Rob Umphress

The New Year

2012-01-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

When the new year is getting ready and as it arrives, I usually wonder to myself. I wonder what the new year will bring, and how will I accept it? Last year found us moving , new job for me. And a new grandchild, who we adore and can't hold or see enough. Some of the constants in my life is my bride Michelle and Gods influence in my life. I read an author this morning who stated that he ignored what Christ wanted him to do and did his own thing his own way. To my dismay I can identify with him on that. He went on to state that he is going to allow Christ to have control more and see what happens this next year. I know for myself a little less turmoil would e nice.

There is a song I go to sleep with most nights , the title is " Blessed Assurance". The opening words are you guessed it Blessed Assurance Jesus is mine. Oh what a fore taste of glory divine. It goes on to say perfect submission perfect delight. I can't say that with full truth yet. I am still a work in progress.

As this new year unfolds I'm asking God to help me get out of the way of what he wants me to hear and do in my life. I'll let you know how it's going.

A Good Christian

2011-07-31T09:50:00.001-07:00

This morning I was listening to a radio program and the host was interviewing an author that wrote a book named “the good muslim”. That started me to thinking what is a good christian? I haven’t done the research , but I imagine there are many books written on that topic. How would you answer that question? Maybe like Jesus did in the ‘Sermon on the Mount” http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:1-12&version=NIV. Or maybe with actions like. Maybe like the diciples when they were asked by the disabled man for money, the reply was silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give unto you. And the man was healed. Or maybe like Daniel when he asked not to be fed the rich food of Babaloyn, but the simple food of vegetables. I don’t believe that being a so called “good christian” is something you do.

It’s not so much actions as it is heart. There is a song that I have written about before that goes “as the deer panteth
t for the water so my heart pantheh after thee”. Wanting to spend time with Christ to get to know him better. Not through actions, you may ask how can I spend time with Christ when he is u p in heaven and I’m stuck here. We spend time through reading our bible and time in prayer. Not as an another thing to check off out to do list everyday, rather as time invested in a relationship, hopefully causing us to know the heart of God better and being closer to him. When I met my wife I didn’t want to see her to check something off my list. I wanted to spend time with her because she was and is my life.

Christ is my life as well, and I can’t explain it is a clear and concise way. It is something you have to experience yourself. Join me in that adventure.

Living the Dream

2011-03-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of years my response to someone when they ask how or what I’m doing I have replied “living the dream”. Last week when I replied that to the question, my friend Bill asked how’s that working for you? He knows the struggles and troubles that have been happening. I said to him it’s more like a nightmare. He is always very forthright and direct. He said you had better get a new dream. I agreed.

As I reviewed that conversation over the last week or so, I first started with the woe is me routine. That made me feel worse, I didn’t like the direction that was taking .Then quietly God began to speak to me in that soft low voice he is so good at. He said Rob lets review some things. And we began to list the blessing I have in my life, my bride, the 4 children I have been blessed with and on and on and on.

I had started to look at things with the wrong set of eyes. Yes I wear glasses but I don’t have four eyes on my face. I was looking at the things that I didn’t like about my situation, no job, not enough money to buy everything I wanted (as if that will ever happen, and I don’t need all I think I do right). As we started to compile the list and all the blessing God has blessed me with my perspective changed. I do have a good dream to live and I will do so. My pastor said a couple of weeks ago in one of his sermons. When we have doubt and fears, it reminds us. Are we going to believe in our doubts or in our faith in God? I am reminded that I am living the dream, and it’s good.

My Bride is Coming Home

2011-03-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

My wife is coming home today. She has been away visiting our granddaughter for the last week. I have missed her quite a bit. I went to the store yesterday and got flowers and groceries for a welcome home meal, of course I forgot a few things. When I got up this morning I swept all the dog hair up, cleaned the bathrooms,vacuumed,changed the sheets on the bed, and picked up. All to welcome her home, I want to things to be in place, neat and picked up so she can rest. My thoughts all day are. My bride is coming home today, I want to prepare and have things ready.

When Jesus went up to heaven he told his disciples that he was going to his father’s house to prepare a place for them, if it were not so he would not tell them. I am sure Jesus is not hurrying around like we do with our heads cut off, but all the same he is making sure of all the details. Putting everything in its place and everything has a place.

My excitement for my wife coming home is nothing compared to Christ excitement to him coming back for us to take s to heaven to see his father face to face. That will be the day won’t it.

2010-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

I was with my wife this last week and we were doing a little bit of Christmas shopping . I was highly agitated not because of the commercialism of Christmas, but because I was worrying about money and not having enough to take care of things. My bride I have to tell you was a picture of faith and strength. She was don’t worry Rob, I have been praying for our situation and God has provided and he will continue to provide.

You know my response don’t you, being the man of faith that I hope and want to be. I grumbled around for awhile acting like the back side of a donkey. I am not proud of that. I went out to get the car and bring it closer to the door at my wife’s suggestion. (she wanted me away from her truth be told). Anyway as I was getting in the car I sat still for a moment. During that short time that I quit moaning and groaning, God said something to me. He had to work fast I didn’t stop for very long. He said to me “Rob why are you so worried haven’t I provided your needs?”. Have you gone hungry, or not a roof over your head?” I had to answer no God yes you provided my needs. He said yes I have and I will provide your needs in the future. Trust me Rob with all your heart in the good and the lean times. Just like I took care of Israel I in the desert and gave them mana for the day I will take care of you and your family.

A prayer I pray it seems more than not is God help my unbelief it seem right for this situation.

Spring Rain

2010-11-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

My wife made me an apple pie last week. As you read this you may be asking yourself why this is so significant. You are not alone, I asked her the same thing. She replied so matter of fact, and without even thinking. I know you like apple pie I had some apples that needed to be used , so I made you a pie. Let me give you a little back round, my wife to my taste makes the best apple pie in the world. I don’t have apple pie anywhere else except when at home. All the rest of the apple pies to my taste are not as good as hers. So I don’t waste my time having them outside of home.

When I stop to think about things , not just going through life without seeing or stopping to think . I start to see things I miss when I just plow through and think only of myself or how only it benefits me. I have more time right now than I usually have. So I decided to read the book of Zechariah. I confess that I have to read some things three or four times to start to understand what I am reading. Not just reading the words, but to begin to understand what the writer is wanting to convey in the text. Which happened to me in chapter 10 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zech%2010&version=NIV). It said “ask to Lord for the rain in the springtime” (click link for the complete text) That sounds pretty easy doesn’t it, fairly straight forward. I thought about those 9 words all day, I asked God to revel the complete meaning to me, throughout the day. You guessed it I utterly forgot about it as I went throughout my day. The next morning without thinking again I went back and read Zechariah 10 again. When I reread those 9 words again God reminded me of my prayer from yesterday. Then ask me if I was ready to listen, or if I wanted a repeat of yesterday. Going on with my day and forgetting him, and what I had asked him to do.

I ask for forgiveness and said yes I was ready to listen this time. God recapped a couple of the situations in my life in the very recent past where I had plunged ahead and tried to solve problems and situations without stopping to first ask him, for the spring rain in my life. Asking God for the help, and not leaning on my own understanding or ways to solve things. Once again God like my wife in spite of me , took the time to do something for me that I don’t deserve. Not having done anything remotely to be able to deserve the gift I received. I am not alone in this, all of us at one time or another are the recipients of something we don’t deserve to our good.

I constantly ask God to please help me to slow down and ask him ,then to follow through with that request to be able to see how God does it much better than I could ever dream of doing it.

P.S. Yes the pie was great

Play Ball !!!!

2010-06-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have started to umpire girls fast pitch softball this year. It has taught me many things, not only about softball, but getting better as a person and a follower of Christ. I especially like to be behind the plate, I have the best seat in the house. I am the guy that gets to say at the start of every game in a loud voice “Play Ball”. I even say it at the start of every inning. I love being able to say that. Not because I am the guy, but it’s the reason that every player, coach, parent, and fan is there for. No more practice, drills or make believe this is the real thing. The game is played not only to win, but to enjoy the game and the joy playing the game brings. The girls get to play ball and enjoy the game.

Every day I get to say the same thing to myself. I start the day with my quiet time. I read my bible and spend time in prayer. This doesn’t take hours and it is not a tedious task or requirement, it helps me keep my eyes on what is important. Reading my bible I get to read about battles, men and women struggling with life and how they overcome the travails they encounter.
When I am done I get to say to myself “Play Ball” and get to face the day and I know that I am not alone in life.

Learning to Ride a Bike

2010-04-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

I was driving this morning and I came up on a father and mother teaching their child to ride a bike. They were trying to explain to the child how to push of and get on the bike without falling. They couldn't get the concept of reaching the point to commit fully to pushing off and swinging your leg over the seat,balancing, and starting to pedal. Do you remember when you were starting to learn to ride and at some point you committed yourself to pushing off and swinging your leg over. When you did and either by luck or a result of your actions, you were off and instantly you were a veteran bike rider. You had made it. You had joined the club. I remember the freedom and the joy of the speed of riding.

The concept of asking Christ to come into your life, and the concept of asking forgiveness of my sins is kind of the same thing. People can explain it to you. They can give you cute and inspirational stories. But until you commit yourself to the act of accepting Christ, asking for forgiveness of your sins, it's hard to understand. Just like pushing off to ride that bike, you just have to do it. And like riding a bike, after you do it. You will understand, and see how easy it is. And like riding a bike, just because you ride once you're not a pro, you will have spills and scrapped knees. But the more you ride and the longer you have with Christ in your heart, the better you will be. I can't fully explain it, you have to experience it.

Are you ready to start riding your bike with Christ in your heart?

The Wave

2010-03-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

There is a saying in Central Oregon it says” If you don’t like the weather in here wait 15 minutes and it will change. Yesterday it snow about 2 inches in the morning and the sun came out and it was about 60 degrees in the afternoon crazy I know. Last week there was a day where it was gorgeous, the sun was out and it was a day you dream of. I was on my way to a meeting in the afternoon and noticed a lot of motorcycles out and guys were riding. I was following one and I have to admit I was having a strong case of envy for the guys that were riding and was wishing I had and was riding a motorcycle as well.

As I was following this one bike, I noticed that as each time one motorcycle rider passed another they all waved to each other. My friend Rich’s told me of when his brother Mike bought his bike. The guy he bought it from told him his first decision after he bought the bike was, “what his wave was going to be”. Everyone has one, and he needed to also. When I got out of high school, I bought a bike from my uncle. I rode it everywhere and thought life couldn’t get any better.He didn’t tell me about the wave, I had to learn it on my own. Anyway after I figured it out why the rest of the riders were waving as we passed. I got my wave. I remember marveling to myself, these guys didn’t care what kind of bike I had, who I was, what I wore, how old I was. They accepted me on the sole fact I was riding and I was part of the culture they were. No other reason.

As I was following the rider and wishing I was riding my thoughts turned to what the wave would be from Christ when I entered Heaven and saw him face to face. Jesus talked in the Bible in Luke Chapter 15:11-31 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-31&version=NIV about the lost son that was welcomed back by his father. I imagine that Christ won’t have just a wave. He will be standing at the gates with a smile on his face and his arms spread wide welcoming us home. I can’t wait.

Christ accepts and loves for us for who we are unconditionally. He doesn’t care what we have done, what we look like, where we live, or what kind of car or motorcycle we drive. He simply loves us, and can’t wait to see us face to face.

Trip Without my Cell Phone

2009-12-28T07:56:00.001-08:00

Last week I left my house to go see a movie with my wife without my cell phone. I realized it after we were almost to the theatre. I felt lost without my phone, I was surprised the anxiety that I had. My wife had her phone with her in case there was an emergency or one of our children needed us. So we had communication with the world if needed, but I didn’t have my cell phone.

After buying the movie tickets and sitting down, I told myself this was crazy it’s just a cell phone stop these feelings. It is the evening your customers or friends will live for the most part if you don’t call back for an hour and a half. I was able to sit and enjoy the movie, as soon as we headed back to our car my thoughts returned to going home and getting my cell phone.

As we were driving home I had this random thought, why don’t I have that same intensity about my relationship with Christ? Why don’t I worry and fret if I don’t have my quiet time at the start of the morning? I am not trying to be a fanatic, but my relationship with Christ I say if at the top of my list. By my thoughts and worries you can see it isn’t. I have a friend he told me that God is more and more talking to him about his relationship between he and Christ is paramount. God is slowly and lovingly teaching him to let the other things that he thinks is important to realize that they aren’t as important as his relationship with Christ is.

I used to have and some of you may have the view that God is this big guy sitting in Heaven waiting for us to screw up so he can smack us down. God tells us that he is a jealous God and in the 10 commandments “we are to have no other Gods before him”. But from what I see in God working in my friends life and mine. God puts having a relationship that is two ways between us and him as the most important, not the busyness we equate with effectiveness.

I am taking more time to spend with Christ this next year and I will let you know how it goes.

