HE says "GO!" I want to ask the impossible and believe it. I want that Faith HE so freely gives to us. All we have to do is pray and we will receive. I also want to know the right things to say when someone asks me about my faith and my God. I want to be able to convey the importance of knowing Jesus. I want to be able to convey the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit when He speaks. I want to keep growing and learning.

I know sometimes I have a hard time getting across what I want to say and convey what is on my heart. I just hope you can read between the lines and understand the wholeness of what I am trying to say.

Good Night my Brothers and Sisters.
God Bless you and your loved ones.
Richard

$10 Can save a life

This is so weird that I am not sure how to start.

Last week I felt that God was leading me to a "Gas" ministry of some sort. It was a heavy burden that I find a gas station that had gas gift cards. I hear Todd and Renee talk about how several people come to the church for help with groceries and/or gas needs. So I finally found a place that would do some pre-paid gas vouchers. They normally don't do anything like that but since I was getting them for the church and it was for a special type of need, they agreed to do it. So I purchased 3 $10 gas vouchers from Human's BP on Western Avenue here in Knoxville. I took them back to the church and Renee put them in an envelope somewhere so when someone came in for a need they could use those. It was important that the money was for gas and not anything else. With certain types of gift cards people can buy things they don't need. I used to do it myself. If I needed cash, sometimes I would purchase things that were NOT necessary to keep going. So again, I wanted to make sure it was very specific. Gas Only!

Today I asked if anyone had come in with a need yet for the gas. I wanted to make sure they didn't need more and also to see what kind of weekly need we might be looking at. Later Renee told me someone came to the church and they were on the way to the hospital with an immediate family member in the car that was having a heart attack and they did not have enough gas to get to the ER. They stopped at church to see if we could fill that need. (This part gave me chills) Because we had those vouchers, someone was able to get their loved one to the hospital. All because we were able to provide an immediate need. I still get chills and tears of gladness that we were able to help someone. $10 saved a life tonight by getting someone to the hospital at a most crucial moment.

I look back on this and think, God knew someone would need it. Even though I just felt an urge to fill a need for someone. This need was beyond just getting to the store or going to a family members house, ect... This was a medical emergency need. As I reflect on last Wednesday when this started, I didn't really know why I had such a burden to buy gas for someone. Tonight God saved another life. I am so overjoyed that I actually listened to God and He showed me why it was important to listen. I really don't want this to sound like it was me who did anything except listen and obey. God had his hand on this before anyone could see what would come of it.

I have this overwhelming emotion of joy and thankfulness. There are so many times I don't listen and this again just shows me what God can do when someone listens. What if we all just listened and obeyed? What if? My prayer is that I continue to listen and obey. God has continued to show me what He is capable of over the last several months. Its like a big NEON sign in the front of my face.

God has just really blessed our family. And I can see the great Joy it is to just listen and obey. Our blessings may not be monetary, but there is definitely no shortcomings of Joy lately and the awesome feeling of being thankful for all that we have and DON'T have.

Remember, to you it might be a strain on the pocket book, but to someone else it may be their loved one's life you can save.

$10 saved a life today. What else does God have in store for us? I can't wait to find out.

May God bless you and speak to you,
Richard

Funny Happenings

This last week has just been full of Funny Happenings.

I don't know if anyone else would call them funny, but they have definitely made me chuckle and smile a lot. I guess more so today things have been funny but anyways....

Today at work, I was walking by a co-worker and they asked me if I was having fun. Having just gotten off a call that we had a good time on, I of course said "Yes". My co-worker asked if I had an upgrade. I was totally tossed for a second, and thought he was referring to our software that we use. I looked back with confusement and said, "No". He then asked me why I was having fun, I said, Life is too short not to let all these little things bring us down. He nodded his head as if agreed and I went on my way smiling.

Anyone that knows me, knows I tend to be a smartelic often. Gee really? Ya think? HA HA.
Lately, I have been just cracking up with my customers. I had one the other day that was trying to get their modem activated with a CD we give them. It wasn't working. I asked them if they were eating peanut butter or not? They seemed to be confused, I continued with that they had to eat a peanut butter sandwich when installing our software because it held your mouth just right. Of course after that they started laughing. You know those times when you just keep trying and someone says you have to hold your mouth just right. HA HA. Anyways my customer seemed to get a kick out of it.

Lately, I have wanted to make people smile with me on the phone. Sometimes in the job I am in, the conversations can get so dull and dry and boring. Sometimes its harder with some people but I at least try and see if they bite. If they don't bite I just continue on with my dry boring self. **SIGH!**

Back to TODAY. This morning we had a flat tire. We have had no luck with tires this past year and it was just funny. Earlier this year I had a flat and lost it. I spent over 2 hours crying over something that just couldn't be avoided. Since then, I laugh every time it happens. Why Not laugh. Its funny. Who else do you know has to replace their tires over 12 times in a year. LOL So Michele was like, "How can you stay so calm?". I said, I am not sure. I just know that it will work out one way or another. I kept reassuring her that we had been through worse. I guess I just trusted that God would provide a way. The tire place behind us "Po-Boys Used Tires" is generally out of the size I need for my truck. This morning I decided to call them before driving on a flat to go see them. I didn't want to have to tow my truck a couple hundred feet back to the house. They did have the size I needed. So me and the truck bounced down the road. If any of you have ever had a flat tire and driven on it, you know it bounces you like a ride at the amusement park. LOL I got over there and got a tire. The tire they hooked me up with is almost as good as my 2 other New tires. LOL

