My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 23

Day 23, August 31, 2011

It was so wonderful to begin to watch our young adults group take shape today.  There is nothing more rewarding than to see the passion and excitement in our young adult group as we discuss new topics, purpose statements, and group names.  I am always delightfully surprised by the many awesome comments and insights our group interjects during each Wednesday night.  I love them and am so blessed to be able to lead the group with my wife. 

In the past couple weeks we began a weekly get together with our pastor to assess where we are with the student groups we lead, form new goals we hope to accomplish, and discuss new ways to overcome roadblocks we face.  These weekly meetings have really blessed us, as we have been able to better understand what the pastor expects of us along with being able to hone our own goals and purposes within the group.  It is so important to have a bearing in life and to know what you want to do and how you want to get there.  This is not to say that you will have it all figured out but it is definitely helpful to at least have a line of sight to where you want to go.

This is true in all areas of our life.  Without a bearing we are literally going nowhere.  I definitely do not subscribe to the, “let’s see where life takes us” mantra.  Though I am not always clear on what I am to be doing in my life, I am always clear that God is the captain and commander of my life.  My bearing is constantly set on Him and I trust even the glimpse of direction that he gives me.  Even if my bearing is no larger than walking from one side of the room to the other, I at least know that I need to walk to the other side of the room and that my Lord will provide more details as he sees fit. 

One of my previous boss’s, who was a wise mentor and Godly follower of God, gave me this wisdom, “take time to figure out what the last thing God said to you or the last thing God led you to do was and dwell there till He leads you to move or think on something else.”  At first, I did not understand what she meant because I was having enough trouble identifying what the last thing God had lead me in was but slowly as I began to pay attention to God’s leading on my heart I began to see the wisdom of staying exactly where God has me.  I am to seek first my Father’s will in all aspects of my life.  If I am not doing this, than I need to reorient myself and find my bearing in Him.  There is no life or purpose outside of God because He is the originator of life and our purpose. 

Have you found your bearings?  Do you know where God has you today or what the last word he laid on your heart was?  I hope you will take the time to ponder our Lord’s movement on your heart.  I love that the Lord is constantly working in us, growing and preparing us for each step in this life.  We are so blessed to have such a lovely creator who is intimately involved in our lives. 

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 22

Day 22, August 30, 2011

This day, 29 years ago, I was born in Cookeville Tennessee.  A birthday is a lot like New Years Eve for me except instead of a year-end review it is a life review.  On my birthday, I take a review of my life.  I take a look at what I have accomplished, what I still want to accomplish, how many people I have in my life who are important to me, and if I am in a better place this year than last.  Sometimes my birthdays have been quite depressing and others wonderfully uplifting. 

This year I turned twenty-nine and I think the reality that I am only one year away from thirty really took it’s toll.  There is something about changing decades that is sobering in all stages of life.  Thirty, for me, is that transition from being a young adult to just an adult.  It makes this year feel all the more important because it will be the last one I have in my twenties.  

I know many of you out there who are older and wiser than me know that the transition to thirty is not that big a deal and I am sure I will one day agree but today I plot what I want to accomplish by thirty.  In order to know what I want to accomplish this year, I have to look back and see where I am today.  I have come so far in my life and am so blessed to have a wife who loves me, a house, a job I love, a ministry position at my church, friends and family who love and support me, and the best friend a guy could ever have.  As I take stock in the things I still want to accomplish, Some things I think of are: to write a song worth recording, to write a book worth reading, to become a paid minister, to grow a garden with enough produce to last the winter, and to do something truly extraordinary for Christ’s kingdom.   

In the past year I have met and had the privilege of getting to know some wonderful people who have blessed and enriched my life.  I have discovered who my true friends are through their desires to continue a relationship whether we are in direct contact all the time or not.  My life has been one of many geographic transitions and throughout those many moves I have watched hundreds of people drop out of my life forever.  Some of those people were people that I dearly loved and others were just acquaintances. 

I do not expect people to stay in my life when I am no longer in close proximity to their lives be it through work, church, programs, activities, or otherwise because of the many people who have disappeared in the past.  This model has not held true in the past year though.   To my delight, people from jobs I used to work and churches I used to attend have kept up contact with me.  It is so foreign and yet delightful to have friends that don’t just disappear as life changes. 

My wife and I went out for a birthday dinner tonight and I invited a special group of friends from the church we used to attend and they all came to celebrate my birthday.  It was such a blessing to have them all around me and to know I was loved no matter what church I attended or where I was in my life.  Last year I worked for the census bureau and met many wonderful people.  They too have kept up contact lunch invitations and facebook chats.  I also have rekindled contact with some friends who were dear to me when I was younger, which helped me to see that sometimes friendships do continue to matter.  I have been more connected with past friends this year than ever before. 

