"So, Let's Exhale Together..."

Even though life's journey can often be a long and winding road, let's remember Jesus is not only our ultimate destination but He is also immediately with us, yes even alive intimately within us. 

So, let's exhale together realizing there's no need for destination disease, only an opportunity for fellowship for forever with The One called Wonderful. 

And let's not forget that our forever is not just later, it is already underway now because we know Him. 

Give away your life... 

Grateful

Together: The Characteristic of True Christianity

The main characteristic of True Christianity is the "together" aspect. False religions call for an isolated holy life. Try and develop a holy life in private, and you will find it cannot be done. Individuals can only live the true Christian life when they are dependent on God and one another. When you try to develop holiness alone and fix your eyes on your own goodness, you lose the whole meaning of true Christianity. Yes, Jesus spent much time alone with the Father in prayer and He also spent a lot of time together with people.

-- Oswald Chambers remixed 

(Read Acts 4:32 & Hebrews 10:24-25)

Give your life away... To God and others.

Grateful 

"THE LIVING GOD"

What if we began every day and ended every night believing in these three words to the Max: "THE LIVING GOD!" Early this morning the idea of "THE LIVING GOD" illuminated my mind and tonight as I am about to call it a day, I still cannot shake the powerful thought!

Friends, our God's not dead. He really is ALIVE! The way I make it personal for my own life is to connect THE LIVING GOD to my family and to say something like this: "THE LIVING GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is also THE LIVING GOD of Billy, Kerry, and Grayson."

THE LIVING GOD IS INDEED THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER!

I invite you to join me, yes, to "give away your life..." ...to THE LIVING GOD!

Grateful  

  

"Understand All Mysteries..."

Among the most mysterious things for me to understand is the passage of time, yes, the brevity of our earthly lives as human beings.

Today, my two brothers and I have journeyed to the island of our upbringing to share one meal together with our Mom on her 73rd birthday. The time of travel will be much longer than our time together. Yet, we were drawn here as this is our Mom's first birthday since Dad's Heavenly departure. 

I took a short drive today around my native island reminiscing about my boyhood. I went down the Old Ferry Dock Road and entered the Virgie Mae Cemetery. Immediately, I recognized many names on the gravestones before finally arriving at Dad's burial spot. 

As I exited the graveyard, I stopped by the Seaside Convenience Store to fill my coffee mug with decaf. Gathered around the coffee pot were four local men between my age and Dad's -- Panny, Winkle, Doug and Rickey. I knew when I saw them that I wasn't there for just coffee.

As I tenderly encouraged the men, and gently but surely confessed Jesus to them, I couldn't help but think if I would ever see some of them again in this short lifetime of ours. 

So, the mystery deepens. Indeed, the passage of time confounds me, yet I have peace that surpasses all understanding. 

So, I will journey onward until I see Jesus, where on That Day I will understand all mysteries completely. 

Give away your life...

Grateful 

Reveal

Most often, God primarily reveals to us Who He Is, not necessarily what He's up to. 

Jesus Himself wants to be our Total Vision.  

"Lord, help us to know You for Who You are, not just know about You. Reveal Yourself to us so we might be utterly changed from death to life. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Give away your life...

Grateful 

Completely Irrelevent

“The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self.” -- Henri Nouwen

"Give away your life..."

Grateful

"I am so totally dependent..."

I am so totally dependent on You, Jesus. In those moments of insanity when I forget my dependence on You, please let Your mind overtake mine and bring me back to hear and believe Your words recorded in John 15:5 -- "Apart from Me, you can do nothing."

Lord, Your are...

my Bread of Life, 

my Living Water, 

my Breath of Existence, 

my Everything all-the-time... 

and for-all-time.

I love You so much, Jesus, because You first Loved me TOO MUCH! In Your Name I offer these honest words as worship to You and You alone. Amen. 

Grateful 

The Sound Track of Your Life...

My prayer for you is that 2015 will be a year when The Lord gives you a song in the night hours. Yes, I wholeheartedly pray The Lord will prove to be The Sound Track of all of your days until you see Him face-to-face and the sight of His Beauty takes all your pain and sorrow away and replaces the suffering you now know with The Unending Song of His Healing Presence for forever! 

"Give away your life..."

Grateful  

"I So Long to Know You..."

Jesus, I so long to know You in the Beauty of Your Holiness.