Ok and the last thing that is making me chuckle these days besides saying the word "chuckle", LOL, is Brandon is E-Mailing people. More so his grandparents but still. His verbiage is so unlike what I expected. He can actually write a decent email and sound good doing it. He almost e-mails like a pro. Him and his Grammy and Grandma Jacque and been communicating back and forth and it's hilarious to read these emails. Brandon just thinks of the obvious things that we often seem to forget. Like there was a reference that my dad could not take his "hoveround' type wheel chair out in the snow because of the battery pack. So Brandon just pops up with, what about a cover for it. Gee why didn't we ever think of that. Of course they don't make covers to protect his battery, but what if they did? Sometimes I think we just need to ask our children what they think about things. They just state the obvious and the most simplest answers. We seem to over analyze and complicate things. Know I now why Jesus wants us to have faith like Children. Children just believe without question and they make it that simple and as adults we complicate things.

When I was a child, I was told that I would grow up and complicate things. I never thought I would complicate things. I always just had that simple faith. As an adult, I have to admit there are a lot of times I complicate things. There are so many reasons why, but mostly because our minds get poisoned by the TV and the computer and other things in our lives. People influence us on a daily basis. Anyways.... I have learned this week from my own child to remember to just keep it simple.

Brandon is truly amazing a lot of times. He just blows me away. I am so thankful and blessed that we have Brandon in our lives. He really is a gift from God. No one else but God can put someone that special in our daily paths of life.

Hope all is well with you and your families.
God Bless!
Richard

WLBC Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving Crew - November 23rd, 2008

We had a blast Sunday evening. We were able to cook for about 200 people. We made Turkey, Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Corn, Cranberry Sauce. We had volunteers bring desserts. That was a HUGE help and relief.

The Girls were fabulous. I was not able to help prep the food because of working at my main job during the day. They came in on Friday and Saturday that weekend and got everything ready. It was so awesome to work with some really dedicated people.

We also had a time of devotions that afternoon. I felt lead to make sure we were doing this for God's enjoyment besides our own. It was nice to share the following scriptures with the ladies.
Deuteronomy 12:7
There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

Genesis 19:2-4
{2} "My lords,"he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square."
{3} But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.
{4} Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom both young and old surrounded the house.

Esther 9:22
As the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

Philippians 2:1-11
Imitating Christ's Humility
{1} If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
{2} then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
{3} Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
{4} Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
{5} Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
{6} Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
{7} but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
{8} And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!
{9} Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
{10} that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
{11} and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Psalm 69:30
I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:2
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. Psalm 100
A Psalm of thanksgiving
{1} Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah, all ye lands.
{2} Serve Jehovah with gladness: Come before his presence with singing.
{3} Know ye that Jehovah, he is God: It is he that hath made us, and we are his; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
{4} Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Give thanks unto him, and bless his name.
{5} For Jehovah is good; his loving kindness endureth for ever, And his faithfulness unto all generations. I know its a lot, but since I am still learning I really just let God do the talking. Anyways, after that we share some experiences of fellowshipping and learning from one another's experiences. We then followed with prayer. Each person prayed out loud and would give God thanks, pray for a need, and a prayer of focus for that evening’s festivities.

Since taking over cooking, I really don't believe it is me cooking anymore. I really believe God is cooking through me. The food is so much better than I used to make, but I am still using the same recipes ect... I think God is doing more of the talking and cooking than I. I just continue that God will allow me to continue to be bold in the Kitchen.God Bless! Richard

Michele

Michele is home! YEAH!!!!


Even though most of you know she returned home on Sunday, November 9, 2008. And for those who didn't know she had to go get some things straightened out at the hospital.

I was miserable without her here. I missed her so much. I never did say it much to her. In fact I was so wrapped up in my own feelings, at one point, I was mad with her for being selfish. I know that seems insensitive, which made me even more mad at myself for not being the supporting husband I thought I was supposed to be.

Michele always seems to amaze me with her life. I know we have been married for over 15 years but it seems like some days I just fall in love with her all over again. She inspires me to keep going on those days I wanna give up and throw the towel in.

During her adventure, she was able to witness to someone in the hospital. WOW! God takes a moment of darkness in our lives and shines through! Michele was introduced to some scriptures about the darkness and light.

John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

This verse is what lit a fire inside of Michele that I had never seen before. God really answers prayers. I asked God to reveal Himself to her and He did. Michele has been reading her Bible over the last week. I have never seen her so interested in the Bible before.

God continues to amaze me through other people and how He is working in all of our lives.

God Bless!
Richard

Wednesday Nite Supper

Oh WOW what a night. We started Wednesday Night Supper again. Although we are not sure exactly how many we served, we are estimating 90! WOW! We had Baked Ziti with Meatballs, Roasted Potatoes, Salad, and Dessert (Peach Cobbler). Oh MY! The food was awesome, the people were awesome and God was Awesome. How could such a simple thing like eating be about God? Well, It's Simple really!

When we let God be first in everything we do, God shows his greatness. Todd is always emphasizing "Expect More" from our God. Well I Expected 80 and we got 90! The girls in the kitchen with me were funny. They said, Richard why does your faith have to be so faithful? I laughed and mentioned it was Todd's Fault. HA HA! Even though it was a funny moment, I believed God would deliver 80 people for supper tonight. I expected God to handle the #'s and money! He DID! Everything fell in to place.

I mentioned money because sometimes, WNS is sometimes difficult to budget each week. Sometimes we have to get supplies and the funds are not always there. This week, I spent $14 over my budget. God provided enough adults and the income took care of the overages. Next week we have a little to work with to get some supplies now. God really worked this one out for us.

