The Christmas Tree

God works in wonderful ways. It takes time to understand some of the things He has done, but in time you will. His timing is perfect which brings me to tonight and sitting here thinking of Christmas. I grew up decorating our family Christmas trees with all different color lights. Red, blue, green...you name it, that's the way to decorate a Christmas tree in my book or so I thought. My wife and I married ten years ago this year and like most newly weds, there were some adjustments that had to be made. Some simple and some not. Some went without a word spoken and some caused some serious pouting. When Christmas rolled around, we got our tree and she took over decorating which was fine with me since I had no doubt then or now that my wife is much better at decorating than I am. When she was done, she called me in to view our tree. It was amazing. It was straight out of a magazine beautiful except for one thing, there were no colored lights. The lights were all white. I made a small comment about this, received the rebuttal and made the mental note that next Christmas I had to work on getting some colored lights on the tree. To make a ten year long story short, we have had all white lights on our Christmas trees every year since. It took some time but I adapted and grew to accept the white lights on the tree. As I sit here tonight and think about Christmas and what it really means, I realized that I had never really thought about what the tree stands for or why we even have one. Tonight, God spoke His word into my heart. Tonight, that tree means something to me. The tree represents the cross where our Savior died for us. Those twinkling white lights represent Jesus as the light to the world, the light in the darkness. Those beautiful ornaments are His teachings of love. The presents underneath represent the gift of His life for ours.
So tonight and forever more, I am looking at that tree my wife decorated with those beautiful white lights differently but more importantly I am thankful for this conversation God started with me ten years ago. I am sure that there are theologians that have a different explanation of what it all means but I will go with what God has spoken to me. We serve an amazing God!  

My Father Answers

December 14, 2006

My Father Answered

            You have probably heard many people say that God answers prayers in his own time and believe me when I tell you His timing is amazing. Just when I thought I would have to handle this myself, God showed up and my Father answered.

            As a child, my mother and father took me to church every Sunday. The pastor would come to our house and have dinner with us. We were a church family who walked with God but devastation came when I was in junior high and my parents divorced. Our walk with God stopped and life ticked on.

            Now years later, I am grown with a family of my own. I have moved a couple of hours away from my family following a job. Recently God and I began walking together again thanks to His grace, my wife and a wonderful church family. His love has filled our home.

            My dad is in the twilight years of his life now and his health has begun to fail. He has had open heart surgery along with countless other tests and procedures as the doctors do their best to keep him going. With each test my worry built about my father’s relationship with God. The thought of him not going to Heaven was unbearable. My father is a good man who came up the hard way and had had his fair share of knocks throughout life but I know there is going to be a lot of “good” men who don’t make it to Heaven.

            I struggled and prayed to God to show me the way to talk to my father about his faith and the importance of him walking with God. My wife and I had countless conversations about it but the words to say to him just wouldn’t come. The Thanksgiving holiday came and my wife and I went home to visit our families. We went to my dad’s house and it was the usual conversations of “how have you been?” I never breached the topic of faith but then God showed up. My father started talking about God and his belief in Him. Right there my father began walking with the Father again. Tears of joy flowed. God had answered my prayers. We sat and gave praise to the Lord until midnight.

The Father answers in His time and He does answer!  

The Struggle

December 15, 2006

The Struggle

            As Christians our lives are difficult as we struggle to be the kind of people God wants us to be. This world is full of things that are meant to derail us. Let me tell you a story that might help you in the day to day fight to be a good Christian.

            Back during the Revolutionary war when a brand new country struggled for existence, for the right to live under the principles we all hold dear now, George Washington was in charge of making it happen. The British had decided that they didn’t agree with the creation of this new nation nor would they allow this to happen. America’s military was made up of farmers and everyday citizens while the British army was made up of career military men that had proven themselves time and again on the battlefield.

            As the battle raged George Washington faced many setbacks and defeats as you can imagine with men who were used to the simple farm life rather than the British Redcoats. Vastly outmanned, outgunned and with minimal resources he struggled to keep this new country alive. Through the harsh winter, his men starving, he did all that he could to win the fight.