The joy is Back

2009-11-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

Last time I wrote ,I wrote about overflowing joy. I have had time to think about that since then. I decided that joy is an active choice we make moment to moment. We can choose to have joy or choose to be morose and unhappy.

Having asked God to forgive me of my sins and come into my life, was a turning point in my life. I realized I had forgotten that or let that hope go. I have let the worries of the economy and the daily life struggle over come me the joy didn’t go away. I put it down to take up the burden of life. Well I’ve picked up the joy of life and I am choosing to carry that, not the burden of worry and angst.

I have hope in my salvation join me in that hope. Thank you God for forgiving my sins and giving me the joy in my life.

Overflowing Joy

2009-10-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

I heard a pastor speak of a woman he saw two or three days before she died. She said to him "my cup is running over with joy. I so full of joy my heart cannot contain it". She died a few days later. He was struck with how happy she was knowing full well she didn't have long to live.

I have been thinking about that. And I asked myself do I have that kind of joy. I have to admit no I don’t. I’m not completely sure how to have that kind of joy to be quite honest with you. God and I have been talking about that these last few days. I will write more about this I’m sure.

What I would like though is to hear from you. My e mail is overflowingjoy1@gmail.com. Or you can write a comment to this post. Please write me and tell me what over flowing joy means to you.

Eyes that see

2009-09-15T05:14:00.001-07:00

I was playing golf last week and one of the guys hit a ball that was a little off, don’t worry mine were worse usually. Well we were watching his ball so we could find it when we went looking for it. I lost it after it started to come back down against some low clouds. Luckily one of the other guys was able to pick it back up. John made a comment that at his age he didn’t have the eyes to track the ball like he did when he was younger. He said he played with his nephew earlier this summer, and he could see way out there and hardly ever lost sight of the ball. He could track it until it stopped rolling. Wow to have those young eyes again. We got up to where the ball was and it was in a good spot and there was a clear path to the green. He hit it on and pared the hole, that’s the goal when we play golf par or better.

That started me to start thinking about my walk with Christ, and how as things are happening in my life and I don’t have the eyes to see what goes on all the time. Just like the shot that was what we thought was a little off was ok when we got up to it. It wasn’t in the middle of the fairway away from all trouble sitting up just waiting for us to come up a hit it again. We want our life to be down the middle of the fairway and ALWAYS out of trouble. How many of us know that doesn’t happen?

We grow through trouble, we are stretched and gain strength through perseverance while we are in trouble. God is not a puppet master who says to himself what trouble can I make this guy go through so I can laugh at him as he struggles and sometimes fail. Rather he has eyes that see all, which guide us through because we don’t see the end result. And one of the most amazing things happen also, the end result is usually better than we could do on our own. While my eyes don’t always work the best and I can’t see all. God’s eyes work perfectly.

Join Me

2009-06-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

It’s Sunday morning and we’re going to church. There was a time not so long ago that going to church on Sunday morning was just done. My wife and I are looking for a new church, we’ve narrowed it down to two. This has been a curious experience for us. We have not gone through the looking for a church experience. When we moved to a new town we went to the same denomination church in that town as we had in the town we just moved from. Anyway getting back to looking for a new church, through this process we found ourselves making excuses of why we didn’t go to church that week. We were talking this week and both of us agreed that we can’t let the various and sound good at the time excuses stop us from going to church.
So we are off this morning, some of you reading this may or have been in the same boat as my bride and I find ourselves in. My advice is just go until you find a home. The road can be long and arduous . You will be rewarded in the end and the effort will be worth it. Church’s can and are a rewarding experience, you get challenges, support to help you through tough times. And sometimes you are able to help others and give back to someone what someone has given you. We also get to hear the word of God (Bible) taught and I know for myself I can use all the help I can get. Join me in going to church. Maybe I will see you there, I hope so.

My Secret's are Safe

2009-06-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

A friend of mines brother died. Although he knew not everything was right with him, he had no idea of what life was really like for his brother. From what he told me his brother had issues. My heart was broken for my friend. He not only had lost his brother, he had to pick up the pieces of his brother’s life. My friend said something to the effect of you never know what kind of life a person has until it’s too late. I thought about that we all put on a front to the world even to our closest friends, but we keep some things hid. And to a point we are successful we did a great job of hiding our secrets from everyone.
At least we think we are successful, but you know what God see’s and knows everything we not only do, but all we think about. The bible tells us that we will have to give an account of what we did in this life. You see God knows it all, not so he can embarrass us, but so we can be forgiven. Did this only happen to me when I was a kid. Someone found something out about me and the word spread like wildfire. My life was miserable, I was teased and taunted. God doesn’t do that he forgives us. All we have to do is ask him. I am so glad that my trust is put in God. I do have those things that I am not proud of. I also know that those same things are in God’s hands and as the song goes “He has the whole world in his hands” and I am safe in his hands.

Moving Day

2009-06-06T08:29:00.001-07:00

Today we move the 3rd of our four children, they are going away to college. I have very mixed feelings about this. I watch them as they go through life. Celebrating with them and cringing when they make decisions that I don’t agree with. I want them to grow and experience life, I can’t keep them as little children all their lives. I worry about how they will do and when they have trouble I won’t be around the corner to dash over and fix things. I knew this day was coming , our child has been talking about and planning for a almost a year. This child is the most like me, we call them pea pod. They have so many of my characteristics both good and bad. I told this child one day that they were so much like me, it scares me. I was worried that they would make the same mistakes and blunders that I have made.
I have ask God to watch over them and to guide and protect them and I know he will. I thought of God as he watches us make our mistakes and think we can do it better and we don’t need his help. We make mistakes and blunders and like our children call us, we call on God. HELP ME. When my child calls I will do everything in my power to help them. God is ready and waiting for us to call him for his help and forgiveness. We just need to call on him, all of us do.

Everything is Possible

2009-05-23T21:35:00.001-07:00

Well it was bound to happen, most likely later than sooner. I listened to my wife today, and did what she suggested. My wife is the most precious thing I am associated on this earth. I have a habit of not listening to her enough.Well back to my thoughts. I was working in the yard and I needed to spray some weed killer. I was mixing it up and my wife came home from the store. She saw what I was doing, and asked me if I had looked at the sky lately. I replied yes. She asked me if I had noticed the clouds, you know the kind that are dark and ominous. The kind that is going to throw rain down on your head until it hurts. I said yes I had seen them, but I don’t think it will rain. She kindly advised me to wait and spray tomorrow. I looked at the clouds and thought to myself those babies don’t look good. I had better take her advice. So I went and started to weed some flower beds.
As I was weeding I started to replay the conversation with my wife again and I complemented myself on listening to my wife. I don’t know what more amazing that I listened to my wife and didn’t blaze full speed ahead, doing what I thought was right. Or that I wasn’t laying on the ground in total shock that I had listened to her. About that time God spoke to me and said “you do the same thing to me Rob. I talk to you and try to help you and you just go a do what you want to do, without regard for what I am trying to tell or help you with”. Wow I was humbled and ashamed. I have the creator of the universe trying to help me. I sometimes wonder why God keeps trying, but I am grateful that he does. In the bible a man brought his son to Jesus and asked for Jesus to heal his boy. He said to Jesus “if you can”. Jesus replied and said “everything is possible if you believe”. The man replied back a said “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief”. You see when I do what I think is best what I am really saying is I don’t trust God to do it so I had better do it myself. Like I listened to my wife and took her advice. I asked God to help me overcome my unbelief, and listen and obey his voice.
And yes it did rain like my wife said it would about 30 minutes later

I don't want to get Spewed Out

2009-03-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

I had lunch with a client last week. I went to lunch to get to know Rick better and see where I could get more business. Did that ever not happen, as we talked I lost all thought of getting more business and started to focus and think about God. My relationship with Christ. Rick talked about listening to a message from a pastor that talked about having all our focus on attaining and getting more and more wealth. Rick sent the link to me of the sermon and I watched it a few days later. WOW I was shook, the guys talked about our security being in the things of this world. One example he used we wanted a bigger house, bigger income, bigger retirement, more, more , and more. But when it comes to God I have enough, I don’t need anymore. Nothing could be farther from the truth, the inverse is true. I need more and more and more of God and less and less and less of things. I had a hard time even writing the work less three times like I did the word more.
In case you are wondering this has been me of late. I have been focused on the wrong things. I have been felling the tug from Christ to spend more time with him in both prayer and in his word the bible. I just ignored it, in my quest for more and more. In the bible the book of revelation tells us that if you are lukewarm, God says I will spew you out of my mouth. Have you ever taken a big drink straight from the carton of milk (it’s a guy thing) and the milk was sour. You can’t evacuate that milk fast enough. You spew it out with all the vigor and force you can muster. That’s the picture I got. I don’t want to be the one that God spews out because I was lukewarm or worse spoiled and apathetic. Join me on the journey of being a fired up on fire person for God.

A Funny Thing Happened

2009-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

I walked out my front door yesterday morning and the sun was shining and it was snowing very lightly. I stood there for the moment and just took in the experience. It was glorious to stand there and soak in the sun, and snow at one time. As all good things are I needed to get going and the time came to an end. I got in my truck and started my work day, and off I go to see my clients. As I drove I noticed while it continued to snow, the sun was fast giving way to clouds and overcast sky. I looked in my mirror and the sun was still there where I left it, shining away waiting for me to come back and soak it up again. I didn’t I keep driving to my appointment.

As I drove I recalled during a period of my life when I was young that I walked away from God and kept going farther, and farther away. My life like that sky that was now above me increasingly was gloomier and gloomier. I remember thinking I was living the high life, Life doesn’t get any better than this does it I would tell myself. Early one morning finishing an evening and night of revelry I stood outside the bar I was at and reflected on my life. I confess even though I had been telling myself it doesn’t get any better than this. I was spinning a yarn to myself that just wasn’t true. When you lie to yourself that’s the worst. And I had been lying to myself big time.

I said to myself “Is this all there is to life” God spoke to me and said “no Rob it isn’t I’m here waiting for you” You see all the time I was living what I thought was the high life God had been waiting for me to come back to him. God hadn’t moved away from me, I had moved away from him. Like the lost son in the bible (Read Luke 15:11-31). I told God that if he would take me back, I would serve him the rest of my life. And to the best of my ability I have. A funny thing happened though, God didn’t make me pay the price of walking away. He wasn’t keeping a scorecard. He welcomed me back with open arms and no conditions, and loved me like I had never left. He will you as well. Just ask God

Thanks for Paying the Price

2009-03-01T17:54:00.001-08:00

My two youngest children are applying for financial help with college. One if them has to write a paper on the humanitarian effects and the conflicts in Darfur. We were discussing different directions they could go in writing the paper. I asked them why you suppose that marauding armies and guerrilla’s rape the women of the country they are conquering. They had some ideas and we tossed a few of them around.

My thoughts turned to Christ on the cross, all the sins of the world were heaped on Christ when he died for our sins. I wondered what his thoughts were at the time. I speculated how his heart broke with that burden. On that cross Christ paid the price for mine and your sins. I haven’t raped and pillaged, but my sins were no less or greater in the eyes of God. I was and still am a sinner. I am only saved by the shed blood of Christ on that cross. You may think this may be a little dramatic, but every day I want to remember the price that was paid for MY sins. I never want to for, and I give thanks to God daily for his forgiveness of my sins, and Christ paying the price for my sins.

I Was Finally Quiet Enough to LISTEN !!!!!

2009-02-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

Guess what I rode my bike this weekend, like that a revelation for thise who know me. As I was getting ready to ride, I went to get my MP3 player to listen to as I rode. I started back into the house, and felt like God was telling me to forget the noise, and listen to the quiet of the ride.

As I rode I could hear my bike the different sounds that I don’t hear on most rides because I’m talking to someone. You were thinking because I’m huffing and puffing to much to hear anything else weren’t you. Most times you would be right, not this time though. I heard my chain rubbing because the derailleur wasn’t in the right position. I fixed that. Then I heard my brake pad rubbing on the wheel as well as other things.

I said to myself I wonder how many times those noises are there, but I’m to busy or not paying attention to hear them. As soon I said that, the verse in the bible Psalms 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God” exploded in my head. I have been in a funk these last few weeks; I tried to get out of it by lots of activity, and saying the catchy motivational sayings to myself. Then I tried to pray my way out of it, still trying the frenzied activity route. The worst part about that was I didn’t realize it until later. I discovered again (like it worked so well I quit doing it) God has been speaking to me all along. I just hadn’t slowed down to listen. God was and is there talking to me all the time .I just don’t listen or go still long enough to hear. I said to God you have my attention I’m her ready to listen to what you want to say to me. And he talked to a dumb, impatient, oblivious, person me. What a concept, God cares enough about me not only to talk to me, but he’s ready and willing to wait for me to listen to him.

Can you believe it, I can

Am I a Crab?

2009-02-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

I was at Starbucks today, while I was there I watched an older gentleman and was reminded of a statement one of the guys that I meet with every week made. He said “that as men get older they get crankier. It usually happens when they get close to 50”. That bothered me, I’m 51 and to a certain extent I’ve been kind of cranky all my life. Ask my wife and children.

That comment started me thinking am I getting to be more of a crank. I hope not. On my journey with Christ I’ve seen direct result of God softening my heart. I want to show the love of God more, not less by being an old crab. I guess you might know what parts of my prayers are going to be for the near future. God please soften my heart and make me more soft able to show your love, and not be a CRAB. From experience I know God hears and listens to my prayers and he will answer mine and yours as well. Ask Him

I Jerry McQuire'd it

2009-02-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

I rode my bike on the road two weeks ago for the first time since my knee surgery. It’s been 5 ½ months. I was released about a month before, and then the weather turned and I didn’t want to ride in the snow and ice. After that was gone, I found a myriad of reasons why I couldn’t or shouldn’t ride. Well I finally got on the bike, and after a mile or so asked myself, why. Why did I wait so long, why did I let all the excuses stop me, why didn’t I remember how great it feels to get on my bike and ride. I came to the conclusion that I was afraid, that I wouldn’t be able to, I would fall and hurt myself again. Or that I had just gotten to out of shape to ride. The last part was certainly true, at least to the extent that a small ride last summer is a day to remember and accomplishment today.

As I rode and looked at the surrounding countryside, my thoughts turned to my walk with Christ. During my younger years I didn’t have a relationship with Christ, I had turned my back on him. I had been raised in church, but decided it wasn’t for me church was for weak people and I wasn’t weak. Has that happened to you? I remembered during that time all the excuses that I had. Arguments that at the time seemed viable and true, they totally made sense at the time. Kind of like when Jerry McGuire wrote his manifesto in the middle of the night, and when the light of morning came, he realized he was a moron and tried to get it back. Unlike Jerry McGuire it isn’t not to late for us. We have the hope of salvation. In the bible John 3:16 tells us that “For God so loved the world that he gave his on e and only son and who so ever believed on him would have everlasting life”. Don’t be a Jerry McGuire, In the light of day. Believe in Jesus Christ and ask him to come into your life and forgive you of your sins. I did it and I don’t regret it. What I do regret is not asking sooner and losing that time with Christ. Ask him.

Join Charlie & I

2009-01-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

It’s overcast and gloomy here in Bend. One of the main reasons I like Bend is that it’s sunny most of the time. Sometimes it’s downright cold, but sunny. With the weather and the great economic news (that’s irony in case you didn’t get it) it’s been a struggle to stay at a high positive level of enthusiasm. I told my wife I’m going to stop watching the first 10 minutes of the news, because nothing is good in the first 10 minutes. Confirming the old adage of “If it bleeds, it leads” in the news game

I went to see a friend of mine who I’m lucky to do business with. His name is Charlie. I told my wife later in the day that my spirit was uplifted after spending time with Charlie. He did my heart a world of good. Thanks Charlie.

I drive a lot in my job, so I have time to think and wonder about things if I take the time and not get consumed with the challenges and troubles that could consume me. As I drove this afternoon I was reminded of Peter in the bible in Matthew 14: 28-31 (you can read for yourself at the site listed below. Cut and paste in your browser) Anyway Peter walked on the water, until he took his eyes of Jesus. Then you guessed it he sank like a rock until Jesus grabbed his hand and rescued him. When I take my eyes and trust off of God and try and do it myself. I sink as well. Those of you that wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and can’t go back to sleep or you can hardly breathe because of the stress and pressure we feel. Sound familiar. You’re not alone, we all forget.

One of my resolutions this year is to keep my eyes on God more and not lean to my own understanding, but lean on God for his understanding. Join Charlie and I.

Read for yourself
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=14&version=31&context=chapter

Poems & Prayer

2009-01-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

Almost every Sunday morning I get up and watch the TV same show. I set my alarm on purpose so I won’t miss it. This morning I was watching and a person was on talking about the inauguration that is coming up. They were discussing the writing and reading of a poem that will be read during the inauguration. While I am not a poet, poetry has always fascinated me. The prose that is written, and the deep reflection and ideas that go into writing a poem. I very much admire poets, they have a very special God given gift. The guest who was on the show said and I quote “the reading of the poem is more important than the prayer”.

In case you were wondering or have guessed that bothered me very much. Prayer has and is a very important part of my life. I believe it was Charles Swindall who said “I can do all things through Christ, but I do nothing without praying first”. I looked up prayer in my concordance in the back of my bible and there were I think 79 -80 references (I counted 4 times and kept losing count it was a lot) where prayer is the topic. Jesus thought prayer was so important that he taught his disciples to pray, we call it the Lords Prayer. Its recited innumerable times each day and year.

To conclude I felt that statement couldn’t go by without a comment. My friend Allen Ruggles has said to me many times “I need God everyday. Hour by hour, minute by minute”. I’m reminded of that many times though out my day , and prayer is a very integral part of looking to God all day. As for me and my house we will continue to keep prayer of the forefront of our belief and continue to pray daily if not minute by minute if it’s needed.

Waiting for Chloe

2009-01-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

I was on Face book yesterday talking to a friend Melissa, I just discovered the online friend portion. Have patience with me please. Anyway I noticed on her dad’s Facebook site he was waiting for her and her son to come and see him. I asked her then commented to her what a treat it must be for Grandpa Jim to see the little man. I have a grand daughter on the way her name is Chloe. I told Melissa that I already have a picture of her on my phone, one of the ultrasound pictures. I made the comment that when I was able to hold her in person it would be a day that would be added to my top 10 days. After marrying my bride, asking Christ to forgive me of my sins, and the birth of my four children.

I instantly thought of when Christ comes back for us, and I wondered how much more God’s joy would be to welcome us into heaven. I thought to myself I love this little girl and I haven’t seen, held or talked to her. I’m almost in tears thinking about the joy of Chloe coming into this earth, and how much more Gods joy will be when we come home to be with him. It gives me pause and wonderment to just try and wrap my thoughts around the concept of how much God loves ALL of us.

I can’t see my granddaughter or God yet, so I for now will be content to wait for Chloe and the day I can see God face to face. WOW

The Bento Box

2008-10-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

I went to a movie with my wife and one of my children, and afterward we went for a lite meal. We had one of my favorite foods sushi. My wife and child had bento boxes. I’ve been intrigued with them since I first saw one. Whoever thought them up was good. I know your probably saying to yourself “get a life, it’s just a box”. I know it is, I saw a segment on a TV show where there was an auction and very old bento boxes like over 300 years old were being sold for a lot of money. If memory serves me correct over a $ 1,000,000.00.

Back to reality, what impresses me was that everything has its place. The little compartments and how it kept the different food separate from each other. I looked at them and asked myself “Do I do that with my heart with God”. Do I keep things in little compartments in my heart and not let Gods love and his influence affect those areas in my heart and my life?

We have a tendency to compartmentalize things in our life and try not to have them spill over to other areas. We or I don’t want things to get messy. When God works in my life and I’m trying to hide things from him (as if that can happen) it can get messy. I don’t know why I do that experience has taught me that if I just let God into my whole heart, it ALWAYS works for the best and I grow from it.

God and I have been talking about me trying to compartmentalize my heart and not letting him have access to my whole heart. When I accepted Christ into my heart and asked him to forgive me of my sins. I opened all of my heart to him, not just part of it. This was a good reminder that if I have areas in my heart I’m compartmentalizing, I’m taking the walls out and letting it all mix together in one big heart. Thank you God for the reminder.

It Worked So Well We Quit Doing It

2008-10-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was driving down the road and I thought I saw a motorcycle that had a training wheel on it. I saw it at the last moment and turned to look after I passed him to get another look, but I couldn’t see anything more. I pondered that as I kept driving to my destination. It reminded me of when my wife’s niece was in town and came to have dinner with us along with her 2 boys. After dinner they were boys and wanted to get out and run and ride their bikes, not sit at the table with Mom and talk. So I took them out side to ride their bikes. It was a duty I’ll do anytime they come. I really enjoy those boys. The oldest one was proud to show me how good of a bike rider since I saw him last year. Last year you see he had training wheels just like his little brother. This year he’s a man riding on 2 wheels, going fast and jumping off the curb when his Mom wasn’t looking. He made sure I know he was a 2 wheeler MAN.

A week or two later I was out riding my bike, it was the next day after a long hard ride and my legs were tired and sore. I just wanted to get out and get my legs moving, so I wasn’t pushing it. I hade taken my MP3 with me to listen to the radio while I rode. There was this guy whose complete career had he had been the piano tuner for Steinway pianos. He just wasn’t just any tuner, he was the tuner for the concert maestros and did all the concerts in Carnegie Hall and places like that. He said something that really struck me and made me think. He said “like the tuning fork is to the piano, so is God to us” he went on to say that the tuning fork has the note that the tuner uses to bring the piano back into tune, you can’t tune a piano without a tuning fork. And we can’t live our lives without God being in our lives.

What that humble man had said rattled around in my head for a couple of days. When we first ask God into our lives and ask him to forgive our sins we look to God for everything and we think we can’t live without his input in our life. After we’ve gone along for awhile we get this false sense of self confidence and think “I can do this I don’t need to bother God with this small thing” that starts the process of making more decisions on our own and after a time we forget to ask God first Then one day we’re in a situation, and we may even say out loud “How did I get into this situation”?

Yea we forgot to involve God in a little decision and decided to do what we thought was right. Walking with God and having his input, not domination in our lives worked so well we quit doing it.

You know what God is waiting right beside us waiting for us to ask his help. Just ask him.

It Doesn't Make Sense Does it? But it Does

2008-08-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

I was on an airplane last week coming back to Bend from Chicago. The only way they could have packed more seats on that plane was to hang the seats from the ceiling. It was packed, I had an intense couple of days and spending time on a cramped and stuffed plane was not as my neighbor Mike says “pure joy”. I wanted to relax catch up on some work and have a little down time. As soon as the fasten seatbelt sign went off, the guy on front of me leaned his seat back to relax. You know what that does to the guy behind, yea ten pounds in a five pound bag.

I decided to make the best of things; I’ll watch the movie, remember how stuffed the plane was. For a guy like me that’s not a pencil neck. OK some might call me fat, I’m really robust. Just like I don’t snore I purr. You get the picture the seats were very very cramped. I couldn’t find the jack to plug my headset in. I had to get out of the seat, and while doing that I stepped on this poor ladies foot. After profusely and sincerely saying how sorry I was (she was very gracious thank you) I found the jack and hallelujah I had sound to go along with the picture. I watched the movie and enjoyed every minute of it.

After the movie was over I took my headset out of the jack because I thought everything was over. Can you tell I’m an inexperienced flyer? Well it wasn’t shows kept being shown. I wanted to listen, but I was afraid and didn’t want to go through the process of getting up stepping on the nice ladies foot. Sticking by rear end in the guy across from me face to find the jack again.

As I set there I realized this could be like that for people that haven’t asked Christ into their life. They see what’s going on, but they can’t hear anything. It doesn’t make sense to them. This asking Christ into your life and being a Christian thing. It just doesn’t make sense to them, so the question is most likely asked why should I do anything about becoming a Christian? As strange as it seems asking God to come into your life and asking God to forgive you of your sins. It works as time goes on and you start to understand. If you have question you can e mail me and we can discuss it further.

It Doesn’t Make Sense Does It? But it Does

Move Closer

2008-07-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

I love to play golf. When I was younger I was pretty good, not PGA, or even club champion but I had some game. A couple of years ago a friend of mine helped me with my set up and pre shot routine to help me get started right. Things went well for a while. But lately I’ve been having some consistency problems. OK when I stand over the ball I have no idea where it’s going. About a month ago I was standing over the ball, and the thought crossed my mind. I’m standing to far away, I ignored that thought and swung away and promptly forgot everything that just crossed my mind. Yea you guessed it my problems kept on. Two weeks ago I was hitting some balls on the range, and we had a little contest to see who could hit the ball farther. I stepped up to the ball and totally creamed the ball it went a country mile, not true it went about 100 yards and took a hard left. Oh yea it stayed about 2 feet of the ground, instead of coming off the club and rising to a beautiful height then falling back to earth about 300 yards from where I hit it. One of the guys there said to me you’re standing to far away move closed to the ball. I instantly remembered that thought form a month ago and knew he was right.

As I thought of that later I was reminded of the times that God had said something to me and I ignored him. I knew that God was talking to me, and didn’t pay attention. In the bible John 10:27 says My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I didn’t pay attention and paid the price, I kept making the same mistakes over and over again. As I’ve gotten older I keep learning from my mistakes and try not to make the same mistakes. The man who wrote the song Amazing Grace was a captain of a slave ship and the story goes that as he was passing a church service he heard the music went in and asked God to forgive him of his sins and to come into his heart. His name was John Newton, he said one time “I am a horrible sinner, fortunately my God is a greater savior”. He forgave me of my sin and he will for you to.

You Got to Finish

2008-07-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

You Got to Finish

July in Tour De France month for me, I am inspirited when I see the effort and commitment from the riders. The price they are willing to pay for success. We have a multi day stage race here in Bend. A friend of mine invited me to ride in one of the team cars on Saturday for a local team that has riders in the race. My job was to give the team bottles of water and gatorade type drinks when the bottles they were carrying were empty. I saw performances all across the spectrum from less than a mile out from the start line quitting and saying I don’t have it. To three of the riders from the team finishing in the top 30 out of about 75 starters. Right before the end of the race there was this hill, that was so steep and it went forever it seemed like. The grade was 7 – 8 percent and I believe it was about 2 miles long. In the car you could hear the engine working, it was so steep. My friend kept saying before we got to the hill “I hate the hill coming up” He said it over and over and over. You could hear in his voice him recalling the pain and frustration of when he had ridden the hill. The pain and agony it had caused him.

When we got the finish line we were congratulating the riders on the great job they did. Terry the rider that had finished in the top ten (I believe) was talking about how much she liked that hill, the very one my friend had been saying over and over how much he hated. My friend is a very good rider and is on the team but he is injured, other wise he would have been riding in the race. So he’s no wimp when it comes to riding and racing bikes. Terry had made the transition from pain and effort to knowing when they rode that hill and gave it all they had. They were better off than before they rode the hill. They had faith that the effort had been worth it. And had kept her eyes on the prize.

We can make that same conclusion in life. In the bible Paul writes in Hebrews chapter 11 about faith. He recounts some of the great men and woman in the bible that had faith, and how God rewarded their faith. In verse 40 Paul writes “For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race. The key to me here, we have to finish the race we can’t quit.There have been some things I have been worrying about, I haven’t been exercising my faith/ When I’ve been looking at the hills in my life, all I’ve been seeing is the agony and effort it will take, not seeing the prize In the next two verses Hebrews 12:1-2 Paul writes “therefore let us run the race with endurance, the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus on whom our faith depends from start to finish”

I was able to see an example of the kind of faith this week end, Terry kept her eyes on the prize, the finish line. It encourages me to keep my eyes on the prize, a better and stronger relationship with Christ. You Got to Finish

The Vision

2008-07-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

My wife went with a few of her friends to spend the day going to garage sales. You might be saying to yourself uh oh. But not me, she doesn’t go crazy and get caught up in the deal fever. She called me later and asked me to come to one of the sales she had bought something for our backyard. I asked her what she needed picked up; she told me she bought a trundle bed us to sit on in our backyard. I wondered about it, but didn’t say anything I said I would be there in a bit. She thanked me and said she would be on her way to another sale.

I pulled up to the sale and told them I was her to pickup the bed my wife bought. I was escorted to the purchase .And my unspoken thought and fears were realized. It was an old frame with the built in springs. I asked myself what was she thinking when she say this ugly old bed. I looked at it for a bit and decided to trust her judgment and wait to see what she was going to do with it. I will admit I was skeptical.

I was cutting the grass today and looked over and saw the bed sitting in our backyard, it is still in the shape it was when bought it. My bride has been to busy to work on it, we’ve talked a couple times of how to proceed. Well the truth is my wife has talked and I’ve listened. As I looked at the bed today I was reminded of my first thoughts when I saw it. And started to get upset. That was the exact moment that God spoke to me. He reminded me of the vision my wife has. She see’s the potential of good in things and does her best to bring that out. Part of the man I’m today is a result of her vision and love for me. Thank you honey.

God does the same thing, he doesn’t look at our ugliness from the things we’ve done or said. He see’s the potential in us. God looks at and says to himself “I see them and I know how great they are and I’m going to help them become the person they were created to be. In Jeremiah 29:11-13 it says 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. God see’s the goodness and potential in myself and he see’s it in you. I’ve tried to do it myself and didn’t such a good job. God has, and he will and can do the same for you.

It's Summertime

2008-06-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

Its summer and I started to think about children going to camps. Of course I reminisced about my going to camp. I only went for 1 week at a time. A friend of mine grew up in New York, and his parents shipped he and his sister off to camp for the whole summer. When I heard that I wondered who had more fun. He and his sister at camp, or mom and dad at home without children for the summer? Anyway back to my train of thought.

The camp I went to most was the camp the foursquare denomination put on for the district that we were part of. The camp director was named Roy Hicks Jr. During mail call after dinner Roy called out your name if you had mail. You wanted to get mail, but it was a two edge sword. You see Roy was a complete nut bag during this time. He was a wild and crazy. You were laughing so hard, your sides hurt. At the same time even though you wanted to get mail, a part of you was praying to God please don’t let this be the day I get mail. Some kids prayed more and harder there than they did in chapel.

When I think back to those events. (Oh yea I never got mail thank you God). I remember the fun times. And I remember the times that I learned about God more. That was the start of me on my own deciding to follow God. I thought if a nut bag like Roy Hicks can serve God and have that much fun and be cool. I want that for me. I found out later that he was following another camp director. And some of my friends (those who got embarrassed at mail call) said he was copying the guy before him.

If he did that’s OK. You see we as Christians are called to copy Christ. He’s the guy we follow and imitate. The meaning of Christian means “to be like Christ”. The first thought I had after I wrote that was “be like Mike” from the Nike commercials and that’s not it. Sorry I wondered I do that if you’ve noticed. Any way I’m back, there is a verse in the bible Psalms 51:12 it says “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you”. I asked God to do that in me and he is.

Thanks Dad

2008-06-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today is Fathers day 2 of my children that are still living with us made me breakfast and gave me my gifts and the other 2 called and wished me well. Now that my father isn’t living Fathers day mean a lot more to me. I reflect the joys my children have brought me and the happy times we’ve had together.

My wife was out of town with 1 of our children helping them move into their first apartment, and my 2 left at home had to work. I’ve wanted to visit a church right by our neighborhood, so this seemed like a good Sunday to do it. I went and enjoyed it. The youth pastor gave the message and one of the verses he read struck a cord with me. It was Exodus 15:2 say “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my victory. He is my God, and I will praise him; he is my fathers God and I will exalt him!” The second part of the verse that says he is my fathers God keep ringing in my head.

I was raised in church and have gone all my life except for high school and a short time after. I started going because my parents went and so did I. Then I went because my parents made me. About the time of high school, I told my parents I wasn’t going anymore. We quarreled for a while, eventually my parents relented and I quit going. I don’t know if I wore them down, or they said to themselves “he’s old enough to decide for himself on whether he’s going to follow God or not. I was on my own with that decision.

After living life for myself for a spell, I realized my parents weren’t a stupid as I thought they were. I remembered the lesson I had learned in Sunday school. I told God if you will have me I want to ask you back into my heart. And 29 years later I know now more than ever I made the best decision of my life.

You see my father had showed me who God is not by harping on me, but by living his life as he felt God wanted him to. I started out knowing God as my fathers God, and he has become my God and I do praise him.

Thanks Dad

Truth is Inconvertible

2008-05-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

I went for a bike ride yesterday. Lately when I ride, my bike helmet has been irritating my forehead and rubbing it raw. I looked inside my helmet and noticed that 2 of the pads in front had fallen off and the Velcro that held them on was coming in direct contact with my skin. I guess I found the problem. I put some new pads in and went on my ride.

I still had some soreness up there so after I got out of the shower I looked in the mirror to see if forehead was OK. It was but while I was looking I got the haunting impression that my forehead looked bigger. Confession time here. I’ve always thanked God that I’ve kept my hair and hadn’t lost it. Well it’s starting not bad but my hairline is rising, I won’t be parting my hair from the back of my neck anytime soon though.

I worry what I will look like without hair. I’m not ugly, but I need all the help I can get. Fortunately I was reminded that God looks at the inside of us our hearts and not the outside. That started me thinking about things. I have some friends that are exploring God right now. They aren’t sure if God is for them. They’re still checking God out that’s OK. I ride with 2 other guys we call ourselves the 3 amigos. I really enjoy these guys, and have grown to appreciate and look forward to riding with and seeing them. One of the guys told me that his son was questioning is God real and am I wasting my time worshiping God? His son is intellectual and wanted concrete answers. He couldn’t give them to him so he had one of the youth pastors meet with him. He couldn’t answer all his questions either, most but not all of them. So he put him in touch with another pastor and they got his questions answered.

I realized after thinking about that question that my relationship with God is a heart thing. I don’t have all the intellectual answers either. But I do know that I tried to run my life without God in it and it was a disaster. Winston Churchill once said something to the effect “people can argue with you, but ” (I had to look up that word to make sure I spelled it right). At church we sang a song that had this line in it “Lord I’m amazed by you, how you love me”. But God still does love me and in spite of myself will continue to love me and you as well.
I went for a bike ride yesterday. Lately when I ride, my bike helmet has been irritating my forehead and rubbing it raw. I looked inside my helmet and noticed that 2 of the pads in front had fallen off and the Velcro that held them on was coming in direct contact with my skin. I guess I found the problem. I put some new pads in and went on my ride.

I still had some soreness up there so after I got out of the shower I looked in the mirror to see if forehead was OK. It was but while I was looking I got the haunting impression that my forehead looked bigger. Confession time here. I’ve always thanked God that I’ve kept my hair and hadn’t lost it. Well it’s starting not bad but my hairline is rising, I won’t be parting my hair from the back of my neck anytime soon though.

I worry what I will look like without hair. I’m not ugly, but I need all the help I can get. Fortunately I was reminded that God looks at the inside of us our hearts and not the outside. That started me thinking about things. I have some friends that are exploring God right now. They aren’t sure if God is for them. They’re still checking God out that’s OK. I ride with 2 other guys we call ourselves the 3 amigos. I really enjoy these guys, and have grown to appreciate and look forward to riding with and seeing them. One of the guys told me that his son was questioning is God real and am I wasting my time worshiping God? His son is intellectual and wanted concrete answers. He couldn’t give them to him so he had one of the youth pastors meet with him. He couldn’t answer all his questions either, most but not all of them. So he put him in touch with another pastor and they got his questions answered.

I realized after thinking about that question that my relationship with God is a heart thing. I don’t have all the intellectual answers either. But I do know that I tried to run my life without God in it and it was a disaster. Winston Churchill once said something to the effect “people can argue with you, but truth is inconvertible” (I had to look up that word to make sure I spelled it right). At church we sang a song that had this line in it “Lord I’m amazed by you, how you love me”. But God still does love me and in spite of myself will continue to love me and you as well.

The Demolisher

2008-04-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

I was with my new found friend this weekend, yes you guessed it Mr. roto- hammer. I decided that while our house is torn up and the new floors hadn’t been completely laid down to take the tile off the counters so we could redo them. I’m glad I did it made a Texas size mess.

As Mr. roto – hammer and I were spending time together I was remising on a conversation my bride and I had a week or two earlier. We were discussing some of the other projects that we (she) wanted to do in our house. After she had shared her vision, I shared an epiphany I had a week earlier. I told her that I’ve realized that doing the finish work and making things look good when I’m done is not by any stretch of the imagination my forte. If she wanted us to do these projects she would have to be actively and I mean actively involved. I would help any way I could but she would be involved.

I have a couple of friends who are wizards at home repairs and things like that. I can see what I want to do in my head, I just can’t get my hands to do it. I can cut a board in half and the cut edges wouldn’t match. I’m not kidding. My one friend Mike has done all this work to his house and it looks great. My other friend Rich can and does build anything, in high school he wanted a tent for camping. He couldn’t afford one, and was complaining to his mom. Her response was something along the line “well I guess you had better learn to sew” So he did. He also built a 3 bedroom addition to his 2 bedroom house and it looked great. These guys are good.

I’m a good demolisher; just ask my wife how many of her things I’ve broken. On second thought please don’t remind her. Anyway back to reality. I was reminded of the ways God has been an impact in my life, how he has repaired the things in my life that I’ve demolished and he has repaired many. Relationship with my wife, friendships as well as many other things. God has bailed me out so many times I can’t count them.

He will for you also, Put the monkey on Gods back and ask for his help. Jeremiah 29:11-13 tells us11 for I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I wrote to a friend of mine tonight and relayed the above verse to him . My comment after that was I thing God not only hears our prayers, he is actively listening for our prayers. Just waiting for us to call on him and ask him

Call on God, I did and don’t regret it.

Made My Life

2008-04-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

I received an e mail from my second child this morning. It was a note thanking me for an e mail of encouragement that I had sent them yesterday. It made my not just the day, but it made my LIFE. I have no problem confessing that I had tears in my eyes as I read it. At times and it’s probably just me, but I wonder if what I’m saying is being heard? Has that happened to you? I’ve felt at times that I’m talking to the wall, not with just this child but with all my children. Then out of the blue, one of my children will repeat something back to my wife or I that we had talked to them about, and it’s almost exactly what we said to them. I guess they process it and it passes whatever criteria they use and it made sense so they accept it. Those are the times that you look at that child and you say to yourself “This child has it they are going to be alright; they are going to be great human beings

As I’m writing this I’m sure that God is looking down and saying to himself right back at you Rob. You do the same thing to me. Now this is God talking to himself about me. I talk and talk to you but you don’t listen. Then you go and so the right thing, just like I’ve been talking to you about. As much as I love my children God loves me and you even more. When I was younger I used to think that God was up in heaven and he was just waiting for me to mess up so he could hammer me. As my relationship with Christ has matured and I spend more time reading my bible and time in prayer. I’ve come to understand better, but not wholly complete the love that God for me.

God only wants the best for us, like we want for our children. We don’t have to do great or huge things to please God. He just wants a relationship with us. In Revelation 3:20 we are told 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Will you open the door? If you do God will make your life.

The Easier Way

2008-04-22T00:14:00.000-07:00

I have been on my knees for the entire weekend. My wife and I are getting hardwood floors installed in our house next week. It’s been a dream of ours for a long time. However before the floors could be installed we being I had to tear the tile that was in about 75% of our house up. For those of you that think that’s no problem let me enlighten you. You don’t just take a pry bar and take the tile up. You have to use a roto hammer. Which inside the house it sounds louder than a jack hammer my wife says. You then have the distinct and hopefully for you once in a lifetime please of take the cement boards up as well. Nails won’t penetrate the cement board. So up it comes.

I started to use my new found friend that roto hammer again to do that. It took me about 2 hours to do about a six foot square area. Being the fine physical specimen that I am yea right I was exhausted. I called my friend Chris who is a tile installer in desperation. He laughed at me and said you have to hit the cement board with a hammer a few times to get it to break free of the mortar that was used to install the cement board along with the 1000 nails per sheet. Otherwise you’ll kill yourself trying to get the board loose. I can attest that is true. I followed the instructions and finally got the job done. It was a lot easier. Thanks Chris.

While I was doing this project I had lots of time to think. I was reminded that we have a book that will help us get through life a lot easier. Not only does it have great stories like David and Goliath, or about Sampson never cutting his hair and fighting and killing a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey. It give us practical advice and ways to learn about life (the book of Proverbs) But it also lays out the plan of eternal life through salvation. Christ died on the cross for our sins. He paid the penalty so we wouldn’t have to. The book I’m talking about is the bible. Try reading it you might like it. I did and still do.

Be Like Mike

2008-04-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

My wife and I came to Portland this week. She had her 6 week appointment with the surgeon from her cancer surgery. She was healed of cancer, but they still wanted to insure that she was healing correctly from the surgery. We stayed over to spend time with family. I also wanted to spend time with my friend Mike. He lives in Portland and even though we talk 4 or 5 times a week on the phone, it’s not the same as being with him and just spending time together.

While we were together Mike asked me what I wanted to do. I responded and said I didn’t care I just wanted to spend time with him today. So we got coffee and went to the landscape store and got lights and Mike showed me his new shed had built. I wish I could build things and be as handy as Mike and my other friend Rich are. They are amazing.

Mike asked me again and my response was the same, he said something to me that is very true. He said “You don’t have to be doing something or say anything to enjoy being with your friend. Sometime just being with them is enough, no action or words need to said or done”. Since I had over slept this morning and I hadn’t had my quiet time this morning. And Mike had run into his pastor having his quite time this morning at the coffee shop. We decided that we needed to spend time reading our bible and having our quiet time together. So we did.

As I was reading I read in 1 Corinthians 15: 33-34 it says that bad company corrupts good character. Do not be misled come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning. It reminded me of the person I was before I recommitted my life to God and the change for the better. God has given me good friends like Mike, at times I take them for granted and I need times like this to appreciate them. People like Mike have helped make me a better man, husband, father, and friend to others. If you ask God he will do the same for you, you are worth it. Ask God

Thanks Mike

Perceptions

2008-03-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

I had the same thing happen to me twice in the same day this week. Both times I was focused on something and out of the corner of my eye I saw movement. What happened was I was sitting still in my car and the car beside me moved in a way to make me feel as is I was moving. The first time was at a stop light, the car beside me rolled back back a bit and I instantly perceived I was rolling out into the busy intersection. Even though I had my foot on the brake I pushed harder until my leg hurt from the pressure that I was applying The second time I had just backed into a parking stall and was sending an e mail from my blackberry. The car beside me back out of the parking stalls next to me. My first reaction was rather than putting my car in park, I had put in reverse and was going to hit the car behind me. To make mattes worse the driver was in the car behind me. I had seen them when I backed into the stall. I wouldn’t be able to leave a note apologizing with my phone number, I would have to face the music and apologize in person, and swap insurance information face to face. All because I hadn’t paid attention and put my car in park and had instead put it in reverse, how careless of me.

Of course none of that happened, I was doing it right, I did have my foot on the brake all the way, and I had put the car in park as you are supposed to do. I was reading my bible this week, and Paul was talking in 1 Corinthians 9 about becoming all things to all people, not to deceive or trick them into believing the gospel, rather to have relationship with them. There is a saying that was told to me when I first started in sales it was “People don’t care what you know, until they know you care”. Usually when someone is doing something for you, it’s so they can gain something out of the interaction. Paul was contrary to that he was doing everything to take himself and his ego out of the relationship. So that people wouldn’t perceive that he was only in it for the money or to gain something.

Christ sent his son down to earth to be crucified for our sins. God sent his son to earth so that we could have relationship with him. He doesn’t ask for us to pay a price for it. Romans 6:23 tells us “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God (his son) is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

What is your perception of Gods gift?

We are not Failures !!!!

2008-03-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

It’s Easter Day the day Christians celebrate Jesus raising from the dead after being crucified on the cross. I’m sitting in church listening to a young man named Nick Vijicic. He was born without any legs or arms, and he has a smile on his face from ear to ear. His website if you want more information is www.lifewithoutlimbs.org.

I’m reading a book; the truth is I haven’t read any of it for about 2 months. I was telling a friend I was reading it and he said get ready for a crisis of faith. He went on to say that it would stop and make me rethink what I believed. So I did what a lot of us do, at least I hope I’m not the only person that does this. I stopped reading the book and avoided it completely. I wasn’t ready to have my beliefs rethought.

One of the things I do know about myself is when I find a new passion that’s all I want to do. As a result I limit what I put my interest in, to limit myself and my time. I don’t feel that what I’m doing I’m doing well enough to start something new. Am I making sense?

My wife was telling some friends of ours this week that when we first met, I used to say to her when we were skiing “if you’re not falling, you’re not skiing hard enough. I was praying with some people this morning and Greg in his prayers ask God to help us not be failures and he asked for God to help pick us up to keep trying. We are not failures, we pick ourselves back up and keep trying. We don’t just lay there and say woe is me, I’m a failure, I’m going to stay on the ground and give up.

That’s what I saw in Nick this morning I can only imagine he has asked God many times to help him to get back up and keep fighting and trying. I’m going to start reading that book this week, what will you do that you’ve been avoiding. If you are having troubles ask God he will help you.

Ask.

The Litmus Test

2008-03-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

I’ve been out of town for a few days and I can’t wait to get home. I used to really enjoy business trips. I didn’t enjoy this one. My bride had surgery a few weeks ago and I worry that she’s taken care of. That she will do too much, and I want to be there to help take care of and her. I’m on an airplane that gets into Bend 1 minute before midnight. It’s about 98% full. I imagine like myself that the rest of the people want to get to Bend as much as I do. Otherwise they would wait for the next day and travel at a decent hour. I will most likely get to be after 1:00 am, but my wife is worth the effort. Before you start thinking to much of you let me remind you I’m still a guy and I think, say and do stupid things everyday. And afterwards wish that I had stopped and thought and that I had done better.

As I was sitting on the plane I was reminded of a song that we sing in church sometimes. It refers to the book of Psalms which mostly of was written by King David of the David and Goliath fame. He wrote “as a deer is panting for the water so my soul is panting for you “meaning God.

Just as I was longing to get home and see my bride, God does the same thing for us. He is just waiting for us to come and spend time with him. To pray and talk to him, read the bible and wait for the Holy Spirit to jump a verse or passage off the page to get our attention to hear what God has to say to us. You might ask how I know that what I’m hearing or feeling is God. I’ve wrestled with the same question. A man name Bob Wolf was teaching a class that I was in one time and he said something very profound and Holy Spirit inspired. He said: when God speaks to you it is to build you up and to be a better person, when the devil talks to you he talks to destroy you. I’ve used that as a reference when I wonder if I heard the voice of God or not. Let me give you an example. I’ve been convicted lately that I need to spend more time in prayer than I have been. So I refer back to what Bob said and check what I’m feeling. After the test I have come to the conclusion that God is calling me to pray more because he wants to spend time with me, and teach me things and learn from him. When you learn from someone it’s usually from the quantity of time spent with them, not quality time. Anyway back to the test if it had not been God speaking the talk would have gone something like this “you haven’t spent time praying today, you’ll never make it as a Christian quit trying you won’t live up” If I listened to that type of talk I would never do anything. I would say to myself why try. Use this litmus test next time you have a thought and wonder is God really speaking to me? Remember the deer panting for the water. God is waiting for us

No Matter What

2008-03-05T22:22:00.000-08:00

It’s been a wild couple of weeks since I’ve written. I got a job and my bride was diagnosed with cancer. You read that right the big C word. She came home to tell me and everything else that I thought was important seemed to melt away and not matter. I wrote once and said my bride was my taste of heaven here on earth. I was faced with that she may not be here for much longer. So many thoughts go through your head in so short a time. And the whole gamut of emotions follows those thoughts. So we prepared, and she had the surgery. From the time we found out to surgery was 7 days. When the doctor came to see me after the surgery, she said we couldn’t find any visible cancer.

A few days before the surgery my bride and I went to our church and the staff prayed for her. While they we praying and after they were done, a couple of people said to us “I believe that the doctors will find after the surgery she has been healed. I realized that I had been preparing myself in case she was terminal and died. And that I really wasn’t expecting God to heal her. I have felt that I have an extreme amount of faith, and that God has answered many of our prayers.It wasn’t true in this case. I doubted God, I was leaning on my own understanding and forgetting that God can do all things and he does. I’ve been raised that God is our healer, in fact I’ve had God heal me many times. I quickly altered my thought process and started to ask God to heal my bride as well and he did. Thank you God.

I don’t deserve 1 thing that God has done for me in spite of myself and my actions God has shown me grace and mercy. No matter what you or I have done God loves us and is just waiting for us to ask for his help. I can speak from personal experience that he will help. No matter what you’ve done.

Ask God

You Never Know Do You ?

2008-02-23T21:16:00.000-08:00

I’ve been away for awhile so to the steady readers (if there are any besides myself) I’m sorry to be away. Things have been busy, I was offered and accepted a job. I hope to start next week.

When I woke up this morning it had snowed in Bend and it was time to go out and shovel the drive. I debated on whether to go or not , hoping the sun would melt the snow. But after a short deliberation I decided to go our and shovel. Our drive while it’s not real steep, if you don’t shovel and the snow gets packed down and we’ve had cars slide back down the drive into the street. To be truthful that is the only reason I shoveled. To say I wasn’t to gun ho would be an understatement. Then I looked across the street to my neighbors drive and there was no snow. Being the mature and grown up man that I am, I started to grumble to myself. Thinking things like that Mike sure is lucky to have his drive face the sun so he doesn’t have to shovel. And when I buy my next house I’m going to make sure the drive faces the sun so my drive can be free of snow because the sun melted it all away. And I wonder where my children learned the grumble that starts when I ask them to do something?

The next thing that pops into my head is the verse that my cousin Moe sent to me this week part of the verse says “My grace is sufficient to you”. I was quickly humbled recalling the things that God has done for me and I’m complaining about shoveling about grossly exaggerated 1 1/2 inches of snow. I don’t carry near the burden my friend and neighbor Mike carries. He’s a pastor of a church and he has the lives of all the families to be responsible for. He preaches God’s word every week and makes sure that what he says from the pulpit is correct and he mentors others and takes care of his family as well. Way to go Mike.

Well to makes matters worse the sun came out and melted all the snow. The day turned out to be beautiful and the sun shone brightly. I just helped the sun out. I live in a great place get to enjoy the beauty that God created every day. I have a wife and children who love me, and great friends, and now I have a job as well. Thank you God for all you’ve provided me.

Congratulations

2008-02-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

I looked out the window this morning, I saw snow still. I wasn’t expecting to not see snow, I’m not sure what I expected to see. Here in Bend we’ve had snow for at least 2 weeks maybe longer. My family and I have lived here for about 5 years, and this may be the longest we’ve had snow on the ground. My wife and I were commenting last week how much we enjoyed snow and the beauty of a fresh fallen snow.

The thing I noticed this morning when I looked out the window was how the once fresh and pristine snow had gotten dirty. It had gravel, grass, and dirt all mixed in it. It wasn’t pleasant to the eye any more. All the things that were in the snow had been there all the time, they were just covered up by the new fallen snow. When the warm sun came out and started to melt the snow all the dirt and stuff was exposed.

Sin in our lives is like that, we keep covering it up so it can’t be seen, thinking that it will never be exposed. But it can’t stay covered up forever it will be uncovered and found out. Usually when that happens it’s worse than if it had been brought to light as soon as it happened. Sin like the old snow that’s out my window isn’t pretty or nice. But no matter how hard we work to cover it up, it’s still there waiting to be uncovered.

God gave us a rescue plan for our sins when he sent Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he sent his only son, that who so ever believed in him would be saved. Right here you have a choice to keep reading or to stop. If you want help with your life keep reading.

Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins we can just ask God to forgive our sins and he will **. You can say this short prayer and God will forgive you of your sins. I prayed this prayer and it was one of the greatest days of my life. Here’s the prayer that you can pray. “God I know I’m a sinner, Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins. Please forgive me of my sins, and come into my heart”. I’m available if you have questions just comment and include your e mail and I will reply.

Congratulations on your great decision.

** Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,
** Romans 6:23 for the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our lord.

Those Kids

2008-02-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

I took 2 of my children to school this morning, and after I got back home I went into the kitchen to fix something to eat. I looked around and I could tell you every place they had been and at most of the spots what they had prepared there. The clincher was I pulled the breadboard out and crumb city with various foods stuck to it YUCK!!!!!!. My first thought was where did I fail? I know they’ve been trained, somewhere between knowledge and application there was a cut out and the information got flushed. I was reminded of my mother saying something to the same effect to me. I had to laugh at my self righteous thoughts. I have 1 child we call peapod, because they are so much like me. They are my mother and fathers revenge. I’ll take that revenge anytime, I have some of the greatest kids.

I was reading yesterday about the Israelites after they left Egypt and God called then a stiff necked people. He was so mad at them that he said to Moses “I’m sending my angel to go with you, so I don’t get angry and kill Israel. Wow that’s mad. I remember seeing Dan Merino of the Miami Dolphins on the sideline one time tell his wide received get away from me, I don’t want to see you. He was so upset and disappointed in the receiver’s performance. When I read about God being mad at Israel and saying what he said, I thought how could Israel be so dumb to act like that after all the things God had done for them. God quickly and bluntly said to me “you’re like Israel to, don’t be so high and mighty dude” (my translation). I quickly asked God for forgiveness and saw how much I’m like Israel, and my children are like me. The good and the bad.

God gives me grace all the time, so the least I can do is extend the same grace to my children. Who I love so much it hurts, and it’s time to live the love that God has given us. I thank God everyday for his grace to me.

P.S. Wednesday Feb 5,2008 My wife said to me last night : I can see every place you've been in our house, oickup after yourself" I wonder where those kids get it from most likley their mom. (I love you dear)

Well Done

2008-02-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning out of sorts. I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I had woken up several times in the middle of the night worrying about things. What if I don’t get a job, or if I do it doesn’t meet the needs of my family finances. You can see where I’m going, have you been there before? Or maybe you’re there right now. I saw a sign one time that said “worry is interest paid on a debt that may never come due”. I tried reciting the verse that says “ look at the lilies of the field and how beautiful they are, if God put so much care and work to make them so beautiful , how much more does he care for you. I wasn’t having any of it.

My friend Mike across the street from me is a pastor of a local church. I was reading his blog this week and he wrote about a guy named Joe who died and how he will miss Joe and, he went on to write how Joe went about Joe worked without anyone asking or any recognition. How many of us can say that. I drove by the church Mike pastors and the reader board said “goodbye Joe, we’ll see you soon” meaning they will see him in heaven.

I went home and yes you guessed it started to shovel snow in my driveway again. When I grow up I’m getting a snow blower. I put the music on and the song I’ll fly away came on, I sang to the song in my head only and started to think what I want to be said about me when I go. I thought many things “like loved his wife and family, served God well, and always gave to others and such things. I then remembered what Mike wrote about Joe. While that was nice and Joe was quite a person for Mike to write so much about him. That’s not it.

I then remembered what the author Luke wrote about a man named Steven in the book of Acts Chapter 7 in the bible. Stephen is called on the carpet by the so called religious people of the day. He stands them on his their ear and tells them off so to speak. Not because he wanted to belittle them, he spoke to correct and point out the truth. Well they didn’t listen they stoned him, yea that’s right they threw rocks at him until he died. It says in verse 56 Stephen looks up and heaven opens up and he sees God and Jesus waiting for him. I wonder if Joe saw that, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. To wrap it up it says in the last verse of chapter 7 that a man named Saul was there giving his approval of the death. Nice guy huh?

Later as Saul is riding on a road God knocks him off his mule and blinds Saul and they have a little conversation. The long and short of it that Saul repents and God changes Saul’s name to Paul and he went on to do many things for the kingdom of God and wrote many of the books in the New Testament. The point is that he wasn’t as nice person and God forgave his sins. No matter if you’ve done a lot bad of things as Saul or worse, God forgives. He forgave Saul and he’ll forgive you to ask him.

What I want said about me is for God to say when I stand before him, and I will to say “well done my good and faithful servant”. Join me in heaven and we’ll see

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2008-01-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

It’s been snowing in Bend for those of you reading this that don’t live in Bend. I shoveled my drive this morning. I usually take my MP3 player and listen to the music or the radio. (Thanks to my bride for a great gift). As I started to suit up, I felt the Lord say to me leave the music inside and let’s listen to each other. So I did, I went out and shoveled and listened to my breathing from the exertion. As I shoveled and stopped for a breather, and looked around I thought to myself “why am I out her doing this I’m going to be out here again later in the day shoveling, shoveling and huffing and puffing all day. This drive is going to be my own little golden gate bridge. There is a crew of people that do nothing but paint the golden gate bridge ever day. That’s their job. When they get done painting it’s time to start all over again. I’ve wondered if they start at one end and paint towards the other. Or if ever other year they start in the middle and paint towards the ends, just to break up the monotony. I started to whine to myself, and that’s when it happened. POW right between the eyes, I'm hard headed sometimes that's the only way to get my attention.

God said to me your looking a this driveway the same way you’re looking at your life. You are looking at the situation with your self centered eyes, not your big picture eyes. This snow that your shoveling is not only falling where you are, it’s also falling in the hills and forest storing up water which you will need for later. This summer when the lakes are full and there is plenty of water we’ll be glad it snowed so much this winter.

In the same vein of thought the struggle I go through looking and staying motivated and positive looking for a job will carry me through when I struggle and have challenges in my job. I will be stronger and have more experience to draw on to meet the challenges. If I learn my lesson well, I will be a better person for the struggle.

See God does know what he’s doing, he’s refining me and making me stronger. He can for you as well.

No Matter What You Can To

2008-01-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

Things have been busy in our house. With the change in job status I’m always looking and checking with myself “what haven’t I done or what can I do better”. I’ve been e mailing and talking to people I know getting the word out so if they hear of things they think of me. Writing my resume, most of my jobs I’ve gotten have been because they called me, not the other way around. A friend of mine called me yesterday and asked how I was doing? I told him well I have great friends like you calling, and I’m still getting results form my e mails and phone calls. It’s only been 3 business days, and a couple of the things that have come up really intrigue me and I see myself doing them. I’ll stay the course and keep working and looking for an opportunity.

I believe I’ve mentioned in previous post that I meet with some men every Monday morning. We read passages in the bible, journal about what it meant to each of us. We then share those thoughts with each other. One of the guys Steve was struck by Peter and the change in him in Acts. Previous to Acts he was impetuous, quick to react (usually the wrong way). *He even cut a dudes ear off, which Jesus had to put back on. Jesus said to him “Peter I will build my church on you”. In effect and as history showed later it cam e true. In Rome I believe there’s a church named St. Peters Basilica. But when crunch time came for Peter to step up he denied know Jesus **3 times, even swearing that he didn’t know Jesus. After that event he was lower than whale poop, I’ve felt that have you?. But them he’s filled with the Holy Spirit, and all heaven breaks loose.

During my quiet time this morning I was reading my bible in Acts Chapter 5. about Peter again, and people are bringing sick people in the street waiting for Peter’s shadow to land on them as he walks by so they can be healed. WOW this was a very short time after Peter’s what could be called his lowest point in his life denying Jesus. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and he had the power and courage to get back up and make a huge impact on the world. I’m encouraged by reading this and I have hope.

You can have the same hope and Peter and I do.

* John 18:10, Luke 22:49-51
** Luke 22: 45- 62

The Craziest Thing Happened

2008-01-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

The craziest thing happened to me yesterday at the end of my work day. Do you see it coming I didn’t, I got laid off from my job. My first reaction was you’ve got the wrong guy in this office. When I was a wee little one there was a carton I can’t remember the name. But this kid time traveled, and every time he got in trouble he called out “Mr. Wizard, Mr. Wizard rescue me and Mr. Wizard would. I was tempted to look around and call out Mr. Wizard rescue me. He didn’t and I still got laid off.

All week the scripture been resounding in my head its Jeremiah 29:11-13. Are you ready it says 11 “ For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and I will listen to your prayers. 13 You will seek me and, find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I can say I have been seeking God with all my heart and I will continue to do so. This will be a journey I’m sure I’ll write more about. So more to follow

Those Darn Scales

2008-01-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

I made a New Years resolution that I would lose weight. So I got on the scales yesterday and I’ve gained not lost weight. Can you imagine such a thing? It has nothing to do with the ice cream or other late night grazes that I have been known to do. I meet with a group of men on Monday mornings and this week we were talking about the discipline of exercise and how to be fit you must have a constant and disciplined schedule to stay fit. No matter how long you work out it only takes about a week for the process of going backward in your fitness to start to go soft, and boy am I soft. And it seems like the longer we stay away from fitness the harder the journey is to get started again.

Yes I know that I have to decrease intake and increase motion, I know all the cute saying and catch phases that are supposed to motivate and inspire you, it’s still hard. Our conversation on Monday turned to how we need to do the same thing in our spiritual walk with God. We need to read his word (bible) daily and spend time in prayer. The more you do do this the easier it is to continue to do it. But if you slack for a couple of days, man just like exercise it’s harder to get started again. You start and it’s work, but the more you do it gets easier to keep it up. Psalms chapter 119 verse 11 tells us “I have hidden your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you”

So in conclusion I will continue to hide the word of God in my heart, and I will lose weight.

John 3:16

2008-01-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

I came in the house on Sunday after church, and my wife who was home sick told me 1 of our children had called and were going to be a grandparents YAHOO. The kids didn’t want anyone to know until they had been to a doctor and had it confirmed. I talked to them last night and it’s been confirmed. We’re still praying that everything goes well and the baby is safe and well and so is Mom. For the last couple of days I’ve held my excitement in check until they knew for sure. Now that we know WOW, I have a thousand thoughts going through my head, dreaming of seeing the baby for the first time. Skiing with them, playing football, everything that can be done will be done. I think about passing on the legacy of our families and the importance of having a relationship with God. I hope I can do as good a job for my grandchildren as my grandparents did for me. Even though I didn’t meet my grandparents until I was in third grade (my dad was in the service and we were overseas and on the opposite end of the nation) my grandparents did a great job of passing on the example of following God.

When Mary Jesus’s mother found out she was pregnant she want to see her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant also. When Mary walked in the door and Elizabeth heard that Mary was pregnant. Elizabeth’s baby jumped in her womb. You can read about it in Luke chapter 1 verse 39 – 45. The baby in Elizabeth’s womb was John the Baptist. His mission in life went on to be, to prepare the way for Jesus who would come later.

I don’t have a baby in my belly, even though it looks like it. I am stoked and I have a different purpose in my life. I need to do try and Love all my grandchildren with the Love that Christ showed for us. He sent his only begotten son that who ever believes in him shall not perish, but will have everlasting life John 3:16.

Are You the 1?

2008-01-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

As a child I thought family reunions are something that every family did. Somewhere between adolescence and being an adult I lost that train of thought. So the result is that I didn’t go for a long time, 31 years for my Moms side of my family. To cut to the chase I finally went to my mother’s side family reunion 3 years ago. Man I can’t begin to tell you how much fun I had. I saw cousins and aunts that I hadn’t seen for 35 - 40 years. Some of them weren’t at the last few reunions I did go to, for those of you that are doing the math. I saw my uncles and some of my aunts and my bride said to me, I see where you get your body shape. The other thing I noticed was that we’ve all gotten older and fatter present company included.

The coolest thing though was I saw my family legacy of serving God that had been passed down to me by not only my parents, but my aunts, uncles, and grandparents as well. I sat with my cousin Moe and talked to her for over an hour. Now when I was younger and very full of myself I didn’t particularly like her. I thought she was mean, but as I look back she just wasn’t going to put up with the likes of me. Yes it’s hard to believe, but I haven’t always been the humble, kind, generous man that I am today. Are you ready to vomit yet, truthfully I was a handful and as my friend Pastor Mike Johnson says, my orbit was pretty small. I thought life revolved around me. As I look back she showed me a lot of grace that I didn’t deserve. Anyway back to Moe, she told me about cousins that had been sick, and they were prayed for and they got well. The same was true for friends of hers. I was able to tell about how great God has been in my life, and just a small portion of the things God has done for our family.

I read in my bible a couple of days ago, when Jesus was talking to a group of the in crowd of his time who were very full of themselves. In Luke chapter 15 verses 1-7. He talks about a man who has 100 sheep and he loses one of them. He asks do you leave the 99 and go look for the one. You bet he does he goes out and finds the one. When he finds the one, he picks it up and takes it back to the other 99 sheep. The he goes even farther he calls his friends and neighbors and says to them come and party with me I’ve found my 1 lost sheep. Then Jesus goes on and says “there is more partying in heaven over 1 sinner who repents than over the 99 that didn’t need to repent.

You know God is always looking for the 1 person that is lost and needs help. When he finds them all the 1 lost person needs to do is ask God to forgive them of their sins, and come into their heart and accept the free gift of salvation. Come on you can do it all you do is ask.

Are you the 1?

The Only Thing Stopping You is You

2008-01-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

I was on my way to work yesterday and stopped for a power breakfast. Okay I confess it was McDonalds, and I had a sausage biscuit & 2 hash browns. I paid for my power meal and was given an extra dollar back in my change. I’m getting old I counted it 3 times to make sure it was her that made the mistake and not me. I concluded that she had, then quicker than a blink of an eye I thought “keep it no one will ever know”. I very quickly turned around and returned the extra dollar. As I was waiting for my meal I thought to myself “Do I have an amount that I would keep and not return?” Take a minute and ask yourself that question. I once found $2000.00 and returned it. No I ‘m not a saint, I just thought at the time that if I lost that amount I would prayerfully hope that the person that found my money would return it.

There was a guy in the bible named Zacchaeus ( Luke 19)he was little guy, so short he had to climb a tree to see over everyone. Jesus is walking down the road and stops, looks up and says :Zacchaeus come down and we’ll go to your house and eat” and they did. The proper people of the day muttered to themselves and out loud. What is Jesus doing he’s eating with a criminal. Zacchaeus hearing what was being said I give ½ of my possessions to the poor, and if I’ve cheated anyone I will pay them back 4 times the amount. And you can be sure that Zacchaeus had cheated people, he was a tax collector, and tax collectors during this time pretty much had a free hand to collect what they wanted and you couldn’t do anything about it.

If I had kept the dollar only God and I would have known. It could be said of I’ve lived life as a good person I wouldn’t be called a criminal by people that know me. But I have sinned, not to the degree maybe that Zacchaeus did. But I’m eligible for the same gift that Zacchaeus got and it’s called Salvation. The bible tells us in Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You might say to yurself I’m a good person I don’t need God. John 1:12 tells us that yet all who received him to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God. Its simple ask God to come into your life , forgive you of your sins and he will. Some of you reading this are saying to yourself “the dude is crazy” you’re right I am crazy for God. The day I asked God to forgive my sins and come into my life is the single greatest day in my life. It can be for you as well. The only thing stopping you is you.

ASK GOD

New Years Resolutions

2008-01-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

I haven’t written lately, it seems that every time I even think about sitting down to write 20 things come to mind of things I need to do before I sit to write. I’ve also let other pressures affect my writing time. You know we get caught up in things we think a paramount and if we don’t do them we’ll have failed we think. And then we look back and see that it wouldn’t really have mattered. One of my dreaded New Years Resolutions I made this year was to slow down a bit and enjoy life. Guess what it’s January 10, 2008 and I haven’t put the old habits aside to learn new ones to make that happen. I guess that’s one of the things resolutions do, you write them down so you can review them later and keep yourself on track.

Pastor Ken Johnson ask us last year in one of his sermons “are you taking time to listen to God” He went on to say that God is talking to us always, we’re just to busy or stubborn to listen. The stubborn part was my input based on personal experience. My friend Rob Imhoff and I were talking yesterday about things, and he asked me how is your quiet time with God. I thought for a second to make sure my answer was true, and I was able to say I have been setting aside that time and it’s has been good. As I played that conversation back in my head last night I realized that my success with resolutions won’t always be 100 percent successful, the important things I will strive to improve. I say that to encourage those of us that make resolution and struggle to keep them, or even 1 or 2 of them.

New Years Day “ A Taste of Heaven on Earth”

2008-01-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

Today is New Years Day and this day can be a good or bad day. You can look back and see the failures and how the next year will be the same. Or you can look back and see the great things that happened last year, and you have a new slate to start again and while you may not unqualified success you will succeed in what you set out to do. This last year has been a great year for me, it hasn’t been without challenges and bumps in the road though. I turned 50 this last year and my bride and 4 children had over 60 of my friends and family there for the surprise party for me.

Every day my bride lets me know she loves me, you don’t need much else. I’m reading the book titled “When Heaven Invades Earth” by Bill Johnson; in his acknowledgement page at the start of the book he thanks different people for the help and encouragement they’ve given him. The last person is his wife; his comment is ‘you are my taste of heaven on earth, Thanks”. Bill Johnson I hope you won’t mind that I plaugerize your very elegent and respectful way of honoring your wife. And say the same to my bride,

To my wife “Thank You, You Are My Taste of Heaven on Earth” and I thank God everyday for your love for me.

Thank You for Your Service To Our Country

2007-12-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

My wife’s nephew is in Bahrain, we talked to him on Christmas day. It was a little unsettling talking to a person halfway around the world and knowing they are fighting a war. His spirits were good and because of Christmas they didn’t have to do training and were able to relax as much as you can halfway around the world in a place of war. We had sent a package to him for Christmas with edible things that won’t melt in the heat and some books and such.

I remember 40 years ago my dad was in the Navy and the church we went to had a place for the service men to relax and chill on Sundays between the morning and evening services. Our church also put boxes together for the men in Vietnam for Christmas. We had dos and don’ts like no scented bath products that the enemy could smell, I know there were other things but I can’t remember them. As I was talking to our nephew I was reminded of that time. Because of my Dad and his being in the Navy, I don’t remember the negatives of that time, I do remember how proud I was of my country and the men or should I say boys that were fighting in that war.

There was a man who fought in the Civil War and his name was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin. His company is credited with having a big part in saving the victory in the Battle of Gettysburg. The cost to his company was a very high mortality and injury rate. I believe it was over 75%. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his leadership and wounds received during that battle. He was chosen as well to receive the surrender of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. He went on to become the President of Bowdin College in Maine, and Governor of the State of Maine. He once said”Combat is a test of character, it makes bad men worse and good men better” That can be said for our country as well.

Whether we agreed with the Vietnam war and it being good or not, we as a country could have handled how we treated the men who fought better. Let’s not make the same mistake with this group of warriors. At the end of the time talking to out nephew I thanked him as I always do for serving our country and protecting it. We don’t all agree about out troops being over there, but don’t take it out on the soldiers. In Bend we have a man who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor from World War II. Every veterans day a friend of mine send all his friends a reminder with the gentleman’s name and phone number and a not so subtle hint to call and thank him.

I suggest we do the same for all our service men, when you meet, see or talk to them thank them for their service to our country. For some of them the sacrifice is more than we are willing to pay.

Thank you James for your service to our country.

Will You Take A Drink?

2007-12-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about my dad this last weekend. I even started to reach for my phone to call him, I can’t though he died 3 years ago. I’ve written about my dad before, and how much I learned from him without realizing it. I miss him and wish that he could see how my children have grown up and are good members of society and how proud I am of them. It’s funny what you remember the inflections as he talked. I was talking to my brothers Tim last week and I heard my dad in him that’s probably what got me thinking along the vein of my father. Not having Dad around has left a hole in my heart that only he can fill. Even though I know Dad’s in heaven, the loss at times is still painful and I wish I could see him enough of the sad stuff ,let’s get to the goodstuff.

Some years ago my 3rd child was in Sunday school and my friend Juan was the teacher He brought a cake in one day it looked very good, but it had 1 flaw, there was a big hole in the middle of the cake. Of course the kids asked what’s up? His reply was truly inspired. He told the kids that God created all of us and when he created us he left a hole in our hearts that only God could fill. That hole in the middle of the cake is just like the hole that we all have in us.

There was a time in my life that I wanted to make sure what I had been told by my parents and my Sunday school teachers was true. So I set out to confirm in my heart and head what it was all about. The journey of trials and pitfalls was at times fun and enjoyable. I found after a while the price was to great and now matter what I did or tried, I always wanted more, bigger, better. It wasn’t enough, I couldn’t fill the hole.

In the bible in the book of John Jesus is sitting by a well and ask a woman for a drink, her reply is great she basically says to him “if you knew who I was you wouldn’t be asking me for a drink I’m not a good person. Jesus replied and told her what kind of woman she was. You can read his total reply in chapter 4 verses 7-26. It will be worth the read. In that passage Jesus tells her that he can give her a drink of living water so she will never be thirsty again. The living water that she and you and I can drink will fill that hole we all have in us.

I wrote a couple of days ago and made the statement that take one step to God and he’ll take 10,000 steps to you is still true today. Just ask. If you have questions or want to talk more just comment below and we can talk.

Merry Christmas

I'm Always in the Slowest Lane

2007-12-17T16:27:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I went to Costco with my bride. In case you think me weird this isn’t one of my top 10 things to do. Not because of my wife, but because I don’t like the crowds and I don’t need to look at everything in the store. I could tell she was trying very hard to get everything she needed with the least amount of fuss. And yes we did forget some things, because I got her out of her routine. Anyway we were done in much less time than I expected and got in a line to check out. You know what’s coming don’t you, yes the line I was in seemed to come to an abrupt halt, while the lines around me seemed to have overflowing carts that were in the express lane.

Then while we’re standing in line my bride turns to me and says” I forgot something I’ll go get it and be right back. As expected as soon as she’s out of sight the line I’m in goes into overdrive and I’m up there getting my items scanned and getting ready to pay in no time

I get my wallet out to swipe my card, and I can’t find it. My wife and I had gone to a movie and I gave her my wallet to pay for the popcorn. My card wasn’t in my wallet. I look around in a panic to see if my wife was coming with the items and most importantly my card. She’s not, I look at all the people behind me and the line looks like a python snake disappearing back into the forest it’s so long. I whisper in the smallest voice I can to the checker “slow down my wife is out getting a few things and she has my card to pay.

I found the card, my wife had put in a different spot of my wallet, can you imagine? The checker started to pick up the pace, I reminded him that she was coming back with a few more things. Like the great customer service person he was he slowed back down, she came back and we escaped with our lives and a little less money.

We were walking out and I was relaying my near disaster to my wife, and then I said the craziest thing. You know that line moved faster than I thought it would. As I got in the car to head home I was reminded that I ask God to help me with something or situation. And he doesn’t answer as fast or the way I’ve asked him to, in the bible in 2 Peter chapter 3:verses 8-9 it says 8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. I can say from personal experience say that God has never been late. He hasn’t answered me as fast or how I want him to but he has always come through. I have a friend Tom who says all the time “if you take 1 step towards God he’ll take 10,000 steps to you, you just need to ask. God will hear and answer you and your prayers as well, just ask.

Merry Christmas and May God hear and answer your prayers. From personal experience I know God will

Do I Have the Guts ?

2007-12-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

Do I Have the Guts ?

This last couple of months have been a dozy. As I reflect on them I wonder in my lower moments “Is what I’m doing going to make a difference”. The answer is yes it does. All I have to do is look at life around me. I’m a guy that uses sayings and inspirational thoughts to lift up and motivate myself and those around me. I was in a meeting a while ago and Jeff one of my co workers asked me if I stayed up nights and thought up sayings to say. He also has asked me if I have a book that I get these things from. The answer is yes I do. As I hear or read something, and think wow that’s positive I write in in a book that I keep to refer back to and or to read when I need inspiration. (it works try it).

I received from the owners of the company I work for, (as an aside Matt & Kim are over the top as far as owners go Thank you Matt & Kim). Anyway back to reality I received for Christmas a picture with a great inspiration written under it. It has a picture of a tall tall tree growing up between 2 high rock walls reaching for the sunlight at the top, with a shaft of sunlight shining between the 2 walls and illuminating the tree clear to the ground. The inspirational phase below is “Faith Doesn’t Get Us Around Adversity, It Gets Us Through It”

God has been teaching me as of late that faith isn’t something you read in a book, it’s something that takes action, and you act on it and live it. In the bible James 2; 26B tells us “So faith without deeds is dead”. I know that I’m hearing and know what God has me to do, but it’s imperative that I act on my faith. After faith is confirmed in my heart, it takes action for the faith to bear fruit or see the result.

But the questions is how will I act on my faith, doing nothing is an action by itself. Will I do nothing or will I have the GUTS to act and do what I know faith dictates I’m supposed to do?

Do I Have the GUTS ?

What Are Your Eyes Seeing ?

2007-12-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

I was driving to work last week on Saturday. I don’t work every Saturday but I still was in a funk and didn’t want to be at work on a Saturday. Just like when you have a day off in the middle of the week and everyone you knows are working, you seem to enjoy the day off more because while everyone is working you’re not. Are you with me? I was just the opposite while what is normally my day off and most of the people I know have the day off, I was on my way to work.

When I’m in the car going somewhere my station of choice is NPR, Nation Public Radio. Today it wasn’t working for me, I was getting worse and worse. So I did what every American does, I started punching buttons on the radio. I found a station; the song playing was “Black Magic Woman”. I cranked up the volume and enjoyed the song. The next song was Peter Frampton “Do You Feel like We Do”. I turned the music up a little louder. It went like that for 8 or 9 songs. I was late to work; I sat in my car and listened to the set that was playing. When the dreaded commercial came on I got out and went into work. My step had a bounce and I was felling better, you could even say I was happy.

I determined to listen to music more and less NPR. I need music in my life. While at work the owner of our company called and said there were 2 tickets to a concert tonight the she had set aside for a client. Our client had called and said they couldn’t go, so Kim said try and find a client to give them to, if I could find anyone take my bride. Can you guess how much work went into trying to find someone to take the tickets. NONE I had asked my wife if she had wanted to go, and when I went to get tickets the show was sold out. Long story short I took my wife and she and I had a great time.

The bible tells us in Matthew 6:22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!

That’s been me, I’ve been seeing with my eyes the wrong things. Not the greatness of God and his blessings in my life. My wife, children, my great job. friends, and my new bike.(it’s a work of beautiful art). I’m pulling up the blinds in my eyes and letting the light shine in with a new prespective God’s work and blessings in my life.

What are your eyes seeing?

Warming up the flue

2007-12-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

This week I went with my bride to her office Christmas party Yes I said Christmas not holiday party in case you think I made a mistake calling it a Christmas party. The place was a lodge with timber frame trussing and as every good lodge should, it has a great fireplace. As happens with most party’s something was forgotten. So off I go to get the forgotten item. Cups not just any cups, but clear cups to let you see how beautiful the punch (unspiked) is. I come back from a successful hunting trip of getting the clear plastic cups.

While I was away someone had started a fire in the beautiful fireplace. As I came into the lodge all the doors were open as I enquired why it was explained because the place had filled up with smoke from the fire. It didn’t go up the chimney as it supposed to, it went out into the room. And the fire was out. I was looking forward to that fire so you can imagine my disappointment. I went over to the fireplace and checked the flue. You see I’m a great fire builder my secret is as my friend Paul calls it Girl Scout water (White Gas) That only works though for fires outside. I remembered we used to have a woodstove in an old house we lived in. I had to start the fire small and let the chimney warm up so it would start to draw and have the smoke go up the chimney, not out into the house as happened more times than I care to remember. I was too impatient. So I lighted some paper and held it up the flue and warmed it up. We then built the fire and it was you might call a roaring success.

As I looked at the fire through out the night God reminded me that I’m like the fireplace. He has to warm up my flue, and get me ready to obey him, or take his direction or even listen to what he has for me. It always works out better than what I could do. As I go through this Christmas Season my heart and prayer is to already have my flue warmed up and listen for the quiet voice of God.

Merry Christmas

A Prayer Away

2007-11-29T17:17:00.000-08:00

I bought one of my children a VW Bus. It is a project. Frankly knowing what I know now, I shouldn’t have bought the bus. Yesterday they called and said in a panic said the car wasn’t working and I’m stuck in the middle of a busy intersection. Of course being the dad I am, I said I’ll be right there. My child called me 3 more times in my journey to get there. The 1st call was "are you coming". 2nd call is "the police are here and they are telling me the intersection is being closed down because the car is blocking the intersection". 3rd call is "how far ways are you". As I was a couple of blocks away I called to let them know how close I was, and to find out what part of the intersection they were in. They thought I was coming from a different direction so the location in relation to where I was backwards, luckily my keen vision (yea right) I saw where they were and was able to make adjustments before I fully committed to the intersection.

They had been pushed out of the intersection and were in a drive by the side of the road and the intersection hadn’t been closed, the policeman had pushed them over and out of the way. Thank you to all the police that perform these duties daily. Anyway I got in the car and sure enough the car wouldn’t start, as if I have magical car mechanic powers. We towed the car home and I took them to their original destination and I went back to work.

As I was driving back to work, I pondered the thought process that God goes through when we call on him. I know he hears us and starts at the onset to work to answer our call. I compared myself to my child, when I’m in a pickle and need God. I call him and when he doesn’t respond the very second I think he should I call him again and so on you get the picture. Just like my child thought I was coming from one direction and tried to tell me where they were, I do that to God, I not only ask for his help, but I tell him how and when he should answer it. Unlike my hothead self, God has an extreme amount of patience, he doesn’t get frustrated when we keep calling him. He just loves and loves us, continuing to nurture and teaching us to trust him more.

I can say with certainty that God has never let me down. As I’ve looked back at situations I’ve realized that if God had answered my prayer the way I ask him to, it would have really thrown a wrench in to the works. Even though it was most likely tough for him to let me hang for awhile, I am a better man for it. God has, does and will continue to hear and answer us, with all the love and compassion that only God has.

A Warrior for What ?

2007-11-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

I was driving to work today and was at a stop light waiting, I must say patiently. There was a RV Trailer lot next to me. My bride grew up with an RV in her family and has always talked to me about our family having one. I will admit I haven’t been receptive to the idea, but that’s another topic for a later time. Anyway back to the RV lot. I noticed on many of the back of the trailers there was a logo with Klingon (Star Trek) like swords and the words “Weekend Warrior”. I’ve seen the logo before and had thoughts along the line of I thought RV’s were supposed to be relaxing and fun. How does Weekend Warrior tie into that. I remember when we lived in Portland, and went to the river with our friends that had a boat. The ramp at times was war zone. I wondered if the people that built the trailers were thinking along lines like that when they designed the logo. Or if we are a powerful nation and we will conquer the forest, beach, or whatever remote area we are in at the time. I logged the thought away for when my wife brought up getting am RV to ask here what she thought about that. By the way it’s not if we will get an RV, but when we will get an RV.

The light turned green and I started down the road again and saw a Ford Bronco that had on the top of the windshield the words “FEAR THIS”. My 1st thought was that I’ve always have kind of liked the Bronco’s. Then I saw the driver it was a girl about the age of one of my children. My next thought was I don’t fear her or the car. What message is she trying to convey and the thought process to put a decal on your car like that.

I then thought what kind of decal I would put on my car to convey a message. I do have the Oregon “O” this is the righttime to say "GO Ducks” on my car now. My thoughts turned to Christ and am I doing what it takes to be a warrior for the kingdom of God. I know that I need to spend more time on my knees in prayer. I can always read my bible more to become as our pastor says a lot
“A man after Gods own heart”. A warrior trains hard and long to be ready to do battle. His body is tough and strong ready for the abuse of battle as well as making sure his weapons are ready. When I picture a warrior, I see a Roman Warrior. He has his helmet, breastplate, sword, and shield and the dude is fit.

Ephesians 6:10 - 18 tells about putting on the full armor of God. It says 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

This is a great reminder to me to be ready

Unconscious Learning

2007-11-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

I was working on one of our cars this weekend and it had to do with wiring. I got the repair book out looked at the hieroglyphics of the wiring diagram. To me they looked like the writing of an ancient and extinct tribe that writes on the cave walls and are found thousands of years later. After a panic attack and a short prayer it started to make sense, and I could actually start to identify what was what. I found the taillights in the drawing and amazing enough the wires that went from them to the turn signal lever. I even figured out the color code, so when I saw the wires at the lever switch I could figure out which side was which. I had a question , so I called a friend of mine, I described my problem and progress I had made, his comment back was I can’t believe you made it this far. My reply back to him was desperation is a great motivator.

I was talking to some people the next day and they were telling me about their car woes. I commiserated with them and told them about my phone call yesterday . The question was asked “what kind of training have you had to work on cars” It took me by surprise, you see I haven’t any. I thought for a minute and replied that I guess I learned more from my father than I had realized. A point to further illustrate this was my friend Rich & I were at my dad’s house one time and we were in his garage/shop. Rich looked around like a kid in a candy store, he looked at me and said wow what a place to work there’s every tool you would need for a project. I don’t remember my exact response, but it was something to the effect of yea but I would rather ride my bike or ski than work on things. Then in total seriousness Rich asked my dad to adopt him.

As my day went on I reminisced about my dads teaching style, He didn’t stop in the middle of things and say to me “look this is a life lesson remember it”. I must confess that I do that to my children sometimes (kids I’m sorry) Dad just made comments or talked about what and why he was doing such and what the outcome would be if things worked out they usually did. I learned from my dad by example and his imparting knowledge a little at a time. He tricked me he was teaching me all the time, I just didn’t realize it. He really didn’t trick me; he was helping me be ready for life when he wouldn’t be here on earth anymore as a resource for me to access. The internet is good, but it doesn’t replace dad.

I also realized that God has taught me the same way as my earthly father did. Little by little he has taught me his ways, and once in a while thru crises or big events. He teaches us through the bible, he speaks to us, or someone relays something how God has taught or helped them. I’ve learned more from my heavenly father than I realized. I’m not only ok with that I’m ecstatic with that. I prayed on my 40th birthday and told God that I had lived the 1st 40 years for myself, I was now going to live the rest of my life for him. I asked him to teach me his ways and help my heart to become more and more like his. I’m still a work in progress. I’m reminded of the Winchester house in California. After Winchester died his wife believed that if she kept adding onto the house she wouldn’t die. So she built this huge house, some of the things she did don’t make sense. Like stairs that don’t go anywhere and doors that open into a wall. But God always has a purpose for the lesson he teaches us. Jerimiah 29:11-13 says 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. God has heard my prayer and is answering it.

2007-11-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day

November 22, 2007

It’s Thanksgiving Day; yesterday my bride was busy getting things ready for today. She is a list person, and if needs to be done get it done right now. What a blessing. We were up early this morning getting the smoker ready to do the turkey. As I came into the house last night and saw the bustle of activity I was reminded of a thought I’ve had several times after the Thanksgiving meal “all the work and preparation that went into this meal and it was over so quick”. We live our lives like that we work so hard to get to the event; we forget to enjoy the journey. Then I thought about my walk with Christ, at times it’s the complete opposite I’m so worried about my preparation of getting to heaven and more concerned about making sure that I’m getting the most out of life, not focusing on the prize of spending eternity with God. The time we spend here on earth is going to be a blip on the timeline compared to eternity spent with God. I struggle with the balance of meeting the needs of my family to provide for them, do what I’m supposed to do and I wonder if I’ll ever get it right. God calls us to a better and greater relationship with him. And it’s completely opposite of what you would think. I don’t get less, I seem to get more. The more I look to God the more peace I seem to have. In the bible Jeremiah 29:11-12 says for I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. God knows what he’s doing he’s preparing us for eternity whether we spend it with him our in hell. The small blip on the timeline that’s our life is the preparation for forever... I will most likely keep on questioning if I’m doing the right thing at the right time that’s part of my makeup like my bride and her list. But I do know that I serve a God that came to earth, died in the cross for all our sins, and most importantly rose again 3 days later and as Matthew 11:28 says Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. I will rest in God ,Have a Great Thanksgiving and enjoy and your time with family, friends, football, and of course the food.

What Thanksgiving means to me

2007-11-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

November 21,2007

I'm sitting at my desk today and recalling the things I need to remember to do for Thanksgiving. Before you think to much of me let me set the record straight, my wife does all the cooking, planning and implementation my help consist of getting off the couch from watching football and eating the snacks she has prepared for me. And as a bonus every other year one of my daughters and her husband are with us for Thanksgiving and I have a companion to watch games with. Having all girls this a treat let me tell you. If she needs food cutup or washed I can do that.I'm also recalling the blessing that God has blessed me with the list is long. I'm grateful for God in my life and the free gift of salvation he has given to me. I have a wife who in spite of myself still loves me.Though at times I seem to do my best to test her. I have children that are serving God and know that my love for them is immeasurable. I was sharing with a group of men that I meet with weekly last night, how God reminded me that sometimes when he blesses me with something. I start to whine and complain, it might not be the one I want, I don't like the color. How ungrateful is that? God reminded me how much he loves me, and just a small portion of things he has done for me. It was a nice wake up call for me. Enough of the soapbox. I'm grateful for my wife & family, salvation, I have 2 friends that I've known for over 30 years.(one of them since my freshman year in high school man that's a long time), and a group of men that keep on the right path every week and a long list of many other things. I hope you have a Great Thanksgiving ,and may God Bless you.

Rob