Sprained Knees and Christmas Quizzes

Today, I spent the better part of my day at home doing nothing.  Yesterday, I apparently strained/sprained my knee while dragging file cabinets up two flights of stairs to the new office at my work.  I knew something was wrong the moment I twisted it.  I still did some work after I hurt it hoping that I had just stepped wrong and that the pain would go away as quickly as it came.  The pain continued to escalate throughout the evening and by the morning walking was quite a chore.  As I slowly made my way in to work this morning, I did not want to tell my boss that I needed to get the knee checked out but I knew that I couldn't do another day of work like I had the day before on such an unstable knee.

My boss sent me to the doctor where I had the opportunity to wear a lovely hospital gown.  A sweet old lady came to take a picture of my knee and after that I was given the wonderful prognosis of a common knee sprain from the doctor.  The doctor was kind enough to give me work restrictions that touched on every duty I perform at my job.  As I went back to my boss and he saw that I couldn't do much, he sent me home for the day in hopes that I would feel better tomorrow.

So that is how I ended up cooped up in my house today.  I have to admit that being at home wasn't all bad since I was able to complete some rebates I had been meaning to finish, pay some bills, and work on the music selection for church on Sunday.  All in all it turned out to be a pretty decent day.  I tried to be as kind to my knee as  possible and am really hoping that it will feel significantly better in the morning.

This evening Mel and I led our young adult group.  We decided to talk with them about common family traditions they perform.  Our young adults told us about many traditions their families do including: getting together, eating ham and other wonderful foods, going to candle light christmas eve service, giving white elephant gifts, hiding a special ornament in the tree, alternating who reads the Christmas story each year, and more.  As they went on and on about the many things they do around Christmas time, it was easy to identify with many of the traditions they shared.  Some of their traditions reminded me of when I was young, others are traditions that I still continue today, and some where traditions I had never thought of.

We decided to finish the night off with a Christmas quiz that tested how well people know the scriptural account of Christmas.  I have to say that it is alarming how many things we think are true that we received from tradition and children's stories.  Many of the questions were quite difficult and I have to be honest and say that I did not do as well as I would've liked.  I was tripped up by both past tradition and a few trick questions.  I highly suggest giving the quiz an honest try and seeing how you fair.  I hope you get them all right but if you don't, there are scriptures to go with each answer so you can be better prepared next year or even for an upcoming Christmas party this year. ;D Here is the link for the quiz, A Christmas Quiz: Is it scripture or is it tradition?

Blessings,

Greg

A Wonderful Time of Thanksgiving

Hello everyone!  As most of you can tell, I took a much needed break during the Thanksgiving holiday.  My wife and I were very fortunate to be able to spend quality time with both sides of our family.  I had the added blessing of seeing my grandparents this Thanksgiving also.  This is special because my grandparents live in Tennessee and I usually only get to see them a couple times a year.

This year we did things a little different for Thanksgiving.  We decided last year to start a family rotation schedule each year.  My family would have us for the full Thanksgiving day one year and my in-laws the next.  We really had a wonderful time at each house and this year was so much less stressful since we didn't have to run between both families on Thanksgiving or worry about either family feeling jipped.  We had enough time with each family to be able to enjoy both a wonderful meal and some much needed downtime including time spent catching up on how our families are doing.

Though both my wife and I often talk with our family members multiple times each week, there is something special about spending time in person that texting and phone conversations can't match.  I always look forward to coming home and seeing the new pieces my dad has added to his collections.  I enjoy seeing what new house project my mom has embarked on and marveling how much different that part of the house looks once she is done.  I love watching my dog play with my parent's dog.  There is nothing more fun than watching the dogs play tug of war on the rug and keep away with the toys.  I love spending time catching up with each family member on how work and life are going.  I enjoy spending time with them relaxing as we watch a movie, play a game, or just sit and talk together.  I seem to have so much more fun shopping when I have my family to share the experience with too.  I can usually count on the fact that both my family and my in-laws will have computer problems for me to fix and a few household task to attend to when I come and yet I don't mind.  These simple pleasures and much more are what I cherish at each holiday vacation.

This year the food was absolutely marvelous at both my house and my in-laws.  I ate multiple helpings of turkey, stuffing, pumpkin roll, pecan chocolate chip pie, and my grandmother's sweet tea.  There was a great variety of food including cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli casserole, corn, sweet potato casserole, yam casserole, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, chess pie, and much more.  Both families did such a great job of preparing the food and each table had it's own set of wonderful conversations and joyful partaking of the food.

