Opening the Box (Proceed with Caution)

In a time where abortions are an everyday norm and aborted fetuses are picked through and sold for parts, this blog called, Opening the Box (Proceed with Caution) from a dear friend in Colorado is a refreshingly beautiful picture of the sanctity of life, the simple faith of the redeemed, and the loving grace of a God who is sovereign and good.

Read the beautiful words of a heart exposed, which reveals the faithfulness and glory of God in the sufferings and joys of this life.  I pray that you will read this blog and that it will warm, encourage, and remind your heart of steadfast truth.  If this blog blesses you, share it with others who may have experienced loss, need to be reminded of the beauty of life, even in the womb, or need assurances that God is indeed good and working throughout our sufferings and our greatest joys.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  Jeremiah 1:5

Birth Miracle

It would be impossible to do birth justice by trying to explain how incredible it is.  I must admit that the idea of the birth process scared me half to death.  I did a great job of focusing on work, chores, and my wife instead of what would happen in the birth room.  I was afraid of the pain my wife would experience, whether I would be strong enough to stand beside her, and whether my boy would be okay or not.  The unknown is what I feared most and there was plenty of it.  The unknown is what I have always feared.

Well Tuesday night began my walk into the unknown.  She began light contractions Tuesday night and I tried my best to get some decent sleep, knowing that he could come at any time.  Naturally, I struggled with sleep for those first few hours.  At about three in the morning, I laid all my fears down at Jesus' feet.  I talked to Him about my need for sleep and my desire for Him to take away my fears.  I believe Wednesday morning was the first time I had truly laid all my fears down in my life.  For the rest of the night, I slept in peace till my wife woke me up at 7:30 and said it seemed like it was time to go.

When we arrived at the hospital, Mel and I were taken to a testing room to see if she would be admitted or not.  The nurse and doctor was sufficiently pleased with her contractions and progress and she was admitted.  Once in the room, we began what I can best describe as a 15 hour marathon.  Though the husband does not experience the physical pain the mom experiences, I would testify that the husband does go through a marathon of emotional struggle.  It is not easy to see your wife in such pain, especially when she chooses to go natural.

The birth went great and my wife was truly a champion!  She did wonderfully and handled every part of the birth process so well.  My respect and love for my wife was increased so much by the way she handled such a grueling and painful process.  Much of the last part of the birthing process was spent praying that the Lord would end it soon.  The Lord's grace washed completely over my wife as she was able to focus on each contraction while allowing time to become a blur.  I, on the other hand, was acutely aware of how long the process was taking and wanted her pain to end soon and wanted so much to meet this little boy who had been squirming in my wife's belly for the last 9 months.

When it came to the end and the final pushing, I was in awe.  I felt no fear.  I felt no timidity.  I felt nothing but love for my wife, great expectation at my son's entrance, and desire for my wife to experience relief.  On that final push when he made his entrance into the world, I felt nothing but wonderment, peace, and praise.  The birth of a baby is a miracle.  Anyone who can question the existence of God at the moment of birth is beyond my comprehension.


For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13 

Blessings,

Greg

The Battle Within

The highlight of my day.

Tonight, I am tired.  My wife and I have been working to redo our bedroom in the past few weeks.  Through this process, we moved everything out of the room and have been sleeping in the living room.  We try to work on our bedroom when we get a chance but honestly we are both exhausted when we get home.  I have been working on redoing and painting rooms at my job also, which makes it all the more difficult to want to do the same thing at home.

We both agree that we want the room to be done but do not want to rush back into our bedroom unfinished.  I don't know about you but when I feel overwhelmed with a task or tasks, I have a tendency to want to shut down.  I don't want to work anymore.  I want to get away from what is weighing heavy on me.

Well today was one of those days for me.  When I came into work this morning, I did not want to get started on the project I need to finish.  I didn't want to paint, trim, or tape the room I needed to work on.  There was a war within my heart against the very things I needed to do.  As I battled with the project before me, the Lord convicted me of why I needed to work anyways.  He laid on my heart that the job I do does not only affect people's perception of me but also Him.

I am to work for His honor and glory and sometimes that involves doing things that I may not want to do. I have to lean on His strength and endurance to push through the times I would rather collapse and give up.  I am not writing tonight that knowing this takes away all of my inner battles and struggles but knowing this does at least help me to do what is right despite those inner struggles.

