Chaya: “Do you remember that one kid who threw a rock at you?”

Gabe:  ”Yeah, but he’s not mean anymore.”

Chaya:  ”Well, I don’t like him cuz he hurt you.”

OR

Gabe: “Do you remember when we played with the hose outside, then went swimming and to the park?”

Chaya: “Yes, you hugged me that day.”

Gabriel does not like Chaya.  There’s no if, ands or buts about it.  I have tried just about everything I can, but 99.9% of the words coming out of Gabe’s mouth, toward Chaya, are negative in nature.

The reasoning for this or whether he will grow out of it or not is really not the point here.  I may deal with that another day.

Those are two conversations between Gabe and Chaya.  I could easily list 10 more from memory.  They could be talking about anyone in the world, but if they were mean to Gabriel, chances are Chaya does NOT like them.  She hasn’t grasped, fully, the act of forgiveness.

You could be talking about the most fun Chaya has ever had, but if Gabe was nice to her that day, that is all she’ll remember.

She seeks the love of her brother more than just about anything.  Day after day, it’s the same…Day after day, she doesn’t get it….but she keeps trying

A lot of times I equate this to my walk with Christ.

Sometimes I get disappointed because I can’t seem to get to where I want to be with Him.  I can’t get close enough.  I can’t feel the love that I KNOW is there.

Like Chaya, I can’t give up.  I must keep trying….must keep living for Him, knowing there will be days…..days like the ones Chaya remembers….where everything else is a blur, but the love of Christ is right in your face.

You can’t give up either.  You’ve experienced those days before.  You will again.  Keep at it. He will NEVER forsake you.

Peace!

Simplify!
by Charles R. Swindoll

John 17

High-tech times lead to high-stress tension. The never-ending drive for more, mixed with the popular tendency to increase production and intensify involvement, leaves most folks in the workplace not only exhausted but dissatisfied.

Instead of Saturday being a change-of-pace day, it has become an opportunity to squeeze in a second job. And Sundays? A time for renewal and refreshment? You’re smiling. No, it’s the day most type-A high achievers start another to-do list in preparation for the new week.

Every time I officiate at a funeral, I’m reminded of the things that really matter . . . things that last. Stuff that seemed so all-fired important yesterday loses its steam when you stand on a windswept hill surrounded by weather-beaten grave markers.

At that moment, something within you cries: Simplify!

Jesus mastered the art of maintaining a clear perspective while accomplishing every single one of His objectives. Though we never read of His hurrying anywhere, He managed to fulfill the complete agenda. Just before the agony of the Cross, He told the Father that He had “accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). And only seconds before He drew His last breath, He made that epochal statement, “It is finished” (19:30). Nothing essential was left undone.

I believe that a major reason for His being able to say those things was that He simplified His life. Jesus followed His own agenda instead of everyone else’s. He set predetermined limits: He chose twelve (not twelve hundred) whom He trained to carry on in His absence. He maintained His priorities without apology. He balanced work and rest, accomplishment and refreshment, never feeling the need to ask permission for spending time in quietness and solitude. He refused to get sidetracked by tempting opportunities that would drain energy and time. He was a servant of His Father, not a slave of the people.

He was firm yet kind and gentle, quick to hear and slow to speak. The complexities that tie us into knots never complicated His life or cramped His style.

What’s happened to us? When did we buy into all this hectic hassle that steals so much of the joy of just plain living? Who convinced us to feel guilty for taking time to balance work with play? Get off the treadmill and reorder your life. Go back three spaces and clean out the clutter that led to all this nonsense of busyness. Simplify!

How much longer will we keep adding nonessentials to our agenda?

Simplify!

I don’t have anything spectacular to say today and I may not have much to say this week, but I miss my Grandma.  I miss my Mom and hate that I’m here and not with her to spend this season together, remembering Grandma.  There is a reason for everything, but I struggle to find it sometimes.  I struggle to see the point.

My plans and desires….are just that….MINE.  Not always His and while I respect that, I do not have to like it.

I miss you Grandma…..Today and every day!

I made this video last year…..I just feel like watching again.

Join me.

Some random thoughts cuz I’m just not in a good place right now.