 

The greatest example to me of love despite location has been my best friend who has kept constant contact with me despite being across the world in Spain.  He has been such a blessing to me in my walk, my day to day, and as an encourager and prayer warrior when I struggle.  I have complete confidence that he is there for me when I need him.  I have also learned the joy of caring for his daily struggles, joys, and accomplishments.  He had a baby girl last Christmas and I even think and pray about her each day.  You see my friend, his wife, and their child are like my blood family.  They mean a great deal to me and I am thankful for the blessing of our Lord introducing them to me. 

We have a great God who blesses us each day.  He is constantly teaching and growing us.  He is working to continually make us more like himself and surrounding us with those who will uplift and encourage us in our walks.  As I get older, I know the Lord will continue to shape and prepare me for each stage of life I am about to enter.  All in all I am blessed by the many people in my life who love me and whom I love also.  I am thankful for each of them and proud to know them.  The great outpouring of well wishes on facebook alone was a great example of the blessed life the Lord has given me.  I praise Him and thank him that he gave me this day and I look forward to all He is going to accomplish through me in the next year!

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 21

Day 21, August 29, 2011

You know it is an interesting thing when you allow the Lord to work through your life.  You never know what he can do in your life.  In the past four days I have written four songs.  I have been trying to write songs for many years and now all of a sudden the words and music are overflowing.  I was singing and writing songs as I rode the zero turn mower today.  The words and music were just flowing from my heart. 

I truly understand where David was coming from when he wrote, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” in Psalm 23:5.   When our Lord is at the head of your heart, he truly does fill the cup to overflowing.  Let Him bless you also to overflowing today.

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 19

Day 19, August 27, 2011

Today I had the joy of participating in the first band practice with friends from our church. I have personally wanted to collaborate in a band jam session for many years. This band is going to serve two purposes. First, we will hopefully be able to reach the teenagers and young singles in our church community by practicing and preparing modern worship and popular Christian songs. Second, we will be collaborating with each other to develop and create new songs, which we hope to perform live on stage one day or in a studio.

It was so thrilling when everyone got to my house this morning. Each person brought all their instruments and materials from their own attempts at writing songs. We had a wonderful time as we learned a song that one of the members had written just a week earlier. Our Lord is truly amazing in the wonderful variety of music that he can place in our souls. I myself had just written a song the night before, which I was able to perform for the guys. I love to watch God’s faithfulness as we give Him our heart longings and He is faithful to provide for us out of his great love.

All the songs we worked on today, were absolutely amazing! I could really see the Lord allowing these songs to grow into something so much bigger than us. Ever since I have been able to sing and play instruments, I have wanted nothing more than to be able to write songs that would reach out to those across our nation and the world. Until recently, I have not be able to create any songs of worth yet I have trusted the Lord to be faithful as I have been disciplined to develop my musical craft.

The lord blessed me with two songs within a 24-hour period and the most interesting thing is how different they are. One song is a soft love ballad and the other is an alternative style song about sin and pain. Our Lord is the center and the answer to both of these songs and I could not think of anything better to write about that the gloriousness of our savior and Lord. I just want to be able to sing the blessings of my Lord for the rest of my life to as many people as I can. In the parable of the talents told by Jesus, it is clear that we are to use and multiply the talents that God has given us both financially and through our personal abilities. There have been many times that I have not been faithful in using the many talents the Lord has given me due to fear, apathy, and lack of discipline.

I am so grateful that the Lord has brought this opportunity into my life along with the ability to perform worship at my job occasionally. He has blessed me so much through all he as taught me about music this year. Our Lord is a great and mighty God and can do so much through us if we allow him. Music reaches in and touches our soul. This is why it is so very important that each of us with musical talents use our abilities in service to the Lord to bless this world through song.

I know that not everyone agrees about what type of Christian music is truly beneficial for ministry. As Paul became all things to all people I too believe it is necessary for us to be able to minister to people in all music genres. There are definitely certain music genres I have no interest in but I hope that I can touch many people for our Lord’s kingdom through the genres I do love. Whatever the Lord is leading on your heart today to do in His name be it service, music, art, writing, teaching, loving on hurting people, and/or so many other things, trust Him. Once you surrender to the Lord and are open to being used by Him be expectant because our Lord will move in a wonderful and powerful way in your life.

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 18

Day 18, August 27, 2011

Yesterday, when I went to the doctor after feeling very sick that morning, I told him about all the medical struggles I have had through the years.  This was mostly out of frustration and desperation at the many unsolved medical problems I live with daily.  In telling the doctor of my many medical struggles, his interest was peaked at the possibility of me having ADHD.  I told him, “Of course I do” because I was diagnosed with it as a kid.  I have not taken meds for it since my junior year of high school though because of unwanted side effects and feeling I could manage it myself.  I told him I would be willing to give the new ADD medicine a try.  So he prescribed one of the ADD medicines and I filled it but waited to take it for the first time today. 

