So it's hump day and it doesn't feel like it to me. I am going to be travelling after Tara gets off of work tonight to Orlando to a convention that the BEtty Griffin House is sending me to. I have to speak on Friday about addressing dating and healthy relationships with young men. I'm excited about the opportunity but not excited about getting away without the girls. I will probably get a lot more studying and a lot more reading done in the hotel room Thursday night that I would at home, but I will miss the wrestling and playing that comes with being at home with the girls.
I'm hoping for some dry skies so we can play some softball this Friday and so that I can do some racing this weekend. After 2 days of sitting in meetings, and conferences on domestic and sexual violence I am going to need to burn off some serious energy so let's hope for some dry skies for 2 days this weekend.
Next week is our Kidz Kamp and I am excited about the things that our leaders have put together for next week. It's not your same old, same old Vacation Bible school. It's much different, we're doing sports, media , photography, crafts and dance. THe kids are able to sign up for the things they want to do rather than being dragged into things they don't enjoy at all. They'll all have worship together, snack and then they will separate into the tracks that they signed up for. I'm excited and hoping to build up some momentum for the coming school year as I consider doing some children's ministry on Wednesday nights to better meet the needs of our young families in the church so be in prayer for me in that respect, and pray for our leaders this weekend and into next week.
Have a great day and God Bless!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
I know, I know
I know, I got the blogs mixed up and I'm a big doofus. Mondays are tough for me in a lot of ways right now.
First, Mondays are tough because I just spent an entire day of completely uninterupted service at the church. No secular mix and match or fill-ins just to pay my bills. It was completely about God.
Second, I become more aware every Monday morning of just how much I long to serve at the church full-time without the distractions of a secular job.
THese are both things that I need to experience so that I will better appreciate the opportunity if and when it does present itself for me to work full-time at the church.
Yesterday, for instance I got into the office and worked on my blogs. I got them typed out and spent a few minutes in prayer. I had already spent time in silent prayer and just stillness before I went to work. Then, I got into the truck and drove out to Hickory Creek Elementary School for a presentation for the Betty Griffin House. I got there at 8:20 and the presentation was supposed to be at 8:30 but they needed to postpone until 9:30. Well, it's quite a drive out there so I decided to just go sit in the truck and do some reading. I popped open my book on prayer that I am reading right now, then read a few passages that came to mind while I was reading my book. Prayed some, sat in silence a little and then went in and did my presentation. After that I rode back to the office all the while with the radio off and just talking and listening to God. Then, I got to the office and was bombarded with the silliness that comes from working in the secular world. Noise, noise, noise when I want silence, silence and stillness.
So there you see my frustration, as minor as it may be it continues to dominate my days and I am glad that God is right there with me even when I am not able to chase my heart's desire all the day long.
Have a great day!
First, Mondays are tough because I just spent an entire day of completely uninterupted service at the church. No secular mix and match or fill-ins just to pay my bills. It was completely about God.
Second, I become more aware every Monday morning of just how much I long to serve at the church full-time without the distractions of a secular job.
THese are both things that I need to experience so that I will better appreciate the opportunity if and when it does present itself for me to work full-time at the church.
Yesterday, for instance I got into the office and worked on my blogs. I got them typed out and spent a few minutes in prayer. I had already spent time in silent prayer and just stillness before I went to work. Then, I got into the truck and drove out to Hickory Creek Elementary School for a presentation for the Betty Griffin House. I got there at 8:20 and the presentation was supposed to be at 8:30 but they needed to postpone until 9:30. Well, it's quite a drive out there so I decided to just go sit in the truck and do some reading. I popped open my book on prayer that I am reading right now, then read a few passages that came to mind while I was reading my book. Prayed some, sat in silence a little and then went in and did my presentation. After that I rode back to the office all the while with the radio off and just talking and listening to God. Then, I got to the office and was bombarded with the silliness that comes from working in the secular world. Noise, noise, noise when I want silence, silence and stillness.
So there you see my frustration, as minor as it may be it continues to dominate my days and I am glad that God is right there with me even when I am not able to chase my heart's desire all the day long.
Have a great day!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Get in the Boat!
Have you ever caught yourself looking after God's will, seeking Him and looking at the end result? I can honestly say that I do this regularly. I feel God leading me in a direction and I immediately focus on what end result God will allow me to experience for my obedience to Him. In doing so, I have completely missed out on the majority of what God's true will is for me.
Mark 6:45 "He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side."
Jesus sent His disciples on ahead of Him to the other side. They immediately I'm sure, decided to hop in wondering what was waiting for them on the other side. There must have been some great reward for their obedience, right? They get into the boat and the seas get really rough. The boat moves around quite a bit and they are seemingly disturbed. Just then, Jesus comes walking by on top of the water. What a shock? WHat a disturbing illustration of how God wants us to view Him. He wants us to see Him walking right on top of our life's greatest storms. He intends for us to be in the boat(obedience) watching Him, and not focusing on the other side.
If we have a further goal for ourselves than watching God, seeing Him at work in our current lives then we miss out. We miss the work and amazing things He is doing right now because we are looking right past them.
Sure it would have been impossible to not realize Jesus was walking on the water, but what if they did miss it. What if they were all focused on getting to the other side and out of the storm, and on to their goals? They would have missed one of the most amazing things documented in the Gospels.
So I ask you, are you missing out on Jesus walking on top of your storms? Are you so focused on end results that you can't see your Lord and Savior at work in the present? If so, pray that God will reveal His immediate will for you so that you might see Him at work and not look past it to bigger and better things as we would describe it.
Success is a journey and not a destination. Therefore, the journey is that place that God will reveal Himself to us most regularly.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Mark 6:45 "He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side."
Jesus sent His disciples on ahead of Him to the other side. They immediately I'm sure, decided to hop in wondering what was waiting for them on the other side. There must have been some great reward for their obedience, right? They get into the boat and the seas get really rough. The boat moves around quite a bit and they are seemingly disturbed. Just then, Jesus comes walking by on top of the water. What a shock? WHat a disturbing illustration of how God wants us to view Him. He wants us to see Him walking right on top of our life's greatest storms. He intends for us to be in the boat(obedience) watching Him, and not focusing on the other side.
If we have a further goal for ourselves than watching God, seeing Him at work in our current lives then we miss out. We miss the work and amazing things He is doing right now because we are looking right past them.
Sure it would have been impossible to not realize Jesus was walking on the water, but what if they did miss it. What if they were all focused on getting to the other side and out of the storm, and on to their goals? They would have missed one of the most amazing things documented in the Gospels.
So I ask you, are you missing out on Jesus walking on top of your storms? Are you so focused on end results that you can't see your Lord and Savior at work in the present? If so, pray that God will reveal His immediate will for you so that you might see Him at work and not look past it to bigger and better things as we would describe it.
Success is a journey and not a destination. Therefore, the journey is that place that God will reveal Himself to us most regularly.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
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