Kingdom Sorrow from Apple's Loss

Yesterday the world lost a truly innovative inventor, leader, and visionary.  For those of you who love Apple products, you know who I'm talking about, Steve Jobs.  When I saw the paper announcing his death this morning my heart sank for two reasons.  First, I worry about whether Apple will be able to continue to create excellent and innovative products with Steve Jobs gone.  Second, and more importantly, my heart hoped that Steve Jobs knew Jesus Christ when he died.  Upon reading the article on his death, I discovered that he in fact was not a Christian but a Buddhist.  My flesh mourned for the loss of a man who has transformed the digital world we live in and my soul mourned for another lost soul for the kingdom.

In the next few days, weeks, months, and possibly years the world will lift up the many accomplishments and innovations that Steve Jobs amassed in his lifetime.  He will be remembered as the father of Apple, the father of the iPod, the Father of iTunes, a corporate hero, the modern day Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, and much more.  Unfortunately though, He will not be remembered as a follower of Jesus.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  By Jesus' own words, none of Steve Jobs accomplishments will matter one iota at the doorstep of Heaven.  The only thing that will matter is whether Jesus knew and had an intimate relationship with Steve.

The only reason I am writing this blog is because we have to remember each day that no matter how many accomplishments a man has amassed in this world, he can never walk through the gates of heaven without knowing Jesus.  We want so badly for the good and nice people around us to somehow make it into heaven without us necessarily having to tell them.  Many of us secretly hope we are wrong and that buddhist, muslims, hindus, and everyone else will make it into heaven anyways for just believing in something.  The unfortunate and sobering truth is that Jesus professed only one way for someone to get to heaven and that is faith in Him.

We all are human.  We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We all are unable to save ourself's and there is no way we can ever do enough good to tip the scales in our favor at the Kingdom gate.  We all need Jesus, every single one of us.  We, who are followers of Jesus, have the one and only truth.  We know the Bible supports this claim.  We must begin to share our Savior with the world.  Peter says in Acts 10:34-35, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."  


We are surrounded by a world who is dying without Jesus Christ.  Many have not heard.  Many who reject Him are being put on pedestals by the world.  Many do not care to know Him.  Many have never truly been offered the truth about who He is and what He can do.


We should pray for the family of Steve Jobs.  We should pray that they will be comforted and be able to grieve this tragic loss.  Most importantly, we should pray that they would learn of the saving grace of Jesus and find full peace in Him.  We should pray that the world would realize that the greatest accomplishments of Apple are nothing in comparison to the works of our Savior and God.  We should pray that somehow many people could come to know Jesus even through an event such as this.  We should pray that Christians hearts would be broken everywhere for the tragedy of another lost soul for Christ and that we will each be compelled to live our lives brightly so no others would fall away without having the opportunity to hear and know Jesus intimately. 


We hold the light.  We are the salt.  We are His beloved.  Let's boldly share Him today amidst another loss for the kingdom of Christ!


Blessings,


Greg

Portrait of my Heart

In the past month, I have be painting almost each night.  I have been working to expand my creativity instead of wasting my brain on Angry Birds and Solitaire while watching TV.   It is incredible to see the difference between my first painting and the progress I have made in only a month's time.  The colors, the brush strokes, and the fine details have all drastically improved.  I have made loads and loads of mistakes in the last month also.  I have wasted a ton of paint and lets suffice it to say that my paintings are filled with layer upon layer of correction.

Each time I paint I get better.  I have found that I play with creating different colors.  Sometimes I just work on my blending.  I find myself reading articles online about painting and books in hobby stores.  I look for different pictures that I would love to try to paint.  I consider landscapes worth taking a picture of for paintings.  Isn't it interesting that as my passion for painting develops so too does my desire to know more about it and improve the craft.

It is the same with your relationship with Jesus.  The more your passion for Christ increases the more you will want to know about him.  The more you will want to read about Him.  The more you will want to pray and talk with Him.  The more your life will begin to look like Him.  "As a man thinketh, so is he."  Proverbs 23:7  "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."  Isn't amazing our God designed us to be passionate about what we love.  What is the love of your heart today?


Blessings,


Greg  


P.S.  In case you were wondering, the picture is of my palette and not a painting ;OD

Who is on Your Heart Throne?

Have you ever discovered that the days you try the hardest to be perfect or keep your thought life pure is the very same day you stumble the most?   I have been experiencing these ups and downs since watching the movie Courageous.  I know that James says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds" but I wish that the trials didn't increase at the very moment you begin to work on walking more like Christ.  One thing I have discovered, is that much of the time when I experience stumbling, it is because I am trying to walk rightly on my own instead of allowing Jesus to perform a sanctifying work in me.  


Why is it then that I seem to struggle so much with allowing Jesus to change my heart and life.  Why do I constantly live like I need to rise above my sin and accomplish perfection on my own?  I know the answer to this question, which is my sinful nature is trying to walk as if I am my own God instead of acknowledging my need for God and inability to live rightly without God.  I know these things to be true and yet I still struggle with letting Jesus have complete reign of my heart. 

