Life sacrificed

I have been thinking a lot lately about "life sacrificed". Its a term I have coined. I am starting to see that life is better sacrificed. Let me explain. The bible says children are a blessing. I have recently been pondering children being a blessing. I am about to take my niece and nephew into my home. As I spend more time with them in preparation for this move I find myself pondering how children are a blessing. They eat like cows their constantly crazing, their brother and sister so they fight and play both are noisy, they are always at your home so there is no privacy, they need so much stuff; cloths, toys, school supplies. It seems like all they do is deplete resource hardly a blessing right. Wrong. I find that my life is enriched despite all that is lost, I enjoy it when they are in my home, I find there constant noise of play is becoming more like music to my ears, I find that I look forward to their smiles and appreciation. I am enjoying sit down conversations. I am even am starting to grow an appreciation for discipline, I hate being a disciplinarian no matter how bad they are however I find myself saying if it turns them into to descent men and women its worth it. They really are a blessing I just haven't been able to to put my finger on how to describe it. Prayer is another example. My life is so busy that in order to do it I find myself staying up late and getting up early. It costs me sleep, but I find the more I do it the better my life is. Its extending to so many area's of my life. I am an avid procrastinator, if I don't feel like doing it now I like to wait tell later. However I find everything waits tell later and nothing gets done. By sacrificing a few fleshly desires I find that my life is more in order, my business does better, more gets done. Its worth the sacrifice. So I say all this to say; life is better sacrificed. I think so many of us (including myself) are always trying to find ways to make life easier, to do less work, spend less money, to have less hardship. In other words were always looking to sacrifice less. Less sacrifice is not the answer. Finding ways to sacrifice less should not be our pursuit. We should all be looking for the things that are worth the sacrifice. Whats worth a little pain and a little suffering. In the end those will always be the things worth having. If I live my life and sacrifice much, in the end I will truly have much to be grateful for. Live the adventure.

A birds eye view.

Attitude determines Altitude. If you have every worked in a sales office or been to any motivational seminars you have to had heard that somewhere. It simply means that if you have "high" or positive thoughts then you will end up with a positive results. If you have "low" or negative thoughts you will have negative resul

ts. Why bring it up? As you can see in my last blog I have been thinking alot about prayer. I have noticed when I pray more life is better than when I pray little. Seasons of prayer however are not seasons with out difficulity, the fact of the matter is seasons of prayer can often stem from difficulty. so why is it that when I pray life seems better, why is it that more seems to get done and I tend to be happier despite the circumstances I got through. Perhaps altitudedoes determine attitude. When I pray more my thought process is often fixed more on Jesus. You can't get much higher than that. God has a unique view of your circumstances, he sees your journey from beginning to end all at the same time. Think of him as being in an airplane high above the earth and you are on the road. You come across a ruff patch, its unpaved, full of holes massive boulders restrict your movement, from your point of view this goes on forever. You think there is no way I can get through this. In reality the ruff patch is less than a mile, you'll be able to get through it no problem. At that point your attitude is very low. Why? You can't see that far from your point of view. You see an impossible hardship without end. Jesus however is in high spirits. why? From his point of view he sees a small hiccup in the road and then a smooth ride. Prayer is like keeping in contact with the man in the plane, your getting constant feed back on the true nature of your situation. The true nature of your situation is often, if not always, better than what it seems from your perspective. In short its much easier to navigate the road of life and all of its obstacles when you have the perspective of the man in the plane, stay in touch with him regularly. Live the adventure.

Seasons of prayer

This month I am in season of prayer. My church is on 21 day Daniel Fast. That's were you eat only fruits and vegetables and you drink water and juice. This fast is giving my an amazing opportunity to pray. Prayer tends to be seasonal in my life, there are times when it is season and times when its not. Its amazing how well I remember the seasons of prayer, and how much I don't remember the seasons with out it. Seasons of little prayer are often seasons I remember little about. That's because there is little to remember. There is little activity, little new friendships, little life giving conversations, little revelation from God, little productivity,little success, and little adventure. Seasons of little prayer have always tended to be seasons of little everything,except mediocrity, boredom, and depression those are in abundance when prayer is not is season. (There like weeds) Yet seasons of prayer I remember much. Perhaps there is much to be remembered. Seasons of prayer are abundant. There is an abundance of new friendships, an abundance of life giving conversations, an abundance of the revelation of the word of God, an abundance of productivity, and an abundance of success in short an abundance of adventure. Why is that? I have a theory. Christ said that "he came to give life and give it to the full"(john 10:10). Its very difficult for me to give you any thing if your not near me. so maybe just maybe its the same with God. Maybe its hard for him to give you anything if your not around him, especially "life to the full". Prayer is a way of hanging out with God, in it he gives you life to the full. Want adventure, want more......Pray more. Live the Adventure.