Your Life is the only Light that truly leads my heart to Hope.

Overwhelm my mind with deep desire to live all of my days in all of Your ways.

Be my Redeeming Savior, High Priest and King of Kings and reign in the Sanctuary of my soul for forever. 

In Your Holy Name, I pray. Amen.

"Give away your life..."

Grateful  

Right, Wrong...

"Always remember you can do the right thing in the wrong way." 

-- Daryl Blank

"Give away your life..."

Grateful 

For Parents of Prodigals...

"For parents of prodigal children, it's not your job-description to be their preacher, just the One who carries them to God in prayer and leaves the porch light on."

-- Bud Reedy Remixed 

"Give away your life..."

Grateful 

"Can God" vs. "God Can"

Instead of asking "Can God do anything" say "God Can can do anything!" That will right many a wrong. There's no victory in unbelief. Let us enlarge our hearts and not limit God. Our wonder-working God can surpass all our expectation. 

"Give away your life..."

Grateful

Usefulness

Never make your own usefulness to God the measurement for true spiritual success. It's not your usefulness to God but your value by God that matters most.

"Give away your life..."

Grateful

"Keep Still!"

"When trouble is brewing, keep still!

When your feelings are hurt, keep still!

Things look different through an unagitated eye." -- Cowman

"Give away your life..."

Grateful 

"Dead Christ vs. Living Christ"

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?" What is the difference between a dead Christ, whom the women went to anoint, and a living Christ? A dead Christ, I must do everything for; a living Christ does everything for me.”

-- Andrew Murray 

Grateful 

It's So Wonderful

Jesus spoke these words in John 16:23, "Whatever you ask the Father in My Name..."

Isn't that wonderful? It's so wonderful that I do not suppose more than half of us really believe it.

Jesus also said, "Everyone who asks receives..."

Isn't that wonderful? It's so wonderful that many of us have never asked God to give us the Holy Spirit because we don't believe He will.

God forgive. God forbid. 

-- Oswald Chambers remixed

"Give away your life..."

Grateful

"I Utterly Died..."

"The secret of my life is 'there was a day when I utterly died to George Mueller -- to his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; I died also to the world, it's approval or censure; died to the approval or blame of even my family and friends. Since then I have studied to show myself approved only unto God.'" -- George Mueller

"Give away your life..."

Grateful

"Sooner or Later?"

"Sooner or later our wills must yield allegiance to some force greater than our own -- either Jesus or the devil." 

Oswald Chambers 

Giive away your life... today... to Jesus!

Grateful 

"Unseen"

The substance is found in the unseen. 

"Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29

"Give away your life..."

Grateful 

Mercy Never Goes Unrewarded

I began my Sunday message this morning titled "Give... Mercy" with this short story I ran across as I researched "'mercy". Not sure who the author is, but it simply accents a profound Biblical truth. Enjoy.

One hot summer day, a lion was fast asleep in the cool shade of a big tree. A mouse lived in a nearby hole. Suddenly it came out of its hole and saw the sleeping lion.

Unmindful of the lion’s strength, the mouse was tickled by an idea. It thought of waking the lion by running over his body for fun only.

But to his bad luck, the lion seized it in his strong paw. He was going to kill it when it begged, “Spare me, sir ; I may repay your mercy some day.”

The lion was amused to hear the words of the mouse and let it go with a smile. But a few days later, the lion was caught in a hunter’s net under that very tree. So, he roared aloud.

The mouse came out of its hole to hear the roar. It was time to repay the lion’s mercy. So, it set about nibbling the cords of the net and set the lion free in no time.

Remember to GIVE MERCY! Afterall, Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7.

"Give away your life..."

Grateful

Heavenly Vine

Jesus, The Life-Giving, Heavenly Vine,

So glad I am Yours and You are mine. 

Read John 15.

Grateful 

"The Only Way to Go Astray..."

"The only way to go astray is to ignore Jesus. He is my prototype. In Him I have found who I am to be. God has placed in Jesus Everything He wants me to have. In Christ I am complete. Outside of Jesus there is nothing."

-- Stephen Manley, Evangelist 

Give away your life... to Jesus today.

Grateful  

Experiencing Submission?

If God is allowing you to experience a seemingly endless season of submission -- if you feel that you are losing a sense of who you are and what His purpose for your life is -- rejoice, because it more than likely means Jesus is wondrously making you one with Who He is. 

