Apprentice of the Master Artist

For the past year, I have been discovering the artist heart within me. My wife has softly encouraged me to realize my talent and potential by buying me paints, pastels, charcoals, a sketching pad, and canvas'. I must admit that I was not to interested in using these gifts at first. I honestly didn't understand why she would be giving me these things because I felt as though my artist talent was severely lacking

Other than the required art classes in school, I have never had any training in art. When I was younger, I used to try and draw animals and cars. I have always enjoyed drawing but have mostly done it while sitting in an incredibly boring class ;). I honestly wish that I had spent more time exploring different artistic mediums.

I am now learning that I do not have to take art classes to enjoy exploring new art mediums. In the past year, I have leaned so much about acrylic painting, pastels, and digital art. I have truly enjoyed and honestly been quite surprised by the pieces I have been able to create. I feel as though I have so much more to learn and so much I still am unable to do but I feel encouraged by what I have accomplished this past year.

Throughout my time of rediscovering the artist in me, I have developed more of an appreciation for the sheer beauty of all the Lord has created. He truly is the master artist. There are so many delightfully interesting and strange creations in this world and our Lord crafted and created each one. The first two chapters of Genesis speak directly to Him creating the universe.

When I sit down at night and create a drawing in a sketchpad or canvas, I am usually quite pleased and glad that it is good. When the Lord sat down to create our universe, He created life, light, matter, existence, and time and it was most definitely GOOD!  Every single facet of this life has been crafted by God.  Nothing has been left to chance and contrary to popular belief this world did not just happen.

As some of you know, I am very fond of the Chronicles of Narnia series. Probably my favorite book within the series is The Magician's Nephew because it shows such a beautiful picture of Aslan creating Narnia.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we are given the opportunity each day to be made a new by Jesus.  Are you letting Jesus paint a masterpiece on your heart.  You will find no greater peace, satisfaction, purpose, or beauty than what Jesus can bring to you.  I hope you will put your life in the hands of the master Artist today.

Blessings,

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.
http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

How to Save a Life

The many commercials that race across our TV screens, computer monitors, and smartphones each night try to convince us that our greatest joy is found in their product, service, or location.  Many times we believe them.  We desire to have what the commercials offer.  We cannot find peace until we have figured out a way to have what the commercial offers even if our actions involve going into debt to satisfy our desires.  Though I cannot say I am immune to the commercials and advertisements that assault me each day, I can say that I know there is only one place you can find true and complete joy.  That is in Jesus.

I was not particularly looking forward to going to work today.  This was mostly because I knew I would be hauling in hay from the field and that is not a fun task.  The Lord had already poured down immense grace for today by providing a much cooler day than last year, a smaller amount of bales than last year, and workers in whom I enjoyed working with.  The day went by considerably faster than I thought it would and we had the opportunity to eat lunch at the Pizza Hut buffet in the process, always a good thing.  I even was surprised at how well my body handled the work and how much less I hurt than last year when we were done.

All of these things converged to greatly improve my day but the icing of the day came after baling the hay was done.  After the baling was done, we needed to do a bit of cleaning on the barn.  One of my helpers needed to leave early and my other helper decided to stay to help me finish the task.  The second helper really made the task go by quicker and I also enjoyed our conversation while working.

The worker and I began an interesting conversation about relationships and marriage while finishing the task at hand.  As the conversation continued on, I noticed my helper steering it into deeper waters.  I could tell that something was weighing on his heart.  As I shared the wisdom I have gleaned during my eight years of marriage, I could tell he was searching for something deeper.  I felt the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart to steer the conversation towards Him.  I must admit that I was hesitant at first but each time I spoke about the Lord my helper listened intently.

The conversation quickly transitioned from relationships to Jesus.  I could see that Jesus was really weighing on his heart.  I tried to speak to my helper the words the Holy Spirit laid on my heart.  I was amazed that with each truth I gave him, my helper seemed to drink it in.  He seemed starved to know this truth and didn't want to follow this truth unless it was authentically and with his whole heart.

