Togetherness

2 Timothy 3-5
I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day, I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

It has been a little over a month since I last posted, as most of you know I had my second back surgery in a little over a year. This seems to be better than last year, I still have more rehab to do, (physical therapy, etc.) Over all, all seems to be going in a good direction......... I am however moved by the above verses. At first it didn't hit me, but after reading them over again, and reading devotions from my church, I got it!

Our church is rather large, and really pushes the small group thing. As well they should, as should more churches. When you are large, it is difficult to reach every single person on a one to one level, so that would be why small groups are encouraged, as well as it is also encouraged by the word of God. My wife and I are involved in a small group, we are extremely happy with it. Everyone is normal, (you know what I mean), I have been in other churches and groups where some have faked or said things just to get their 2 cents in, or make it a soap box type of climate. Our group, and others I have seen through our church are real. No fakes, no overbearing leaders, (ALL IN FOR CHRIST) <---- being a motto at our church at this time. Everyone is there to further their walks as well as to be there for others, to serve.

Being laied up like I am at this time, friends and family are so important. My first surgery took place in a time when I had walked away from God, when I let my family walk away. I have always have been surrounded by good family. However the friends were limited and really at that time I didn't want to see anyone. I was all about self ............ all about my pain, about me, me, me. How much further away from Christ could I get? During this next year though, Christ had not moved away from me, He was always there, even though I didn't want him there, or even know He would be. Different problems had arose, pain didn't stop, and the family started to fall away altogether.

(Finally my eyes open again, I saw Christ in front of me, in all His glory He stood with open arms, an open heart, asking me to hold hands, to take a walk with Him, and see all He could do, all He had in store, not only for me, but for my family........... O WHAT A WALK. Even though I'm in this house for a recovery, I am still walking and what a journey!)

Now I didn't see the real image of Christ, but through songs, through friends, through my beloved wife and kids, and most importantly through His word, I saw Him and started my walk again....... O how I long to continue to educate myself to serve Him, our Lord, our Holy Father, the Lamb of God..... I am on that walk now, and though we all stumble, I am still here, and with the small groups and friends, together we all walk with Christ, and we all see His wonderful plan when He desires us too.

Now this time, after this surgery, I have been blessed with friend, with brothers and sister in Christ, that have visited, offered help, just talk with me, either by phone, email, or just pray with me and for me. I have seen friends that I haven't seen in along time. I have had better conversations with some than I thought possible. It is all cause of Christ, His work through other, in church, small groups, family. Trust in the notion of serving with others, and fellowship with others, and watch what comes of your life, and the lives of those around you. We are not ment to walk this road of life alone. Christ had 12 others with Him, Paul had several, never did Christ say that we'd be alone.

Love, Hope, Trust, Faith, Service, Sacrifice, is not a solo act, hand and hand with the lead of Jesus Christ, all can be done for His glory, and His plan.

Heavenly Father, my Lord, my God, O how I do long see Your face. To touch the hands that were pierced, to kneel at the feet of the Lamb. Holy Father, forgive me for wanting to go alone, forgive me for seeking myself when others need and should come first. Father I ask for help in restoring that in me, and shining as a light for others to take that flame also. Father I seek to serve You, and minister for You, Father if it is Your will may I follow Your footsteps in this walk of life You have for me. May I and all that read Your word, follow Your direction and honor Your name, and bring Your glory to those who seek and cannot find, and to those who need the saving grace of Your sacrifice. May all things that have breath sing Your name, I pray humbly in the most High and Holy name of my savior, my redeemer, Jesus Christ, amen

Worship

Isaiah 6:1-5
In the year that King Ussiah died, I saw the Lord. Seated on a throne, high and exalted and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings." with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying, and they were calling to one another:

" Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. "

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

I am deeply into this passage of scripture in away that just captures me. I have been recently asked what verses convicted me, ment a great deal to me ( my favorite). Maybe it helped, or changed me in some way. These questions were put to me and others in a small group I attend with my wife. I have many favorite passages in the bible that just rock my world. However there is something about this section in Isaiah, that gets to me just right. Let me see if I can explain it just right. (bare with me.)


Here we have Isaiah, in a distraught manner, King Uzziah had just died, and Isaiah was extremely close to him. Isaiah was searching for something, and really there was only one place for him to go.

He goes into the temple of the Lord. Lets get this right, he walks into the ( Temple of the Lord).

Whats the first thing he sees, -- Isaiah, " I saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted,(lifted up), and the train of His robe filled the temple. Now there is no doubt that what he saw was the pre-incarnated image of Christ, but stop for a second and think about it. Think about seeing the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, sitting high and exalted on a throne in front of You, ...... what would you do? The first thing that comes to mind, is a fall to my knees and a worshipful prayer of thanks to just be in the presence of the Holy One.

(Lets continue),.... Above Him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another"
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and threshold shook and the temple was filled with smoke.


All I can say is,....... what a worship service!

Now I have been to some good and loud worship services. Ones that would make you jump, and dance. I can't hardly make it through a song or two at church on Sunday, if I could have seen this, WOW, I have no idea what I would have done, save for the fact of as said before, "dropping down to worship". I do know however, that day is coming. His glory is going to burst through the clouds and the trumpets will sound, and the whole world, everything that has breath will sing His glory, ...................... and I will certainly be one of them. For it will be our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer, the true One and only, the Alpha, the Omega, the First, the Middle, the Last, the one and only Saving GOD.......................... JESUS CHRIST !

Getting back to this passage now, think of the worship service that this is, the seraphim's and the cherubims were fluttering about, from one end of the temple to the other, singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory". ( I would like to try that one day, in the church, take half of the people in the audience, and split it right down the middle, start one side to the other, and have them all sing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy Holy, Holy, getting louder and louder, with every passing word. What a lesson.)

I feel for Isaiah, at this point. I have never been face to face with our God yet, someday yes, but for now, just by prayer and example. Being in a position to take a lead in a group or to finally decide to go out and share the word of the Lord, with anyone. This is where Isaiah is finding himself. (wait for it, its coming) God is going to ask the question that we all have been commanded to do, the question is to go and not be ashamed or embarrassed to confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross for our sins, and through Him and Him alone is the only way to our God. To plead and make the case that only Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the light. Its not easy, but all we have to do is say it. We can't change others minds, that is His job, not ours, we just speak the truth. Do we all see that now.................................
Get it folks, I have tried to make this point before, but get it, GET IT!!!! Get the point, if someone says their having a bad day, "their is your opportunity". If someone says, they've had enough, of politics and religion in the world today, "there is your opening".

Always be looking and willing if not ready to share, share the good news, the absolute truth, the one and only way to heaven, to our God, is through His son, Jesus Christ. There is no other way, no other way what so ever. Many will tell you that you could work your way in or earn your way somehow. No, No, No, No, No, that is not the way. Get that part first. Know it for Yourself, and for your family and friends, express it to all that you come in contact with, all that don't believe, all that have doubt....... JESUS CHRIST, THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, HIMSELF, THE TRUE ONE AND ONLY LIVING GOD CAN DO ALL THINGS....... Believe it, there is no other real truth in our lives. Reach out for His touch, read His word, attend His house, and feel His presence in your life. If there is someone who says that, that is bull and not the truth, please stand firm in the light of Jesus Christ, and spread the gospel, for He is the ONLY RISEN CHRIST, THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE RESURRECTED SAVIOR!!!!!!

Back to the passage in Isaiah, (again, sorry I take off on tangents) not only did the first part of the chapter effect me in a profound way, but the rest of chapter 6, just piles it all on. He sees the Lord, He sees the angels flying and singing, (O just to see one Lord, before I go, how neat would that be). He feels guilt, for he has unclean lips. (ever been there?), Don't worry we all have. However he ends up being redeemed. and has found himself a new job.

The the Lord said, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?

Isaiah just stuck his hand up and said send me, I'll go.

Folks he was going into a place where no one wanted him there, were no one wanted to hear the word of the Lord God. The entire place was sin, and the Lord told Isaiah he was to stay and preach til the buildings fell, and there were no more in the land. (That's along time!)

I see not only the fact that when we enter the house of the Lord, no matter if you are a Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, non denomination, The House of The Risen Lord it is. No one should focus on the person next to them, who's wearing what, who looks like what, what will happen tomorrow at work, or how will I get through this or that. STOP IT! It is not about us, it is not about me, or you, we are there to worship Him, the One, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. It needs to be all about Him. PERIOD.

