Tag Archives: Bible

Taking The Low Seat

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What a unique season this has been for me; and for my family, for that matter. We have walked through waters that we were not ever expecting nor ready for, well, by the world’s standards we weren’t ready. We were ready in a different way, because that is the only way we have been able to get through.

In recent weeks, I have found myself returning to teachings that I found myself under during the early years of my faith. Back in 2016, I was invited to take part in a weekend event called Become Good Soil. This was a follow-up to my time at Wild at Heart the previous year and was a more intimate gathering of men. This weekend was a starting point for what would be and has been a decade plus of excavation. A time to commit to allowing God to continue to excavate the deepest parts of our hearts that have not gone well or were maybe atrophied and allow God to work in that space to rebuild us with solid roots or a solid foundation.

Now, nearly a decade later, I have found myself looking at what this time has been like. There has certainly been a lot of God things that have happened. I have been blessed to lead a ministry movement, counsel and walk with many people, and build many new friendships and alliances with many like-hearted people. It was certainly a fruitful time. In recent years, it has been very different. This week will be 2 years since leading our last men’s conference, The Anvil. After my son, Brandon, died last year, and then my wife, Amber, coming close to death a few months later, I found myself in a place where leading such an event would be a total disservice to the men that would come and to me. I could not lead with integrity when I was and am in the midst of such difficult times.

At the beginning of 2024, as I praying and asking God for words for the new year, the word “low seat” kept coming to my mind. At the time, I wasn’t sure what God was meaning by that, but I sat with it. I was and am in season of humbling, career wise, doing what has been necessary to make an income to support our home, while doing work as a delivery driver. It has been a necessary and humbling experience as well as a period of time to allow myself to reset. As Francis of Assisi is credited with stating, “We are to start with what is necessary, and in time we find ourselves doing what is possible, and in time and over time we will find ourselves doing what is impossible.”

So back to low seat. From a scripture standpoint, it takes me to Luke 14 where in verse 8, Jesus says, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down at the place of honor, since a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by the host.” Moving to verse 10-11 he says, “But when you are invited, go and sit down at the last place, so that when your host comes, he will stay to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; and then you will be honored in the presence of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself ill be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So why does this stick out and what does this have to do with Become Good Soil and my time there in 2016. Well, one of the teachings that I received that weekend, came in simple statement. “Take the lowest seat until God makes it impossible to do otherwise.” It’s a statement of humility. Being willing to take a step back and not be “The man,” so to speak, until God makes it impossible to stay in that place and invites you further up and further in.

For several years, even as an early believer, I was, for lack of a better term, the man. I was the one leading the movement. Getting men out of their place of comfort and challenging them to venture into frontier waters in their walk with God. As part of an ally movement of ministry leaders, I have often been referred to as a General in the movement. There has been so much good in that space, and I am thankful to have been and still be part of an alliance of Kingdom world changers.

Now, don’t  read or hear what is not being said here. This was never anything that I sought out. It was all a God thing and God was in it. If you know me, personally, and especially before I really came to faith, you will agree that leading anything like this was way outside of anything you would think I would do. Just the idea of standing in front of people and speaking, my heart would race, and I began to drip with sweat. Even sitting down in one-to-one conversations would bring such a response. I often felt very disqualified. You would never see me in such a place, willingly. When God was in the picture, it became the thing I could not help but do. It was too important, I felt, and I allowed God to train me in it. It was training by fire, so to speak.

These days, as I have sat with those words of taking the low seat, I realized that this was that time. I have had the honor to kickstart a movement, but for the season, it has been necessary to step back. It hasn’t been the season to build and move to the next event or bring things to the next level. This has not come without difficulty. I am often asked about the next event, etc. Being willing to say not yet and be comfortable with that response has taken continued practice. This also applies to my daily work, as I have been resetting doing the necessary thing to get by, while this refining continues. I don’t think it is any coincidence that this is in the same season.