I want my life to be a daily example of Jesus in me.  I want everything I do to be a reflection of His glory and power.  Though these last few weeks have been difficult and the growing pile of tasks I have before me will not be depleted soon, I will rest in my Lord's strength.  I will seek His peace.  And I will trust His Word.  The Bible says that Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:28-30).  The Bible says that in Christ I can do all things (Philippians 4:13).  The Bible also says that I should not be wearied by this world because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).  Lastly the Bible says that God will provide for all my needs through Jesus (Philippians 4:19).  In these scriptures, I will trust and through these scriptures, I will carry on.

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

Tearing Out The Sin in Your Heart

Today, I spent my day removing wallpaper from the walls in a room at my job.  In removing wallpaper, I have learned that there is easy wallpaper and hard wallpaper.  I have seen wallpaper that is practically impossible to remove without destroying the walls and I have removed wallpaper that was already falling of the walls.

No matter what type of wallpaper you encounter there is still a few things you have to do for the walls to be ready for painting.  First, you have to remove the wallpaper.  Second, you have to make sure all the backing is off the wall.  Third, you have to make sure you have removed all the glue.  Fourth, you have to fix any holes, scrapes, or tears you might have made in the process of removing the paper.  Finally, you are able to prime and paint the walls to give them new life, color, and a whole new personality in your room.

As I thought about this extensive process involved in removing the wallpaper at my job, I thought about how these steps could also apply to removing sin from our lives.  First, we have to identify the sin in our lives that needs to be removed.  Second, we have to ask forgiveness for the sin in our lives.  Third, we need to ask the Lord to identify the many ways the sin has infiltrated our lives.  Fourth, we need to allow Jesus to heal the areas of our heart that has been damaged by the sin.  Finally, Jesus is able to take our hearts and revive them in Him bringing them to new life, passion, and praise for Him throughout our daily lives.

Here are some verses supporting the steps necessary to remove sin from your life:
1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  
Philippians 1:6, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." 
Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Acts 3:19-21, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago."


Blessings,


Greg

Protection from the Cold of Sin

Yesterday, we got about twice as much snow as the meteorologist predicted we would.  In the morning, the forecast was for around an inch on the ground for our area.  What was not made clear by the meteorologist, was the fact that the snow would instantly stick to the roads and driveways because the road temperatures were below freezing.  Our town had not even laid any salt on the roads when the snow began. Within 15 minutes of the snow starting, all the flowerbeds, roofs, roads and driveways were covered with a slick layer of snow.

 I began to think about how easily sin can stick to straying or stumbling hearts as I looked at the stark contrast of a snow covered driveway and warm, mostly untouched, grass next to it.  Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life." Are you allowing the springs of your heart to chill and be easily affected by the cold snow and ice of sin?  Or is your heart's springs hot with Christ's love allowing it to easily ward off the sinful cold of this world?

We have to keep working on our relationship and walk with Jesus to help protect us from the cold of sin in our hearts.  Though this is a daily need it does not have to be a constant struggle.  Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  When you keep hearing around you how hard it is to follow Jesus and to do daily devotions, you begin to believe it yourself.  This scripture shows that growing a relationship with Christ is neither difficult or burdening.  In fact, it is the opposite.  Jesus Christ will strengthen you, fill you with lift your burdens, and walk with you to protect you from the daily attacks of the enemy.  


I hope that you will warm your heart up today in Christ.  Your time with Christ should be just as enjoyable and wonderful as curling up next to a fireplace on a cold winter day.  He will gently warm you inside and out.  He will keep you protected from the cold sins and temptations of this life.  He will feel you with peace and the assurance that you can make it through each day with Him by your side.  


Blessings,


Greg  

Jesus: Personality and All

Have you ever thought of Jesus with personality?  Have you ever considered Him telling jokes, hanging out with the boys, enjoying playing with children, and so much more?  It is so easy to read the Bible and view Jesus from a special, separated, holy, deity perspective.  We can easily miss his personality.   We can easily forget that He was human just like us.

I am reading a new book by John Eldredge called Beautiful Outlaw .  I am only five chapters into the book but I enjoying the new perspectives of scripture I have read many times.  It is such a comfort to me to know that Jesus truly does understand me.  He has lived like me.  He has experienced joy, anger, pain, love, friendship, struggles, and life.

