In God We Trust

“...The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.’ ”
– Benjamin Franklin

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
–Thomas Jefferson

"As Iron Sharpens Iron, So a Man Sharpens the Countenance of His Friend"

"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort, of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a hand of a faithful friend will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness blow the rest away." - - George Elliott

I leave this afternoon to spend two nights with two very dear girlfriends at the Lake. I'm looking forward to the sweet fellowship that we will have. I think what I treasure most about these two sweet ladies is that our friendship is based on respect, brotherly love and friendship love. Here are some qualities along with related Scripture that describe these beautiful ladies:

• We can "let our hair down" around each other. We feel safe and comfortable with each other. There is no need for pretences. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." ~ Ephesians 4:32
• We trust one another completely. We keep each others best interest uppermost in our values. We do not betray things that have been shared in confidence. "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret." ~ Proverbs 11:13
• We share our innermost fears, anxieties, burdens, insecurities and questions. "Carry each other burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." ~ Galatians 6:2
• We are honest with each other even if it hurts - even if it wounds our pride. If one of us is going down a dangerous path we will not hesitate to sound a loving but firm warning. "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses" ~ Proverbs 27:6
  
• We take personal responsibility for the relationship and will not allow it to deteriorate even in the aftermath of heated disagreements. Until the air is cleared and the relationship is restored we will not rest. "First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." ~ Matthew 5:24
• We encourage one another, not find faults. We build each other up and never attempt to put the other person down. "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." ~ Hebrews 3:13
• We are faithful prayer partners. We intercede on behalf of each other. "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." ~ James 5:16

God has placed these two women (among others) in my life and they are one of the greatest gifts I could receive. I pray that I am wise to nurture the friendship we have and never do anything to threaten our relationship.

The Greatness of His Might

Dragonflies and Butterflies

I waded in the river bed and watched the ripples gleam,

And stood with arms outstretched and my feet submersed in the stream.

An upward glance revealed the sun above the cliffs and trees,

Its golden warm caresses only broken by the breeze.

I closed my eyes and reveled in the whooping of a hawk,

While wond’ring what its call might mean if it could truly talk,

When fluttering past my lashes and then twice around my head,

An iridescent dragonfly consumed my thoughts instead.

My eyelids sprung wide open and I instantly could see

Its dainty body hover, then decide to land on me.

Photo Shoot with Pres

After work this afternoon I had the pleasure of babysitting for my friend, Michele. Her daughter is precious and very photogenic. Angela and I had fun taking pictures and playing with her at the lake and at the city park. Before returning Presley to her mom we stopped by CVS to print the pictures for her. (Click to enlarge)

Our Trip Home Part II

I took over 200 pictures this weekend. Here are just a few more from our trip.

Our Trip Home

We had a wonderful three days with my dad this past weekend. It was great seeing other family as well. My dad and I spent some time riding around and taking pictures. My sister has a lovely home and the wildlife is amazing around their home. We are back home and it's back to work tomorrow. Here are some photos from our weekend.

Tobacco Barn in Gadsen County, Florida

Tobacco Barn in Grady County, Georgia

Corn Crib that is at least 81 years old

An old country house in Grady County, Georgia

Going Home

In just a few more hours we will on the road to Tallahassee! It's going to be a great weekend seeing my dad and the rest of the family.

Our Week

It has been a long but fun week. This week our church has been doing Vacation Bible School and as always it has been fun being around the kids and being a part of this great outreach program. Although the days have been long (at work by 8:30 a.m. - at home by 9:00 p.m.) there is no place I would have rather been. I pray that children were presented the Gospel and that through the efforts of those who taught classes that seeds were planted in their hearts.

Visitors

We had visitors yesterday and they came demanding to be feed. They were so cute you couldn't resist.

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the Cross I Cling

Ponder this: "If he could see how small a vacancy his death would leave, the proud man would think less of the places he occupies." - Ernest LeGouve

Pride is contradictory to humility. Pride is at the root of all sins and is an enemy of a Christian. Proud people seldom realize that pride is an obstacle in their life, although everybody around them realizes it. God despises the pride. That's why, when it pops up in our lives, God allows and brings things into our lives to humble us, and make us more dependent upon Him.