Willingly stepping back is not something that comes natural to so many. For men, especially, I think we have it in us to build; to kingdom (small k) build. Sometimes we are forced to step back when those kingdoms come crumbling down, whatever that looks like for different individuals. This is all part of our refinement and the journey of becoming more as God intended us to be.

Take the lowest seat until God makes it impossible to do otherwise. Until God makes it impossible to stay in that seat. With all the trials we have endured, I have found myself asking often of God, what next? Where are you leading me and my family next? The next thing may not be the next ministry movement or returning to The Anvil weekend. I don’t know. What I do know and what I keep being reminded of is that for now, we wait. As I prayed through words for 2025, God reaffirmed that need to wait for him. I’ll share those words another time.

In the meantime, I will continue pressing forward and waiting patiently for God. I sit with a grateful heart because I know this is a part of my becoming and only God’s goodness can and will come through it all, whatever that looks like. It may not always be fun, but I will humbly embrace the low seat while I’m in it.

Now, this does not mean checking out either. I’m grateful for the community of men, locally and nationally, that I get to be connected and do life with. I’m thankful for the brothers that continue to gather around my fire pit on Tuesday evenings as we process life and sharpen one another. I grateful for the council of allies I get to stay connected with and serve with as part of the mission of going after the hearts of men. We will keep going as God’s refining continues.

Processing Through Suffering and Struggle

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What do you do when it feels like God is waking you from your sleep to talk? Some mornings, I will have to admit, I will lay there and maybe go back to sleep. This morning, that was impossible, so here I am.

It has been 5 years since I have shared anything in this way. I have written off and on, but did not feel like anything was ready to be shared. This morning felt different. I have always felt it was important to be open and vulnerable about things of consequence in my life. 10 years ago, when I really began to walk with Jesus, the Holy Spirit was doing a real work and I couldn’t help but share what was going on. There was post after post, which helped me to process my own thoughts as I was growing my journey. In recent years that has been different. I have written some, but it never felt like it was the time to share those things. It became, what my friend Morgan calls, the hidden years, to some degree.

Now what do you do when it feels like everything in your life has been under assault? This is a part of processing that journey.

Where to even begin. Life comes in waves as we all know. There are good times and bad times. The early years of my faith journey, as I look back were certainly some good times. These last couple of years, however, have turned into some very turbulent times, not just for me, but for my family as whole. Trying to make sense of it all, and maintain faith and hope has come with so much struggle.

This week, we will mark the 1 year anniversary of the death of my son, Brandon. We lost him on February 27, 2024. He was just 24 years-old when he passed. He had significant health challenges over the last 11 years of his life with Type-1 diabetes and in his last 5 years, the addition of what’s called Addison’s Disease. Over the last months of his life, it was taking a significant toll on him with multiple trips to the hospital. Then on the day he passed, he went into sudden cardiac arrest at his apartment that he and our other son, Shawn, shared. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived.

We all remember the day like it was just yesterday. Brandon stayed home from work that day, because wasn’t feeling great. Thought he just needed to rest it off. By the time Shawn came home, he had a hard time getting to of bed. Amber and I had both spoken to him by phone that day and he assured us that he was feeling better as the day progressed. Shawn went to call 911, because it was clear Brandon needed some medical attention. He helped Brandon get up and then he just collapsed and he stopped breathing. I cannot even begin to imagine what that was like for Shawn as he tried CPR and waited for paramedics to arrive.

Amber and I were both working. I have been working as a delivery driver for a few months at the time to make a stable income for bit. I remember the house I was delivering at when Amber called to frantically tell me that Brandon had stopped breathing. She closed her store immediately and headed to the hospital while I frantically headed back to our station a half hour away to return my work van and head to the hospital. Those moments felt like an eternity. It took her an hour and me an hour and a half to get to the hospital where Shawn had been waiting by himself with no news. Brandon’s fiancée, Courtney, arrived as well with her sister and we waited. More family began to arrive, Amber’s dad Dennis, my brothers and sister, our pastors wife, Barb, with more to follow. Then the doctors asked for just immediate family, first, so Amber, Shawn, Courtney, and I waited together.  Our daughter, Ashley, was on her way from North Carolina where she lives.  Then they told us the news. His heart had gone into a fatal rhythm and despite everything they tried, they could not get him back. The shock was instantaneous as I looked at Amber’s face, Shawn’s, and Courtney’s. Nothing could prepare you for that moment.