If you do not know Him today, I hope you will try Him.  Jesus is like no other god this world has to offer.  He is real.  He wants to truly know you.  He loved you so much that He choose to live, die, and raise again to allow a way you could be saved from your sin.  You will never regret getting to know Jesus.

For those who already know Him as their Savior and Lord, I hope that you will learn to know Him as a friend and brother.  He always intended to have a close and real relationship with us.  He always intended for us to know Him through the Gospel accounts and this is evidenced by His giving us the Holy Spirit.  Through the Holy Spirit we can have Him directly in our heart.  I pray you would begin to truly know Him personality and all today.

Blessings,

Greg

Long Day at Work

Today was an incredibly long day at work.  I worked an eight hour shift and then attended a three hour Master Gardener class as a part of my job training.  I am so thankful that Jesus sustains me even on incredibly long days like today.  I know surviving a day that long without depending on the Lord isn't special but the thing is that I could not make it through a day that long and have joy without Jesus.  He is the one who keeps joy in my heart.  He is the only reason I can have a smile on my face.  It is on days like these that I really understand Colossians 3:23, which says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."  


In whatever you face daily are you doing it unto the Lord?  Are you depending upon Him for your strength, joy, peace, and ability?  If not, I guessing that some of those long days have birthed in you resentment, frustration, and exhaustion.  I hope you will lay everything before the Lord tonight and allow Him to fill you with everything you need daily.  Jesus said, "whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”


Blessings,
Greg

Prayers Appreciated

My wife and I are dealing with some extra struggles lately.  Tonight I just ask for your prayers.  I want you all to know I appreciate each of you following this blog.  Some day soon I hope to be able to share the events of our lives in the past months.  Suffice it to say that we appreciate all the prayer you can muster.  No matter what we face, we know that God is good and with us.  Our full faith is in Him and I know he never fails.  Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Blessings,

Greg

Painting My Heart A Fresh

For the last three days, I have been painting a room in the place where I work to refreshen it to make it a new office.  First off I have to admit that it has been a long time since I last painted a room and it was not at a place I worked.  Painting a room at your job is quite a different task than painting a room at home.  I wanted to be sure that I did everything as professional as possible.  Painting a room this way involves many steps.  Each one is essential to producing professional results once finished.

Working on a room at a professional level requires quite a bit of heavy work.  Painting a room involves a lot of taping, mudding, sanding, cleaning, painting primer, painting the color, and possibly painting another coat.  As I did each task, I thought about how the room of my heart looks and the work that is needed to make it fresh again.  I am sure that my heart is filled with marks, holes, scratches, cracks, and more.  I would even venture to say the walls of my heart have probably been sprayed with layers of graffiti.

Each one of these blemishes requires quite a bit of time and hard work to repair.  In Ezekiel 36:26 it says, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."  To me this says that God will take the room of my heart and make it new.  Through Jesus your heart becomes as if it is new and perfect instantly allowing you into heaven through the grace of Jesus also called justification.  The Holy Spirit continues the hard work of repairing your room and to bring you into the likeness of Christ called sanctification.  This is a long process and is one that is not completed while you are alive but there is such peace knowing that the Holy Spirit is constantly working in you. 


The Holy Spirit has so much work to do in my life.  There are so many ways that I don't look like Jesus.  I am a work in progress.  I'm not even sure the Holy Spirit has made it past the mudding phase especially since I keep putting new divots in the wall.  Though I have so much farther to go in my pursuit to walk like Christ, I find peace in knowing that the Holy Spirit is not done with me yet.  I am a work in progress and everyday through the work of the Spirit I become more like Jesus.  This doesn't mean I won't have my days of absolute failure but it does mean that I will never without the saving grace of Jesus or the renewing power of the Spirit.  In these assurances, I rest.


Blessings,


Greg

Tough Choices

I have found that as an adult tough choices have to be made.  It is no longer okay to do what is easiest or bury your head in the sand like an ostrich.  As an adult, the tough decisions have to be faced.  It is also true that most of the time hoping things will change produces no results.  Sometimes these tough choices have to be made to provide the best environment for your family.  Sometimes they have to be made to offer the best opportunity for healing and growth.  Sometimes these choices have to be made for no other reason than God leading you to make them.

