In the Garden: Hand in Hand with God

Time Keeps on Ticking

2011-08-21T22:18:00.000-05:00

Well, Smiley Boy is 5 and counting and SAM-BO is 3, and they are BOTH going to their first days of school tomorrow.

Kindergarten.

I have very fond memories of Kindergarten, but school has changed a lot since then. They actually TEACH stuff now. I don't think that I got grades or anything like them. It was more like: "He participated well." or "He didn't eat glue today."

But now it's different. Now my premie boy is going to school and learning to read and count and . . . .

And my 3-year-old, who is proud of showing everyone his muscles, is going to school too.

I thought that I would be more excited about this, but now that Smiley Boy is in his bed, too excited to sleep, I feel kind of numb. I'm really not sure why. I'm glad they are growing up and glad that they have the opportunity to go to a Christian school, but. . . I just don't know.

One thing that I have learned about having kids is that as prepared for each "phase" or stage in their lives as you think you are, it will probably not happen the way you think. Even if everything goes according to plan, you may find yourself sitting up at 10 P.M. typing about how great "it is?"

As with everything else in life, I'll see how it pans out tomorrow.

God is still God, and I'm still His.

Just thought I'd share. :)

You Don't Know What You Can Handle. . .

2011-05-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

Until God handles it for you.

Feb 2006

2011

God is STILL GOOD.

Okay. . . so what does that have to do with. . . ?

2011-04-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

So I was thinking again about when Jesus told his disciples that certain kinds of spirits can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. And, I think I have a pretty good idea why fasting is important for us--as a lifestyle and self-discipline, but. . . .

What does it have to do with having authority over a spirit?

I have a thought about that. This is only my current working theory, so I am open to constructive criticism.

If you are hungry, what do you do? You eat. Right?
If you are thirsty, what do you do? You drink.

These are things that are real and we respond without debate or discussion. We don't stop and ask ourselves (as a rule) "Am I really hungry?" or "Am I really thirsty?" We have a need, desire, or urge and we meet that impulse in a real and tangible way. It is REAL to us.

I have heard this phrase many times in the past few years and it bears repeating: "You cannot consistently act in a manner that is contrary to what you believe." After a while, you either act differently or you believe differently.

So, if you are fasting and you get hungry. . . you want to eat. Your body tells you that you need to eat. You choose not to eat. You do this because it is supposed to be good for you spiritually. It is supposed to help you get closer to God. It is supposed to help you get in touch with God's authority in matters of spiritual conflict. After a day of fasting. You either believe that all of this is true, or you don't do it again, because. . . . fasting is NOT fun.

"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief."

I believe that you can fast with enough faith to do it once, and that by continuing to do so, it invites God to grow your faith. Eventually, you believe that the spiritual things are as real as the physical things (like hunger and thirst). Until we reach this point of realization, the physical evidence in front of us is too real to be overcome by the spiritual truth that we think we believe in.

Again, these are my first thoughts on the topic. Feel free to comment.

God bless.

Back in the saddle

2011-04-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I decided to take my own advice and started my first day of a "fasting lifestyle." My plan is to fast at least two meals every Monday.

I normally listen to audio books during the day. I have decided that on my fasting days, I will only listen to my audio Bible and/or a Christian book, whether a teaching or Christian fiction. I will listen to my Bible first.

Today I listened to the entire book of Ezekiel. That's heavy stuff all at once. Next time I think I'll mix it up a bit. :) I also listened to C.S. Lewis's book: The Four Loves.

The thing that stood out the most to me today is simply this: I REALLY don't like to be hungry. I haven't fasted food in a very long time, and today was the best proof I could have gotten to show me how much I needed to get back into it.

Anyway. That's it for today. After the fasting comes the feasting!

Talk to you tomorrow.
Blessings!

A Mimosa Tree

2011-04-17T07:30:00.001-05:00

We have a Mimosa tree in our back yard. It started out small (as they all do) and has been growing for the last few years. My wife really likes them so we let it grow. It is right outside our back door and has gotten remarkably large.

We also have a back porch. Maybe you can see where this is going.

Mimosa trees have a tap root. the root frequently travels horizontally just under the surface of the ground. In the case of trees near houses, the root has been known to damage foundations. In the case of our house and tree, the root went under the outside edge of the back porch. At some point in the past, before we owned the house, someone had extended the foundation under the porch. Well, now you can clearly see where they did that because the root has pushed the newest part up leaving a very noticeable ledge.

The point I'm after is this: sometimes we let things into our lives, things that we like, enjoy, or just don't think about, and those things seem harmless at the moment. But we must be constantly searching, allowing the Holy Spirit to examine all things in all areas in our lives, so that those things do not begin to develop entrenching roots. These roots (as harmless as the tree may seem) can grow strong at foundation level and cause damage that is not easily repaired.

Little chats with friends to catch up with each others' lives are alright, but if they go unchecked they can lead to a little bit of gossip, which can lead to a lot of gossip, which can lead to rumors and betrayals of confidence. I realize that that example may seem a little extreme, but that is how the beast works. It doesn't happen all at once. It happens an inch at a time, day by day, foot by foot. You don't see the real problem until it has caused damage.

We have had this tree for years and have been noticing problems with our porch for a while now. We only just realized that the Mimosa was the cause. This could have been avoided by transplanting the tree when it first started growing, or by reading up on Mimosas when we first noticed it growing so close to the house. We just saw a "baby tree" and thought that it was neat.

Check your life. Look for things while they are new in your life and check them out in the word and in prayer.

Don't let a new video game become a lifestyle that ruins your sense of time management. Don't let a love for reading do the same. Or a new desire to write. :)

I did not post yesterday because I had begun to let things slide around the house. I was determined to
not miss a day, which is a good goal in itself, but when it took the place of more important things, I had to make choices. Writing, reading, and other hobbies are okay, but only if they are kept in their proper place in our list of priorities.

God bless you all.

I've Decided Not to Be Compulsive About this

2011-04-15T21:54:00.002-05:00

I went from zero posts in nearly a year to 17 posts in 17 days. I'm pretty excited about that, but I don't want to do it just to keep a personal record. So, tonight I'm just saying "Good night, and God bless!"

Sometimes It's Time to Be Quiet

2011-04-14T23:32:00.001-05:00

I remember (several years ago) when a group of my friends from church were all invited to go to a meeting for a bunch of pastors who look to our pastor. It was quite an honor and I was very excited to go.

I had only just begun to recognize when I was actually hearing God, so I wasn't very confident in it. I was looking forward to hearing all of these pastors talking to each other about GOD.

and. I was hoping to hear God too.

So. We got to the meeting and the pastors were very friendly and informal. They set up chairs in a circle and just started sharing with each other about what God was doing in their lives and churches. Many of the pastors had included members of their churches as well, so it was a decent sized crowd. The floor was open, so anyone who had something to share was invited to do so.

After a short while, as I listened to the pastors share, I heard them ask questions about what God was doing and why. I was shocked when I realized that I KNEW what God was doing and why. There I was, a nineteen-ish year old kid, in this group of PASTORS (I italicized the word in my head at the time, so I'm doing it here too), and I was hearing God answer their questions. And I knew, with CERTAINTY, that it really was God. I was so excited that I was getting ready to raise my hand to share (a miracle in itself at the time) when I heard God say "Wait." Okay. How long?

God didn't say.

"When do I get to tell them?"

"You don't," God stated.

". . .what?"

"You. Don't."

"You mean I'm supposed to keep listening to all of this stuff You're saying and I'm just supposed to keep quiet?" I was having a hard time with this.

"Yes." and that was all God said on that topic.

It wasn't easy, but through that silence, I kept hearing more and more of what God was saying and didn't have to try to translate it, or say it just right.

I actually learned more about speaking for God by being silent than I had on what few occasions I had spoken before.

So, for those of you who are learning to hear and speak for God: Sometimes the word from God is "Hush."

Don't worry. It's just as good.

Be blessed and press on.

It's Not about Forgiveness, It's about Heart

2011-04-13T21:43:00.000-05:00

What I am about to say may rub some people the wrong way (doctrinally). That is not my purpose. All I ask is that you read it all and look at the heart of the message.

I recently had a conversation with a friend about forgiveness and grace. My friend, we'll call him "Jacob," had been speaking to someone else, we'll call that one "Zeke." Zeke had been talking about the idea that since Jesus paid the price for sin--past, present, and future--that all sin was already forgiven and therefore did not require one to ask for forgiveness. Jacob was worried about this because that attitude could easily lead someone to a place of pride (or, at least, a place of no humility). Jacob was worried that such attitude would lure someone away from anything like repentance.

We ARE forgiven. The price IS paid. BUT. There is a difference between being forgiven and being repentant. Repentance means to "Change your thinking/reasoning/mind from wrong-doing to righteousness."

There can be two different kinds of attitudes with this idea about forgiveness.

The first says "I'm forgiven so I can mess up and not worry about it. I won't even let it bother me because it doesn't matter. I don't need to talk about this with God or anything else."

The second says "I'm forgiven so I don't have to be a slave to this. I don't have to beg God to forgive me because He already has. I do need to talk with Him about this because I need His wisdom on how to avoid this failure in the future. God is so good."

The biggest difference is the heart of the person who is exploring his or her forgiveness. If he or she is seeking God, then that relationship will bear the fruit of humility and repentance. If that person does NOT seek God's heart, then the "grace" becomes a trap to lead one into license (permission to do whatever).

Being forgiven of sin means that we are free to pursue a relationship with God.

Bless you all.

The Sword of the Lord and Gideon

2011-04-12T22:14:00.000-05:00

Tonight, my wife and I were invited to a meeting of the local Gideons. It was very interesting. For one thing, we were the only people under the age of 60.

They were great people. I recently heard one of them speak at our church, and was interested in the organization.

My dad was one of the biggest Bible enthusiasts I've ever known. He love the Word, and, largely because of his influence, I do too. The Gideons are volunteers that raise money and go out and place Bibles all over the place. They speak at churches and give testimonies. Everything they do is out of their own pockets.

Needless to say, I had already filled out an application to join, and tonight I turned in the application. There were not many members in the local "camp."

It reminded me of the verse that says "The harvest is great; the workers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more workers." (Matthew 9:36-38)

I realize that this is not a very "spiritual" post today, but it seemed in keeping with the current trend of the Importance of the Bible.

God Bless!

Rosetta Stone

2011-04-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered why the Bible was written over such a long period of time, by so many different authors? True, God inspired every word, by why through so many people.

I have a theory on that. (Yes. I know. That astounds you. )

I mentioned before that God doesn't speak English. Or any language in particular. Let's face it. Language is limited. We have to condense loaded concepts into a few sounds and syllables or, in the case of the written word, a few letters. For example: if I say chair, I have in my mind a specific chair, BUT, the odds that you are thinking of the same chair (or even one CLOSE to the same) are extremely slim. I have to go into detail. I'm thinking of a red, leather, High-Backed arm chair.

Even this only gets you close to what I'm picturing. . . . I digress. Language is limited and I don't believe that God is limited to it.

So. That means that He must speak through concepts and character. The problem with that is that each person that speaks or writes God's word, inevitably "flavors" it with part of his or her own character, in expressions of the concept as it best makes sense to him or her, in his or her own time period.

So, if God wants to express that He is about to send relief for a situation in the life of a poor farmer in the sixteenth century, He might give a vision of a group of people brining oxen to meet him. This vision would only confuse you or me. However, He might give a vision of Habitat for Humanity workers, or remind us of a clip of a Home Makeover episode, or even remind us of a time when someone helped us with something. Whatever He did, it would be specific to us and could be expressed with the heart of God's intent.

