Oh my, you mean the world didn't end?

An amazing thing happened this weekend.  The world didn't come to an end, my grass didn't get cut, and I was still in awe.  This feeling of awe didn't have to do with watching the Olympics.  It didn't have anything to do with anything that I was doing.  The beautiful thing that happened was opening myself up to the possibility of God's Plan for my life and seeing little pieces of the puzzle fit together.  

Everyone of us has within ourselves the ability to focus outside of ourselves to see the potential plans that are before us.  Our lives aren't chaotic or just random in the things we experience.  Think for a moment of your life, was it a random thing that put your parents together?  I personally don't think so. There were attractions,   or emotions that caused life to occur. Couldn't it be possible that where you were raised and what you experienced placed you in a position to do what God had planned for you in this puzzle of life.  Think of a person or book or situation when you absolutely realized that there was something extraordinary in that experience.  Now look for a connection.  Most of us should be able to relate that to our present life.  That is a piece of God's puzzle placed with another.  

What we learn from one another has a bearing on something for the future.  It might only be to share with someone else a personal touch of compassion or an interchange of life.  The communicated shared experience that God reveals His Spirit to your soul.  It is a God Moment!  There are these moments out there, but you have to open yourself up to the reality of the experience.  You will know it immediately when you focus on Him and others that He is using to show you...

Look for your God Moments... The puzzle of your life will become a vision of the Creator...

God Bless

Champions not in this world

The world celebrates the opening ceremony of the Olympics and we all are so full of wonder and excitement.  We think of how this event causes the entire world to pause and be thankful for a world peace.  The news coverage includes the dynamic stories of the athletes and their ability to overcome adversity and challenges to be the "best young people" our country has to compete in events for world glory.

I know of some wonderfully empowered young people that are in the most difficult challenges of their life.  They have been raised and trained for this challenge through the heart ache and struggles that life has given them growing up.  They are doing their best to represent their families and countries, and most importantly their Heavenly Father.  Their challenge is to take the Love of Jesus to the lost in other countries.  They won't be given any recognition for their success on this competition.  They will receive their reward in Heaven, a Crown of Righteousness. These Young Adults are meeting the most important people on the planet in their country.  They are celebrating the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, and praising the Holy Spirit for enabling them to communicate through the Love of the Father.  What an Olympic endeavor.  There will be no agony of Defeat for any of them.

I encourage you to go to the following link and see the blogs of Team Sanctified:31:

http://www.worldrace.org/?tab=blogs&subtab=blogsearch

Take a moment and reply to these fantastic young people, give them the encouragement they so earnestly deserve.  They truly are our Olympic Champions in the Spiritual Battle for Jesus...  God wins every time...

Some of them still could use your financial assistance to complete the race.  Please consider giving to their cause.  Cause it matters to the Father...

Oh yeah Mr. Pity Party... get going big boy

I was running the race toward a wonderful finish line, stumbling, falling and limping along.  It was a valiant effort until I stopped for a moment which became minutes, then days.  I felt pity and anguish in my squalor and pain.  I was reading and listening to my bible, but still felt a need for understanding.  My judgement was clouded as I called out to my Lord, Save me from this pain and suffering.  My lovely wife was called to minister to me.  She let me know that I needed to get up and get moving, that having a pity party wasn't what God desired for me. I was angry that she would tell me that and cause me to face my affliction.

I was infected with a bacterial infection that started in early December, that proceeded to attack my body and the plates and screws in my lower spine.  I was in trouble and had been given numerous antibiotics and treatments for pain. I was losing lots of weight, not wanting to eat to was the norm.  The pain of getting up out of bed was at times too much until I had to get rid of fluids or waste. I was attempting to function as if all was normal, but each time I attempted the normal it knocked me back down hard.  I was wallowing in self pity and hurt. No one understood my pain and agony of just moving around.  I went from using crutches to a walker and really struggling to go anywhere.  My foot was swollen, my back hurt and I was taking numerous pain pills and antibiotics.  My weight and color were fading and I almost was at a point of asking the Lord to take me and embrace me in my sleep.  I was depressed and saddened in my condition. My wife was my strength. My family and our friends didn't give me up. They kept praying for me, they lifted me up in the arms of our Lord.  He would talk to me through His word, but I didn't want to hear it.  I was under the influence of some powerful medicine unable to see clearly the path the Lord had laid before me.  I was scared which was amazing for as a believer we should never be scared at what comes in our future.  For He has plans for us.  

His plan was for me to endure and serve Him.  I didn't want to get up and get moving again.  The Lord set a plan in place to get me going again.  He set me up with Sonja's Neurosurgeon to look at my MRI's and CT scans of my lower spine.  I was scheduled for an appointment in late April.  He looked over the information and on a follow-up visit for my wife's neck surgery, he told me to come in on the 4th of April. We did that, I was really thin, and pale, still limping along, but clothed in thousands of prayers.  Dr. told me to call my cardiologist to fax an approval for back surgery for the next day. The next day surgery occurred and the infection was biopsied, plates and screws removed.  I was back in the race, getting back up and looking toward the finish.  The diagnosis was Staph-B, an infection normally that diabetics get. I was placed on a pic line to remove the infection.  Amen, the Lord now had my attention fully again.  Had I waited till late April for the original appointment I wouldn't be writing today. 

Each one of us has a moment like mine.  We wallow in self pity and anguish about this or that when all the Lord wants us to do is focus on Him, that our time on this world is share His love with others including our enemies. Not his enemies, but ours.  For God so Loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.  

Can you relate?  The next few verses explain the purpose.  Live your life with all the passion and praise that you can give. Love one another, pray for one another, be thankful for one another.  

I am so thankful for the blessing that God has provided to me and my family.  

Love and God's understanding to you all.   

Please pray for Kylee our daughter as she and many others have heard God's call to minister to others in 11 countries during the next eleven months.  You may follow her by going to her blog page. I encourage you to pray for her and the G Squad and you may help financially if it is placed on your heart. 

www.kyleetaylor.theworldrace.org

The Road to Serving Faith

Imagination is a wonderful thing. It can give you an image of possibility that can become reality with enough work and effort. Think back to a time when you came up with a great project or idea. Remember the planning and organization to get that inspiration off to a great start? It gave you excitement and challenge as you could see what you were going to do. Then the first obstacle occurred, it might have been an issue with resources, funds, or doubt. This project was just too important and it had to be done. The effort became the endearing drive to get it done, no matter what. There might have been another obstacle, but now the project had your desire and nothing was going to stop you from working toward that goal of seeing this thing become real. So the actual work became satisfying and slowly the reality of this completion was being shown to you. Depending on how big this project was or is can also determine how quickly the completion. Do you remember the feeling of satisfaction and joy of seeing it finished? Remember everyone that came along the way that you shared this with how happy they were for you? A time of rejoicing and celebration was needed. What about those projects that were not so successful? How did that feel? What do we do with those disappointing things that are always present, that show their ugly head because they didn't become that special completed project? Did we learn anything by them? Of course we did. Do we feel bad that they didn't get finished? Yes, but we must continue on. The experience of those failing times gave us character, knowledge, wisdom, and often humility. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? We aren't perfect although some people around us would like to think so. Here is the twist on your project. Life is a project. How are you going to complete it? If you think that you can do all kinds of good things, live a good life, not hurt anyone, just help others and you will be rewarded with another life of pleasure. What reality are you living? It's not going to happen. You were created by God. He knew you before you were concieved. He knows you now. He cares about you now. He wants to see you later. He will, but will He know you? There is only one way to Heaven my friends, ONE WAY!! I could tell you all about it, but then you would have a glimpse of my vision, my reality that God has laid on me. For I am a project also. God's Project. I didn't leave His project uncompleted, oh it's not done yet. It's only beginning. We get One shot here, make the most of It. Finish the race. Now someone will probably think, why doesn't he show the scriptures from the Bible so we can read them? Because YOU are supposed to Read the Word, and YOU are supposed to Look Them Up. YOU are supposed to struggle and let Jesus be a part of You. It does come down to choice doesn't it? Take that step of faith and Let the Lord take your struggles and give you comfort, peace and everlasting life. The other choice is Death. Which will you chose in Faith? God Bless

The Current of the Present State is Change

Today was an awesomely wonderful day. Why? Just the simple act of opening my eyes and ears to the movement of life around me was a pleasure.  What?  This simple act is one of pleasure.  Yes, it is.  I awoke on a nice soft quilt top king size mattress  in clean sheets with a light quilt blanket over me.  Many times in my life I have woken up in a sleeping bag or sheets on a cot or on the rocky ground with just a small cushion between me and the earth. I don't know about anyone else, but laying still for a moment and reminiscing about past homes and beds slept in bring about wonderful memories of locations and the many people that have passed through the currents of my  life.

An incredible thing happened today. My daughter and I were able to share insights into God's Word as she prepared to deliver a message for her Young Life group.  What a glorious thing to see how the Lord is working in her life at such a deep and personal level.  She is being shaped and changed in a mighty way.  I was blessed to see a tiny portion of it today.

This day was wonderful.  The Lord was using others to speak to me today. The message in Sunday School was for me, the message preached  in Church was for me, the personal sharing of God's Word today was for me.  Now I'm not saying that from a ME, ME, ME viewpoint, but from one of humility as I gave myself the opportunity to open my heart and soul today to LISTEN, to the the Lord!  Not that I don't listen often. He needed to share His Word with me, and used the Holy Spirit to open my eyes and other senses to what He wanted me to know today.   Thank-you Lord.

Everyone has an opportunity to listen, but we get so wrapped up in the world around us that we shut out the One who made us, the One who Loves us, the One who wants us to be with Him forever...

Surrender your pride and Listen for God has made this day for You.


God Bless

Chris

Faith

What an amazing thing faith is. The essence of grace given to us to believe in something that we can't see, but feel in our soul that is truth.  This is freely given by our Creator and Savior Christ Jesus.  To understand Faith we must look for the purpose and plan of the word.

Hebrews Chapter 11, explains the word and its meaning in our life.

A Blessed Day of Reflection

It was a Blessing this morning to wake up and realize that the world around us would be much slower today.  The schools and many businesses were closed because of the ice and snow that layered itself across the nation.  A welcome chance to thank the Lord for His many blessings upon this nation.  A quick glance at the News brought the trouble of the world into that quiet.  It wasn't what I was supposed to be concerned about today.
The world and it's issues will be there tomorrow and for this day, A day the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it.  

Imagine my anticipation of putting on a pair of boots, gloves and my coat to brave the elements.  Stepping outside with all the crisp cold air blowing the snow into drifts around our home brought out my thoughts for our God.  He created this beauty for all of us. It has a purpose for us, we place our faith in Him as we struggle through the drifts of cold in the world. We become amazed at His display of snow flakes blowing in the wind, none of which are alike.  Just like each of us.

Thank-you for this day.