I Never Knew...

After 20 years of marriage I learned something about Jill that I never knew until today......................................................................... she does not like lemons in her ice tea!!!!! Can you believe it? I know I know..... big deal huh. No matter how much you know someone there is something new you can learn about them. The same is true about Jesus know matter how close we are to him or how much we read his word, no matter how much we pray... no matter how long we been walking with him.... There is still much to learn about... his love, care, grace, mercy and directions and life....
He's waiting for you to learn about him...I just wonder if he likes lemons in His ice tea or not?

The Nest

I have an interesting thing going on in my backyard on my wooden privacy fence. A momma robin is in the process of building a nest. It's been amazing seeing how fast she is building it and how strong it is. the amazing thing is where she has built it... its right next to our gate. We go through that gate all day long... how much privacy is she going to have? The great thing about this... my family and I have a part in this process... we have the job of not disturbing the nest. We can't touch it or the eggs when they come. We can't slam the gate or this too will disturb the nest... we have the choice to be apart of something great... or be the destruction of something great... the same is true in our spiritual walk with Jesus... God is building something great in and through us... we can either be apart of this great thing God is doing or we can chose not to and be the destruction of it. You see we have a choice... God has given us a free will to say YES to God or to say NO... I don't know about you but I want to be a part of what God is building in and through me... not the destroyer of it. I hope and pray that we can see this robin lay her eggs and see those eggs hatch and the little birds grow and maybe some day to able to feed those babies in our feeders....
He's waiting.... are you going to be apart of something great or not?

Amazing God

Almost everyday God amazes me! God and I have been talking about things that pertain to the church he has given me to take care of. I was a little apprehensive about bringing up the issue that I have been dealing with and I stepped out (because of his grace) with a sense of power and strength from him.... everything turned out OK and after words the confirmation that God had been dealing with other hearts about the same issue... it reminded me that of what Psalms 136 says... His love endures forever.... everything that I may have to deal with ... his love endures forever... his love has everything that God is and does. So if what I have to dealing is in the center of God's will (good or bad) then his love ( in his love is his everything... strength, grace, direction, mercy, ,,,, everything) endures forever. Praise God...
He's waiting to love you forever with everything!

March Madness-- fall Madness Please

Well the best thing about the end of winter is the college basketball tourney! The NCAA needs to take a REAL GOOD look and listen to what people want... a college football playoff!!!!!!! Why am I talking about this? I see the some thing happening in my life... I do things just because I have always have done it that way. I am working on being better and listening to God and my culture in dealing with the ministry. I am finding new ways that help and are working better and its more exciting seeing God work through these ways then not seeing him able to work through some of the old systems... now listen God can and does work through some old systems BUT sometimes he chooses not too and wants us to use new different systems to reach people for his kingdom. When we hang on the old systems (when Gid is not using it) just because we are comfortable with them or don't like to change, God will not use us, we will become complacent and die. Its the same way with the college football end of the year bowl system. The presidents of the colleges want to keep it this way because of the moneythey are making... not because they want the best for college football and want what the people want. What is going to happen is people will stop watching and then they will have to change... ITS OK TO CHANGE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.... GOD WANTS US TO DO THING DIFFERENTLY TO GET THE MESSAGE OF HOPE AND HELP INTO THE LIVES OF OUR CHURCH ATTENDERS AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT COMING TO CHURCH. WE DON'T CHANGE THE MESSAGE BUT WE DO NEED TO CHANGE OUR METHODS SOMETIMES!!