They brought us back to the room where Brandon was and let us go in. That’s an image that I will never forget. To see him laying there with no life in him. Amber and Courtney came to each side as the emotions came through. I just remember saying, “My boy…my boy.” I remember hugging Shawn and then left them after a little bit to tell everyone else that was waiting. That was one of the longest nights. My pastor and friend, Tim arrived and I collapsed in his arms. More friends arrived and I am so thankful as they were just there to love on us. Ashley arrived and took her straight into the consultation room with Shawn. We sat down on the floor and I told her the news she didn’t want to hear, but was afraid would be true. I remember seeing the tears in her eyes and she just saying, “He is still good. He is still good.”

This was and still is a very hard thing to contend with. Brandon was a young man that loved life and was always filled with so much joy. He had a strong belief and love for Jesus and you could see it in him. His celebration of life was a testament to him, as hundreds packed our church. On his 25th birthday, this past October, our family was afforded an incredible honor, as our church renamed our student center building in his honor, The Brandon Clinton Student Center. It was a place where he flourished in his faith growth.

His loss, for us, however, has left a significant hole. For Amber and me, our other kids, Shawn and Ashley, and Courtney, among other family and friends. How do you process and recover from all of this? I have shared in public and private that our faith has been a big part of this and that still hold true. At the same time, this has been the most horrific and trying experience we have had to walk through. As Amber and I sat together in our bedroom last night talking, she commented, that it’s like we’re still waiting to wake up from this nightmare. Even a year later, it is so hard to believe that this has become our reality. The loss of a son, brother, grandson, fiancée, and friend.

It has been a traumatic time. A little over 2 years ago, I had front row seat to watch my wife go through the fight of her life, and only through a miracle survive. Just 3 months after we lost Brandon, the same thing happened all over again, as Amber crashed and nearly died in the summer of 2024, and spent 6 weeks in the hospital, miraculously surviving again.

What I’m sharing here will be from own perspective. We all process in different ways, this is mine.

As a man, husband, and father, I have always tried to keep things together and be strong for my family. For much of the last 8 years, I have worked taught men about the significance of walking in their true identity and leading and loving their families and well. It was a calling that, just a month before Brandon’s death I shared to a group of guys, is the thing that I cannot help but do. It is wild, how such significant events can really get you to look at things in a different light.

How do you move forward, when it seems everything you hold dear is under assault? I’m not one who cries much, but I remember the morning after we lost Brandon, waking up and sitting on the side of my bed and beginning to wail like I don’t think I ever had before. As a man, I still feel that there is a need to be strong for my family, but in all honesty, I have never felt weaker in my life. It is a feeling like I have nothing to offer and bring to the dance. Maybe there’s a strength in that. As Paul wrote, he boasted in his weakness. It’s where the strength of Christ can come through. I certainly believe that to be true, and maybe one day I will be able to look back and see that with more clarity. Right now, in the middle of it, it certainly is challenging to see that way, at times.

What is wild, is that this feeling of weakness is not just from the trauma of the loss of my son and near loss of my wife. Those events, themselves, are enough to take anyone out. It has felt like a compounding effect from those events, to job loss and career uncertainty, to the financial strain of major car issues, medical debt, and other things. I know the car thing seems minor, but when it surrounds and is in the middle of these events, it is very visible and weighty. You get that feeling of, what next?

So here I am. It is early 2025 and I continue to try to make sense of everything that has happened. I don’t know where life is going from here. We have a void in our lives that can’t be filled by anything on this side of eternity. I also live with a worry of seeing my wife go through another medical crisis. I try not to stay there, but when you have seen it twice in less than 2 years, it is hard to not be front of mind.

