While waiting to pick Isabella up for practice, Mason and I were fascinated by the bricklayers. They just tossed big bundles up like it was as light as a feather. There was such precision to what they were doing. So just out of curiosity, since this is an enormous gym, we tried to determine how many bricks it would take. We didn't find the exact answer, but an estimate on the average gym was 54-70 thousand bricks.
Why am I even telling you about bricks? God just really stirred it in my heart when I was looking up at all those bricks that they had to start somewhere. If I knew I had to lay 80,000 breaks, I would probably not even want to start. Sometimes in our mind, when we are trying to make a decision, maybe starting a new discipline, dealing with grief, or a big project, we can get overwhelmed easily when we look at it in its entirety. So as my friend would say, "Do the very next thing you HAVE to do, and that's it!"

When my daddy slipped away from this earth, I held his hand. I remember hearing the monitors rhythmically beeping in the background until there was just one solid beep, which signaled to us he was gone. I remember sitting on the floor, and many people were talking to me, but I had no idea what they were saying because they seemed far away. But just like my friend said, I had to make my body do the next thing, somehow drive home. It started there and then moved to the next moment and the next until now it's a year and a half later. I could not have survived if I had thought about large chunks of time, and I still do not think long-term where he's concerned.

Wherever you find yourself today, with grief, significant challenges, new disciplines, or big decisions, remember all things are possible if you concentrate on the next step. You have to start somewhere, but the biggest challenge is just to START!!!!

​
Phillipians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

 Soul Sadness. It’s not a bad day it is not a body ache.  Soul sadness is the emptiness down to your spiritual core. Have you ever experienced a time of soul sadness? I am not talking about a day when you didn’t feel well or when you had a bad day. I am talking about emptiness down to your core. Sometimes in life you are doing what you feel certain God has called you, yet sense you are in a deserted land. Paul became so discouraged he recorded the words “despaired of life.” The Apostle Paul is arguably the most fruitful minister. He was the greatest missionary the world has known. The most accomplished church planter.  He penned two-thirds of the New Testament.  This man, once the greatest persecutors of the early church, became its greatest champion.  Yet, he utters the words "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers." It doesn't matter how spiritual you are, there will be at least one time in your life, you will feel defeated beyond repair.  Sometimes God cannot be felt because of all of our emotions, but it does not mean He isn't doing a work.
 
What causes you to sometimes to be where God has called you, yet there are no joys of serving, or doing the task He has called you to? I think somewhere along the way you, me, everyone loses spiritual eyes at least occasionally.  At some point, I think we only look through our fleshly vision, and cannot see what God sees.  When we are looking through our fleshy eyes we see problems, disruptions, and one obstacle after another. Our very Soul becomes discouraged, and the devil even tempts us that it’s not worth it.  However, if we take the time to look through our spiritual eyes, we might see it differently.
 
Let’s try to understand it through a story, or parable.  Once a man came to a beautiful meadow with a huge oak tree, dandelions, green grass, and butterflies fluttering through the air.  The scene was exquisite, and the man knew he would visit it often.  A week later the man came back to visit his favorite spot, only to find it had been demolished.  A farmer had plowed over the whole field, and nothing lay there but the bare earth.  The green lush grass was gone; the butterflies and birds had moved on; the man stood with deep disappointment.  How could someone ruin something so spectacular?  The man walked away; however, when he returned he saw a beautiful crop of golden yellow corn.  The birds had returned, and the sun shown brilliantly in the distance.  The man realized when the ground was bare he could not see the vision of the farmer.  What he thought the man had ruined was the preparation for a great harvest.
 
Sometimes in our life we cannot see the vision because we get stuck in all the ruts.  All we see is the bare ground of the day-to-day grime we are facing.  We forget to put on our spiritual glasses and recognize, just maybe, God is laying the ground- work for a great Harvest. It can be in those times of not seeing or feeling Him, that God gives you the greatest gift "clinging ONLY to Him". It often is the only way He can move us from a mindset of thinking we have control, to knowing He is in ultimate control. I know it can be tough at times to do what God has called you to do.  You may to sitting in an office, a classroom, a doctor’s office wondering: God what am I doing here?  What is your plan for me?   The truth is no matter what our job title, we can all loose sight of what we are living for and in essence who we are serving.
 