As i enjoyed each part of Thanksgiving this year, I found myself truly counting the many blessing the Lord has placed in my life.  I couldn't imagine having better families.  When I am home, I feel truly loved and appreciated.  I love seeing all the parts of my family that have contributed to who I am today.  I love the security of knowing that my families are constantly praying for my wife and I.  Each time I go home, I find a new thing to love about my families.  I get to make new memories I will cherish for the rest of my life while rekindling wonderful memories of old with the ones I hold most dear.  All in all, Jesus has truly blessed my life.  I hope you had an opportunity to count your many blessings this Thanksgiving season also.  Oh and it is good to be back. ;)

Blessings,

Greg

Thankfulness

I am so thankful to be at a job this year where I do not have to fight with my boss for time off to see my family. I am so thankful that my grandparents are coming up to my parents house for Thanksgiving this year. I am so thankful for my lovely wife who is so good to me. I am so thankful that she is such a wonderful loving Christian woman. I am so thankful for wonderful best friends who are serving the Lord faithfully abroad. I am so thankful for family members who have also accepted the call to reach the world for Jesus. I am so thankful for in-laws who love and support me. I am so thankful for a sister who involves me in the best and most difficult parts of her life. I am so thankful that the Lord shows me new ways I can minster and show love to the people around me. I am so thankful that my friend Mike is coming home soon from deployment. I am thankful that I have a home to keep my family safe and warm in. I am so thankful that I get the opportunity to lead worship for the Christmas season. I am so thankful for the many friends and loved ones God has surrounded me with in the past year. I am so thankful that I serve such a loving and faithful God. Simply put, I am thankful. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Blessings,Greg

Broken Past, Hopeful Future

There is a fine line between hate and love.  Unfortunately Christian history is filled with "Christians" proliferating hate in the name of love.  What seems so obvious to us today was not so simple at different points in history.  We now live in a time where everyone in the western world has access to the Bible and we each have the ability to read and understand it.  This has not been so for most of Christian history.  Imagine trying to be a follower of Christ and only getting input from a priest.  Most of the people in Christian history would not have been able to read the Bible even if it had been available to them.  There have been many times in our history where "the church" spawned more hate and murder than the most sinful of nations.  Oh how well the devil has been able to harm the world's view of Jesus through jaded followers.

I would like to believe that since we now live in an age were the Bible is readily available and accessible to all in the western world that we would no longer have the problems of our past.  Unfortunately, we all know that this is not true.  We still have people who twist the Bible and then teach their twisted perspective to willing followers who chose not to read and understand the Bible for themselves.  What is even worse is today we not only have hating, bigoted, vile people who profess Christianity, we also have many Christians today that believe Christianity is no better than any other religion and is only one way to find peace and heaven in this world.  The devil is still at work in our churches and there is still a large majority of people who have chosen not to read the Bible for themselves but to be swayed and wooed by men who intend to use the Bible for their own purposes.

Though I have to admit that I struggle greatly with both ideologies in our world today, I know that the only answer to truly battle the false teachings within the Christian realm is to truly live Christ authentically and boldly.  Hatred plus hatred does not equal love.  Vile words plus vile words does not equal peace.  judgment plus righteous anger does not equal living Jesus.  We have to live love.  We have to live truth.  We have to stand for the principles that Jesus set in place.  We have to love our enemies and let Jesus be the judge not us.  We have to be willing to humble ourselves to serve.  We have to be willing to go the second mile with the one who forced us to go the first mile. We have to be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers.  We have to be willing to sacrifice everything we are for the love Jesus lived and died for.

Jesus did not reach the world for himself by fighting the world but by dying in the place of sinners that they may have salvation available to them.  We have to learn from Jesus, Paul, and the disciples.  We have to stand up and be  different from the world.  We have to live love even when the world wants to perpetuate hate through intolerance.  We have to want to speak the truth when the world want all truth to be equal.  We have to live counter culture.  We have to authentically live Jesus daily no matter the consequences, which may include: broken relationships, lost jobs, and persecution.  Jesus intended for His followers to draw the world to Him not repel the world from Him.  It is our time to live authentically in Christ!  I challenge you to stand up and live Christ fully today.

Blessings,

Greg

Through the Eye of the Needle

Today I had to take our cats at work to the vet to get their vaccinations. In order to get the cats to the vet, I had to put them in cardboard boxes and tape the tops. Gilbert, our male cat, spent the whole drive meowing loudly and trying to escape through the hand hole in the side. When we finally got to the veterinarian, I opened up the box and Gilbert just sat there quietly in the box while the vet gave him his shots. I then closed the box again and Gilbert proceeded to begin meowing again and stuck his head out of the hand hold again. When we got back to my work, I took the box out of the car, put it on the ground, and took the top off. Even with the top off Gilbert tried to get out through the hand hold. He did not realize that I had made available to him an easier way of escape even when I petted him on the back. Ultimately my coworker pulled him out of the box and Gilbert finally was able to run off to freedom.

This got me thinking about Jesus' comments in Mark 10:25 about it being as hard for a rich man to get to heaven as a camel going through the eye of a needle. Maybe when Jesus was saying this he wasn't saying that it is impossible for a rich man to get to heaven but that most "rich people" will, like Gilbert, try to get to heaven worshipping God and the world instead at the same time instead of just letting go of the world to fully have Christ. In relation to Jesus' day most of us in America would've been considered rich.  In this world, most of us want to have our cake and eat it to.

