No!

““But the LORD was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more. But go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over the land in every direction. Take a good look, but you may not cross the Jordan River. Instead, commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them all the land you now see before you as their possession.’”

Deuteronomy 3:26-28 NLT -- http://bible.com/116/deu.3.26-28.nlt

I love prayer. I really enjoy my time communicating with the Lord. I am very open with my Lord. He knows all my thoughts and desires. He knows MY PLANS and listens to every request, plea, and desire. Because our relationship is over forty years old, I  have learned that sometimes the answer is no and I'm ok with that. I have given God full veto power over all my plans. I have learned this approach after forty years of trying to go my own way and messing things up. I still share it all and yes it sometimes sounds like a small child's Christmas list. Yet, every prayer ends with my sincerest desire for Gods will to be done in every part of my life. Moses kept trying to get God to change his mind, but he didn't. It was a  constant request. God listened but still the answer was no. We often don't know the why's but that's ok. I trust my loving Heavenly Father. I don't always need to understand and I don't have to always get my way. God is in charge!

Dear Lord, I am thankful for your direction. I praise you for your perfect wisdom and how it rescues me from myself. I am thankful you have given all of us the open door to a relationship with you. I thank you for the love you have for me, a sinner, saved only by your grace. Please help me to see your path and to do all things for your glory along that path! Amen!

A friend in need

“Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing. O LORD, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid! Save me from the sword; spare my precious life from these dogs. Snatch me from the lion’s jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen. I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.

 I will praise you among your assembled people. Praise the LORD, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.”

Psalms 22:11-24 NLT

http://bible.com/116/psa.22.11-24.nlt

I have a friend who needs prayer. He is feeling under attack. I pray for him and God's will in his life!

Maybe not in a President........ But,

But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.””

Matthew 20:1-16, 25-28 NLT -- http://bible.com/116/mat.20.1-16,25-28.nlt

I am very in tune with national politics. I love my pre-vote analysis to decide who I am voting for. Call me weird, but I think it's fun. At this point, and it's early, I have not decided who I will vote for. As always my "ideal" candidate is nowhere to be found. So, what is it I want in a candidate? 

I want them to focus on thes verses:

"Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I just don't see any humble servants running for President. I wished there was. I would give anything for a true servant-leader in charge of our country. I would give anything for a candidate  to be a slave to us and not special interest groups and other politicians. Really, all leaders need to se be this way. Leadership is about serving others, not bossing them around. I love working for a principal that serves his staff. I love working for a school that is filled with lstaff members that want to serve the students we lead. Whenever you can get any organization to think of themselves as servants it will be successful.

My CMA chapter is full of servant leaders and this month starts our election process. We have nearly 25 people eligible to serve as leaders and so far most are willing to serve if asked. That is amazing and only possible through the working of the Holy Spirit. I love my CMA family.

Dear Lord, I humbly pray with all sincerity for our leaders, including the President, congress, my state leaders, my school administration, and the leaders of my church. I pray for our elections and that your hand will be in them, helping us select leaders that have a heart for your kingdom. I also pray for my CMA chapter elections and our mission. I am thankful for those willing to serve in all leadership positions and ask you to give wisdom and discernment as they serve. May we all look at your example for true servant leadership. Amen!

The Law

“Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful. ””

Matthew 19:8-9 NLT -- http://bible.com/116/mat.19.8-9.nlt

In a former life, I was an Athletic Director at our high school. The governing body of our high school sports teams had some pretty extensive rules. Most of the rules were simple common sense, but some were very complicated. I will never forget our state commissioners philosophy about the rules. He said if we interpreted the rules based on the original intent of the rule, we could rarely be wrong. You can't make a set of rules that addresses every scenario. 

Such is true in life. So many of life in today's world was not talked about in the bible. Our modern delimnas are not a part of the laws written by God. God never directly set down rules about abortion. Yet we know the intent of the rules. We must value human life. We know that God speaks of life beginning at conception. 