1 Corinthians 9:
22……….. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
 
One phrase can sum it all up:  I do all this for the sake of the gospel.  If we are doing it for any other reason, we will always be disappointed.  But God has promised, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  I love what New Song sang, “When I can’t see his plan, When I can’t trace his hand, Trust his heart.”  In the end it’s all about our Faith, and learning to trust someone besides our self. If we are currently having trouble seeing what God has planned for us because of all the turmoil caused by life, the verse in Daniel 10:12 should be reassuring for us. “From the first day you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard.”  How do we regain our spiritual eyes? We do so by setting our hearts upon God.  “set your heart” comes from a Hebrew transliteration “leb” meaning will, the inner man, heart”  It is to intentionally focus on something, and turn toward it.  For instance you do not have a pristine yard by never mowing, fertilizing, or pulling the weeds.  We also will never see through our spiritual eyes if we do not invest time in prayer, bible reading, and meditation on God’s Word.  So I ask you today to set your heart toward God and regain your spiritual sight.

I have always believed the Lord could show up at any place at any time, but honestly I just don’t really expect it a lot of times in my day to day.
I had a conversation with a woman I didn’t know. She simply needed to ask me a few questions about a matter my family needed assistance with concerning our future. When you are dealing with the state I am convinced there are no straight forward answers, or for that matter any answers, but I digress. Anyway the lady asked me several questions and then she asked me a very pointed question about what I wanted to happen in this situation. I thought about her question for a moment, and then I proceeded to give my answer. She listened intently and as I finished, she politely said, “Are you through?” I said, Yes, I guess that about says it all.” She sat quietly for a moment and with no judgement stated, (paraphrasing) “Sweetie that really says nothing at all. I’m not your pastor, your church friends, or anyone in your social group, and I’m certainly not God; but what I do know is that God knows our struggles, our thoughts, and our hardships. So even if we don’t voice them to anyone else, how can we know the answer if we aren’t honest with at least ourselves. After all, He already knows our thoughts. Your answer tells nothing of what your heart feels or desires in this situation, only what you think others want you to feel.” 😳😳😳
So never in my days have I ever had this happen. It was like she was looking into my very soul, though she knew nothing about our journey or the struggles we had faced. Only God in a public, state building could reveal Himself and the truth of His Word. I am a firm believer that the Lord showed up in that office to make a point. We are to seek after Him with every fiber in our body, so we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free!

Sometimes fear can grip us and refuse to let go. It can paralyze our day, and rob us of peace. If left unattended it can create some very significant problems in our life. It can lead to sickness, unrealized plans the Lord has for us, and a lack of joy.
In 1 Kings we see a story of fear, but also of hope!
19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely,if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.”
I love these verses so much because the Lord did not reprimand him for being afraid, or for running. God simply met him where he was and ministered to his needs. When God was finished ministering to his soul, he was able to walk 40 days and 40 nights, when just a short while ago he was unable to stand. May we always remember to cry out to the Lord so he can be the peace that passes all understanding, and the unending strength that we need!

I love flowers and gardening.  In fact I just love nature all together.  It helps remind me of the fascinating world God has orchestrated.  How He made the bees to distribute pollen to help the flowers and trees find new population.  How the rain nourishes the crops, and the crops in return sustain our bodies. The cycle of life goes on and on, and is far too numerous to name.  However, today I would like to concentrate on a specific flower, the hydrangea.  These flowers can come in different colors, however, many people do not realize you can influence the color of the plant.  Based on the pH of the soil the plant can take on different colors.  If the soil is more acidic you get deep blue/silver colors.  The more alkaline the soil the pinker the flowers. "Hydrangea blue" is not a hue that belongs to any other thing in the world.  It is a breathe taking silver, blue that radiates its beauty in every scene of nature. 

So how would one go about making this flower blossom into this beautiful color- actually it is as simple as coffee grounds. By simply putting small amounts of coffee grounds (or other organic material) into the soil. As the material decomposes, the organic materials will add aluminum to the soil (making it more acidic).  This process will not take place over night, but slowly the changes will start to occur.  The plants then slowly start to show signs of the new brilliant color.  Finally, over time they will be transformed into the "Hydrangea blue" you were awaiting.

Now that you have had your science lesson I guess the question is how is this relevant? Well I am glad you asked.  Christians are so much like the hydrangea concerning the spiritual walk.  You can be influenced greatly by the things that are around you, whether it be positive or negative.  What soil are you growing in today?  Is it one of negativity and despair, or one of gratitude and thankfulness.  What nutrients are you feeding your soul? Is it the word of God that is infallible and Holy, or the truth the world would have you believe?  Everyday is a chance to build yourself up to grow the way God intended you to, but there is also an equal opportunity to flounder in the twist and turns of life. You must be willing to continually feed on the Word of God, and put it into action in your life.  You see if the coffee grounds sat on the shelf beside the the plant, they would have zero effect on it's color, but when mixed in the soil they begin to produce beautiful results.  The same is true about God'S Word. Its not enough to read or hear God's word, it has to be poured into every nook and cranny of your life. You have to be submissive to God in every facet. Certain areas cannot be boxed off, but have to be willing to die to self, in order to allow an amazing transformation. I encourage you today to look at what is being poured into your life. Then figure out what is producing deep change, and what needs to be thrown away. Only allow those things which deeply grow your character and love for others to remain.  

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Philippians 4:8 whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

​As I was watering my flowers, I had some that were less than dazzling. I thought what could be wrong? They were new flowers, and I had watered them everyday. I had put new, thick pine straw down to keep the weeds out. As I was thinking it came to me,  I might not be watering them long enough. The thick bedding of pine straw could be keeping the water from penetrating the ground and soaking deeply into the roots. 
The Lord spoke to me through that observation. We can’t just do a verse a day to keep the devil a way kind of thing. In order for God’s word to penetrate deeply into our hearts, and actually change our actions, we have to spend significant time in prayer and the Word.  You see when I was watering the plants it was surface water only. It would probably be enough to keep the flower alive, but definitely not enough to make them thrive. Sometimes we are guilty of surface religion. We come into church say and do the right things, listen to the pastor, maybe even give our money, but the whole time our heart is buried under thick layers of pride, sin, and apathy.  God’s Word is not leaving a seared mark on our heart because it never reached those depths. When we really allow God to penetrate our heart it is extremely painful at times, because it forces us to look inside ourselves.  It reminds me of the verse “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  The Lord  longs for His children to dig deep into His word, allowing deep roots and a thriving spirit to unfold.
Are you spending enough time with the Father? Are you allowing His Word to penetrate so deeply that you cannot act in any other way? Maybe you have acted in a way not profitable to the kingdom, but because you are so rooted God would not let go of your heart until you made it right. This is a true, healthy, abiding relationship with the Father. Allow your roots to be refreshed and renewed today by diving into the refreshing pool of the Word. 

​Has there ever been a time in your life when you did something so many times, you were on autopilot?  Maybe there was something in your surroundings that you heard or saw so many times, you no longer noticed it? My parent’s house was on a highly traveled road when we were younger.  Before they built a four-lane road, we had traffic including large Semi-trucks.  When friends would spend the night they would comment on the traffic noise.  I remember being puzzled by the statement because I was so desensitized to it; I never noticed it at all.   In the same way, people have become desensitized (immune) to the Lord and His work.  Often time’s people might mention “what a coincidence” or how “lucky” someone was for good fortune. Often times Christians go to church because that’s what you do on Sunday, not  because they anticipate being in the Lord’s presence, but rather to satisfy a ritual. Chances are, if you are not expecting something to happen, you will miss it when it does!
 
I want us to look at Luke 2:22-24
Luke 2:22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
The Israelite’s and their religious leaders had been praying for years for the Lord to send them a Savior. The problem was they had expectations of how the Lord would accomplish this goal. Have you ever placed expectations on anyone, including God?  What happened when things did not go as you had “expected”? Generally, the attitude is terrible, and a feeling of disappointment abides . The answer to their prayers had already been fulfilled. The expectation was a grand ruler, with great force.  The reality was a baby, in a lowly manager.

When they brought Jesus into the temple to be presented to the Lord there was no grand parade, actually right the opposite.  Mary and Joseph would have been required to bring a sin offering and a burnt offering to sacrifice in the temple.  Normally, the sacrifice would include a lamb, and a pigeon, however in Leviticus twelve it gives another option for those who could not afford a lamb.
 
8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a   
 burnt offering and the other for a sin offering.
 
So don’t miss this part of the story. Mary (the mother of Jesus) walks into the temple with a pair of turtledoves. She did not have enough money for a lamb. Immediately, people would have looked at Mary and Joseph with their turtledoves and acknowledged they were poor. They surely would have felt a sense of condemnation and judgement for not living up to the standard of others in the temple. Just a small side note.  How many people are written off daily because the person does not think, look, or act a certain way?  Hmmmmm...........