We see how difficult fully following Jesus can be for the rich in the story of the rich young ruler just before Jesus spoke about the camel going through the eye of the needle.  Though the rich young ruler was a good and moral man, Jesus asked one more thing of him for the rich young ruler to be His follower.  Jesus asked the ruler to sell all his possession, give them to the poor, and then come follow Jesus.  In this passage the rich young ruler sadly left Jesus and was never mentioned in the Bible again.  Though I do not believe Jesus asks each of us to give up all we own, I do believe he ask that we live knowing that everything we own is His.  He has the right to demand for us to get rid of all we own if He chooses because He is the one that blessed us with our family and possessions in the first place, which is evident in the book of Job.

I believe this why Jesus taught the principle that in losing your worldly selfish life, you will find your full life in Him. There is nothing in this world that can compare to the worth of heaven and being with God. When we try to have all this world and eternal life offered by Jesus, we are essentially telling God that the eternal life with him, that He has offered us, is not sufficient or good enough for us. It is in letting go of this world and giving our complete devotion to the ways Christ that we showJesus that all we want is Him. It is not that Jesus made it difficult to get to heaven. It is that we want to get to heaven through the little hand hold with all our stuff instead of the huge open top with our lives completely surrendered to the one who gave us salvation.

Blessings,

Greg

Sheep, Goat, or Least of These?

Have you ever looked into the mirror and not recognized the person looking back at you?  I have been growing a beard and my hair out for the last month in an attempt to stay warm in the cold weather.  As I looked at myself in the mirror at work today, I marveled at how easily I could be mistaken for a bum.  This could be seen as comical in some ways but to me it opened my eyes to how we could all be one step away from the person on the street.  Every person on the street has a story.  I would even venture to guess that most of the people on the street had a normal life during an earlier stage of their life.

For many of us, this is a hard reality to accept.  It is much easier to believe the lie that all bums are there because they choose to be.  We can help develop our apathy towards people on the street by telling ourselves that they would just use the money for alcohol and drugs anyway.  Maybe you have even told yourself that giving a homeless person money would just be perpetuating a lifestyle.  Though all of these statements may be true at any given time, there is nothing in the Bible supporting the belied that we shouldn't love them anyway.  Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."  


Do we as Christians desire to teach, minister, and reach out to the sick today or do we prefer the healed who have it all together and have something to offer us?  Those who are sick, jobless, and/or unsaved are messy.  They have baggage.  They need extra support, extra love, and extra attention.  I find that many of us today, including myself, want to just be around the people who lift us up, who affirm us, and who make our lives easy and peaceful.  Dealing with the "sick," as Jesus put it, is difficult.  Jesus demonstrated he cared very much about the less fortunate.  This is best seen in the parable of the sheep and goats told by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46.  The goats who did not care for "the least of these" were cursed to Hell.  I don't know about you but this parable brings me pause because I know there have been many times in my life I turned my back to the least of these.


As I stared in the mirror at the man before me, I realized that I'm closer to the "least of these" than I allow myself to believe.  The Lord showed me that the outside appearance does not reflect the inner heart.  The sheep before being sheared appears mangy and unkept to the world but the shearer knows that underneath that mangy wool is a beautiful innocent lamb.   We are each lambs of Jesus and he loves each one of us greatly.  Jesus looks past our outward appearance to our hearts.  As "little Christ's," we should also take the time to see past people's appearance to their heart.  I hope today you will walk with a new perspective and compassion for the different people you encounter.


Blessings,


Greg   

Fleeting Life=Perfect Opportunity

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  James 4:14


In this life there are no guarantees.  None of us are guaranteed our next breath or the breath of the ones we love.  Understanding the fleeting nature of life helps us to appreciate it that much more.  Our fragility is what makes each relationship we share so much more special.  As the holiday season draws near, take the time to tell there people who have made a difference in your life what they mean to you.  Don't be afraid to share your heart with those close to you.

In the last week, we have had three people put in their resignation at work.  I look back at all the missed opportunities I had to know each one of the people leaving.  I regret not knowing them better but am thankful for the times I did get to connect with them in a small way.  I am thankful for the ways they have blessed me in my time at my job.  Though I would only call one of the people who are leaving a close friend, I am so thankful for the many things I have learned from her.  She was always there when I had a struggle and I always knew that I could talk to her about any struggles in my walk with Christ.  She affirmed me and helped me to see new ways that God could use me.