I challenge all of you, and yes myself is included, to focus on Him when worshiping, not on anything else, let your voices ring, let the heavens hear your praise for Him, for He alone deserves it. There is no other. When the opportunity presence itself, "go for Him", spread His word, for His will. Be passionate, for our God. We pick such little things to put our passion into, (sports, politics, money, work, cars, toys, I can go on, and on, and on.) Lets put our passion and love into Christ for He alone is worthy.

Heavenly Father, how wonderful it is to speak of You, to think of You, to praise You. You are the Holy One, the One that keeps us in Your love. You are never surprised, You never tire, You never strain for anything. Father forgive us for not putting You first, for not worshiping You when we need to, when we should. I ask for Your loving care and warm comfort. We give You this day, we give You our lives, we praise You for all You are and all You do, and all You allow. In the name of Your sons Holy name, our Redeemers wonderful glory, Jesus Christ, we pray,
amen

Believe

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, and even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?

No one really knows when Christ will call us to Him. When we will enter the shadow of His grace and receive His salvation. Some of us accept His gift at a young age, being raised in a Christian home, or maybe some will hear a deep meaning sermon, or a friend says the right thing at the right time. Others go through tragedy, some however are convicted in a deep, meaningful, and startling way.

I am reminded of a story I heard sometime ago. There was a young man attending a prominent college back east, this young man had all he could have wanted and more growing up and obviously it followed him into college. He was very talented and even was being looked at for the sport of Diving for the next Olympic that were coming around soon enough. With all of this, this young gifted soul was an atheist, had no belief in Christ, God, anything Christian, his train of thought was, "when you're dead, you're dead." The loan saving grace so far was his roommate. Another gifted young man, however this was a deeply grounded believer in Christ, the son of a minister, attending college mostly by scholarship. This roommate (friend) never pushed the truth on his non believing friend, but chose small times on when to interject Christ into a conversation, the atheistic young man never arguing, but just listening and moving on.

On one occasion on a late, but clear fall evening, the non believing young'n entered the schools indoor pool for some practice. The lights were already out and except for the light coming in at the top by skylights nothing else could be seen. He walked around the pool finding his way to the ladder for the tallest diving platform, his train of thought was on his diving, being a perfectionist he enjoyed diving in the dark, thinking it honed his skills. Once at the top of the platform, he turned his back to the pool, as countless times before. Balanced himself on the balls of his feet, just like before and stretched out his arms to the sides, just like clock work. Only this time the moonlight shining through the upper windows behind him casting his shadow on the wall in front of his face, making the shape of a cross. For some reason, at this time, the young man couldn't continue, feeling an overwhelming feeling of guilt, remorse, love, grace, fell forward onto his knees, and accepted Christ as his savior, accepted the only true and unfailing gift of salvation that can only come from our Lord, Jesus Christ.

After several minutes of long overdue prayer, and deep thought, the young man got up and assumed his position at the end of the platform, just at this time the night janitor entered the building on his normal rounds and turned on the lights, yelling up to the boy " hey, what do you think you're doing?" The newest member of Christs family turn to see that all the water had been drained from the pool for maintenance.

Powerful. You see the boy thought he knew where he was going, what he was doing. However that was not the case, everyone has been there. I don't believe for a second that someone hasn't, but look how Christ led that young man, someone who doubted all the time, who was sure he had all the answers or his life in control, but as most of us life can lose control just at the edge of your feet.

Have you accepted Christ as your savior? Do you have questions? Are you fulfilled in your faith of wherever you are? If you haven't accepted or know someone who is on the verge, I invite you to do so, or to allow a conversation to happen. We can't save each other, we hold no gift of salvation for anyone. We are examples to one another, we can speak the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and only He and He alone can save us/anyone. Only Christ alone can give the gift of salvation through His saving grace of His sacrifice. How blessed is His name, how wonderful is His word, is His love, is His grace. Ask your questions, seek the knowledge, find the answers you are looking for and experience His saving grace. There are no stupid questions, only unasked ones, don't be afraid, He can take it all, He looks forward to your questions, the more we ask, the more we learn. Please feel free to ask or forward this, don't hesitate, for only the wonders of Christ lay ahead, embrace it.

Heavenly Father, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Your glory reigns forever and ever, You never fail, You never tire, or give up. You can take all the questions, concerns, frustrations, You can handle anything and everything, without effort. We praise Your Holy name, and give our lives to You, Father I lift up those who maybe searching today with questions of You and Your love, not sure of where to go or what to believe, Lord I pray that You allow those individuals to find a true follower of Christ to lean on, that You reveal Yourself to them in away that not only gets their attention, but fills them with Your love and joy. Once again I put myself out there to be used for Your Holy grace and sovereign plan. May all things sings Your glory. I give You these things, these words, this time, and my life as well as my family to You, for everything is a gift from You and not truly ours. I pray in the name of Your Holy Son, our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ,
amen

Hallelujah!

1 Corinthians 2:2
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

I am taken with this verse above for certain. I have such devotion to our Lord, to rest in Him, and His sacrifice, to rest at the foot of the cross, cause through Christ we are saved, who could want more. I have focused on a few songs also, songs that bring where we should all be to the heart of the matter. I have added a few items to this blog, to your right you'll see a few slides from youtube, they are of Lincoln Brewster, singing and playing his music to our Lord. The forth one down is called Surrender, I have provided the lyrics to the song for your reading. Take your time, and focus on the words, link onto the music, it is a beautiful song, and in touches in a manner, honoring to our Lord.

"I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within, I lay it all down for the sake of you my King. I'm giving you my dreams, I'm laying down my rights, I'm giving up my pride for the promise of new life. And I surrender all to you, all to you. And I surrender all to you, all to you. I'm singing You this song, I'm waiting at the cross, And all the world holds dear, I count it all as loss, For the sake of knowing You for the glory of Your name, To know the lasting joy, even sharing in Your pain. I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within, I lay it all down for the sake of you my King."

How wonderful it is to surrender all we have to our Lord. Yes we all know that in turmoil, and hardships our trips to the cross can be quick, but how about when life is good. When we are all healthy, and together. Remember they are gifts from Him, He, The One, The First, the Middle, and The Last. I have also included a new photo. The photo is of the most important gifts from our Lord, to me. They are of my love, and of our little lives.

See how beautiful my bride is, this is not bragging, this is a gift, God allowed her to come into my life, it was of His plan, not mine, He alone directed that, and what a gift. Not only beautiful, but bright, the smartest woman I have ever met, not to mention strong. I sit and ponder the strength God gave her, the grace He bestowes' through her. She is an angle in the flesh, I love her more than I could describe, and am in debt to God for her.

Our boys, my goodness, how wonderful they are in our lives. God gave them to us, we hold them close, quite often. Their endless little quirks, their little lives are so important to be apart of. God created them, for us to teach, guide, and protect. He alone, as with us all actually hold the reigns on them, He allows their presence in our lives. I never knew what my dad meant when he said, "take your time, it goes by so fast" until now. O was he right, the oldest in going on 9, and entering the 4Th grade, the youngest is 5 1/2, and is starting kindergarden. Where did the midnight feedings go? Where did the little snuggles go? Memories, sweet innocent memories, I praise God for it all. It is only through Him and His glory we are here and have what we have. I praise Him, and with a humble and heavy heart lay it all down at the foot of the cross, along with my life. He gave His life for us, the least we can do is give ours back to Him.

The following is a classic song that Lincoln turned into a marvelous worship song;

(verse 1)I love You Lord with all my heart, You've given me a brand new start, And I just want to sing this song to You. It goes like this the fourth the fifth, The minor fall the major lift, My heart and soul are praising, Hallelujah(chorus)Hallelujah, hallelujah, Hallelujah, hallelujah(verse 2)I know that You're the God above You're filling me with grace and love, And I just want to say thank You to You. You pulled me from the miry clay, You've given me a brand new day, Now all that I can say is Hallelujah.

Heavenly Father, we praise You, You are our God, our Lord, for You alone are worthy of our praise, we give You our lives, with whole and humble hearts. Forgive us of self-seeking, for lookout for number one, when the one should and only be You. You have allow so much into our lives, given us so much, most of all You have given us salvation through Your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not deserve it, but accept it, and praise You, we wait at the foot of cross for the day when we can lift Holy hands to You in person, in Your presences and look upon Your glory, and shout out our praises. May Your name be praised, through all the earth. In the name of Your son, Jesus Christ we pray
amen

Love

1 Corinthians 13:3-8/13
Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. -------- (13) And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love, But the greatest of these is love.

