Make me better!

1 Peter 4: 6-7 6 So be truly glad.There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 

1:6 Or So you are truly glad.Life is wonderful. I know there are many out there who can NOT imagine they are living a wonderful life. Your hope is in these verses. Your trial will not last. There is an end to this "season" in your life. There will be joy in the morning. I, too, have gone through trial and yes I survived. I not only survived, I thrived and can say without any hesitation, I have loved my life. I have loved every moment and realize the trials and stresses have been worth it. They have made me who I am. As followers of Christ, we need the trials to purify our faith and help us to realize the power of our wonderful savior. 

Praise God for his wonderful LOVE. Praise God for my life and all that has come together to create me and bring me to this day. I love you Lord and turn my life over to you, everyday. Use me for your purposes. If you desire that I endure trials and pain, I trust you. You know what I need. You know where I need to grow. You know how to purify me until the day I get to praise you forever in eternity. Amen!

A major endorsement!

“The Lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭3:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/jos.3.7.nlt


The Israelites were just about to cross the Jordan River on dry ground. Joshua would now be solidified as their leader. In life you are going to fail. None of us will go through our days without some setbacks or failures.  But, today the Lord wanted the people to know he was behind Joshua. 

There have been times in my life that God has made it clear he is behind me. He has come through with some endorsement or miracle that makes it clear I am following his plan. He also has given me pretty clear signs when I am OFF the path he has laid before me. It is truly amazing that the Lord of the Universe cares deeply about me so much that he is involved in my daily life and gently directs my ways. I want nothing more than to serve the Lord. I do not want my sinful nature to get in the way and I want the Lord to correct me. I want him to show me the ways to go. I want him to receive his love, mercy, and grace right along with his direction of my daily steps.

Praise God he cares for us. Praise God he cares about our future and is deeply involved in our lives. Turn your life to him and you, too, will receive his daily guidance. Talk to him. Plead with him. Dive deep into his word. Worship him with all your heart. As you grow closer to him, you will begin to see his mighty right hand in all you do. I am humbled because of his presence in our lives. 

Two are Better than One

Ecclesiastes 4:9: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?"

40 Years ago today, my lovely wife and I gave our lives to each other and our two became one and our one became two. We always think about marriage as two becoming one and I agree. We are of one mind, one spirit and one heart. But, God also made us individuals. Stephanie and I are different. Most of our friends and family are well aware of our differences. We are two different people that God decided to knit into ONE. Yet, we still remain separate. This verse tells why that is so important.

Stephanie is the great complement to me. I just can't imagine the person I would be without her. It's not just her love of me. Her character, her heart, her compassion, her gentleness, her love of family, her servants heart make me a better person. Those strong traits cover for many of my weaknesses and shortcomings. God brought us together for that specific reason. He looked at us separately and knew he could make both of us better by bringing us together. He thought he could make the world a better place through our kids, our grandkids, and now our GREAT grandkids. The Lord did this and I am blessed abundantly every day because of the wonderful woman he blessed me with these past 40 years. I am so blessed. It is my greatest example of GRACE that God has blessed me with. I deserve nothing as wonderful as my wife, yet God thought differently and I am honored and humbled he did.


Happy Anniversary to the LOVE OF MY LIFE!

Day One!

Romans 12:1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Ahh! Getting up at 5:30am, there is nothing like it! Students arrive today at GKB Schools. We are ready for DAY ONE!
Well, I might not REALLY be enthusiastic about getting up at 5:30, but I am ready to start another year of teaching. (Probably my last) I am excited to reconnect with my old students and to start building relationships with my new ones. Yes, I will teach them some math. But, that doesn't really excite me as much as just being with my students. We laugh, we cry, we celebrate, we console, we LIVE LIFE together. That is the best part about being a teacher. I love helping them get ready for their future lives. 
I am a servant of Christ everywhere I go. School is just one of the places I go. I serve my students. I serve my community. I serve my Lord by teaching kids. We all need to look at our professions as an outreach of our lives with Christ. That doesn't mean we have to directly share the gospel, although that may happen. More importantly we live our lives, we work our jobs, as Christ would. We serve others. Jesus was a carpenter before he started his ministry. I am sure every project he took on, he gave it his all and the service he provided to others was nothing but the best. No matter what profession you are in, serve with the joy and love of Christ. Give your best. You are a LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY AND PLEASING TO GOD!

Fear is a Liar

Nehemiah 4:14    -- 14After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

After my relationship with the Lord, the relationship with my family is the most important thing in my life. I love my daughters, their husbands, my grandkids and most recently my great granddaughter. I will fight for them with my last breath. But, as I grow older I have realized my greatest defense for them very difficult. I just don't have a lot of options to offer them protection. But, my greatest defense for them comes from MY greatest defender, the Creator of the Universe. Many times my prayers are my ONLY defense. It IS enough. 

There is a song on the radio right now called "Fear is a Liar" by Zach WIlliams. It is certainly true. Fear is a powerful force in our lives. It can dominate our thoughts and paralyze us into inaction. Fear starts as worry. It grows and fueled by Satan and the thoughts of doom that grow inside us. There is only one cure for the fears we face. 

Prayer!

We need to release our fears, our worries, our doubts, to the Lord. This is also true as I face fears about my family. I want so much to protect them from the evils of this world. But, I can not. I am not able to be there to protect them 24 hours a day. I can't hover over them to shield them from the pitfalls of life. I CAN pray for them. I can plead to the Lord for his powerful protection. I can pray for wisdom in their decisions. I can pray for their strength as they face challenges. I can pray, pray, pray that they grow spiritually close to the Lord and that his presence be revealed to them. 

I do not fear the unknowns of today or tomorrow. I know the power of my wonderful savior is enough and I praise him for his love of me and my family. Praise God for his mighty hand.