I don’t know why I’ve shared all of this, other than just to be real about where I am. In the day-to-day, I am okay for the most part, but when the weight come back or memories surface, then I am not as okay. I think, as a family, that’s how we are most days.

I wrestle with what is God up to next. This struggle and suffering can’t be for nothing. I have learned the importance of not wasting your pain, so where is all of this leading? I shared in a video last year that it would be nice if God would just open a book for me and share that this is what he is doing with this, but I know it does not work that way. There are just some things that will remain a mystery and when it is time to be revealed, it will be. Until then, all I can do is sit with eager anticipation and expectation of God’s goodness. I know He is still up to good in all of this.

I’m part of a group of men that is going through my friend Michael Thompson’s book, King Me, together. We gather on Zoom every Thursday morning with men from the around the country. It has been a helpful exercise to regain some sense of focus, even when filled with so many questions. This past week, one of the questions posed in the book was, “Do we really want to become the sons of God?” In other words, do we really want this life with Jesus? Some give a half-hearted ‘yes,’ others a resounding ‘yes.’ The thing that flashed in my mind as I read that was, “Count the cost.” If we are saying yes, do we really know the cost of what that yes can mean? Are we ready to participate in the sufferings of Christ? How often do we really think about what real suffering can look like, until we go through it. We’re not the first and we won’t be the last, so we have to, as believers, be willing to really go there and process this question. How will we respond? We have a choice.

On Brandon’s birthday, when we did the student center dedication, I was given the honor to speak to our church and share some of this journey. I referenced the verse John 16:33. It is a verse that has been front of mind to me for many years. Jesus says here, “I have told you this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” This verse stuck out because while I was early in my faith journey, I often wondered how I would respond when things got really hard. What would those trials look like and how would my faith endure? These are important questions to ask, whether you are in it or this is frontier to you.

For me, there are days where it feel like, “Okay, I’ve got this. Jesus is in it, we will be okay.” Other days, I feel like I want to just yell at the top of my lungs in anger and frustration. How much can one man take? Remember I’m just writing from my own perspective here.

As Amber was fighting for her life for the second time, I remember sharing with some close friends that my heart is really heavy. I honestly did not know if I would be able to endure this again, let alone still grieve my son. If would have lost Amber, then, I would like to say I would be able to lean into my faith, but I don’t know if I could have handled that. There was a point where worry began to fill the doctors faces when she had been on life support for over a week and was still not showing signs of improvement. I sat in the chapel at the hospital in tears and scared to death of this being a strong possibility. But God showed up as little by little she began to show some improvements. Over the coming weeks she recovered and I was able to bring her home and she is doing well again.

This season of life has carried more weight than I ever imagined facing, especially in such short period of time. You’re never prepared to lose a child and to face everything else we have faced, it is honestly amazing we are still going. It’s all God and I don’t say that lightly. There’s reason for it all and He’s not done with me or us. I’ll share more as I feel prompted, but in the meantime, we’ll keep going.

Four Years of Continued Growth

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Four years ago today, I made a decision, that while it may seem trivial to some, began to change the course of my life.  I began to make it daily mission to read through the entire Bible.  I started with one of those One Year Bible plans, where you read through a few chapters, OT and NT, each day.  I was 33 years old and felt I needed to finally learn something beyond the standard stories I learned in Sunday School growing up.  It was time to truly get a real sense of God’s Word and learn all that He reveals to us there.

So the mission began.  Morning after morning, I logged into my Samsung phone or tablet, and would read.  Some mornings, I plugged it up in my truck and listened on the ride to the office.  I learned a lot that first time through.  I was able to finally know more of the stories and more of the details, that I did not have a clue about, or heard others talk about without any idea of what they were referring too.

One year later, after that first time through, I decided to do it again.  Like reading any other book, often times, you miss a great deal the first time through.  This time, I learned more and absorbed more.  It seemed like with each day, God had something new to reveal, so I stayed intentional in it.  After that 2nd year, there was a new tug on my heart.  I began to read in a way the 3rd year that allowed me to begin linking OT with NT.  Prophesy to fulfillment, etc.  My eyes began to open more and my heart continued to change as I was seeing the world differently.