Upon taking the new medicine, I could feel that something was different after about 30 minutes.  I wasn’t exactly sure what was different but knew that it was doing something.  I followed the prescribed dosing for the day and at a couple points during the day I noticed edginess and clarity. 

ADD meds helped me when I was younger but the side effects also exacted a toll on me.  This is why I stopped all meds in my middle teens.  I felt that the side effects out weighed the benefits.  I have spent the past eleven to twelve years of my life correcting and managing the psychological remnants of those side effects.  Some of those remnants included anxiety issues, addictive behavior, and excessive worrying.  I have made much progress and have managed the ADD pretty well in my adult life but I still face many struggles. 

I think it is easy to see why I would want to stay off of the meds but at the same time it is nice to feel normal occasionally too.  I definitely know that my brain does not work normally and that this sometimes hampers my ability to stay focused, to be detail oriented, to be patient, and to let things go.  Each of these areas affect my, employment, relationships, social interactions, and ability to achieve my goals.  I have learned through the years that it is possible to overcome most of the area I am deficient in but I am only able to do this through a concerted effort and through tricks I have learned.  Some of these tricks are to do list, cell phone reminders, pocket notebooks, and routines.  All of these help to manage my life and my symptoms but they require my full devotion to consistency or I will quickly revert back to the ADD symptoms.

After trying to manage all these symptoms for so long, I am ready for some help again.  I feel as though the years I was off the drugs were productive and that I may now be able to benefit from the drugs without ill effects.  I felt pretty good while on the new drug today though I have yet to see how or if it is truly going to help me in the areas I struggle.  The ADD drugs come with a pretty long list of side effects and warnings and I want to make sure I do not end up with the struggles I had when I was young so I am being very careful to pay attention to how my body reacts during this trial. 

Many people struggle with the idea of long term medication.  This is even still true of some Christians today.  I believe many of us feel that if we have Jesus we should be able to conquer everything both physical and mental.  I too have struggled with this question for a long time.   One conclusion I have come to through Romans 11:36, which says, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” is that the medications and other therapies that exist for such conditions as depression, ADD, Bipolar disorder, etc are from God and therefore good to be used within reason.  I am a firm believer that no medication or therapy that exists for these conditions should be jumped into without prayerfully seeking the Lord’s guidance in the matter.  Though these medications and therapies exist, it does not mean that all of them are good or necessary for you.  This is why it is so important to seek the counsel of Jesus upon researching available help. 

No matter what we face in this life it is completely necessary for us to always trust the Lord and seek His guidance in our lives.  Proverbs 3:5-6 makes this clear saying, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Our Lord is always in control and willing to show us the right path and choices for our lives.  I don’t know what struggle you may be facing in your life but I hope you will bring it to Jesus.  He will show you the way.

Please pray for me that I will also know if I am to continue taking this medicine or if the Lord has different plans for how I am to deal with my ADD.  Thank you.

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 17, belated

Day 17, belated, August 26, 2011

Hey everyone.  Sorry for the absent blog yesterday.  Yesterday was a rough day.  I woke up feeling flu-ish.  I almost past out upon getting out of bed and going to the bathroom yesterday morning.  Though I did not lose consciousness, I did lose my strength to stand and ended up on the floor with my dog curled loving next me.  I knew that things were not okay when as I went to the floor my dog was instantly at my side caringly making sure I was okay.   I tried to see if I could jumpstart my body into feeling better by taking a long hot shower to no avail.  I ultimately spent four hours at 2 different doctors, one was the urgent care to diagnose what I had and the other was an orthopedic walk-in clinic because of pain I had been experiencing in my back due to a hard week at work.  I then spent the rest of my day curled up on the couch healing.  Needless to say that yesterday was not my best day. 

Have you ever noticed that when you are sick other aches and pains that were small before now feel enormous?  My back had been bothering me due to a particularly strenuous couple weeks at my job and when I woke up yesterday that pain had magnified greatly.  So after going to the urgent care, I decided to check and make sure I had not hurt a disk or something like that in my back.  The doctor assured me that my back was fine and that I was probably just experiencing muscle pain and tightness.  She prescribed this wonderful anti inflammatory for the pain and the pain in my back felt much more manageable after taking it. Before I was able to feel some pain relief though, I had to go to the pharmacy to get the drug.  I found that by the time I got to the pharmacy I was in so much pain that I was swaying back and forth while waiting to put in the order for my prescription.  The interesting thing about my back pain was that as long as I moved it was tolerable.  The moment I stopped, sat down, or laid down it became unbearable. 