God intended the family, mom, dad, kids, to be the center of society. He designed us to thrive on the relationship between man and woman. We should take that intent and use it in our daily lives. Sure, we can live without the family, but we can not thrive and we miss out on the designed blessings of life.

The more we read the word of God, the more we can discover his intent. When we know the "feel" of the law, we know how to act or react. The a bible, prayer, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit should be our guide when we tackle the issues of our life. Life can be so complicated at times. We can't get the most out of it unless we are in a personal relationship with Jesus. We need to know the heart of God.

Dear Lord, speak to my own heart. Help me to act on your promptings. We need you to help us to wind through the complicated issues of life. Help us to be able to read your word and learn from it. Help me to apply it's lessons to my daily life. This world needs your love, mercy, Grace , and direction. Amen!

If I were you.....

““If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to him. He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.”  Job 5:8-9 NLT---- http://bible.com/116/job.5.8-9.nlt

I don't get it! I just don't get it'! Why does God care so much for me? I am nothing and he grants everything. I am a sinner yet he sent his son to die for me. I could never repay him. He knows it and gives even more. I am one of the countless miracles mentioned in this scripture. I just don't understand.

If I were you, I would drop to my knees and present my case to him. He will hear you. He has heard me countless times in my fifty five years. I just came back from a worship filled weekend with my Indiana State CMA family. Our wonderful chapter had 23 people and two guests for the weekend. But that was only the start. We had a great time of fellowship, worship, fun, prayer, and relaxation. God blessed us with protection and a powerful message. I heard our great CMA chief executive, John Ogden, Sr., speak and I heard a miraculous testimony from Billy Rivers. God knows what he's doing. He had this weekend planned for me and our chapter. He is blessing our ministry and I am humbled by that.

I am a perfect example why you should drop to your knees and take everything to God in prayer. He is listening and he will hear you.

Dear Lord, I thank you for my many blessings. I thank you for the wonderful ministry of CMA and the opportunity to serve. Please take us to places you would have us go, take my entire life and make it only for you. I praise you and honor you. Amen!

My secret mission

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”

Psalms 95:1 KJV. (http://bible.com/1/psa.95.1.kjv)

I have a new mission. At this point it's a secret. But I need your prayers. 

My life is wonderful. I can't say that enough. It's not because of me. I believe, with all my heart, that God is blessing me in supernatural ways, ways in which I certainly do not deserve. It burns deep within my heart to do MORE for him. I am always looking for the push of the Holy Spirit to take action. I have officially been pushed. 

I don't want to share too much yet as I have some serious prayer needed. I need guidance and direction in the exact path. This new mission is to help battle the ever present attacks by satan to our school and community. Those attacks are real and not contrived as some believe. I believe a group of Christians can change the battle simply by increasing their own prayer time. 

Although I have a specific mission, we all need to increase our prayer presence. Christians need to rise up and prepare for battle. No, we are not battling humans. We are not battling gays, lesbians, abortionists, human traffickers, or atheists. We are battling satan himself. The weapon of choice is prayer and the power of those prayers comes directly from Jesus Christ himself. Please, I beg you, make a commitment to double your prayer time from this day forward. Get to know the needs of your own coworkers, friends, and family. Pray for them without ceasing. Pray with deep groans and a sincere heart. We can win the battle because we know the final victory has already been won. 

Put on your armor. Step into the battlefield and slay the oppressor!

Who's in your flock?

“Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.”

Proverbs 27:23-24 NLT. (http://bible.com/116/pro.27.23-24.nlt)

Who is a part of your flock? How far is your prayer reach? Both these questions are key to your spiritual life. It's kind of like Facebook or Twitter. How many people can you have as friends or follow on Twitter? If you have too many friends or followers on social media you can't really keep up with all of them, it's easy to miss key posts or tweets. It waters down your presence in their lives. The same thing holds true for prayer. In order to pray for someone you need to get to know them. You need to know the state of your flock. When you know what's going on in their lives you can put your heart into caring for them. Obviously you can pray for someone without knowing the details. God knows. But, to petition for someone it is best to know what they are going through. 