I am beginning to so how unhealthy it is to stew in negative emotions and remained unsatisfied.  It does nobody any good when you are constantly lamenting your situation and bringing others down to your level instead of building them up.  In choosing to avoid tough decisions you are essentially telling God that the burden He has put on your heart is wrong.  Many times making tough decisions and sticking to them requires complete trust and faith in God.

If you are facing any tough decisions in you life today, I pray that you would have the courage to make them.  Spend time in prayer seeking the Lord's guidance and act when you feel Him move you to a decision.  I truly understand how hard these decisions can be.  I don't like to make them and I often doubt my final stand.  I have found that fully leaning on God is the only way to find peace in tough decisions. I ask that you pray for me in the tough decisions I face and I would love to pray for you also.  Feel free to email me anytime at realchristianwalk@gmail.com.

Blessings,

Greg

Don't Relax in Your Faith

Today I had the day off because my wife and I both had doctor's appointments we needed to go to with only one car.  I also have to work this weekend so my boss wanted me to take the day off to break up the schedule so I wouldn't be working 10 days straight.  I am so thankful that I had a break today because my back had really tightened up last night and I needed a day to allow the muscles to let go and allow me to do my job to the best of my ability.

After my wife and I finished all of our doctors appointments, I decided to take a muscle relaxer to help encourage my back to return to normal.  I know that a muscle relaxer can make you drowsy but I was not prepared for how drowsy I would feel the rest of the day.  A couple hours after taking the pill I decided to take a nap but I did not want to wake up after taking it.  I felt an intense desire to sleep.  I literally had to force myself to get up and start moving.

The rest of my evening has been one long struggle to stay awake so that I can get normal sleep tonight.  I definitely do not believe I will be taking a muscle relaxer during the day again even if I am off work with no where to go.  I do not like the feeling of my energy being drained from me.  I also do not like having to focus to keep my attention on things.

As I sit here still in my muscle relaxer stupor, I can't help but think about how my walk with Jesus feels like this sometimes.  Sometimes I struggle to stay close with Jesus.  I feel like I have no strength to walk in Him.  I feel like my mind focuses on everything but Him.  Have you ever been there?  Has the distraction of work, school, holidays, family, friends, tv, and music caused you to struggle in your walk with Christ?  Have you ever considered that maybe like my muscle relaxers these things are used by the devil to lull you away from a passionate walk with Jesus?

Unlike the muscle relaxer, the devil only has power over us when we give it to him.  We allow ourselves to walk off the narrow path.  We allow ourselves to be distracted by the many things of this world.  We take our eyes off Jesus.  The devil cannot make us do any of these things.  As followers of Jesus, the devil has no power over us.  James 1:13-14 says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire."


We allow ourselves to be pulled away from Christ.  We allow the devil to have power over us.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  As I had mentioned in my blog yesterday, we already know that we can do all things through Christ in Philippians 4:13.  The power we have against the devil is fully shown through John 16:33 where Jesus tells the disciples, "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."  


So if you are sleepily struggling in your faith, take heart because Jesus can help deliver you from any struggle you are facing.  He is strong enough to deal with any situation you find yourself in.  He is strong enough to overcome the devil's hold on you.  Just completely trust and lean upon Him (Proverbs 3:5).  Put your complete faith and assurance in Him and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:6).  


Blessings,


Greg

Sufficient Indeed!

You know, pain is a funny thing.  Pain can affect you emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  Sometimes pain can be to much to bear and other times pain can be something tolerated for a lifetime.  Pain can be caused by our own actions, the actions of others, and the actions of no one.  Pain is something none of us wants to experience and yet we are united through the pain we have all carried.  


I have suffered from a lot of pain in the last few years in the form of tendonitis and tight muscles.  Much of my suffering has been difficult for my doctor to fix.  I find myself managing the pain by dealing with it till the point that I can no longer handle it.  Some of my pain has been with me for more than half of my life now.  Other pains I have experienced, have lasted only short but intense moments.  


I have begged and pleading, like Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, for God to remove these thorns from my flesh and yet I feel like I have received the same answer Paul did, "My grace is sufficient for you."  I have to admit that I have not wanted to accept God's answer at times.  I don't want His grace to only be sufficient.  I want to be healed.  But I have realized the danger and error of these thoughts.  Without God's grace, my state of pain doesn't matter because ultimately I would never be with God.