Have you ever had pain in your life that was unbearable in the stillness and silence?  Sometimes we keep ourselves busy with jobs, task, errands, social activities, tv, movies, video games, music, and outings to keep from having to deal with the pain we feel in our souls.  We don’t want to take the time to sit down and truly have to come face to face with what is causing our pain.  Maybe our pain is due to a broken relationship, an addiction, being buried in debt, a loss, a medical condition, or maybe just distance from Jesus.  In John chapter 16, verse 33 Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  Jesus says these words after explaining to the disciples that he would be leaving them soon.  To fully understand verse 33, it helps to hear verses 20-24, where Jesus explains what it will be like once he leaves. Jesus says,

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.  When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.  In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.  Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

We all know that in this world sorrow, pain, death, sickness, and brokenness happen due to the curse on this world and the sin in our hearts.  Isn’t wonderful though to know that we who are in Jesus have put our trust in the one who has conquered the sin and pain of this world.  On top of that we have the ability to have a relationship with Jesus where we can pour out our hearts to Him and He will answer our heart’s cry that our joy may be full! 

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 it says that Jesus’ power is made perfect through our weakness.  So through our sorrow, sickness, brokenness, and pain Jesus’ power is perfected because his power can be seen through us as he takes our weakness and overcomes it for His kingdom.  We have a wonderful and mighty God folks.  He has overcome this world and he desires to make our joy full in Him.  If you are constantly on the move trying to stay one step in front of your pain, struggles, and/or weaknesses today, I humbly implore you to stop, fall to your knees, and lay them all at the feet of Jesus today.  Most of you know Matthew 11:28-30 very well and it says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  We have a wonderful, gentle, caring savior who is there for us even on our lowest of days.  Would you come to Him today?  Take it from me, He is completely trustworthy and fulfills all his promises.  So experience healing today.

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 16

Day 16, August 24, 2011

Isn’t amazing when God begins to show you what he has in store for your life.  It is exciting to begin to understand where he is leading you and plans he is creating for you.  I in no way am saying that I understand completely, or even partly, where God is moving in my life but I can assure you this.  He is moving. 

All I want in this life is to affect the world for Jesus.  I want to be a servant like Paul and reach out to the end of the world and to the fullest capacity of myself through God’s strength to bring the truth of Jesus and the Kingdom to all people.  I have a voice and a passion to show the world the importance of a relationship with Jesus.

Our God is a great, loving, and personal God folks.  He is our first love, the origin of love, and the most compassionate and gracious being in all existence.  His justice is driven by His love.  If you have ever wondered or doubted in your faith, let me assure you that God is real, Jesus came lived, died, resurrected, and rose to the right hand of God the Father, and we who know Jesus as Lord have all been given the Holy Spirit to guide us daily in truth, which is affirmed through the Bible. 

Blessings

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 15

Day 15, August 23, 2011

So in having a conversation today with a coworker, the question was asked how do you know that God is guiding you and not just your own inner conscience leading you to believe in God?  My coworker has been really struggling with how God works in our lives or if God works in our lives.  He, like many, has no problem with Jesus because he lived on this earth and did good things and yet is not fond of God the Father because he feels that the Father is just some distant uncaring being.  Really the core of my coworker’s question has to do with whether God is distant and generally unconcerned with our everyday lives or if God truly seeks to have a close relationship with us and is actively working in our lives each day.  I’ve been there.  I have felt that God was some distant judgmental being.  I have struggled with these questions.   

What do you think?  Do you believe God doesn’t care what you do as long as you believe in Jesus?  Do you believe that God the Father is just some cruel judgmental being that only brought us in to existence to demand the impossible from us and send us to hell if we don’t meet his standards?  Is it possible to love Jesus and dislike the Father?  I would love to receive your thoughts in this struggle. 

In my own life, Jesus has made it clear that He does care about how I live each day.  He desires a relationship with me and wants me to share my life with Him.  Many times it is so easy for me to not bring anything to the Lord in prayer because I figure that He already knows what is on my heart anyways but as I get to know Jesus better through the Holy Spirit, I have learned that he wants me to bring my daily struggles, joys, disappointments, and accomplishes to Him.  He desires me to bring things that are important in my life to Him. 

This is best explained by the example of when a big event happens in my life, I never hesitate to share it with my family and wife because I love them and want them to share in the event with me.  I bring all of my joys, sorrows, frustrations, and struggles to my wife because I trust her to listen and be there for me.  If I believe that Jesus is real, loves me, and desires a relationship with me, why would I not also bring all those things to Him too.

Much of the world struggles with the concept of a loving and relational God because Christianity is one of the few religions that believe that God desires a relationship with us.  Many religions see their God as being the ethereal being who is looking down on humanity and bringing good things or bad things to them by whether they please Him or not.  The God of the Bible is one who shows compassion when vengeance is warranted, offers His son as a sacrifice for all when we all deserve hell, and a God who seeks to show Himself to the world despite humans turning away from Him over and over again.