Recently Michele and I had our niece with us for 6 weeks. We had to travel to Illinois 2 times. Every time we travel to Illinois it usually costs around $400 - $500, depending on gas prices. My salary alone does not cover 2 trips to Illinois within 2 months time. Anyways... Money fell really short this week, with rent due along with other bills. Last week early on, I told Michele, God will provide a way. Somehow I really believed it this time. Other times in the past, it was like going through the motions. I wanted to believe it but in the back of mind, I had doubt. This time because I truly believed God would provide, he made a way.

In the last several weeks, I have learned that if you truly believe with all your heart, mind and soul, God amazes us. He continues to be faithful to those who trust Him and are faithful to Him.

I am still learning little by little, day by day, walking closer to God and trusting Him more everyday. The more I trust the More He shows me that He is watching and rewarding me in different ways. The rewards from Heaven surpass the rewards of men.

Although every part of my body is aching right now, I always enjoy serving my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ at Church.

There is so much more that I want to Thank God for. I will write about those another time. ( if i remember to write that is... LOL )

As always Thank You for reading.
Your Brother In Christ
Richard

Friends

Friends...
There are many songs, poems, stories ect... about Friends.

Today my heart is breaking for a dear friend of mine. I didn't know God could let me care about others the way I do now. It's amazing to feel this pain. I know it sounds weird that I like feeling this pain. But the pain let's me know that I care. I am so thankful that God has opened my heart to loving others. I still don't love all my "neighbors" yet though. That is a tough one. Still working on that one. Anyways...

This friend of mine has a big heart and has so much potential. My friend is struggling and it hurts to see my friend this way. If my friend is reading this, I don't want them to think that I am burdened, because I am NOT! My friend also is a good spouse and parent. I am trying to respect my friend's privacy here and not letting too much out of the bag. That is for them to decide. I do want my friend to know that I am honored by their trust that they can confide in me.

So this has taught me that the word friend is more than just a word. It's more than just actions or feelings but a connection. And when "Friends are Friends forever if the Lord's a Lord of them, and a Friend will not say never, cause the Friendship never ends." Who I used to call friends and who I call friends now have changed. There is one friend I still keep in contact before I moved to Tennessee. Friendships with God involved are more real than platonic ones. You know those old friends who you hung out with... before God. They are not around any more, or at least in my life they are not. Those were the friends that you did sin with. In the last few years I have met some amazing people who I am honored to call my Friends er... I mean Family. Because who I would call friends are now my Family with God.

Friends is one of those awesome gifts God has blessed us with, through Him. Only through Him do friendships flourish and last.

I am still learning and thankful that I can still learn and accept what God teaches us everyday through our experiences with friends and family.

Thanks for reading
Your Brother in Christ
Richard

Long Time

Yes it has been a long time since I have written anything. I have come to the realization, that writing everyday was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I actually came to a point where I was uninspired, or had writers block. Whatever you wanna call it. Anyways, I thought I would share something about today.

This morning at church Todd talked about dreams. 1. We have to have "Courage" to voice our dreams and to share those dreams with others. 2. It takes "Action" to move our dreams into reality. 3. "Persistence", we must stay persistent, it is our dream and we must continue to keep the dream alive and inspire others to continue the dream.

How true is all of this? I believe it to be completely true. It really hit home to me. It really made me realize that I have not made any of my dreams a reality. I have never taken the courage to put my dream out there, let alone any action or persistence. I never got past the first part of making a dream a reality. You know those dreams we had as kids, the ones where we saved the world, go to the moon, sing as a rock star, or become the best sports player. As we grew older we let our limitations hold us back. But with GOD there are no limitations when we let God be in control of our dreams. Todd asked us to keep dreaming for the church. To allow God to direct us in ministries and new opportunities to reach out, serve, love and grow.

On of my dreams in the last year was to be able to sing at church. I know that really seems weird for some people that know me. But for me I have always enjoyed singing. God has gifted me with a fairly decent voice and the ability to sing to Him. I was able to share what God has given to me tonight. I sang a song by Rich Mullins. It was amazing to know how many people knew the song. I had just encountered the song about a month ago. So during practice, I was pretty nervous. And even during our worship time I was nervous, but when it was time, God gave me the strength to sing with out any nerves and God's voice rang through. It was pretty awesome.

I will share more about that song and why I chose it at another time. It's late but I wanted to get something out there again.

Thanks for reading.
God Bless
Richard
"Learning Daily"

Heroes #2

I would like to continue sharing about my Heroes. I have realized that everyone in my life is a hero is some sort of fashion. I’ve learned that even though some people are ugly and not fun to be around, once you get to know them, there is a small part that we can learn from. I believe that most people want to be good in their lives, but lack guidance and/or encouragement.

Again no particular order.

Michele J. My wife. She loves me for me. She accepts me for who I am and still loves me. She allows me to be who I want to be and supports me. She has become an inspiration to me lately because everything she has gone through in the last several months, she continues to push forward. She continues to want to improve her way of life. She is an excellent mother and wife, even if she doesn’t think so. I love her more everyday.

Jacque J. My step-mom. She takes very good of my father. She loves my son with all of her heart. She even accepts me like family. She has a big heart and loves my Dad very much. I am thankful that my Dad has someone like Jacque. She is always trying to spoil my son. It drives me crazy with some things that she does for Brandon, but she does it with all her heart. She also does it to tease me too, which just goes to show how much she cares for me and Michele. And no I didn’t mean that sarcastically. I was being serious. Her way of showing affection is by teasing. It’s fun & harmless teasing.