What the people missed about Mary and Joseph was that although they did not have “a lamb”, they had THE lamb! The Lamb of God was in the temple, as the answered prayer, and those around them did not even know it. As I write these words, in my mind I envision priest-offering sacrifices, the Pharisees reading over the law, people making donations of money, and the list goes on and on.  Because they were so busy with activities in the temple, they were missing the point “of the Temple”- the Lord! The Lord was right in front of them, the Savior, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, but they didn’t even see Him.  Because they put expectations on the Lord, it blinded them to all the possibilities of how God could work. Today the answer to your prayer might be sitting right in front of you, but you don’t even know it because you are refusing to receive it, the way God delivered it!! It makes me cringe to think of how many times I have missed God in my own life because I would not accept the way the Lord chose to answer it. 

Priscilla Shirer told a story about a lady in Africa.  They lady said, “we here in Africa pray for you in America.”  Priscilla curiously asked, “Why? As she sat in a small hut with a mud floor.” She said “Americans try to buy their lamb with all their stuff, we don’t have any stuff, so The Lamb is all we’ve got. He is enough.” If there were ever a time to drop the mic, it would have been after these words!! It drives my heart to repentance for desiring things that could never bring real joy and contentment, and not allowing God to be enough!

God only acknowledges two people in a large crowd, that recognizes Jesus, Simeon and Anna.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 
36There was also a prophetess named Anna, who was well along in years. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
 
Notice that the scripture said the Holy Spirit was upon him. I believe when we are saved we have the Holy Spirit in us, but I also believe when we are feverishly seeking Him, He also rest a special portion of favor upon us. Christina Caine stated, "A gifted speaker/pastor can stir up emotions in a room full of people, but lack power to break sin.  The anointed can speak, and chains of bondage are broken in the name of Jesus.  What we need are more who are anointed, not gifted." Simeon was a priest who was expecting the Lord.  He was always looking for the Lord to show up to save His people.  Simeon did not put expectations on how the Lord would show up, only that He would! Because of His willingness to accept the Lord at His word he was blessed to recognize the Savior.  Also, Anna was able to recognize Jesus as the redeemer.  Now some of you may want to hold onto your seats because Anna was a woman, and a prophetess.  She had duties in the temple, and she prophesied when she saw Jesus. Because she earnestly sought the Lord in the temple, the Lord opened her eyes to see. This is a great reminder that the Lord can speak  and allow insight through anyone he chooses, no matter the shape, size, color, or gender. 
 
Please don't miss the main point that all these people were  in "church", but missed the Lord.  May we not be guilty of playing church, but rather God would faithfully find us being the church!  


As the journey begins for the next forty-days I am asking the Lord to open my eyes like never before. Maybe your prayer could be like mine, “Lord I am so sorry for all the times I missed your work in my life. I ask that as I intentionally walk closer with you these forty-days, you would open my spiritual eyes in ways I could never imagine. Lord that you would allow me to see where you are working in all areas of my life, and get on board with you. Lord help me to be like Simeon and Anna, that I may seek you morning and night, always expecting you to show up in my day. 

​Sometimes we allow our feelings to get the best of us. Feelings are great, but not always accurate or trustworthy.  Sometimes they quit on you when you really need them, and other times won’t go away when you wish they would. God has worked on me for a solid 15 years on this subject. I use to have a pretty good size mess because I would say or act on how I felt immediately. Do not misunderstand, there is a time and place for a reply, but only after it’s been thought through and analyzed. As Christians we are held to a higher standard that commands us to not live by our feelings, but to love one another as God loves us. People can also have a misguided understanding of God’s calling. Some think if it’s God’s call then everything will be butterflies and roses. I can tell you from the last year of our life, I feel we have been in God’s will every step of the way with these two little ones, yet we have experienced a lot of stress, tears, and frustration. We never planned it, our hearts resisted it, yet here we are a year later with four kids. Why? We knew it was God’s will, but it wasn’t the desire of our flesh. You see our flesh knew it would take money we didn’t have, patience we would have to mustard, and lots of grace.  Basically a lot of work! So we had a choice be obedient and do the work, or allow our flesh to have its way. If we had passed on the chance to be obedient, we would have missed the most refining time in our life.  God has shown up and out in our lives in ways we never could have imagined. I share this story with you to encourage you that God‘s call on your life sometimes comes with conflicting emotions. Do not let the desires of the flesh rob you of some of God’s most amazing blessings! Craig Groeschel states,”Obedience is our responsibility. The outcome is God’s responsibility.” Today if you are seeking God about His will I encourage to pray Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This verse does not mean God will give you whatever you want. It means when we acknowledge Him we are lining our self up under Him, which in return will allow His heart to be our heart. It doesn’t happen overnight, but God is faithful!!