One thing that I have learned in my life of moving 10+ times, is that many people you will encounter in this life will only be close for the moments you live, work, or fellowship near them.  This is not to say that there will not be a special few that keep up with you no matter where life takes you but they are just that, a special few.  So my advice to you, as one who has learned this lesson the hard way, let people know how you feel about them today instead of looking back on the past and regretting things unsaid.  God has brought each person into your life for a reason.  I hope you will take the time to sit down and count the blessings God has given you by the friends, coworkers, and family in your life.  Maybe this year you can do something special to show them how much you appreciate the unique impact they have made on your life.

Blessings,

Greg

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I don't know about you but Christmas and Thanksgiving are my two most favorite holidays.  I love being able to spend time with family.  I love getting to see the people I haven't seen since last year.  I love to connect, to relax, to share, and to partake in all the wonderful food.  I love these holidays because if you take the time to reflect on what they really mean, your life changes and you begin to focus back on the things that really matter like family, friends, charity, and living love.

Thanksgiving helps to redirect my heart to Jesus because I would have nothing to be thankful for without Him.  Thanksgiving brings an acute reminder in my heart that everything I have is from the Lord.  My thankfulness runs deep in the satisfaction that I have a good and loving God.  I bask in the loving family around me and the wonderful time and conversation we get to share together.  I cherish the fact that I have so many people who love me and in whom I also love greatly.

Christmas continues the process that Thanksgiving starts of realigning my heart to Jesus.  It can become so easy to get all tangled in the world throughout the year.  Our hearts get pulled in all directions by our spouses, family, jobs, errands, and our desires.  We can become so cluttered by life that we forget about the work that Jesus has done in us.  I know it is a sad prospect but I suspect that many of you have experienced piling the many worries and desires of this world in front of Jesus.  Christmas is my time to purge all of these things out of my heart again so I can see Jesus and the cross clearly again.  It is a time where I can reflect on His life and the sacrifice He made for me just in humbling himself to become a human.

I absolutely love Christmas music.  There are so many beautiful songs that bring so many new and wonderful insights into the birth of Jesus.  I love songs that tell stories of Christ's love in people being lived out authentically at Christmas.  I love to cry to songs such as Christmas Shoes and I desire the iconic white Christmas on the actual day each year.  There is absolutely no place I would rather be than with my family at Christmas.  I have quit jobs because of being hindered from spending time with my family and participating in Christmas programs at Christmas.  I love selecting or creating the perfect gift for someone and watching the joy of them opening it on Christmas day.

We have been given such a great gift in Jesus!  This world tries it's hardest to pull our hearts away from the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Don't get caught up in all the lights, Santa celebrations, and sales that you forget the true reason for the season.  Without Jesus there would be no Christmas.  Without Jesus there would be no reason for thankfulness or Joy.  Without Jesus there would be no salvation or understanding of true love.  Center your hearts on Jesus this holiday season.

Blessings,

Greg

Plans for Good

Have you ever received a gift that is so precious you would protect it with your life?  Have you ever been faced with the prospect of losing that gift?  On top of that have you ever been in that situation, knowing that you had no control over whether you would be able to keep the gift or not?  Well that was my day.  The more precious the gift the higher the emotional stakes are when uncertainty happens with it.  It is awful wondering what the results will be.  It is awful wondering whether you will be able to keep the gift or not.  At times like these your learn real quick that the going ons of this life are completely in the hands of God.

There were two passages in scripture that I had to hold onto today as I faced the fear of loss and pain.  The two passages were Romans 8:38-39 which says, "I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" and Jeremiah 29:11 which says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  I don't know about you but I find peace and strength in the promises of God.  I trust the Word and lean on it fully.  I have put my whole heart, strength, and faith in God and He has never failed me.  

God provided me with peace and certainty amidst my fears today.  God gave me unspeakable joy as he lifted my heart and showed me that He truly does have plans of good for me.  I am so thankful for the many ways God shows himself to me daily.  I am so thankful that He is ever-present and working in my life.  I pray that each person who reads this blog would know the truth of Jesus Christ as Savior and have a deep and close relationship with Jesus in their heart.  If you do not,  accept Him today.  You will never regret it.  You will never be the same again.  You will have full peace and assurance from this moment on that the God and creator of the universe is on your side and loves you.  Will you let Him in your heart today?

Blessings,

Greg

Pray

Tonight, I am thinking of my best friend, his wife, and their daughter who leave for the mission field in Spain on Monday.  I ask that you remember all the many missionaries working to bring Christ to all the nations and peoples of the world.  I ask that you pray for their safety.  I ask that you pray for courage, boldness, and protection.  I ask that you pray for protection of the heart of each missionary from temptation, from disappointment, from burnout, and from fear.  I ask that you pray for each family member in the mission field, that they would develop a strong relationship in Christ despite the sometimes difficult circumstances they are in.  I ask that you pray for the marriage of each missionary in the field.

Most of all I ask that you pray for the hearts and souls of the more than 5 Billion people in the world who do not have a life changing relationship with Jesus.  We have an epidemic of "Christian" nations today where most people do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ or know what a relationship with Jesus Christ is.  We have an epidemic today of people walking into church worshipping Jesus and then living a life devoid of any witness for Christ the rest of their week.  We have an epidemic of people believing that only ministers and missionaries have the gift to tell others about the saving grace they have received in Jesus.

Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  All followers of Jesus Christ are His disciples.  Jesus was not only speaking to the twelve disciples when He said these words.  We have all been commanded to live out these instructions in our lives.  The Great Commission is not a calling.  The Great Commission is not a gift.  The Great Commission is not optional. I ask that you pray that more Christians would live the Great Commission in their daily lives.  I ask that you pray to Jesus and honestly ask if you are living the Great Commission in your life.  Mainly, I ask that you just pray, "to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us."  Pray.


Blessings,


Greg

Just Can't Make Up it's Mind

One of the greatest and worst attributes of Indiana is that it's weather never stays the same.  Everyone who has ever lived in Indiana has heard the phrase, "If you don't like the weather, wait a while and it will change."  This has been especially true of this fall so far.  We have had days in the thirties and days in the eighties all in the same week.  We had snow tonight and we will have temperatures of sixty-five degrees this coming Monday.  We have had days that start out freezing and become perfectly pleasant t-shirt weather and days that start out perfectly pleasant and end up frigid and windy.

Most of my job involves working outside and I have to admit that I am having trouble acclimating to the constant weather changes.  My sinuses and my ears have been all messed up.  I have been getting headaches from the weather changes also.  All of this is compounded by the fact that, even on the coldest of days, I have to walk into the house where I work and shed layers of clothing or I will be burning up because the average temperature of the house where I work is 75 degrees.  It is such a funny sight to see coworkers quickly walking to the house in essentially summer clothing even when it is freezing cold outside.

Have you ever struggled with your Christian walk feeling like this?  Sometimes you are passionate for the Word and resting in the Lord and other times you feel far from Jesus.  These mountains and valleys or hot and cold moments can make a walk so difficult.  I don't know about you but I struggle much more in these times than I do when I have a consistent daily walk with Jesus.  When I am disciplined and spend time in the Word, speaking to the Lord, and relying on Him throughout my day, week, and month, I find that I am much more at peace and centered in who I am in Christ.  This is not so when I have a day of intense prayer and devotion followed by a week of nothing.

Our walks in Christ and outward witness should not appear to the world as Indiana does with weather.  What I mean by this is that the world should not expect that how we are acting or who we are will change in the next few moments.  We should be consistent in Christ.  We should walk a life full of love, grace, faithfulness, peace, and self control.  Our walks should model a daily walk with Christ that is unhindered by the ebb and flow of the world.  We have to be so careful to make sure that we are not letting each little life crisis pull us away from our daily walk with Christ.

Through reading the Bible, spending time growing in Christ through small groups, regular church attendance, constant prayer, and complete faithfulness to Christ, we will be able to weather the ups and downs and heat waves and cold snaps of the world.  I have been working to be more consistent in Christ through following a daily bible reading plan.  I am trying to store up the words of the Bible in my heart for those times of fluctuation.  I am trying to drop to my knees in prayer when I encounter daily struggles.  I am trying to build strong Christian relationships to help give me strength in my time of struggles.  I still have a long way to go but one step is still one step.  I hope you will work to draw closer to Jesus on a daily and consistent basis also.  May Jesus help to protect and uplift you in all you encounters each day.

Blessings,

Greg  

The Light of Job

I am working on a chronological daily reading plan and this week I have been working my way through the book of Job.  I struggle on many levels with the book of Job.  I think my own American understanding of the world has colored my perspective of God.  As I read the book of Job, I have a great problem with the idea of God allowing all those awful things happen to Job as a way to show that Job will remain faithful to God despite them.  I think I struggle so much with the idea of God doing this because I know that I would fail that test miserably.  I can't even imagine surviving the first round the Devil exacted against Job more less making it to the direct assault on Job's body.  I also am not sure that I would've been able to be confident in my own righteousness against friends trying to persuade me to confess my sins to God.  

You have to admit that Job's faith was pretty incredible.  He spent a considerable amount of time arguing for his innocence to his friends despite all that had happened to him.  I think the thing I struggle with the most in the book of Job is the fact that Job truly was innocent.  It seems to me that this is why God allowed the devil to do all he did in the first place.  Job lived a life that honored God.  Job was as far as we could tell practically sinless.  

I struggle in so many ways each day in my walk as a Christian.  Like the photo at the beginning of the blog, I sometimes struggle with being right next to the light but not living in it.  I stumble in my heart, my mind, my words, and my actions daily.  I'm not even sure I have ever made it through one day without sinning.  It is like I walk in the light for a time but take wander into the dark from time to time.  I can't even imagine living a mostly sinless life.  I can't imagine being such an honorable and Godly man that God would have so much confidence in me to allow the devil to test me knowing that I would not turn from Him.  I want to be able to live a life that honors and is devoted to God like Job was.  I hope that my faith and walk will grow to the level of holding fast to God no matter what I experience or encounter in this life.  I hope that i can become a man who walks in the light and truth of God all the time and never wanders into the dark.