Brandon. My son. He loves life. He is full of energy and loves the outdoors. I love watching him grow. Its amazing to see him change every day. He has friends and cares about them and wants to spend time with them. He loves God. Even when I think the little devil inside of him peeks through, he always seems to let his light show right after it. He really is an awesome kid. I am so lucky to have a special child as him in my life. Brandon just keeps surprising me with his interests and hobbies. I am proud to call him my son.

I know I have more heroes, but I am tired and ready to pass out for bed. Today was a very busy day at work. They offered overtime, but I declined again. I haven’t been feeling very good lately and the thought of working over or taking 1/2 hour lunches, I think would make me more tired. I am excited that I have this Saturday off from work. I get to watch Brandon play ball again. I hope I can remember to take my camera with me. He then has a party afterwards at Mr Gatti’s Pizza.

Thanks for reading.
God Bless you all.
In Christ’s Love,
WLBC-Webmaster
Learning Everyday!

Heroes

Todd mentioned that we all have heroes. That made me start thinking of people I look up to. Even though one of my heroes is Jesus, I wanted to mention some heroes I see at church on a regular basis and why they are my heroes.

My hero basis is someone who continues to do the right thing, who does what others won’t do, and does it with all their heart. As I name off some of my heroes, I don’t want anyone to think that I have placed anyone above Jesus. These people have shown me strength in different areas. Some of them show strength in their faith and their relationship with Christ. Anyways, I think you get the point.

These are not in any particular order.

My Dad. He has gone through so many health obstacles and keeps on going. He has shown me that even though things may slow us down, it does not stop us. He has shown so much strength during so much. The man has lost both legs, has a heart condition, diabetes, blind in the left eye and other things. That seems like a lot for any one person to go through. He just continues to live and be an example of strength in my life.

Todd H. Todd is the pastor at WLBC. He continues to push and lead. I know he is not perfect. It’s actually nice to see someone come out strong through different obstacles in daily living. This last week especially, with all that happened at the beginning of last week. WOW. He is creative in leading. He continues to show his walk with Christ. You can see the relationship grow with in him. It’s amazing to watch anyone walk with Christ. They teach us how to get to the next step. Kind of like a ranking system. As a leader he always appears to be ahead of the group so we know where to go. I thank God for sending Todd to lead. Todd also is a great father and husband. I only wish to be a small fraction of what he does. I know that with time, and a closer walk with Christ that will come. In the mean time, Todd is an inspiration to that part of my life. Todd is just a simple guy who loves his family and God.

Jeff J. Jeff is funny. He is a lot like me in many ways. He reminds me of the things I do. He reminds me of the way I talk or present myself to others. Some times I try too hard and wind up leaving out the important stuff. I am learning how to present myself differently. Jeff also has an amazing love for Christ. You can see him also deal with daily temptations and obstacles and he relies on Christ for strength. He is so great with kids. He wears his heart on his sleeve and it shows.

My Mom. I miss my Mom. She passed away back in September of 1995. She was a woman of God. She loved Jesus more than life itself. She never stopped loving God. You could see that God was her strength. Even when she was crippled with her legs, she found ways of helping in church and working for God. She was great at typing and bookwork. She stayed at the same place of employment until her health kept her from it. She was married to one man all of her life. She was a good servant to her family. She planned the reunion for our family every year. She knew birthdays, anniversaries, and would keep everyone updated. She was also very good at balancing the check book and keeping the finances in order. She knew how to save every penny she could. When she passed she passed on a small but sufficient nest egg. She knew how to pray. She knew how to Love everyone unconditionally. She knew how to love until the end. Even during her last days, she continued to never doubt her faith in Jesus. She knew where she was going.

Sam R. What can I say about Sam? He is always busy with activities with his family and always seems to have a good ear. He is a good father and husband. He really knows how to listen. He is laid back and just seems at peace with everything around him. It’s almost like nothing could frazzle him. He seems to be the one who is always praying. You can tell he prays with expectations and that prayers are answered before they are asked. He kinda has like a prayer heart on his sleeve. Sam is almost like another father figure in my life. He has been where I have been or knows where I am coming from. He always seems to know the right thing to say.

So I have mentioned a few of my heroes and why. I learn from each of them every time I get to see, hear, or talk with them. I am so thankful God has placed me where I am today. God has surrounded me with his Warriors and Saints. I know that my heroes are also very humble and don’t categorize themselves in any such fashion as I just did. I just hope they realize that they are affecting others in their daily lives and that what they do, does matter and does make a difference. Even if it is only one person listening or paying attention. I hope they also know how much I appreciate them.

I have other heroes in my life and I will share some more later this week. I have many more. God has brought me to a place in my life where He is showing me His work in others and what I can learn from each of them. Like I said yesterday. God has me in training mode. I can’t wait to learn more.

God Bless you and your families.
In Christ’s Love
WLBC-Webmaster
Learning Everyday!

Last Week

It’s been a week since my last post. A lot has happened but it never seemed like it was enough to write about. Even though I didn’t feel like it was worth anything to maybe someone else, everything that happened in the last week meant something to me.

It’s almost impossible to write about everything that happened but here are a few highlights.