Your flock is your family, close friends and coworkers that you are with every day. Your flock consists of those you can pray for without them asking you. You know what to pray for because you know their struggles. These people are a part of your daily prayers and you  are sincerely concerned about them because of your relationship. I have a very specific group of people, my flock, that I pray for nearly every day, they are more important to me than praying for riches or asking for things.

Dear Lord, I pray for my flock. I love them and ask you to protect them in their daily walk. I ask that you make your or presence known in their lives. I pray that protection on my direct family, my CMA family, my coworkers, my school, my community and this nation. I love you Lord because you first loved me and sacrificed your own son for me, a member of your flock. I am humbled by that wonderful love. Amen!

What I pray for!

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”     Proverbs 2:1-5 NIV. http://bible.com/111/pro.2.1-5.niv

I spend a lot of time in prayer and the request for wisdom is my most popular request. Not just for myself, but I pray constantly the Lord grants wisdom and discernment to my wife, my daughters, their husbands and children, my boss, and coworkers. I pray for wisdom of my ministry partners and I pray for wisdom of people I meet in  my everyday activities of life. My prayer life has changed over the years. I have moved away from asking for "things" and I am searching for wisdom nearly every moment of my life.  I think that's why I love teaching. Sure I want my students to learn mathematic skills, but more importantly want them to love the search for wisdom. I want them to have that wisdom to deal with life's challenges and life's joys. I want them to love the search for wisdom just as much as the things that will fill their lives. Our society is blessed with so many things. We value our possessions like no other country on earth. I just want us to value wisdom more.

True wisdom only comes from the Lord and he wants to share that wisdom for those that call upon his name. Searching for wisdom needs to start with intense prayer. We neèd to "cry out loud" for understanding. We can attain that wisdom and understanding by searching for God! He alone is a treasure more valuable than life itself. I praise you Lord for your wisdom. I pray for that wisdom in every day of my life. Amen!

My flexible God!

So the LORD changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people. (Exodus 32:14 NLT)

God wanted to bring disaster yo his stubborn people. He was angry. He could have done it AND the Israelites would have deserved it. He didn't! The reason? Moses! Moses interceded with powerful prayers to the creator of the universe. 

God is portrayed as some crazed, narrow minded, dictator. He is not. You can certainly see his flexibility throughout the Bible. But, just as important, you can see his patience reflected in my own life. He listens. He answers prayer. I have rejected him. Ignored him, and he still keeps on loving me. 

He still opens his arms when I return to him. He wants so bad to have a relationship with us, his grace saves us from what we deserve. His patience is eternal.

I serve a powerful, yet extremely loving God. He loves me beyond all I deserve. Thank you Lord for being flexible and listening to me and my cries for help. Thank you for listening and acting on my pleading requests. Thank you for answering my prayers when I can't even put them into words. Amen.

God can fix it ....................... If you let him!

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NLT)

Times get tough. But, I am a strong willed guy. I think I can do it by myself. I think when things get tough I need to come up with a solution. I am a problem solver. But my most effective problem solving strategy is do nothing without the Lord. My loving, wise, Heavenly Father is the ultimate problem solver. 

So, here's my advice. When things get tough and you just don't think you can do it. When you think the stress of your job is too much, your kids hate you, you want a divorce, when you are tired and fly off the handle, and when you are at the end of your rope, turn to the Lord. When life gets so tough you have no where to turn, turn to the word of God, turn to prayer, turn to worshipping the Lord. DON'T JUST DO THE SAME OLD THING. Step up your relationship with Jesus. Take every moment you have to be with the Lord, morning, noon, night, breaks at work, noon time, while you are driving, every waking moment. Seek the Lord. It's one thing to turn your problems over to the Lord. However, if you don't give him the opportunity to teach you and lead you, then are you really turning the problem over to Jesus?