We have all heard these verses before, mostly at weddings. Most likely in our own wedding as well. Matter a fact, when the verses are mentioned we think of weddings. However I think we have all missed the fact that these verses are a map for our everyday lives. I have dropped the ball in everyone of these categories, and with not only my wife, but my children, family and friends. I feel bad about it, but we can't go back and fix the past, all we can do is move forward, and hope for another chance to do it the right way.

Family is the hardest part of this. Being an in-law is a prime example. We have to remember that our parents-law now have adult children in their families that they did not raise, this person has different views, or habit, or traits that may take some getting used to. As children we on the other hand were not raised in this new family, and therefore are different, just from that standpoint. This is were I believe these passages are a necessity, as we get to know the other side of the family we need to use every point in which there are about 15. If you notice the first two, (patience and kind) are not actions, they are reactions. What does that tell ya, it tells me that to have patience and to be kind are the hardest to obtain and pull off, in any given situation and with anyone.

I have to say, that aside from the first two, pride (proud) is the hardest part for me. I have a tremendous amount of pride, and releasing it has been a tremendous problem, in marriage as well as in my relationships,(friends, work,etc). I thank God for my wife. I really do, it is cause of a strong wife, a smart woman, God has worked through her to me to help me in this area. It has been no small work, but then again what is in a marriage.

The thing about all 15 points, the Apostle Paul makes in this passage is that, it is no multiple choice part of life. You can't pick just 4 or 5 out of the 15. You can't just say that you'll just work on one. No, it is all 15 or nothing. All 15 is apart of love, and with out love you/we have nothing. As we read in the first part of chapter 13, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, (that martyrdom) but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Christ's words are spoken out in such truth, and meant in no other way. The greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Were are we if we have lost this truth. Folks I have been so far from this, in my marriage, family, friendships, yes I have been forgiven by God, through His son, and my wife loves me as well as my family (I hope), but how long can we test each other before we are all lost. It has taken me a long time to come to this point, I have let quite a few relationships drift away because of the pride, I am in danger and have been in danger of this with family members who were at once so close, that now, I wonder if it is all lost, or if there is a chance to fix, and move on. (?)

I don't know......... I pray everyday for a chance to hug those individuals look them in the eye and assure them that I love them, and that I hold no grudge, no pride, no self-seeking attitude toward them. That no matter the heart of the subject back then, Christ controls my heart now, my mind and body follow, and with that, how can I not love them. There is no way that I can allow this friction and emptiness to continue. Especially family, family is to be close, to help, to lift each other up. Family is supposed to be the true example of the words of the Apostle Paul. We are all different, there for we at the heart of it all need to be patient, kind, not with envy, not boasting, not proud. Never self-seeking, not easily to anger, doesn't hold grudges. Doesn't delight in evil, holds to the truth, always protecting, always keeping hope, always persevering and never failing.

I......., I can go on and on, (fearing if I do, no one would come back and read this blog again, saying man that guy is long winded). O well. As I stated before, the words are of the Holy Spirit, not of me, I pray that all that is said is of honor and glory to our Lord, and not to me, I am just the example. So I'll just end with this, we've all heard it in our own lives. Life is to short, to short for the petty bickering's, and squabbles. To short for macho attitudes and miss communicated words, taken in the wrong context. LETS GET RID OF IT!! Lets lay it all out on the table, and get back to what is real, to what matters, and that is Christ. Plain and simple, Christ is and should be the center of all things in your/our lives, ....... lets bring Him back.

Father, forgive me of my sins, forgive me for not listening to Your word, it has been there, there's no reason for not reading it, it is all on me. Father, I'm sorry, please take this from me and make me whole again in Your eyes. I long to see those who are at a distance from me, I long to speak to them and talk of Your word and love, and how we all should be in Your light. I ask for Your power to descend upon us and bring us all together again. Forgive us all. I pray that the words said here do honor You, do glorify Your name, that they reach some who are falling, or have fallen away, and that they bring those back to the ones who love them dearly. May You forever shine, may Your Spirit never leave, and may we ever long to see Your face. We give You these things, as it always should be, in the name of Your son, Our Redeemer, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray,
amen

Patience

Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you" declares the Lord.

Patience. Who of us has patience. Some more than others, but I feel that we all lack patience. I myself lack a major amount. I have a lot of pride, and selfishness, but patience I lack. I can tell you that the level of pride and selfishness compared to patience is balancing more and more everyday, but more times than not, patience is out weighed.

The verse above asks us for patience, without coming right out and saying it. Look how he starts out, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord" It feels like a parent tell us as children that, "hey I know what I have in store for you, don't worry, I have it all set for you." My parents at one time or another, have said that in my childhood, and of course I always came back with, "well hurry up, what is it?" Patience, Patience, Patience.

As I said earlier I am learning patience. I have been delt a good lesson to be coming up. Most of you know my health situation, with my back. I have found out I will need surgery again, to get some bone fragments and scar tissue out of the way. Seems they have been the source of my ongoing pain and constant discomfort. However, the recovery time is the same as the last time. 1 whole month at home, no driving in a car to go anywhere, until I see the doctor again. Then 2 months of physical therapy, not to mention the pain management that goes along with it. Talk about a patience lesson.

I find myself deep in the lessons of the psalmist that wrote in psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." I can be still for that. I am at an age, and finally believe at a mind set that I can be still and wait on the Lord. He knows our hurts, and pains. He knows our needs and desires for that matter. He never gives us more than we can handle, so that means He knows our limits. Now to have a God that's in charge like that in tune like that. To have someone that is looking out for you like that, come on now who wouldn't want to be in His shadows of protection and guidance.

I have an opportunity to dive deeper in the word of our Lord. To explore Him on another level. My goal was to enter school and begin my education here in about two weeks, to build credits to enroll in a Seminary College. However that may still be, but God wants us to do it later. He has a plan for me to be still and wait on Him. I have talked of this in past blogs, He has a plan, we can't always know it, we can't have the inside track on everything He is doing, but when we read the verses from before, why should we worry about tomorrow. He has a plan, and it is His, He is in control. He made all that you see, and that you have. He has allowed you to draw breath in His world, and now He wants you to believe in Him and have faith that all will work out for the better good. He knows it will, He has already seen it and knows the way it will go. Now it is up to (us, you, me, I, everyone) to have faith and say, "alright Lord, I am here and I am waiting on You, may Your plan unfold as You want, and may the world see Your glory."

O how I can go on and on about our God. I look upon these words, I sit with my laptop on one leg, and my bible on the other. I see what God has done in the lives of my family and myself, and where He has us now, and I ask myself, who wouldn't believe in a God like this. I look forward to talking to anyone who's beliefs are struggling, or someone who can't grasp Gods word, and who puts their faith in something else. I am not perfect, by far, and I don't know everything, but I know that the word of God is true, there is no other truth, and as long as we hold on to that and follow that we stay in the right. When we preach the word, or talk of God, it is for His glory, and honor, and it is to further our learning as others. Jesus saves, not us, we can lead the horse to the water, but only Christ can make it drink. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Father, we seek Your glory, we seek Your wisdom, we ask for forgiveness, and for Your direction. Lord, look upon us in favor, You give us support throughout our days, we know and we don't. We see it and sometimes we take it for granted, forgive us for this offence. Father I ask for the Holy Spirit to invade my life, and guide my mindset and direction of my walk with You. I ask to be an example for Christ, for others to see what Christ does, and nothing for my glory, for it is never and should ever be about us, but only about You, about Your grace, glory, and majesty. Blessed be Your name Lord, blessed be Your glory. Lay Your mighty hands upon Your children and seal that love and grace in our hearts. Father we adore You, and pray in the name of Your son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
amen

He can do all things

Job 42:2
Then job answered the Lord and said, "I know that You can do all things."

I read these following words in a novel on Job, and found it very appropriate.
"The point is clear --- God's power is infinite and independent, self energized, and never depleting. He creates from nothing without any decrease of energy. He sustains all life without needing any assistance. He gives life and takes life. He raises from the dead those He wishes to raise without any resistance. And He withholds the most powerful creature ever created (Satan himself) with no struggle, without restraint. Nothing stands in God's way. Nothing hinders God's work. Nothing alters God's plan. He alone deserves the description, "awesome."

How powerful is that statement, how does that make you feel to know that our God holds this power. The word "awesome" is used to much in our culture, I have tried to change my words were I don't use the word. I have seen that word used to describe a razor blade, a car, other people, and their acts they have done. I would like us all to save that word, save the word, "awesome". Save it for our God. Save it for the one who can do all that was said above. He deserves it, at the very least, we can save that word for Him. He is awesome, all He has done, and is doing is awesome. O how we love Him, O how we adore Him.