I look back on where it all began and it is absolutely amazing to me, to see the continued work that God has done on my heart.  I wasn’t going to listen to the ear ticklers, I was not going to let the wind sway me in one direction or another any longer.  Everything I learned, I wanted to be God revealed whether in His Word or through my heart from the Holy Spirit.  This growth continues too.  I am made new in Christ and the rest of my life will be spent learning more and getting to know God on a deeper and more intimate level.  He desires that intimacy with all of us.

Paul said in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by renewing your mind, so that you may prove that the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  My life has truly been transformed and I strive to live like this each day so that the light of the Lord is shining through me.  This is where continued growth comes in.  I’m not going to get this right everyday.  I know that.  I am at war with my old self and the enemy each day, but I am strengthened with the armor of God each day now.  With each day, we spend in His word, the stronger we become.

Ephesians 4:23-24 says “…Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”  Learning this has been a huge part of my life.  I have a new and authentic self in Christ, now.  Knowing Him, I no longer needed to be ruled by my false self and my old nature.

I share all of this to share this.  Each of us grow, spiritually in different ways.  Even in my own home, my wife and kids grow uniquely in their way.  I try to guide them, but it is up to them in the end.  I challenge you, if you struggle with growth, start somewhere.  Start with just reading the Word.  Learn to be intentional about that.  It may take a while to go through, but do it.  After you read it, read it again.  Then you can began to put the pieces together and start diving deeper and deeper.  My pastor, Tim, challenged me this week on how to now dive even deeper though expository study, and that is where I head next.

It all starts somewhere folks.  Trust me, just starting with taking the time to read, will move you in the right direction.  You have to want to though.  I promise you the work God will begin to do on you will be immense.  It may take time, but the more intentional you get about it, the more He draws you in and the more you will get to know Him and build real intimacy with HIm.  It allowed me with real authenticity to just say to God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), “I Love You!”  This is my challenge to you.  Dive in.

In his album ’13 Letters,’ Rapper, Trip Lee has a song called Dig In and the hook says..

Bible, check; spiral, check, highlighter check
Now dig, dig
You want to know Him? Got to dig, dig. You want to know Him? Got to dig, dig

That’s where it begin.  Just start digging.  You will get to know Him more than you could have hoped for and the learning and growth never ends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RpFMG5bH6A&index=2&list=PL80B638B78FC6D665

Returning to Your True Father

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As I have written about many times, I have been on a long spiritual growth journey these last few years.  It has taken me through ups and downs as I’ve learned more about myself and my calling in life.  A big part of that journey is also dealing with the kind of father I want to be and how the influence of my Dad molded my beliefs and direction.   It all correlates to the how I relate to my family (my wife and kids) and how I am now guided through life.

As I shared last month, my life took a wild turn 4 years ago when I lost my Dad suddenly in a car accident.  I struggled with that for some time as I tried to find answers and a sense of purpose in life now that the one person I thought was invincible and a giant in my life had now been called home and stepped into eternity.  It was all so sudden and how to move from that was quite a challenge.

I then shared with you my spiritual journey from there and how I buried my self in scripture everyday to get my life back in order and regain purpose.  This journey began about 3 years ago and has been amazing.  My walk with the Lord everyday has helped me grown immensely as a man.  I recently finished a book called “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge and now reading his next booked “Fathered by God.”  These readings have helped give me better perspective about my purpose as a man created in God’s image and my real purpose in life.  It has helped me to understand that in life we all have wounds that we have to deal with and learn to accept and overcome.  As a man I am called to live the life of a warrior now for God to stand and fight for His Kingdom and be bold in my beliefs and how I share my testimony with all of you.

As I’ve written before, I recognized that the tragedies that are put in front of us are a part of the plan that God puts before us to help us return to him.  That is how I came to grips with my Dad’s death.  He was called home suddenly, but it was a call to return to God.  It is up to us, however to recognize that calling and then find our way back to Him.