In the Bible, I believe it is clear that God desires a relationship with us.  For the longest time, I felt as though the God of the Old Testament was completely different from the New Testament.  Struggling with this made it easy to wonder how Jesus and God could be the same.  Then I began to see that the God of the Old Testament showed love and compassion to the Jews over and over again.  I saw that God always intended to bring himself to the world through the Jews.  He came to Abraham not because Abraham was special but because he had a plan of preparing the people of Abraham to show the Him to the world. 

This is most apparent around the time when Solomon built the temple (1 Kings 3-11).  Solomon had been given great wisdom and wealth from God.  The Jews were beginning to be noticed by the world.  Many came to hear the wisdom of Solomon and the temple was the most beautiful thing in the world at that time.  Everything God had done for the Jews was for this moment.  For the moment when the world would be drawn to the Jews, Solomon, and the Temple and know God.  The problem is that Solomon turned his heart from God and got all messed up in other religions effectively destroying the purpose of the temple at that time. 

God brought his only son to the earth to explain the truths set forth in the Old Testament again because the people had missed it and he came to die as a pure sacrifice for the sins of all who would believe in Him.  The Jews missed the point.  They thought that God was only about them and not the rest of the world when God intended them to bring Him to the rest of the world.  Does that remind you of anybody today?

How often do we forget that we are not Christians just to keep from going to hell?  We are to preach the Kingdom of Christ to the world.  We are supposed to live it, share it, and show it to everyone around us.  Our God is an active and relational God.  He is working in those who are His children to do His kingdom work on earth.  We are to share the grace and forgiveness we have received with the world so that the truth can ring true in their hearts and they can know and accept the Holy Spirit who is knocking on their hearts. 

This is why everyday matters and as Steven Curtis Chapman puts it in his new song,

“Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you


Cause He made you to do


Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face


And tell the story of grace


With every move that you make


And every little thing you do”

Without a relationship with Jesus, we are nowhere.  How can we expect to change the world if we do not have the power of Christ in us?  Jesus is the only one who can save the world.  Without Christ we are nothing.  I leave this passage from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 as a final thought.   

12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If in Christ we have hope[b] in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For "God[c] has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

                        

29Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30Why are we in danger every hour? 31I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."[d] 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I proclaim to you that Jesus is real!  He truly did live, die, and was resurrected.  He rose to the heavens, gave us the Holy Spirit, and will return for us all soon.  Please affirm Christ today!  Welcome Him into your heart.  Get to know him, love him, learn from him.  Our God is a wonderful and personal God.  He is not distant but in fact the gardener who is constantly working to help us bring the most fruit to bear in our life (John 15).  Our God is in our heart, working to teach and show us His love that we may live it and give it to others around us.  I love you all and hope you have a great day.  Please take the time to know and affirm Jesus in your heart today!

Blessings

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 14

Day 14, August 22, 2011

Today, I discovered that I had received 4 comments on my blog series to date.  In reading them, I was brought to tears as I read how different blogs had touched people at different points in their lives through reading my blog.  I just want to say we have a very big God and I am so amazed to watch Him work in and through my life each day.  I am so thankful that I can be used to further His kingdom by uplifting and encouraging fellow believers and hopefully living the truth of Jesus’ saving grace for unbelievers to see.  Our God is good all the time! 

I want each of you to know that I am thankful for your interest in the blog and I do love to hear from you about how God has worked in you through reading the blog.  A sentence at the end of one comment in particular blessed me greatly, “maybe God had you start it to help guide me! His works are not ours to know, but to open our hearts to and listen!” 

Lord,

Thank you for the many blessings you have given me in just the short time of this blog.  I am so thankful that you are actively working in my life and growing me each day.  Please help me to keep being faithful in following your will for my life and trusting your direction in all things.  I thank you for the many people you have placed in my life through this blog, my job, my family, my church, and my close friends.  You are immeasurably greater than I could ever imagine and I am so excited to see how you are going to continue to work in my life and the lives of those around me through this blog series.  Thank you Lord.  Amen

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 13

Day 13, August 21, 2011

Sorry this blog post is late but my wife and I took a whirlwind tour down to New Albany, Indiana yesterday to celebrate my Dad’s birthday.  It truly was a great day because I totally surprised both my Mom and my Dad.  My sister knew we were coming, which made it even more fun because we were able to coordinate getting to my parents house at almost the exact same time.  When we pulled up, we got out, I let Leah, our dog, out, and she instantly ran to the door.  Dad told me that he knew someone was there when Molly, Mom and Dad’s dog, started barking but he did not expect to see Leah waiting at the door.  I really love doing surprises for my wife and all of those in our family.  It is so great to see the unexpected joy on their faces when you give them a gift or visit they didn’t expect.  