Folks I am lifted up high right now, I find myself at a point where I know and believe, and would teach, preach, tell, do all I can to share His word, His gospel. He is doing so many magical things in the lives of my family, and I, how can I not share His glory. There are things that are connecting between my wife and myself that haven't been there for awhile, there are plans being made, clear plans, there are stable answers to difficult questions. My family and I have given our lives to God, Christ is first in our home, and His glory is shining, and He reigns. We still have our troubles, we still have our bumps in the road, and we are also being used at this time to influence other around us. We are being the examples the Christ wants us to be, and we are giving ourselves to this, my wife has really never had a problem helping other, or listening to them, I on the other hand have come along way. I long for the time to share with others, to listen to them, to hear their stories, problems concerns, and my answers, when needed, always revolve around our Lord Jesus Christ, He is first in all things, and we are tiring and working hard to keep that habit.

Folks never be afraid to give your life to Christ, to hand your lives over to Him, to allow Him to lead your life. In speaking another way, hand Him the keys to the car that is Your life, and sit back and allow Him to drive Your life. The adventures you'll take with Him, the things you'll see, and O what an experience. I know that entering a life of ministry will test me in ways I couldn't think of now, and break me down to be a true servant of God. I will be able to do it all with His strength, with His power, with His direction. Through Him we can do anything. How wonderful, how glorious, how beautiful.

Father, we come to You in search of You, we don't have to search long, or look long. You are always there, You are always ready for us, You are never caught off guard, or taken by surprise. You are the one who stands ready at all times for anything. You allow us to come to You through the saving grace of Your son Jesus Christ, and plead our case, to state our concerns, our griefs, our wants,........ our hurts. Father, we can't extend our thanks enough for all that You are and all that You do. You are the ultimate Dad, Perfect Father, we praise You for all things. Father, we pray in the name of Your Mighty Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen

Hope

Isaiah 40:25-31
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

What hope this gives to those in search of something to hang on to. For awhile I have been searching and wanting more from the life I have been given. I have a wonderful and beautiful wife, and two sweet, smart, and handsome kids. We have a good home, roof, meals, entertainment, all of that stuff people want in life. Still I search, I have floated from job to job, met and overcome small challenges here and there, but still there is something missing. I have subjected my family to a lot of......... well let just say useless crap. I do however believe my search is coming upon something true and tangible, something with grit, and meaning.

I have all the while been in acceptance of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am born again through our Lord, and have never denounced that. At times I have drifted away, sometimes more than others, just dropped out of site, from the Christian scene, now however I feel comfort in coming back to my faith. I am understanding a little of Gods plan he has for me. I do believe He talks to His people even today. We have all read stories in the bible were He spoke out loud from the heavens to His servants, or from a burning bush, or in a vision or dream. Now that the word has been written and is complete, I believe He is speaking to us through that. Also through some servants in our lives today, such as a gifted communicators in a pastor, or Christian author, a Christian mentor, or sometimes through our spouses. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying I hear His voice, or I saw Jesus and He, "said to do such and such." No, I am not hearing voices or seeing visions, don't get me wrong, I think that would be pretty cool, but I do understand now things I read, and things I am listing to on occasion.

In what I have been searching for, I believe has finally come and grabbed me by the neck and has a firm hold on me. Ministry. I have talked with my wife, (which is most important), I have been praying and continue to do so. Now I am registered for school, to start my education again, ( I am far behind in some areas), though my sites for now are set on racking up credits and God willing to attend William Jessup University. Now I am looking at a good year and half, or more before this happens, and we all know that a lot can happen in that time. ( I think the best would be for Jesus to come back, but I am just saying...........) I feel good about this, I pray that this is the road Christ wants me on, to serve, to teach, or to counsel, I don't know, and am not really picky about it, Ministry is what it is, it is about God, His glory, His honor, His cause, not mine, O how I want to ingrain that in my head and most importantly in the place where my pride is. I so much want to lose this handle that is on me (pride). It is such a burden, but I trust in the Lord, I have confidence in Him to break me down, to pull me down, and build me back up in the form of a man of God, a man that puts Christ first before anything else, a humble man.

I believe we are on the right track for the reasons, He has cleared the road for the first part, (starting school), He has given me a wonderful woman in my life, that supports me and has put up with so much ugliness and is still around,(what a gift), He has also blessed me with a wonderful family and friends, and most importantly He is with me in my heart, my mind, and my soul. O how I love Him, and praise His Holy name.

Folks I guess I am writing this for the reason of sharing, sharing hope, allow others to see when we finally break our ties with worldly things, and allow Christ to be first, things happen. Doors open, your eyes opens, your heart opens, most importantly Gods plan and purpose unfolds even more, and to be apart of that, is a feeling like no other. If you are searching, if you don't have a clue where to look or go, just stop, pray, read, and listen. As I am learning in the teachings of Moses, when we wander away from what we know, and end up in the desert, sit by a well and let God fill you with His purpose. Well all I can say is " fill me O Lord, drowned me in Your love, in Your word, for Your plan, for Your purpose, make me full, so I may water others with the knowledge of Your word."


Heavenly Father, to come before itself is such an honor, to worship You with our prayers, with our lives lifted, is an honor. Father I ask to be filled with Your word daily, to be replenished with Your glory and grace, to have the power to share Your word with others, never tiring of it, or being scared to do so. Father, I lift up all who read this, all who share this with others, I ask for Your mighty healing right hand to touch all, fill those who You select, and bring those who You adorn with this knowledge to speak of You at all times, for all occasions. I give You my life, use me as You want, give me the knowledge I desire, but more importantly what You want to bestow, I give You my praise, I give You this day, I give You all that I have, for You alone are worthy, I pray in the name of Your son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
amen

Hymn

Father, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You,

Jesus, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You,

Spirit, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You,

What a wonderful hymn, sing it in the shower, sing it in the car, sing it in your mind throughout your day, feel the love of Jesus......

O how I adore You Lord.

Why?

Isaiah 55: 8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I titled this post "Why?" for the reason; we are always asking why. Why this? Why that? Why did God allow that to happen, why didn't he stop that from coming about. I saw and heard a lot of this after the events of September 11Th 2001, I heard constantly, "if he is such a mighty and powerful, loving God, why didn't he stop this, why didn't he keep all those innocent lives from death?" Others used this excuse to say and try to solidify their beliefs that there is no God. I believe I even at one point asked the question of "why" myself. Being farther away in my Christian walk than I am now, I asked it. (O by the way, I am still far off in my walk, we all are, we get closer and closer everyday, but still not as close to God as we need to be.)

Never did I question if there was a God, never did I say, " does he even know what he's doing?" No, no, I asked why, and was given an answer pretty quickly. It is in the above verse.

We don't know His ways, we don't know His thoughts, we cannot obtain His level of thinking, or planning,...... so lets stop trying. I know one thing that came about from that awful time, from that beautiful clear early fall morning, that turned into such tragedy. Countless people came to the cross. Came to know Christ, I have many friends that saw that ugliness, and came with questions, and found the true answer, the answer to anything, good, bad, or indifferent; CHRIST!!!

Now I know I've been through this before on one of these posts, but I feel it needs to be said again. We don't know the reasons why thing happen, for some of us we are dealt ills in life, for others there is prosperity. The answers to our prayers are for some always "no", and for others, it is "sickness", for others it is " wealth". We can't explain it, never does it say in the Holy Word, that God grants all of us good health and plenty of wealth. Just the opposite. Even when we have given ourselves totally over to His will, completely to Him, He tells us to expect to be crucified in our own way. That when we proclaim His name some will fight it, and some will try to take your life, for it. Many a believer have already lost their lives to the truth. I think that would be the best way to go, personally. I think highly of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in war for this country, or for their children or spouse, I would gladly do the same, but how many truly would stand up to death for Christ? It would not be easy, that is for sure, only in His name and trust I would do this, I can't tell you what I would do tomorrow, or next week, but I know that for His name, for His love, for His grace, He gave His life for me, I at least owe Him mine, and that would be in any way He asks for it. I don't trust in myself for anything, my trust and faith lies in Him, and in Him alone.