So how do you teach people how to recognize the "voice" of God if He doesn't speak in language.

*Big Smile*

Spend thousands of years talking to all kinds of different people so that there are enough different kinds of messages and communications that the common thread can be recognized.

Do you have a favorite painter, poet, singer, etc. . . ? Have you experienced enough of your favorite artist's work to recognize his or her particular style in an unfamiliar work?

The Bible is a HUGE collection of God's work. If you will spend time reading it or listening to it, you will begin to recognize the "common thread." That is "sound" of God's Voice. And He is still speaking today, to you.

That is why it is SO important to spend time in the Word!
It is our "Rosetta Stone" to learn how to recognize and understand when God speaks to us.

****shhhh. listen. God just said He loves you! ;)

God Doesn't Speak English

2011-04-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

If you ask most people: "What language does God speak?" they will usually answer whatever their native language is. Some, if they think a little harder, might say Hebrew, because the Jews are His chosen people.

Well, here's a thought. What if the original Hebrew and Greek versions of the Bible were actually the first translation.

God doesn't speak English; He speaks "God."

Here's what happens: God speaks a concept. The Christian receives the concept, and his or her mind immediately explains (as best as can be) the concept to him or her. Or, as often happens for me, God sends an image/vision. God is wise and knows us well. So, the concept or image is one that will mean something to us in a way that is beneficial to the person who is to receive the word--whether that be another person, or the Christian receiving.

This can sometimes produce interesting results. Sometimes we get carried away with our interpretations. Sometimes we get excited about all a certain metaphor could mean and then stretch it beyond what was intended.

We are often referred to as "Earthen Vessels" or "Jars of Clay." That description is good for this as well. Imagine that God wants someone to know that He knows that they are thirsty and that He can provide for their needs. He finds a willing vessel and imparts H and O atoms to the vessel. The vessel understands that 2 H's and 1 O makes water and then water is in the vessel. But then the vessel gets excited and agitates the water until, by the time the water is poured out, it has a lot of clay particles in it and doesn't look as clear or as clean as it started. It is still water (unless the vessel is more interested in making God's Word "fancy") and it still meets the need, it just has a funny taste to it. Kind of like THIS metaphor. :) But, like I said, God is wise and He speaks through people whose particular "Flavor" of words is acceptable to the receivers.

I can go into a lot more detail on this topic, if anyone is interested. Just let me know. I may do it anyway.

Love in Christ, Blessings to all who hear and receive!

"So. Do you get Words from God a lot?"

2011-04-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

For a while now, since I've become more comfortable with the idea that I hear God, I've been waiting for some smart tail to give me a hard time about it. Something like: "You mean you hear voices?" or "Okay, prove it. What's God saying RIGHT NOW?" I've been expecting it, but it hasn't happened.

Then, recently, I was with a friend and he stopped all of the sudden and looks at me and asks, "So. Do you get Words from God a lot?"

I was immediately wary. "Well, yes," thinking, where are you going with this? "I guess so. It's fairly frequent."

"Okay. What's God say about me?"

YIKES! A TOTALLY sincere question! I told him that it doesn't quite work that way. I'm not just going to "know" what God thinks about any one person at any given time. I'll have to ask and listen and then see. This isn't like some psychic gimmick or magic trick, and I don't take it so lightly that I'll just spout out the first thing that comes to my head. Even if I think that it's right.

So, we talked about that and I started asking God what He might want to say. I got something right away, but it was the same thing that I had heard and said not too long ago, and I didn't want my friend to think I was just using canned phrases. That message, or the feel of it, wouldn't leave me. Then, while there was a moment where we were both busy, I saw an image of a computer screen and it had a status bar gradually filling up and the word "LOADING" in big letters across the screen. I immediately knew that God was saying that the promise that my friend had been given was still valid and not to worry at the apparent lack of progress in that area: God says it's there; it's just still loading.

For those of you who have ever dealt with computer programs, you know that "LOADING" implies that the product is IN the machine; it's just taking its own time becoming available.

My friend was very familiar with the concept and was grateful for the word. It turns out that that was EXACTLY what he had been wondering about and why he had asked the question.

It's like God knew!

Oh, and to those who might be like the ones I was Expecting. . . please. ask. I might not hear anything, but then again I might. It'd be fun. :)

Blessings! Listen for God. You might be pleasantly surprised.

;)

Freedom and Attacks in Disguise

2011-04-08T22:46:00.000-05:00

Frequently, when God delivers someone from spiritual bondage, they experience "relapses" or "re-occurrences" of the bondage.

I'll speak of depression and/anxiety specifically.

Say a person has been suffering from depression for a long time. The depression has robbed him or her of many experiences and daily pleasures that most people think of as commonplace. He or she can't even go to the grocery store because it brings on panic attacks. Before very long the person has become a prisoner in his or her own home with only the briefest, unpredictable breaks of normalcy.

This is a pure joy to the devil. Satan was one of the highest angels in heaven. His pride was so great that he believed that he could be greater than God. Take a moment and think about how much pride would be necessary for Satan, in the PRESENCE of God, to think that he could be greater. Then think about how he would feel to be rejected and kicked out. H. U. M. I. L. I. A. T. I. O. N.

Satan knows his fate. He knows that there is nothing he can do about it. He HATES God, and because God loves us, Satan HATES us too. We are the only avenue of revenge that Satan has.

The Bible tells us that God loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son for us (John 3:16). It also says that he cares for us so much that He saves our tears (Psalm 56:8 NLT).

So, in revenge, Satan wants us to suffer, to fail, to perish. He knows he is going to hell and wants to take as many of us with him as he can.

A person suffering from depression is a symbol of hopelessness. The bondage and suffering is something that the devil delights in.

God can and does break the bondage of this trap. (My wife is one who has walked free of it, and I have another friend who has recently been set free.)

The devil hates this even more because the person who is delivered from depression is suddenly free to be with people again, and, what do you think that person would talk about? Of course! "God loves me! He heal me!" If you were trying to lead people away from God, would you want this? A person that everyone knows has been bound up in depression is now running around free. And God did this?

The answer to this is to lie to the redeemed. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). He will step into a moment where the person is exploring his or her new freedom.

"John walks into the store. He suddenly remembers how he used to panic when he was here. He has flash-back emotions and believes that he is panicking again. He leaves and fears that he has NOT be set free. He is afraid to try again and falls back into the old patterns again."

In this illustration, "John" had a memory and the devil attacked him and disguised the spiritual attack as a panic attack. He put on the pressure and "John" believed the lie and it became his reality. "John" was still free, he just didn't know it, so he couldn't benefit from it.

In training elephants, when the elephant is a baby, they chain it to a tree or a large post. Over time, as the elephant consistently tries and fails to pull loose, the elephant becomes convinced that the collar and line mean the boundary of what is possible. By the time the elephant is grown, the trainer has reduced the chain to a cord and the post to a small stake. The trainer will even have the elephant pick up the stake and move it, but the elephant will still not move beyond the reach of the cord. He believes that he cannot go beyond that point, so, he no longer tries.

Like the elephant, "John" believed the lie and did not push beyond the limit of his experience. Because of this, he did not exercise his strength nor did he realize his freedom.

For those who may say that this is all well and good for me to say, but . . .

I recently went with a "John" to the grocery store and he experienced the panic. I helped him deal with it and he pushed through. We talked recently and I asked him, "If that had really been like it was before, would it have mattered if I had helped?"
He responded, "NO. I would have just walked out the door and waited in the car."

This particular "John" went back to that store the next day without me and was successful.

Anyone can be successful. Just push through the lies and march into the truth. And DON'T give up if you aren't always successful. That doesn't mean that you haven't been set free; it means that you haven't learned HOW to be free yet. Look at the Israelites. The book of Exodus starts off getting them out of slavery and then the rest of Exodus and the following three books are dedicated to teaching them how to BE free. Like us, they too tried to slip back into their old lives/lifestyles.

God LOVES you. Satan HATES you.
Push through to the promises!

Be blessed; Be FREE, Know the Father!

Don't Forsake the Fellowship

2011-04-07T23:34:00.000-05:00

I just came home from a Men's Meeting. It was great. I was the speaker tonight, but the part that was great was the interaction with and from everyone.

If you are ever in a group of believers, who all want to hear God and know Him, who are all talking about God, listen closely to what they are all saying. Most of the time, when I do this, I can see (hear) the common thread and I see how God is using different people's personalities and sensitivities to address an idea in a much more "three dimensional" way than could probably be done by a single speaker.

This is one more reason why we are supposed to fellowship with other believers.

If five people stand at different places on or near a mountain, and each is asked to describe the mountain, you will get five completely different descriptions. If you ask them at the same time in the same room, you may start an argument about what the mountain is really like.

But.

If you listen to them all, assuming that they really are talking about the same mountain, you will get a more detailed image of the thing than you could get other wise. One person can only see so much without help.

If this is true about a mountain. . . . How much bigger IS God anyway? :)

Just a thought.

Blessings!

Who do Men Say that I Am?

2011-04-06T21:44:00.000-05:00

Matthew 16: ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

¹⁵ Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus asked a simple question with a loaded answer. The first question is "Who do PEOPLE say that I am?" This question is about how he appeared to others. The answers made it clear that those who did not know Him personally could only guess wildly based on what they knew about OTHER people that they didn't know.

The next question was "Who do YOU say I am?" And they got it right.

I think that the point here was not that Jesus was(is) the Messiah, but that a personal relationship with Him is necessary if we are to really know who He is. This ought to be a "no-brainer," but how often do we settle for what we have heard about Jesus and neglect to seek Him for ourselves?

If you answer the question "Who do you say I am?" with "The Christ" or "The Messiah" and you are only quoting what you have heard, then you (we) are no better than the ones who thought that he was John the Baptist or Jeremiah.

Peter's answer was right because he had a relationship with Jesus and, through that relationship, he heard God.

Luke 13:

²² Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”

He replied, ²⁴ “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. ²⁵ When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’

God WANTS a relationship with us and EVERYTHING points to that and warns against shallow, uncommitted people.

All you have to do is truly SEEK, God will do the rest.

God bless you all. Be at peace, know truth, and settle for nothing less than what you have been promised.

Facebook Games

2011-04-05T12:05:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has been following this blog, or who has noticed the blog activity can tell that I recently increased my "blog output" significantly. Several things contributed to this. The first is that I have decided to focus more on my writing skills. I feel that God has given me a gift in this area and I need to develop it better than I have in the past. The second is that God has done a LOT in my life lately and I have learned things about who He is and what His purpose for my life is and I desperately want to share this. The thing that has REALLY made the difference in the actual writing of the blogs is that I recently quit playing Facebook games. (Farmville, Frontierville, CafeWorld, Backyard Monsters. . . the list goes on)

I had NO IDEA how much of my time was being spent on these things. I only got on and fiddled with them for a couple of minutes at a time, or so I thought. I felt like I needed to give them up for more productive things and have found myself sitting at my computer trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do. IT'S SAD!!!!!

So now, I write.

Fruits of the Spirit

2011-04-04T22:53:00.000-05:00

Galations 5: ²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Have you ever wondered why the fruits of the Spirit are called fruits?

A fruit is something that is produced by a plant as a result of its biology. Simply put, if the seed grows and the plant draws in nourishment, fruit happens.

So why are we constantly trying to achieve them? Have you ever seen a tree struggle to bear fruit? Or try to be a better tree to make more fruit?

The Bible states over and over that our faith is based on GRACE and not on works, yet we constantly try to become "better behaved" or be good, or to do the right things.