I especially enjoyed being able to come down and surprise my Dad because of what a wonderful role model and witness he has been in my life.  My dad has helped me many times in my life when I was struggling with questions about life, Christianity, and relationships.  He has always shown me an example of an authentic man of God and I have never wondered about the truth of God and Jesus because of my parents example in my life.  I didn’t mind that we spent about the same time on the road as we did visiting yesterday because that precious time with my family was completely worth it. 

I have never wondered if my parents would be there for me or support me in what I have encountered in life.  I know I can count on them for encouragement, wise counsel, and gentle truth.  Growing up they always made any friends or girlfriends I brought over feel completely welcomed and loved.  I have always cherished that quality in my parents because I have confidence that they will love any guest I bring in the house as family, the same as they love me.  I hope that my wife and I can continue to live our lives the same way. 

The quality of love without judgment is one that I most admire in Jesus.  He welcomed all that were hurting, hungry, seeking, or in need.  He never judged them but instead welcomed them with open arms and offered to help them in their need.  The only time Jesus seemed to judge someone was when they were living a lifestyle that was above loving and reaching out to others.  Jesus lived an authentic life.  Jesus drew crowds in by his compassion.  He came to bring forgiveness and love to each person who came to him with a humble and seeking heart.  He even died for each of us so we could be welcomed into His family  if we accepted him as Savior and join Him in Heaven. 

The pastor at my Mom’s church had been trying to find a way to avoid having to go to his neighbor’s party this past weekend.  Each time the neighbor invited him, he would gently come up with an excuse for why he would not be able to make it.  On the day of the party, all the many excuses that he had given seemed to disappear and he felt compelled by the Lord to attend.  He took his family and they had a wonderful time though there were quite a few ‘characters’ in attendance at this party.  You see this neighbor is known for his partying and this was not quite the place a pastor would want to be seen, especially with his family.   As the pastor played horseshoes with a shirtless individual covered in tattoos, he asked the man what his story was.  The man’s replay was, “I have done a lot of bad things.”  The pastor felt that this was explanation enough for him and decided to keep the rest of his conversation strictly on horseshoes with the individual.  You need to understand that there was something special about this party and a reason this pastor had been invited.  He was not the only pastor at this party.  Others had been invited too and for a purpose.  As the party began to come to an end, the children were all told to get out of the pool and as they did the tattooed individual waded into the center of the pool.  One of the other pastors joined him in the pool and this man was baptized in front of all the guest.  My mother’s pastor was greatly affected by this proclamation of faith and brought to tears.  Then to the joy and surprise of the rest of the guests of the party, the pastor’s neighbor also got in the pool to be baptized and saved that day. 

I tell you this story because there will be many times in your life when you will not want to be a part of something due to your judgment of what an event is going to be like or how certain people are going to act.  Because of this judgment you may have decided that you would not want to socialize or be seen at such an event or with those people.  I write this as a warning to not underestimate the saving power of Jesus and his ability to reach even the burliest of characters.  Never put God in a box and never assume that certain people are unreachable or uninterested.  You never know how the Lord may be working in the heart and life of the person next to you.  I hope that each of us will learn to live a little more like Jesus.  I hope that we will openly welcome in those whom He brings into our path.  I hope we will learn to love and encourage those around us and not be quick to judge and label them.  I hope we will see the glimpses of our Savior Jesus in each person and realize that Jesus longs for them to join in the Kingdom with us in eternity. 

I hope you will all trust Jesus each day to help you live in love and grace with those around you.  I also hope that you will keep your eyes open to the many opportunities to reach out and love on people with the love of Jesus.  You never know, today might be the day that they give their hearts to the Lord and you may be given the privilege to share a part in that!

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 12

Day 12, August 20, 2011

Today my wife and I had the opportunity to go to a free Baptist training in Indianapolis.  It was so wonderful to spend the morning with fellow Christians.  We had a great time learning more on how to reach people for Christ through better teaching methods in the church.  I had the opportunity to learn about singles ministry today.  My teacher was a wonderful Christian man from Texas who had a southern draw.  I am really glad that I choose the class because I learned about so much more than just singles ministry.  My wife and I are in charge of the students and young adult programs that include ages 11-30 and so I wanted to learn every drop of knowledge this man could offer to help us in all areas of our ministry.  He truly offered so many helpful tools to further our ability to lead the student and young adult ministries at our church.

It is so wonderful to come home with new ideas to teach our youth, college, and young adults.  I learned the importance of teaching transformationally instead on just instructionally.  It truly opened my eyes about the importance of developing a hunger in our youth  and young people to seek out the truths of the Bible themselves.  When the speaker was teaching today, I knew that he was identifying one of the biggest problems in youth and young adult ministry today.  If the youth and young adults do not make the Bible their own and seek out its truths for problems they encounter in life then we have taught them nothing.

