Celebrate!
Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:55 AM PDT
I had this thought about two weeks ago while watching the NBA finals…
Dirk hit a three pointer in the third quarter of one particular game (in Dallas) and the crowd absolutely lost their minds! Nearly everyone in the view of the camera stood to their feet and raised both arms in the air and screamed.
It was just a three pointer…
It wasn’t the game winner…heck, if I am remembering correctly they were only winning by about two points after he hit it…and yet the crowd celebrated (I would actually describe it as a form of worship) like somehow Dirk had just saved their lives.
Now…please understand, I have NO problems with people getting emotional at a sporting event and celebrating a victory or a great play by their favorite team.
However, in the world that we live in today it seems perfectly normal for people to celebrate the performance of their favorite sports team (or even their preferred stock)…and yet when a church wants to celebrate all that God is doing they are, many times, looked down upon and spoken against…but other people IN THE CHURCH!
However, as we look at the Scriptures…God is a God who celebrates His goodness and His blessings and He commands His people to do the same. In Luke 15 (go ahead, read it) every single time the lost item was found there was a PARTY, a celebration…and Jesus Himself used these parables to teach us that the angels in heaven celebrate and rejoice every single time a sinner repents of his/her ways (see Luke 15:7, Luke 15:10!)
(One of the marks of a maturing believer is that we can celebrate what God celebrates…in other words, what is important to Him becomes important to us.)
In the OT God commands that His people have festivals (parties) to CELEBRATE His goodness.
In the NT we see just a small glimpse of heaven…and the picture is of a CELEBRATION!
So, pastor, church leaders…when God does something in/through your church…CELEBRATE, go ahead, BOAST in WHO GOD IS and WHAT GOD HAS DONE! Brag on HIS GREATNESS…celebrate…and don’t worry how you will be perceived!!!! (After all, the only people who were not happy about Dirk hitting the three point shot were the people who were pulling for the other team!!!)
When God saves someone in your church…CELEBRATE!!!
When God saves someone in your youth/children’s ministry…CELEBRATE!!!
When God moves in an incredible way in your church services…CELEBRATE!!!
When God leads people to repent of their sin and get things right with Him…CELEBRATE!!!
We should NOT allow the Dallas Mavericks (or any other sports franchise) set the bar on what a celebration should look like!!! They won an NBA championship (which will not matter in about October of this year)…we have AN EMPTY TOMB and the PROMISE of a RETURNING MESSIAH!!!
Boast in the Lord…boast in what HE HAS DONE!!!
It’s OK to celebrate…the world needs to know that we have a God who is at work doing amazing things! We are not called to keep His work concealed but rather to PROCLAIM and CELEBRATE IT!
(One more quick thought…what you celebrate displays what you value!!! I have seen Christian musicians and authors actually take shots at churches that celebrate what God is doing…and yet they celebrate their song downloads and book sales!!! I’m not saying they should NOT celebrate those things…but what I am saying is that as the Body of Christ we should spend WAY more time celebrating WHO GOD IS and WHAT GOD is doing rather that criticizing the party music, the part decorations and the excitement level at the party! If God is doing it…then let’s celebrate it!!!)
Friday, June 24, 2011
the wedding prayer
The Wedding Prayer
Create in us a love, O Lord.
An eternal love …
Your love.
A love that forgives
any failure,
spans
any distance,
withstands
any tempest.
Create in us a love, O Lord.
A new love.
A fresh love.
A love with the tenderness
of a lamb,
the grandeur
of a mountain,
the strength
of a lion.
And make us one. Intimately one.
As you made a hundred colors into one sunset,
A thousand cedars into one forest,
and countless stars into one galaxy …
make our two hearts as
one,
Father, forever …
that you may be praised, Father,
forever.
Create in us a love, O Lord.
An eternal love …
Your love.
A love that forgives
any failure,
spans
any distance,
withstands
any tempest.
Create in us a love, O Lord.
A new love.
A fresh love.
A love with the tenderness
of a lamb,
the grandeur
of a mountain,
the strength
of a lion.
And make us one. Intimately one.
As you made a hundred colors into one sunset,
A thousand cedars into one forest,
and countless stars into one galaxy …
make our two hearts as
one,
Father, forever …
that you may be praised, Father,
forever.
humble
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Casting Crowns
If you have not seen them in concert you do not want to miss the opportunity.
COME TO THE WELL TOUR
We are excited to announce the Come To The Well Tour. This 40 city tour kicks off on September 22nd in El Paso, TX. Also on the bill for the evening is Sanctus Real, The Afters, and new-comer, Lindsay McCaul. This will be an incredible night of worship that you won't want to miss!