Just as pride was the downfall of Adam and Eve, it is also our downfall. C.S. Lewis in The Question of God says, "It was through pride that the devil became the devil; it is the complete anti-God state of mind. Pride is essentially competitive in a way other vices are not. Pride is a spiritual cancer." Pride is embedded in our human nature; we trust in our own power to make it through life. Yet all we are and have comes from God. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. None of us have reason to be proud. Augustus Toplady wrote "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the Cross I cling."

So the question begs to be asked, how can we overcome pride and replace it with humility? By putting ourselves into proper perspective, seeing ourselves as Gods sees us in relationship to Him. When we look to God, we grasp our unworthiness. Yet humility does not come from putting ourselves down. It comes from acknowledging and glorifying God, seeing Him as the source of all we are and and all we have. In His love, God accepts us unconditionally and lifts us to higher ground. He shows us that we are His children, made in His image, adopted into His family as sons and daughters of the King!

Another way to overcome pride is by expressing gratitude. Whenever we accomplish anything in life, we can choose to be proud or grateful. As we realize that we accomplish nothing without God, we must choose gratitude, giving glory to Him for all He does for us.

We can't have prideful hearts and maintain a right relationship with God. God does not need our accomplishments, nor is He interested in our vain glory. He wants us! Christ wants us to cultivate humble hearts that bow before His grace and His cross - the ultimate example of humility.

A Lesson in Humility

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

Love is not self-seeking. Many times when we love others we are constantly thinking, "What am I getting in return for loving this person?" Instead, we should love others more than we love ourselves.

Christ showed us an example of this when He washed the disciples' feet in John 13:1-20. Jesus had finished eating dinner with His disciples when He got up and began to wash each disciple's feet. In those days, if the people wore shoes at all they wore sandals. Think about the area they were in (sandy and dusty). . . so we assume their feet were dirty, nasty and the disciples were men (so manly feet). But Jesus didn't care, He knew the time he had left on earth was short and that this was the last time He would be with all of them. John tells us that Jesus had His love for the disciples on His mind.

Out of that love He taught them one last lesson: HUMILITY! This was an important lesson for the disciples to learn. Jesus had already said that loving your neighbor as yourself was the second greatest commandment and it is only second to loving God with all our heart. Jesus knew that in order for the disciples to love others and fulfill the mission of spreading the gospel they would have to be humble and love others more than themselves. Jesus wanted His disciples to know that humility and service to others is evidence of love.

We are quick to line up to do the things that are considered to be important, glamorous, or respected. But Jesus demonstrated true love through humility by doing a dirty job that was usually performed by the lowest ranking person in the room. Jesus was not the lowest person in the room. Jesus was Lord and He knew that He would soon be at God's side in heaven, but He didn't think that washing feet was too lowly of a job for Him.

Many times it's the dirty, smelly jobs that need to be done to show our love to others. As Christians, we need to be willing to do whatever is needed of us (regardless of whether it's below our pay grade or social status). Jesus was not only willing, but He was prepared to serve. It is our responsibility to fill the needs we see, whatever they are. James 4:17 says, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

Jesus showed that He cared for others more than He cared for Himself by humbling Himself to love them with His affections. By loving others with our affections, we forget about what we're getting out of it and are willing to be there for others. When we begin to love our neighbors as ourselves, we show it with our affections. A pat on the back, encouragement, a smile, a hug, mowing their yard, cooking a meal, all these demonstrate a humble spirit. Humble service to others through our affections is evidence that we love others as ourselves.

The Power of Weakness

". . .Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." ~ Mark 10:44-46

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9


God's ways really aren't our ways. We talk about authority, and Jesus talks about serving. We want to have political power so that we can make things right; he makes us of no account that we might see him make things right. We want to be strong that we can help, and he makes us weak that we might be powerful. We take pride in our accomplishments that we might praise him with our efforts; he allows major failure that people might see him. We bask in our purity that we might bear witness to his dominion; he allows us to sin and shows us the sin that we might bear witness to his grace. We really do think that helplessness is a liability. It may be if you are a soldier, a policeman, or a teacher, but in spiritual matters just the opposite is true.