I was reading Todd’s blog on Tuesday and read some disturbing news that happened to him and his family that day. It wasn’t anything life threatening, but if you were in their shoes how would any of us reacted in this case. Every thing that could have gone wrong that day did. From sick children, to kids getting in dog poo, to getting a migrane, a presentation that would not save and had to be redone 3 times, one of the kids almost passing out on stage (because they were feeling ill and over heating), to a bloody nose, to the presentation that had been done 3 times not working when needed, and to top it all off the vehicle broken into and all of the electronics that were left in the van that also had priceless memories on them. They just didn’t lose stuff but memories on 2 cameras and movies and work on a laptop.

As you can see everything that would have gone wrong, did. But in all of that the family kept going through the day. They just let each thing pass behind them and moved on. I kept thinking to myself, am I strong enough to pull out a day like that? They were all in good spirits about it all. I don’t know that if that happened to me that I would have stayed that calm. It really goes to show you that how close you are to God the stronger you are when “Life Happens”.

As I evaluated my relationship with God, as I often do, I kept thinking about their day. How would have I responded throughout the day and how would I have responded the next morning to find all of the electronics missing with the precious memories from special events. I am sure I would have been saying to myself, that’s what I get for disobeying God. But, Todd and his family took it as a compliment. A compliment? Ok maybe not completely like a compliment but an encouragement that God had a hold of their life and it was a spiritual warfare going on that day. God kept a hold of them and helped them through the day while the devil kept trying to throw obstacles in front of them. Even after the day was over, the devil took one more shot by stealing their electronics. In the end God still prevailed and their faith was even stronger because of it. Now if you ask them, I am not sure what they would say but God used them as a testimony for other, including me. What I saw and heard was that all in all God is triumphant over all evil. That we Can do ALL things through Christ, who gives us strength. Phillipians 4:13.

I guess this is one of the main reasons I continue going to church, even tho some days I don’t feel like I have enough strength to move. It’s families like Todd’s and others at the church that continue to show me how their Faith and continued desire to follow Christ pulls each of them and us through anything and everything. Good and bad.

Served opened my eyes to ways to serve others. It has been an amazing week. I have actually thought about stepping out of my comfort zone instead of putting on the blinders. I know it’s not a complete turn around, but God also didn’t make the world in one day either. It also seems that I pray alot for others more lately too. I don’t necessarily get on my knees and take hours to do it, but someone will come to mind and I just say a quick prayer for each person I think about. It’s really cool to just tell God that I love these people and for God to help them where they need it most. I have prayed a lot for some co-workers and friends of mine this week. One of my co-workers had a death in the family and I know how that pain feels. It’s one of the worst feelings any one of us will ever go through. I kept thinking that if they Knew Christ they could celebrate instead of mourning. They would be able to celebrate that they were no long in pain and with God, and would one day get to see them again.

I also have been saying prayers for a family that is dear to me and my family. I don’t know how to help them and I know that they have to learn to let God do His thing, instead of them trying to do it all and letting God help a little. I know that if they would only get back into the swing of things at church, they would be closer to God. I just keep praying that the strength of God will work through them and guide them where they need to be in life. I just hope that I can continue to share what God is doing in my life and if they really start letting go they could really begin to live as God wants them to live.

I don’t remember ever feeling like loving people like this before. I don’t ever remember in my life, feeling like someone else is in control of my life and believing it. God has done so many things in my life. He continues to show me HE is REAL! He continues to take away my doubts and fears. He continues to bless me and my family. He continues being the One constant thing in my life. It’s awesome to know that I and you all have some one to lean on and trust that they will always be there. Even when our families and friends fail us, we have God as our constant.

God really worked some kind of miracle this week for my and my family in the finance department. We had over spent on the checking account and waiting for a check to clear. The check still had not cleared the bank and my pay check went in before all the late fees would have hit. Praise God for letting a business hold our check a couple days more. Now that it is memorial day weekend, I expect that check will clear next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Something else funny happened, ok maybe not funny but interesting to say the least. I had a run in with a bill this week. I told them I would pay on Friday when I got paid, now usually I tell collectors that I will and never do, and actually called on Friday and paid the bill. That itself is amazing. Now, I have to ask for forgiveness. I was dealing with a very large company, and their call center I think was in another country. The agents on the phone had horrible grammar and a very odd accent and I would have to ask the same question more than 2 times to get them to understand what I was asking. It was very frustrating. It was also frustrating that no one could give me any information about what the heck was going on or who they were. It was very frustrating not being able to verify anything that was documented or said. Finally, I was able to verify what the amount was and when I was going to pay it. I know I said some harsh things and questioned the integrity of the company. I spent probably about an hour and a half just trying to make arrangement and adjustments for a $22 bill. Yeah, a $22 bill. I think the point of all the conversations it was the principle and the integrity of what was right and wrong. No I should not have said some of the things I said, but I will say this, in the past, I would have tore them up worse than I did this time. So I guess that’s part of “Growing Up” and becoming more mature and also letting God keep me at bay during it. Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t condone what I did, but I did see the changes from my past behavior to this even. I am recognizing the change and growth. That’s another thing that I God has taught me, not to dwell on the negative things and to learn from our mistakes, move on and focus on the good that was in it.

I also have been doing a lot of thinking about where God is taking me in my journey of life. I know He has something awesome planned. I don’t know what yet, but I am learning patience. I have learned that in the the Bible, it took Paul (aka Saul) 12 years to start preaching. From the time of Saul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus to the first Preaching of the Gospel. He studied God’s word. He learned to overcome fears. He also learned the Word well enough that any time he was persecuted he was still able to teach in prisons and become an inspiration to the new churches at that time. God doesn’t say, ok you are mine now and then push us out into the world without training. It took Paul 12 years to train. It took Jesus 30 years to prepare for his Greatness. Noah was 600 years old when built the ark. Moses wandered the dessert for years before his greatness. All the great men and women in the Bible didn’t just one day choose to follow God and then the next day show up with and ark, or part the Red Sea. They all trained. They all learned God’s word and God taught them first before heading out into historical greatness.What makes us think we can do in a week, month or just a year. Our hearts, minds and souls are in constant training mode with God when we let Him teach us. I am thankful that I am learning more and more everyday.

