To obey or not to obey...is there really even a choice!!!

As we get closer to the leaving for Haiti, I cannot help but share my heart with you!  

One of the reasons we are answering the call to Haiti is the effect that disobedience has on those around you.  Straight up, if God is calling us to Haiti and we choose to ignore Him, the 3 above will live in our disobedience with us.  But the exact opposite is true as well!!  If we chose to live in the obedience and answer the call to Haiti, they too share in the blessings of that obedience.  

Everyday, no matter who you are, you have people watching you.  The way you love, forgive, serve, etc . is being watched by someone.  What scares the heck out of me is many parents are choosing to live in direct disobedience to God, in choosing to live their own way, especially in regards to getting a divorce.  

Do you really think that your decision to end your marriage will not have an effect on those little and big ones watching you.  You are inviting insecurity and a corrupted view of God's love into their world. Wake up and choose to repent and come back to God and save your marriage.  Do not let the lies of Satan to lead you down a path of thinking that "it will all be okay."  It won't be, you will suffer and you are inviting a poison into your children and grandchildren that will be hard to remove.

Wake up and change!  Disobedience is costly!  

Blown away by you all!

Where do I even start...

Just a few minutes ago, the doorbell rang.  When I answered the door, the lady said, 

“God told me to do this the other day, but I didn’t.  So today, I went by the bank and did what God told me to do.”  

She hands me the envelope and then leaves.

Walking back in I was in shock of the mighty movement of our Jesus and the way “extraordinary radicals” step out with us.

If the one who gave us the “envelope” happens to be reading this blog...

Thank you so much from the deepest part of our soul.  You see the very act of your obedience is a reconfirmation of the call we are on.  You have no idea of the impact for Jesus you made on us today!  

Whether it is a smile, prayer, or financial support we are so encouraged by the Community that is standing with us on our journey.  

"I thank my God every time I remember you."  Philippians 1:3

In the News...

Here is a link to an article published in a local newspaper about our journey to Haiti!

For God's Glory alone.

Other People's Trash...

“My wake up call to serving others ...”

Driving back home from dropping the kids off this morning I came across a huge pile of trash outside my neighbors house.  After thinking, I wonder if it was my dog, I had a inner pulling to go and pick up the trash.  

In which I did exactly the opposite....

After all, we had guests coming and I promised Christi that the house would be clean by the time she returned home.  As I started cleaning the conviction became stronger and stronger in the call to go over and pick up the trash.

Then came the rush of excuses, bringing reason in NOT to pick up the trash:

• What if they show back up and see me cleaning it up?
• What if they think it was my dog that went through it?
• Maybe they were mad at waste management so they wanted to make it harder for them to clean it up?  

Aren’t our excuses ridiculous sometimes!

Finally I gave in and grabbed a couple of boxes and walked over to the house and began the process of picking up the trash.  (Which took a entire five minutes to complete!)

While picking up the trash, I began to correlate the trash in my neighbor's yard to the baggage (trash) we carry around with us daily.  There are so many hurting people walking around with a pile of hurt, and what do we do???  IGNORE IT! 

Why?  

When it comes down to it we are just lazy,  disobedient followers sometimes;  it takes too much time or it might be too much of a hindrance to get involved.  

Remember Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve others and give his life for many.  He gladly accepted all of our trash (sin) and took it upon himself.  Actually in many ways we are still dumping all trash upon him today...and you know what he says about it?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”     -  Jesus 

My prayer...

God, may I begin to continue to step out of my comfort and stop making ridiculous excuses and get involved with other people’s trash!  In doing so, giving others a true depiction of your love.

God speaking through a paint job...

For the last few weeks I have found myself in a project of painting my grandmother' house...

As I picked up the scarper and sandpaper this morning and begin to work on the front door of the house, God spoke so loudly!

What I have found out in the last few weeks is the quality of the paint job is all about the prep work; i.e. the scraping, sandpapering, washing, priming, etc.  If you fast forward this process, the paint job will not last.

Doesn't that speak to our journey with Christ..

So often we want the fast forward approach to our spiritual journey.  We want the "abundant life", the "peace that passes all understanding", the "reigning with Christ", etc.  With good intentions we want all the finished project of the paint job without the scraping and sandpapering as it relates to the refining mentioned in Hebrews 12 and James 1

It is the trials in life that allows us to place ourselves in hands of Jesus, trusting him with everything.  When we persevere in His strength we come through as an example of the Jesus we follow.