How often do we try to counsel people and tell them how to feel better about themselves or that they need to forgive and more and more behavioral stuff?

Fruit is a byproduct of something. In the case of a tree, the fruit bears witness to what the tree has been taking in. Is it planted in good soil? Does it take in enough water?

The fruit in a person's life bears witness as well.

Matthew 7:20 (New Living Translation)

²⁰ Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

So here is the simple truth. Quit trying to "DO" all of the right things. If we could "do" it right, we would not have needed Jesus! So LOOK at Jesus and see what HE thought about it all. Everytime: look to the Father. The WHOLE reason the Jesus even came was to re-establish the relationship between mankind and God the Father.

For those who have ears to hear it: This re-established relationship with God, the one lost in the Garden of Eden, is the soil and water in which we are to find our nourishment. If we focus on our relationship with God and knowing Him better, PERSONALLY, then the fruits of the Spirit will happen on their own.

This relationship with God is what Jesus referred to when He said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you." In Matthew, the specific topic was of physical provision, but when God says "all," I suggest that you take it seriously.

This is not just a theory that I am spouting out. This is real in my life and I have tried it both ways.

Blessing to all.

If God is LOVE. . .

2011-04-03T15:29:00.005-05:00

A couple of years ago, I started back to school. I had never attended college and so I had to take all of the General Education courses to start with. I managed to CLEP English 1101 (Communication Skills 1), but I still had to take the second part. This turned out to be one of the best things to happen in my adult life.

One of the things that I dreaded most was all of the "nonsense" about poetry reading and such. Most of the poetry that I had seen was (in my opinion) ranting and drivel. I liked the stuff that had a compelling rhythm and that rhymed. Edgar Allen Poe's poems as well as those of Louis Carrol and (yes!) Dr. Seuss. If it didn't rhyme and have rhythm, I thought it was _______. So of course I got to class on the first day and the teacher, Ms. M., said, "We're going to start with poetry, because that's what freaks everyone out." She then asked what our opinions were. . . so I told her mine. To her credit, she didn't let it stop her. It wasn't the first time she'd heard that someone didn't like poetry. :)

So she split the class up and gave each group a poem to discuss, telling us to look for certain things to see what we see in the poems. I took one look at the poem she gave us ( I can't remember what it was) and thought, "Great, this is stupid." But, I had paid to take the class, and I had taken off from work to come to it, so I was going to at least give it a shot.

I looked around at my group and asked if any of them had ANY idea what the teacher was looking for. They were as clueless as I was.

So, naturally, Ms. M. came to us first.
"What does this group see in their poem?" For some reason my group looked at me. So I figured it was better to say something than to sit there looking dumb. So I looked down at the poem and said the first thing I noticed, something about a pattern of repetition. To my surprise, Ms. M. said "Yes! what do you think that could mean?"

I was dumbfounded. My bluff was called, so I ran with it. I looked again at the poem and said the first thing that seemed to fit.
"Right!" she said. "Great! What else did you see?"
I said a couple more things about color and numbers with the same results and she moved on. The guy in front of me looked back at me and said, "You. Are a beast." (I'm still not sure if being a Poetry Beast is something I should be proud of, but I have to admit . . . as silly as it may seem, I'm STILL pretty flattered by that one.)
I denied it, of course, telling him that I just made all of that stuff up. The thing is, I kept doing it. Before long I realized that I was intuitively picking out important details in not only poetry, but also short stories and other prose. And then I began to understand how I was seeing what I was seeing. It came easier and easier, and I began to show others how to do it as well.

It changed the way that I read books or watched movies. I began to like (and even love) some poems that I used to think were garbage. The most important change though, came when I started realizing that what I was seeing was legitimate and consistently on target. I realized that one really could read something and find things that were hidden by the author for a purpose, and sometimes things that the author didn't even realize that they had done. I decided that if I had this ability, it had to be a gift from God (like a talent for music or art etc.). And, if that was the case, it must be useful for something other than getting A's in English. Then, I heard someone say the old expression: "You can wring blood out of the pages of the Old Testament." This was followed by some discussion about the Old Testament Wrathful God vs. the New Testament Loving God.

Now, the Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.(Hebrews 13:8) It also says that God is love. (1 John 4:8)
So. If that is true, then you SHOULD be able to go through all of those "bloody" stories and see a loving God.

You Can. I have been doing Sunday School lessons for the past few years based solely on the Loving nature of God as seen in the Old Testament. It is blatant in the story of the fall, judgement, and expulsion of man from the garden, and it is just as plain in His dealings with Cain, the first murderer.

If you believe that God is who He says He is, and if you believe that the Bible is true, then you owe it to yourself to read the Old Testament looking for examples of God's love in every story. It will change your world.

Ms. M. was only trying to teach us how to get more out of literature. God used her to show me how to get more out of life: a relationship with my God that is day-to-day, personal, and REAL.

Prayer and Fasting

2011-04-02T22:32:00.003-05:00

A word of warning: Some parts of this blog may not be suitable for all audiences--you may think part of this is gross. It'll be worth it, but it is kind of gross.

I'm not really sure how, when, or where, but at some point today, I picked up a tick. It latched onto my side, under my shirt and I only noticed an odd itch for most of the afternoon. I did not realize that it was a tick until bedtime.

I once again felt an itch and went to scratch and (skip the unnecessary details) ended up with a dead tick stuck to me. I tried to just pull it off, but I didn't want the head to come off under my skin, so I didn't pull very hard.

So there I was, looking at this thing and thinking something like "What Would Jesus Do?"

Well, I thought about it and decided that a blood sucking parasite fell rather well into the same category as a demonic manifestation, so, I prayed over it and rebuked it in Jesus's name.

It didn't fall off.

I take a certain, small amount of pride in myself for actually being surprised that it DIDN'T. I really believed that it would. . . . But it was still there.

So, I pulled again. I figured that I would have to any way, so why put it off? It didn't want to come, but eventually it popped loose. With its head intact.

And I thought: "Why didn't it come out when I prayed?" and I immediately heard: "This kind only comes out with prayer and fasting." (Mark 9:28-29)

And then it hit me.

We frequently want God to deliver us from things right away and to do all of the "hard stuff" for us. Especially in the case of habitual sins. We pray and we rebuke and we "cast out," and we keep dealing with stuff.

As with the tick, God releases the "head" of the problem so that it can come out, but we still have some things to do as well. Some problems/issues are not only spiritual, but physical/mental as well.

Smoking for example. There can be a spiritual stronghold involved with a smoking addiction. This is easily broken. God gave us the authority over all things to overcome obstacles that leave us outside of His will. We can claim God's promises in Jesus's name, and be free from spiritual bondage. The trick is that, while we are spiritually free, we still have thought patterns and lifestyles and habits to overcome.

This is where prayer and fasting come in. Prayer is communication with God. This communication is TWO-WAY (even if you don't realize it). This communication is good for you because the presence of God, in ANY way, in your life is powerful and life changing. It allows you to speak to God (maybe get things off your chest) and to confess true things about God (praise and worship) and profess God's point of view about things in your life.

Fasting is a double-hitting tool. First, let me explain that fasting is NOT simply not eating. The idea is that you give up food and replace the eating time with devotion time. At breakfast time, instead of Wheaties you read your Bible and pray. Same thing at lunch and dinner. In fact, you let each physical reminder of food be a signal to direct your thoughts toward God. This is an EXCELLENT way to get your mind on things of God rather than being wrapped up in things of this world.
The second part is a self-discipline issue. Most of the problems that we face in this life are because our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak--weak to the will of God, that is. The flesh is STRONG where satisfying its desires are concerned. Fasting is a way to train yourself to put your physical desires and motivations in a lower priority than the spiritual desires.

In the story in Mark 9, Jesus did not stop to pray and fast. He already had that lifestyle. We cannot pray and/or fast once and expect to be ready whenever there is a need. This must become a lifestyle. We must train ourselves to put our thoughts in line with God's thoughts and our bodies in submission to our spirits.

God DID do the hard part. He made it possible for any of this to succeed, then He made sure to live the example to show how to proceed.

As a side note: I realize that skipping food or meals is complicated for some people. My suggestion is to pick something that you do regularly/habitually/compulsively (like watching T.V. or *gasp* facebook time) and give that up for a time and replace it with devotional time. This is just my suggestion. Pray about it and do what God leads you to do.

As always, Be Blessed!

What's in a Name?

2011-04-01T23:21:00.003-05:00

I was reading in Isaiah on accident the other day. . . yes, on accident. I was actually listening to my audio Bible and hit the wrong file. When I realized (very quickly) that I was not listening to Romans (LOL), I decided that Isaiah was still Bible, so I figured I'd just listen to it instead.

All went well until I got to the fourth chapter and read this:

Isaiah 4

¹ In that day so few men will be left that seven women will fight for each man, saying, “Let us all marry you! We will provide our own food and clothing. Only let us take your name so we won’t be mocked as old maids.”

It goes on, but as soon as I heard this, I felt like God wanted me to go back and listen again. So I did, and paid close attention.

That's when I noticed that this concept represented a trend in modern Christianity. That is not to say every Christian, or even most, but there is a mentality among some that resembles this verse.

The seven women could represent different denominational backgrounds or branches of faith or what ever; mostly it represents the diversity of people who fall into this category.

They say "Let us all marry you!" They DON'T say "Marry us." I'm not sure if the distinction is significant, but it seems to fit with the rest.

They also say that they "will provide [their] own food and clothing." -- meaning that they don't need his provision or input--possibly any form of relationship at all.

All they want out of the relationship is reputation and a legal title.

How many of us fall into the same trap? How many of us are content being "Christians" and never seek to truly meet and KNOW our God? How many of us want the benefits of being "saved," but don't want to have to rely on, or be responsible to God?

Again, I'm not saying everybody, but I think it's important to consider so that we don't fall into this trap.

So, have you hugged your God today?

God loves us and WANTS a real, day-to-day RELATIONSHIP with us.

Blessings to all.

Eye Exam Revisited

2011-03-31T16:18:00.001-05:00

Alright, I went to the eye doctor and found out that I don't see as well as I thought I did. So, I ordered new glasses and when they came in, I went to get them.

wow.

The difference in prescription for the lens for my left eye is so drastic that it has distorted my vision. The tech that fitted the glasses for me warned me that the change would likely cause some disorientation for a little while. He was right. I have had a constant feeling of near dizziness and depth perception "strangeness." I am finally getting used to the change after nearly a week, but it was very strange there for a while.

Here's the thing: once again there is a parallel. I mentioned before that we can easily think that we "see" things the way we should spiritually, but when we are confronted (by God's Word or His people) we find that we do not "see" as well as we thought. Well, it is also true that when we begin to see things God's way again, the difference can be disorienting. It is important to realize that God does not see things the way the world does. So, perceptions will differ. "Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear."

So if you find that you have recently discovered something new about God, don't be discouraged if it feels weird for a little while. As with my eyes, your mind will adjust to the difference and you will eventually become much more comfortable with it. In the end you have two choices: you can avoid the temporary discomfort and settle for unclear vision, or you can accept a short adjustment period and see more clearly the things, ways, and character of God.

The choice is ours, and it is a daily one.

P.S. Don't be too surprised if God's way of seeing things is different. After all, we call gold a precious metal; God calls it pavement. Just sayin'. :)

God Bless you all!

Eye Exam

2011-03-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been about 5 years since my last eye exam. So, I decided that since my night time vision is not so great lately, and since my glasses seem to be slowly disintegrating, it was probably time to get my eyes checked.