As our conversation came to a close, I gave him some advice on where to start, in the Bible, as he sought to know who Jesus is.  I gave him my phone number and my email and I stood there amazed as I watched this young man leave with joy on his face and even a bit of peace.  I could tell his heart had been stirred and that Jesus was who he had been searching for.  Contrary to what any commercial or advertisement tries to tell you, there is only one person that can bring pure joy to your heart.  He is Jesus Christ.

My heart has been flying high with joy and praise ever since our conversation this afternoon.  I have been in awe of this wonderful set of circumstance my Lord weaved together that I may have the opportunity to share Him to another.  It was such a privilege and a joy to do so.

There truly is no greater joy than to live and share Jesus daily.  The devil tries to make us forget this through instilling fear, doubt, and apathy in us but I hope you will trust in Jesus' truth and live boldly for Him instead.  I hope you will jump at any opportunity you have to share Jesus.  I hope you will trust the Holy Spirit to work in their heart and your mouth.  I leave you with this verse today.  I hope you can say that you live as this verse describes.


I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Blessings,

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

Know Truth and Turn to Jesus

This week I have been listening to podcasts by prominent men of Christianity.  I have listened to sermons of John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and C. H. Spurgeon.  I have been deeply touched by the wisdom and insight these men had.  I also have been astonished by their ability to speak the truth of the gospel directly and simply.  I have to say that I am quite amazed at how none of their sermons feel old.  Their sermons are just as applicable today as they were then.  I used to believe that we as Christians have it harder than any other generation.  Now I am no longer sure.

Do we have different temptations and struggles than what these men had.  I would say yes and no.  The direct issues we deal with are different and yet the underlying problems seem to be the same.  Today, we deal with homosexuality and the bible, republican vs. democrat theology, and relative truth.  Back then they dealt with Catholicism vs. Protestantism, false vs. real salvation, and biblical truth vs. religious apathy.  If you really think about it these issues are not much different from each other.  The underlying problem for each of these issues is humanity vs. God, absolute truth vs. relative truth, and the teachings of Jesus vs. every other religion and belief system in the world.

Nothing has changed...  Ephesians 6:12 is just as true today as it was in the time of these prominent men and the time of Jesus saying, " For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."  For those of you who are struggling with this, the fact is that absolute truth does exist and the Bible contains it.  Take the time to read Matthew 24 and see what you think.  I'm guessing you will be able to see how the things Jesus talks about are present today.

Folks we are living in a world at war and the prize is your soul.  You can choose to put your full faith and belief in the historical Jesus and Savior of the world or choose to die and sink into the depths of hell.  These are your two choices.  Death provides a one way ticket and, like an elevator, will only be going up or down.  You might want to read Revelation 12 to begin to get a better picture of what is happening in this world.  It also will help you understand why it is not going to get better till Jesus comes.  The devil is the great deceiver and is out to take as many as he can with him into the lake of fire.

For those of you who believe in Jesus or say you do, I leave you with this thought.  Revelation 12:17 says, "Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea."  Though this verse reads like the great beginning to a fantasy novel, it speaks a direct warning to all who are followers of Jesus.  Unlike the message of wealth, health, and prosperity preached by Joel Osteen, the true followers of Jesus can expect to be pursued and attacked by the devil. This may not always present itself as physical or monetary tragedies but I can guarantee that you will face trials, temptations, and attacks against your faith.


Believing in Jesus Christ is to effectively put on armor and go to war.  If you choose to join this battle without putting on armor, don't be surprised when you are wounded.  If you decide to follow Jesus in the shadows or proclaim to follow Jesus without a change in the heart, don't be surprised when you meet Him one day and He say, "I never knew you.  Depart from me."  Becoming a Christian truly is as easy as just turning your eyes to Jesus but by truly turning your eyes to Jesus your heart will begin to change and you will become a new person in Him.  Reading my blog titled Faith or Works may help you to better understand what I am talking about here.  


I know that some of the words and truths in this blog seem harsh but honestly I would rather you be a temporarily offended and truly gain salvation through Jesus Christ than to walk on egg shells, never proclaiming the truth of the gospel to you, and have you go to hell.  Nothing written in this blog or in the Bible is written in hate, judgment, or malice.  All of it is intended to reveal the truth of the sin in your life and your inability to save yourself.  By understanding your need, you can understand what Christ did and choose to give your life to Him.