Date City State
09.22.11 El Paso TX
09.23.11 Phoenix AZ
09.24.11 Corona CA
09.25.11 Henderson NV
09.27.11 Universal City CA
09.29.11 Roseville CA
09.30.11 Salem OR
10.01.11 Redmond WA
10.02.11 Langley BC
10.04.11 Kennewick WA
10.06.11 Salt Lake City UT
10.07.11 Rio Rancho NM
10.08.11 Amarillo TX
10.13.11 Cordova TN
10.14.11 Nashville TN
10.15.11 Savannah GA
10.20.11 Auburn AL
10.21.11 Lexington KY
10.22.11 Greensboro NC
10.23.11 Macon GA
10.27.11 Madison WI
10.28.11 Hoffman Estates IL
10.29.11 Peoria IL
11.03.11 Grove City OH
11.04.11 Akron OH
11.05.11 Highland Heights KY
11.10.11 Murray KY
11.11.11 Tupelo MS
11.12.11 Dothan AL
11.15.11 Asheville NC
11.17.11 Jacksonville FL
11.19.11 West Palm Beach FL
11.20.11 Estero FL
11.25.11 Aiken SC
11.26.11 Knoxville TN
12.01.11 San Antonio TX
12.02.11 Belton TX
12.03.11 Bossier City LA
12.04.11 Jackson MS
It was one of the best concerts that I have ever attended.
COME TO THE WELL TOUR
We are excited to announce the Come To The Well Tour. This 40 city tour kicks off on September 22nd in El Paso, TX. Also on the bill for the evening is Sanctus Real, The Afters, and new-comer, Lindsay McCaul. This will be an incredible night of worship that you won't want to miss!
Date City State
09.22.11 El Paso TX
09.23.11 Phoenix AZ
09.24.11 Corona CA
09.25.11 Henderson NV
09.27.11 Universal City CA
09.29.11 Roseville CA
09.30.11 Salem OR
10.01.11 Redmond WA
10.02.11 Langley BC
10.04.11 Kennewick WA
10.06.11 Salt Lake City UT
10.07.11 Rio Rancho NM
10.08.11 Amarillo TX
10.13.11 Cordova TN
10.14.11 Nashville TN
10.15.11 Savannah GA
10.20.11 Auburn AL
10.21.11 Lexington KY
10.22.11 Greensboro NC
10.23.11 Macon GA
10.27.11 Madison WI
10.28.11 Hoffman Estates IL
10.29.11 Peoria IL
11.03.11 Grove City OH
11.04.11 Akron OH
11.05.11 Highland Heights KY
11.10.11 Murray KY
11.11.11 Tupelo MS
11.12.11 Dothan AL
11.15.11 Asheville NC
11.17.11 Jacksonville FL
11.19.11 West Palm Beach FL
11.20.11 Estero FL
11.25.11 Aiken SC
11.26.11 Knoxville TN
12.01.11 San Antonio TX
12.02.11 Belton TX
12.03.11 Bossier City LA
12.04.11 Jackson MS
It was one of the best concerts that I have ever attended.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
TGIF Today
When God Speaks
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Wednesday, June 15 2011
..."The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." - Judges 6:12
Has God ever spoken directly to you in such a way that you knew that it was actually His voice speaking to you specifically? I don't mean just an appropriate verse of Scripture, or a circumstance that seemed probable that it was God. I am talking about a situation that you know that you know it was the God of the universe speaking directly to you.
In the book Experiencing God, authors Henry Blackaby and Claude King say that one of seven important steps to experiencing God in everyday life is how God speaks to us. "God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways." [Henry Blackaby and Claude King, Experiencing God (Nashville, Tennessee: LifeWay Press, 1990), 225]
You can examine the life of every major character in the Bible and see this principle expressed in the way God worked in each of their lives.
One of the ways God speaks is through others. God often used others to speak to individuals, especially in the Old Testament when God often spoke through the prophets. This is still one of the ways He speaks today.
Several years ago I was in a church on the west coast that I had never been in before. I was in the midst of a tremendous trial. Three people prayed for me, and as they did, they began to describe a picture that was reflective of my life since I was a young Christian. It was a very accurate picture of my life. About a year later a man from Virginia prayed with me in my office. After our prayer time, he began to describe what he had just seen as a picture of my life. It was the same picture that had been described a year earlier. A year after that I was on a trip overseas and a man from England whom I had never met before came to me. He and I had a time of prayer together, and at the end of our prayer time he described a picture he had just seen in his mind while we were praying. Again, it was the same type of picture as the two previous encounters. Only this time, one element was added that was important for me to know related to what God was doing in my life at that time. When God chooses to speak into our lives through others, it can be an incredible blessing. He speaks in many ways. This is just one of them.
God desires to encourage us by speaking to us. He does this in many ways. The next time someone speaks into your life, prayerfully consider whether God is using that person to convey something important He wants you to know.
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Wednesday, June 15 2011
..."The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." - Judges 6:12
Has God ever spoken directly to you in such a way that you knew that it was actually His voice speaking to you specifically? I don't mean just an appropriate verse of Scripture, or a circumstance that seemed probable that it was God. I am talking about a situation that you know that you know it was the God of the universe speaking directly to you.
In the book Experiencing God, authors Henry Blackaby and Claude King say that one of seven important steps to experiencing God in everyday life is how God speaks to us. "God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways." [Henry Blackaby and Claude King, Experiencing God (Nashville, Tennessee: LifeWay Press, 1990), 225]
You can examine the life of every major character in the Bible and see this principle expressed in the way God worked in each of their lives.
One of the ways God speaks is through others. God often used others to speak to individuals, especially in the Old Testament when God often spoke through the prophets. This is still one of the ways He speaks today.