The thing is that I thought my vision might be a little off, but when I got to the exam, I found that my left eye was much worse. It had developed a noticeable astigmatism. I didn't realized how bad my vision was until I saw what it was supposed to be.

As I thought about this, I realized that this is part of the reason that God tells us that we are not to "forsake the fellowship of the brethren." I thought I was doing pretty well, all things considered, but when I asked about what I was seeing, I found that it was a little off. The same can happen with Christians who don't spend time with other believers: they can start to feel like they are "doing all right," but in truth, they are a little off. We can get caught up on tangents and lose sight (pun intended) of what really matters if we don't check ourselves first with the Word of God, and then with the people of God.

Self-sufficiency is good; we are not supposed to be needy, or codependent people. But one of the first things God said about mankind was this: "It is not good for man to be alone."

Yesterday's Mana

2011-03-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

I was reading in Exodus recently and something struck me. The mana that God provided for His people was something that had to be gathered each day. It could not be kept for the next day or stored for future use. ( with the exception of the sabbath, which was the day that was supposed to be set apart for time with God exclusively) Also, God led His people each day with a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire, whether by day or night respectively. Both of these acts of provision--nourishment or direction--were intended as training for the day-to-day reliance on God. It also set a precedent for us.

How often have we gained a new revelation about God, or gained some insight into His character and then rested in that "new" thing indefinitely? I have been thinking about how the Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I believe that God did what He did with the Israelites because it was what they needed in order to be His people, and because it set up examples for us to follow (like road signs, not blueprints) to better know how to walk in relationship with God.

We have to seek God EVERY day to find out what He is doing in our sphere of influence (our family, job, friends, church, and personal growth). If we do not seek it each day, then what we have runs the risk of becoming stale or, like the mana, it may rot and become unpalatable to us.

If we look through God's eyes at the mana situation, then we see that the mana was just a tool: it was God that nourished them. In the same frame of thought, it is not the individual revelations of the character of God that makes ours lives full and fulfilled, but the actual contact with God at the moment of revelation that was the true inspiration.

We all need to try to stop looking at the modes of provision and learn to rely on the Provider and the relationship that His methods of provision imply that He desires with us.

brb

2010-09-21T15:29:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder why people abreviate "be right back" with "brb?" I used to think they were "burping" at me, and then ignoring me. . . .
Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that it is because we don't have enough time, so we abreviate EVERYTHING.
I am in the process of imposing order in my life to handle responsibilities that have piled up while I wan't paying attention. One of the things that I hope to be doing again soon is this blog.
I'm not quite ready yet, so I apologize, but I WILL "be right back."

God is good, and He is the author of order in confusion.

Twilight

2009-12-17T22:47:00.003-06:00

Twilight: the time of day where there is enough light to see, but not enough to see clearly.

First of all, I’d like to start off by saying that, unlike some others who have criticized the Twilight books, I have read the books. I would also like to say that this is NOT an attack on the author or anyone who reads/ enjoys the books. In all honesty, this is not really about the books at all, but I hope to make that clear by the end.

Like I said, I read the books. I didn’t when I first heard about them, because I avoided vampire stories in general. Then, I noticed that more and more people were reading them, including some people whose opinions I trust. So, after seeing the movie, I was really curious. I was interested in the ways that the author seemed to avoid some of the “standard vampire” stuff and how she seemed to give a more “science-based” explanation for things than the mystical/ demonic theme. I read the first book and really enjoyed it. A lot. And I wanted to read the second one. A lot. It took a few days to get a copy of the other books, so by the time I did I REALLY wanted to know what happened next. ( those who have read the books and enjoyed them can relate). I had a free day (some how. . .still can’t figure out how that happened) and read the second book in about eight hours. . . and started the third one the same day. By this time, I was driven to know. In all, I finished all four books in six days—four days of actual reading. This should have been my first warning. I missed it.

I found myself restarting the series because I wanted more.

Then, I heard some of my Wednesday night students talking about the books and I noticed that a lot of people were really getting wrapped up in the stories too.

About this time, our church celebrated its 40th anniversary and our pastor’s 70th birthday. God opened up a flood of revelation about the church and a host of other things. . . including these books I’d been reading.

I was really looking forward to the next movie to come out. I spent a lot of time thinking about the series—particularly where my students were concerned. They range in age from 10 to 12/ 13. I have been trying to teach them about the importance of reading and KNOWING their Bibles.

At this point, I need to give a brief overview of the story for those who have not read them.

The story is about Bella, an ordinary girl, who falls in love with a vampire, Edward. Edward is part of a “family” of vampires. These vampires, the Cullens, don’t kill people; they hunt animals instead.

It was on that note that God inspired me to ask myself, “What difference does that make?” That is when it hit me. The danger for kids to be reading these lay in that question. I knew that if I asked my students , “what makes the Cullens good and other vampires bad?” they would answer because the Cullens don’t eat people. My father is a Bible scholar, so I was raised with reading the Bible cover to cover. So I was aware of a scripture (one I had made myself forget/ ignore to read these books) that is very important to all of this.

Leviticus 19:26 Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. Do not practice divination or sorcery.

Anyone else find it interesting that God associates consumption of blood to communing with spirits?

Leviticus 7:

26 And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. 27 If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.' "

Leviticus 17:10 (New International Version)

1 The LORD said to Moses,. . . . (check it out)

10 " 'Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people.

Deuteronomy 12

16 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.

23 But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. 24 You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. 25 Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

Leviticus 7:26 was particularly interesting to me. It says specifically not birds or animals, which is exactly what the Cullens did. But people will always say that that is what makes them “good.” Here is the problem: the books set up a standard for good and evil that is contrary to Scripture, and we accept it without even realizing that we are doing it.

Once that settled in, the door was open for God to reveal many more things.

There are numerous distorted parallels to Scriptures. For instance: Dr. Cullen is the “father” of the Cullen family. He is the one who “turned” most of the family into vampires. So, look at this. This “father” chose out individuals who were doomed and already dying. He transforms them into a new creation and adopts them into a family. ( the transformation takes about three days, by the way) This new creation can live forever. The books do not describe this so bluntly, but it IS what happens. I want to point out again that I read these books and enjoyed them, so, remember that none of these things I am describing are obvious until you look for them. This is NOT what the story is about. I don’t think that the author was trying to do these things. In fact, if you have heard an interview with her, (available on youtube.com ) she got the premise for these books from a dream that she couldn’t let go of. She was as obsessed with the story as much as her readers are. She had never even written a story before. She openly says that the biggest amazement to her was not the dream, but how when she went to write it down, the words just flowed for her. I submit for the readers’ consideration that the dream had a spiritual source and that the spirit was NOT God.

In the books, the vampires say that twilight is their favorite time of day because it is the time where they can be out in the light without being seen for what they are. John 3: 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

The reason given in the book was that when vampires come into sunlight, their skin sparkles like diamonds in their skin. 2 Corinthians 11: 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Dr. Cullen was the son of a preacher. When he was attacked and changed, he hated what he had become and eventually decided to hunt animals instead of people. (Humans are, by far, the preferred . . . prey… for vampires, so this is a huge struggle prominent in the stories.) Dr. Cullen holds on to the hope that there is still a chance for their redemption ( a chance for heaven) even though they are “evil creatures.” Edward, the boyfriend vampire, disagrees. Arguing this concept takes up quite a bit of conversation throughout the books. All of this sets up the background for Edward to point at a large wooden cross hanging in the Cullen home (it was from Dr. Cullen’s father’s church) and refer to it as the “family joke.” I think that this is a “signature” of the demonic influence inspiring the writing.

All of these things were going on in my mind to try and explain why it wasn’t a good idea for kids to read these stories. The whole time, though, I was carefully phrasing my arguments for the kids specifically. Then I heard God say, “What are you working so hard to justify?” That’s when I realized that I was still trying to work all of this out in my head so that it would be okay for me to go see the next movie. “It’s just not good for the kids. Right. That’s when I saw that I was showing signs of addiction. Denial, obsessive behavior, needing more (a fix). . . . why else was I re-reading the series again after less than a week. There is something really not right with these stories. They shouldn’t stay with a person like they do. I would probably have dismissed this revelation as nothing but my own problem, but then I noticed that other people talked about the books the same way, not that they were addicted, but that they LOVED reading them, and that they were their FAVORITE books and so on. Have you ever noticed how MANY people are crazy about these books? Watch interviews on youtube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv2Jxu7VS2c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKeLtHsixU&feature=related

Again, I do not think that the author meant anything but a story in all this, But I DO think that there is a very real and dangerous spiritual influence behind it that is following these books. Which leads me to my biggest point: If I hadn’t known those scriptures already and hadn’t already been seeking God and His voice, I would have missed this.

Please read 2 Thessalonians 2.

2 Thessalonians 2

Events prior to the Lord’s Second Coming

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

5 Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? 6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

The devil HATES us and is and has been working to use any and every method he can to undermine God’s influence in our lives.

I am not judging anyone, or telling anyone what to do. But if I see a lion in the streets, I’m not going to stay quiet. I’m going to say “LOOK OUT!”

May God bless any who read these words and have them take what He would from them. God is Good.

I would like to point out that I do not intend to teach on any of this in my Wed. night class. I'll talk to parents who are interested, but I'm not going to get into something like this without specific parental consent.

Voice in the Chasm

2009-10-20T05:28:00.002-05:00

Here I sit in the dark
All alone by myself
On a chair bound in ropes in the cold
There are sounds all around
In this cave where I am
I feel tired, I feel weak, I smell mold.
I hear the sound of the drops
Of the tears of this place
As they fall into pools of remorse
Add to these from the streams
That have dampened my face
I'm at sea without compass or course.
As a breeze fills the chasm
And I shudder and cringe
And withdraw fearing cold, pain and grief.
But I don't feel a thing
I don't know where it went
I'm filled with anger and with rage; not relief
So I scream in my rage
'Till my throat fears to tear
As my anguish compels me to do
Then my cry (at first wordless)
Is transformed in my ears
To the question "Oh my God, where are you?!"
It is then that I realize
In the dark in the cold
That I'm bound not in cords but in shame
I am sitting rejected
In this underground hole
And my Hope has forgotten my name.
Then the breeze once again
through the chasm returns
And this time I can feel its caress
At that moment all around
In that chasm: no sound
But the echoing breeze and my breath
So I scream (just to hear)
Maybe to frighten my fear
To that wind:"Why torment me this way?
Haven't I had enough pain,
Enough sorrow, enough shame?"
. . . .I hear a whisper, but of what I can't say.
And the breezes starts to fade
I hear the tears of the cave
All my rage breaks inside to despair
Now I sob in this pit
While my heart begs to quit
And I plead "Oh dear God! don't you Care?"
And the Breeze like a storm
Rushes in strangely warm
All at once I see light though it's dim
And then there on my face
I feel the Breeze's embrace
My heart gasps because I know that it's Him.
Then He says "I AM here
Peace, be still. Have no fear
I have been here though you haven't seen
Now cast off your shame
For I GAVE you MY name
Stand up now from that chair you've been in.
I AM He who brings light
And restores the blind sight
And for you this will easily be
You closed your eyes out of fear
That's what first trapped you here
So open your eyes, Child of Zion, and be free."
I now stand myself straight
Out from beneath a great weight
And my eyelids begin to spread wide
Here the vision for me
Not a chasm or sea
But a meadow,and mountains and sky.

The "End Times" aren't COMING; They're here.

2009-06-04T20:18:00.007-05:00

You know, for as long as I can remember, I've heard people talking about what it will be like in the "End Times." About how scary things will be, and how bad the world will get. Look around, though. Not at the TV set or the fashion scene. Not at the movies and music that are popular or the things that are advertised and available on the Internet. Look at the Christians.