I am not done with the book of Job yet though I do know that a point is coming up where Job questions God and God gives him the riot act.  I can't even imagine the pain Job must've felt.  It is hard for me to see that my life truly is about God and His kingdom.  I am not on this planet to live an easy and blessed life.  Though God may give me a blessed and generous life, I have to remember that everything in my life is from Him.  It is so funny that I think I own things in this life.  I believe the book of Job makes it perfectly clear that the Lord can give and take away and there is nothing we can say about it because God is perfectly just in both actions.  

I know this blog is not particularly uplifting but our understanding of God and His sovereignty is a lesson we better not miss.  We need to remember that our lives are to be lived for Him only.  We have to remember that any possession we have has been given to us by God.  We have to remember that as Christians we are to live for His kingdom only.  Can you trust in God no matter what?  Can you surrender your heart to Him fully no matter what your life looks like?  Can you give up everything and still praise Him daily?  To have a full and real relationship with Jesus, we need to be able answer yes to each one of these tough questions.

Blessings,

Greg

Pruning for Life

Today, I had the opportunity to prune the apple tree at my job.  I had pruned the pear tree the day before and was a little worried about how to properly prune our apple tree.  It is important to understand that our apple tree had been allowed to overgrow a tad.  As I spent time learning about the proper way to prune an apple tree and spent time looking at a bunch of photos and illustrations on what the tree was supposed to look like, I knew that I had my work cut out for me.  Our tree had limbs going literally everywhere.  They were going up, down, backwards, through each other, and every over way possible.  My first thoughts as I was reading about how the tree was supposed to look, was that I would kill it by pruning it to the extent needed.  After talking to my boss, he assured me that the tree would be fine and that the pruning was necessary to have a good harvest next year.

So the first thing I did this morning was get my gloves, ladder, pruning shears, and hand saw.  Though I still felt a little overwhelmed, I decided that all I could do was to trim one limb at a time till the tree began to take the shape it needed to have.  I slowly worked my way around the bottom limbs of the tree taking off all the limbs that needed to be removed for it to be fruitful.  I ended the job on a ladder at the very top of the tree and had to make some executive decisions that involved removing some limbs that had been there for a few years.  Once I was finally finished, I admired how well the tree had shaped up and yet I still wondered if I should have removed the many limbs now laying at the base of the tree.  I even had an employee come out at one point and ask me if I was cutting the tree down.  I assured her that this was necessary for a good harvest next year and she worriedly smiled back at me. 

Through this experience, I have a new perspective on the beginning of John chapter 15 with Jesus saying, 

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

I now understand why it is necessary to cut off the branches that don't bear fruit and I know what they look like.  I realized how necessary the vine is to the branches for life.  I now know first hand what it feels like to cut, pickup, carry, and burn each branch that is not productive to the tree.  Another thing I now am acutely aware of, is the time, love, and care it requires of the vinedresser to keep the vine fruitful.  There are even times when the vinedresser has to make drastic cuts that concern others in order to help the vine and branches flourish next spring.

Just as I wondered if I was taking off the right amount of branches, I have often asked the Lord if certain pruning of my own heart was necessary.  It can be hard to understand why the Lord wants to remove certain things from your life.  The pruning can be painful and time has to be allowed for healing and new growth to begin.  There may even be times when you think that if the Lord works on anything else He will kill you but the beauty of Him being the vinedresser is that He has a perspective you don't have.  The vinedresser can see the big picture.  The vinedresser can see that it is necessary to remove one limb to provide another limb the room it needs to flourish.

As you go through a season of pruning in your life, I exhort you to trust the Lord who is your vinedresser.  He is good and compassionate only taking off the limbs that need to be removed to promote fruit.  He can see the parts of your life that are dead and/or unproductive and wants to remove them for your benefit.  Each cut is beneficial and necessary for growth.  Will you trust Him today?  Will you allow Him to shape you into the person He wants you to be?  Will you allow Him to help you become fruitful in your life?

Blessings,

Greg

I just added this photo because I love the brilliant oranges and reds in it.  The photo doesn't do the real life view justice but it is still pretty.  :)

Fall into Christ

For the last few weeks, I have been focusing on making the yard at my job look good by trying to mow the leaves past the fence and out of the front and back yards.  Pushing leaves out of the yard is a long and tedious job but once I am finished and I have a clean yard, I remember why the job is worth the time.  It takes me twice the amount of time it would normally take me to mow the yard because in order to blow the leaves I have to mow only one direction.  I alternate between two methods, which includes driving down the line in forward and reverse and driving down the line and then returning to the beginning to drive down the line of leaves again.  Driving backwards on a zero turn mower is neither natural or preferred, it takes a lot of concentration and accepting the possibility of a crick in your neck.  First you have to determine the best place to begin pushing the leaves.  Once you figure this out, pushing the leaves isn't too bad and moves quite smoothly but as you get closer to the fence line, the pile of leaves gets larger and more difficult to push.  