Another Date Night Year Done:(

I finished another year of birthday date nights with my daughters.... OK I'll explain... once my daughters were old enough to talk and understand things... about 7 or 8 years old... I would take them on or around their birthdays out on a date... just me and them, just daddy and daughter. Well Molly's birthday is close to Christmas and New Years, I kinda of let it slide and then my 40 day fast came along... Kenzie's birthday fell in the middle of the fast... so last Monday I took Molly and tonight I took Mackenzie on their "dates". On These date nights, I have used this time to talk with them and show them how a young man, boy, teen... (Whatever dads call these.... slugs that want to take out our precious Jewell's) should treat them on dates. I open the doors for them, order for them and try to treat them like queens... we have talks about what the slugs should and should not do... when they got old enough we talked about not having sex and stuff like that... I would let them know what slugs are thinking and want... we talk about different issues, what to do if this happens, what to do if that happens. We talk about what they want to do after graduation, we talk about God and things. This year I bought them new bibles and ask that they wear the bibles out so I would have buy them new ones next year... (That means they have used them so much they are falling apart) These date nights have been so good for our relationship and it has kept my girls pure and right before God's eyes...so far (AND IT BETTER STAY THAT WAY TOO) I have told them both if they ever want to disappoint their daddy and break his heart... get pregnant before marriage... I really believe with all my heart these special nights have been a wonderful teaching tool for my family...Jill has even started to take TJ out on his birthdays to teach him the same things... I'll wait until they have families of their own and see if it has all worked out and then I will write a book about it all. Hopefully it will help other parents in raising Godly kids in an ungodly world.
You know what????? He's (Jesus) waiting to take you on a date...

The Eyes

I went back to the eye doctor to have him check out my eye from the last surgery I had. I had some scar tissue on my left eye from a Laske surgery. I was hoping that everything was OK... I went sat in the room waiting... didn't have to wait long... I was thinking that my was OK, things were going well with it... so I thought... good visit... ( OH I forgot to tell you... I miss the original appointment earlier in the week... I had to reschedule)...then I was called back to one room and they had me cover up my right and a read the chart... did good... then they put some drops in my eye and checked the pressure with this cool looking blue light... that was good... then I sat in another waiting room for just a few minutes... then to the exam room. There I waited for the doc... he came in and looked at my eye real close... because you can't see the eye (what's really going on) from a distance... look into my eye he says... good no scar tissue! Good news.. its will be my graduation visit he calls it. I don't have to come back! But then he says... you have some dryness, keep using those drops, in this cold weather the eyes will dry out more and faster...My eye felt great, didn't feel dry to me... but he SAW what my eye didn't feel! Did you get that??????? I'll wait........ There are times in our lives when we feel like everything is great... no problems... but if we let the doctor (God) to look into our lives and heart he will be able to tell what is really going on in there and help us to avoid the dry times in life where it can cause problems later on... dry times? When we don't talk to him much, read his word much, don't fellowship much... when we start slacking in our walk... Let him SEE what we are not feeling... a regular check up help prevent the times of problems...
He's waiting for you to come to HIS office for a check up.... did you miss your appointment?

Good Day

I had a good day today... I learned allot in our pastors conference with Dr. Thom Rainer... but the one thing that hit me in the heart was that our life is short... you see Dr. Rainer will be preaching next Sunday at the church where that Pastor was just shot while preaching last Sunday. Dr. Rainer knew this pastor and he kept telling us today that time is short... before you know it you'll be face to face with Jesus... it help me to understand I don't need to be worrying about stuff but only what is important... God, Family and what he needs me to do for his kingdom! It was a good 3 days talking with fellow brothers and sisters in the ministry. The best support group there is for people like me called pastor... He was waiting for me this week and I finally met up him... thank you Jesus... my question for you is... have YOU met up with Jesus this week?

Facebook Or Face

I am amazed about all this facebook, twitter, texting,email stuff that is going on in today world. Now I am not the most techy kind of guy but I like my facebook, email, I really want a blackberry so I can check my emails and all that on the go but on the other hand I know it will not be good for me in the since I will always be working... that brings me to my thought tonight.... while this facebook (online social community) is great.. we share and connect with people we haven't seen in a while and we talk with people we see often... but have we lost the art of communicating face to face... have we lost the ability to HEAR the other persons voice and what they are saying and how they are saying it? I just wander how JESUS would act, react, and handle today world? I am sure he would have used it for his glory and would have convicted some of us for not using it for his glory.... if we can use all this tech for his glory and still be able to communicate in the loving way that HE would then praise God... if its causing trouble and causing Satan to move in.... then please help us God!
He's waiting on you.... are you there?