For those who already are saved, I hope you will take the time to share the gospel with others.  Over two-thirds of our world do not have a relationship with Jesus.  As true followers of Christ, we should want to do everything possible to reach the lost with the gospel.  I leave you with Romans 10:14-15 in the hopes that you will be inspired to share the gospel with those around you.  Paul says, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written,'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'"


Blessings,


Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

Mother's Day Challenge to Fathers

My glowing wife.

Men may you give your wives and mothers the best Mother's Day they have ever known this year.  There are two types of mothers in this world: the ones who hate or are indifferent to Mother's Day and the ones who look forward to it every year.  A mother's reaction to Mother's Day is directly related to the response of her family and especially her spouse.  As one who is about to become a father and is excited to celebrate Mother's Day with my wife, I have really being thinking about things I can do to celebrate and encourage her this Mother's Day and for Mother's Days to come.  I want my wife to know she is loved and appreciated starting with this Mother's Day and each consecutive Mother's Day for the rest of her life.

Mother's day southern tradition: a red rose for a live mother and a white rose for a mother passed on.

I thought back to the Mother's Days of my youth.  As I think back to those days, I consider some of the things that made Mother's Day special for my mom.  We always dressed our best on Mother's Day and we wore a red rose as a southern tribute to our mother.   In the south you do not forget mothers on Mother's Day in the church.  As a child, I remember dad taking care of breakfast, letting mom pick her favorite restaurant, and each of us getting her gifts of our love.  Though I can't say that we as children always did a great job honoring my mother on Mother's Day, I can confidently say that my dad did and worked hard to teach us to also.

Mother's day in Appomattox, VA

Looking back at the examples in my own life and through the examples of others in my life, I have learned the significance the husband plays in making a mother feel truly appreciated on Mother's Day.  It is not the mother's job to teach her children to appreciate her but in fact her husband's.  The father is the one who, through his example, teaches his children to appreciate their mother.  This is not something that is accomplished through just one day of the year but through an example that is given every single day of the year.

Mother's day in Williamsburg, VA

Our children are watching us men.  They see every kind or hard word we give to our wives; they see our acts of affection and when we ignore our wives; and they learn how to love or hate their mothers through us.  Proverbs 31:28, "Her children arise and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her."  This only happens if we fulfill the second part of this verse men.  Ephesians 5:25-30 says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.  In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,  because we are members of his body."     

Glowing again

Men tonight I ask, have you being loving your wife and the mother of your children in a way that sanctifies her, presents her as holy and without blemish, and with a love that is equal to a love for yourself?  If not, I hope you will take time to examine the scripture, ask forgiveness of your wife and children for not loving your wife the way you should, and take the steps to become the husband and father the Bible calls you to be.  It is time we step up and live Courageously in loving our wives and families.  It is time we truly honor our wives on this Mother's Day.

No explanation needed.

For those of you who had father's who never taught you to truly love and respect your mother or had no father at all, I hope you will spend time reading Proverbs 31.  I hope you will not look at Proverbs 31 as a way to identify all the traits your mother may not have but as a way to understand how you are supposed to treat your mother with respect and love.  Ways to do this can be as easy as calling her,  taking her out to eat, or even as simply as just spending time with her.  I hope you will take genuine steps this Mother's day to show your mother you truly love her. 

Happy Mother's day!

Blessings,

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

Hope Unquenched. Hope Undeterred.

My glowing pregnant wife and I

There have been many times in my life when I have not understood what the Lord is doing.  I have spent many hours wondering if I made wrong choices or missed certain callings.  Did I not listen to Him as He led?  Was I supposed to take another direction?  Did He lead me here to this place or is He just making the best of my own mishandling of His will?  For those of you who believe in complete sovereignty, I am sure you are saying that I am exactly where I should be because I can never be outside of God's sovereignty but there are times I just don't know.