When you read the Gospels, you find that Jesus never refused help to the helpless, that he never refused forgiveness to the sinners, that he never turned away from the unfit. The people Jesus didn't seem to care about - no, the people who really "ticked" him off - were the secure, the strong, the pure, and the self-righteous.

- Approaching God, Steve Brown

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you;
I will never leave you nor forsake you. ~ Joshua 1:5

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Imagine going to heaven and standing by God as He lovingly shows you His plan for your life. It begins the day you were born. Once you received Christ as your Savior, every day that follows is outlined in red. You see footprints walking through each day of your life. On many days, two sets of footprints appear. You inquire, "Father, are those my footprints every day, and is the second set of prints when You joined me?"

He answers, "No, My precious child. The consistent footprints are Mine. The second set of prints are when you joined Me."

"Where were You going Father?"

"To the destiny I planned for you, hoping you'd follow."

"But, Father, where are my footprints all those times?"

"Sometimes you went back to look at old resentments and habits. Sometimes, you chose your own path. Other times, your footprints appear on someone else's calendar because you liked their plan better. Sometimes, you simply stood because you would not let go of something you could not take with you."

"But, Father, we ended up OK even if I didn't walk with You every day, didn't we?"

He holds you close and smiles, "Yes, Child, we ended up OK. But, you see, OK was never what I had in mind for you."

- Breaking Free, Beth Moore (pg. 187)

Butterfly World

Michele and I took her daughter, Presley, to Butterfly World today in Coconut Creek, Florida. While it was nice, it was not worth $25 for our admission. Presley loved seeing the 'Flutterflies' and was enjoying feeding the birds until one decided she was much sweeter to nibble on than the food she was feeding it.



















The weather was beautiful while we were in the park, but as soon as we got on the road this is what we drove home in.

We Bow Down

We bow down
And we worship You Lord
We bow down
And we worship You Lord
We bow down
And we worship You Lord
King of all kings You will be

We bow down
And we crown You the King
We bow down
And we crown You the King
We bow down
And we crown You the King
King of all kings You will be

You are Lord of creation
And Lord of my life
Lord of the land and the sea
You were Lord of the heavens
Before there was time
Lord of all lords You will be

You are King of creation
And King of the heavens
Before there was time

And King of all kings You will be

We sang this song today during worship and then this evening our worship pastor preached on surrendering to God. What a beautiful day of worship. I've been thinking about what it means to surrender to God and his will.

Someone told about a man who went to a country store to find that Bob, the clerk that normally waited on him, was not there. After purchasing his items, the man asked the manager about Bob. The manager told him that Bob had been fired. "Who took his place? the man inquired. The manager replied, "Bob didn't leave no place."

When we die, we aren't going to leave a place either. Our human nature is self-absorbed and we simply can't imagine a world where we are not present. If surrendering to God does one thing it increases the realization that we aren't that important. We realize that God doesn't need our help. He was doing just fine before he created us and he will continue to do fine long after we have died. God does as he pleases, without our help. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways; we are finite, and he is infinite, we are sojourners, he is eternal. It helps to remember these things as we surrender to God.

Another story is told about a man, Jim, who visited the church every day at noon. The pastor's study was positioned in a place where he could see Jim coming each day. After several months, the pastor began to wonder what Jim was doing and he decided to ask. He stopped Jim on his way out of the church and said, "Jim, I've been watching you come to this church ever day at noon and to be honest, I've wondered what you were doing." "Nothing big, Pastor." replied Jim. "I just come and stand in front of the cross and say, 'Jesus, it's Jim.' A couple of weeks later while the pastor was on vacation, Jim was in a car accident and was taken to the hospital. When the pastor returned he went to the hospital to see Jim. As soon as the pastor walked in the hospital he noticed that something was different- the switchboard operator was kinder, the nurses were more thoughtful and the doctors actually took time to stop and talk. Not understanding what was happening the pastor asked a nurse who was member of his church about the difference he noticed. She said, "You are right. It's Jim. Since he has been here, things have been different." The pastor went on to visit Jim and asked him what he had done to cause the change. "It's not me," Jim said. "Every day at noon, Jesus comes and stands at the foot of my bed and says, "Jim, it's Jesus." When we surrender to God, our agenda fades. Instead a life surrendered to God simply tells God that it has come and that whatever his plan is, it is fine.

There is coming a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But oh the joy of willing bowing the knee and confessing with our mouths prior to that day! Surrender, hang on and watch what he does.

Take off the Mask

I am the next to the youngest of five children, by the time my younger brother and I came along our oldest brother and sister were not living at home and if they were it wasn't long before they moved out. I recall a particular Sunday morning where everything that could go wrong, went wrong. It was total chaos and my dad was not a happy man. As we pulled in the parking lot of the church my mom turned to him and said, "You may want to reach up under the seat and get your sack." Dad replied, "What ___________ sack are you talking about, I don't need a sack." To which my mom sarcastically said, "Sure you do, it's the one you keep your religion in."

Over the years I have thought about that incident and frankly I've needed the blunt honesty of my mother on numerous occasions. In Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus was giving the scribes and Pharisees a serious tongue lashing. These scribes and Pharisees were good about putting on a masquerade. Too often, I find myself doing just as they did. Especially when I'm around brothers and sisters in Christ. It is so easy to keep the outside real nice and pretty but just like Jesus could see right through the religious types of his day, He also sees right through my masquerade.

Not only does God see right through us, the world often sees right through us as well. I don’t think that it bothers the world that we sin. I think it bothers the world that we act like we don’t. We are often indifferent or angry throughout the week or even on our way to church or a church function. When our “church friends” aren’t watching, we may be struggling spiritually causing us to fall short. On the other hand, we may be wailing about others, gossiping, mean, just plain sinful without even a care. But as soon as we pull up and exit our vehicle we put on those smiles like the homecoming queen in the parade. On Sunday we are a Saint, on Monday we ain’t. No wonder it’s so hard to teach the word to those who need it most, when we put on a masquerade for the entire world to see.

Why do we put on these masquerades? Obviously it is what Satan wants. The saddest part is we are at the one place where honesty should be encouraged, where our shortcomings ought to be accepted, a place where we can say without fear or judgment, “I am struggling, I hurt, or I need help.” More often than not the opposite happens. For example, consider this conversation that happens every week. These people may be hurting or struggling but you would never know it.

“How are you doing Sue?”

(Good, always well.)

“Good. It’s great to see you.”

Sadly, this is a frequent occurrence and the majority of us have enough on our plates without having to deal or even care about someone else’s problems. So we put on the smile and give the ceremonious reply.

As soon as Sue walks off we breathe a sigh of relief, hoping that she didn’t see the act and thankful that she didn’t dump any of her problems on us. I’m not saying we have to share all our problems with everyone. Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong with being transparent with our brothers and sisters if things aren’t just dandy. All of us struggle. The biggest problem is that the world has convinced us that something is wrong with us if we are hurting or if we are in need. We tell ourselves that we must be doing something wrong spiritually if we are struggling. The fact that God created us with a desire to be together tells me that part of his plan is for us to be helped by other members of His body. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Unfortunately, many of us sit in the pew every week but would never dream of being transparent within the church. We may have tried being transparent at one time, only to be burnt by gossip or harsh judgment. So we decide that it is good for us to be here but it isn’t safe. We’ve heard brothers and sisters (and yes even our pastors) that we view as “strong Christians” look down or criticize a “weaker Christian” that may have had a different viewpoint on things. Romans 14:1-15 explains how these situations should be handled. All too often we judge as if we have no shortcomings or that our way is the only way. While some judging is required we need to avoid harsh criticism and fault-finding (Matthew 7:1-6).