Hurt... Why?

Why as people of God do we hurt each other? Think about it for a moment... we should be the ones that walk above the hurtful talk, the back stabbing, the gossiping... why do we hurt each other? Is it because we are thinking/wanting to much for ourselves? Are we being too selfish... always looking out for number 1? Didn't Jesus teach us to be looking out for the other person? Care for one another... The Message bible says this... "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as well as you love yourself"... wow.... many say.. well I don't love myself... yea right... then why do we do what we do to others? Its because we are into ourselves too much! If we who are on this journey with Christ can just learn to love others a little more than ourselves or just learn to love other as we do ourselves this world would be a better place.

Mind Games

I wish I had a switch in my head that I could turn on and off when I needed too.... I have been dealing with something and I have a hard time getting it out of my mind. I always think of the bad that will come out of a situation because in the past... that's what has happened. So I start to worry and get down and I know that it will all work out some how, so way....BUT I hate conflict... and still to this day I DON'T HAVE THE FOGGIEST IDEA WHY GOD CALLED ME TO BE A PASTOR... because dealing with people there is conflict.... and I hate it... so if I had this switchy thingy in my head I could turn off the inner conflict that I have with myself every time a problem or situation comes along... if effects my family and my good wife and I know she hates it because I can't just not deal with it... but....... OK I'll just stop here..... "Lord please be the switchy thingy in my mind and turn my focus to you and not the "maybe" problem or situation... take from my mind the worry, struggle, and anxiety and lay it into your hands... Thank you"......
He's waiting to help us... let him be your mind switchy thingy!!!!!!!

Jesus is waiting but so is the devil...

A few Sunday nights ago I taught on how there are danger zones that we need to watch out for because Satan will be ready to attack. One of those zones is after a spiritual victory... well its happened and I wasn't even looking for this one... well maybe I should have... I should have been smarter than this... you would think the one who teaches about God would listen a little better than those who just hear it on Sundays... After all these days writing on here... He's waiting, I have forgot that the devil is waiting too... waiting for the right time to attack. I should have been looking but I wasn't... "Lord help me to find a way out of this... please help us help our stupid selves"... Boy the devil knows how to kill a pretty good week...........
He's waiting... and I need him

Grapes & Raisins

Which are you... a grape or a raisin? Is your heart plump and juicy like a grape... full of life, spirit, grace, love, goodness, full of good juice, full of nourishment? Or is it like a raisin... dry, shriveled up, little juice, little flavor, just not much there.
Which is your heart like? If you think about it.... look at a bunch of grapes on the vine, either at the store or on a vine... what does it look like????? A HEART, its shape is like a heart...but you can't find raisins like that... they just look dead. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we go to him, the more we get taught, the more we become like him...the more our hearts will become like a grape and less like a raisin.
OK now which are you?
He's waiting... have you rendezvous with him yet today?

Genesis 22:3-5 "The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.... stay here with the donkey, Abraham told the servants. The boy and I will travel a little father. We will worship there, and then we will come right back."
I have a question for you... Abraham told his servants that HIM & ISAAC WILL BE RIGHT BACK... how/why could he say that.. the Lord told him to sacrifice his son Isaac? Think about it... if he KNEW that Isaac would come back with him, if he KNEW that he would not end up sacrificing Isaac... did he have faith then? I have read this the last couple of days... what do you think?
He's waiting for you... where have you been?

Thank you

Thank you to my church family for such a wonderful day and card for my birthday!!! What I loved most was how God visited with us as we closed out a great service with communion... this was my first "food" since Jan. 20th I went 41 days fasting to meet up with Jesus. What an incredible experience! I learned so much about myself... how I needed to "Let Go" of somethings in my life. I hope that God will (I know he will) continue to rendezvous with me. I will continue to share on this blog... its been a great thing for me to "journal" my thoughts and experiences with anyone that wants to read. It has actually helps me to think on him more knowing people are wanting to hear. I just hope and pray this will be a tool of ministry that will help people get closer to the Lord. I hope you really understand the phase... he's waiting... where are you?