In my 55 years of life, God is there to fix my problems. He always has been. But, my problem is I don't take the time to listen to him and hear his solutions. The solutions are in his word. The solutions are in his "still small voice". The solutions are in worshipping him. I don't say this as some pie in the sky ideal. I say it, I give this advice because I have seen it work directly in my life. It's not some "theory" or some untested hypothesis. It's real. It works. It's the only guaranteed, fool proof, solution to your life's ills. 

Dear Lord, thank you for caring and loving me through life. I am embarrassed when my stubbornness gets in the way of letting you fix my life. I know you have the answers. You have the plan. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn through your word, prayer, and worship. I love you Lord. Thank you for being my problem solver. Amen!

Sleepy prayers

Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. (Genesis 15:1-2 NLT)

I love prayer and lately I have increased my prayer time. Like most people prayer, if it happens at all, usually occurs as an after thought. It happens when you get in bed at night and your prayers drift you off to sleep. That has been my prayer life at many times in my life. When I increase my time with God, my life improves. Prayér is a great time to vent with your creator, it's a great time to plead, praise, ask for wisdom, seek guidance, and protection. Just like Abram, God wants honest open conversation. You can disagree. You can express all your feelings, hopes, desires. You can bring it all to the Lord. 

Prayer is not just a time of pompous word speak. It is a time to speak to your creator, father, and friend. Their are no special words, formulas, or times that you must pray. You need to pray continuously. Make your life a continual conversation with God. Speak often, through your day, in the morning, in the evening, at lunch, in a meeting, while driving, or at any time. Make a commitment to pray continually and watch the power of God. You will be amazed!

Dear Lord, I love you and treasure the times we have together. I beg your forgiveness for times I ignore you and don't make you part of my daily life. I am sorry for the small amount of time I give you in prayer. You Lord are worth more than a few words as I fall asleep. I praise you for the patience you have with me. I want nothing more than to honor you with my life and service. amen!

Pray for this biker

“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. (Acts of the Apostles 13:38-39 NLT)

I had prayer with a man this weekend who wasn't right with God. His life was a mess, in his words. He had suffered a divorce and his family was in chaos. I pray his life will change. It's not going to happen without Jesus. 

People that live contrary to the word of God, many times, have the feeling God isn't for them. They know their own sin and say there is no way for them to be forgiven. All I can say is "Hog wash!" God doesn't ask for you to be perfect before you go to him. He makes you perfect AFTER you come to him. You can't do that by following the laws of God. You can only do that by the grace of God! 

The people of this world need prayer now more than ever. We need to be on our knees. We need to open up our hearts to the God of this universe to save us. As followers of Jesus we need to be full time "Prayer Warriors" for those that are not right with God and to support those that are. 

Dear Lord, I love you and praise you for your wonderful mercy and grace. I pray for Greg. I pray that your love and grace will be so present in his life he will not be able to ignore it. I pray you will intervene in his life with his family and ex wife. This man needs you Lord! Please be with him. Thank you Lord! You are certainly amazing! Amen!

I need peace! We all need peace!

This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. (Acts of the Apostles 10:36 NLT)

I need peace. We all need peace and we can only get that peace through Jesus.

I have to admit. I have been stressed lately. I've been stressed about the end of school. I've been stressed about Run for the Son ( my Cma chapter annual fundraiser), I've been stressed about a variety of family issues, I've been stressed for other people and their stresses, and I have been stressed over bring stressed! This is craziness and I just haven't handled it well. 

I'm a strong believer in Christ. I know and have personally seen his power in my life. I know I can not be defeated because of my savior. So, why can't I shake this stress? Why can't I enjoy the PEACE of Jesus? It always boils down to one reason, I am a selfish, self centered sinner who's faith is a long way from where it needs to be. 

