A Sight To See…
I got to witness an awesome thing this past weekend. I got to see this guy get baptized. His name is Eddie. We’ve known each other for a long time. We went to school together but weren’t really what you would call friends. Eddie and I have led similar lives though. We both are former military and proud to have served our country. We also did a lot of things we are not proud of in our lives. We both came to know the Lord later in life. I remember seeing Eddie when he first started coming to the Ridge. I sympathized with him and his uncertainty, the same way I felt when I first started attending. I remember the day he made the decision and pray to accept Christ. I had prayed for him to reach that point and was very overcome with emotion when I found out about his decision. Now we are not only friends but we are brothers. Brothers in Christ. I have had the priveledge of working with Eddie over the past month or so and have seen him grow leaps and bounds in his trust and faith in Jesus Christ. He’s on fire and it’s awesome. Please join me in prayer for him to keep that fire ignited.
What a bunch of crap!!
Here’s a post I just had to share from Perry Noble I love it!!! You Rock, Perry!
Before reading this post and getting angry with me that I used an illustration with “crap” in it…take a look at Deuteronomy 23:12-14 where God tells the Israelites to get the crap out of the camp…MIGHT be a message out of this text in the future!)
Saturday morning is date morning…and when Charisse and I first began…we had an “interesting” ritual EVERY Saturday morning.
I would go upstairs to wake her up, change her diaper and then bring her downstairs to feed her (either Cheerios or a cereal bar and some fruit.)
After she ate (which took a while) we would then go upstairs, get her dressed and go outside or on a “car ride.”
BUT…not before she pooped.
Seriously, she always used to have an after breakfast poop…and if she wasn’t done pooping after she ate then we would just sit around and wait…
WHICH sometimes bothered me because I wanted to take her somewhere. I wanted her to experience new things. I wanted to see her go to places she had never gone before…
BUT…we could not moved until she got the crap out of her!!! Sometimes it took awhile…sometimes it happened immediately…but we didn’t move until she did her deal!
The same could be said with us and our walk with God…He is amazing, He is the perfect Father and wants to take us places in life that will absolutely blow our minds. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us His plans are awesome.
I say this often and people ask, “Then why do I feel stuck where I am?”
Could it be that He is waiting on you to get the crap out of your life?
Seriously, is there something in your life that you might call a bad habit or an “issue” that He would flat out call “crap” and tell you that you are staying where you are until you get it out of your life?
What is crap anyway? It is the stuff that our body has deemed wasteful and does not need. If God is asking you to get rid of something/quit something…then He knows that what He’s calling you to get rid of is wasteful…and you do not need it!
AND…if crap somehow gets into your bloodsteam…it can be toxic. The reason God wants the crap out of our lives isn’t because He doesn’t love it…but rather BECAUSE He loves us. He knows the damage it will do long term.
Sin, from God’s point of view…is CRAP! It is what caused Jesus to have to give His life on the cross. It’s the grossest thing in His sight…and instead of us forming groups in the church to talk about the crap in our lives and affirm our crappiness…He would rather us confess it and repent of it!!!
So…question…is there anything in your life that God would say is “crappy” and needs to go?
Just a thought!
Thanks Perry that is some awesome crap!
What I want for my daughter…
This is my daughter, Marissa. I know things can’t be perfect for her all her life. But if I can do anything to protect or prepare her for troubled times I desperately want to do that. She recently started driving which I am excited about for her but at the same time it scares the crap out of me. She has begun to look at colleges and is exploring her options of career choices. Again, a very exciting time to share with her but it means time is short. Have I given her my all? Is she ready for what lies ahead? Although I’m sure I wasn’t the father she deserved at times. I hope and pray I have been the best father I could be and that she can forgive me for the rest. I want her to always know, as long as I hold breath in my body, I am here for her, no matter what. There is nothing she can’t bring to me or ask me.
There are certain things I want for her in her life.
- I want her to pursue Christ… I want her to live a Godly life and never stop following Christ and reaching others for Him.
- I want her to know she is beautiful… We are all created in God’s image and that makes us all beautiful, so many women never hear enough, how beautiful they really are.
- I want her to make the most of her life… That may sound corny but I want her to have as few regrets as possible in her life and I want her to hear those words “well done My good and faithful servant”.
- I want her to never know a stranger… She can be the sweetest person I know, when she wants to be, I want her to use that to touch as many lives as she can.
- I want her to never settle… To always do her very best and never settle for good enough in school, work, love or life.
- I want her to fall in love (in the far future) with a certain kind of man…
- He needs to love God… I want him to be the spiritual leader she needs to guide her, lead her and protect her.
- He needs to love her… I want him to love her with all the passion and attention she wants, needs and deserves.
- He needs to make her happy… Not with material things but with what her heart truly desires.
- He needs to make her laugh… Marissa has an infectious laugh that needs to be heard as often as possible.
- (guys if you’re not up to these tasks don’t even bother)
Finally, I want her to know how important she is to me… I have not done well providing, supporting or emphasizing the things listed above for Marissa. I am praying that God will help me to see and sieze each and every moment that I can use to prepare her for what ever He has for her. Please keep me in prayer that I will do better in the future. Marissa, please forgive me my shortcomings, I love you Boo.