Give away your life to Him... And be...

...Grateful 

Love

1 Corinthians 13 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Love

13 I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. ² I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don’t have love, I am nothing. ³ I may even give away all that I have and give up my body to be burned.^[a] But if I don’t have love, none of these things will help me.

⁴ Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. ⁵ It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. ⁶ It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. ⁷ Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.

⁸ Love never comes to an end. There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used. ⁹ Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete. ¹⁰ But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be used. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways. ¹² Now we see a blurred image in a mirror. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then I will have complete knowledge as God has complete knowledge of me.

¹³ So these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the best one of these is love.

Love... Gives away its life...

Grateful

Make Me An Empty Jar of Clay

Lord, I want to be nothing except an empty jar of clay, yes, a vessel of your own design and desire, so that your Abiding Presence can be placed in and poured through me, thereby producing an overflowing blessing (for Your Glory) to others. 

Grateful 

"As You Suffer for a Little While"

1 Peter 5:10 (GWT) -- "God, Who shows you His kindness and Who has called You through Jesus Christ to enter His glory, will restore you, strengthen you, make you strong, and support you as you suffer for a little while." 

"Give away your life..." 

Luke 6:38 (The Message Bible)

Grateful 

My Prayer Based on Luke 6:46-49

Dearest Lord Jesus:

Lord, I want to be one who:

(1) Comes to You;

(2) Hears what You say;

(3) And, Obeys totally.

Let this lifestyle of undeniable faith be the unshakable foundation of my life. 

Lord, I give away my life, to You.

In Your Holy Name, I humbly pray.

Amen.

Grateful 

"Packing Away the Christmas Decorations"

It's January 2, 2015, my friends. 

With the weather forecast promising some colder weather, it made "common sense" to take down the outdoor Christmas lights in today's milder weather; so I did. I really didn't want to start packing away the Christmas decorations, but I sensed it was time.

A dear friend told me earlier this week, that he gets troubled when he starts putting the Christmas things away each January. I feel his pain. 

With my Dad's November passing, I needed the warmth and glow of Christmas this past December like no other time in my life. In fact, I'm keeping a few decorations up inside the house until I decide to put them away. Some will likely stay out until December comes again, Lord willing. I need all the inspiration I can get. 

And yes, in case you're wondering, I'm doing my very best to focus forward, and it's happening slowly but surely. 

The past is fading fast and the future is presently calling my name. I want to move onward, even though a part of my heart hates that Christmas 2014 is all but gone.

My attention is now turning quickly to God's Word. I am sure I will especially spend the majority of 2015 saturating in one particular book of the New Testament. For now, I won't reveal which book, but it will soon be all too obvious as I begin to preach and blog and tweet in the days forward. 

I am so glad God has given me Scriptural direction. It seems more clear this year than ever and I am so grateful.

I pray today that the joy of The Lord will be your strength and mine. I pray that any trepidation we have about tomorrow will give way to anticipation today. And even though Christmas is gone, I pray we will know in every moment for the rest of our lives that Emmanuel is here -- Christ with us and, yes, within us. 

Give away your life...

Grateful 

(I left one outdoor decoration up. Yes, a bow around the front yard tree. My Dad started this tradition. It was once his way to welcome his family back home. Now I continue the tradition to remind me that Dad is HOME and I'm not HOME yet but will be Someday.)

New Year Questions to Minimize Regrets & Maximize Rejoicing

If it were possible, would we like to change anything about our past lives?

Well, while our past can be forgiven, (and that's a good thing) neither God, nor you and I, can change yesterday's regrets, right? While we should "go back" and make restitution with others wherever possible, we cannot go back and relive days gone by.

However, if we would like things in our present and future to be delightfully different than some of the regrets of our past, now's the time to allow God to make the course corrections in our journey.

Will we allow God to change us now and later?

Will we partner with God in total, trust-filled obedience, thereby minimizing future regrets?

Will we allow God to have His way with His clay, today... and tomorrow?

If we say "Yes, to God's will and to His way" right now and continue to say "Yes", I'd forecast for us a very Holy New Year and Beyond, indeed!

So, I offer Hope-filled, Holy Cheers to you my friends! In other words, I'm in for a present and a future focused on minimizing future regrets and maximizing forever rejoicing. How about you?

Let's Live in the Light!

Grateful