Bucket List

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, (Colossians 2:2 NIV)

Do you have a bucket list? For those who are scratching their heads, a bucket list is a list of things you want to before you die. Here's mine in no particular order:

-- ride a motorcycle in all 50 states and provinces of Canada -- I'm getting closer. This year I scratch off Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and maybe Newfoundland in Canada. I will also add the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusettes, and New York. After this year, I have ridden in all the lower 48 except Delaware, Lousiana, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

-- live to be 100 years old - being a diabetic makes this very difficult.

-- own a motorcycle shop.

-- own a donut shop in Florida

-- learn to fly

-- travel to the Arctic Circle by motorcycle via Alaska

I'm sure their will be more. The list just keeps getting longer all the time. But every one of my goals, including my bucket list goals, include sharing Christ because my ultimate goal is to bring people to Christ.

As you can see a lot of my goals deal with travel but all of them deal with being talking to people. I travel to meet and talk to people. I love talking to people in gas stations, restaurants, campgrounds, parks, and just along the side of the road. Pulling a camper with a motorcycle is the hook. People just can't resist seeing the Vic and the camper. I love wearing my CMA colors and I love explaining what our mission is. I had opportunities to pray with strangers, share Gods love and witness by my friendliness. Life is about relationships with people even if they are brief encounters along a vacation trip.

God has given me a mission and I love it. I praise him for the desire he has put in my heart to talk to strangers. I praise home for the gifts he has given me.i pray I use those gifts for his purposes and not my own. I pray he brings people into my life that need his message of love. Give me the boldness to share and love people!

His eyes!

“His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step. (Job 34:21 NIV)

What you do when no one is watching, that's the definition of character. The problem, God is always watching. You can not go through a day without God witnessing your every move, every thought, and hear your every word. Through the history of man we act like we can hide. Adam and Eve were the first and we haven't grasped the omnipresence of God since that time.

The thought of God viewing my every move is terrifying. I have moments of righteousness, but most of the time I'm far from acting in a way God would be proud of. How can I change that? Just the thought of God's watchful eyes should be a deterrent. I know it's not. 

The answer is repetition of the same theme. You must build a relationship with the creator of the universe in order to understand his heart. The more your get to know a friend, the less likely you will do something that hurts them. The more you draw closer to The Lord the less likely you are to sin against him. The eyes of The Lord are saddened by our disregard for him, his laws, and his will. I beg your forgiveness, Lord. I know I am weak and let sin rule my life. Help me Lord. Help me to grow closer to you and your will. I love you. Amen!

Miracles

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51 NIV)

The miracle of food, literally, coming down from Heaven every day is nothing short of spectacular. God chose this method to feed his people when they wandered the desert. I love that my God likes the spectacular. He will go to great lengths to show his existence and availability. Some people say he doesn't do that anymore. They say he doesn't show himself in spectacular ways. I completely disagree. Is it any less spectacular his healing cancer, saving lives, or healing relationships? I personally have experienced his REAL presence in my life. I do not need mana from Heaven to feel his presence.

The greatest miracle is the fact that God sent his son to live with us, teach us, lead us, and then chose to sacrifice him on the cross for our sins. We overlook this miracle all the time. We look past the truth that the creator of the universe cares about us, loves us, wants to be with us and sent his spirit to walk with us everyday. We overlook the miracle of life, the consistency of the rising and setting sun. Life in itself is a miracle. He provides us so much more than mana. He gives us eternal life. I would have loved to been there to witness the mana. But I wouldn't exchange that miracle for my own. Thank you Lord for your great love and the miracle you perform every day.

Do not be discouraged

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14 NIV)

I hate it when I read a verse that tells me to be patient. It's not one of my greatest attributes. But this verse is slightly different. It gives hope. In my morning Bible Study from Billy Graham, he talked about discouragement for Christians. He stated, "Christians can not stay discouraged for long." I couldn't agree more.

I have had times where I was discouraged, even for extended periods of time. I claim it was doubt in myself and not The Lord. Is that true? Now that I look back, I would have to say it's an excuse. I have given my life to The Lord. He has promised to never leave me. How can I doubt that? If I have a faith that is real and deep, I can not be discouraged without doubting in The Lord. Our Faith must be strong during difficult times. Our discouragement is lack of patience. Our discouragement is our wanting to be in control and not releasing our life to The Lord. We must wait on The Lord. We must be strong, resist the urge to lose heart and wait! God is always faithful.

We all have times of discouragement. Things don't go well at work, relationships with family, friends,and coworkers can be trying times. But it is exactly at those times that we must rely on the strength of The Lord. We need to wait for The Lord, be strong and take heart, WAIT FOR THE LORD!

Don't Judge me!

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. (Matthew 7:1 NIV)

Don't judge me!

I hear this phrase all the time! Whenever a teacher questions a student, it's judging. Or at least it is in the their eyes. In fact they are right more often than not. People judge other people and many times, unfairly. 

We are not judges!

God has not appointed us to judge the lost, or the faithful for that matter. So why are we so quick to judge people. It happens all the time with bikers. Just because someone rides motorcycles, has tattoos, or has lived a bit of a rough lifestyle, doesn't mean they are not followers of Christ. It happens because of race, ethnic background, and all sorts of areas. Stereotyping is the first step in judging someone and we need to stop it. In order to bring the lost to Jesus we have to stop judging, stop trying to fix people, and stop trying to create "Christian clones". We are all uniquely created by our Father in Heaven and He is the only one that can judge. He is the only one that can look past outward appearance and see the heart. He is the only one that doesn't stumble over stereotypes. 

We need to stop judging and learn more acceptance and love.