It is easy for me to only focus on the pain I am experiencing and forget about the pain the Trinity has endured from me.  Jesus died on the cross because of my sin.  The Father can't even be in my presence in my sin  And I know that I have grieved the Holy Spirit in the addiction of my sins at times.  I can't even imagine the pain and betrayal God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit must feel each time I sin.  My pain is nothing in the grand scheme of things.  


Does this make my pain it any less real?  Does this make it any less intrusive?  I would say no but there is a peace and assurance that come from knowing that I will not experience this pain for all of eternity.  In Revelation 21:4 it says, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."  Even Paul who asked for the thorn to be removed from his flesh said this in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."


If you are feeling pain tonight, no matter what kind, know that there is hope.  Know that it is temporary.  Know that there is a place where it will be no more.  As far as I know, there is no promise that we will make it through this life without pain as Christians.  Even Philippians 4:13 which says, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me,"  promises we will be given all the strength we need to handle this life but does not promise it will be easy.  So also know that the Lord will always, always, always give you the strength to handle the pain even if He sees fit to not remove it from you.  I exhort you to hang in there, trust Jesus, and know that God's grace truly is sufficient for all you will face in this life.  I hope in this you will find peace.


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

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

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

Cluttered Heart, Inconsistent Walk

My wife and I are not particularly great at keeping up with the chores in our house.  Our main motivation to clean the house, is in response to people coming over.  Luckily we have people come over weekly so the house never gets insanely bad but there have been many times when we have run out of most of our clothes and dishes.  Sometimes our dirty house can be blamed on busy schedules.  Sometimes it is due to tiredness and apathy.  But mostly it is because we are undisciplined and lazy when it comes to maintaining the cleanliness of our home.  As I sit hear planning out the many cleaning tasks I need to accomplish today, the Lord nails me with this question, "Is this the only part of your life that is undisciplined and unkept?"  I shutter knowing that much more than my house ends up dirty and cluttered due to laziness and lack of discipline.

There have been so many times that I have made it through the week only doing what was necessary in my prayer and devotion times with God.  My Christian walk would best be exemplified by a rider on a fast horse barely hanging on as the world rushes by.  I tend to choose TV over reading, music or contemplative silence, and social interaction over intense time alone with God.  I often times substitute a Christian book over reading the Bible and many times prefer sermons to having to wrestle with the truth's in scripture myself.

I do rely on the Lord daily and constantly put my hope and security in Him.  I know that He is daily guiding my life, my job, my friends, and my opportunities for ministry at church.  I wrestle greatly with the scriptures through podcast, music, and books as I seek to walk more like Him.  I love talking to God and seek to know more about Him daily but I tend to fail in the task of listening.  The problem I most suffer from is inconsistency.  One day I will be walking closely in God the whole day and another day I will think very little about Him or my walk.

Have you ever struggled with this?  Do you find yourself missing days and maybe even weeks without thinking about or focusing on who God is and how He is working in your life?  Have you ever taken a self inventory to find that your heart had been filled with things that do not belong there?  Have you ever woke up to the realization that you were far away from the narrow road and in need of much direction to find your way back to the heart of Jesus?  If you can answer, "yes" to any of these, then I am here to tell you, your not alone.

I believe even the most fervent Christian struggles and strays occasionally.  Even Paul said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."  You are not the first and will not be the last to have times of struggle in your walk with the Lord.  I beg you not to believe the lie saying, "you must not be in Christ if you have struggled in your walk or been tempted."  The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  Hebrews 12 is also a great chapter to read to help encourage you in your walk with Jesus.


Though our body, minds, and souls are weak at time, there is perfect strength in Jesus.  I find that the days I am closest to Him is when I rely on Him fully for all parts of my day.  We can walk without God daily but we cannot fully live or reach our full potential without God.  He knows what we are capable of and what will bring us the greatest joy in life.  He knows how to lift us up and set our feet in right paths that we may live fully in Him and for His kingdom daily.  If you ever feel like your heart and your walk are a mess, then submit yourself fully to Jesus and allow Him to pick you up, dust you off, and prepare you for a closer walk with Him today.