Then one day a revelation. He discovered that he didn’t have to win but he couldn’t lose. What does this mean? It means that he was outgunned like we are today as Christians. The devil has vast weaponry and it is all pointed at you much like it was for Washington. It means that we are outmanned. Simply turn on the TV and what do you see? Drive down the road and what do you see on billboards? Turn on the radio and what do you hear? We are surrounded by the “Redcoats”.

You see George Washington discovered that the British HAD to win to win. If George Washington was able to hold them off then he didn’t lose. As long as he struggled the British couldn’t declare victory.

As Christians, we can look at our struggle in the same way. The devil has to break you to win. As long as you struggle, he can’t win. God knows we are not perfect and He knows that the devil will get us here and there but while we struggle to be Christians the devil CANNOT win. We hold him off. In the end, victory is ours in the name of Jesus.

So you see the victory is in the struggle. It is the struggle that defines us and refines us into the person that God wants us to be. There has only been One who was perfect. He has already won the victory over sin for us on the cross. It is our job to struggle until that wonderful day that He pronounces us victorious.

Now another thought for you. What would have happened if George Washington would have given up the struggle? Where would the world be today without the U.S.A.? Who would have stood up and defeated Hitler? Who would have brought democracy to the world? Do you grow tired of the struggle? Do you ever have the thought that maybe you should quit struggling and things would be easier on you? That is a thought straight from the deceiver and he is tempting you. Do not be fooled. He won’t make it easier on you. Things won’t just all of the sudden be better. He doesn’t work that way. He doesn’t care about you. He WANTS you to suffer. He will tempt you away with thoughts of ease but you will only find sorrow. He wants to pull you from God and then make you suffer and in turn have God weep for your lost soul. You will struggle in this life regardless but what you struggle for will determine your eternity.

We all get caught up in this life. We begin to think that the day to day things in our life are so important and forget God who is everything. We forget all the blessings we have received from Him. We only see someone else who has more than us and then we struggle to get what they have. This cycle repeats until our struggle for God has long since been lost and forgotten. My pastor has a saying that I love “If you don’t feel close to God, guess who moved.” God hasn’t left you. He hasn’t forsaken you. He is always there with His arms open to hold you and love you. How many times have you left him? How many times has he been buried behind all the other “important things” in your life and put off until a more convenient time? Be careful because we are not promised a tomorrow. How can we do this to Him? He created us. He gave us life. He sent His Son to die for our sins. If I gave you a thousand dollars, you would want to do all kinds of good things for me. How good of guy would I be if I gave you a million? How many things could you do with that? What if I came to you and said ‘I am going to send my son and with his horrible death hanging from a cross, you will be able to live forever. You will never know pain again. You will never know thirst again. You will live forever in paradise’? What would you say? How would you feel inside? How do you feel now knowing that the Son of God, who could have commanded the hosts of angels to get Him off the cross and could have forsaken you, died for you? Can you imagine the pain He went through? Can you imagine how much the Father in Heaven loves you to let this happen? He hung there and suffered and struggled until it was finished. Does your struggle seem so bad now? What in your life compares with this?

Most of my life has been spent in darkness. There have been smiles on the outside that try at best to mask the emptiness inside. Jesus fills my heart now but I struggle each and every day. I fall almost daily but everyday my Father is there to lift me up once again. He never leaves. He never forgets. He never has better things to do. Through Him I know love unending. Through Him I will know life unending where I will worship Him, walk with Him and be wrapped in His love.

Jesus is the savior of the world. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Our God is victorious and through Him so are we. There are so many people who are still in the darkness and God calls us to find them. We are not here just to worry about ourselves but to be a light to those in the darkness. How do we do this? Through our own struggles, God shines through us. Those in the darkness don’t see us; they see God through our actions. We are the body of Christ.

