Finally here....

This is a day I have been looking forward to! It is a little after 3 a.m. and I have showered and eaten. Been up for more than half an hour. I have over an hour drive to my hunting destination for the day. Going out for sika in a GREAT spot!

Can't wait to see how the day turns out! Oh how I love deer hunting! Especially sika deer. They are the neatest little creatures and the taste so good!

A Change of Scenery

It was WONDERFUL to change location over the Thanksgiving Holiday. The girls were all off and I can work from remote locations very easily due to the cell phone and internet. So, that is what I did... we traveled to Virginia to visit Sharon's family and celebrate Thanksgiving there and while the girls stood in lines on Friday, I worked from my VA office.

It was great to get away. Amazing how refreshing that is!

Stolen from Tami Brown...

Tami Brown had this posted as her facebook status tonight. I love it... so, I copied and pasted it here...

"Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting."

Audacious Hope...

This year for Advent, I am looking at the theme Audacious Hope. The scripture references will be from the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 9:2-7 this week and then Isaiah 11:1-9, 35:1-10, and finally 52:7-10. It is impossible to read those passages and not hear the hope of God bursting through the seams!

One of my facebook friends just posed the question about the difference between hope and optimisim. Optimism is about how we see things. The perspective with which we look. Hope is of God. God is the one who grants hope. And God's hope is audacious!

Spend some time reading Isaiah 9:2-7 this week and see if you don't feel, hear, see the audacious hope of God!

Just got word....

I just got word that I have been selected to be part of Mark Batterson's newest book - Primal- Blog tour. They are giving out a free copy of his book to bloggers so that we can review it on our blog.

I did this for his second book - Wild Goose Chase.

I am a big fan of Mark's. Really appreciate his thoughts and writings. And I am looking forward to reading and reviewing this latest book of his.

Here is a quote from the book..."We have a tendency to complicate Christianity. Jesus simplified it: Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If we are to live out the essence of Christianity, we must commit to being great at this Great Commandment."

I've been saying this for a while now with the addition of Love Others!

The challenge before us...

Out of today's Bible reading... "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?" (Matthew 5:43-47)

Jesus makes it clear here that we are to do something that for most of us is challenging! And that is to love our enemies. To love those people who we don't like. It is easy to love those who like us! But that is not his call in our lives!

Doing God's Work...

Ever wonder what God's will is for your life? Ever spend lots of time praying for God to reveal what he wants you to do?

Sometimes that approach can keep us from doing anything for the Lord!

We don't have to wait for God to reveal anything to us. In fact waiting keeps us from doing what God wants us to do! All we need to do is walk out our front door and look around... God will reveal needs that we can meet and ways that we can share his love with others. Listen to the people you come in contact with and take notice of what is happening in their lives and you will soon see ways you can be the hands and feet of Jesus.

I find that God reveals his desires for us as we live our lives out in the world... So get out there and listen, look, and then ACT!

Pray withOUT ceasing... NEVER GIVE UP!

It's hard to do sometimes. And depending on the situation, it is easy to take the "it will never change" approach. But last night I learned again that it is best to NEVER GIVE UP when praying for someone!

I have a friend, who has been living for a few years with a really terrible marriage relationship and it only seemed to be getting worse. In my mind, it was beyond hope... headed down a dead-end street.

But I am happy to say that last night he reported to me that things "couldn't be better!" In their nearly 20 years of marriage, he feels that his marriage relationship is stronger and better than it has been ever! And when I asked him what happened... his answer was "Prayer!"

SO,pray withOUT ceasing... NEVER GIVE UP!

Thought for the day...

Just read some promo material on Mark Batterson's new book, "Primal". And one thing he said sticks with me... "we can not afford to be GOOD at the Great Commandment. We must be GREAT at the Great Commandment."

It is our primary calling... to Love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind AND to love our neighbor as ourself! When we are GREAT at that... the world will become a different place to live and work and play and enjoy!

Some more thoughts on worship...

Worship reframes our problems and refocuses our lives!

I am thankful for opportunites to worship God alone and together with brothers and sisters in the faith. It truly does change my perspective on things and closes the gap between God and myself!

If you feel God is distant.... stop! Reflect on your life. Think of all the blessings you have and begin thanking God for them. Before long you will feel an incredible sense of connection with God and he will feel close by!

Enter...

Working on Psalm 100 for the weekend. Traditional rendering is "Enter His gates with thanksgiving." Eugene Peterson translates that, "Thanksgiving is the password."

Now there is something to think about!

Indescribable!

I just love being outdoors this time of year! I especially love the Fall deer woods. For me it only rivals the spring turkey woods. So, yesterday, I spend some time outdoors in the beauty of the Fall woods looking for deer. I was about 25 feet in the air in a pine tree. I did manage to have 9 deer come by. As I sat there, I couldn't help but enjoy the beauty of God's creation and marvel at his handiwork.

This morning on my walk at the mall, the sermon I was listening to on my ipod ended before my walk, so, I turned on a Chris Tomlin song.... totally random... and it was called Indescribable. For me this song sums up my feelings when I am sitting in a tree in the fall... or in a meadow in the spring...

"From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea, creation's revealing Your majesty. From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring, every creature unique in the song that is sings. All exclaiming: indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing God. And all-powerful, untamable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim: You are amazing God!"

Hospitality...

I am reading Fred Bernhard's new book, "Deep and Wide: Hospitality and the Faithful Church" that he wrote with Steve Clapp and Ed Bontrager. In it they define hospitality as follows: "Hospitality is the attitude and practice of providing the atmosphere and opportunities, however risky, in which strangers become friends, therby feeling accepted, included, and loved. The relationship thus opens the possibility for eventual communion among the host, the stranger, and God."

They also say that "Hospitality invloves recognizing the presence of Christ in family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and complete strangers. It means responding to others as we would respond to the presence of Christ in our midst."

Think about what a differente world we would live in if every christ follower extended hospitality to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and complete strangers becasue Christ is present in all people!

Your Challenges Can Be Great Opportunities!

God can use your challenges, struggles, difficulties in great ways.

We never know what we are going to face in life. But no matter what it is, I am confident of two things. One, we face it with God. And two, whatever it is can be used to help others. Whatever experiences we have can equip us for ministry with other people who are going through similar struggles. Our experiences give us some understanding and an awareness of what is happening.

I have been so grateful for the countless friends who have been on the road with Diabetes longer than I. They have offered encouragment and insight that has been helpful beyond measure!

So, my encouragement to all of us is not to let a challenge, struggle, difficulty, or diagnosis keep you from the opportunity for ministry!

Today's Hardworking Crew....