Several years ago I was in a church on the west coast that I had never been in before. I was in the midst of a tremendous trial. Three people prayed for me, and as they did, they began to describe a picture that was reflective of my life since I was a young Christian. It was a very accurate picture of my life. About a year later a man from Virginia prayed with me in my office. After our prayer time, he began to describe what he had just seen as a picture of my life. It was the same picture that had been described a year earlier. A year after that I was on a trip overseas and a man from England whom I had never met before came to me. He and I had a time of prayer together, and at the end of our prayer time he described a picture he had just seen in his mind while we were praying. Again, it was the same type of picture as the two previous encounters. Only this time, one element was added that was important for me to know related to what God was doing in my life at that time. When God chooses to speak into our lives through others, it can be an incredible blessing. He speaks in many ways. This is just one of them.
God desires to encourage us by speaking to us. He does this in many ways. The next time someone speaks into your life, prayerfully consider whether God is using that person to convey something important He wants you to know.
Friday, June 10, 2011
thought for the day
Life is short. Today when I woke up I read chapter 6 of the Purpose Driven Life and it was all about how short our time on this rock is. Did you know that the average American man lives to be 70 years old so in essence I have about 23 more years here. My time on this rock is short and what is important?
We are visitors here and we need to remember that our home is in heaven with our Father and what we do here is important, not what we have or what we get but how we impact the people around us.
Peter
We are visitors here and we need to remember that our home is in heaven with our Father and what we do here is important, not what we have or what we get but how we impact the people around us.
Peter
Thursday, June 9, 2011
power of your words
Thank you God. Today in bible study I was sharing that my 8 year old son had been hurt buy his teacher and it was hard for me to talk to him about forgiving her for what she had done to him and how her words hurt his feelings.
Then this message came across my desk.
Power of the Tongue
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Thursday, June 09 2011
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." - Proverbs 18:21
Words have the power to motivate or destroy, energize or deflate, inspire or create despair. Many successful executives can remember the time their father failed to give affirmation to them as a child. The result was either overachievement to prove their worth, or underachievement to prove he was right.
Many a wife has lost her ability to love because of a critical husband. Many a husband has left a marriage because of words of disrespect and ungratefulness. Stories abound regarding the power of words. There are just as many stories of those who have been encouraged, challenged, and comforted with words that made a difference in their lives.
Jesus knew the power of words. He used parables to convey His principles of the Kingdom of God. He used words of forgiveness and mercy. He used words to challenge. He used words to inspire His disciples to miraculous faith.
Do your words give life? Do they inspire and challenge others to greatness? Who does God want you to encourage through your words today? Affirm someone close to you today.
Maybe I should share this with his teacher?
Then this message came across my desk.
Power of the Tongue
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Thursday, June 09 2011
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." - Proverbs 18:21
Words have the power to motivate or destroy, energize or deflate, inspire or create despair. Many successful executives can remember the time their father failed to give affirmation to them as a child. The result was either overachievement to prove their worth, or underachievement to prove he was right.
Many a wife has lost her ability to love because of a critical husband. Many a husband has left a marriage because of words of disrespect and ungratefulness. Stories abound regarding the power of words. There are just as many stories of those who have been encouraged, challenged, and comforted with words that made a difference in their lives.
Jesus knew the power of words. He used parables to convey His principles of the Kingdom of God. He used words of forgiveness and mercy. He used words to challenge. He used words to inspire His disciples to miraculous faith.
Do your words give life? Do they inspire and challenge others to greatness? Who does God want you to encourage through your words today? Affirm someone close to you today.
Maybe I should share this with his teacher?
Daily Bread
Proverbs 9
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.
2.She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
3.She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city.
4."Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment.
5."Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.
6.Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
7."Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8.Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9.Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.
12.If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."
13.The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.
14.She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15.calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way.
16."Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment.
17."Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!"
18.But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.
2.She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
3.She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city.
4."Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment.
5."Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.
6.Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
7."Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8.Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9.Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.
12.If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."
13.The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.
14.She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15.calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way.
16."Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment.
17."Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!"
18.But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
New study started last night
Guys:
We started a new study last night, it will be an 8 week study on Grace and from the preview last night it is going to be great. We have dinner at 7 and things wrap up around 9. David who is leading the study shared his background with us and it was eye opening and I think that you will really enjoy this study.
Looking forward to seeing you next week.
If you are in the Bradenton area our office business mans bible study is growing and we will be meeting at my office at 8:15 AM on Thursday, give me a call if you need directions, 941 756 1932
Have a blessed day,
Peter
We started a new study last night, it will be an 8 week study on Grace and from the preview last night it is going to be great. We have dinner at 7 and things wrap up around 9. David who is leading the study shared his background with us and it was eye opening and I think that you will really enjoy this study.
Looking forward to seeing you next week.
If you are in the Bradenton area our office business mans bible study is growing and we will be meeting at my office at 8:15 AM on Thursday, give me a call if you need directions, 941 756 1932
Have a blessed day,
Peter
TGIF Today
Forgiving Ourselves
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Wednesday, June 08 2011
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
The apostle Peter was one of three disciples who walked with Jesus closer than the other nine. He was the most enthusiastic and the one man who was willing to step into territories where others would not dare. He was the first to step out of the boat and walk on water. He wanted to protect Jesus at times when Jesus rebuked him for having a demon influence him. He cut off the ear of the guard who wanted to arrest Jesus in the garden. As Peter matured, the Holy Spirit harnessed his many extreme emotions.
The greatest trial for Peter was when he denied the Lord just before Jesus was crucified. Three times he denied knowing Jesus. Jesus predicted that the cock would crow after the third time just to reinforce the prophecy to Peter. Peter was crushed when he realized he had failed His Lord so badly.
The Lord forgave Peter for his denial. However, gaining forgiveness from Jesus was not the most difficult part for Peter. The hard part was forgiving himself. As we mature in the faith, we begin moving in victory after victory with our Lord. Then out of nowhere, an event happens that reveals our true sin nature, and we are confronted face to face with this reality. We cannot believe that we are capable of such sin. There is no good thing in us save the grace of Jesus Christ and His blood that cleanses us. When God looks at us, He looks at the blood of Christ that has covered our sin. He does not look at our sin once we confess it.
When we have difficulty forgiving ourselves, this is pride at its deepest level. We are making an assumption that we should never have sinned and that we are too mature to sin. This is a trap from the enemy of our souls. People who cannot forgive do not recognize from what they have been forgiven. That includes us.
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Wednesday, June 08 2011
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
The apostle Peter was one of three disciples who walked with Jesus closer than the other nine. He was the most enthusiastic and the one man who was willing to step into territories where others would not dare. He was the first to step out of the boat and walk on water. He wanted to protect Jesus at times when Jesus rebuked him for having a demon influence him. He cut off the ear of the guard who wanted to arrest Jesus in the garden. As Peter matured, the Holy Spirit harnessed his many extreme emotions.
The greatest trial for Peter was when he denied the Lord just before Jesus was crucified. Three times he denied knowing Jesus. Jesus predicted that the cock would crow after the third time just to reinforce the prophecy to Peter. Peter was crushed when he realized he had failed His Lord so badly.
The Lord forgave Peter for his denial. However, gaining forgiveness from Jesus was not the most difficult part for Peter. The hard part was forgiving himself. As we mature in the faith, we begin moving in victory after victory with our Lord. Then out of nowhere, an event happens that reveals our true sin nature, and we are confronted face to face with this reality. We cannot believe that we are capable of such sin. There is no good thing in us save the grace of Jesus Christ and His blood that cleanses us. When God looks at us, He looks at the blood of Christ that has covered our sin. He does not look at our sin once we confess it.
When we have difficulty forgiving ourselves, this is pride at its deepest level. We are making an assumption that we should never have sinned and that we are too mature to sin. This is a trap from the enemy of our souls. People who cannot forgive do not recognize from what they have been forgiven. That includes us.
Let me know your thoughts on this book
Hi everyone:
this is a new book I found out about please let me know what you think
http://www.dennisdgrant.com/index.html
Peter
this is a new book I found out about please let me know what you think
http://www.dennisdgrant.com/index.html
Peter
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Thoughts for the day
This is day 2 and what happened today was that I woke up at 5 am with some concerns on my heart about work. I turned on Joel Osteen and he preached a sermon on Speaking healing words and that was not what I wanted to hear. I had an issue with an employee and I knew that I needed to address it and it could get ugly. Bothered by this conflict, should I speak the truth and possibly tear them down or do I speak living words and build them up.
It is one thing to compliment someone and build them up but that is not what was needed because the bible says that we are to repremend with love and compassion so I was torn.
I then called a brother and asked for his advice. I have had problems with doing that in the past because of pride and not want to ask for help. Somewhere I read that leaders will be challanged and I have been lately but it then went on to say that strong leaders know when to ask for help. I have been asking for help lately and reaching out to God. I have been praying for blessings and today I was blessed by a friend that helped me make the right decision.
I then went one step further as I went into the meeting and asked for 2 brothers to pray for me, it was a simple text to them asking for prayer and I know that God heard them.
Peter
It is one thing to compliment someone and build them up but that is not what was needed because the bible says that we are to repremend with love and compassion so I was torn.
I then called a brother and asked for his advice. I have had problems with doing that in the past because of pride and not want to ask for help. Somewhere I read that leaders will be challanged and I have been lately but it then went on to say that strong leaders know when to ask for help. I have been asking for help lately and reaching out to God. I have been praying for blessings and today I was blessed by a friend that helped me make the right decision.
I then went one step further as I went into the meeting and asked for 2 brothers to pray for me, it was a simple text to them asking for prayer and I know that God heard them.
Peter
time
To a Child, LOVE is Spelled...
In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows.
Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another.
Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.
It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.
Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son's childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children's old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head.
Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten.
Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son's simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different?
Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son's journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den.
Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name Jimmy had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use.
As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words:
Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing.
With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read:
Went fishing with my Dad. Best day of my life.
~~~~~~
In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows.
Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another.
Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.
It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.
Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son's childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children's old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head.
Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten.
Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son's simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different?
Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son's journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den.
Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name Jimmy had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use.
As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words:
Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing.
With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read:
Went fishing with my Dad. Best day of my life.
~~~~~~
Monday, June 6, 2011
Update from Billy
Hello men, this is the update for men's ministry for the week of 6/5/11.
Wildmen
We had quite an experience last week as we looked at and discussed the John Lynch video on living in your identity in Christ. Accordingly, we will commence a series this week for the next 8 weeks to more fully explore the concepts and applications of this life changing approach to the Christian life. Dave Geisler will lead in this series known as the Grace Walk Experience. Dinner is at 7PM on Tuesday - join us!
REAL Men
We meet this Thursday from 6:30-7:30AM in the Forum. I will be leading this week and will show the John Lynch video if you missed it at Wildmen.
IRONMEN
We will continue the study of strengthening our minds as we look at Religion versus Relationship as the basis of our faith and practices. Dinner is at 7PM at the Proctor Road campus of Sarasota Baptist Church.
Boot Camp
The Boot Camp is about 30% sold out. I strongly encourage you to sign up soon as the message is being presented to several large new groups of men. The event is 9/22-25 at Dayspring in Ellenton and costs $275 for 3 nights, nine meals and a life changing experience.
God bless, Billy
Wildmen
We had quite an experience last week as we looked at and discussed the John Lynch video on living in your identity in Christ. Accordingly, we will commence a series this week for the next 8 weeks to more fully explore the concepts and applications of this life changing approach to the Christian life. Dave Geisler will lead in this series known as the Grace Walk Experience. Dinner is at 7PM on Tuesday - join us!
REAL Men
We meet this Thursday from 6:30-7:30AM in the Forum. I will be leading this week and will show the John Lynch video if you missed it at Wildmen.
IRONMEN
We will continue the study of strengthening our minds as we look at Religion versus Relationship as the basis of our faith and practices. Dinner is at 7PM at the Proctor Road campus of Sarasota Baptist Church.
Boot Camp
The Boot Camp is about 30% sold out. I strongly encourage you to sign up soon as the message is being presented to several large new groups of men. The event is 9/22-25 at Dayspring in Ellenton and costs $275 for 3 nights, nine meals and a life changing experience.
God bless, Billy
Fun Night Out
Comedy Night with Bob Smiley - June 24
Bob Smiley has been doing standup for more than 12 years. He's done shows from 8 to 60,000 people and has opened for groups such as Newsboys, Mercy Me, Third Day, Switch Foot, Toby Mac and Audio Adrenaline. Over the past 13 years, Bob has put out 3 DVDs, 2 CDs and a book, "Growing Up Super Average: The Adventures of Average Boy." Bob has a heart for bringing people closer to God by getting them to laugh at everyday stories and not-so-everyday situations.
Bob will be at Woodland on June 24th at 7pm. You can buy your tickets at our website at www.gowoodland.com/smiley or at the guest services desk. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Doors will open at 6:00pm.
Bob Smiley has been doing standup for more than 12 years. He's done shows from 8 to 60,000 people and has opened for groups such as Newsboys, Mercy Me, Third Day, Switch Foot, Toby Mac and Audio Adrenaline. Over the past 13 years, Bob has put out 3 DVDs, 2 CDs and a book, "Growing Up Super Average: The Adventures of Average Boy." Bob has a heart for bringing people closer to God by getting them to laugh at everyday stories and not-so-everyday situations.
Bob will be at Woodland on June 24th at 7pm. You can buy your tickets at our website at www.gowoodland.com/smiley or at the guest services desk. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Doors will open at 6:00pm.
Thoughts for the day
For the month of June I am going to take a different approach to the blog, you may not like it but here it goes. Starting out, let me say that I type fast and my spelling suffers from it. I am not going to be editing the post just talking from the heart and if I make a spelling or grammar mistake please give me some grace.
We were doing the Radical Series and it was not well received and we decided to stop it. The goal of wildmen is to reach men and to hit a new believer with a message like that was not wise. I am about 4 years into my 2nd walk with God and I was not comfortable with the message.
I stared the Rick Warren study 40 days to a purpose driven life and I like it, it is making me think about what my purpose is. I have also been reading The Jabez prayer and have been asking God for blessings.
Like many out there I have been pressed on both sides finacially and have been challanged. Is there anyone reading this who can shed some light on how they handle the challanges. If so please comment on this post. I will be waiting.
Peter
We were doing the Radical Series and it was not well received and we decided to stop it. The goal of wildmen is to reach men and to hit a new believer with a message like that was not wise. I am about 4 years into my 2nd walk with God and I was not comfortable with the message.
I stared the Rick Warren study 40 days to a purpose driven life and I like it, it is making me think about what my purpose is. I have also been reading The Jabez prayer and have been asking God for blessings.
Like many out there I have been pressed on both sides finacially and have been challanged. Is there anyone reading this who can shed some light on how they handle the challanges. If so please comment on this post. I will be waiting.
Peter
Life
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene
from Jan
Facing the Mistakes of Life
From The Crown of Individuality, 1909
By William George Jordan
There are only two classes of people who never make mistakes—they are the dead and the unborn. Mistakes are the inevitable accompaniment of the greatest gift given to man—individual freedom of action. If he were only a pawn in the fingers of Omnipotence, with no self-moving power, man would never make a mistake, but his very immunity would degrade him to the ranks of the lower animals and the plants. An oyster never makes a mistake—it has not the mind that would permit it to forsake an instinct.
Let us be glad of the dignity of our privilege to make mistakes, glad of the wisdom that enables us to recognize them, glad of the power that permits us to turn their light as a glowing illumination along the pathway of our future.
Mistakes are the growing pains of wisdom, the assessments we pay on our stock of experience, the raw material of error to be transformed into higher living. Without them there would be no individual growth, no progress, no conquest. Mistakes are the knots, the tangles, the broken threads, the dropped stitches in the web of our living. They are the misdeals in judgment, our unwise investments in morals, the profit and loss account of wisdom. They are the misleading bypaths from the straight road of truth and truth in our highest living is but the accuracy of the soul.
Life is simply time given to man to learn how to live. Mistakes are always part of learning. The real dignity of life consists in cultivating a fine attitude towards our own mistakes and those of others. It is the fine tolerance of a fine soul. Man becomes great, not through never making mistakes, but by profiting by those he does make; by being satisfied with a single rendition of a mistake, not encoring it into a continuous performance; by getting from it the honey of new, regenerating inspiration with no irritating sting of morbid regret; by building better to-day because of his poor yesterday; and by rising with renewed strength, finer purpose and freshened courage every time he falls.
In great chain factories, power machines are specially built to test chains—to make them fail, to show their weakness, to reveal the mistakes of workmanship. Let us thank God when a mistake shows us the weak link in the chain of our living. It is a new revelation of how to live. It means the rich red blood of a new inspiration.
If we have made an error, done a wrong, been unjust to another or to ourselves, or, like the Pharisee, passed by some opportunity for good, we should have the courage to face our mistake squarely, to call it boldly by its right name, to acknowledge it frankly and to put in no flimsy alibis of excuse to protect an anemic self-esteem.
If we have been selfish, unselfishness should atone; if we have wronged, we should right; if we have hurt, we should heal; if we have taken unjustly, we should restore; if we have been unfair, we should become just. Every possible reparation should be made. If confession of regret for the wrong and for our inability to set it right be the maximum of our power let us at least do that. A quick atonement sometimes almost effaces the memory. If foolish pride stands in our way we are aggravating the first mistake by a new one. Some people’s mistakes are never born singly—they come in litters.
Those who waken to the realization of their wrong act, weeks, months or years later, sometimes feel it is better to let confession or reparation lapse, that it is too late to reopen a closed account; but men rarely feel deeply wounded if asked to accept payment on an old promissory note—outlawed for years.
Some people like to wander in the cemetery of their past errors, to reread the old epitaphs and to spend hours in mourning over the grave of a wrong. This new mistake does not antidote the old one. The remorse that paralyzes hope, corrodes purpose, and deadens energy is not moral health, it is—an indigestion of the soul that cannot assimilate an act. It is selfish, cowardly surrender to the dominance of the past. It is lost motion in morals; it does no good to the individual, to the injured, to others, or to the world. If the past be unworthy live it down; if it be worthy live up to it and—surpass it.
Omnipotence cannot change the past, so why should we try? Our duty is to compel that past to vitalize our future with new courage and purpose, making it a larger, greater future than would have been possible without the past that has so grieved us. If we can get real, fine, appetizing dividends from our mistakes they prove themselves not losses but—wise investments. They seem like old mining shares, laid aside in the lavender of memory of our optimism and now, by some sudden change in the market of speculation, proved to be of real value.
Musing over the dreams of youth, the golden hopes that have not blossomed into deeds, is a dangerous mental dissipation. In very small doses it may stimulate; in large ones it weakens effort. It over-emphasizes the past at the expense of the present; it adds weights, not wings, to purpose. “It might have been” is the lullaby of regret with which man often puts to sleep the mighty courage and confidence that should inspire him. We do not need narcotics in life so much as we need tonics. We may try sometimes, sadly and speculatively, to reconstruct our life from some date in the past when we might have taken a different course. We build on a dead “if.” This is the most unwise brand of air-castle.
The other road always looks attractive. Distant sails are always white; far-off hills always green. It may perhaps have been the poorer road after all, could our imagination, through some magic, see with perfect vision the finality of its possibility. The other road might have meant wealth but less happiness; fame might have charmed our ears with the sweet music of praise, but the little hand of love that rests so trustingly in ours might have been denied us. Death itself might have come earlier to us or his touch stilled the beatings of a heart we hold dearer than our own. What the other road might have meant no eternity of conjecture could ever reveal; no omnipotence could enable us now to walk therein even if we wished.
It is a greater mistake to err in purpose, in aim, in principle, than in our method of attaining them…Right principles are vital and primary. They bring the maximum of profit from mistakes, reduce the loss to a minimum. False pride perpetuates our mistakes, deters us from confessing them, debars us from repairing them and ceasing them.
Let us never accept mistakes as final; let us organize victory out of the broken ranks of failure and, despite all odds, fight on calmly, courageously, unflinchingly, serenely confident that, in the end, right living and right doing must triumph.
From The Crown of Individuality, 1909
By William George Jordan
There are only two classes of people who never make mistakes—they are the dead and the unborn. Mistakes are the inevitable accompaniment of the greatest gift given to man—individual freedom of action. If he were only a pawn in the fingers of Omnipotence, with no self-moving power, man would never make a mistake, but his very immunity would degrade him to the ranks of the lower animals and the plants. An oyster never makes a mistake—it has not the mind that would permit it to forsake an instinct.
Let us be glad of the dignity of our privilege to make mistakes, glad of the wisdom that enables us to recognize them, glad of the power that permits us to turn their light as a glowing illumination along the pathway of our future.
Mistakes are the growing pains of wisdom, the assessments we pay on our stock of experience, the raw material of error to be transformed into higher living. Without them there would be no individual growth, no progress, no conquest. Mistakes are the knots, the tangles, the broken threads, the dropped stitches in the web of our living. They are the misdeals in judgment, our unwise investments in morals, the profit and loss account of wisdom. They are the misleading bypaths from the straight road of truth and truth in our highest living is but the accuracy of the soul.
Life is simply time given to man to learn how to live. Mistakes are always part of learning. The real dignity of life consists in cultivating a fine attitude towards our own mistakes and those of others. It is the fine tolerance of a fine soul. Man becomes great, not through never making mistakes, but by profiting by those he does make; by being satisfied with a single rendition of a mistake, not encoring it into a continuous performance; by getting from it the honey of new, regenerating inspiration with no irritating sting of morbid regret; by building better to-day because of his poor yesterday; and by rising with renewed strength, finer purpose and freshened courage every time he falls.
In great chain factories, power machines are specially built to test chains—to make them fail, to show their weakness, to reveal the mistakes of workmanship. Let us thank God when a mistake shows us the weak link in the chain of our living. It is a new revelation of how to live. It means the rich red blood of a new inspiration.
If we have made an error, done a wrong, been unjust to another or to ourselves, or, like the Pharisee, passed by some opportunity for good, we should have the courage to face our mistake squarely, to call it boldly by its right name, to acknowledge it frankly and to put in no flimsy alibis of excuse to protect an anemic self-esteem.
If we have been selfish, unselfishness should atone; if we have wronged, we should right; if we have hurt, we should heal; if we have taken unjustly, we should restore; if we have been unfair, we should become just. Every possible reparation should be made. If confession of regret for the wrong and for our inability to set it right be the maximum of our power let us at least do that. A quick atonement sometimes almost effaces the memory. If foolish pride stands in our way we are aggravating the first mistake by a new one. Some people’s mistakes are never born singly—they come in litters.
Those who waken to the realization of their wrong act, weeks, months or years later, sometimes feel it is better to let confession or reparation lapse, that it is too late to reopen a closed account; but men rarely feel deeply wounded if asked to accept payment on an old promissory note—outlawed for years.
Some people like to wander in the cemetery of their past errors, to reread the old epitaphs and to spend hours in mourning over the grave of a wrong. This new mistake does not antidote the old one. The remorse that paralyzes hope, corrodes purpose, and deadens energy is not moral health, it is—an indigestion of the soul that cannot assimilate an act. It is selfish, cowardly surrender to the dominance of the past. It is lost motion in morals; it does no good to the individual, to the injured, to others, or to the world. If the past be unworthy live it down; if it be worthy live up to it and—surpass it.
Omnipotence cannot change the past, so why should we try? Our duty is to compel that past to vitalize our future with new courage and purpose, making it a larger, greater future than would have been possible without the past that has so grieved us. If we can get real, fine, appetizing dividends from our mistakes they prove themselves not losses but—wise investments. They seem like old mining shares, laid aside in the lavender of memory of our optimism and now, by some sudden change in the market of speculation, proved to be of real value.
Musing over the dreams of youth, the golden hopes that have not blossomed into deeds, is a dangerous mental dissipation. In very small doses it may stimulate; in large ones it weakens effort. It over-emphasizes the past at the expense of the present; it adds weights, not wings, to purpose. “It might have been” is the lullaby of regret with which man often puts to sleep the mighty courage and confidence that should inspire him. We do not need narcotics in life so much as we need tonics. We may try sometimes, sadly and speculatively, to reconstruct our life from some date in the past when we might have taken a different course. We build on a dead “if.” This is the most unwise brand of air-castle.
The other road always looks attractive. Distant sails are always white; far-off hills always green. It may perhaps have been the poorer road after all, could our imagination, through some magic, see with perfect vision the finality of its possibility. The other road might have meant wealth but less happiness; fame might have charmed our ears with the sweet music of praise, but the little hand of love that rests so trustingly in ours might have been denied us. Death itself might have come earlier to us or his touch stilled the beatings of a heart we hold dearer than our own. What the other road might have meant no eternity of conjecture could ever reveal; no omnipotence could enable us now to walk therein even if we wished.
It is a greater mistake to err in purpose, in aim, in principle, than in our method of attaining them…Right principles are vital and primary. They bring the maximum of profit from mistakes, reduce the loss to a minimum. False pride perpetuates our mistakes, deters us from confessing them, debars us from repairing them and ceasing them.
Let us never accept mistakes as final; let us organize victory out of the broken ranks of failure and, despite all odds, fight on calmly, courageously, unflinchingly, serenely confident that, in the end, right living and right doing must triumph.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Thanks
Dear Intercessors,
I want to thank you so very much for praying for us and this Wildmen ministry. We are watching the work of Christ bring healing, restoration and freedom to men and recently to their families as well.
Last week we were privileged to see the Gospel's grassroots impact when a team of Wildmen spoke at a local outreach where 300 people responded to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as their Savoir. The irony is that the theme for this outreach was "Storming The Gates" [STG]. I think that the title of this event had the Lord smiling when the Wildmen were asked to participate. It looks like that is just what happened. The Angels must have had a marvelous time rejoicing too!
At the STG event, the Wildmen were repeatedly asked for more information on following Christ, mentoring, walking together as brothers and as families. We saw first hand that so many people do not know Jesus invites them to walk together courageously sharing their hearts. To share the power and authority of the Gospel with so many hungry people. This is the work of Jesus. This is the Kingdom of God at work among us! Without your prayer support this would not have been possible. Thank you for sharing your heart to pray and battle along with us! Although we were a small part of Storming The Gates, you are a vital part of this victory in new souls being welcomed into the Family and Kingdom of God.
Please continue to pray for good soil for these new believers to grow closer Jesus. Also please remember to pray for us and the September Boot Camp. With Jesus' life, there is so much more...
THANK YOU !
Mark Woods
www.wildmenministry.com
I want to thank you so very much for praying for us and this Wildmen ministry. We are watching the work of Christ bring healing, restoration and freedom to men and recently to their families as well.
Last week we were privileged to see the Gospel's grassroots impact when a team of Wildmen spoke at a local outreach where 300 people responded to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as their Savoir. The irony is that the theme for this outreach was "Storming The Gates" [STG]. I think that the title of this event had the Lord smiling when the Wildmen were asked to participate. It looks like that is just what happened. The Angels must have had a marvelous time rejoicing too!
At the STG event, the Wildmen were repeatedly asked for more information on following Christ, mentoring, walking together as brothers and as families. We saw first hand that so many people do not know Jesus invites them to walk together courageously sharing their hearts. To share the power and authority of the Gospel with so many hungry people. This is the work of Jesus. This is the Kingdom of God at work among us! Without your prayer support this would not have been possible. Thank you for sharing your heart to pray and battle along with us! Although we were a small part of Storming The Gates, you are a vital part of this victory in new souls being welcomed into the Family and Kingdom of God.
Please continue to pray for good soil for these new believers to grow closer Jesus. Also please remember to pray for us and the September Boot Camp. With Jesus' life, there is so much more...
THANK YOU !
Mark Woods
www.wildmenministry.com
New Video
A movie from Simple Truths:
The Strangest Secret
If you received this email from a friend,
don't forget to sign up for our free newsletter.
For all of us, there are moments that have been...life-changing.
One of mine was the first time I heard The Strangest Secret in 1964.
It was then, and still is, the most powerful and thought-provoking message I've ever heard, and in many ways it changed my life.
watch video
The Strangest Secret
If you received this email from a friend,
don't forget to sign up for our free newsletter.
For all of us, there are moments that have been...life-changing.
One of mine was the first time I heard The Strangest Secret in 1964.
It was then, and still is, the most powerful and thought-provoking message I've ever heard, and in many ways it changed my life.
watch video
Are you ready?
The Armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
TGIF today
Preparation for Greatness
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Wednesday, June 01 2011
"He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze." - 2 Samuel 22:35 David was a mighty warrior, and God described him as a man after His own heart. God took David through a training ground that could be looked on as cruel and unusual punishment by many a person. God chose him at a young age to be the next king, yet King Saul rejected him and hunted him down. David was a fugitive for many years. He had uprisings in his own family, and he had relationship problems. He had a life of extreme ups and downs. He certainly did not have a life free of problems; he made mistakes. He was human like all of us, yet he learned from his mistakes and repented when he failed. This was David's training ground; it made the man. Without these hardships, it is doubtful David would have accomplished what he did.
Toward the end of David's life, he recounted his relationship with God. It is a sermon on God's ways of dealing with a servant leader.
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me Your shield of victory; You stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn (2 Samuel 22:33-37).
God was David's source for everything. God gave him the ability to achieve the many extraordinary things in his life. It was a lifelong training ground that moved him from one plateau to another, often dropping into a ravine of despair and hopelessness from time to time. These are God's ways. They drive us deeper and deeper into the heart of Him who has prepared a way for us. Let God take you to the heights or depths He desires for you. He never promised smooth sailing during the trip, but He did promise to be the captain and companion along the way.
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Wednesday, June 01 2011
"He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze." - 2 Samuel 22:35 David was a mighty warrior, and God described him as a man after His own heart. God took David through a training ground that could be looked on as cruel and unusual punishment by many a person. God chose him at a young age to be the next king, yet King Saul rejected him and hunted him down. David was a fugitive for many years. He had uprisings in his own family, and he had relationship problems. He had a life of extreme ups and downs. He certainly did not have a life free of problems; he made mistakes. He was human like all of us, yet he learned from his mistakes and repented when he failed. This was David's training ground; it made the man. Without these hardships, it is doubtful David would have accomplished what he did.
Toward the end of David's life, he recounted his relationship with God. It is a sermon on God's ways of dealing with a servant leader.
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me Your shield of victory; You stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn (2 Samuel 22:33-37).
God was David's source for everything. God gave him the ability to achieve the many extraordinary things in his life. It was a lifelong training ground that moved him from one plateau to another, often dropping into a ravine of despair and hopelessness from time to time. These are God's ways. They drive us deeper and deeper into the heart of Him who has prepared a way for us. Let God take you to the heights or depths He desires for you. He never promised smooth sailing during the trip, but He did promise to be the captain and companion along the way.
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