Blessings,


Greg

Taking off the Mask to Reveal an Authentic Life

To say that today was a difficult day, would be an understatement.  I was scheduled to do an employee training today and the second part of the day focused on workplace violence.  Well our higher-ups devised a role-play to immerse our group in a workplace violence situation.  Let's suffice it to say that it was the most realistic and traumatic role play I have ever encountered.  I do not believe there was anybody in the room who did not fully believe the events that unfolded in front of us.  To make the role-play scenario as realistic as possibly the leadership involved used difficult information that we all were aware of and the trust we had in our leaders to draw us in and help us believe it.  They were most effective, which could be viewed as both a positive and negative thing depending on who you talk to.

For my part of it, I realized how much direct and intense confrontation, like the scenario displayed today, still terrifies me.  I do not like direct confrontation or anything that causes my friends or family pain.  I do not know how to deal with people going off and would rather run away and not have to deal with it than to stand and face the situation being presented.  Today was the first time in a long time that I had to deal with all the emotions involved in a confrontation situation like that.  I instantly felt sick, my heart was racing, and I began shaking, though not enough for others to see.  I was very familiar with the feeling because I had experienced it many times throughout grade school and in my life.

In responding as I did, a flood of memories directly related to conflict both in my family, friends, school, and workplace surfaced to my mind.  I was taken back to all the many times in my life that I had to deal with direct conflict and my reaction was the same most of the time.  I would avoid confrontation at any cost.  You see I hide behind a mask that projects that I am a very strong and powerful person filled with great comebacks and strength but the reality is I hate confrontation and would rather run and hide.  Realizing this about yourself is both difficult and sobering.

I am so thankful that we were in a safe environment filled with therapist and coworkers in whom I trust and respect.  I was able to deal with my emotions and reactions in a healthy way without judgment from those around me.  I felt encouraged in our shared distressed and knew that I could trust each one of the people in that class with anything I was experiencing or dealing with.

My God has blessed me with a job I love, people whom I respect, and a workplace that is safe because of the trust I have in my fellow coworkers.  I was able to see many of my friends and colleagues in a new light today.  I was able to see them at their core.  I honestly have to say that they were beautiful in their vulnerability.  All the masks came off today during this session.  They were real.  They were authentic.  Though not everything experienced was pretty or joyful, it was true.

The Lord helped show me through this experience how important it is for me take off the masks I wear to be fully authentic in my own walk and life each day.  I am who I am even if that person is terrified by certain things.  I will best minister and affect those around me by owning an authentic walk and life.  Life is not always pretty and sometimes we are dealing with stuff that is difficult.  The Lord showed me that we best honor him by living both our high and low times authentically because He shines brightest to the world in the moments we feel weakest and yet lean fully in Him.  "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10


Blessings,


Greg

Holding Hands to Share the Heart of Christ

On my way home for lunch today, I heard a story, on Klove, about a couple who had been married 72 years dying from a car accident.  They had both sustained severe injuries from the accident and were put in the ICU at the local hospital.  The nurses put the couple in the ICU room together and as their children got there they saw their parents holding hands.  Their kids recount how this couple had loved being together and dearly loved each other their whole lives.  The man died a little first and the son recounted that his father had stopped breathing and yet the heart monitor was still beating.  He asked the nurse why the heart monitor was still beating and she said it was because the heart beat of the wife was beating through his hand and being pickup up by the equipment.

As I felt the joy of love and brokenness of loss all at the same time, the Lord laid on my heart how we are all to be like this to those dead in sin around us.  Many times we try our best to stay away from the sinners around us because we are afraid that we will be tainted or brought down by them.  Jesus said the opposite should be true though because we are to be the ones to go out and make disciples and we are the ones who are to be the light and salt of the world.  How can they see and experience the beating heart of Christ unless we share it with them?  We have to love them and share our heart for Christ with this dying world.  It is by doing this that the Holy Spirit can come in repair and restart a sinner's soul for Jesus.

Have you been sharing Jesus with others?  Have you been loving the sick, the sinners, the hurting and holding their hand in the struggle of life.  Have you been showing them the love of Christ that is in you?  Or have you been keeping Jesus' love to yourself?  If you have been hiding Jesus' love, maybe it is because you are scared of what people's reaction will be.  Maybe because you want Jesus' love all to yourself.  Maybe because you do not realize the power of the Savior's heart beating in you.