Saved

My studies this morning took me to my birth as a Christian. I found myself recounting my first steps into Christianity, the day I repented and first believed. To keep the story short and sweet I was a drunk. I was 18 and what had started as a little recreational fun on the weekends was quickly beginning to consume me. What was worse was I was miserable, my mom dragging me to church every Sunday, me sitting there listening to a preacher preach knowing that what he said was right, yet I refused to believe. Week in and week out I would say "I can quite on my own, I can do it on my own." The longer I waited the more of my life it took. Like many of us who call God father, I had to hit rock bottom. I had sunk about as low as I could go, I was looking at my life realizing I was miserable. I had hated what I had become and I wanted out. Weeks of trying to get out on my own simply weren't working, I would say that's it I am done no more. Some times it would be less than an hour before I found myself back to those nasty habits. What was I gonna do? Finally came that fateful news year eve party, I was so drunk I could barely see, literally my vision was so blurred I could barley make out shapes. My family was in the next room asleep they didn't know what I had done that night. I sat bowing to the porcelain throne. It was there God spoke to me. I heard a voice loud and clear. It said "this is what you have become" in a instant a drunken stupor became a sober moment of clarity. I saw my life flash before my eye's I saw relationships destroyed and opportunities missed, I saw things that I worked hard for crumbling. It was all because of that stupid bottle. I was disgusted. My friend who had accompanied me that night came into the room checking on me. I gave him a flask that I carried with me, it always had a little something in it. I told him I was done, to keep it, I didn't need it anymore. He looked at me in disbelief as he should have I wasn't the first drunk to give up my drinking ways in front of the toilet only to pick them up the next day. I was determined, but what would separate this time from all the others. I knew there was no way I could do it alone, I had tried so many times and failed. I was so scared the next day. It was Sunday, I went to church knowing what I was going to do. I didn't care what the preacher preached about I was just waiting for the alter call, I wanted to plead to God to help me. As soon as the music played I was literally running to the front, I almost didn't make it I broke down wailing out my sins begging for help. That was the day I got I saved. The day I started my Journey to freedom. Why this story. Because I want to reach out to those who are miserable, maybe your a drunk, maybe your not,maybe your addicited,maybe youre not addicted to anything but you are just miserable, you are currently not enjoying life, maybe you just want more. When I first got saved I wasn't terrified of hell, I didn't consider myself and evil man, I am not even sure that when I first got saved I loved God. I just knew that he was offering me a ticket out, a way to freedom, he was offering more. That's it. I will tell you this, the life I live now is way more awesome, way more exciting and way more free. It says that in the second half of John 10:10 "Christ came to give life and to give it to the full". I encourage all of you if you aren't living life to the full then accept Christ he is your ticket to adventure. He is your ticket to more. Live the life of freedom. Live the adventure.

"This is what I signed up for"

What did Jesus get excited about? I mean have you ever stopped to think about it. I read a blog yesterday by my good friend and pastor, Joseph Thompson. The jist of the blog was that a a lot of people that he had talked to where tired of living in the mundane they were ready to "blow up", "get huge" in other words get out of the ordinary and began to live the extraordinary. He reminded us all that as we pray to be like Christ we must remember that 90% of his life was lived in the mundane and ordinary. He lived thirty three years, only 3 was he a popular minister. I had to take a minute and ponder what did Jesus get excited about in those 30 years as he waited to "blow up". Lets think about it; he was going to leave his good paying job, the security and love of his family, the respect of his peers, the comfort of his home. What was he leaving it for. To wonder Israel as a vagabond, to go from one house to the next and not have a home, to rely on the random giving of people to provide for him, to preach and do miracles yet be ostracized and ridiculed by those he came to redeem, to be betrayed by one his closest friends, to die the most painful death man has ever conceived. What did Jesus look forward to. His steps into full time ministry were basically his steps into a suicide mission, when Jesus decided to preach full time he decided to give up every comfort and sign his own death warrant. So what did Jesus get excited about. I remember the day my unit was called into the maintenance bay for an announcement. The announcement was that the 3rd armored Calvary regiment had officially been given the call to arms, this was it we were going to war. I remember a quite, and dull excitement in my soul. It wasn't the kind that makes you jump for joy or will even bring a smile to your face, its a peaceful satisfaction. A "warm fuzzy" I call it. What was this "warm fuzzy" in the pit of my stomach, as I pondered the thought appeared slowly yet resolutely on my brain. "This is what you signed up for" it made perfect sense. What was I excited about? Was going into combat? I knew what combat entailed. It meant sleepless nights and weeks without a shower (Gross but true). It meant cold MREs (meals ready to eat) 3 times a day, it meant no place to call home or to go and rest, it was basically the end of every creature comfort and possibly grave danger and death. Yet a peaceful satisfaction arises in my soul. I was excited about the mission not the circumstances that would surround it. I was excited about serving my country and defending freedom, it was an honorable assignment but let me tell you a soldier in combat experiences no glory, humiliation and discomfort are his medals in the field. The shiny medals and parades come when you get home and not before. So in short I was excited about the purposes I would serve and not the experiences I would go through. I believe Jesus felt the same way as he made his first steps out of Nazareth and headed toward Galilee, "this is what I signed up for" that peaceful satisfaction in his soul.It was finally happening he had begun the process of redeeming creation, despite the circumstances he would endure, he was still excited about the purpose he would achieve. So this thought process has created a gut check within myself, when I get excited about "Blowing Up" what do I get excited. I love ministry but I must admit the thought of getting paid for what I do brings a smile to my face, I have fantasied about the day I hand in my two weeks notice at my secular job, I like the idea of having a budget to work with and not having to raise funds for events, I even relish at times the possibility of an assistant who would help with the small details that I am so terrible with. While those things aren't bad there not what I signed up for. I came for the hurting, the dying, and the next generation, I became a youth pastor to inspire an incredible generation to due the incredible things which God has called them. Those things listed above will make me life easier but did Jesus's life get easier, no, more difficult. This is the thing, if I don't orient myself now on my purpose and calling it will be to easy to get caught up in those things when I am actually there experiencing them. Not to mention when one area gets easier I am sure another , that I haven't thought of, will get more difficult. Further more a correct orientation brings clarity to my present circumstance, as long as I can study, pray for the youth, and minister to them even if its only a handful or only one, then I am doing what I signed up for. The rest is circumstantial who cares whether I work or don't, whether I have a budget or not, or whether I rack my brains on the small stuff or some one else does that for me, the point is I am doing what I signed up for. To the rest of you out there do what you "signed up for" that thing which God has called never mind circumstance. Live the adventure.

Just a carpenter

Today I read the first part of mark, chapter six. Jesus goes home and begins to preach, the people begin to "pick up what he was putting down", they where jiving, "feelin each other". In other words what he was saying was resonating in their spirit, it struck a cord. In a quick minute they went from "jiving" to "wait a minute isn't this Jesus the carpenter". They immediately shut down and disregarded what he said. The text goes on to say that Jesus could do very little in that town he healed a few sick and moved on. This amazes me that Jesus the greatest preacher to ever live was disregarded. Why? Because they were so blinded by "the carpenter" they missed the son of God standing right in front of them. Does this ring a bell with anybody. Anybody feel called to greatness to become and do more. Getting knocked down by people who only see the "carpenter". Let me encourage you to do as Jesus did continue on, be obedient. Jesus ended up impacting the world, changing lives for generations to come. So could could you, don't get discouraged by those who only see the carpenter, in other words the mundane and ordinary about you, believe in Jesus who not only sees, but created the extraordinary in you. Live the adventure.

Homeward Bound

Above you'll see a view of Pikes Peak from Colorado springs. While I am falling in Love with Orlando by far Colorado Springs has been the prettiest city I have ever lived in. The constant mountain view can not be beat. Day and night the different lights bounce of the surface of the mountain it almost seems as if God is continually painting a different masterpiece. I do mean masterpiece, I can not say that one sunset or sunrise was better than another. Nor can I say the clear blue days looked better than the cloudy ones. Each day and circumstance would well up a new set of emotions a new appreciation for God's creation, for his majesty. If you ever seen it, it really is that breathtaking. I was a soldier posted at Ft. Carson just outside of Colorado Springs. I remember looking at Pikes Peak on our morning runs and when would lower the flag at night. I remember driving at night and when it had snow pikes peak would almost seem to glow. I remember boarding a plane at 5 am to head to Iraq looking at the blinking light that sits on the top and thinking "its going to be a long time before I see this view". I remember countless days when I would look over the barren desert that ended in clear blue sky and try to imagine my mountain in the distance. The view represented so much more than just beauty it was where my friends where, my church was, it was where I had some of the best times of my life. So whenever I was down or homesick I would overlook the desert and try to put my mountain in the distance. It was Awesome it always brought a smile to my face. It was how I kept my thoughts homeward bound. I remember when I got off the plane it was sunset. I remember stopping dead in my tracks and soldier behind me ran into me protesting "what are you doing". I was stunned it was pikes peak glowing in the evening sun the prettiest orange you had ever seen. Tears welled up in my eyes and I told the soldier behind me. I have waited along time for that view." What a great memory. Why Do I share it. I want everyone's focus to remain homeward bound. What is homeward bound. Its place in your head, sometimes its a place you have not yet been to and want to reach other times it is a place to you desperately want to get back to. I encourage all of you to keep your thoughts "homeward bound". You will be like me there will be your moments in the desert, where you'll have to look out over a barren desert and imagine your view but know this; its out there. There is a time for you to return home. I want to take this opportunity for everyone who wants to leave me prayer request for whatever your homeward bound is. If its a destination in your future or place where you want to return let me know. Just post the comment. If you don't want me to post it say so I will read it and then delete it. But I want to encourage all you god has a plan to get you home, to a promised land , a place of glory. Don't keep you thoughts on the desert place, keep them homeward bound. I am with you. Live the adventure.