How important is the Bible to you?  Do you seek out its wisdom when you encounter problems and trials in life?   Oh that we would develop a radical hunger for the Word.  We have the greatest book in human history with truths from our creator and yet many of us know so little about what it says.  I encourage each of you to begin to seek out Jesus through His word today. 

Lord,

May I know you more.  May I seek to understand you through the truth you made available to me in your Word.  I thank you so much for the encouragement of having mature Christians come along to mentor and teach me so that I may learn from the things You have taught them and have a greater impact for Your kingdom.  Lord, I ask that you would show me yourself in the Bible that I might truly understand all that you intending me to understand in it.  I thank you for your gracious love that brought us such a wonderful insight to who You are.

Amen

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 11

Day 11, August 19, 2011

All I can say is TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday!)  It has been a long but great week.  I am tired and I am going to take Jesus at his words tonight. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matt 11:28.  I hope that each of you will find rest this weekend in our loving Savior Jesus. 

Blessings

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 10

Day 10, August 18, 2011

Have you ever wrestled with marrying your passion with making money?  Sure you have.  We all have but what if your passion is Jesus?  Is it then wrong to do so?  I pose these questions because today I signed up for Google adsense and the Amazon affiliate program to be able to put ads on my blog that would have a monetary return if the ads were clicked.  I want to serve Jesus with all my heart and soul and yet I feel so imprisoned by the debt I still have latched around my neck.  Though I have rid myself of all my bad debt, the “good debt,” as financial gurus refer to it, feels completely suffocating.  As long as I owe money to creditors, I feel as though I will never truly be free to serve Jesus because I will be thinking about how to increase my income to erase the hole I am in.  So I decided not to continue either one of the programs on my blog at this time because I do not want to take away from Jesus as the sole purpose of my blog. 

Did you know that one-third of the parables Jesus told were about money and that 15% of everything Jesus said referred to money[1].  We in America are suffering from a great money crisis.  We can’t stop spending it.  Our government is in up to their eyeballs in debt, a financial site I found said the average American has $7800 of debt, and nearly 1 in seven people file for bankruptcy in the United States[2].  We wonder why we are having so many problems and why our nation can’t seem to get back on track.  It is so easy to blame the lawmakers, the war, the oil companies, and our neighbor but have you considered that our nation is this way because of you, me, and everyone else in this nation.  The United State at one time was the greatest Christian nation in the world and maybe we still are but look at how much we have tarnished our effective witness by how deep we have sunk ourselves in the quagmire of debt, materialism, Hollywood movies, music, tv shows, sports, and so many other utterly useless and damaging things to our walks. 

Please don’t get me wrong.  I do not believe that money is the root of all evil and that is not what the Bible proposes either.  1 Timothy 6:10 makes it extremely clear that, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”   I think most of us can agree that this statement hits close to home in America today.  It is time for us to stand up for what is right, to show fiscal responsibility, and to demand the same for our nation.   As long as we are entangled in debt we are allowing the enemy to keep us from fully serving our Lord and Savior.  We are hampering our ability to affect the world for the kingdom of God.  Do you choose freedom today?  I

 would love to see a news report talking about all the many Christians in the world who chose to get out of debt and succeeded.  Then I would love to hear the many stories of all the ways they are now able to contribute to the kingdom of God through this financial freedom.  Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing.  Well it can start with you and me.  

The reason I believe this issue was on my heart today is because I believe Jesus was showing me that the many idols in my life keep me from worshipping Him alone.  It is time for me to clean house, to claim freedom in Christ, and to cast off the heavy burdens I carry.  Through this I will be better able to truly know Jesus. 

Lord,

Give me the strength and courage to stand up for financial freedom.  Help me to focus on things of kingdom worth instead of the many things that battle for my money each day.  May I remember that knowing you and sharing you with others should always be the primary goal and purpose of my life.  I love you Lord and I want my heart to fully know you and serve you without any other masters.  I lay this at your feet.

Amen

Blessings,

Greg  

P.S.  If you have stories of financial freedom or know people who do, I would love to hear them and also hear how much more you have been able to do for the kingdom of Christ because of this freedom.  It would be so wonderful and uplifting to share stories of success for those still wading through the swamp of debt on the road to freedom.  Also if you have advice that may help those still struggling with debt to find freedom faster or any methods that helped you achieve success that would also be great.  Sharing encouragement and wisdom to other believers is such a wonderful and essential part of the Christian walk!

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 9

Day 9, August 17, 2011

At work today, I found out that I did know someone directly affected by the Indianapolis State fair stage collapse.  The head nurse where I work was directly in the path of the falling stage along with her family and close friends.  When they noticed the entire structure bouncing and swaying they made a run for it and my friend at work was actually knocked down and received some bruises and scratches from the falling structure.  In the chaos they tried to find everyone from their group and they could not find my coworker’s childhood best friend.  They went to Methodist hospital to see if her friend was there and found out that she had been hit in the head by the stage and had a crushed skull, broken shoulder, and three broken vertebrates.  After hearing this story upon asking why my coworker where why she had not been at work all week the reality of the stage collapse really hit home.  My coworker was just a few steps away from being crushed and killed by the stage and she has two little girls at home and a husband. 

  Our lives are so fragile folks.  We don’t like to think about it and let that reality sink in but inevitably someone close to you dies or is injured and this truth becomes all to real.  I have had a close call of a loved one in my life and I know the terror and helplessness that is involved.  We must be so careful to be sure that each person who means something in our life knows that we love him or her.  None of us know the time or the place we will be taken home.  I know this is not a pleasant topic but it is so important that we always share our love and feelings with others around us.  One of the songs I play on the guitar is by Garth Brooks and it is called If Tomorrow Never Comes.  The second verse and chorus really drive home the necessity of letting others know how you feel:

'Cause I've lost loved ones in my life

Who never knew how much I loved them

Now I live with the regret

That my true feelings for them never were revealed

So I made a promise to myself

To say each day how much she means to me

And avoid that circumstance

Where there's no second chance to tell her how I feel

If tomorrow never comes

Will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day

That she's my only one

And if my time on earth were through

And she must face this world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past

Gonna be enough to last

If tomorrow never comes

In my own marriage I work hard to consistently show my wife that I love her.  I also try and let my family and friends know I love them too.  They are all very near and dear to me.  I thank God for each of them. 

My day ultimately ended in joy as I got to spend time with my youth group.  Tonight we gave them a Jesus quiz and a George Barna survey.  It was so awesome to see them passionately searching in their Bibles to find the answers to the quiz.  They all did a wonderful job in answering the questions and at the same time they helped us to see where we could help to teach them more about who Jesus is.  The Barna survey also helped us to gauge their thoughts on other critical theological beliefs within the Bible.  We really had a great night as we played and rocked out to Christian music while they did the quiz and survey and afterward we had a great time of sharing.

My night ended on a happy note as my wife and I found peace in an area of our lives that we had been seeking direction.  It is so wonderful to let, as Carrie Underwood would put it, Jesus take the wheel.  There is such a freedom to trusting in his timing and direction instead of worrying about our own.  The best times in marriage are found when you rely completely on our Lord’s direction.  We are very blessed and thankful for all he is doing in our lives each day. 

I hope the Lord will bless you in a new and special way today and that you will tell those loved ones around you all they truly mean to you.  Life is such a precious thing and it is so important that we don’t forget this.  Also, each day remember that life is only found in Jesus, the Vine.   In remembering this, please share this truth with as many people as you can each day that we may all meet and raise our hands in joy and worship Jesus Christ the risen king for eternity.  If any of you reading this do not know Jesus today.  Please write me or check out this link for www.needhim.org.  I would love to share Him with you and help you to know Him in anyway I can. 

Blessings,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 8

Day 8, August 16, 2011

Today was a wonderful day filled with joy, song, and fried food.  I had the opportunity to lead chapel and worship at my job today and it was such a blessing to be able to play and share my heart with our clients again.  The Lord brings so many blessings through true worship together.  The Lord also opened my eyes to the importance of meeting each person where they are.  As I finished chapel today I played the song No Such Thing by John Meyer because one of the clients enjoys the song and this led them to request Daughters by Mayer and Somewhere over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo Ole' also.  I also had the opportunity to play and sing happy birthday for the same client that requested Over the Rainbow.  I honestly think I ministered to the clients more through the secular songs I played than the worship songs because through them I was able to connect with them by meeting them where they were. 

Sometimes I struggle so much with Paul’s statement about becoming all things to all people in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 but then I look at the life of Jesus and how he went and spent most of his time with those who were hurting and sinners.  He went to them and loved on them, telling them the truth in love, and listened to what was on their hearts (though he already knew.)  So many times, we as Christians require people to clean up and come and meet us on our level instead of loving them just where they are.  I hope that I can open my heart to see a person for who they are and where they are at to better love and minister to them for Jesus. 

After work, my wife and I got the opportunity to go to the Indiana state fair.  We had a great time walking through the exhibits, eating delightful fried foods, and enjoying the beautiful animals.  I had so much fun spending time with my wife as we critiqued the many entries from the exhibit halls.  Sometimes it is truly nice to just take an evening to relax and enjoy each other’s company especially since she will be starting school again Friday.  I am finding that it is so important to cherish each day and to take time to observe how the Lord moved in your life that day. 

Thank you Lord for the many opportunities and blessings you give me each day to live and show your love.  Please help me to live more like you and to have an authentic and real walk as I seek to know you better.  Also help me to be more in tune to the Holy Spirit as he leads and guides me each day that I may listen and obey Him.  I love you and thank you.  Amen

Blessings,

Greg