I sit here writing these words in the ultimate hope of extending love to anyone and everyone. I have recently been given the chance to see and hear of those in great need. We have family on both sides in dire health. I do not want to say things that would disgrace the word of the Lord, or give false hope, for I do not personally know what everyone is going through. I have not experienced their illnesses, or trials, I have faced my own, and will continue. This alone allows me to speak the word of the Lord, in any situation, to speak Gods word, to share the truth of His love, to share the gospel of Christ, and to extend His grace is never wrong. It is all done in His name, for His glory, not for mine, not for anyone, even those who are being prayed for, "in all things praise the Lord, give thank to the Lord, through prayer and petition, come to Him and give thanks." As the thorn that is in my side, I praise Him, I ask for humility, I ask for guidance, and His grace, so I may give it on to others, may I only be used by Him for His kingdom, to be an example of a Christ like person. O to praise His Holy Name, give it, give it all to Him, though it be hard, and not your way, do it, and see His glory shine, feel His love in Your heart and soul, KNOW HE IS THE LORD, KING OF KINGS, THE FIRST, THE LAST, THE NEVER ENDING, NEVER CHANGING, ALL CONSUMING GOD!

Father, we give it all to You, for we are nothing and have nothing without You, we praise You, do not forsake You, but love You, and give our lives to You, for it is all we have to give. Give us this day, our daily bread. May all things that have breath praise Your Holy name,
In Your sons name, our Saviors name, Jesus Christ, we pray, amen

Prayer

1 Chronicles 29:10-13
David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name.

O to pray, to pray like there is no tomorrow. I love to pray, to extend my praise to the Holy One, to the One and only that deserves it. My prayer life has taken on such different meaning as my life has gone on, I am at a point in my life, where there is no fear in praying. In when to pray, where to pray, how to pray, what to pray about, who to pray for. My heart is open, my heart and mind are the Lords, so why be afraid, why question the fact that I need to pray, because at the end of it all, it is not about me. It is about the Lord. Whatever answer I get, about whatever question, request or thought I have and have prayed about, the answer is from the Lord, and of the Lord, and for the Lords purpose. O I give Him such praise, such glory, such love. All things are gone, no here, it is just me and the Lord.

I have recently been reading a novel on the Apostle Paul, as I've mentioned before, I am not afraid to speak the glory of Christ, the gift of Christ to us His children, the same is in my prayer, not being afraid to do any of it. I will speak of the Lord to anyone at anytime, I will pray to the Lord, at anytime, for anyone, for the glory of the Lord, for His praise, for His honor, O praise Him, by praying to Him. Show Him that you care enough to talk to Him, to include Him in your life. For it is because of Him you have your life. How free it feels to know this, to live this, in one way I kick myself for not doing this earlier in my life. However, we shouldn't live in the past, and it is just a fleeting thought anyhow, its good to reflect, but not to dwell.

I love Jesus, I love the gift of salvation through Him. I am excited to share this with anyone, I am humbled to be able to pray for anyone, at anytime. Humility, now that's a subject to get started on, most likely later, it will take up a lot of time. Lets just say, I am learning, and stumbling constantly, but our Lord lifts us when we are down, helps us through His own ways.

However, humility is not the point tonight, although it has such a tremendous place in prayer, most of it is humbleness now that I think about it, being humble before your God. Just getting this far in this blog, showed me even more humility, how wonderful is our God. To all that read this or however it gets to you, I am trying to share prayer with anyone who needs to pray or wants to pray, or just needs a prayer, speak to the Lord, fill His ears with your words, He longs to talk to us, He speaks to us through His word, through prayer, through others. Prayer is such a wonderful way to talk to God. It is just you and He, one on one, man to the Almighty, One and Only, Alpha, and Omega, the Lord. How wonderful.

Prayer:
Our Father, O how we long to see You, to hear Your words from Your lips, to just be in Your presence. Well Father, however long You want us to wait we will, You do talk to us, sometimes we just forget that. Father, I pray to You now, in humility, and in full praise to Your glory, to Your awesomeness, I pray to honor You. You tell us to come to You, come to You for anything, about anything, for us, for others. In praise, in grief, in prayer and petition, give thanks to You, and ask You for Your lead. For Your counsel. For Your grace. Lord there are those who are reading this, hearing this read to them, however it reaches them, they are hurting, they are full of joy, they are lost, or they just need a little more You today. Father I lift them up to You, Lord I lift up the times we are in, people are in dismay, are lost, the world is lost, but You have stayed the same, ever lasting, never let us go, O how I am thankful for this. Lord we pray for our country and our nations leaders. Though the times are tough, we are safe in You, though our countries leaders fight, fight over things no one can do anything about, but still the fight, I pray You convict them, hold them, and show them how far they are from You. Father we see how far things are going from You, and Lord it leads us closer to You, we will hang on the words You give, on Your words and meanings You give, thank You Father for all things You have done, and are doing and will do. We thank You Father for the love You give, for the gift of salvation you gave through Your son. We thank Thee Father for always knowing, never leaving, always continuing on Your plan, Your sovereign plan, with no flaws, Father You are Holy, and wise, perfect and beautiful, and for these things we praise You, and honor Your for You alone are worthy, In the name of Your son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray
amen

It's not about me !!!!

1 Corinthians 12: 1-10
I must go on boasting, Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations, from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows, was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


O how true it all finally seems, in the past posts, I have gone on and one about my pain, about some misfortunes that have entrapped my life as well as the lives of my wife and kids. To honestly look at it from a biblical perspective, well that is something different.

Folks, I must say that there is no doubt in my mind, or soul, or heart, or whatever you want to fill in the blank, but the doubt is finally away from me, I truly welcome the pain I have. I truly welcome the position that myself and my family are in right now. For it is all of God. Nothing comes to us that does not pass through His fingers first. It has taken me a while to let it all sink in through my very think skull. (my wife can a test to that) However, no where in the bible does it say that God wants everyone to be happy. That he wants everyone to be of great health. To be rich, or publicly successful. No where! Some of us He has a sickness laiden life planned. Some of us are here to be examples in some way to others. If we are happy, and rich, then what. I see now, forget all the riches, forget all the glory. They glory is His, and His alone.

I am reading several books now, one of them is one the Apostle Paul, in the most recent chapter, the author uses a story of an old saint.
(Like the old saint once prayed, " Lord, when will You cease to strew my path with trials and thorns?" The Lord answered, "My child, that is how I prove My friends." To which the suffering soul replied, "Lord, perhaps that's why You have so few of them.") We'd rather be skeptical then submissive.

I would love to see what Paul saw in his vision, or actually what my late grandmother sees now. O to see the wander of our Lord, with our own eyes. I do however take full advantage of the imagination that He granted us when He made us. The really cool things is however, that whatever we imagine, can't even compare to what it is really like to be personally in His presence. To see His splendor, His glory, His love beaming throughout all things.



So the conclusion I came to in my studies, is I am not to boast in myself. When we do things on our own, and take credit for it, it just allows us to grow away from Christ. For we do not accomplish anything on our own. I have seen far to many people, myself included, taking credit for something they couldn't have done without Jesus Christ, folks that is everything. Example; throughout this book I am reading, even though Paul is the main character, it really isn't about him. The story is really all about God. I get it now, I get it, now I shall go with it. I will fail, but the journey to my knees to ask forgiveness and start again is not that far. It is more humbling every time. For that and for all things I am grateful, and am in full debt.

Lord, Father, my God, I give You praise, for You alone are worthy of it all. For it is cause of You, we are able to draw breath, and perform all things throughout our days. No one has any riches that You have not allowed. You allow us all the things in our lives, You give us all that we have, and how often do we thank You for them. Commit them back to You. Lord, I commit all things to You, I welcome the pain, I welcome the ups and downs in my life. You alone I can lean on, You alone are all that is needed. I don't even want to think of life without You. We see all that is happening around us, evil on all sides, some even say that the end is near, the signs are all there, and that maybe so, however Father, You alone know of that time, on You alone I will wait, and pray, for it is in Your time, and therefore I will not panic, I will not falter, and I will speak of Your glory and Your grace, and Your majesty to all. I will not panic or run away from any conversations, or topics that need Your words on them. I ask for all the strength that You want to give to me, and for all the tests, You lay before me. For I am Your servant, Your child, and alone in You I lay my life, and my future.
In the Almighty name of Your son, our Lord, and Savior, I pray amen

05-29-08

THIRD DAY LYRICS"Cry Out To Jesus"To everyone who's lost someone they loveLong before it was their timeYou feel like the days you had were not enoughwhen you said goodbyeAnd to all of the people with burdens and painsKeeping you back from your lifeYou believe that there's nothing and there is no oneWho can make it rightThere is hope for the helplessRest for the wearyLove for the broken heartThere is grace and forgivenessMercy and healingHe'll meet you wherever you areCry out to Jesus, Cry out to JesusFor the marriage that's struggling just to hang onThey lost all of their faith in loveThey've done all they can to make it right againStill it's not enoughFor the ones who can't break the addictions and chainsYou try to give up but you come back againJust remember that you're not alone in your shameAnd your sufferingWhen your lonelyAnd it feels like the whole world is falling on youYou just reach out, you just cry out to JesusCry to JesusTo the widow who suffers from being aloneWiping the tears from her eyesFor the children around the world without a homeSay a prayer tonight

Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine!O what a foretaste of glory divine!Heir of salvation, purchase of God,Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Savior, all the day long;This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Savior, all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;Angels descending bring from aboveEchoes of mercy, whispers of love.
This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Savior, all the day long;This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Savior, all the day long.
Perfect submission, all is at restI in my Savior am happy and blest,Watching and waiting, looking above,Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Savior, all the day long;This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Savior, all the day long.