Today, we recieved word of a colleague's child that has a very serious illness. My challenges in life are miniscule compared to the battle many people face with life threatening illness, joblessness, homelessness, and loss. My struggles can't even be called struggles compared to the potential loss of a loved one that one of my CMA family faces. I don't face the trials that many face every day. I'm blessed beyond imagine. My entire attitude, my entire "stress" filled attitude needs to stop. I need to focus my entire life praying for others, not my petty problems. I need to serve as a prayer warrior, not just for my self, but more importantly for those I know are battling REAL life battles. 

Dear Lord, my life is yours. I ask forgiveness for complaining. I realize how great I have it. Please Lord be with my friends, family, and colleagues facing real life challenges. They need you. They need to be aware of your presence. They need your healing touch and your wonderful grace. Take away their stress, give them peace, and give them rest. We all need the peace that only flows through you. I praise you now and forever more! Amen,

My mind is far away

“‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. (Luke 19:26 NLT)

Sometimes I just can't write anything.  My mind is occupied. I need your prayers for a personal matter please! 

My God is still in charge. I love him and need him more today than ever.

What to pray for!

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10 NLT)

I had a wonderful day Thursday. The weather was breaking 50 degrees and their was an afternoon full of sunshine. God planned it this way so I could ride. Yes, he did it so I could ride. I didn't just ride. I went to support an ALR chaplain in the last stages with his fight with cancer. It was his birthday and the area motorcyclists went to his house to sing happy birthday. He got what would likely be his last motorcycle ride. It was a great outpouring of love.

We didn't get an opportunity to pray for him. He's a strong Christian and even praised God while we were there. So I was standing there thinking how to pray for this guy. If I prayed for him to get healed here on this planet, wouldn't that potentially keep him away from paradise. Wouldn't that prayer be a little selfish? I think most people feel uncomfortable praying for some one going through illness and facing imminent death. Selfishly we want to heal them. But, we know the ultimate healing is with Jesus in Heaven. So I pray for Gods will. If he chooses to keep this man here a little longer Praise God. If he chooses to call him home, praise God. 

May Gods will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven!

Nope, can't be done!

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” (Matthew 19:26 NLT)

My daughter Kelley is an example of the impossible. She wasn't supposed to walk, she would never live on her own. With God all things are possible. I know we have all heard stories of miracles. Some give God the glory, others call them miracles of man, technology, science, or just plain old luck. I know better. I've seen Gods miracles in my life. Healing, Jobs, finances, relationships, ministry, and countless areas of my life have seen truly God breathed miracles. So why am I so down about the struggles and divisiveness of our planet. I should be ready and expecting a miracle.

God can cure our ills! He can bring all races together, he can defeat poverty, he can defeat loneliness, he can cure cancer, he can heal political divide, he can restore peace. He can and will do these things. 

Do we believe when we pray for these miracles? Do we really think they will happen? Who's fault is it if they don't? Where is your faith?

My loving Heavenly Father is waiting to perform miracles for those with the faith of a mustard seed. He is waiting to astonish the world! Why don't you pray tonight? Pray for a miracle? Believe in the miracle? Plan for the miracle! Be amazed by the miracle!

With God EVERYTHING is possible!

Blessing things!

When you enter the home, give it your blessing. (Matthew 10:12 NLT)

Today my CMA, Christian motorcyclist Association, family are going out to do our first "Blessing of the Bike Shops". It always seems strange to me to claim to bless THINGS. But, it is not without some biblical parallels. Yet, even when you bless a home you are not blessing the building but you are blessing the people in it. When we bless a "bike" we are not blessing the bike but the biker. Today we will ask Gods blessing on these businesses, but we are really asking blessings of the owners, managers, employees and their families. 