God continues to WOW me and Amaze me with his love and kindness. God continues to challenge my way of thinking and challenge me to Trust Him more. He continues to allow me to learn different types of emotions and pain to learn how to deal with things better the next time. I had an instance about 11 days ago, I had questions because I was confused about something, normally I would have not said anything, but I didn’t. I went to my brother in Christ and asked for clarification. I am so happy that I did otherwise I would have made myself miserable for weeks about it. I can see that God is changing me everyday. Little by little.

I am so glad I have chosen to be on God’s team. I am so thankful that he allows me to Serve and Praise Him. He is the Almighty, Everlasting, Counselor, Creator, and Father of ALL.

Thanks for catching up with me. I will try to get some entries in sooner instead of waiting for a week to write. Thank you for reading.

God Bless you and your Family
In Christ’s Everlasting Love
WLBC-Webmaster
Learning Everyday!

You've Been Served

You’ve been Served. That was the motto for today at WLBC. We went out to the community and pumped gas, wrangled carts, picked up parking lots, picked up trash along the streets, washed windows, went to hospitals, went to the Ronald McDonald house and visited people who can’t get out. It looked like there was about 200+ there today. It was pretty awesome that everyone showed up. After last Sunday’s announcement, I was scared it would be very few. God has a way of making things happen.

God is serving WLBC as we served others. He continues to bless us as a church and as individuals within the church. In all my years of growing up and going to church, this is the first time I have experienced God work in these ways. God is not just another word, phrase or someone’s name. God is everything. And Everything belongs to Him. We were put on this earth to SERVE others as Christ did so many years ago.

Here is the Business card that we handed to people as we “SERVED” them.

Washing of the feet. John 13: 4-12

(4)so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. (5)After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

(6)He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

(7)Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

(8)”No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

(9)”Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

(10)Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” (11)For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

(12)When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.

Jesus Explains how to Serve Him through Servicing others. Matthew 25:35-40

(35)For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, (36)I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

(37)”Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? (38)When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? (39)When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

(40)”The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Jesus served his disciples so that they may be a part of Him. Through servicing others, Jesus paved the way that we should all live by. Being Humble and Serving others. Every time you help someone else out of Christ’s Love, you are serving the Master and Creator of our massive Universe.

Keep Serving - God Bless! - Love you guys.

As always thank you for reading

In Christ’s Love
WLBC-Webmaster
“Learning Everyday!”

Served

Have you ever wandered if a church or organization stopped talking about how to make the world better and actually did it. Well that’s what our church is doing. Todd has decided to take our church to the streets. We will be doing all kinds of different things to make our community, city, state, country and world just a little better. The church doors will be LOCKED! NO ENTRANCE! Not even for potty breaks. Oh my! We are meeting in the parking lot and then heading out. We will be cleaning up parks, sitting with those who are not able to get out, cooking at the Ronald McDonald house, taking food to ICU and surgery waiting rooms, cleaning windshields on cars, putting up carts at Wal-Mart, and so much more. Can you imagine 150+ people from one organization going out and doing these things. We all talk about making the world a better place, Todd basically said, let’s put our money where our mouth is, shut up and get busy. Ok so he didn’t really say that, but basically that is what it boils down to.

I really believe God is moving Todd in a direction like no other. I really believe God has put Todd in front of us for a Revolution that has just begun. If this is only the beginning, I can’t wait to see what happens next. I have heard so many talking about this event, how excited they are and how ready they are to do this.

On another subject… Earlier this week, I let things get out of control in my head. I let my thoughts go to the worse scenario there was. You know when you get that “Constructive Criticism”. Well that’s what I got at first, but really didn’t understand what was going on. Normally in these types of cases, I just let things fester and build up and never say anything. Not this time! I went and asked for more clarification. Even though, I was thinking positive and negative thoughts, the negative thoughts were winning at that moment. I am glad I asked. I really did make a mountain out of a mole hill. The person I talked to explained to me what the vision was. Now that I understand, I started moving forward. I have a new focus on the task at hand and know better now where to go with it.

I know was vague in to what happened and who it involved, but the point I am trying to make is… (1) Don’t make mountains out of mole hills (2) Go to the person or persons involved and get clarification (3) Don’t be scared to ask for clarification, miscommunication happens all the time (4) Even though it’s harder to do the right thing, in the long run, things work out for the better, AND (5) If the criticism is coming from someone you care about, and you know they care about you, then even if the words don’t come out right, rely on the fact that they love you and would not give you advice if they feel you didn’t need it.

Sorry for not writing the last couple of days, I have not felt very well lately and have just not had the strength to talk about things lately. It was exhausting just getting through each day.

As always, thanks for reading.
In Christ’s Love
WLBC-Webmaster
Learning Everyday!

I Lied

Sorry, I thought I was gonna take the night off from writing, but I decided to write anyways. I lied. Sorry, at the time I had not planned on making an entry for today.