As you struggle through life, living for God, remember he is with you. The church is where you can find refuge and a recharge. Like a cell phone, we go into the world with a full battery but the world sends a million things your way and wears you down, if you don’t recharge, you’ll die. The church serves this purpose for Christians. This is where we get our spiritual recharge from the Holy Spirit and from fellowship with other Christians. Faith, church and fellowship with other Christians is a recipe for spiritual success.  

Time

December 4, 2007

Time

How much time do you have? If you are like me then sometimes you don’t have enough and other times you have too much. Recently I have taken over the duties of picking up our kids after school. I find myself sometimes running late and driving too fast hoping to get there on time. Other times I am arriving way too early and wishing the second hand on my watch would speed up on its little journey in circles. It’s a vicious cycle. Regardless of which situation I am in, the clock keeps on ticking at the same speed. Without fail it moves forward and never looks back. It surely isn’t concerned with my needs at that moment in time.  

Time is of great importance. How many dates in time stick out in your mind such as birthdays, anniversaries or maybe the date that you became a believer in our Lord Jesus? How important are those dates to you?  They are very important to my wife. She reminds me of all the important dates since she knows I probably would forget. She is like my personal calendar. Some of them I don’t get a direct reminder but rather hints that should trigger it in my consciousness (it doesn’t always work…working on that honey!).

Time is of great value. For those who have lost a loved one, what would you give for a few more moments to spend with them? I know as a parent I would love to go back and get to spend more time with my kids when they were little babies and squeeze their fat little cheeks. I would love to hold them and rock them just once more but time moves forward.  

What does God think about time? I think time is important to God. It is the only conclusion we can come to if we study His word. God had and has a set time for everything. I have often heard it said “God has perfect timing”. I believe this to be true because I know God is the master of time. We are bound by time where God is not.

Let’s dig a little deeper and think about God, time and our lives. Do we use our time wisely? Jesus is the best measuring stick we can use so let’s do so. Jesus spent His time with His disciples teaching them. He spent His time with the sick, poor and less fortunate giving them hope and healing.

It was just the other day, when I thought about Jesus and time. I found myself watching the second hand of a clock make its way around. With each tick, I realized that I was that much closer to my end here on earth and it was another moment that was not spent wisely. I had let that moment go and what of it? Would it be a moment that I would remember years later? Or would it join the countless others that were simply ‘unused’. I found it to be an extremely disturbing thought. How many ticks of the clock would I have to account for before Jesus? It scared me to think about it.

Another aspect of time is when we say “I don’t have time”. Let me put this into a situation for you. It is Christmas and the time of year when we are usually most generous with our time and money.  There are multiple charities and other organizations that need volunteers but each year don’t have nearly enough to handle the need but most of us don’t have time. I am so guilty of this and I know one day I will have to answer for it. It is something I want to participate in so badly this year. I want to use the time that God has given me to help others and live as He would have it.

There is no doubt that the evil in the world is increasing day by day and along with it the darkness. It is up to us as the church to be the light so that those who are lost may find their way. We don’t know how much time they have left but we do know if they are lost then the precious moments are slipping away. The time of reckoning will come.

How happy will Jesus be with us if we spent our time He has given us guiding others to Him? I think it would be along the lines of “Well done, good and faithful servant”. That’s what I hope to hear when my time comes.

God be with you. 

Can You Find Me?

December 2, 2007

Can you find Me?

Winter has come and the mountain sides have put on their full coats of white. Across this landscape only scattered projections of rock and the trunks of the evergreen trees bring contrast. The sun slowly rising in the east starts the orchestra of light that will entertain you now. The sun light finds the tiny snow crystals and as it does, fields of white transform into fields of light that dance, sparkle and turn. The winter dance has begun… Can you find Me?

Laughter, questions, stories, the sounds of these fill the air in this bustling mall. Ribbons of red and green have wrapped themselves like wild running ivy around each column that can be found. The lights of Christmas shine and blink in a mysterious melody in the windows and displays of the stores. Smiles and laughter seem to be a common theme here. Soft music plays in chorus with the sights, smells and sounds of the season and memories of Christmas past come bounding back to welcome the newest edition… Can you find Me?

The party is festive as friends and family gather together to celebrate the season and enjoy each others company. A table full of food has filled the home with wonderful smells of the holidays. The Christmas tree in the window, covered in ornaments of silver and gold stands tall and majestic. A bounty of presents lies beneath it in every shape and size. The kids laugh and wiggle around as Rudolph plays on the TV. The younger men have gathered together and discuss the current football season and each gives their prediction of the final outcome. In the kitchen the women share their latest relationship stories and secrets. The patriarchs of the family have found the easy chairs and a bit of quiet. All is well in this home… Can you find Me?

A father stares out a hospital room window at a cold Christmas day. The distant trees have long since released their leaves back to the earth and his eyes find nothing but cold. His mind takes him back in time to the highlights of his young daughter’s life, birthday parties, Christmas morning, kindergarten graduation day, the day she wore the little pink dress that she loved and in her eyes and smile he found and saw the best of him and his wife. The ache in his heart is unbearable. Gone from his ears is her laughter, it is now replaced with the gentle bell that monitors her heart, her life. The mother sits beside her daughter’s hospital bed and stares down at her hands, hands that have made the cookies, hands that in the past made the hurt go away but now those same hands are powerless to help. Frustrated she clasps them together and squeezes tight searching for the power to heal as the doctor’s words run through her mind that the time is drawing near. In the back ground, the gentle bell continues on counting the beats and the moments left. The room is dark and quiet and cold. In the dark the husband reaches for his wife’s hands and their eyes meet. Tears flowing, hearts breaking there is but one thing they can do and they fall to their knees and go to God in prayer… Can you find Me?

Can you find Me? Am I living through you? Do those in the darkness see Me in you? Is your heart set on Me in the good times and the bad?  

The Christmas season has gone astray. Many celebrate money instead of Jesus. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That Son gave His life on the cross for all of us.

Now the question is…Can you find Me? Am I in your Christmas celebration? Am I in the purchases that you make each year and who you give them to? Are you a light to the world? Do you share My love, My hope, My compassion and My salvation with those who hurt and are lost or maybe who just simply need to know that… You can find Me.

Lord I pray that we remember you always and especially this Christmas season. There are so many who don’t know You and Your wonderful gift. The gift You gave to us in Your sacrifice on the cross. Let us live for You and through our actions, be lights to those still in the darkness so that they may come to know You. Amen

God be with you!

Cry Out To God

November 23, 2007

I stare at the moon above and call out Your name. Father are you there? Can you hear me? A cool wind whispers across my neck but yet I hear Your answer inside me and my heart warms with Your loving answer.  Oh Father, I long to see You. I long to hear Your words. I am thankful Father. I am thankful for Your many blessings but most of all I am thankful for the trials that bring me closer to You. It is in these trials that I feel closest to you. Your gentle touch comforts me and gives me strength for the tasks before me. I am in awe of You. Your great power and Your wonderful love amaze me. I know if I fall Father, You will be there to catch me in arms that cannot fail. Forgive me Father for being weak but I can’t survive this world without You. My soul is over flowing with love I can’t describe. Glory to the God most high. Lord, You are wonderful. I see Your hand throughout the day, the skies shade of blue, the changing of the seasons, the innocence in my sons eyes.  All give glory to You Father. I fear no evil Father for I know You are with me…You are with me. That is a thought my inferior mind cannot grasp but yet I know it to be true. I love You and worship You Father. Please hold me close and protect me from all the rising evil in this world. You are my shield and my sword. Let me bring honor and glory to You almighty King. Forever Yours…

The Light of God

This was wrote November 22nd, 2006

The Light of God

            What is light? It is the opposite of darkness. It is something that illuminates things that are surrounded by darkness. Where does light come from? There are many sources of light. Some are man made such a flash light and some are made by God like the sun or a fire fly. Then you have the light of God. The light of God is unlike any other. It surpasses all others. The sun or even the brightest light made by man can only spread light in an area. Darkness is still there. It exists in shadows, around the other side of things, under them, behind them. The light of God removes darkness completely. The light of God fills the smallest space or even the largest.