Me and close brother in Christ

I feel so very deeply in my heart that my life should be immersed in active, full time ministry and missions.  My every moment should be lived reaching, teaching, and preaching the gospel of my Savior to the lost and the fold.  My heart desires to be in Spain with my brother, his wife, and their daughter to sweep the nation of Spain for Christ.  My heart desire to sing His praises at the top of my lungs with the fullness and completeness of my soul.  I am never more at peace than when I am in direct ministry for my Lord.  I have never seen my wife more at peace than when I am leading for the Lord and we are sharing in ministry together.

My wife and I ministering to migrant children

For the past couple weeks, my wife and I have been taking birthing classes.  As I consider this tiny life that is about to be here in our arms, I consider who I am and who I want to be to my child.  I spend hours thinking about the witness I am going to give to my son and future children.  Will he see a man who was 100% sold out for Christ or a man who always desired to be 100% sold out for Christ?  Will he see a father who loved and led his mother with the love and leadership of Jesus or will he see a man who never quite loved his mother the way the Bible leads me to love her?

Worshipping on a youth trip

I look at the debt we have acquired through student loans, mortgage, car loans, and more.  I keep wondering how we are ever going to climb out of this debt we are in.  We have worked hard to climb out of poor financial choices made early in our marriage and yet we have so much farther still to go.  I want so much to live in full time ministry and yet there are so many times that I feel I will never escape this burden I'm buried under.  Am I using this burden as an excuse or is this burden being used to teach me complete faith in Him?

Me with a couple of the horses at my job

I don't in anyway want to minimize the many amazing things God has put in my life.  I am so thankful to be at the job I am at.  They have been a life saver to me in the way they have loved me, taught me, and enabled me to be a part of ministry while also learning service.  I am so thankful to have remembered what it means to truly worship again through my job.  I feel like I have been able to worship freely and completely before Jesus for the first time outside of the piano in my home through leading chapel.

My son Samuel

I am so thankful for the unexpected blessing of a young adult ministry I never even dreamed of.  The Lord has blessed me with young adults who truly want to live for Him.  I have been so inspired by their commitment to learning and growing in their walks with Jesus.  I have been blessed by the conversations I have been privileged to have with them.  I have been touched by getting a glimpse of the mighty way God has been working through each of them.  I have been challenged by the opportunity to touch hearts that are distant from Him.

Oh the family pictures of yore

I am thankful for a church that honors God in their music, their preaching, and in their love.  My wife and I have had a hard time finding a church that met our needs since we moved here.  I am thankful for what we learned from each church since we have moved here but my wife and I have been missing out on the love and fellowship of people in our life station.  It is so wonderful to relate with someone who understands where you are and being able to also share a common love of Jesus with them.  I have enjoyed learning, fellowshipping, and growing throughout the short time we have been at this new church.

My wife's family

Finally I am incredibly thankful for my wife, who is carrying our son, and the wonderful love she has showered over me.  I shutter to imagine what my life would've been without her.  She has made me a better man in Christ through her strong faithfulness, love, and grace.  She is going to be the most wonderful mother to our child and I am so thankful that we are embarking on this adventure together.  I am also thankful for the wonderful brothers in Christ the Lord has surrounded me with.  I never believed that I would ever meet a friend who loves me the way these brothers do.  I honestly never believed brothers like this could exist but God showed me His love through them.  I also am so thankful for a Godly family that prays for us, encourages us, and actively loves on us.  I would not be here to day or even writing this blog if it were not for my family.  They raised me in the truth of Jesus and are the ones who laid the foundation for me being the man I am today.  I can't imagine my life without each one of these dear people that constantly remind me of the love God has bathed me with.

My wife and I with my best friend and his wife

I want to end this blog praising God because He is surely good!  I am thankful for every opportunity I have to proclaim His name and I am hopeful that one day I will have the opportunity to minister for Him in full-time ministry and missions.  I look forward to the day that I will get to minister next to my brother in Christ in Spain.  I look forward to the opportunity to preach and worship within a church the Lord has lead me to or given me the opportunity to speak in.  Until the day these hopes come to fruition, I will continue to be faithful to Him daily.  I will continue to be thankful for each opportunity He gives me to grow, to lead, and to minister.

Blessings,

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist