God's Heart Is A Firefighter.

Recently Laura and I have been reading through the book of James together before bedtime. Last night we studied chapter three which is all about having untamed tongues. In verse five of chapter three James said "So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!". When we read this I was instantly reminded of when people say "Don't burn your bridges", and it got me thinking, how many bridges are burned down in our lives because of our untamed tongue? Whether they are friendships, ministry opportunities, relationships with family members, or even relationships within the work place. The tongue is a direct line to the heart and most of the time we don't think about the repercussions of our actions at the time that we are gossiping, lying, cursing, cheating, or even disobeying by not saying what God wants us to say. In verse nine he said "With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God." I don't know why as human beings we are inclined to esteem ourselves higher than one another but when it comes down to it, we were all created in the likeness of the true and living God. We should be lifting each other up with our words, sticking up for each other when the other one is not around. Imagine the conflict that would be deflated if we just didn't speak badly about one another, imagine the fires that would be put out. After I read this chapter I started praying that God would give me HIS heart for HIS people and that rather than starting fires, I would be on a mission to extinguish the fires that I come across (or have already started). After all, God's heart is the ultimate firefighter.

Life's A Treat

Every night when Laura and I are ready to go to bed we bring the dog inside and put him in his cage. It is routine that we put the dog in the cage, he sits down, and we give him his treat. The bag of treats comes with about 40 treats per bag so it lasts us a little over a month. Normally we make our trip to Wal-Mart to by the treats when we notice that we are getting low. This month was an exception, due to a temporary lack of funds we actually ran out of treats. The night that we ran out was like every other night as far as Zeke was concerned, he came inside, went straight for his cage, and sat down. He looked at me with such certainty, having full faith that in a couple of seconds he would get his delicious treat. I was sad to let him down so I got on my hands and knees to his level and started hugging him and kissing him. That night really got me thinking, if you think about it, life is like a bag of treats, we have no idea when we are going to run out of time or why. When Zeke had his last treat he ate it with tremendous speed (just like every other night), he had no idea that would be his last one for a while. I drew a parallel to my life and how I take every day for granted. If I knew for certain that this day would be my last, how would I spend it? What really matters in life? We are not guaranteed tomorrow so we must live like today is our last.

Daddy's Little Superhero...

Having a baby boy has definitely changed things for us. It is a hands-on lesson in selflessness, but I don't even feel right saying that because Laura does 90% of the hard work (at least that's what it seems like to me). People always said "Wait a few years before you have children, enjoy each other.", It's funny though, I love my wife more now than I ever have and my respect for her as a strong individual has grown immensely.

Even though being a parent requires us to die to ourselves, and our own desires various times throughout the day, it's funny how all that you learn to desire is everything that brings joy to your child. Laura displays a great deal of sacrificial love to our baby boy but do you think that she recognizes it? Nope. She doesn't care about herself anymore, she doesn't care that she doesn't get to do things for herself because now her joy comes from seeing our little angel healthy and happy. I am so unbelievably blessed to have Elijah James, he is truly a gift of joy to a family who needs it.

I have often heard people talk about the responsibility that you feel instantly when your child is born. Since Elijah was born, I don't really care about anything other than leading my little family in Christ and providing for them. I used to care about traveling playing music, and other seemingly fun things, not now. All I desire is for my Wife and Son to be taken care of, to not have to worry about a thing. I just love and adore them so much, there is nothing that I wouldn't do for them.

Being a father has given me a new found passion for our Father in heaven, one of my favorite verses now is "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" -Matthew 7:9-11. I can't even begin to fathom how much God loves His children, I guess that is why ALL of Heaven rejoices over the saving of ONE soul.

I love you Jesus, thank you for my Gorgeous Wife, and thank you for giving me the most amazing son on earth... Use us for Your glory.