I'm not even talking about the "fair weather" Christians. Look at all of us. We talk about how bad the "end times" will be, but what are we doing to prepare? Buying generators and stocking up on bottled water and can goods? . . . Against the Anti-Christ? Against the Devil? I'm not accusing anybody but the Devil. He has spent generations getting into homes and households weakening the resolve of Christian to fundamental SURVIVAL needs. We still say that it is important to read our Bibles, but how much time do we spend actually reading it OUTSIDE of church? We say that it is important to go to church, but does that take priority over other things?

Two Sundays ago I stayed home from church. Not because I was sick or too tired to go, I just wanted some peace and quiet and a little free time to put our house in order. It seemed reasonable at the time. . . *sigh* My Pastor, a man I am continuously grateful for, gave a message this past Sunday that mentioned people "just taking a Sunday off." And asking, no telling, us that we need to really respect God's time, His church, and His service. I knew I had messed up when I found myself justifying myself. "I never take Sundays off." or "I made good use of the time." or "I had my own time with God." Then I realized that none of that is valid. Christianity is NOT PART TIME.

The Devil isn't taking time off, so he's thrilled when we do. It gives him a wide open door to throw garbage into our lives/ minds/ hearts/ HOMES.

You want God to work through your finances? Tithe EVERY TIME. You want God to live in your home? LIVE in His Word. You want God to speak to you? SPEAK TO HIM all the time. (YES, He IS interested in your day-to-day life!) Will it make the problems go away? No. But it will add POWER to how you deal with them.

Going to church on Sundays isn't enough. Hearing a sermon once or twice a week isn't enough. Imagine you could lose those privileges any day, and think how hard you'd listen or attend. Think about how much time you'd spend reading your Bible if there was someone out there performing miracles in Satan's name. Now go back and think about the things I said I wasn't talking about in the first paragraph. . . . . . . . . Think about how many of GOD'S Christians are wrapped up in those things. . . . . . . . And ask yourself if you think someone might actually BE out there doing Satan's work.

A friend of mine told me that while he was in Vietnam, he saw guys duck down during a gun fight and start praying, and he'd yell at them: "You should have been praying before! Now you've got to stay alive!"

To borrow an old line:

Personal daily devotional: 30 mins - 1 hour per day

Prayer Time To GOD

(Who WANTs to hear) minutes throughout the day

Tithe a dime from every dollar

Walking hand-in-hand

with the author of

creation (who wants

you to call Him DAD) PRICELESS

Knowing God's Voice

2009-05-07T23:02:00.012-05:00

I recently heard about something that shepherds do/did with their sheep. At one time, it was common practice for several different shepherds to keep their flocks together. This was useful for keeping them safe and convenient for a number of other reasons. Have you ever wondered why shepherds sing to their sheep? When the shepherd would come in the morning to collect his sheep from the common holding place, he would call out to them or sing to them. His sheep would recognize his voice and come to him, but the other sheep would not recognize his voice and would run away. Jesus said: "My sheep will know my voice." (Read John 10, please!)

Many times we have heard God's Voice and not recognized Him and run away.

So how do we get to know God's voice? That's an important question because God isn't the only one trying to talk to us. So how do we know? The Bible says to test every spirit. (1 John 4:1-6)

I've heard it said that we need to memorize scriptures to help with this. Okay, that's good as far as it goes, but have you noticed how BIG the Bible is? There's no way that most people will ever have the time or motivation to memorize the whole Bible. If you think that you don't need to know/ be familiar with the whole thing, you might want to consider why God put it all there then.

For example: you look at the hundreds of examples that God gives of how He spoke to His people. The different ways. The different words. What He likes. What He isn't like.

So Why?

Well, here a suggestion. I have heard God speak clear words, heard partial messages that only made sense to the people that I shared them with, seen visions, similatudes, had dreams, interpreted dreams, heard sounds (like thunder and horses running), smelled scents, and had scripture references (that I wasn't familiar with) pop into my head. That's a lot of variety for God to use. I also read my Bible. I've been through it many times. ( Not bragging, could have done a LOT more. Just saying what I believe God wants us all to know) We need to know God's written word so that no matter what way He chooses to speak to us, we will have some frame of reference to know if it is Him or not.

What is the most important thing in any relationship? Communication! The Bible says that we were created in His image. Is it likely that God said, "Hmm, make 'em like Me, but then I'll make 'em need to express themselves and then ignore them. . . . " That doesn't line up with "God is love."

He is always speaking to us. Always loving us. Always calling us to Him.

After the Order of Elijah

2009-05-07T23:00:00.006-05:00

When I was 12 or 13 years old, I went to a teen retreat that was sponsored by the church I was going to at the time. It was 3 or 4 days long and for the first couple of days it was interesting, but didn't amount to much more than a summer camp or an excuse to get away from my family for a while. That changed on the last night there. I don't know what the speaker spoke of, but afterward he gave an altar call. There were probably 50-60 teens there between the ages of 12 to 18. At least half of them answered the altar call. I was sitting in the next to back row watching other kids my age go forward and meet God there. Then I felt the first powerful move of God on my own spirit. I went up to pray with/ for a friend and felt God wash over me like a tidal wave. The next thing I knew, I was praying for someone else, and someone else, and someone else. . . I prayed until I was hoarse and prayed for my voice, it came back instantly and I prayed myself hoarse again. When my voice didn't come back that time I figured that maybe I should stop and see what happened. I was praying for God to tell me what was going on and felt Him "calling my heart." I was afraid that He was calling me to be a preacher, so I freaked out and ignored it.

A few years went by and God's call never let up, but I spent most of my time thinking about how messed up I was and how far from "usable" I was. ( I'll save that story for another time.) By the time I was 18 I knew that God was really calling me to something, but I didn't know what. Then one day I heard Him clearly say "I'm calling you to be a prophet after the order of Elijah."

Okay, what was THAT supposed to mean?! I checked up on Elijah and saw fire falling from heaven and a man out running chariots, not to mention years of drought. So, I figured that I must have heard Him wrong. That word never faded. So, while I was pretty sure that the fire and stuff was not what God meant, I thought that I should probably figure out what being a "prophet" meant. So I focused, REALLY focused, on hearing God. It was rough at first, because I wasn't ever sure if I was hearing God or just my imagination.

I was in a group that met on Sunday nights where we talked about God and what He was doing in our lives. It was a great environment for learning to hear God. So I wasn't afraid to try to "give a word," because if it wasn't directly from God, it was still scripturally accurate and encouraging. (An important point. You are never wrong to encourage if it lines up with scripture) After a while, it got easier to tell the difference from good Biblical advice, and a direct "living word from god that was pertinent to the situation." You hear or see things that have the "ring" of God's voice to it, or it's "just God's style."

A few more years went by, (I was about 23) and I was at a conference my church was a part of. The speaker was great and I got a lot out of his message. Then he said something that froze me in my tracks. He mentioned something about the call of Elijah, and I MISSED THE REFERENCE!!!! I asked some others who were with me, but the reference wasn't as important to them as i was to me so they didn't pay attention. So I scanned and scanned and someone said something about Malachi.

MALACHI 4:5-6

⁵ “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives.

⁶ His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Ever had the light come on? Ever heard a loud "click" in your head when something fell in place and you finally got it?

Now I knew what "the order of Elijah" was. Now I knew what the purpose of prophecy was.

The point of hearing God and speaking His word, is to draw people to God the Father!

I can hear God and the reason I can hear God is so that I can show others that THEY CAN HEAR GOD TOO. God wants a close, intimate relationship with ALL OF US!!!!!!

God Loved Cain

2009-02-13T22:21:00.005-06:00

I was reading in Genesis the other day, and I saw something I've never noticed before.

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. ³ When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. ⁴ Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, ⁵ but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

I have always thought of Abel as the one God loved and Cain as the one that God was mad at. But then I saw this:

⁶ “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? ⁷ You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

This was a huge shock to me. Look at it again. God was telling Cain that it was his offering and his attitude the was being rejected, NOT Cain himself. In fact, God was pleading with Cain to be careful. because

"Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you."

Cain didn't listen and he fell vitim to Sin. Then when God punished Cain, Cain complained that the punishment was too hard, and that anyone who saw him would kill him. So, God put a mark on Cain so that no-one would harm him.

God made sure that Cain could live long enough to have a chance to learn to trust God. There is no evidence that he did, but God made sure he had the chance.

GOD LOVED CAIN! He punished Cain because He is Just. He Loved Cain because He is GOD.

THAT'S JUST COOOL!!!

"To Him Who Sits On the Throne. . ."

2009-01-24T19:26:00.004-06:00

Okay, this was another dream/ vision.

I was entering into a court room with a large number of people. We were all the accused. As I looked at the others in the group, I noticed that while I couldn't make out any of the faces, I knew that I knew them all. They were "friends and family."

As we all approached the bench the judge came in and went to his seat. I had to blink a few times, because the judge looked just like me! Then, the next thing I knew, I was the judge! and I was looking out at everyone I knew. Then, before I could really get used to that idea, everyone in the crowd . . . was me. (VERY WIERD)

Hold on though! The scene changed again and now I'm sitting on a great golden throne. The judge's table and gavel are still there, but off to the left a bit. Directly in front of me was a LONG series of stairs coming up to the throne. The thing that caught my eye, though, was Jesus walking steadily toward me. He paused and said: "You know, There's really only enough room in that seat for One."

Needless to say, I didn't waste any time getting out of THAT chair. I dove forward and found myself in the crowd with the accused again in the court room. Jesus turned and took His seat. After a moment, He looked at me and the rest and smiled and said: "Good. Case dismissed." He banged His gavel and it was done.

One of the others turned to me and said: "I don't understand. Were we guilty or not?"

I looked back and said: "Listen, if it's not important enough to HIM to pass judgment, then who am I?"

Then Jesus smiled again. I really think He likes it when we treat eachother the way He treats us.

Offering of Praise!

2009-01-19T22:03:00.003-06:00

I was driving home tonight listening to some worship music. I was really getting into it when I started imagining a "friendly" competition between myself and the angels as to who could worship God better. I knew that God would be pleased with the idea. But, as I thought about it, it really started to bother me. (I have a very active imagination and I think that God uses that.) As I thought about angels and people, I couldn't help but realise that angels had some serious advantages. Angels don't have to stop to sleep; they can praise without ceasing. Angels don't get distracted; God is right there in their faces--they see God's glory non-stop. Angels don't have to stop to eat. . . . That's where I got an idea. Fasting. We can give up food to praise God. Then in my mind's eye I saw an angel (the one I was competing with?) kind of smile encouragingly at me. It was like he was saying: "Yeah, keep going. . . " It was like he wanted me to win this competition.

Then it hit me. Angels don't have to eat, sleep or breathe. We do. It doesn't cost them anything to praise God, but every breath we use to praise Him is one we can never have back. My heartbeats and breaths are limited in number. Every one of my life's breaths I spend is a gift that I can give that no angel can.

If I sing praises out of obligation or as a "song service," I waste a golden opportunity. But if I sing that praise knowing that I spend (like money) part of my LIFE to praise God, Then I can know that I give God praise that puts every angel to shame. No angel can praise God like I can! No angel can give his heartbeats and his breath to God's glory!

Then I saw the angel's eyes water up with joy and he lept up and rejoined in praise. It was like he knew that he couldn't give what I could, but by helping me to see how I could, he got to share in the reward of my praise to God.

I don't know if this was a "real" vision from God or if it was my imagination focused on God, But I do know that the message is true.

