Learning to Listen

Isn't this the lesson of life? To listen. Because we must first learn to listen and hear before we can act upon it, right? This is an area of my life that is a continual growth process and probably will be for the rest of my life. Like my wife says from time to time, 'did you not hear what I just said to you?' or 'I was just talking to you, didn't you hear me?' Now usually when that question comes I like to play dumb and say something like 'No, what did you say?' when maybe I really did hear her, but just wasn't listening or maybe didn't really want to hear cause I know what my answer should be but I'm really not feeling that at the time. Come on guys and gals, you know what I am talking about. Everyone does it to others at some point in time, maybe not this specific example, but I am sure we all have pretended not to have heard someone from time to time, cause we more than likely do not want to give the answer or do what is being requested of us. I think that's fair to say.

The point is that we must become better listeners in all our relationships, with God first and foremost and then our family, friends, co-workers, and even those we may not know, we still need to become better listeners of what people are saying, verbally and non-verbally as we interact with them. Why? Because the love of God is in us and we care. God's word reminds us that we are to be know by our love. This is a love for ALL people, Christians and non-Christians alike, we are to have the love of Christ in us that longs to listen and to hear people and where they are at in life, to hear there struggles and concerns, to hear about their beliefs, to hear their questions and concerns and then love them regardless, no strings attached! This is the unconditional love of God, that the world needs to see from those of us who call ourselves Christians. This is not compromising the gospel by any means this is living out the true meaning of grace (gospel) to a world who just desperately wants to be heard and accepted.

I would like to give a shout out to my friend K.G. who so graciously took me out to breakfast this morning and who is actively engaging his faith and world around him, asking some really great questions and just trying to understand a little better this journey of faith. Press on brother, press on, God is leading and listening more than you know.

Here we blog again...

It's been a little over a year since I walked away from the wonderful world of blogging to take a brake and take a season of rest. So here I am blogging again for the first time in over a year and to be honest with you I'm not sure how this is going to go, however, I do know I am a little excited about starting something new, or at least the restart of something old with a new fresh perspective.

Honestly that has been something that has been on my mind for sometime now, new beginnings, fresh perspectives, the start of something new or the restarting of something old, the making of the old new, refreshing winds of change with a new challenge and a new call. The Lord has been leading us into new seasons of this kind and chance to redeem the time that He has set in place for us. The timing of the Lord is perfect, the more we understand and know this the more we can trust him in faith to bring things to pass that he whispers to us in the secret places.

I believe that this is the start of a great season and ministry of blogging to all of you that may read this post, please send your comments my way and let me know how the Lord is working in your lives! Blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Am I Dreaming?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Were your reality is so incredibly far-fetched and unreal that you thought you were dreaming or that you were just imagining something that really isn't real at all. As I have been living this faith journey out with Christ of the last, going on 9 years now, I find myself from time to time asking this question. There have been moments that were just so surreal for me and it was almost like it really wasn't happening, but yet I was fully present in the moment and more alive than I have ever been before in my life.

Some of these moments would be like the first time I felt the weight of my sins lifted from me and the Holy Spirit come on me like fire and consumed me in the moment and forever, or like the moment I saw my beautiful bride-to-be walking down that aisle towards me as I waited for her to give herself to me and I to her for the rest of our lives here on earth, or like the first time I was able to hold both my daughters in my arms and then months later stand in front of the body of Christ and dedicate them unto Him. These are just a few of those moments in my life, were I found myself asking the question, Am I dreaming? Is this really real?

A sense of awe and wonder would come over me and the realization of God's grace in my life would break me into streams of tears each and every time. I was recently reading Making Small Groups Work and it was in this book that for the first time I heard this definition of grace. Grace is receiving something in your life that is needed, that you could never acquire on your own. This is way beyond a random act of kindness or even unconditional love, though these things are all part of God's grace, grace is much more. Think about it for a minute. What is it in your life? Was there ever anything in your life that you needed (known to you or not) that someone gave you in love with no strings attached? I'm getting a little of the subject here, but I guess this is my way of explaining how I felt and feel during those "Am I dreaming" moments.

There is a story in the book of Acts in the 12 chapter were Peter was in prisoned by Herod and the church was earnestly praying for him. While in prison, he had 4 guards and their teams surrounding him at all times, while being chained between two of them. An angel of the Lord appeared and broke his chains and opened wide the cell gates and led him out. During this time the text says that Peter thought he was seeing a vision from God but then quickly realized that this was his reality, God's grace in action! Then a few verses later we see it again, when Peter knocks on the door of those who were praying for him and a woman by the name of Rhonda answered the door, so startled when she saw him she couldn't even open the door, instead she runs back to tell everyone that Peter's at the door and they all think she's out of her mind, or that she must have saw his angel. Once again, God's grace in action and the power of prayer for the miraculous. I wonder if those involved in this miracle shed some tears along the way?

My question is why are we not having more of these moments in our lives? Not only personally but as the body of Christ as well. Why do we not see the miraculous as much and why do we just settle for a complacent life? We should be seeking, knocking and asking for God to give his miraculous provisions in our lives, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, Spiritually and Socially. We need to come to Him like a child, humble and full of faith and assurance that our Father in heaven wants and longs to give us good gifts of his mercies and grace. Far to often we find ourselves just drifting through this life with the comfort and safety of our lives, which we seem to manage quite well, with all our innovation and gadgets to help us through, we leave now room for God to do the miraculous, let alone do we think to even ask. How sad.

Lord, break us and help us to know and see the depths of your love for us and how you long to have our affections and how you long to show us your might and power in our lives as we live this walk with you, out in a world that so desperately needs to know you and see you at work through your saints. By your Holy Spirit, send the fire into our lives once again and empower us to be the witnesses you have called us to be.Help us God to know you more each and every day. It's in the wonderful, mighty and powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

All the Drama?

From the ever increasing horror film industry (6 fold growth) in the last decade, to all the "Trauma" episodes on TV and increasing sex scandels and porn on the internet, why do so many fall into this trap of needing to "feel" or "believe" in something. I think the answer is at the core of who we are as humans being, we were created to have relationship with God and so if we don't believe in God we will beleive in something. We were created with feelings and emotions, that were ultimately to be to God's glory and when we find our lives rooted in Christ and are bringing all those feelings and emotions towards him, then we are begnning to live a full and abundant life. I think all the terror, horror and the need for all this trauma and drama, comes from this healthy desire that we all have, but its unfortunetely being focused, misguided and channeled in the wrong direction, leaving people with "feelings" and "emotions" for the moment, but then leaving them with emptiness and void, seeking out that next thrill or emotion to feel. My question is what are we filling our lives with? What are we allowing to come through the windows of our bodies into the depths of our souls? God longs to have a relationship with all people and to have us be totally fulfilled in Him and Him alone. He has made that way through Christ and Christ has and is redeeming all things unto him. If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, I would challenge you to take a step towards knowing Him today by just acknowledging Him as the Son of God who came and lived a sinless life and died for the sins of the world (you and I) and was then resurrected on the 3rd day and who now sits at the right hand of the Father, until the final consummation of all things and the day of Judgement. God has a plan and a purpose for you far beyond anything you could ever imagine or dream of, but you must be willing to surrender to Him as Lord of all and Lord of your life. To find true life, you must lose your life for Christ' sake, then through Him you will have eternal life. God did a miracle in my life and He wants to do one in yours as well, won't you let Him?

Up to speed...

Ok...I must confess that I didn't even realize how long its been since I last posted, I knew that it's been a while but I didn't think it was over 3 wks now! Time is flying this summer. So anyway I thought I would catch you all up to speed on what's been going on with us...

• Just getting back from a week vacation, visiting my family in PA. It was great to see all my friends and family again and to do absolutely nothing, minus a few rounds of golf :)
• Lot's going on at Overflow, we are currently "under construction" with our space at the mall, turning our store front into a full blown Cafe! then in the back we are constructing walls and spaces for offices and prayer rooms.
• We also have 2 serving groups, one came in this past week and one coming next week to help with those projects and some around the neighborhoods.
• Please keep me in your prayers for this Sunday that I would preach God's word with boldness and love.
• Also the girls are both fighting colds since vacation and feeling a bit run down, so pray for them and their health that its gets better fast.

And so I will leave you with a word that the Lord has been having me dwell on this week found in Gen 25:19-34, the story and beginnings of Jacob and Esau. Particularly verses 29-34, where Esau sells his birthright, it states that Esau came in from the fields weary feeling like he was about to die! Jacob tells him to sell him his birthright, listen to Esau's response... "Look, I am about to die; so what is my birthright to me?"

WOW.... what a powerful picture of our fleshly desires, so much so that Esau doesn't even care about his inheritance! And the Lord softly spoke to me and said, how many times do we forfeit walking in our inheritance to satisfy our fleshly desires, how many times to we hunger after the wrong things in this life that ultimately will only satisfy but a moment! Are you willing walking out on your inheritance for the desires of this world to leave you empty, or are you walking out of your Father's house with all your blessings to squander it away in wild living like the prodigal son? Some of us have forfeited our inheritance and don't even know it! Some think that because they are still in the house of the Lord and never left the 4 walls of the church that they have something coming to them! How wrong could we be?

Lord help us to see your goodness and mercy, help us to not be like spoiled children backbiting you and one another, help us to have grateful hearts and joyful souls for what ever you bring into our lives, materially and spiritually, cause ultimately you are the only one that matters, all else will pass away in this life except for what you have place within us to take with us into eternity where we will glorify you all our days and continue in the works that you prepared for us before the foundations of the world.