Steve Harvey Introduces Jesus Christ

Wow...I don't know much about Steve Harvey, but I was very impressed by this.

It Is Finished

Two thousand years ago one man paid the price for us all. The war was won that day.

No matter what your worries. No matter what your fears. No matter what you face.

Battles will come and go - but the victory is assured.

I Am Thankful

On this day of Thanksgiving when people across the country gather with family and friends to partake in food, fun and fellowship, I wanted to share with those who read here the many things I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful for Christ's sacrifice, a gift that is the gift of all gifts, that I don't deserve and can never earn on my own.

2. I am thankful for the trials and tribulations in my life, for they are allowing God to reveal more of His greatness and glory to me, and drawing me closer to Him.

3. I am thankful for Annette, my wife, for the 2 beautiful kids she has given me, for the many things she's introduced me to (Jars of Clay, Cary Grant and Indian food, to name a few), the good memories we have, her friendship and love and much, much more.

4. I am thankful for Josh, my son, who is turning into an amazing young man who has an awesome heart for God.

5. I am thankful for Joy, my daughter, who is what her name says, and has allowed me to see the world through the eyes of a young child.

6. I am thankful for my sister, the last of my immediate family, for her help and support as I move forward in personal growth.

7. I am thankful for my church, Calvary Chapel South LA, who in one short month have become more family than church.

8. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve my church, and repay at least a little of all they and the Lord have freely given me.

9. I am thankful for my job which I love and enjoy, and a company who values me.

10. I am thankful for the freedoms we have, and grateful to all the men and women who have served and are serving to protect those freedoms.

11. I am thankful for all of my friends, near and far, who are always there for me with a caring word, a listening ear and even a rebuke when needed.

12. I am thankful for the many great and wonderous things that God has in store for me that He has not yet revealed.

Yes, I am thankful.

God is good.

It's great to be alive!

Daddy, Fix It. Make It Right.

Tonight I was reading Joy her bedtime story, and she popped up with "You never play with me anymore."

Now, this surprised me. But being a concerned father, I asked her what she would like me to do, thinking she'd give me a list of activities. Instead, she said "Fix it. Make it right."

So I asked her again.

"Daddy, fix it. Make it right."

We went through this 3 or 4 times, and she finally gave me an activity.

As I got to thinking about it, I realized that this was such a simple illustration of how our interaction with God should be. It resonates very well with some other things I'm learning in my own personal walk with God (which I'll get to in another post).

How often do Christians give God a problem, and then proceed to tell God how He can fix it to make them happy? How often do we not only tell God our problems, but tell Him how to fix them as well? Or better yet, how often do we try and fix them ourselves?

I know for me way too often.

My daughter's request was simple. "Daddy, fix it. Make it right."

She has faith in her daddy that he can fix it and make it right. No constraints, no list of things that must occur...just plain, simple, faith. She has a problem, and daddy will take care of the details and make it right.

How much more blessed would we be if we approached God the same way with our problems? With the faith of a child.

Got a problem? Got a fear? Got a worry? Got a need?

"Daddy, fix it. Make it right."

Inspiration

My wife and I each have a copy of a 2-year daily study Bible (NIV), where you go through the Old Testament in 2 years and the New Testament twice in two years. We're doing the Old Testament together, and I'm doing the New Testament on my own.

At the end of each day's selection, there's a prayer pulled from scripture. Recently, I've found a couple of these to be helpful to me.

My Relationship To God:
"I will lie down in peace and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)...May You, O God of peace - who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, our great Sheperd of the sheep - equip me with every good thing to do Your will, and may You work in me what is pleasing in Your sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. (Hebrews 13:20-21).

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but You, O God, are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from You will perish; You have cut off all who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, it is good to be near You. I have made You my refuge, Lord God, that I may tell of all Your works. (Psalm 73:25-28)"

I need to keep these two prayers close to me.

And it probably wouldn't hurt to read Psalms more often...I'm beginning to appreciate the beauty of the Psalms more and more.

I Have A Dream

I have a dream.

I have a desire...a desire to do something for God. I know what this "something" is.

I hope and pray that He will allow me to do it at some point in the future.

Nobody knows what it is, except me and God. I've had it for a while now, though the prospect of me being in a position to do it seem to come and go.

Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to do this someday....though it would be an ongoing thing, not a one time thing.

Or perhaps I'll find myself like King David, who told God he was going to build a temple for Him. God said no, you're not. I'm going to build you a temple...it is for your son to build Me a temple.

Obviously David got a good deal, either way you cut it.

If I don't get the opportunity to do what I want for God, I hope He blesses me at least a little bit as well as He blessed David.

So..if anyone is reading this blog, prayers for me in my quest to serve God would be appreciated. Specific requests for me to be able to serve in the way I want would be great, but general ones are ok too :)

At The Foot Of The Cross

Yesterday I was driving into work, and I was listening to Agnus Dei by Third Day, one of (if not my most) all time favorite worship songs. It's a simply beautiful song that is well worth listening to.

I found myself thinking about how I feel burdened by a lot of what is going on in my life. Burdened to the point of being bent over by the weight. There's a phrase that I have heard several times in the last year or so...."At the foot of the cross." That's where it all begins for Christians. In humble submission to our Lord, at the foot of the cross.

While I was thinking about this, I had an image appear in my mind. A person (could be me, could be the person down the street, could be you, could be anyone), their burdens weighing on them so heavily that they are nearly pressed to the ground.

And then they look up, just a little, and realize where they are.

At the foot of the cross.

They can't carry this burden any longer...and now they realize they don't have to. They give their burden to the cross, to Christ, for Him to carry.

The weight is gone, and now they can stand up straight, no longer struggling with their burdens. Now they can carry on...for Jesus.

I am that person. I have carried my burdens far too long, simply because I was not willing to submit to God and let Him carry them for me. I've found myself wondering, the last couple of days, if perhaps God allows our burdens to press us down to the ground, so that we when we look up, all we can see is the foot of the cross. And once we release our burdens to Him, we are able to stand tall and proceed about His work.

Maybe if I get really motivated, I'll try and draw a picture of this someday.

For now, I am working on giving my burdens to my Lord, and allowing Him to direct my life.

I leave you with this: "For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:30, KJV)