I once saw a skit where a person on stage received Jesus' love, which they could hold in their hands.  At first they admired it, held it close, and cherished it but when someone else came along they decided to share it.  When they shared Jesus' love, the love of Jesus that the person had shared became almost bigger than they could carry.  As each person went on to share the love of Jesus, they would slowly walk off the stage with their hands overfilled with Jesus' love.  This continued on for three or four people and each person who shared the love of Jesus ended up with the love they had been given being greatly increased.  The final person in this skit to receive the love of Jesus loved it so much that when the next person came along they decided not to share it.  After the last person, who had not received the love of Christ, left the stage, Jesus' love disappeared from the person's hands who had hoarded it.

The point of the skit, as I'm sure most of you realized, is that the love of Jesus can only continue to grow in you when you share it with others.  Jesus said in Mark 2:17, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."  We have to meet people where they are.  We have to love them both by telling them about the saving grace of Jesus and by meeting their needs.  By extending out a hand of love to the hurting world around us, we will be able to share the most important thing we have, which is the beating heart of love and salvation through our wonderful Savior Jesus within us.


Blessings,


Greg

One Body Under Jesus Christ

Tonight we had a prayer service in the community where our church plant is.  It's purpose was to pray for all those involved in the school corporation of the community.  All of the churches in the area decided to unite together for this cause and to pray together as one body of Christ.  I believe tonight was a beautiful display of what Christianity was intended to be.

Though I completely agree that there has to be parameters set on who qualifies as a Christian body, I believe we are doing a great injustice to Jesus by arguing over who has the better church.  It is important that foundations of Christianity be set as criteria between the denominations and some of the parameters that would be included is the belief in an inerrant Bible useful in modern day teaching, Jesus as the one and only savior of the world and the only way to heaven, the acknowledgment of sin in our lives, and the acknowledgment of the Holy Trinity to name a few.  The devil has weakened the church so significantly today through our division.  We are all one family in Jesus Christ.  I do not believe that there will be different denominations in heaven.  I do not believe that Jesus looks upon denominations with happiness and joy.  I also do not believe we will ever reach the whole world for Jesus Christ as a separated and divided religion.  Jesus' own words in Matthew 12:25 are, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand."  


Are we not followers of Jesus living to proclaim and extend the kingdom of Christ?  So can Jesus' words apply to us?  We have got to learn to work together instead of spending all our time coming up with jokes and reasons magnifying our own differences.  I believe that Jesus' words in Matthew 7:3-5 also should be haunting to how different denominations treat each other today saying, "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."  Folks, I understand that there are certain denominations that have no resemblance to Biblical Christianity any longer but we need to focus on the brothers and sisters of other denominations that share many of our same beliefs and come together to reach our communities and world for Jesus.  We can't do it alone and no denomination has figured out the one and only right way to be a Christ follow, contrary to popular opinion in certain denominations.  


I guess I write all of this tonight because I see so many instances of Christians working against each other instead of working together.  Why do you think the world doesn't want to know Jesus?  Could it be because they are truly watching us and they have enough dysfunction in their lives without needing to add Christianity to their list.  Both Jesus and Paul warned of false witnesses but I don't remember anywhere in the New Testament where divided churches were written about positively.  I don't remember Jesus saying, "go out and make your own sect of disciples and then enlarge your own sect as much as you can making sure that people understand that your sect is the best."  I don't believe that is in the great commission.  


As to the picture I posted for this blog, my wife came up with this analogy, "We are all the beautiful feet of Jesus.  It is just that there are many different shoes represented across the world.  Therefore we need to quit worrying about the different shoes someone else is wearing and focus on getting down and dirty spreading the gospel of Jesus to the world."  The centralizing theme in our lives should be Jesus and Jesus only.  Lets drop the labels of "denominations" and embrace the label of  "Followers of Christ."  Now I know that these things that I just said can be abused and people can twist these words and ideas for other things that are unbiblical and un-Christian but the main idea here is that we are all family as Christians and we need to start acting like it.  We need to start loving our brothers and sisters whether they are apart of our denomination or not.  We need to start working together instead of trying to get credit for an event as our own.  We need to remember our priorities again, which is simply to win souls to Christ for the enlarging of His kingdom and His glory.  Let's lay down our prejudices, traditions, and human stubbornness at the feet of Jesus and let Him begin to do a great work in us.  I believe if we could just do this we would see a revival and winning of souls across the world larger than the world has ever seen.  


Blessings,


Greg