Preparing the house!

John 14:1-4“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.14:2a Or There are many rooms in my Father’s house. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?14:2b Or If this were not so, I would have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you. Some manuscripts read If this were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. 3When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4And you know the way to where I am going.”

Ok, my mind might be in a different place with this verse. Stephanie and I have been getting OUR home ready to go up for sale. We are really working hard to simplify our lives. WE are getting rid of debt and really downsizing, liquidating our STUFF. I haven't worked this hard outside of work for a long time. I have such a full schedule. I teach during the day, tutor at night (making money for CMA RFS) and we are painting and fixing up the home. I love it and am exhausted ALL at the same time.

Jesus loves us. He is spending his eternity getting it ready for us. Sometimes I think about that beautiful place and look forward to traveling to MY REAL HOME. I am so humbled that my Father's house has a room just for me. It is perfect and designed just for me. Come Lord Jesus!  Until I take up residence in that place, I am going to work hard to make sure YOU come with me. There is plenty of room. We can ALL be in Eternity together. We just need to accept Jesus in our hearts. We do not need to DO anything else. Accept Jesus for who he is, the Son of our Heavenly Father. Repent of our sins and commit to a life searching for him. I LOVE YOU LORD!  GO TO JESUS RIGHT NOW. ASK HIM TO BUILD YOU A ROOM IN ETERNITY!

Someday I will understand, not now!

“Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.””
‭‭John‬ ‭13:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/jhn.13.7.nlt

Stephanie and I have attended two funerals in the last couple of weeks for people that have taken their own lives. I am in pain for the families and friends for these two young people. There is so much tragedy. The pain of those lost at Parkland is almost more than we can bear. All of us are in pain and I am sure we can say with certainty we just don’t understand. We are all beating ourselves thinking what we could have done. Was their some hint, was their something, an action or word we could have done or uttered to prevent this choice.

The older I get the more I add to the list of things I just don’t understand. When you believe that God is in control of all things it makes it even harder. I believe in the power of Jesus. I have personally witnessed the power in my own life. I know he has given us freewill and so our choices can have dire consequences. But, I still don’t understand the pain. I don’t understand how some are spared and others are not. Although I have had my own life turmoil, I have been spared the type of pain these families have been suffering. I am blessed and know I don’t deserve it. Grace has filled my life. Why me? I heard that was the same question Billy Graham asked about himself. The Lord chose him. Why him? Why me?

I continue to pray for these families. I pray the Lord will make himself evident in their lives. I pray that if anything good can come from these tragedies that it also be revealed to the friends and families suffering from the loss and those not having answers. Lord, I love you. I am humbled to be your servant. Use me Lord for your kingdom. Amen.

We need seed planters!

John 4:35 -- But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe4:35 Greek white. for harvest. 36The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

My mind is completely on SPRING. I REALLY HAVE SPRING FEVER. I can't wait for warm weather, the smell of growing grass, fresh produce, warm summer nights, long sunny days, and RIDING MOTORCYCLES.

I am in service with the Christian Motorcyclists Association. Our ministry is directed at the Bikers in this world. We serve them, we love on them, and we are there when they need us. They are a part of the harvest before us. 

I have been given a passion for Motorcycles, not for MY ENJOYMENT. I have been given this passion for the service of the Lord. So, I go to motorcycle events to share the light of Jesus. My goal is to harvest. But, I understand I might just be planting seeds. These verses are a comfort for me. My personality is to get in and FIX something. I don't want to see people parish. I want to SEE people come to Jesus. That just may not happen and I can't let that keep me from planting. I await the harvest while I enjoy the planting.  We need planters as well as harvesters across the world. SERVE JESUS PLANT SOME SEEDS.

We have been talking about needing workers for the HARVEST, but we need workers to plant the seeds or the harvest never happens. PLEASE JOIN US ON OUR TEAM OF SEED PLANTERS. THE LORD WILL USE YOU!

I will protect the innocent

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.
We need to fight evil. With all of our heart we need to fight agains the wave of evil in this world. We need to stand up against evil dictators. We need to stand up against bomb wearing terrorists and we need to stand up against ruthless gun wielding crazy men. 
I am so tired of hearing the political debate that has paralyzed us against the evil of this world. Our churches preach love and tolerance in such a way that we let the evil of this world win while we cower in darkness. IT HAS TO STOP. YES, we need to love our neighbors but we need to prepare for the protection of God's children. I am talking about school children, but I am also talking about my christian brothers and sisters. Light will never return to this world until we stomp out evil 
What can you do?  Be prepared. I conceal carry. I am NOT ashamed to say it and everywhere I am ALLOWED to carry, I carry. I do not want to take the chance that my loved ones, my neighbors, and my friends will not be safe. 
So, I guess I am a gun toting, bible thumping, right wing Christian. I will go into this dark world and fight evil on all fronts. I will do everything I can to bring people to know Jesus and I will also promise I will stand against the evil that attempts to destroy the lives around me. 
PRAISE GOD for his love and the will to fight!

