Vacation....

I am on vacation today and the weather is cold and rainy. I am actually glad it is rainy because it will force to me to do what I need to do instead of being tempted to go outside.

Vacation is funny when you are the only one on it. My wife is at work and the kids are at the babysitters and I have a couple of hours of reading to do and hours of studying to do. I have things to do around the house and sounds like I get to be on the phone for an hour to try and get our PC fixed. That should be fun since I am computer illiterate....

On the other hand it is nice to be able to stick around the house and do some studding and refuel my system. Studying is confidence building.... I was never a good student in school, but I have taken my studies for God very serious and I am doing well. It is nice to take a test and know the answers it makes you feel good. It is very rewarding.... I have never been excited to get my grades back until now... God is good.

God I pray as the day progresses that I am able to stay focused on what needs to be done today.... Amen.

Final Answer....

Well I have a test coming up next week and I just started to study tonight. I am a little concerned about how much I have yet to learn before the test, but I am really enjoying what I am learning.... Who would have ever thought that learning about God and HIS word would be so enjoyable.

It is hard to believe that I am well into my second quarter of Ministry and I am still enjoying the hard work and time this takes. Seriously I am learning so much about myself and God. It is amazing what you can miss when you read the Bible.... It is full meaning and life... It is layers upon layers of life giving information.

I sometimes wonder how people say they do not believe what the Bible says. Really? Have you read it? I mean have you really read it? If you read it God will speak to you....

God I pray that you continue to draw near and continue to lead me in the way YOU want me to go. I pray that you continue to reveal truth to me.... In Jesus name, Amen.

Frustration sets in....

My life seems to revolve around selling my house. We have had an open house and a whopping one couple come through, but then we had a double showing today..... Now that sounds like good news, however I couldn't tell if they both showed because they never left a business card. It is so frustrating selling a home.

I am coming to believe that I will never move again. It is really frustrating trying to keep the house spotless with half of your stuff packed away to make the house seem bigger and all the while living in it with two kids.

I really am at a loss... I do not know how to handle this consuming season of my life. I honestly find myself pleading with God to sell the house.

God help me... Draw near to me and speak to me regarding this..... I often wonder why I do not slow down to listen too what YOU have to say.... I think it because of fear... I am afraid that it will not sell.... I pray in the name of Jesus for help.... Amen.

Open

Well today we are having yet another open house. We are getting closer and closer to our dead line to sell the house and I can feel the pressure mounting.... I have been praying, no more like pleading to God to sell our house. We first said we wanted to make $10,000 on the house and now we are willing to take a couple of thousand dollar loss just to move on with our life. Our new home will be done in September and that sounds like a long time, but it will be here before we know it.

Every week that passes the more stressed I become. I do not want to get to the end of this and walk away from a brand new home... I am more stressed about letting other people down than myself. I do not want to waste the mortgage company's time, the builders time, my family's time or waste the hopes and dreams that we have.

I just feel that God has been apart of how we got where we are and I can not help but think that everything is going to work out. My only problem with that is my history.... I have twice thought God was in something and both times it didn't work out. I need God more than ever in this time and place in my life, so if anyone reads this please pray that someone buys our home. I know that our home will be a blessing for someone, it has been a great home for seven years and I know we will not live here forever.

God I pray that this trail in our life passes and we grow closer to you. I pray that we see and learn whatever it is we are to learn from this for your glory. I pray that this helps strengthen our faith for our Lord and that we can step into the next thing you are calling us into.... In Jesus name....Amen.

Honored....

I am so honored to be able to partner with a passionate man of God. This man of God is one of those people that infect you with his passion. I love just hearing him talk about what God is doing in his life and how God is putting people in his path that to help him plant a Church to expand Gods kingdom. I just can't help but get excited....

I have been a Christian for over 6 years and for the first time I have a pastor.... I had a pastor in another ministry for a few years, but I always knew that God will call him to something bigger. I am now blessed to serve with this man of God.... It really is a blessing.

I am babbling I know but sometimes I can not help my excitement.

God I thank you have chosen me to be apart of this amazing journey. I pray that we have discernment to empower your disciples to bring up disciples. I pray that we can expand YOUR kingdom for you glory.... Amen.

Honored....

I am so honored to be able to partner with a passionate man of God. This man of God is one of those people that infect you with his passion. I love just hearing him talk about what God is doing in his life and how God is putting people in his path that to help him plant a Church to expand Gods kingdom. I just can't help but get excited....

I have been a Christian for over 6 years and for the first time I have a pastor.... I had a pastor in another ministry for a few years, but I always knew that God will call him to something bigger. I am now blessed to serve with this man of God.... It really is a blessing.

I am babbling I know but sometimes I can not help my excitement.

God I thank you have chosen me to be apart of this amazing journey. I pray that we have discernment to empower your disciples to bring up disciples. I pray that we can expand YOUR kingdom for you glory.... Amen.

Do you believe?

I am a huge Cincinnati fan... I love my Bengals and my Reds, but I seem to be saying to myself they are not that good... Are they? I am having a hard time believing that my Reds are as good as they are playing. I keep waiting for the bottom to fall out and if they lose a couple of games I find myself thinking OK here it goes. I keep listening and watching and they just keep winning. I want to believe, but I can't get myself to really believe.

Have you ever thought that about something? I find myself doing this in life everywhere.... Does that make me a negative person or a person with little faith or someone who says poor pitiful me? It seems like whenever I think something amazing is going to happen something tends to come up and it doesn't work out that way. It never catches me by surprise because I am looking for that exact thing to happen.

I wonder if that is why it happens... I wonder if I bring on the "bad karma" because I am waiting for it? I sometimes struggle with that in my faith. I sometimes think God is calling me into something and for some reason I think I fail and it doesn't surprise me, again because that is what I am expecting to happen.

I remember growing up I played everything not to lose and I sometimes find myself doing the same things now. When you play not to lose you are basically saying OK the other guy will have to beat me, because I am going to play it safe and chances are I will come out on top. I will not make a mistake.... So instead of going to my strengths or pursuing somebody's weakness I would almost do nothing.... You see how easy it is for someone to come in and take what you are protecting.

When I read the Bible I do not see God playing it safe.... God is all about letting it all hang out and letting people decide on their own. HE will let people know where HE stands and let everyone else struggle with HIM.

God I pray that I can become more like you. I pray that I let people know where I stand with you and what you mean to me and let them worry about how that effects them. I pray that I learn to pick my battles and rely on you to help me with my weakness and use my strengths for the kingdom of God... Amen.

Tired.

I have been carrying a schedule that doesn't have much room to add much of anything. I often wonder when my body is going to just shut down. Have you ever pushed yourself to the point when your body just starts shutting down and you have no choice but to do nothing but relax and sleep. I have hit those points many times and I can see the same thing on the horizon...

My schedule has a 50 - 55 hour 6 day work week, a school schedule of 6 hours a week of class time, a couple of hours a week working of on a Church plant, reading and/or studying for school for 8 - 15 hours a week, I have two great little girls to spend time with, selling and building a house, still involved in another ministry and a small group to attend every other week. My body is aching and tired....

I am trusting that God will continue to provide the energy I need when I need it. I often try to study or read and wake up some ten or fifteen minutes later.... I know I am pushing myself to hard and I know my grades will suffer if I do not find time to rest.... I am praying that God will provide me with some wisdom in this area of my life. I need to reduce my work load so I can live and not just work....

God I pray that you will continue to use me and I pray that I learn how to manage life and learn to rest. God please continue to push me, I do not want to slow down I just want to learn how to rest..... Amen.