Yesterday while reading “Fathered by God”  I came to another realization about God’s plan and purpose for each of us.  My Dad was an amazing man.  He guided my growth even through times where I was an idiot and his influence helped me through the challenges of my teenage years and early adult years in how I dedicated myself to my family and made sure that I was always there for my wife and children.

When I lost my Dad however, I felt I lost that influence.  Who do I turn to now?  Who can I confide in and seek out for guidance as I continue to grow.  At 35 years old, I’m not close to done growing.  The answer came to is that while I lost my earthly Dad, I now had to turn my true Father.  My creator, my redeemer, and my sustainer.  He is the one that I now had to turn to for my guidance and my continued growth to live my existence in God’s image.  I am still an unfinished man and have a great deal more to go.  My time spent immersing myself in God’s Word has become my time to turn now to my Father for my continued growth.  My Dad, Rocky, brought me a long way, and now God is there bring me the rest of the way.  I turn to God for his guidance, Jesus for his salvation, and the power of Holy Spirit.  That is what I now have to bring me through life and to live out my purpose, fully alive in God.  The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive!

So what does this mean for you, especially you men out there who are wondering through life unsure of yourself or who to turn to.  I can testify that we are ALL meant to turn to our True Father.  He is the one that created us and is the the true end of all things.  Turn to scripture and I promise you that the Word of God WILL bring you a long way.  If you allow yourself to open up to God and the Good News, I promise you that your life will forever change.  He has brought me so far these last few years, since I fully turned to Him.  As I said, I have a long way to go still, but I am so thankful that I still have my Father to turn to.  He will never abandon us and will bring us through any storm we come across in life.  He will give you the strength to battle the evil one and sustain you through.  All we have to do is return to Him.

4 Years in the Whirlwind

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I have not taken the time to write as much as I would like these last few months.  A few blog posts here and there, but as often happens to us, life and priorities get in the way.  This morning, however, I felt compelled to make sure I wrote something new.  I’ve mentioned this some in my writing and its definitely something that has taken precedence in my book.  4 years ago today, on October, 13, 2009, my entire family and I were tossed into what I call, the whirlwind.  On that day, we lost my Dad after a terrible rush hour accident that claimed his life and two of his co-workers, with injuries to six more of his co-workers.  It was a day we never imagined would happen and dealing with that tragedy was something we never thought we would have to deal with.  We were forced to come to terms with a lot from dealing with our own struggles of faith in why this happened, to dealing with the person that set this event rolling by an act of stupidity.  It was an emotional roller coaster that still plays out to this day.

In dealing with this tragedy, I have had to come to terms with a lot in my own life.  First, the loss of my Dad in such a tragic way, profoundly scarred me and sent me into a dark shadow for many, many months.  I tried to find my way through my faith, but honestly, it was not strong enough yet.  For some time, I did not think a thing else in life mattered.  If something like this could happen to someone like my Dad, who was a wonderful man of God, and an awesome Father, what was the point of things.  I was not angry at God, but I just did not know what to make of it all.

After the first year or so, I began to refocus my life and worked to really make sense of all of the emotions I’ve had to deal with.  I have a wife and children that depend on me and I knew that I could not spend my life dealing like that.  I began to read more books related to faith and then finally found my way to the Word of God.  I made it a point to read every single day.  I knew that through God’s word I could find the answers I was looking for in life and a way to make sense of all of of the emotions I dealt with from this tragedy.

Through this journey, I have learned the power that forgiveness has.  I’ve learned that despite the anger I have for the one that set this whirlwind in motion, I knew that forgiving was one of the only ways to release that anger.  It freed me from the burden of constantly worrying about this guy and was a huge step to move forward.  From there, I learned to simply surrender to God’s will.  To let him take control of my life and understand that He is in control and has a purpose for everything we deal with in life.