Have you ever been there?  Have you ever punished yourself for the many sins you commit each day and your inability to be pure for even a minute, let alone an hour?  Have you ever felt unworthy of being a follower of Jesus because of how often you stumble and because it seems to be an incurable condition?  Each one of these actions is due to your sin nature and temptations of the Devil.  Becoming a Christian, does not make you instantly pure and sinless like Christ but allows Jesus' purity and sinlessness become your covering, which allows you to be admitted into heaven through Christ's atonement on the cross.  Let me simplify that for you.  When you become a Christian you become a sinner saved by grace not a person who is now sinless and will never struggle with sin again.  

I find it enlightening the way Paul, in Galatians, talks about this battle in reference to our need for the Holy Spirit.  Paul says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."  In order to walk a more sanctified life we have to, "walk by the Spirit."  Only through doing this can we expect to see a change in our behaviors, thoughts, and actions.  Paul puts it this way in an earlier part of Galatians saying, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."     

So each morning we have to remember to rely completely on the Holy Spirit to help us walk in Jesus each day.  Every time we try and put ourself before the Holy Spirit, we will continue to stumble.  So let Jesus have full reign of your heart's throne today.  In your surrender to Jesus, the fruits of the spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, will begin to grow and flourish in you.  Also the sin that plagues you will continue to make you stumble less.  I do not believe you will ever reach a state of perfect sinlessness in this world but the Holy Spirit will continue to bring you into a closer walk with Christ daily till the day you do become perfectly cleansed and sinless upon your arrival into heaven.  


I ask that you also pray for me that I would lay down my life daily so that it is not I living but Christ living in me each day.  I want each of you to know that I am so thankful to be able to share with you each day.  I continue to hope that through my struggles, and the lessons the Lord teaches me through them, you may be blessed, encouraged, and strengthened in your own daily walk with Christ.  

Blessings,

Greg  (www.realchristianwalk.com)


P.S.  I wanted to share with you all another beautiful Indiana fall photo today. I hope it brings you peace and joy.  :)

Magnificent Creator

I do believe that my favorite time of the year is Fall.  Fall is one thing that Indiana does very well.  I absolutely love driving along country roads and seeing the plethora of vibrant colors that seem to explode from each tree.  I love how some trees look as though they are on fire as they slowly become a vibrant red from the bottom up.  I love the blazing oranges, crisp yellows, and breathtaking reds and purples.  Wouldn't it be amazing if the trees stayed in their most beautiful fall state all the time.  Could you imagine being able to see these myriad of colors in spring, summer, and fall.  As a painter, I find nothing more fascinating than to try and reproduce the brilliance of fall trees and a sunset sky.

Even if I never read the Bible, I would know that God exists solely from the exquisite beauty of this world.  The Lord has brought me to my knees in absolute praise of Him many times through the uniqueness and awesomeness of His creation.  My heart jumped in praise as the Lord blessed me with meteorites across the sky.  My Lord has stopped me in my tracks through multiple sunsets accompanied by the most beautiful blending of colors I have ever seen.  My mouth has dropped in awe on many occasion at the beauty and power of storm clouds and the lightning jumping across them in all it's splendor.  I have literally sat in silence drinking in the beauty of cascading mountains, each formed by God's own hand.  Many rivers  and creeks have brought me intense joy as I experience the wonder of discovering something new and amazing around each bend and turn.  Our God has signed His beautiful autograph on each part of this world and He made it for us.

Psalm 19:1-6 says,

"The heavens declare the glory of God,
   and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
   and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
   whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
   and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
   which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
    Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
   and there is nothing hidden from its heat."

I hope you will take the time to see the many blessings our gracious Lord and God will create for you this week.  Pay attention to the brilliant blue sky enhanced by the ever changing and drifting clouds.  See how many colors you can discover as the trees begin their transition to their Fall splendor.  Spend a few evenings outside expectantly waiting to see God's glory shown in a masterpiece sunset.  Truly drink in the world around you and be thankful of the one who gave it to us.  Be careful though to remember to whom the praise is deserved.  Never praise the creation but the creator.  May the Lord bless and speak to your heart in a new way as He uplifts you through His creation.

Blessings,

Greg

Day 55, Ain't No Drug

This morning, I tried a new supplement and med schedule in my pursuit to help normalize certain symptoms of my ADD.  From what I could tell it was working pretty well and I had a great time playing in the praise band this morning.  I noticed that the medicine was not being helpful about the time that the worship set was over and I noticed that my hands were shaking when I sat down to listen to the sermon.  I also noticed that I felt like my body was full energy as if I needed to take a very long run and my brain was fuzzy.  This continued to persist throughout the sermon, the rest of the morning, and began to disappear about the time I finished mowing the lawn.  


I don't know about you but I am not a fan of not being in control of all my faculties.  It is amazing that the things that are supposed to help my mind become clearer are the very things that make them worse.  Now I am by no means someone who is opposed to all medicines but there are times where I wonder if all the ADD materials are wrong and if I would just be better off continuing to trust the Lord for the grace to accomplish what I need to do each day.   I would love to believe that there is a miracle drug cocktail out there to clear up my struggles in this life.  All of this reminds me of the Switchfoot song "Mess of Me" which says, 


"I am my own affliction 
I am my own disease
There ain't no drug that they could sellAh, there ain't no drug to make me well." 