Spend your life's breaths in the praise and glory of God and give Him the gift that only we, His children, can give.

Praise The LORD!

The REAL Christmas Story

2008-12-22T20:41:00.012-06:00

Do you know what the first reference to "Christmas" in the Bible was? Here's a hint: it's not in the New Testament. Check out Genesis 3:15

15 I will make you (the serpent) and the woman
       enemies to each other.
    Your descendants and her descendants
       will be enemies.
    One of her descendants will crush your head,   (One of WOMAN'S--NOT Man's)(Virgin Birth)
       and you will bite his heel." (Crushing the head is complete victory; biting the heel is just injury and pain--NOT death or defeat)

For the record: God was setting up His plan to redeem mankind BEFORE HE KICKED THEM OUT OF THE GARDEN!!!

Throughout the Old Testament, God is setting up precedents and standards and prophecies that point to the Messiah, the Christ, that He would send to mend the way between Man and God. Somewhere in the neighborhood of four-thousand years passed while God was setting this up. The whole time He is establishing Himself to and with His people so that when His Christ came, His people would know Him, and so that we would have plenty of examples through history to show us who God IS and who He ISN'T.

We have to understand that God created Man to fellowship with. He put man in the garden because He wanted to spend time with him. Separation was the opposite of what God made us for. So when Adam and Eve sinned, God didn't waste ANY time. He IMMEDIATELY set up a plan to redeem mankind. So, by the time Jesus was born, it really was like "Christmas Morning" for God. He was really excited! I mean COME ON!! God was so pumped that the angels, who are spirits, Couldn't stand still and BURST into the air, in a physical form, singing "GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!!!!!" There was too much JOY. They had to share it with somebody. So they bust out in song and tell a bunch of shepherds that GOD's redeemer was finally born! He had come to succeed in everything that Adam couldn't, to satisfy everything that the sacrifices couldn't, to fulfill everything that the Law couldn't, to take the infinite gap between God's BELOVED children and pour out His heart into that gap until a way was FINALLY made for us to step across into the arms of our Father.

Christmas isn't about a Nativity scene with a baby Jesus and some soft songs. Christmas is about 4,000 years of the passion of our Heavenly Father being poured out into the birth cry of His Son. Jesus, who was born to die, who lived to love, and who lived God's Love so fully that He changed us from orphans and outcasts to cherished sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of Lords.

Revelation 12 (New Century Version)

Revelation 12

The Woman and the Dragon

1 And then a great wonder appeared in heaven: A woman was clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars was on her head.2 She was pregnant and cried out with pain, because she was about to give birth.3 Then another wonder appeared in heaven: There was a giant red dragon with seven heads and seven crowns on each head. He also had ten horns.4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. He stood in front of the woman who was ready to give birth so he could eat her baby as soon as it was born.5 Then the woman gave birth to a son who will rule all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was taken up to God and to his throne.6 The woman ran away into the desert to a place God prepared for her where she would be taken care of for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

7 Then there was a war in heaven. Michael^[a] and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But the dragon was not strong enough, and he and his angels lost their place in heaven.9 The giant dragon was thrown down out of heaven. (He is that old snake called the devil or Satan, who tricks the whole world.) The dragon with his angels was thrown down to the earth.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:
"The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Christ have now come.

   The accuser of our brothers and sisters,
       who accused them day and night before our God,
       has been thrown down.
11 And our brothers and sisters defeated him
       by the blood of the Lamb's death
       and by the message they preached.
    They did not love their lives so much
       that they were afraid of death.
12 So rejoice, you heavens
       and all who live there!
    But it will be terrible for the earth and the sea,
       because the devil has come down to you!
    He is filled with anger,
       because he knows he does not have much time."

13 When the dragon saw he had been thrown down to the earth, he hunted for the woman who had given birth to the son.14 But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and one-half years, away from the snake.15 Then the snake poured water out of its mouth like a river toward the woman so the flood would carry her away.16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that came from the mouth of the dragon.17Then the dragon was very angry at the woman, and he went off to make war against all her other children—those who obey God's commands and who have the message Jesus taught.

Tell THAT on Christmas morning!

: )

A Matter of Perspective

2008-12-20T20:13:00.003-06:00

I was praying and appologizing to God again about mistakes I'd made. Seems like I was always apologizing about something. I was just so desperate to be close to God, but I was always dealing with stuff.

Then, with my eyes closed, I saw:

I was sitting at a table. The table was white and stretched out in front of me. On it were trophies and awards and prizes and such. I knew right away that these represented the things I did right/ my accomplishments in life. I didn't have a lot of time to appreciate them though, because there were other things, the kind of things that you don't put on a table, that obviously represented my sins, failures and mistakes. There was just too much. No matter where I looked the table would have trohphies, but ALWAYS there would be garbage or some ofther filth. It was SOO frustrating! All I wanted was to be close to God! I just wanted to throw all of that other stuff away and be with God.

Then I heard:

"Turn around."

So I started to turn around. This is when I realized that I was on a swivel chair. And, as I turned around, I saw that the table only went around me as far as I could see IF I kept looking at the things on the table. When I turned to see the source of the voice, (I knew it was God) the table stopped and there was a gap in it. I stood up and fell to my knees in the lap/ arms/ embrace of my Father.

God said "At any point in any day at any time you can turn your back on these things and be with Me. Your life is a table that you cannot control, But I have made a way for you to be free of it to be with Me away from the things and worries there."

I have tried this in situations in life, when things got too tough and (though God had to remind me) when things were going well. I stopped and closed my eyes and just looked for God. No expectations but to find Him. And He has met me every time. It's like this bubble in the core of who I am, around the "real-est" me where God is there and nothing else matters. In that moment the world outside the "bubble" comes a little better into perspective.

I really love God, but what's way cooler than that is that He really loves me.

Those with ears to hear, LET THEM HEAR.

This is for EVERY ONE!

God Made Dirt; Dirt Don't. . . .

2008-12-10T22:12:00.008-06:00

I heard this on the radio a long time ago:

Scientists had reached the peak of human development. They now knew everything there was to know and had finally come to the conclusion that mankind no longer needed God.

So they went to God and said, "We don't need you anymore. We know all there is to know and can do anything there is to do. We want you to leave."

God being God and infinitely patient, looked at the scientists and said, "OK, let's have a contest. You make a man in your own image, and I'll make one in Mine. Whoever does it quickest and best wins, and the loser has to acknowledge that the winner doesn't need them."

The scientists talked this over and decided that this was an excellent idea. So they set up a time with God for the contest and got down to business.

On the day of the contest, God and the scientists met. God looked at the scientists and said, "Are you ready?"

"Yes,"they replied.

"OK, GO!"

So the scientists bent down and began gathering up dirt, but God stopped them saying, "Hold on a second!" The scientist looked at God, confused. God looked back at them smiling and said,

"Use your own dirt."

What People Will Trust. . .

2008-12-04T21:07:00.004-06:00

A couple of years ago I was on my way to work. It was a 45 minute drive one-way but my employers were kind enough to provide me with a company vehicle. On one particular day, I happened to be thinking about the fact that it was a company vehicle and that if something were to happen while I was driving, it wouldn't be just me that would have to deal with the consequences. When I realized that I was thinking up "worst-case scenarios," I stopped and reminded myself that I hadn't been in an accident yet and not to "borrow trouble."
As soon as I thought the words "hadn't had an accident yet," I immediately "heard" half the people I knew saying "knock on wood." (It seems like people - yes, even Christians - are always saying stuff like that when you try to speak positively about your life. As if, if you aren't careful, you'll jinx yourself. *yech*) But, before I could do more than start to think how dumb the expression "knock on wood"is, I saw, in my mind's eye, a large beam of dark, rough and splintery wood. I still had the echo of "knock on wood" in my mind and I reached up to do it. As I did, the image of the beam "zoomed out" and I saw that the beam was the vertical beam of a cross. And as I looked, I saw Jesus' thorn pierced face turn and look at me, with eyes so sad and ironic, and he said:
"It's funny what people will trust, isn't it?"

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7

Not Forsaken!

2008-11-27T21:39:00.007-06:00

When I was growing up, my family moved around a lot. My dad was in the Air Force, so where he went we went. Because of this, we changed churches a lot, and we pretty much had to choose from what was available. We didn't always end up in a church that believed quite the way my parents did, but usually the differences weren't big enough to pose a problem. There were a couple of things that I was taught that I took to heart that weren't scriptural. I didn't realize that at the time, so they messed with my head.

One of the things that I was taught was that "God can't be in the presence of sin. He is too good and righteous to exist in the presence of something so vile. If God were in the presence of someone with sin in their life, they would be blasted into nothing instantly. God even turned His back on Jesus when he was on the cross because He couldn't look on the sin Jesus was taking on for us." This was supposed to be backed up by the fact that Jesus said: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Now, I was young, but I knew full and well that I had sin in my life, and if God would reject Jesus, who was only doing what God told him to do, then I was in BIG TROUBLE. I spent nearly 10 years in constant fear of God's sudden judgement and wrath. Then one day, I was reading in the Psalms and came across Psalm 22. This is what it says:

Psalm 22
For the director of music.
To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning."
A psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

That first verse nearly stopped my heart. Jesus wasn't crying out to God for forsaking him, He was quoting scripture!!! Psalm 22 is a prophecy about the messiah! Jesus was encouraging himself in the WORD. In the middle of this terrible experience, he was reminding himself that God knew all of this would happen, that it was part of the plan and that this fit in with what God needed to make things right between men and Him again.

Romans 8:39 (New International Version)
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus was NOT FORSAKEN! AND NEITHER WAS I!!!!

This was the beginning of my journey to find out what God was really like. To find out for myself who God IS. I began this journey with TWO important points:
1 Even Jesus had to encourage himself with scripture in hard times. . . .
2 God LOVES me and He will always LOVE LOVE LOVE me!

And that goes for you TOO!!!!!

Name Change . . . 2

2008-11-26T22:49:00.001-06:00

Well this is my best idea so far. I would appreciate feedback from anyone who is interested.

Name Change. . .

2008-11-20T21:29:00.001-06:00

I'm going to be changing the name of my blog soon. The current name just doesn't seem to fit where I'm going with this. I don't know what I'm going to call it yet, but I should have something soon.

"A Ghost Raccoon With A Crystal Grenade"

2008-11-19T21:00:00.005-06:00

This happened several years ago, but it made an impression.

A pastor associated with our church came one Sunday. He was on his way to be the pastor of a new church that needed one so Pastor Jack, our pastor, invited him to come and be blessed and sent to that church. At the end of the service Pastor Jack called him up and told the church that anyone who felt that they had a word from God for the man should come and share it after they were done praying. So I figured that it would be neat to have a word, so I asked God for one. I heard "b. . . . .capital B. . . . . . .Blessings with a capital B . . . . in music. . . . . . . . .Tell him."

. . .So I'm like: ok. . .that's cool I guess. (but in the back of my mind I'm thinking that I'd really like a vision or something. You know, 'cause they sound more like they're from God than "Blessings with a capital 'B'")

Hang on for a sec:

I saw a red velvet pillow. It was square and trimmed with gold fringe and tassels on each corner, and it was spinning end over end in the darkness. I watched as it flew toward an old wicker-framed rocking chair. The chair was empty, but it was rocking anyway. The pillow flew over the chair, turned horizontal, and lowered very slowly into the seat of the chair. Then the chair stopped rocking and I saw something shiny and transparent rising out of the cushion. As it rose up I realized that it was a ghost-like raccoon poised with arms spread out and standing on one leg. AND SMILING! (I know, I know, but it's what I saw.) The raccoon looked at me and held one hand out in my direction, palm up, and out of his hand rose up a crystal grenade. The grenade lifted up and hovered above his hand and began spinning faster and faster and as it spun it began changing shape the way clay changes on a potter's wheel. It turned into a trumpet. And then I heard God say "You wanted a vision so you got one. Now go tell the man that I'm going to bless him with a capital B in music."