            God is the light of the world. That statement has many meanings. He is the light of the world because He is the hope of man who struggles in darkness and evil on earth. When a man has God in his life then he is filled with God’s light. The darkness, the evil cannot exist where God is. God fills that mans soul and heart completely. A man who doesn’t have God in his life has a heart and soul filled with darkness where evil runs rampant. Only through God can a man find his way down the narrow path. There are those who think they can do it on their own. I tell you that only the light of God can show you the way to avoid the snares of the evil one that lie before you.

            God is the light of the world because when the new heaven and the new earth are created there will be no night. There will be no darkness. The light of God will illuminate the world so that darkness cannot exist and evil will be found no more. We will be wrapped in the light of God, always with him, always surrounded by his love.

            God is the light of the world because he is righteous. God is everything good and pure. He is the opposite of darkness and evil. God’s light can exist anywhere but darkness can only exist where God’s light is not. Evil can only exist where God is not.

            When you have God in your life and have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior then you have the light of God. The light of God will shine through you so that you can be a beacon to those who are still lost in the darkness. We continue the work started by Jesus. Rejoice that you can be a part of God’s plan.  

 

Absolutely Amazing

This was wrote November 19th, 2007 when Nikki and I had moved back to Winnsboro and I had lost my job. To say that we were struggling financially doesn't do it justice.

Absolutely Amazing

Why is it that we doubt God? How can we get up each morning and see the sun rising and not know that God is there? How can we see the stars at night fill the sky and not know that God created that? I am so ashamed of the doubt I have felt at times. It is even worse because God has made His presence known to me in so many ways but yet a little twinge of doubt remains. I struggle with this as I know many of my Christian brothers and sisters do as well.

My wife and I are going through a difficult financial situation. We are facing tough times with Christmas fast approaching and three little boys wish lists that grow each day. My wife was struggling with this today and the worry had overcome her. I found her crying when I came home for lunch. She was so upset about me losing my job and what are we going to do. As for me, God has blessed me with this inner peace that could only come from Him. I told her to trust in God and He will see us through this. With Him we can make it, without Him we are surely lost. Please understand that the gravity of the situation we are facing is enormous and I realize it all to well but I also realize that God can move mountains with a simple thought.

After we talked for a minute, she had pushed the dark thoughts from her mind and had set her focus back on God. She had to go to Shreveport and take one of our boys to the doctor. This also creates a struggle since we now only have one vehicle. I am helping my dad with his store so she dropped me off on the way.

My job search has been less than productive. I had been talking to McKee foods about a Little Debbie distributorship. I had talked to the district manager and he said he was going to talk to me but then I called and called and he wouldn’t return my calls. That has been over a week now. Well, guess who came in my dads store after I was dropped off…the district manager. We talked and he apologized for not calling me and said he was so glad that he ran into me. Hello God! So now I have an application in my hand and am moving full steam ahead. I called my wife and told her and the news made her day so much better. It is times like these that we must hold onto God with all our strength.

So this evening, I am waiting on my wife to get home and thinking about the days events. I wanted to write but then I thought about our computer and its software problems. I have tried and tried to get Microsoft Word going (I must have tried a hundred times!) but this evening I sat down and clicked it once…Hello God! It loaded up just like there has never been a problem! I know God is smiling down from Heaven. It is a small thing but I sure love how my God shows up!

God is with us. He surrounds us. He wants to help us through this life but we have to do our part. We have it easy…all we have to do is to love and be faithful to God who created the heavens and the earth and who has built a place for us in eternal paradise. Think about it from God’s point of view. He loves a much less than perfect sinner, who forgets who created him, sees miracles on a daily basis but doesn’t give credit for it, who gets caught up in daily life and forgets what happened on the cross and the list goes on and on. God loves me anyway. He loves you. We all have our faults but they are forgiven. The price has been paid. Jesus laid His life down so that we could be forgiven and accepted by God. How great is our God!

