The Hardwork of Being Refined...

In our lives we are always going through moments that can change us... I have been reading several books lately and portions in each book have spoken to the ways that God shapes his children. I am amazed at the amount of time that God spends making his people the people that he wants them to be. God is so patient with me!
I only wish that I were more receptive...
I mean God takes precision care to shape all the areas of my life. The rough edges must come off... even though it may hurt! God really does long to make me into something new. He does desire that your life and my life would be formed after his heart... That the character of our lives would take on the character of Christ thus forming us into the most useful vessels possible...
I only wish that I were more receptive...
I know that if I am not careful I can go through the times of refining without being open or even aware of the Spirit's work... There is a short verse in Jeremiah chapter six that is kind of behind all of this... and it says that the "refining was in vain..." wow! Now that is not what I want to be the story of my life. If God longs to take me to a new place in my journey with him, then I want to be sure and receive it... It has occurred to me that refining is painful and challenging... The Holy Scripture tells us that God's mercies are new every morning...
And I only wish that I were more receptive... How about you?

Being Naked

No one likes to be naked. At least very few people. I guess unless you are a porn star or a prostitute, and then if you ask them, more than likely deep down they don't really like it either. They arevjust trying to make a dollar... but they have cheapened what it means. The truth is, none of us want to be bare naked in front of the crowd in life. It seems that we just want to cover up and close ourselves off to others. We spend our days covering up with clothes, titles, and positions trying to posture our life in way that seems all good and important. All of us want other people to think good of us.
But it did not start out this way... "The man and his wife were both naked and felt no shame." Genesis 2:25
More on this later...

Craving Clarity

We long for and crave clarity in our lives. We want to know where the pieces of the puzzle are. I am not sure that we need this at all, in fact the mysteries of this life drive me closer to the Lord.
They serve as reminder that I am limited and in need of God's wisdom. I know that I must depend on Christ to lead me, my marriage, and the ministry. If I knew it all, I would not live in a state of dependence on Him.
Daniel knew this when he prayed for God to make known to him the mysteries of his times. We too should go before the Lord and pray that he wold give us the answer to the mysteries that we experience in this life.
"...but there is a God who reveals mysteries" Daniel 2:28

May we all live in expectancy of what God can do.

The Way of Gratitude

Can you believe that it is November? It is hard to believe that the year has moved on so quickly. I love the this time of the year. The cooler weather is so refreshing. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I can hardly believe that it will be here in a little over three weeks from now.
I wonder... "Am I a grateful person?" "Do I truly understand all that I have been blessed with?" I personally feel that I take so much for granted. I know that I have so much to be thankful for.

my wife...
a simple smile...
a full handshake...
a cup of coffee...
the cool breeze...
a stable job...
infectious laughter...
a good work out...
great friends...
passion...
And the list could go on and on...

Now how about in your life? Stop and think about all that you have been blessed with. Be captured for a moment with the blessings that you have been granted by the gracious hand of our God.

The Virtue of Patience

i am not sure what is harder to do... to wait for the light to turn green or waiting for the phone to ring when you are in high school or waiting for the cake to finish or for the mail to come on Saturday or for a baby to walk or for football season to start or even for the first frost of the fall... each are times when we want instant gratification... i think our culture's desire for the quick fix makes it hard for us to wait for anything...

the wise one Solomon tells us that to be patient is better than to be prideful... the apostle Paul encourages us to be patient as well, but the waiting is hard... the ache of losing a loved one does not pass quickly... to walk through the pain of suffering is a challenge... i want it to be over quickly... i want to move on with my life & marriage...
to wait for the birth of child is a challenge... patience is hard when you long for a child... to want something and not be able to have it in our time is another lesson in the divine art patience... for God is the most patient... WoW! How can he be so patient with His creation- but thanks be to God for willingness to be patient with us all...

God is teaching me patience... patience is fierce and is the battle cry of the redeemed...
healing is out of my hands. i think that all i can do is put my life in the hands of the Lord and the grace of our Creator to mold at this time in ways that only He can...
i long for the day of peace to reside again in my soul... to feel the cool breeze of the Spirit flowing in me...
i read an interesting line the other day..."I am not a Christian yet, but I have seen them". now i am a Christian, but i must say that i am not where i need to be or where i want to be yet, but i am on my way...
by His grace go i...

More Rumblings

It has been raining on and off today. I generally like the rain. I seem to like it more when the temperature is down a bit... say around the mid 40's. But today it has been kind of muggy so every thing feels soggy. This is kind of how I feel at times. I saw a friend in his 70's walking with his wife just the other day and made me think about how Dad walked with mom to the pond to fee the fish or to see the garden. It was the first time I had cried sense I have been back in Statesboro. I know that it will take time to really move on. I will never stop feeling the loss, but the pain will subside over time. The reality of it all is so permanent. I can hardly believe that this is happening. I wish that it was a dream, but this not a dream. No, we are not insulated from tragedy, pain, and suffering, but God does redeem. Yes, God is redeeming. I believe that God does His greatest work during times of great pain.
1 Peter 5:10 speaks of suffering for a little while... suffering for the believer is never the final word. I love that God will restore us in time. I believe that he can and does restore now, but at the end of time all things will be set right... RESTORED. I long for this. Scripture says that creation longs for this. This will be a glorious day.
Until later... keep the Faith... pursue Peace... and Love without reservation!

Rumblings

The past two weeks have been a blurr. Two weeks ago today, my dad had stroke and massive brain hemorrhage that ultimately took his life. I have had so many thoughts and so many emotions over the past week. Dad was healthy and active right up until his death. It is so crazy to consider him being gone, but the reality is continuing to set in. I still want to call him when something neat happens in the ministry. I know that I will want to call him during the MLB playoffs...as the Red Sox go deep. We loved to talk about sports and hunting. I saw dad as he loved my mom with an amazing love. He was a pastor for over 45 years and loved to see people embrace Christ. He got to meet Jesus face to face after proclaiming Him for a lifetime. I wonder what that must have been like? I am kind of jealous...
Over the next few posts I will reflect on my father's sudden death, and all that God seems to be speaking into my life. I pray that you will be enriched and strengthened as I speak out my grief and loss.