So I did. I found out the next week at a meeting when I shared this that the man was really concerned about his new church because they didn't have a worship team and he was going to have to use CD's for a while. Well we used a lot of CD music that Sunday and then God gave me that word for him. God is soooo Cool! And personal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A raccoon with a grenade. . . .I don't ask for visions after I already have a word anymore. :)

Baby B's Breath Of God

2008-11-15T19:10:00.004-06:00

Today I had a chance to help a friend, Moco. Moco is Curly Mommy's dad. While we were talking he mentioned that Baby B, Curly Mommy's newest child http://fuzzballchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/11/she-is-here.html, had been having some breathing problems. I had been telling him about some of the things that I mentioned in my last post, Abraham's Blessing, and this fed right off of that. As I listened to Moco tell me about how Baby B was taking fast, deep breaths, I also heard God say that when we speak His words, we are re-ordering reality to fit God's plan. He told me to tell Moco that whatever reasons the doctors might (or might not) find, GOD was saying that now Baby B was breathing in God's breath. God had His hand on her and everything was going to work out right. He said that He had a purpose for this little girl, and as of that moment, He was using every deep breath to touch her in a special way.

Abraham's Blessing

2008-11-13T14:24:00.003-06:00

Okay. I've been teaching Sunday school to the 6th and 7th graders at my church. We've been going through Genesis, story by story and I've been trying to "introduce them to God." I had been using the curriculum provided by the church, but found that while the material was good and well intentioned, it simply wasn't getting through to the kids. The lessons were about teaching them to be "good Christians," but they didn't really know God, so there wasn't anything more than "trying to do the right thing" to motivate them. I wanted them to KNOW that God LOVES them and that He wants a relationship with them. I figure that if they know God's love then the "right things" they should do will be fruits of that love instead of calculated decisions.

It's been great!

So we've been talking about Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. The last couple of weeks have been spent on Jacob. We talked about how God had promised that Jacob would have the major inheritance and how God was going to make His nation from Jacob, but Jacob and his mother didn't trust God and deceived their way into a promise that was Jacob's by right. Jacob got Isaac's blessing. Isaac got that blessing from Abraham and Abraham got it from God.

I grew up in a home that taught the Bible. My dad told us stories of Abraham and King David and the mighty men of valor. One thing that always stood out to me was the blessings from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (called Israel). These blessings weren't like the blessings you hear today--they had POWER. When Esau realized that Jacob had gotten his blessing, he was furious! He begged Isaac for a blessing. Today, we'd just say "OK, here you go," but this was something much more serious. Isaac couldn't give him the blessing again. This was something REAL! I've always believed in these kind of blessings and the power in them, and I've always been sad that they seemed to have passed away.

Skip ahead to this past Sunday. . . A man came to our church this Sunday. His name is Ken Sumerall. He is a pastor to my pastor. He is actually a pastor to many pastors, as is my own pastor, Jack Hollis (who has a blog http://ftcw.blogspot.com/ ). He has been a spiritual father to my pastor, who, in turn, has been one to me. So, as Bro Ken was preaching, I was watching him and listening to how he spoke and thought to myself: "This is a man who is a patriarch to this church like Abraham was to Israel." I could just SEE Abraham all over him. When he finished speaking he invited people to come up and be prayed for. I was heading up to join the worship team, but before I could go up the stairs I stopped. It hit me. "Here is a man who could give a patriarch blessing." I tried to dismiss it, "People don't DO that sort of thing anymore." But I couldn't make myself leave it alone. I struggled with whether it was something I should do and if it would even be a real blessing, believing in my heart the whole time that it would be real, until I head God say: "You have an inheritance waiting for you. Will you take hold of it?" Well, that didn't leave me with any outs. So I went to Bro Ken and told him what I had seen on him and that I wanted a patriarch's blessing.

He leaned forward placing his hand on my head and said: " I bless you right now with a father's blessing. . ." I'm not quite sure what he said next because I felt a wave of heat hit me in the chest and spread in all over my torso. Then I heard him say something that I didn't expect at all. I went up there expecting him to say that I would be in the ministry, or that I would have a supernatural boldness, or that God would do miracles through me or something like that. What he said next nearly knocked the wind out of me. There I was caught in the presence of the Holy Spirit and I heard these words from the man God had impressed upon me as one who could give a real blessing, a blessing with power: "I give you the blessing of Abraham."

Check out what God's blessing for Abraham was and you may have some idea of what that felt like.

Later, God told me that what I felt when I felt the heat in my chest was God "changing my blood." He told me that He had changed the fabric of who I am.

I am still absorbing the implications of all of this, but I know this much. God has called me to be a giver of blessings. I have tried to be conscious of my thoughts and words. I have been openly blessing anything that I have a hand in and blessing any who bless me. And I truly BELIEVE that God is going to be doing things that will awaken me (and any I can influence) to a fuller awareness of the richness of His glory.

So, to all who read this. Be Blessed with His presence. Have God so richly in your life that you cannot escape a day-to-day deepening of revelation of God's love and desire to have a relationship with you.

Amen.

Whom shall I Fear?

2008-11-10T13:12:00.005-06:00

In Exodus Miriam and Aaron are ridiculing Moses about his wife. God steps in and addresses the issue by saying that He has, in the past, always spoken through visions and things hard to understand. But with Moses "I have spoken clearly, face to face as a friend. . . Why is it that you aren't afraid to talk to my man Moses this way?"

God spoke of Moses as a man to be respected because He spoke with him "face to face--as a friend" and yet, here we are today with the Holy Spirit dwelling INSIDE us, and we still fear the things of this world.

We really need to get a hold of the idea that God has a personal investment in claiming us. We didn't just sign up on God's mailing list. He LOVES us! He isn't about to do all that HE did to bring us into a relationship with Him just to abandon us. God takes care of His own!

ADONAI

2008-06-26T21:26:00.003-05:00

This is the old song with a new verse.

Adonai

I hear the thunder of the marching of the soldiers of the LORD

With worship as their battle cry and the Word of God their sword

They are marching into battle with raised hands and bended knee

The world will see God’s glory as they shout in victory. . .

Adonai

Awesome God and Our Creator

Righteous Lord and Vindicator

Adonai

Oh the enemy must flee

When he hears God’s people cry

Adonai . . .

The Enemy has set up camp in the land God’s called our own

Proclaiming his false sovereignty; he wants to kill us heart and soul

But his plans and his devices will pass away in ash and dust

When the saints of God wake up and call the Name of Whom they trust. . .

Adonai

Awesome God and Our Creator

Righteous Lord and Vindicator

Adonai

Oh the enemy must flee

When he hears God’s people cry

Adonai . . .

We are not abandoned here as Orphans all alone

We've been adopted and instructed to come boldly to the throne.

So raise your hands in worship, Saints; bend your knees in prayer

Call the name of Adonai and our Father will be there. . .

Adonai

Awesome God and Our Creator

Righteous Lord and Vindicator

Adonai

Shout His name, all you creation!

Sing His praises: JUBILATION!

Adonai

Awesome God and Our Creator

Righteous Lord and Vindicator

Adonai

The enemy must flee

When he hears God’s people cry

Adonai!

"A Dream"

2008-04-06T15:22:00.002-05:00

I had a "dream" and in my dream:

I was standing facing a mountain. The mountain was enormous, beautiful, breathtaking. As I looked I knew that I had to pass that mountain. At first I saw this as a great opportunity to see something so amazing up close, but as I neared the mountain, what was glorious and picturesque became the Cliffs of Insanity. (from The Princess Bride. You know, 10,000 feet of imposing, un-scalable, that's very existence defies you to prove that you are anything but puny.) But I still had to get passed it. There was no route up. It went on without end in both directions. I was stopped. I tried and tried, but there was no way to make it passed. I felt like a complete failure, and in desperation, fell to my knees and cried out to God.
"I know you want me to get passed this, but I can't do it. I want to, but I just can't! Help me!"

At that moment I felt a warmth at my back. I turned around and looked up to see what looked like the sun, but as it got closer, I saw that it was something approaching on a cloud. I looked again and could make out a figure of a man standing like the presence of God. I couldn't see his face, but he wore a white robe that shimmered like lightning dancing across his body. I also noticed (and this will mean a lot to my friend BB) that he only wore one sandal.

When he had come very close, I saw that his presence was kicking up storm level winds all around, but I only felt a gentle breeze. Then, as he reached the ground, he stepped forward onto the earth, and it was like a bomb went off. There was no sound, but I saw a shock wave slam out from the point where his foot touched ground and it was like creation recognized the Creator and nearly shattered in an effort to yield to his will. The shock wave surged forward and when it hit the mountain, the mountain burst not like an eruption or volcanic explosion-- not like anything solid at all. It was like the shock wave hit a mountain of ash. In seconds the ground was clear and easy to pass.

Then Jesus (for I now recognized him) turned and walked into me. I panicked, and cried out: ""Where are you?" He told me to look down at my Hand and saw my hand and what was like a transparency of another hand overlaid on top. The second hand was nail-pierced.

"Now what?" I asked.
"Walk where I walk."

So I watched and when I saw his foot move forward, I put my foot in the same place. In this way we walked through the place where the mountain had been. We then came to a swamp and I couldn't see any way to cross.

"Walk where I walk."

So we went. At one point a snake struck out at me and I jumped from it. It struck my leg and injured me. I cried out to Jesus again and he said: "Remain in me."
So I put my foot back where his was and my leg healed. The Snake struck again, but when I didn't move, the snake passed straight through.

"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see."

This is the beginning and the end of it. This is all I saw so this is all I wrote.

Man of Valor

2008-04-06T14:29:00.003-05:00

I am Gideon and I'm hiding
In a wine press threshing grain.
Brave enough to do the deed,
But not to face the pain.

Then I hear a stirring
There outside the press,
And I'm filled with gutless terror
when I hear the bold address:

"Greetings, mighty man of valor!"
(My blood turns cold to bone.)
And the fear grows in intensity
As I realize I'm alone.

"Who is it you're seeking?"
I whisper timidly.
"Be of courage, man of God,
I have come to speak to thee!"

Baby Boy #2 (cont.) PICS

2008-02-07T15:42:00.001-06:00

Baby Boy #2

2008-01-26T18:11:00.000-06:00

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!

In an unexpected turn of events, our second son was born today after what we thought was a routine blood test.
Crickey will fill in all of the other details when she gets a chance.

All I can say is . . . WOW, this kid has some lungs! We could hear him through the sound proofed glass in the hospital nursery.

Pictures and more story to follow as time and chance allow.

Get Out Of Dirt Free

2007-12-25T11:39:00.000-06:00

I made this card for my Mother-in-law for Christmas. She's a sweetheart and I/we wanted to do something a little more than a wrapped present. She's had a rough time for a while now, and she has been sweet through it all.

Anyway, Merry Christmas, all!!

In Jesus' Name

2007-11-15T17:47:00.001-06:00

I am a Christian. That means that I believe in the hope of: meaning, purpose, compassion, forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, Heaven, understanding, and so much more all in the person of Jesus Christ.

That also means that I represent Him in EVERYTHING I do -- Not just the good things. It means that when I say I am a Christian, that I am saying "Look at me. This is what Christ is like."