I really enjoy bike blessings and this opportunity today is a thrill for me also. Whenever I get the chance to pray for people i myself feel extremely blessed. So many people say they are praying for someone or something, but most of the time those are done in private. I'm not down playing that prayer. But, taking the time to stop and actually physically pray for someone with them is a special moment. 

Praise  God for the opportunity to pray for others. Lord, I know you hear our prayers. I am honored that you truly listen to the prayers of your servants. I ask that you be with us today as we share your call to prayer. Give us the words and the actions as we travel the area today. Be with us and provide my Chapter with a special blessing throughout this day. Amen!

Mistakes

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, (Ephesians 5:15 NIV)

I spend my days trying to explain to teenagers, it's ok to fail. Our society says if you fail you're a loser. I have students that literally die when they do poorly on a test. They just can't accept failure. I also have atudents that just "blow off" failure as a way to cope. Being 50 plus years of age, I have seen clearly that all people will fail. We need to know what to do with failure. If you never fail, when you do, it could be a permanent event.

It's so much more important how you react after failure than what you do to prevent it. We need wisdom in these cases. We need the knowledge in how we failed, what failed, and how could we have prevented it. It's not good enough to just say you'll try harder. Analysis, and re-evaluation helps you grow wise. We all need to learn from our mistakes, our moments of poor judgement, and our sins. When we don't take time to refelct about our lives, we are doomed to repeat those same mistakes, sins,and failures.

One area that we often neglect is prayer about failure. It's not always important to blame. It is important to take those failures to Christ. Pray for wisdom in overcoming and pray for wisdom in making things right especially if it hurts someone. God can provide wisdom.he can provide insight into our own lives and help us keep from making the same mistakes. Reflecting occurs best with God as our partner. We are told to take everything to God in prayer.

Dear Lord, I am flawed. You know that better than anyone. You know everything about me and want me to come to you for wisdom. So, Lord, I do just that. Grant me wisdom. Grant me a heart that seeks you first. Give me a heart that reflects on my decisions and choices. Help me to know how to correct my mistakes and eliminate the sins in my life. I honor you and love you with all my heart and soul. amen!

ME

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV)

The number one problem on our planet is selfishness. It shows up in all parts of our lives. Politicians are more worried about getting re-elected than serving the needs of their constituents. Business leaders are more interested in the bottom line than their employees. Churches are more worried about their survival and filling more seats than preaching the truth. It is against culture to put others ahead of yourself. But that is exactly what we need to do. That is exactly what I must do. 

How much of your life is focused on others and how much is focused on yourself? How much of a Servant are you? In order to draw closer to my creator, I have to act like him. I need to share his priorities and I need to model his focus. Jesus was focused on others. He never put himself first. He was the ultimate servant and I need to model that to my students, colleagues, family, and friends. I have said it so many times, in this blog, "It's not about me but about bringing Jesus into the lives of other people through my life."

The best place to start thinking of others first is in my prayer life. To draw closer to God, I need to pray more about others and less about myself. It's not easy, but o have noticed when I am really more focused, closer to God, my prayers become less selfish. May that be my life in 2015 and beyond.

A good nights sleep!

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26 NIV)

Eventually everyone needs a old night sleep. I know many people that have a difficult time getting rest. I have not had major problems doing that, but I have times where I wake up in the middle of the night an can't get back to sleep. At those times I just can't get my mind to stop thinking long enough to fall back to sleep. When that happens several nights in a row it "my flesh and my heart fail". I can feel my lack of sleep affecting my day and thus the people around me.

Or those of you that have advanced sleep disorders, I apologize for the simplicity of my solution. I have found my best defense to an overactive brain in the middle of the night is to pray. Speaking to my creator, sharing my concerns, expressing my joy, and listening to the spirit, are so soothing it sends me to sleep. I believe in the power of God. He can cure all things and heal us from anything. Sleeplessness is not any different. God is the strength of my heart. He is my portion forever. Praise God for his healing power and the ability to get a good nights sleep.