Time is in a full sprint!

He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. (Daniel 2:21, 22 NIV)

It was great wearing a short sleeve shirt yesterday, farmers were busy planting fields, and thunderstorms dotted the area. The season is changing. The devastating cold and snow for this winter are still strong memories, but they are starting to fade. Life moves on. 

Stephanie and I were talking about how fast this school year has gone. We are only 13 school days away from another year complete. Time is sprinting by us all and the older I get, the faster time moves. Wisdom also increases with age. It happens for people and it happens for our planet. When we finally realized our planet was not the center of the universe, religious leaders were panicked. When evolution burst on the scene, battle lines were drawn. Why? As Christians we know very little about our creator. We know very little about our universe. Christians and Scientists are both going to be wrong about what we "know" and that's ok. We all need to grow. We can't let life's "discoveries" divide us. As Christians, we can accept "science" without abandoning our faith. We can accept new discoveries as movement toward the real truths of God. Science can not destroy my God and it can't prove him either. Faith is much more personal than any scientific fact.

Time is advancing and fleeting. We need to spend less time fighting about what divides us. We need to grow closer and build relationships with each other. More importantly we need to grow closer to the God, who created us! Time is sprinting closer and closer to the finish line. Seasons are changing. There  is a light in the darkness, things will be revealed in Gods time! Praise God for this wondeful life!

I could get used to this!

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. (Romans 14:12 NIV)

What did you do this weekend? How much time was devoted to God?

I had such a wonderful weekend and it just came to me why. I'm not being boastful or prideful. I'm not trying to say how great I am. I'm trying to point how great God is. I really should use this weekend as a framework for my life. I don't devote as much time as I should to Gods work. If you want to know the real truth, I had a great time while serving. Yes, you heard it, you can have fun while serving The Lord.

I ministered with my CMA chapter nearly all day Saturday, visited with my mother, visited and prayed with a biker in the hospital, shared the ministry of CMA at a Church on Sunday, and had dinner and officers meeting with my wonderful officers team. It's not necessarily what I did that got my attention, it's that I really felt the presence of the Holy Spirit along every step of the way. Here's a perfect example. Saturday we attended a HOG chapter pancake breakfast and ride. We randomly sat beside a couple and started a conversation. We shared our ministry, talked bikes, and did what we do as Christian Motorcyclist Association members, we love on bikers. Sunday we arrived at the church we were visiting, set up our information and in walks this couple. Yes, the exact same couple we met the day before. Unbeknownst to us, he was an elder at the church we were visiting. God brought us together. 

All through the weekend I felt I was where a God wanted me to be. I kind of like the feeling. I should do it more often instead of going where I want to go, doing what I want to do, I should follow Gods leading a lot more. 

Praise God he cares enough to guide and direct my life even though I fight and ignore him. Praise God for the blessings I receive when I serve. They are not my goal but they always happen. Praise God for a life lived in his service. Please Lord, help me to make service for you a regular not a rare occasion!

My changing season!

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. (Psalm 19:1-3 NIV)

It's December 2nd and winter is drawing near. The temperatures are falling, the leaves are gone. Christmas lights are up and the house is nearly decorated to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It's all beautifully choreographed year after year. I love the seasons and the change. This might be strange coming from a biker who longs for the open road. But, I learn to appreciate the warmth of a summer ride because of the dark, cold winter. I also love the beauty of snow falling and the fury of a blizzard. It makes the freshness of that first Spring day even sweeter. The tests and challenges of winter speak to my heart. Winter reveals much. It reveals it without words but it speaks clear.

God speaks to us with the relentless changing of the seasons. My life is his and he leads me through the same changes that mark the seasons. My seasons are not ushered in by the changing weather, they come from the march of time. While I was laboring yesterday putting up Christmas lights, fighting the ladder, and my patience, I came to realize I'm not going to be able to do this forever. After my 15th trip to the attic, I realized my body can't handle these events as it once did. Like winter, the seasons of my own life are changing. I tire more easily, my fatigue after 5days of Thanksgiving travel was nearly more than I could bear. Yet, as I end  this long extended weekend, I appreciate even more the joy of this holiday season. I don't anticipate this being my last, but I have seen more than I have ahead of me. I appreciate and Praise God for the joy of this season. I praise him for my glorious life and the many blessings I have been given. 

It is with great joy and satisfaction that I anticipate the changing of the seasons in my life. I expect to have many more years of life on this planet, but the seasons of my life ARE changing, I feel it in my heart as well as my bones! I do not fear the changes ahead of me. I don't look at them with sadness. I look to them with the same excitement and anticipation I have for the onslaught of winter or the freshness of spring. Praise God for the certainty of time and the changes in our lives!