I began to think about how sometimes problems in our lives rain down just like these leaves.  It may be one problem that has gotten so big that it feels like your life is covered by it or it could be multiple problems filling up your life from all directions.  When this happens it can be difficult to know where to start.  Removing the problems from your life can often take time and require you to deal with them in a way that you aren't used to.  Sometimes people prefer not to work on their problem(s) because they can't remember the beauty and peace found in life without them.  Sometimes people do not want to have to endure the pain of listening and dealing with their own contribution to the problem(s).  We all know that many times in working on the problems of life things are going to get harder before they become easier.  James had an exhortation to this at the beginning of his book saying, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

Jesus is always with us.  There is no time in our life that He cannot handle or help us out of.  Jesus is there in our joyful times, times of sorrow, times of being buried under problem after problem, and times when we can't even see a light at the end of the tunnel.  We always have hope in Christ.  Before we make any decisions or choose any actions in solving a problem, we should lay it at the feet of Jesus.  Though we may be able to get out of the problem on our own, I can promise you that Jesus will offer you the best solution to your problem that will bring you the most joy and peace.  Jesus can help to give you clarity and remind you of what your life can be with the problem repaired or removed.  Though it is hard to imagine a clean yard when you first begin raking, there is such peace and joy when you have finished and see the fruits of your toil.  Remember as Proverbs 3:5-6 say, "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."

If you are feeling overwhelmed today, I encourage you to take refuge in Jesus.  Let him lead you in how to overcome the mountain of work and problems before you.  Let Him bring you rest and strength to prepare you for the battle of digging yourself out.  Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  In Christ is peace, joy, and contentment.  In Christ is all that you will need to conquer this world and truly live.  Won't you rest in Him, lean upon Him, and trust His ability to help you in any situation today?

Blessings,

Greg

Coordination of Parts

Today was a wonderful day at our church.  The Lord reigned fully in the music, the sermon, and the Lord's supper.  I know that this statement would seem obvious but it seems to me that in a church plant,  there are times when the focus of the Lord can get lost in the semantics of creating a great service.  Today was a good day fully focused on worshipping and honoring our Lord.  I think this was also accentuated by the fact that we all got together after the service to share a meal and fellowship together.

A church must function as a united body.  When each body part is doing it's own thing separate of the other there will be dissonance in the church.  I am beginning to see that you have to be very intentional to keep this from happening in a church plant.  It can become so easy to focus on establishing the ministries necessary to sustain a church that the uniting vision that pulls us all together can get lost in the shuffle.  Today helped to renew in my heart, the love I have for each person at our church.  I saw today how each one of our ministries is beginning to unite to create an incredible church that I believe is going to radically change the town and area we are in.  It is so awesome to see God moving and placing people where they need to be.  It is so humbling as He takes a bunch of individual puzzle pieces and begins to fit them together into a clear picture of His Kingdom's work.

My best friend and I love biking and have spent lots of time on trails and riding around together.  The picture at the beginning of the blog was captured after quite a bit of hard work to coordinate a trick like that.  Last winter we decided to try and do tandem tricks together in from of my house.  As we enjoyed playing around and attempting tricks, we learned how difficult it can be to coordinate the tricks together.  We worked hard that day and were able to begin seeing the fruits of our labor as is evident by the photo.  I say all this because I understand how difficult it can be for completely different people to come together and accomplish a great task like planting a church.  It is only through the grace of God that he can take those different people and bring together a beautiful picture of Himself through them.  Like the work it took for my friend and I to coordinate the bike trick in the photo, I believe our God is coordinating great things for our church because of our hard work and faithfulness.

I am so thankful for each person at my church and all that God is doing in them and through them.  I am excited to see how God is going to work in our church this Christmas season.  I believe our church is on the cusp of great growth and genuine revival.  I look forward to how the Lord is going to reveal new strengths and purposes in each member of our church.  I long deeply for our church to develop into a close family with one purpose to affect our world for Christ.  Our God is good.  Our God is magnificent.  Our God is constantly working.  Will you let Him prepare you for the task He has created you for in your church?  Will you let Him reveal who you are and your purpose in His kingdom today?

Blessings,

Greg

The Faith of Job

This week I started a reading a chronological Bible reading plan. The last couple days I have been reading Job. I look at all that was taken from Job and I wonder to myself if I would've been able to praise God despite it all. I was convicted of how much I complain at the little troubles I experience in life. Jobs words to his wife were so convicting as he said, "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?"

As I read these words, I had to ask myself if this was true in my heart. It is so easy to praise God when you are receiving blessings but do you find your self blessing and praising God in your pain, struggles, and the disasters of your life? The real heart of the matter is whether you believe God is sovereign and good in both the wonderful times and the painful times? It can be tough to accept God's goodness in the hard times of life but His goodness never changes.

I am so thankful that we have a good God. I hope that my life can better express my love for Him no matter the situation of my life. I hope I can live a life that reflects my trust in Him always. I hope I can always remember that my life is to reflect and uplift His glory no matter the situation or circumstances.

Blessings,

Greg

Joyful Moment in Time

There are certain times in life that are huge!  Those moments you will never forget.  Each moment is etched vividly into your mind.  The exact words, sights, and sounds of the moment forever locked into your memory.  Everything about your surroundings, the time of day, the weather, and what you were doing brought to full awareness.  When this moment in your life is a moment of joy everything around you seems more colorful, more beautiful, and more amazing.

In these times of joy you remember the wonderful power and goodness of your God. You are reminded of His sovereign power and grace to bring you to that moment.  In these joyful times of your life, I hope you will praise the Lord because He is the one that brought you to that day and moment.  I for one know that I have an awesome and loving God.  I know His timing is perfect and beautifully crafted.  I know He gives me everything I need to fully be able to handle all He gives me.  I am blessed to have a relationship with such a wonderful Lord.  I hope you feel the same way too.

Blessings,

Greg

What if Jesus Had Come in Our Day

I was thinking about what if Jesus had come in our modern day.  I though about how His ministry would've been different.  I thought about whether he would've travelled the world.  I wondered if He would've utilized social media and modern day technology.  I thought about how His message might have been different.  I wondered what the parables would've been about in our day.

I honestly do not think Jesus would have done much with Facebook or Twitter.  I doubt he would've created a website for himself or worried about campaigning to be the top religious person in the world.  It seems to me that Jesus' strengths focused on sharing one on one relationships.  Sure, Jesus would've been able to provide perfectly thought out comments and questions to make people think on Facebook and Twitter but I don't believe His ministry was about hits, likes, or followers.

In the Gospels it seems that Jesus' main draw was His authentic and consistent life that gave His words authority.  He meant what he said and His character backed up the kind of person he was.  His power was in real life conversation and interaction.  I believe it was experiencing the love and compassion on His face, the power of His words, and the healing in His touch that changed the opened hearts and changed the world. I believe he would've used a phone only to plan a meeting in person.  He would've understood that love is best demonstrated face to face.  In doing miracles in our modern world, He probably would've told the people he healed not to go to the newspapers, TV stations, and online forums.

I believe His ministry would've been in all the places many of us have no interest driving through much less having to walk through and engage people.  He probably would've visited the local bars, the casino's, and the crack houses.  I doubt he would've have been afraid to talk to the professed atheist, the homeless, the addicted, or the gangs.  Jesus made it clear that he was not here for the well but the sick.  He probably would've offended many churches as He choose to spend time with the people on the street instead of preaching and fellowshipping with the people in the church.

I believe Jesus still would've spent most of His time mentoring a group of 12 men.  He had no intention of bringing the truth of His gospel to the whole world himself but through the Jews and those He poured His teachings into.  Chances are that Jesus would've never set foot in America.  He probably still would've been born, raised, and died in Israel.  We probably would've only heard about Him in the states as a passing mention in the evening news around the time He was crucified.  Chances are most of us wouldn't have even heard about His teachings unless we had gone to Israel on vacation.  For those who have problems with that last sentence, remember that Christianity wouldn't even exist if Jesus had come in our time instead.

I don't know about you but many times I have wished that Jesus would've came in our modern era.  I wish that I could've spent time getting to know Him in the flesh.  I wish that I could've seen the miracles He performed and heard the sermons and parables He taught.  The reality is though that Jesus came to bring the Gospel to the Jews and intended for them to bring it to the world.  Because of this fact I still would've likely only heard about Him or truly had a chance to know more about Him after He was gone. More than likely more of His words would've been available.  There might have even been youtube footage of the sermon on the mount.  Who knows we might've been able to listen to Jesus' messages on podcast after He died.

I guess the point of what I am writing is that even if Jesus had come in our modern era, His words and teachings would've still been the same.  His ministry would've been to the same region.  He still would've died a horrible death by today's standards.  And many would've seen Him, met Him, heard Him, and been healed by Him and yet still fell away.

We have everything we need to know about Jesus at our fingertips.  We have been given such a blessing to see His ministry from four different Gospel perspectives.  We have been given the Holy Spirit and a complete Bible to understand God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a way that the early church couldn't have imagined.  Each one of us has the ability to own a copy of the Bible, which has only been the case for about 500 years.  We have missed nothing by not having Jesus in the flesh with us today.  Jesus provided everything we would need to know about Him and the Gospel truth.  Though the idea of Jesus coming in our day is interesting, I am so glad that Jesus choose to come when He did and how He did.

Blessings,

Greg