Thank You Billy!

John1:5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

1:5 Or and the darkness has not understood it.

Wow! 99 years. He was such a great servant of the Lord. Above the frey, and a leader to the leaders in our country. Billy Graham passed away yesterday. I saw his last post on social media. He was preaching to the end. He was trying to save the lost to his last breath. We have lost a great light in the darkness of this world. 

Who is going to step up and take his place? We can not let the Gospel die with this generation. We are desperately close to the message ending right here because we are too busy. We are too self-centered. We are to focused on wealth, power, and fame. We needed Billy Graham in the tumultuous times of the 60's and 70's. We need him right now. But, God has called him home. WE NEED TO TAKE HIS PLACE. We need to be the light that shines in the darkness. 

Dear Lord, we were blessed with your servant Billy Graham and the wonderful way he shared your message. I love you Lord. I want to be a servant in the likeness of Billy Graham. Not that I can reach the millions he did. But, I just want to save those I meet and live with every day. Dear Lord we pray for this generation. We pray we ALL draw closer to you. We love you and are so blessed to be your children. Guide our lives. Direct our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Shine your Light Through Us! Amen.

All or Nothing!

I Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
I recently read a book "Going All In" by Mark Batterson. This book opened my eyes to the truth that many Christians, including myself, walk through life only partially committed to Jesus. I live and inverted Gospel. I am more interested in Christ following me than me following Christ.  I am now concentrating my prayers and my devotions to one question;
God, What do YOU want me to do? 
I want to serve the Lord in the ways he wants me to serve. I want to get beyond the BORING DAILY ROUTINE of Christian rules and procedures to serve the Lord. I want to open my life to the excitement of a CHRIST CENTERED LIFE. One comment from this book made a huge impact. If life with Jesus is boring, we are not doing it right. We need to CONSECRATE ourselves to the Lord. We need to "set ourselves apart" for the service of the Lord. Do amazing things, not that we create, but we let the Lord do through us. 
Are you ALL IN? Are you just walking through the paces of life as a Christian?  You need to bust out of your routine. Life with the Creator of the Universe is meant to be a thrilling and wonderful adventure!

My most recent example of my AMAZING GOD!

Isaiah 64:4 -- For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!

I hope I never overlook the amazing blessings God sends me everyday. It is so easy to just cruise through life while things are going well. I can take full credit for all the amazing things God has done for me. I just need to remember my God is unique. There is no one like him and his presence in my life is a gift of eternal magnitude. He has blessed me with the gift of being able to teach. I can not take credit for it. I am not bragging. I am just saying it is not through my own power and strength I am who I am. All I am is through the power of Christ who lives in me. The gifts  and blessings I have show up in some wildly amazing ways!

I have a great example. I have been looking for some unique way to raise money for the Christian Motorcyclist Association Annual "Run for the Son" fundraiser. I have seen so many awesome ways people have raised money and I have never really found that ONE thing I could do. Until about a month ago. Stephanie and I are preparing for retirement so we have been exploring supplemental income opportunities. Through Social Media, we found Varsity Tutors. We went through the process and were approved as tutors to do what GOD has gifted us to do, teach. We both committed that ANY money we make we would give to RFS 2018. WOW! God has honored that commitment. I have made over $500 for our wonderful ministry in just three short weeks. I am booked solid with tutoring appointments. There certainly is no God like my God. 

The more I see the power of God at work in my life, the more I want to serve him. He has blessed me beyond anything I could ever imagine. The more I release control over my life, the more I see his presence and power. PRAISE GOD for his wonderful power, mercy, and grace. 

At some point in your life

Psalm 34:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

At some point in your life, you will struggle. I suspect that most of us will find a point in our life that seems hopeless. We will think the problems before us are permanent. All of us, from the rich to the poor, from the weak to the powerful, we will all go through a life filled with calamity. David certainly had his ups and downs. This great man of faith had power and fame, yet he also felt many times of hopelessness. I am amazed that he always found a way to praise God. He found a way to look out of his calamity and look to the Lord with joy. 

I am nothing special. I have seen absolute joy in my life and I have suffered times when I thought I could not continue. I wish I could tell you I had the same resilience David had. I am not that strong. However, I can tell you that God is the only reason I am here today. I have cried out in desperation to the Lord and he has always pulled me through. I can NOW look back in JOYFUL amazement because I can see the mighty hand of the Lord. I am a witness to the saving grace and power of my loving savior. I am here today because the Lord loved me so much that he promised to stay with me and help me down this sometimes rocky path of life. 

Turn your life to the Lord. The Lord will see you through. His power is available to everyone who seeks him. I can promise you, from the bottom of my heart, God knows your struggles. When you TOTALLY release your life to him, he will be faithful in ALL TIMES. HE will deliver you from the mouth of the Lion. I praise you Lord! Thank you for bringing me through the trials of this world. Amen!