05-24-08

Proverbs 3:5-7
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and shun evil.

What verses. Trust, yes trust in the Lord, make your life His, for it is from Him we have life. He saw us before anyone ever thought of us. Before anyone parents met or thought of being anything more than kids themselves.


O praise God for all things and for Him Himself. I praise You Lord, I praise Your name, thank you Lord. I have committed my life to Him, over and over again, as we all have, but now there is a new horizon in my life, there is a blank canvass, that I know God has already painted a beautiful picture on. In past times I have come to the Lord, and ask for help in something I thought or believed He wanted me to do. Well now I am not making that mistake again. He has His own plan for all of us, we don't know what it is, how it is gonna play out, what is the ultimate outcome of the plan and how is it gonna affect us all.


This morning I gave it up and said Father I know there are things to be done, but you are in control, now don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna sit on the couch and wait for something to happen. No the Lord wants us to be an example to others, and to provide for our families, and ourselves. The Lord is in charge, am I to attend school, get just a basic job, minister, coach, who knows. It is all up to the Lord, I will pursue all options, those that unfold will do so in His name, and for His honor, not mine.


The Lord not only has my life, but the lives of my family, my wife, my kids, any future moves this family makes together. Blessed be the name of the Lord, In all things give praise, give thanks, and allow Him to direct my life, and my house hold. I give Him all things, and more.


Thank you Father for all things, in all things I give you praise. Father please take hold of our house hold, and do as you want, Father make us the example that you have always intended us to be. For it is of You that we are here, and draw breath. Thank you Father for Your love, and grace, I pray in the name of Your son, our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
amen

05-22-08

God is so good, God is so good, He is so good to me,
I praise His name, I praise His name, I praise His name,
He is so good to me.

The above song is so touching and so needed in our lives. God is so good, He is always good. There is no diputing it, through all things He does, or allows, He is good. Praise His name, always praise His name, for He alone deserves it, through all He's done and can do His name needs to be praised.

O how we praise Your name Lord, we give You our praise, and love, thank you Father for all things You do, and things You allow. Father thank you. In Your sons Holy name, Jesus Christ we pray and give thanks,
amen

05-21-08

Job 1:21-22
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away", May the name of the Lord be praised.
In all this, job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.


I must say I'm sorry to all that have been reading this blog. The last one came as a rant, and rave of a tired and selfish man. For that my friends I'm sorry. To my Lord, my God, I AM SORRY! Lord forgive me for being self centered. Lord, I am a low and pitiful man. Forgive me Lord, and please allow me to write what is meaningful to You. For You are the glory, the exalted above all things. Thank you Father for Your love, for Your grace.

The above verses, are of words that should ring through all of our lives. Should, would, could,...... I can only speak on myself, my family. I have complained about my pain, now I am able again to charge my words at my employment and our financial situations. However, I'm not going to do that. I will not complain again. Frustration is human, to complain, is to rant, is to rave, is to be away from God. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Who am I to tell Him, "no Lord, no I don't want to do this, I don't want this to happen to me." Who am I to do that. Well I have done that, and Father I am sorry. I have not cursed God for being in this position. To curse God is blasphemous.

I learned a while ago, and have forgotten til just recently; that God owns it all. He owns all that we have. From our material possessions to our children. I don't ever want to go through a loss of a child, however I must understand that our children are on loan from God. God loans our kids to us to raise, to teach, to protect, but ultimately, they belong to Him.

I am in this state of mind, from a recent study of my favorite book, job. Yes I have pain, we have loss of jobs, uncertain futures, but honestly when does God like to touch us on the shoulder and get your attention. Is it when your fortunes are high and are up. Or is it when you are down. It is easy to praise the Lord when we have what we want. How do we praise when we are down? I have failed in this department. However, our God has given us another chance, Jesus
Christ, His son is our second chance. Everyday we have our Lord Jesus Christ along with a new day to start over, to start with a new rebirth in Christ, and a fresh start to begin our walk with our Lord, and to be that example that He wants us to be.

I will praise the Lord in all things, Philippians 4: 4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to Go. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The last part of this post today, is regarding the most important thing that God has given man, (also on loan). My wife, (our wives), My wife is the one thing that has always stayed constant in my adult life, and most recent events. She has of course lost her patience, why not she's human. I love my bride, she is so amazing, I am so blessed to have her. She tells me she love me and I feel it. She tells me that she's frustrated, but she loves me and we'll get through it, and I feel her love, and feel the love of God through her. O Lord how beautiful a woman is, when she is of You, when she is a God fearing woman. I know now why God made woman to be a help mate for us dumbly goofy men. A good woman keeps her man grounded, and the power of Christ works through that trait. Women like my wife, keep their men up when we are down, when the world and all its evil gets us down, when our man hood is tarnished because we failed in our work, or in our lives somewhere. The words she speaks help us and lift us up, I pray the Lord continues to open my mind and heart to her.

Thank you Father for Your grace, for Your love, and for Your forgiveness. Father forgive me(us) for doubting You or Your ways. Lord, we don't understand, and I pray I start to say I don't know, and as long as You are in control, I will hold on for the ride. Thank you again Father for all things, Blessed be Your name, be the name of You my Lord. Blessed be the name of Jesus Christ, for it is You we pray, and give our praise.
I pray in the name of Your son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
amen

05-18-08 Philippians 3:12-14Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have take hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Sorry that I have been missing, I have been busy, and possibly more troubled lately, than I am willing to admit off hand. I have sat down a few times and started to write out words on this post, but I haven't been able to come through. I believe it was of God, that I couldn't write. As I have said before, this blog is of God, and for God, and is ment to honor God, in all things, and in all ways. If it is not any of those things, may this blog be taken away, and may I be humbled to the feet of my Lord Jesus Christ. We should however, bow to His feet everyday, in prayer, devotions, and in our daily life, and routine. We should be the example of a Christ follower. Of someone who professes His name in all things.

In all ways, for all that is, all that was, and all that is to come.The above verses spoke to me in a few ways today at church. Paul speaks about leaving the past in the past, and looking forward to tomorrow and the tasks that lay ahead. To obtain the goal that Christ wants us to obtain, that is to be a seed to those around us, to be the example of what Christ wants us to be. As of resent, (past 6 months or so) my lovely wife and I have been challenged by family, and financial problems. They made us reflect on the past, and possibly dwell on the past. The family situations, was not of us, and was not of truth, and was filled with blame, hurtfulness, and hate. It was very evident that the enemy was in that problem, and of course the source of the problem. (the enemy being satan)The financial problem, came from a job loss, and my back. Things have ironed out for the job situation, and financial areas.

Looking at these problems however, and hearing and trying to understand today's message, made me think......... satan loves to have us look at the past, dwell on the past, worry on the past. He gets into my brain sometimes, and brings the past up to me, things I've done, said, and believed. However, if I stop and look, and pray, I can see it is all in the past, it has all been forgiven, and tossed aside. Life is to short to dwell in the past, God has a plan for us all. We don't know it, we may not understand it as we go down the road to complete it, but what we need to know, what I need to know and believe, and understand, is that it is all about God. It is all about Him, He is the one and true reason why we are hear.

There is no more important reason for us to be here. We are here for worship, and to honor God.Therefore, leave what is in the past, be it something you've done, or something someone else has done to you. Leave it, and move on. I know, I know. Mike it is so easy to say this, but can we do this? Perfectly NO. Can we try? YES. And try we must. We must try to to be seen as a follower of Christ. To be the seed that Christ wants to use to bring more people up to His kingdom. I forgive the members of the family that hurt us. I am in awe of God for His work in our financial and job areas. He is Lord, I lost my way to Him and now I am found. I want to be more of a seed for Him to plant, I want to be more available to serve Him, to be a witness for Him. I have been convicted recently, by family, friends, and scriptures. God is tapping on my shoulders, and now I believe I need to turn around and fall to my knee's and say Lord, I am yours.Folks, take a chance on moving in an area that Christ needs you to work, and establish a foundation for His work.

Prayer;

Father, O holy Father, we praise you, we give you our love, and our praise, for You alone are worthy of it. You alone are worthy of all that we have, and will ever have. Father forgive us of our sins, for we do not know what we are doing. We try to believe we know what we are doing, and Father we don't, so I ask you for forgiveness. Forgive us of straying from Your path, and Your love. You never told us that following You would be easy, and it is not, but as long as You are there, and we stay on Your path, we will come out as gold. Thank you Lord for allowing this message to go out, and for just the very breath You give us. I pray that You will continue to convict me of my sins, and do the same with others, so we may finally stop and realize that following you is more important than all other things. Father I pray for strength, and peace to come in Your sons holy name, Jesus Christ. Fill us up with Your will. Thank you Lord for all things, I pray for all of these things and for all who read these words, in the name of Your son Jesus Christ,amen

04-30-08

Psalm 42:5-6
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him my Savior and my. My soul is downcast within me; therfore I will remember you........

Hello everyone, It has been more than a week since I last put up a message, sorry I have been busy as usual and very, very tired. I write these words now extremely tired, but can't sleep. More pain, more pills, less improvement. Or more pain in different place, that are related to the former areas. I don't acually want this to be about this though. The above verse is from a recent email from a friend that puts out his own emails to those that subscribe to it, it is inspirational, and up lifting, and rings home in ways that still blast me everytime I read them. Tonight it rings true. I will put myself in His hands, His way for Him to guide. He is my Lord, Savior, and desire to be close too over and over again.


1 Corinthians 15: 50-57,

Please take the time to read these verses, they are prevelent to today, or this past week, with a death in the family, these verses are the ones that all need to remember, hold close to us and too those that need the comfort.

Always remember that it is His grace that has saved us, that has made us whole, that has bless the blessless. O how wonderful His grace abounds, and how we don't notice it, or at times; times we don't want to admit, but at times don't want. Not me anymore at any time in my life, I can't do this alone, I need Him, I want to deliver my life, my family, and all that is stressful, and nervrecking, and beautiful and glorious, to Him, and allow Him to drive the car of my life. Thank you Father for all things, for the day the pain, the joy, the gloriouness of Your love, and for everything to come.

I usually end with prayer, but today, I am going to start a song, and I pray that it will infect your minds for at least today;..........

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a retch like me, I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see,.................... was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved' how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come, "tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace sill lead me home.

04-22-08

Psalm 47:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

How moving is this verse? Be still, right now in my life were I'm at, the two words of "Be still", means to calm down, stop rushing, stop being unsure. In my work, in my home life, in my life with my children, and especially in my marriage. I am learning to be still. Calm down, take my time. How relieving it is to know this and to put this into action.

The rest of the verse speaks volumes and fills my heart and mind with the comfort that He is God. He is the first, the middle, and the end. I love knowing that God is God, he is to be exalted above all things, all nations, world leaders, world markets, the world entirely. He will be seen and praised all over the world, there will be know one seeing that won't see Him, that won't see His glory, see what they have missed, and are going to miss, there will be those that see who He is and the what it is like to experience His almighty glory, and to finally bow down at the feet of our Lord, our savior, the one truth, that has held true and will never fade

The song, "I can only imagine", says things so true, I can only imagine.

Friends, can you imagine, can you imagine what it will be like. I can't imagine to the fullest. I believe that our strong and inventive brains that He Himself made can fully comprehend the reality of His glory. I can't, but I love the idea of trying, I love to imagine. I can tell you, that when I do, tears go to me eyes, and love, and fills my heart. I am jealous of those that I've known that have past on, because they are seeing Him now, they are experiencing Him in ways we can't comprehend. I know though that His is coming.

He is coming for us,............

Be still, know that I am God, I'm in charge, I know everything, you will be fine, all is good with me, you may be in hard times, but I am hear. You may not see me, you may not hear me, but I am hear; be still.

To honor our God, our Lord and Savior, we must be still, we must hold fast to Him and His words, His ways, for it is cause of Him we have breath, we have life, we have what we have. I have a song that is tops in my book, it is sung by the group Third Day, (offering).

Magnificent Holy Father, I stand in awe of all I see. Of all the things You have created, but still You choose the think of me. Who am I that You should suffer, Your very life to set me free, the only ting that I can give You is the life You gave to me. This my offering, dear Lord, this is my offering to You, God, and I will give You my life for it is all I have to give, because You gave Your life for me. I stand before You at this alter, so many have given You more, i may not have much I can offer, Yet what i have is truly Yours, this is my offering........................


Lord, I give you this day, I give you my life for truly is all that I give to you. My Lord, You have given all things to us, and all You want is our love, forgive me Father for not giving all my love back to You, I ask that You lift me up and I ask for strength to become the man that You intended me to be. Father thank you for Your love, and grace, Your sacrifice. I pray for all this and for all of those that read this in the name of Your son, our savior, Jesus Christ.
amen

04-16-08

1 Chronicles 29:10-13
David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
"Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, Yours,O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all, Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength to all. Now our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.


My friends, this prayer from David, is such a great example of how to honor our Lord through prayer. It is profound and truthful, it allows us to truly see and understand how to give to the Lord, and how to display our respect. All things are His, all things come from Him, and all things need to be given back to Him. I am trying to come back to a life of prayer, and a life of ultimate respect to God. These verses this prayer is a wonderful example of how to show these things to God. He is a God of wonders, a God of love, and a God of all things.

Father, we give you our love, we give you our praise, we give you our lives. Father forgive us for putting ourselves first, we tend to put last in prayers, to put ourselves first, Father forgive us. You are the first, the middle, and the end. Please give us the strength and the understanding to realize in our lives, that you are first and need to stay there, You are worthy of our praise.
We pray for all things in the name of Your son Jesus Christ, amen

04-10-08

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.



My friends, the above verses are so relieving. We see and hear so many questions and hard facts, and real life situations in our lives that at sometime or another, someone says, if there is a god why doesn't he fix the problem, or smite the evil, or just plainly, why did this happen.



I heard a little of this today, regarding the American idol show that was on the night before. It was a fundraising show for poor and hunger children and people in our country and other countries. It was a very moving and touching show. It ended up raising quiet a bit of money, and was for a great cause. However, I over heard a conversation at work that included a sarcastic quote, "well that just shows there is no god, if there were then why would he save all those people."



Now that is a very ignorant person. I was unfortunately unable to speak to the person (s), I pray that I can get the opportunity to speak to people like this, speak intelligently, and speak in away that is honoring to God.



I have spoken before about the phrase of "I don't know", I am feverently learning to say this more often. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know why people are hunger, I don't know why people are suffering. I don't know why people lose their children to drugs, accidents, murder, life on the streets. I don't know why, God allows things so hard to look at or think about to happen. I don't know why all these things happen, but...................... and I do really mean "but", GOD knows! Our God knows. He is in control of all things, He knows the ending of the suffering, He knows the ending of the murdering, He knows the reasons for the why the why not, the therefore and so on and so on...........God knows everything. HE IS GOD! O how we love it, folks if you don't, start, love it, love the knowledge of God knowing everything, and being in control. Love the understanding and the comfort of not knowing. We don't know and its time to come to face the facts, that we don't know and are not going to know in our life time.



God tells us in His own words, through His word, His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not ours. How can we think that are minds are the same as the mind that created the universe, the stars, the planets, the VASTNESS of all creation. MY GOD!!!!! HOW YOU ARE THE FIRST THE LAST THE IN BETWEEN! THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS, WE GIVE YOU PRAISE, AND GLORY, WE GIVE YOU OUR LIVES! If you haven't given your life, what are you waiting for. If God created all things, that means he created you, who knows you better than the one who created you. God loves us all, he loves and he loves, and he loves. He has His reasons for what happens on earth, why they happen the way they do. Only He knows why, and for what reason. Give Him the respect He deserves and try not to figure Him out or His ways. let Him have the reigns to the world. Help out your fellow man, give to your community, serve the Lord, in that you can help those in need.