When I was a child I thought that "In Jesus' Name" was just how you ended your prayers. Now I know that it is how you are supposed to live your life and that I have to remember what that really means.

I am SO GRATEFUL that God's grace is sufficient. I'll just keep trying. My life, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Adonai

2007-08-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

I actually wrote this as a song, but since I don't know how to write music, I'm just going to write the words.

Adonai

I hear the thunder of the marching of the soldiers of the LORD

With worship as their battle cry and the Word of God their sword

They are marching into battle with raised hands and bended knee

The world will see God’s glory as they shout in victory. . .

Adonai

Awesome God and Our Creator

Righteous Lord and Vindicator

Adonai

Oh the enemy must flee

When he hears God’s people cry

Adonai . . .

The Enemy has set up camp in the land God’s called our own

Proclaiming his false sovereignty; he wants to kill us heart and soul

But his plans and his devices will pass away in ash and dust

When the saints of God wake up and call the Name of Whom they trust. . .

Adonai

Awesome God and Our Creator

Righteous Lord and Vindicator

Adonai

Shout His name, all you creation!

Sing His praise in jubilation!

Adonai

Awesome God and Our Creator

Righteous Lord and Vindicator

Adonai

The enemy must flee

When he hears God’s people cry

Adonai

Just when I thought I had it done. . . .

2007-07-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I spent the last year or so working on all of the "to do" lists on our house. Fixing things, adding things, removing things, putting them back in a different place. . . and I just got it all done. And we just moved again. Now I have a whole new list of things to "fix". Oh well. It beats being bored, I think. . . . Can't remember.

Oh, check out my wife's latest blog. We have even more going on. The Big Adventure

"Where Is Curly Mommy?"

2007-06-18T17:13:00.001-05:00

I have mentioned before on Curly Mommy's Blog how much I respect her. I have been impressed with how real and honest she is in her testimonies and experiences. What I did not realize is that I have come to expect and even rely on her input on my blogs. I have heard that she has had computer troubles and for this reason she has not been blogging. Meanwhile, I have been waiting for her opinion on my latest blog. I have gotten comments in person from my wife and that is great, but I somehow feel like my blog is not complete until I know what Curly Mommy thinks. It's weird, but it's like I named her a "real person" on blogs and now I don't feel like I am unless she thinks so. ( not really. . . :). . . it's kind of like when you walk through the same door over and over and over again for years and every time you do, you raise your arm and slap the top of the door jam. . . and then someone raises the door jam a foot higher and when you go through, you swing to slap it and it's not there and you stumble forward wondering what just happened. . . it's kind of like that. . .only without the door or the slapping and stumbling and stuff.. . . . . . . Ok, my wife says that I'm rambling and that Curly Mommy just needs to come back.)

Come back, Curly Mommy.

Broken hearts and the breath of God

2007-06-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

I was in church today and during worship practice, one of the piano players was messing with some chords and it reminded me of a song that starts off: "I hear the voice of one calling, I hear the voice of one calling: Prepare ye, Prepare ye the way of the Lord. . ." I suddenly felt the Holy Spirit's presence and began to pray in my heart. I asked God to come into this place (the church) and to comfort the hearts and minds and spirits of the people gathered in His name. And as I prayed, I saw in my mind's eye a picture of a heart that had cracks in it.
So I asked God to heal the broke hearts of His people. But He responded: "I let them be broken." Before I could think that through, He said:"Watch and see what I can do with a broken heart." And as I watched, I saw the breath of God flow toward the heart and enter into the cracks of the heart. I expected to see the cracks mend and for the heart to be healed, but that's not what happened. The cracks began to glow and more cracks began to appear. The heart began to pulse and shake and light started pouring out of the cracks as they grew wider and wider until the pieces of what I now recognized as a shell around the heart began to snap and fall off revealing what at first looked like a raw and exposed heart underneath. Then, when the shell had completely fallen off, I saw that the heart was pumping and had a slight glow and it was growing. Then I heard God speak again: "When people get hurt they guard themselves so that it won't happen again, but they don't realize that the wounds that they receive are not sores to be 'healed', but openings for my breath of life to enter and bring life and growth. Instead they build a shell around their hearts so that they won't be hurt and also stop My opportunities to live through them and show them how limitless I can be in them. Every new wound is an opportunity to receive My presence and My life on a level greater than they knew before."

It was then that I realized the when Jesus said to turn the other cheek, it wasn't about being "walked all over", it was about us letting God touch a person from our cheek to their hand and God filling us with His love and compassion and allowing us to live in a reality not possible without His touch.

"Christianity Defined . . .(sort of)"

2007-04-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Christianity: A system of beliefs whereby one
kneels in order to reach higher, does less to accomplish more, Surrenders to be victorious, and dies to live.

This all seems rather confusing until you realize that-

On Earth, gold is a precious metal and very valuable;

In Heaven, it's pavement.

"Unlimited"

2007-04-11T20:56:00.000-05:00

I'm a limited creation
So it's hard for me to see,
How a God that is so wonderful
Could love a wretch like me.

I seem to find the end of me
When I try to understand
How He can measure eternity
And comfort me with the same hand.

Though I'm limited in methods
I'm as grateful as I can
That the God Who set the standard
Lived it out here as a man.

He lived His life as mortal man
As limited as me
But with the Holy Spirit
Where no "limited" can be.

So since He lived and died and
Then He rose and lived again
His Holy Spirit lives in me
And my mind is in a spin

I'm a limited creation
So my mind cannot contain
The symphonies and melodies
That dance inside my brain.

I know now, though I'm limited
On my own my outlook's grim
I've been made a new creation:
I'm Unlimited in Him.

"All Alone . . . With You"

2007-04-10T20:07:00.000-05:00

I get lost in the day to day worries and cares
Wrapped up in confusion and strife,
All at once I'm discouraged in my mind's disrepair
I lost control of the things in my life.

My reality's based on the things I can see
And I'm bent by its hold of my view
In my effort to struggle I forget to be
An example of what Christ would do.

The devil attacks me and beats me with shame
And tells me I'm worthless and foul,
Reminds me of failures and of God's sure disdain;
He rants 'till my heart wants to howl.

But I remember a time when truth spoken in love
Set my heart free from guilt, shame, and loss
And I tell the devil, "It's not about me,
But Christ and what He did at the cross!"

So I fall to my knees so my spirit can soar,
And find peace in the Redemption-based view.
Though I'm surrounded by all of the cares there before

It doesn't matter:

I'm here all alone and with You.

Grace Like Rain

"Smiley Boy -- Revisited"

2007-03-22T17:29:00.000-05:00

Here he is again. He did this because I blew at his hand. . . .

'nuff said.

"Gone With the Wind"

2007-03-12T22:26:00.000-05:00

I just finished watching "Gone With the Wind" with Crickey. This is the first time that I have seen it. I spent most of my life (so far) trying to avoid watching it, mostly because it was "a classic and I should go see it." However, when Crickey asked me to watch it, I had to come to the conclusion that I had no better reason to avoid it than I always had. So, I'm back where I started: "I just finished watching "Gone With the Wind" with Crickey. "

I have to say that, while the movie was not as bad as I expected, I wonder why it is considered to be a classic. This is not a criticism, merely a curiosity. The acting was good and the cinematography far better than I expected, but the story seemed to start in the middle of something and end in the middle of something. You follow the life of a woman who is clueless to the point of the ruin of several of her friends and alienates everybody so that when you finally think that she gets the point, no one in the story will buy it. AND that's where they end it. Four hours to get "Tomorrow is another day. . . . da, da, dum. . . fade to sunset scene with woman silhouetted in the breeze and leave the suckers hanging."

Again, I know what this sounds like, but I'm really not trying to crack on the movie. I just don't get why it got so popular. My only guess is that when it came out, the populace, as a whole, was less cynical and that most people felt that everything would work out in that "tomorrow" to come.

Hmph, maybe what I should be asking is why don't I?

Oh, well.

"Smiley Boy"

2007-02-18T20:49:00.000-06:00

I have a baby boy, "Smiley Boy." He's a miracle baby.

When my wife was at 24 weeks, she began showing signs of a condition called "preeclampsia." This is a condition that is only found in pregnant women and is only "curable" by delivering the baby. The early stages aren't too bad, but as it progresses, it becomes increasingly more dangerous for both the mother and the child. So, on Feb. 14, my wife was admitted to the hospital. (Quite a Valentine's Day, Huh?) We were very fortunate that we had a doctor that was willing to wait and see how long we could continue the pregnancy before it was too dangerous for them. At that stage, every day counted. The Hospital the she was in was an hour away from where we lived and two hours from where I worked. I took a bunch of time off so that I could be there as much as I could, but there is only so much that a husband can do in this kind of situation. After the first couple of days, I went back to work and came back for the weekends. Our church family was amazing. My Pastor's wife and several others came and stayed with her for the time when her mother couldn't be there. People I worked with (Teen Challenge) were amazing too. I got so much support from everyone. They each came from different churches and took the prayer requests back to their church families. Parents of my students (ranging from all over the U.S.) also took the prayer requests home. Before a week was out, we had people praying for us in nearly a dozen states in probably as many denominations.

So I worked during the day and would call my wife, "Crickey", each night to see how she was and to pray with her. On the weekends, I would go to be with her and keep her company. Hold her hand during tests and sit with her while she slept. One of the problems with preeclampsia is that the body doesn't process water correctly. Crickey had gained more than 50 pounds in water alone in a period of about 3 weeks. Towards the end of it, she had so much water retention that she had a lot of difficulty breathing. Between that and the nearly hourly test that they had to run to monitor her and the baby, sleep was a rare and fleeting thing. Throughout the whole thing Crickey was amazing. Every nurse that came in heard how God was faithful and how we were so honored that God would trust us to represent Him in an experience like this. We honestly never worried about the outcome of it all. We completely trusted God in whatever He chose to do. A lot of people say that they don't think that they could have done it, but what it really comes down to is this: Neither could we. We didn't have the strength to get through this until we were in it and that only by the grace of God.

Well, two weeks past and the doctor finally said that we couldn't wait any more. They were scheduling a C-Section for the next day. I had mixed feelings on this.. On the one hand I knew that every day that we waited was a better chance for our son, but on the other hand, I wanted my wife to be free of this.

"Smiley Boy" was born on Feb. 28. 1 lb. 7 oz. 12 1/2 inches long. At 26 weeks into the pregnancy.

I went in with Crickey for the surgery. I sat at the head of the table holding her hand and talking with her as they administered the epidural. there was a big blue cloth hung in front of us, just under Crickey's chin, that separated us from the doctor's. When they made the incision, they had to remove 2 liters of water before they could even proceed. The doctors said that the procedure was going very well; they were able to lift the baby out head first without complication. They wrapped him up and showed him to us. His little face was the size of a silver dollar.

There are so many things that can go wrong with a "Preemie" baby. Heart problems, brain defects, lung damage, eye dysfunctions, undeveloped or misplaced organs. . . . "Smiley Boy" only had to be put on a respirator and kept in an incubator. No other problems.

Even so, he was in the hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for 3 months.

He was finally able to come home without the need for oxygen stuff at home. However, because he had a ventilator for so long, he had to be fed through a tube that was surgically placed so that the food was given directly to his stomach. We were told that, in time, he would learn to eat normally, but because he didn't start that way, we would have to train him to let his instincts kick in and take food by mouth.

It has been almost a year now, and I was sitting in here watching him finish another bottle of formula and play in his "pack and play." This child smiles more than any baby I've ever seen.
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