OH my what a day. Mother’s day! Woke up late this morning for church. But we did manage to finally get there. We also had to stop and pick up breakfast for Sunday School on our way. Ok, so Sunday School’s message was about Paul writing to the Corinthian church again. He was explaining how he put his life on the line for what he believed. He believed in the resurrection of Christ. He was teaching the Good News and was constantly persecuted by many because of his teachings. He had been put in jail, beaten, gone hungry for days, come close to death several times, and pushed away by many. He went through all of this to make sure the Good News was being told. Paul was challenging the Corinthians to evaluate their beliefs. If Christ didn’t rise on the 3rd day then all of Paul’s suffering was for nothing. He wanted the Corinthians to remember the first time they heard the Good News and re-commit to their beliefs.

Sunday morning Worship. Todd started a series called “SERVED” last week and this week continued. He showed us that we as Christians need to be serving others. To reach the lost we need to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink and food to those who are thirsty, and to give of ourselves to meet the needs of others. Christ commanded us to do so. Christ wants us to be more like Him.

Matthew 25:35-36

•35• For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, •36• I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Anyways…. To come alive in our community we will be heading out into the community next Sunday, May 18. There will be no Sunday School or Morning Worship. Our Pastors and administration team have gathered information about places that need our attention in our community. We will be heading out to those places at 9am next Sunday. It will be an Interesting Day. I am already nervous, but I think that it will make a huge impact, not just on our lives, on the lives of the people we meet that day. In order to become more like Christ we must start doing the things Christ did. We must start learning and developing those habits that portray the Love of Christ in our lives.

We should all pray that this will impact everyones’ lives who are serving and being “SERVED”

In Christ’s Love
WLBC-Webmaster
Learning Everyday!

Poster

I was thinking of something interesting to say, and well still haven’t thought of anything yet. I was checking out some other blogs and everyone’s entries seem to be a lot shorter than mine. I imagine the more I write the better I will become at conveying what I want to say with a few paragraphs. Oh well, in the mean time, I will just keep writing what my heart, mind and soul want to say.

Tomorrow is the Block Party “EXPECT MORE” 2008 at WLBC. We’ll have booths, games, food, music, basketball, rummage sale, and a whole bunch more stuff going on. It’s an awesome day for all of us as a church to get together and make this day happen. It’s awesome to see all of us working together. My wife is in charge of Angel Food Ministries and I helped her make a poster for the event.

Anyways that is how I spent most of my night tonight helping Michele with this poster. I think it turned out really well.

Thanks always for reading.
In Christ’s Love,
WLBC-Webmaster
Learning Everyday!

The Best Man

Here are the lyrics to “The Best Man” by 33 Miles that was used in a video for WLBC’s Graduates 2007. It’s an awesome song.

:::VERSE 1:::
I have always dreamed
To be that superhero
To fly right in and somehow save the day
And I have always wanted
To be more than I could be
But see the fall and somehow lose my way

But the day your love stepped in
Was the day my life began

:::CHORUS:::
Cause you make me shine
You make me soar
You make me everything I never was
But so much more

You give me strength
You let me stand
And I don’t have to move a mountain but I know I can
Cause you make me the best man

:::VERSE 2:::
Even through my weakness
You know who I am
And you give me amazing grace
That I don’t understand
And there are no words that could ever describe
The glory of, the beauty of you in my life

Because you gave your love to me
I’m the best that I can be

:::BRIDGE:::
I will never be the same
Cause you have changed everything
From the man I was
To the man that’s standing by your side

I was really moved by the lyrics. The melody of this song was always awesome as well, but I never looked at the lyrics until tonight. I am glad I did.
First Verse….
I have always dreamed // To be that superhero // To fly right in and somehow save the day // And I have always wanted // To be more than I could be // But see the fall and somehow lose my way // But the day your love stepped in // Was the day my life began

This First verse… When we growing up we were unstoppable, not much scared us. We always wanted to be the best and save the world like Superman, Batman, Spiderman, or some other hero. And it’s true with God we would fall and come short. But when GOD came in. When HE came in my life was changed. He gives us a NEW beginning with HIM. If we allow him to show us the was we can never fail. God never forsakes us.

In the Chorus… He makes us soar, makes us everything we NEVER was and so much more. He gives us strength to stand. We can move mountains with our faith in HIM.
HE makes us “THE BEST (WO)MAN” HE makes us the Best. Not our jobs, not our family, not any of our friends. God is the only one who makes us who we are. And if we allow Him to control our lives, there is nothing We cannot do. “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who/which strengthens me” Philipians 4:13

The second verse….
Even through my weakness // You know who I am // And you give me amazing grace // That I don’t understand // And there are no words that could ever describe // The glory of, the beauty of you in my life // Because you gave your love to me // I’m the best that I can be

Even through my weakness, He knows who I am, HE gives me Amazing Grace, ~~ WOW - How awesome is that ~~ I don’t understand it, but its awesome, There are no words that can describe His grace, There are no words to describe the beauty He leaves in us of Him in our lives. Because HE loved us. He loved us soooo much. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 Because HE loved us so much, I can be the Best that I can be.

The Bridge continues….
I will never be the same // Cause you have changed everything // From the man I was // To the man that’s standing by your side

I NOW will never be the same after He has come into my life. HE has changed ME and everything around me to Glorify Him. He changed the man I used to be to the man that is Here today. He transformed me into his Child. I am now His and nothing can ever separate us from Him. He is all Glorious and powerful. He is the almighty, the Ever Lasting Father. The beginning, The end. He is self existent. I don’t know if there is any other person I want worship that My Heavenly Father, who is constantly changing me.