 ​Are you taken back by the question in the title? Does this almost offend you? Well Craig Groeschel wrote a whole book about it. Literally the gist is that we say one thing as Christians, but completely live our lives differently. For example, we state in our faith "the Lord will provide for all our needs" (needs not wants), yet we spend hours upon hours stressing about how WE will make it work. We proclaim that "Jesus is the peace that passes all understanding", but many Christian homes are not peaceful. We say adamantly "we should love one another", however when presented the opportunity to deal with a difficult person in love, we refuse. The list could go on and on. As Christians no one wants to hear us talk, they want to see us act. Those of the world want to find hope in something. They want to experience something different and unexplainable. In order for us to live like we believe it, it will require great sacrifice. It will require dying to ourself not only daily, but hourly, maybe even minute to minute. Without the proof of our actions, our words are just that, useless words. I am reminded of the verse in Matthew, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”

Wow, that stings!! Let’s ponder how our actions may not be matching up to our bold worship on Sunday. 

Have you seen the new AT&T commercials “ok is not ok” where the surgeon pops his head into the patient's room and remarks "Are you nervous?"  The patient replies, “Yes.” The doctor then responds, “Me too.” As he walks out of the room he throws over his shoulder, "Don't worry about it we'll figure it out." I don't know about you, but if I am having surgery I don't want ok, I want the best! The statement “it’s ok” simply implies, it will do, its not great but whatever, and in general settling for second rate. Sometimes I feel like maybe we are being lackadaisical in our faith toward the Lord. Are we offering the Lord our best, or are we like the commercial "its ok." I want to remind you today, as God has reminded me, why it is so important to take your faith serious and evaluate your life as we head into 2019.

This week I was studying my Sunday school lesson about the Passover.  It was specifically speaking about the first Passover the Israelites experienced.  If you are not familiar with the story, the Lord was freeing His people from Egypt, but Pharaoh was not cooperating.  The Lord had sent plagues displaying His awesome power in order to give Pharaoh the opportunity to change his mind, but to no avail.  The final plaque would be one of great sorrow and loss.  God issued death over every first-born son in the household.  In order to protect those who believed and served Him, God instructed the sacrifice of a lamb and blood to be placed above the doorpost. The death angel would pass over the houses with the blood, knowing they were children of the Lord. You see the Israelites were sure to follow God’s directions to the letter because their child’s life depended on it, yet in other times we find them in open rebellion. So what made this time different? Often whether or not you obey depends on what you feel you have at stake. I love how the book framed it.  "The Lord brought judgment on every house in Egypt, both Jew and Egyptian.  That night every household either had a dead lamb, or a dead son. For those who placed their faith in God and took shelter under the blood, the lamb took what the son deserved." I cannot even read this without getting chills.  This was simply a foreshadowing of what Christ would later do for us on the cross.  Jesus would shed his blood on the cross to pay a debt that wasn't His, but mankind.
 
If you have taken shelter under the blood of the lamb (Jesus), are you living like someone who has been spared his or her life, or are you flippant and casual about your salvation?  Have you told anyone about Jesus lately? Have you shown an unnatural grace to those around you? Is getting the next material thing more important than doing God's will? Just as God sent judgment to the people in the Old Testament, one day He will send judgment again. If you are not under the blood you will spend an eternity in hell, but if you have taken refuge in Christ you will have eternal life.  However, as Christians we will still stand before the Lord to answer for every word and deed.  I just wonder if you stood there today would you be confident in your words and deeds.  I can assure you the thought makes me shudder. My point is to be urgent to share the gospel with others, and to be diligent in your actions. If you found an amazing product I am sure you would share it right away.  Why then hold back the greatest gift, which gives eternal life?
Our Youth Pastor, Josh Boyd, preached, "to choose our own way is to reject the Lord."  Let those words sit heavy on your heart.  Every time we choose what the flesh desires; we are making a choice not to follow the Lord.  The Bible is clear you cannot serve two masters. "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Matthew 6:24

I pray that you will read the familiar scripture John 3:16 over again, and allow its meaning to wash fresh over you.  Salvation cannot be earned, but freely given.  Because Christ loved you so much, he sacrificed His only Son.  What would it mean to give up one of your children?  I dare say you would fight tooth and nail to keep them. How it must have broken God’s heart to turn his head away from His Son as Jesus bore all of man’s sins upon the cross. You were bought with a very high price because you are loved.   I pray that God would allow His deep, agape love to consume you, that it may allow you, as well as myself, to become more urgent about living a life pleasing to the Lord.