I am sorry for the neglect here. I have been guest blogging here. Check it out. I’ll be back soon.
-Rick
Archive for July, 2008
31
Jul
08
Guest Blogging
First off let me say thank you and… forgive me. Thank you for being great friend and caring so much about me and where I am and where I am going. I don’t express that nearly enough to anyone especially those closest to me. Thank you for being there and putting up with me or tolerating me or taming me at times. Thank you for convicting and/or humbling me when I need it. Thank you for overlooking where I’ve been and for pointing out where I should or shouldn’t be. Thank you from the deepest realms of my heart.
Also, forgive me. Forgive me that you see me all too often “unfiltered”. Forgive me that I often only have time to dump the negative things on you rather than share the goodness that I see everyday through Christ’s eyes. Forgive me that all you may hear sometimes is my whining and moaning and complaining instead of the amazing things God is doing in my life and the amazing things I see through Him in you. For all this I ask your forgiveness and I thank you too. Without you I would not be who I am or where I am so for that thank you.
I consider it a true blessing to have you all in my life. Please know that I am usually all too aware of my negativity, misdirection, moods, and all my other crap. But, I thank you and ask you to continue to please point it out anyway (even if my reaction or response is less than favorable, for those times forgive me) I expect no less from you.
Please remember that my bark is mostly worse than my bite and what you hear from me is the “raw” version of what I ultimately think or say, for that, forgive me and thank you for listening. This also is my method of throwing it all out there so that I can really see what I am looking at and working with. Once this is done I, more often than not, then have to remove the log from my eye to proceed further. This is the way I do things. I’m sure it’s not the best or always healthy but so far it’s what I have.
For all this I have been and remain in prayer. I thank you in advance for praying for me as I know you do and will continue. I have often felt those prayers, please never stop and always know that I do and will pray for you as well. Thanks in large part to you, I am and will be (quite literally) “eternally” grateful. And for future reference forgive me, thank you and I love you.
Grace and Peace,
Rick Phillips
06
Jul
08
My friend, my brother…
This is Grayson. He’s one of my heroes. He doesn’t know it. He’s 18 and got his whole life in front of him. Today was one of the last times Grayson will be performing on a regular basis at the Ridge for a while. He is going off to college soon. Grayson has been performing in the praise band at the Ridge since he was a little guy. Before I became a believer I remember seeing him there, on the few occasions my family could drag me to church. Here was this goofy kid up there playing drums or guitar or singing. Doing things that were so awesome and such a reflection of the amazing gifts God had given him. I’ve had the pleasure of watching him grow up and also, to perform with him on occasion. He’s no longer a kid, although he’s still sometimes goofy but I love that about him.
I’m not sure what Grayson will be doing with his future. I’m not sure Grayson knows what he will be doing and neither one of us, of course, knows what God has in store for him yet. I hope it has to do with his musical talent because He has used Grayson to speak to me and help me to grow spiritually. Grayson was one of the people that helped me learn what it is to truly worship and I know He has used him in the lives of others too. Please join me in prayer for Grayson as he goes out into the world. I pray that he find whatever it is he is seeking, I pray that he doesn’t wind up with too many regrets in his life (I know how that feels and how the enemy can use that to eat away at you). I pray that Grayson always remembers the many people in his life that he can turn to anytime he needs especially the most important One. Good luck brother and thank you. You ROCK!!
Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. -Ecclesiastes 11:9