• I have an addictive personality.  I struggle to call it ‘addictive’ cuz I don’t feel like I “need”, but I have a hard time cutting things loose once I start something.
• The line above is, pretty much, the basis of this entire post.
• The first thing I read in the morning, when the kids are off and Elijah is settled, is Twitter.
• I’m usually in a good mood until I sit down and read.
• I’ve tried unfollowing those I find irritating….doesn’t work…..someone will always irritate me….cuz I’m irritable.
• I see the things, in other people, that I hate within myself.
• I see fakes
• I’m a fake!
• I write posts telling you how fake I am, partly, in hopes that the other “fakers” will read and be impacted.  Doesn’t happen….That’s part of what makes em fake…..totally unaffected by anything that doesn’t come from THEIR mouths.
• I am angry—-the wife calls me an angry old man.
• Ya’all have seen my videos….that’s not who I am.  I am generally a happy-go-lucky kinda guy.  Usually in a good mood…..I usually can find the good in all things….I usually can see the bright side…..I usually can turn the negative into something positive.
• Can’t seem to do it anymore and the more negative I see, that I’m unable to fight off, complicates my relationship with God.
• Living in a negative world should drive a Christian to the Word, to dig deep and seek His guidance.
• Doesn’t work like that for me.  I let it drive me away…..which brings me back to the first line up there.
• I have a hard time convincing myself it may be time to let go.
• I try to convince myself that I have made meaningful, lasting relationships via Twitter.
• Twitter will make you believe that, but it’s not true.
• There are 600+ people that twitter says “follow” me.  LOL  I’m guessing 500 of them I have never typed a word to or read a word from.
• Don’t get me wrong…..I HAVE met a few peeps via that network, but the relationships built there are solid ones that I know will continue with or without twitter.

What’s the bottom line?  Where am I going? I wish that I had the answers, but I don’t.  I hate to say “never” and I don’t intend to now, but for the time being tweetdeck and twittelator are gone.  The blogs stay….facebook stays and I’m not going to delete the twitter account.  Nor will I remove the twitter feeds, so should I get back into blogging on a regular basis, my posts will auto feed to twitter.  So, you say, you’re not cutting loose at all???  Well, it may seem that way, but let’s just say the output from twitter will stop.  If you’d like to reach me, there are many ways for you to do that and I trust you know how to make that happen.  There is a big ole “contact me” page up top .  I’ve wasted too much time there and it’s time to get back to bidness.  Wanna see lil Eli, Chaya and Gabe videos?  Come here for that .

I started this blog as a way to reach people in the name of Christ and as a way to stay connected with friends and family while we’re an ocean apart.  I believe reaching people for Christ is a calling and it doesn’t fade away.  My family obviously doesn’t fade away.  I would like to get back to where I started and like I said in a sermon I preached awhile back….”Eliminate the Distractions”.  There are many steps in eliminating all of the distractions in life.

This is a lil update…..disregard the part where I said I wasn’t gonna delete my account.  Doing this half way, solves nothing.  The account has been deleted.  See ya here or on FB .

This is step one.

When things get rough, do you run? Or do you say, “if this is what it takes God, bring the rain”?? It’s easy to type and easier to read, but actually speaking those words to God is tough.

Do you pray for rain?

Well, as far as I know, the old man did not “take the deal.”  I hesitate to refer to him as “old man”, but not sure he’d want his name here.

Anyway, I did as I said I would do and showed up at his door at 0815 yesterday morning.  I knocked and rang the bell until about 0825, but he did not answer the door.

I really didn’t get overly excited and set myself up for a let down though.  I knew that either a seed had been planted or one was watered on Friday and it is not my job to save him.  Only Jesus can do that and we prayed for this man in our Sunday school class.  We prayed that the Lord would work in his heart regardless of where he was Sunday morning.

I may stop by some other time or I may just wait until I see him again.  I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him several times before.  The incident on Friday could have been for me and not for him.  Although I witnessed God working in this man, I also felt Him working in me.  I felt Him tell me that my mood or personal circumstances have to sometimes be put on the back burner to do His work.  I have comfort in knowing that next time I will be more ready and sensitive to the situation.

On another note, we participated in the Fort Building Contest, over on Tam’s blog. We submitted the video below.

Fort Building 2009 from Toby Keathley on Vimeo.

You should go over and “pressure” the judges to vote for us!

This week’s Wednesday Worship is an awesome song. I’d like to focus on just a few words in it though. “The more I seek You…..The more I find You.”

Simple, true and quite profound.

Maybe when we’re asking “why me”, we’re asking the wrong Person.

Seek Him and you will find Him.  Don’t and you will not…..It’s that simple.

Andy from Pete Wilson on Vimeo.

I know quite a few people where I’ve said about them, “that’s one person who will NEVER be saved.”  Well folks, NEVER is a strong word.  I felt that way about myself for the longest time as I’m sure many others did too.  Well, in God’s time, I came and if there is a person out there who you have given up on, maybe this is a little nudge for you to get back in the fight.

A few things to sum it all up:

• God made us in His image–to be like Him.
• God has never given up on anyone, including you!
• Understanding we’ll never be God, in striving to be like him, how can we give up on ANYONE who has not yet accepted Him into their hearts?
• They won’t come because of you, but keep planting those seeds.
• You giving up on them is just another reason for them not to come.

Thanks Pete for a great post and great video!! and WAY TO GO ANDY!!

Wecome to MAD Monday!

So, a few days ago I was doing our taxes.  I always do them at TurbotaxOnline and I’m entering information that has changed since last year.  We usually get a decent amount back each year, so I wasn’t too excited.  Well, little did I know, active duty military members get DOUBLE earned income credit.  Yes, double…for each child.  WOW! I was blown away looking at that amount at the top of the page.  I kept waiting for it to change every time I clicked “continue”.  It didn’t! I came to the end, clicked submit and it was DONE! We were gonna be rich for a minute!

Immediately, I send Ria a text message telling her how much we’re getting back.  I then turn to the kids, without having thought of this AT ALL and said, “listen kids, here in a few weeks we’re getting a new TV, I’m gonna buy you a Wii , we’re going to put our old TV in your play room and I’m going to buy you an XBox 360 with Rock Band.  We’re gonna have new furniture, a new desk and a new dining room set, so YOU BETTER GET USED TO SITTING ON THE FLOOR! Daddy is gonna buy a new camcorder and we’re gonna pay half of Grandma’s plane ticket to come see us this summer.  We have to find you a babysitter cuz your Mommy and I are going to Rome.  Oh crap, Chaya, we need to get you some stuff too.  Ummm what do you want?  Oh, some dollies?  Ok, you got it….We’ll buy lots of dollies.” Yes, it’s in quotes for a reason…That’s word-for-word how I said it.

In a matter of 5 minutes, I spent every dime we had.  I probably spent more than we had, but it was done.  For those of you who know me, you know once I have made up my mind, it’s done.  I sat down at the computer and smiled.  I had the plan! We could invite people over now cuz we’re all of the sudden good enough cuz we have nice stuff.  Wow, I felt good.

Ria came home and I told her where all of the money was going.  Notice I TOLD her, I didn’t ask.  But she doesn’t mind cuz Ria and I are, pretty much, twins separated at birth.  We have these same problems of acting on impulse.

Fast forward to the next day.  I just finished doing some laundry and was in the living room laughing at my old, beaten up desk.  I was measuring, with my eyes, where the new TV would go.  I sat down to check my mail and among all of the emails, 2 of them are seemingly in BOLD BOLD print.  They read:

1. TURBOTAXONLINE—YOUR FEDERAL RETURN HAS BEEN REJECTED BY THE IRS.
2. TURBOTAXONLINE—YOUR STATE RETURN HAS BEEN REJECTED BY THE IRS.

I felt like someone just killed my dog.  I didn’t want to open either one of them, and I didn’t for about an hour.  Instead, I sat and thought.  I thought, “wow God, I know I’m a screw up, but You didn’t have to do THAT!”

I was continuing down a path that has haunted me all of my life.  I DON’T THINK! I DO!  No prayer, no thought, no discussion, no planning.  All that mattered is that I wanted it and I want it NOW!  But this is how God speaks to me.  Sometimes He has to make me feel like my world is crumbling to stop and think about what I’m doing.  Sometimes, just like a Father, he has to say, “HEY, did you ask if you could have that?”  It’s like a slap in the face, followed by a giant hug.  Man, what a feeling.

I have since prayed and prayed and it turned out that I simply forgot a form on our taxes and all is well again, but we, yes WE, not just me, have redistributed the funds.  There aren’t too many items on the previous list that made it.  My Mom’s plane ticket is a must, but then we’re talking about putting some into savings.  No, I didn’t stutter, I said SAVINGS!   My Mom is probably having a coronary right now cuz that word, “savings”, isn’t one I have used too often in my life.

Then, I was reading THIS POST and it inspired what you’re reading.  Thanks Bill, that’s good stuff!

It was this verse that has stuck in my mind since then:

Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish. Luke 14:28-30 (The Message)

Yes God, I would have looked quite foolish.  Thank You for the wake up call!  AMEN!

Am I alone here?  Do you struggle with impulse?

I’m so grateful for our God!

Click the banner to watch and read more testimonies.

This week, I introduce you to Jay.  Jay is a husband, father, drummer, singer and fellow member of Faith Baptist Church here in Germany.  I am confident Jay’s story will reach many.  If you know someone who would needs to see it, I trust you’ll pass it on.

Thanks Jay!!

Your story will affect many also!! Comment or email me so we can share your testimony here!!