Father, hear this sinners plea. I am so unworthy of Your love yet You sent Your Son to carry the burden so I can be with You in Your kingdom. Forgive me Father. Forgive me for the doubt that swirls in my mind. Forgive me for wandering through my life thinking I am in control. The glory and the honor are Yours Father. Only You can make things wonderful. It is only through You that things can be wonderful. I long to be in Your presence. I long to hear You call my name. Your Blessed Word fills my heart with hope and strength to carry on until that wonderful day.

Absolutely Amazing

Thoughts of Heaven

I awake to find myself lying on a beach, the waves gently rolling up on the shore. A breeze so light and fragrant swirls softly around me. Wisps of white clouds lazily drift by across a brilliant blue sky and speak of serenity. My mind wonders at where I am at but yet I feel a peaceful calm throughout my being. In the distance I see Him walking towards me down the shore. His robe, His hair wave in the breeze and then I see His smile. My heart leaps. I try to stand before Him, but I fall to my knees. Jesus reaches down and pulls me to my feet. As I rise and look at the face of God, I hear the most beautiful words I have ever heard. With a smile He says “Welcome Home”.

…can you imagine this? Hold on to God and one day you will hear Him tell you “Welcome Home”

I pray that God will hold you and keep you and forever call you His.     

New Life

This was wrote May 7th, 2007 while Nikki and I lived in Bossier City, LA and attended First Baptist Bossier.

New Life

When did this happen? How did this happen? Where is it? Ever find yourself asking those questions? They seem to come when you least expect them and if you are like me, they come when you can’t answer them.

Where did the money go?.....

Why did this have to happen?.....

How did this happen to us?.....

I don’t know how we came to this place but here we are. Gut check time. How is your faith today, hmm? Is it Army of God strong or Judas weak? I have found that my personal problems like to hit me when it has already been a bad day. I woke up late. My boss is being a jerk to me. My wife said I had to take out the trash today! My internal ‘spirit’ tank is dangerously close to empty. And then it happens. My beautiful wife will ask me a simple question. It will be something along the lines of “Will you handle the kids tonight, I am stressed out”.

Tick tick tick……….BOOM!

But that was the old me. In all reality it wasn’t that long ago, but you know what? Jesus can change you in the blink of an eye and you are changed. He changed me. The funny thing is I am sitting here now wondering “when did this happen?” It happened in God’s time. It happened according to His plan. It happened when He wanted it to. I am sure my wife’s prayers for me to be a better man helped out with the timing.

Since this change happened, I have begun volunteering in the media department in the church. I have never been better spiritually. The feeling I get from serving God and the church is amazing. It is such a blessing to know you are actively participating in God’s plan. This is the blissful beginning. The true test is can you hang on when things aren’t perfect? Let me explain.

My wife (who is wonderful by the way, love you Honey!), has a friend who is a Christian and she is struggling. The small church she belongs to has become infected with fighting among groups. She is caught up in it. The fighting is tearing them all apart. It is destroying the small church. The devil knows his task well. They have lost sight of the true goal. In their attempt to get closer to God they have wound up farther away. They are frustrated with the situation and it affects them deeply……how did this happen to us?

Can’t we all just get along? The sad answer is no. The painful answer is no. Even though we try so hard to live like Christ did, the answer is still no. We try so hard to follow His teachings but yet the answer is still no. We think we are above petty fighting and then we find ourselves right smack in the middle of it. We look down on someone in the church because of what they have on. We talk about people because of the answer they gave to a question in Sunday school class.