Though the jury is still out on helping to normalize my ADD, the sermon this morning helped bring to focus the  fact that when it comes to sin, "there ain't no drug to make me well."  Paul writes about this struggle in Romans 7:15-20 saying, "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."  


Isn't it so comforting to know that the one who wrote over half of the New Testament, battled with sin just like us.  It's comforting to me.  It helps me to appreciate the saving grace and mercy of Jesus so much more.  Peter says it well in 1 Peter 1:3-9, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."


No matter what I face in this life, I always know that I have a God who loves me so much that he sent Jesus.  I know that no struggle is too great to overcome, whether medical or spiritual, as long as I always put my faith in Him.  I hope that brings you peace.  I hope that fills you with Joy.  Our God is such a good and wonderful God.  


So with all the craziness of this morning with the supplement and drug interaction, I still had a wonderful day.  When I came home I pulled out the grill and grilled some hotdogs and even tried my hand at chicken.  It is so wonderful to try something new and succeed!  After eating a wonderfully grilled meal, I mowed the lawn, dug up 25 sweet potatoes in the garden with my wife, Mel, fixed the garage door, read the first chapter of Courageous Living, and even was able to work on my website.  All in all it was a productive day.  Isn't so nice to take stock of your day and rest in the fact that it was well spent.  I hope you each have a wonderful week.  It is supposed to be beautiful all week in Indiana and I hope that it will be the same where you are.  May God lift you up and keep you.



Blessings,


Greg

Confession

Tonight, I am going to be completely honest with you.  My deepest desire and goal in life is to matter.  I want to make a difference in this world but the thing is I want to make a difference that changes the world.  Some of my highest goals include writing a book, writing a song, creating a work of art, and changing the world for my Savior.  Have you ever had such a deep desire to do something that you could feel it deep in the pit of your stomach.  Have you ever long so much for something that it made you sick.  That's me.

As I watched Courageous last night, I knew that Alex and Stephen Kendrick had been successful in changing the world for Christ.  They could never do another movie again and rest in the knowledge that they have made a profound influence for the kingdom of Jesus.  I can tell from their hearts, which are so apparent in their movies, that they would not be satisfied to stop with Courageous.  I can see that they are completely sold out for Christ and His kingdom.  They want to make the biggest impact they can for Christ in this world, but not them but Christ through them.

I hope that one day I get to meet the Kendrick brothers and shake their hand and thank them for the profound impact that they have made in my life and many other Christians in America.  They are two men that I look up to, along with Jim Ivey, Jonathan MC, David Platt, Francis Chan, Jon Foreman, Paul, and Peter.  Each one of these men have made a mark on my life.  They have each transformed who I am in Christ.  I am a better man today because of the contribution they have made through their submission to being men of character in Christ.

I hope to be able to live a legacy as big as each one of these men.  I don't want to live such a legacy for my own gain but for the impact it would have on the world for Jesus.  In a new song by Switchfoot called, Where I Belong, Jon speaks these lyrics that help to explain what I mean,

On the final day I die
I want to hold my head up high
I want to tell you I tried
To live it like a song

And when I reach the other side
I want to look you in the eye
And know that I have arrived
In a world where I belong

I know this world is not my home and I want to live my life in a way that reflects that.  I am working to cast off the weight of this world for a higher purpose in serving my Savior.  I want to tell the world about who He is and how He has changed my life.  I want my dying breath to be one of love and devotion to Him.  I want to be a man of honor and love befitting the title of being like Him.  I know that I am purely saved by grace and that I cannot ,and do not need to, earn a spot in heaven because Jesus has loving provided it for me through His death on the cross.  I only want to live my best life for Him showing my gratitude for His glorious act.  I want the world to know that they can all share in His love and that He died knowing the sins and failures of each person.

God loved us so much the His only son Jesus became flesh and blood, able to be tempted, to feel sorrow and pain, and able to feel hunger and thirst for us.  He came to live a pure and spotless life, to teach us love by example.  He came to heal and restore us by humbling Himself by obedience to die on the cross.  He held back the legions of Angels that so desperately wanted to stop humans from killing Him on the cross.  He allowed us, His creation, to pierce His skin with nails.  He took our sins upon Himself and died.  He conquered death and rose again.  All so we could have a true relationship with Him.  He restored what we couldn't.  He gave us a way to be able to spend eternity with Him.  He gave us Himself, in the Holy Spirit, if we would only believe in Him.  How loving our Savior is.  How wonderful His love for us.  May you drink His water and never thirst for anything but to share His love with the world around you.

Blessings,

Greg  
www.realchristianwalk.com

Courageous

I went and watched Courageous with men from my church tonight.  All I can say is that all men should watch this PERIOD  Especially men with children!  I will let the movie speak for itself.  Watch it as soon as possible.  You will be glad you did!!!


Joshua 24:15, "...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."  

Blessings,

Greg