What an awesome God we serve. What an honor to be loved by someone as great as He. No human or superhero can ever do what God does.
Thanks for reading. I hope you will seek out that song and listen to it. It’s pretty awesome.

In Christ’s AMAZING Love
WLBC-Webmaster
Learning Everyday!

Day Off

Today is one of my day’s off from work each week. After 3pm it didn’t feel like it. My son helped me gather the trash together and pack it up in the truck, we then headed over to drop of the rent check, on the way back we dropped off the trash. After getting home, I straightened my wife’s hair, then we started off to church. There was no supper tonight at church, so we stopped by McDonald’s. After we got there, my wife went off with the kids to take water bottles out to parks to advertise the block party coming up this weekend. I headed off to wander around and wound up helping take, furniture, clothing racks, and other things to the gym for the rummage sale. After that it was finally time for choir practice. Then after choir practice we stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few groceries. Finally got home.

I kept hoping as I was getting ready to write, what God showed to me today. Well, with faith he showed me that my wife was able to work through calling a lot of doctors today to get an appointment to get her leg looked at. Her leg has progressively gotten worse over the last 3 weeks or so. Anyways, God showed me today that if I just let him take care of Michele’s doctor and leg, HE would. He also showed me that with patience, things start to happen. I am finally scheduled to sing a solo at church on July, 20 in the evening. After allowing God to work on my heart and waiting patiently and changing my attitude, I was finally put on the list. I was excited. I still am. Thanks Jeff!

This morning I even worked on some settings for this blog. I also setup an RSS feed with feedburner.com. That was kind of fun setting up the RSS feed. Anyways, I guess I got quite a bit done today. I am tired, my legs hurt, my arms hurt and my head hurts.

Physically tiring day, but it felt good to just keep busy and get all of things done today. Tomorrow it’s back to the grind. I know that tomorrow will bring more insights from God. Even if they only seem small, He is always looking out for us and helping us daily.

If we just let God help us each day, He will reveal Himself to us. When we are busy, it’s those small things that remind us God is with us. I also love quiet times, when I can sit back and just listen to God through scripture or in my daily thoughts and prayers.

Keep praying and following. He is always there.
In Christ’s Love
WLBC-Webmaster
Learning Everyday!

Mowing

Mowing is a lot like our relationship with God.
OK so I want to make a point here but I think I am just going to point out the obvious.
Grass = our Lives or how we live
Weeds = Sin
Length of Grass = How we live - are we cut to the right length or are we growing out of control
When it’s time to get our yard back in order after it has grown 3 feet high and full of weeds, we have to work even harder at getting things back in order. If we take small sections of our lives (areas of grass) and mow, we can see how we have improved our lives. We trim next to the house and around bushes, driveways, ect… Cleaning up the yard is hard work sometimes. Once we get our grass back under control, we can then focus on keeping up with the yard. Keeping it cut regularly means discipline. Keeping our lives in check or in order. Even though we can cut the weeds down to size they are still there. Getting rid of weeds can take some work too. Different weeds take different killers and procedures to get rid of them. Sometimes we even kill the grass around the weeds. That is kind of like killing part of our self identity. When that part of the grass becomes dead we must seed it with good seed. Trading sin for good habits. Of course while focusing on the weeds we must continue to keep up with the rest of the yard. Keeping the grass mowed and trimmed so the rest of our lives don’t get out of control. It seems to be easier to tackle small areas of our lives at a time or small areas of our yards at a time. Can you imagine how tired you would be if you cut the tall grass all in one day? Ok maybe if you have a small yard it wouldn’t be to bad but think about the size of your yard compared to how long you have been alive. If you wait until you are 30ish to start trimming your yard. You will have a lot more work than maybe someone 1/2 your age (theoretically). Just follow me on this for now. Lets’ say a 30 year old has 1/4 acre. Now thats quite a bit of mowing to do compared to only 1/8 like a 15 year old would have. The longer we wait to get our lives in check with God the more mowing and weeding will have to be done to achieve righteousness with God.

So once we have our grass in order and our lives in order its easier to keep the grass mowed and focus on God. Once all the weeds have been killed and replaced with good seed or grass (good habits) it is easier to just keep the grass mowed. We also know that after all that hard work if we let the grass get too long, weeds start to show up again and we could be right back to where we started before we cleaned up our lives. We learn discipline and we learn how to let God guide us instead of sin. Of course letting the grass grow and the weeds grow requires no work, but think of how ugly your yard will look. If your life is full of sin and never pruned or taken care of, how lovable do you think you will be when you get older? How do you think your relationships with your family and friends will be?

God is our weed killer, lawn mower, gas and trimmer. He gives us all the tools, power, abilities and a User’s Manual (The Bible) to allow us to clean up our yards. He even gives us the desire to search Him out. Once we get started we get to have regular maintenance done. And every now and then we get an oil change. He is always filling us with gas to keep us going. As we get older with God and our lives clean God allows us to get riding lawn mowers that are bigger and better. He upgrades our tools to keep our grass mowed and clean. Sometimes, God even sends his helpers to mow our grass for us.

I don’t know anyone else that will show us how to manage our lives, how to keep our lives in order, how to cut sin out, how to keep our tools in good working order, how to achieve upgrades, and how to live life better for Him.

The next time you mow your lawn, ask yourself if you have weeds that need killing and where some good grass seed can go. Ask yourself if you need to have some maintenance done on your life. Ask to see if it is time for an upgrade or some hire help. If you ask you might just find yourself in a better place than before and closer to Him.

I am working on my yard, are you?

Thanks for reading
In Christ’s Love
WLBC-Webmaster