Why? First because we are sinners and we just aren’t able to live above sinning. Now whether we sin little or we sin BIG is controllable, but we find there is lots of gray area and it is just a little sin we are doing today or so we think. What we are not thinking about is the person we told this to will go tell someone else and soon the person we were down on gets hammered. What we don’t see is that that person was already struggling and then comes the KO punch from us. Great Christians we are. Keep thumping that chest and walking around with a greater than thou air. The devil is like an excited movie producer screaming “Fabulous! Just as I imagined it!” Jesus looks at His hands and weeps “they know not what they do…” Can you imagine the depth of His sadness? Now would be a good time to hit your knees and ask for forgiveness. You may not have done this exactly, but we are all guilty of not living as we should. So next time the choice presents itself, what will you do?

Second is because many of us like to choose when we are going to be Christians. Whatever do you mean by that? Come take a walk with me to camera 4. Working in the media department has shown me things I had never seen before. Camera 4 is up on the stage and behind the preacher. I see what he sees. I see the head nods, the cross eyed daze right before snoring, the gum smackers, the eye rollers and the generally just not impressed. I felt so sorry for our pastor when I saw this. How hard must it be for him to stand up there and do his best when this is what he sees? Can you imagine standing before that many people and they all have one of the above expressions on their faces? The pastor can do it because he knows there might be one in the audience who is lost and this is his chance to bring them to God. This might be the last chance. They could walk out of the sanctuary and get in their car and get into an accident. So close to knowing Jesus but forever lost.  

I have to admit and my wife would tell you that I was pretty hard on the audience about their faces. I just couldn’t believe it. How dare they! Holier than thou was in full bloom! It didn’t take long for God to make it clear to me that it is not my place to judge them. It is my place to love them and to do what I can to help them stay on the path because sooner or later it will be me that has wandered off the path. It just might be one of them that will guide me back to the path. Maybe the cross eyed, eyes rolling back in your head, right before you snore guy will be the one who helps me. He who has not done this can throw the first stone but I can tell you I won’t be picking up any stones! My wife says Amen.

Anyway you want to look at it, we are going to face the why, where and how of things as we go through life. The most important thing to remember is who and that is Jesus. Who will save me? Jesus. Who will lead me through this? Jesus. Who cares what is happening to me? Jesus.

There are so many that don’t know Him. We are the lucky ones. We know Him. We have eternity with Jesus to look forward to. It is like when you know you are taking a trip to a wonderful place and the weeks leading up to it, you are so excited. You can’t wait to go. The catch with the vacation is that you have to come back. When we go to Jesus, we will be there forever in paradise.

We have been given the New Life. We should do everything we can to help our brothers and sisters in Christ stay on the path and together go into the world bringing the lost to Jesus.

Jesus died for us, let’s live for him.  

Living In Faith

This was wrote on May 3rd, 2007 while Nikki and I were living in Bossier City, La and attending First Baptist Bossier.

Living in Faith

It has been sometime now since I have written anything in here. That is sad to me. The sad part is all the wonderful experiences I have had with God and haven’t put them on paper. What’s even worse is that I know I will forget them. God has touched my life like I can’t believe. It is amazing. I am not rich in worldly sense or anything like that but I am rich in spirit. I feel so alive inside. More than I have felt since I was a young child. The empty space inside of me has been filled with the spirit of God.

I recently began serving the church in the media department. So far I have directed one service (me…can you believe it!) and I have operated several of the cameras in different services. It has been the most rewarding thing. I have never felt better about my choices in life. Choosing to serve God and getting to be part of His ministry is absolutely amazing. Last night, I operated camera 3 and we filmed a DVD for the kids. They put on a program. There were lots of moms and dads along with a bunch of grand parents. My kids weren’t up there but I was just as proud of them as everyone else. You see, we are all one family in Christ. That is a wonderful feeling.

What I would give to have back all the years I have wasted wondering lost, blind to the things that are really important. How many blessings have passed me by? How many times have I not heard His call? How many people could I have witnessed to and who would be serving the Lord now? How many have since gone on and it is too late for them now?

 Every second is important. It only takes a moment to win a soul for Jesus, to open the doors of Heaven to them. I fully plan on making my remaining days here count.

God has been so good to me. He has used my faith to build a bridge back to my wife and my children. With his guidance I am finally becoming the husband and father I should have always been.