Lord, Father God, we ask for forgiveness of our sins, and our prideful ways, to think that we could figure You out. Father continue to show Your grace, Your love, and Your power, my eyes are open to the world, and I see You everywhere, if I don't understand, continue to convict me, so I may pray and ask for Your lead. I give You my love and life, I give You my family, and all things. And I pray for all these things in the name of Your son Jesus Christ.

amen

04-09-08

Job 23:10-12
But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

The above verses, finds a certain meaning for me now, I have known these verses for some time now, and the meanings of them haven't really changed in my view, but they take on such profound meaning now in my life, that I have made them my verses for my soul.

Our God is an awesome God, He tests us in ways that at times seem odd or maybe even unjust at times. I believe the unjust times are when we are not paying attention to His ways or Him at all. We have all been there, I myself, have been there many times over and over again. I also believe that the above verses hold true to the title of this blog. I am trying to see through His eyes, all throughout my life in every aspect of it, from work to home, to relationships, to people I don't even know. It is hard my friends. I have spoken in my past posts, of where I am in life physically. I have been down about my pain, and my life in this area. My next procedure is this coming Monday, and I am praying it comes through like gold. I pray for this to end. I am back at work again, and am enjoying what I do, I like the people I work with, and the people that come in to seek my help and advice. Everyday day though I come home, and just ache, and sting, and find myself wishing I could just pass out and wake up all healed.

The other day, I was reeling in pain. (for a little insight, I have good days and bad days,)
I took my pain pills, and started down a road of discouragement. But unlike before, I only got so far, stopped what I was doing, thought, prayed and asked for help. Funny thing though, my pain didn't go away, but my attitude changed, things around me blossomed in front of me and changed my mines direction. For example my two wonderful boys, each and a different time came and without prompting or asking in anyway, came up to me hugged me, kissed my cheek, and said, "I love you daddy". If that doesn't help, I don't know what would.

I next sat down and opened my bible, and with a book mark I already had in there the book opened right to the above verses. I spoke of this to a small group my wife and I are starting to attend through our church. I spoke of how we want to see God. Of how we would like to see the cloud writing in the sky that says,"its OK mike, I'm here, I've got it,.....God". How we want to get a phone call or email from God reassuring us, but we don't. I can't see Him, but I know He's there. O' that I could know where He is, but I don't. How we don't understand Him but we trust Him. This is all tied together in His plan, it is unfolding as we speak, we must understand that God is unique, He knows the way that I take, He understands, He is all knowing and all powerful, there is nothing He can't take, there is nothing He can't do or undo. I love our God, I love that I don't know or understand, it actually takes some of the pressure off, I don't know and I don't have to know.

My friends, He has opened my eyes and is in control. I still hurt, I still have my pain and am tired from lack of sleep, but He is there. I asked for my pain to go away, it didn't but something better happened, my boys love me, I came closer to my Lord. Through all of this, I guess I'm trying to say, that my faith is strong, my back is weak, but my faith is strong, there is no breaking it, in all things, rejoice to the Lord, give Him your thanksgiving, and your praise, for He alone deserves it, and is worthy of it.

My friends, never give up. He will never give up on you, for who knows you better, than He.

Father I give you this day, I give you my life, for it is truly all that I have to give. Forgive my Father for the doubts I've had, for the lack of faith in my life before, Thank you Lord for Your grace, Your love, and Your word, I lift up my family and all of those that read this, I pray for Your blessing to poor out onto them, Lord you are in control, and the one and only. thank you Father, I give you this day, in the name of Your son, Jesus Christ I pray,
amen

04-03-08

Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

Hello everyone, well today the verse above is striking right into the heart of today. This is the first time after a disagreement with my wife, I looked up a verse and sought some of Gods wisdom. I am looking for patience with this part of my day, and I have found it. I won't go into the details with all of you, but my pride does interfere with my life, and my marriage. I have a lot of pride, I mean a lot of pride............. Hey what can I say, I'm a man. I believe that is one thing that women don't really understand. We have pride, men want to fix everything, we want to lead everything, we want to make things right. That is the way we are programed. There are a lot of things about us guys that women just don't get, and I will probably anger some women that may read this, my wife included.

If there are women reading this, and that is cool, this blog is for anyone, and all comments are welcome, and are encouraged, but if you want to know what we guys are like and are thinking, (and mind you ladies that are reading this, that this could get me in trouble with a lot of other men,) but if you really want to know what is going through our heads, what are they really thinking, well I'll tell ya.................................... noth'in.

You know ladies you all get into really deep thoughts and conversations, and that great, but on the surface, we guys just look to make things look good, fixed, and run well. That's just the way we are, we see everything in a mechanical view, as long as it runs well, and smoothly, then that's all good.

What we don't know right off, or see right away is how we push you ladies aside, or just don't hear. Well I'm sorry. Ooh, saying, "I'm sorry" is harder than saying "I don't know".
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I bet that if you say that over and over again it probably gets easier. Ladies we are turds, sorry it may be gross, but we are turds, we're sorry, keep with us, and know that our best intentions are first, for the most part, and we are trying. You ladies are beautiful, smart, and very strong. That's the way God made you. You all are more than we have ever given you credit. Ladies we love you, you all are also our lives, and you all do keep us grounded more than you know. We thank you, we love you, we appreciate you, and respect you. I pray daily for my wife, I pray for strength, courage, and understanding under our Lord Jesus Christ, everyday. God made my bride an extremely strong person, there is nothing she couldn't do, I love her so much. I feel so much in debt to God for giving her to me as my partner in life, as my wife, as my lover, as my best friend.

Heavenly Father, my Lord and savior, I give you my wife, and my family, and my life, Father forgive me for my sins, my pride, and my imperfectness. I love you more than I could possibly speak, I ask that you hold my bride close to you and give her the strength that she needs to put up with me, and her days. Thank you Lord for her, she is my life.
In the name of your son Jesus Christ I pray,
amen

04-02-08

Isaiah 6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, i saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe, filled the temple.

You know I thought that I would get in the habit of starting off my blogs with a verse, a verse that shows the train of thought at this time, or a subject that is pressing at this time, or something like that. My thoughts have been lately floating around an old men's meeting I was apart of. In that meeting we asked each other who from the bible would we like to talk with for a short while, or who do we think we are most like. There are several I would love to talk to, from disciples to old testament figures. Trust me the list is long, but the one I feel that I am closely likened to would be the prophet Isaiah. Here we have a man that was chosen by God to spread His word to a multitude of very sinful people, in a very unholy place. Isaiah, himself being sinful himself, in his own words,"Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

We all at one time or another have had unclean lips, we all know what comes with unclean lips. The thoughts, the actions, the temptations. Now Isaiah, never went into detail of how really unclean or what proceeded the words, but we know our actions, our lives, and our mistakes. Isaiah was a witness to a true worship service, the best kind, He saw the LORD!, O' just the thought of it makes me have chills. He is in awe of all he sees, he automatically falls in disgrace, because he knows he's not worthy of Gods love. God however shows His awesomeness and ultimate grace, and an angel(a seraph), fly to him with a hot piece of coal and touches it to Isaiah's lips, and says to him,"See, this has touched your lips' your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then the best thing in the world happened, something that I would love to happen to me,...God spoke His voice to Isaiah, imagine hearing in a loud thundering booming voice, you hear, "WHOM SHALL I SEND?" Man what an experience, what a thrill, I truly don't know what I would do at this time, I know for sure I would be shaking in my boots.

I have unclean lips. Plain and simple, there are some things about me that are unclean. I believe we all have unclean parts of our lives, some are evident and some are hidden. We all know that about ourselves, that is where we continue to walk with our Lord, follow His footsteps, His ways, His grace. The more we do this the father from being unclean we get.

Isaiah was such a great example of were I am right now, or were it seems I am right now. Gods grace is so awesome, I could speak for days and days, weeks and weeks, years and years, about His grace. I love our Lord so much, I have doubted, I have questioned, I have fallen, but He has lifted me up. Time and time again, He wraps His arms around us and up we go....... I remember a little saying I either heard or thought of, The fall from grace is a long way down; The climb back up is as far as your knees.
Folks, I hope you read this with the understanding that I have so much respect for our Lord, our God, I am inspired by the thoughts He puts in my head, I am inspired by His word. I hope and pray again that these words are uplifting to you, and you find them with the right respect.

Heavenly Father, I give you my love, my respect, my life, for all that you have done, all that you have created, You chose to think of me, you chose to make me, for all You've done, for all the You gave, the only thing I can give You, is the life You gave to me. Thank you Father for Your love, Your grace, I ask for Your forgiveness for my unclean life, and lips, I pray those that read these words will find themselves in Your light. I give you these people, and this day, I give You these words, for they are ment for Your honor and praise,
I pray these things with my heart, in the name of Your Son, JESUS CHRIST,
amen