So what of this purpose?  What does it all mean?  Truth be told, my brother, Rob, said it best at my Dad’s funeral when he said that we may never know all of the answers until we go to meet God face-to-face.  I do however think there is a reason that has been revealed now.  We often hear the question of why God allows these terrible things to happen.  The purpose of it all is quite simple actually.  These tragedies are are allowed as they bring us back to God.  Often times people stray away.  I’m know exception, but through tragedy, many times people find there way back to God as they search for their own answers.  This was no exception.  I sometimes think that God looked at Dad, knowing he already had a devoted son, and this was a way to grab the attention of the rest of us.

We all deal with tragedies in different ways.  The bottom-line however is that through any tragedy in life, if we surrender and turn to God and find redemption through Christ, there is nothing we cannot overcome.  Nothing is impossible through Him.  Let Him take control.  We will always go through all of the pain and emotions that come with any tragedy, but know that God loves you through all of that.  He is there with you and waiting for you to turn to Him and I promise you, that you will find the healing and the power you need.  He is so Awesome!  If I did not have Him to turn to, I don’t know were I would be now, 4 years later.  I certainly would not be here writing this.  His love and His healing is so real, if you choose to seek it out, surrender, and let Him take hold of your life.

Thank you for reading.  I am closing today with this little prayer that you can say just help on your own journey.  God Bless you all!

Father, thank you who you are and for continuing to love us everyday.  Help us to love you and love each other more and more each day through all of the events of life. Thank you for the redemption we have through your son Jesus Christ.  Guide us each day as we learn to seek you more and let you take hold of our lives.  In Christ’s name – Amen

Dad and me Christmas 2008

All Things Are Possible With God!!!

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Every morning I get up and spend at least a good half hour or so in God’s Word.  I started this habit over a year and half ago and it has been a powerful part of my daily life.  For years I was partially engaged and learned the popular versus out there, but never fully dove into the Word and studied it.  I set my reading each day using a set of reading plans that help to guide me through the Word and better absorb what I am reading so as to not just wander all over each day.  Something struck me today as I was reading and it really showed me how God was at work as I spend time in his Word each day.  I always follow each days reading accordingly and think about and pray about it.  What really hit me today is just how relevant each days reading seemed to be to this very moment in my life and how each encounter I have with His Word or in thinking about God in someway brings to light something new that is so relevant to my daily life.  It could be situations with family, with my work, or any other aspect of life.  It’s quite amazing to see Him this way as each day He gives me something to read that has so much relevance to goings on today.  He may provide answers to questions or He may give me guidance in how to handle particular situations.  This may come as not surprise to some of you, but it was funny how it just hit me that way today.  God reveals Himself through the Word in ways that are always meaningful to us if we take the time to really stop and think about what it is He is showing us.

I came home from the office today and when I walked in, my kids were watching a great movie, “Facing the Giants.”  If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it.  As a part of my daily reading a prayer, I typically will pray for my wife and children and pray that my children will live a life in which they seek God each day.  I was very intent about that prayer these last few days.  My kids are always asking questions about the Bible and take an interest in so many aspects of it.  Again, it may seem so minor, but seeing them so intently engaged in a movie like this that ministers to the heart the way it does, is awesome.  It felt like my prayers for their hearts to seek God were working.  They don’t watch this movie just because it is good.  They are engaged in the message that no matter what faces us in life, all things are possible with God just as Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 and again in Mark 10:27.

It is so awesome the work that the Lord does in our lives.  Everything we encounter in life is because He allowed it to happen.  God can open or close any door He wants to in your life.  Spending time each day intentionally reading and meditating on His Word will help you to see those doors that are opened and close.  God has revealed so much to me each day I spend in the Word.  I am thankful for all that He has shown me each day I spend with Him in reading and prayer.  If you don’t have this as a part of your daily routine, think about making it so.  In there you will find so much relevance to your life.  You may burning questions about any part of life be it in your own faith, the relationships with your family and friends, your work, or your purpose in life.  I promise you, He will reveal Himself in the Word.  Take time each day to read and pray on what He is showing you.  You will find so much clarity in your life and will help you learn to live your life for Him and to glorify Him.  You do that, then all things are possible through God.