BABEL

We build tall buildings
as an attempt to reach You
We jump through various hoops
Trying to impress You

You, full of grace and mercy have
Gifted us language, a way to communicate
Each language being one of Your countless creations

When we pray, no matter what dialect of human we use
You are there to fully grasp both the verbalized and the unspoken,
You are there

Baptized

Spirit, You are welcomed in, fill this empty soul
You have cherished the undiscovered places of my heart

Now is the time, use me for Your glory

Gifts are raining down on this burdened heart
Aching for the healing of Your children

Your will be done
Your kingdom come
Your Spirit fall
Your children call out Your name...
Jesus! Direct my ways,
Lord, make straight my path

The Sky

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”
Psalm 8:3-4

     Last night I was sitting around a fire pit, enjoying the chill of the air mixed with the heat given from the fire. I was comfortable, content, and then I looked up at the sky. I was in absolute amazement as I looked at this vast spread sky that makes you and me seem ever so irrelevant. I started wondering, what is the purpose of “outer space” as it has come to be known? Then, something so common knowledge, so blatant, and obvious finally clicked. “I am sitting beneath the same stars that inspired David, the same sky that we read about throughout the bible”. I continued to think about the purpose.
     It’s obvious that everything with space works together perfectly, but I was thinking more along the lines of, when God created the heavens and the earth, why not create the earth, sun, and moon? It started to make sense to me as I sat there in that chair. The sky is one of the few things that every human being throughout history has in common. I mean, everything around us if constantly changing, from the polluted air that we breathe, to the dust beneath our feet. Not the sky. We are able to see each other during the day because of the same son that has always been. Most of us around the world fall asleep to the dark, and comforting view of the moon.
     I think that since the beginning of time the sky was set as a reminder of how big of a God we serve. We set idols in our lives, things that we give our feeble minds over to, and every single one of them pale in comparison to the Creator of the heavens and the earth! It’s not only a reminder of how big our God is, but it tells us of His love for us. How could the Creator of all time and space want to have a relationship with little ol’ me? We may not fully grasp all of this until the day that we meet Him face to face. Until then, I will continually be astonished at the thought of our Lord, and how He loves us.

Beautiful Ashes

How is it that many don't believe?
Physically we leave behind no significant
treasure. You can get the most interesting
and adventurous of lives and at the end of
the day, you're left with a handful of ashes.
The things in which we hold on are the
memories that have gripped us over time.
We are spiritual beings and we were created
to draw near to our creator who longs for
nothing temporary or superficial. We are
capable of perfecting true love because it's
a spiritual act. Any love based off of looks
or anything not of eternal value ends in
dust. For those who believe, death on
earth is the beginning and end of shedding
what flesh is left of true love.

Song

There is passion contained
Rising up within my being
There is completion to be gained
At the discretion of my mind

An ever flowing river of desire
Streaming from within my chest
Fuel to an undying fire
Planted in the depths of my heart

How to relieve the dam of it's pressure
The flow has been stopped
There is an outlet, an expressed gesture
Paper and a pen to the tune of life

Sing with the voice granted
A gift that was once planted
A song formed over time

The Unnamed Servant

I set up the chairs in which
You sit on week by week

I brew the coffee that
You rely on

I pick up the trash that
You leave behind

I pray for
You throughout the week

I fold the bulletins that
You throw away

but..
I would not be "I" without
YOU

One Again

Lover, I’ve seen you grow from the age of twelve
I fell in love with a single pair of eyes

We were one flesh for sixty-six years
I’m not good as a half; we need to celebrate as one again

If one becomes half, how long can he last?
I’m coming my dear, for now it’s sixty-seven.



In Loving Memory of
Sally Ann Enos (03/29/1927-07/30/2009) and
Calvin William Enos (01/31/1925-02/22/2010)

Offer and Listen

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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."

-Romans 12:1-2

I've read this portion of scripture I don't know how many times and the other day it finally clicked. In verse one where it talks about presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, it says that it is our "spiritual worship", this goes hand and hand with John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." I want to be this worshiper! I want to be the kind of worshiper that the Lord seeks. I often wondered prior to this revelation what it takes to worship in spirit and truth like the word says. Here it is, "present your bodies as a living sacrifice", we are called to present ourselves as sacrifices of praise, then and only then will we be able to worship to our fullest extents.

The Word tells us as followers of Christ that we are not to be friends with the world but rather that we are to pursue the narrow road which few will find. In the midst of this stormy life, sometimes stability and answers aren't necessarily easy to find. This is why I love verse two as well, "that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." The reason why I love this is because it gives us hope that if we listen, he will answer. While we're being tested, it's teaching us how to discern the will of God! How awesome is that? When we are hearing too many voices, including those of loved ones, friends, piers, and even our own, we can rest assured that all of the trials will pay off. It seems a lot more basic than we make it out to be, just be still and know that He IS God.

Lord take us as acceptable offerings of worship. Father, speak to us, guide us through Your word, and teach us how to abide with Your perfect will. Amen.