It can be painful being transparent. There is so much more available to us in the body of Christ if we can overcome our fear and drop the act. It can only bless the body if they see the love of Jesus pouring out on those that may be struggling instead of just seeing the same old act. If we really believe that as a body we are to care for another and bear one another’s burdens, we need to drop the act, stop the judgment and pursue being transparent with one another. It’s not an act, so let’s close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade!

Where's the Crowbar?

Don't you just hate it when a speck of dust gets into one of your eyes and causes extreme discomfort? It's particularly irritating when you can feel that speck there but you just can't seem to get it out! You keep rubbing the eye until the eyeball becomes all red, and voila!, now you have a puffy eye that you can't see out of.

I've had more of those episodes than I can count. Unfortunately, all the tricks. . . you know them - blinking your eye fast, using a cotton swab to move the speck to the corner of your eye, rubbing it, washing it out with eye wash - didn't help. Why? Because the specks I get in my eyes are more like logs. Sounds painful doesn't?

Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. - Luke 6:41-42

A speck is irritating, but imagine how it feels to have a log in your eye. Ouch! But how did that log get there to begin with? It got there because I was feeling some sort of perverse pleasure from identifying and pointing out faults in others, while not seeing my own. It is so much easier to discover the faults of others that are so bothersome, but I'm realizing that those very traits I find so bothersome in others are my own bad habits and weaknesses. Yet I don't want to discuss my faults.

Instead it is much easier to magnify the faults of others while finding excuses or justifications for my own. Perhaps this is because I experience satisfaction by classifying my own faults as much more serious when found in others. By seeing myself in the shadow of someone else's faults, I feel better and am not so concerned about the relative insignificance of my own.

I don't think anyone can see well with that big, puffy, and red eye, much less spot a speck in anyone's eye. I guess that is why our Lord said that whosoever does not first take the log out of his own eye is a hypocrite, and might I add, a big one at that. Not to mention that if I have a log in my eye and chose to ignore it, then I am willfully choosing to bear with the discomfort and pain that the lodged log brings.

All of this brings to mind another thought - I should treat the sin in my life as a speck in the eye, when even a small speck of it is enough to bring irritation, I should hate sin so much that even such a tiny speck will be enough to cause me discomfort and give me an overpowering desire to remove it.

Thankfully, for our physical eyes, there are products like the eyewash to flush out the speck and bring relief. As for the sins in my life and the log in my eye, I can, and should, count daily on God's Word to help identify and wash them out.

Same Ole Same Ole

Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts
(Psalm 90:12)

Sometimes we can get engrossed with work, family, church and friends. At those times it is easy to just go through the motions and feel like your life is just one big to do list.

Even David had the feeling of doing the same ole same ole, for a while. He grew up as a shepherd - I can't imagine that being a very exciting job. As he sat alone on a hillside watching sheep he had to stay focused on the sheep and not let his mind wander. His job was to watch out for predators but much of his time was spent watching these dumb fluffy animals eat and sleep.

There are times when there is no thrill, just the daily routine of common tasks. Yet routine is God's way of saving us between our times of inspiration. We can't expect God to always give us His thrilling minutes, but we have to learn to live in the daily grind by the power of God. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things- to be holy among selfish people and to be holy in the greediness of the world - this is not learned in five minutes.

Everything we do matters to God. In each detail of our lives, we can either ignore God or glorify Him.

Rather than waking up tomorrow morning with the mindset of just getting through the day, wake up and ask yourself, "What can I do today that will have eternal significance?" Deliberately blending your desire to glorify and serve God into every detail of your life adds purpose and significance to each day, each conversation, each task on your to do list, and each thought.

Make David's prayer from Psalm 39:4-7 your prayer: "LORD, make me to know my end
and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. "Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. "Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.

Getting away from the feeling that life should be more than just the same ole same ole is not easy, but through God's power you can have a different perspective. Now where did I put that to do list, I need to tear it up!

The Habit of Rising to the Occasion

That you may know what is the hope of His calling. . . Ephesians 1:18

Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body. Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.

You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must "work out your own salvation" which God has worked in you already.

-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest