We take most days as they come, taking for granted that when we are through with this one, another will be on it’s way. Expecting things to just keep right on rolling as they have, but I am amazed at the power of a day. Life can end, life can stop, your whole world can crumble, in just one day. When I look back at the last 4 days, I have been up and down the emotional roller coaster. I am deeply sadden by a good friends actions, concerned about those I love most and what they are experiencing and the decisions they have to make, and my inability to help or change the course of what is to come. Or so I feel. I don’t want to take my days for granted any longer. Just expecting the next one to roll on by followed by the next and the next. Yesterday I had two prayer meetings, and experience God in both of them, but in very different ways. The first was seeing God move in others around me, and the second was feeling God move in me deep down inside. Tears started to flow and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control them. Due to my foolish pride, I fought to control them; when every thing deep inside me said "let it come, let it out!" But I didn’t. I don’t understand what that was all about, maybe all the stress of what friends and loved ones are going through, or the pain and destruction I see some of the causing! Or was it that I have wanted to feel God in my life again like I used to. Or is it the uncertainty of a day, and what it may bring. Life begins, relationships end, lives are turned upside down, people become damaged and destroyed all in one day, no different than the next.
Something profound happens in me everyday, and for too long I have taken it for granted! A miracle every day!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is(Y) in Christ, he is(Z) a new creation.[b](AA) The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Lord, help me live this day, as that new creation. Let the peace only you can give come, and wash me as white as snow!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
COLD!
This February was just plain too cold. I am boycotting February from here on out. Who is with me?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
My Valentine
Song of Solomon 4:9 (English Standard Version)
9You have captivated my heart, my(A) sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
This morning… I am trying to get over a cold, as I finished up a teleconference, was trying to get some more tax preparations taken care of, checking my production for the month, wondering how I was going to come up with the rest of the business I need for the month, wondering about staffing issues, wondering about the balance of my checking account, wondering about the church plant I am helping with, wondering about plans for valentines day with my honey, when I began to become burdened and overwhelmed with where I am, and all that I have to deal with today… When the thought corssed my mind… Small as it is, you have to catch them when they come because they are only here for an instant… “you ought to be on your knees in prayer” Good idea!
So at my office I got on my knees, in the front room and looked out the widow at the beautiful sky, mostly blue with some streaking clouds and a white line of clouds near the horizon…
Beautiful,
and as I sat still in Awe of how beautiful this show is that God puts on for us every day… Peace came… the clouds looked to be stationary, but I could see the beam out front and against the clouds I could tell they were moving slowly to the east, I sat there for a minute and then remembered that it was valentines day, and that I really ought to make God my valentine… I know he delights one glance of my eye…
I guess it just reminded me that we get so caught up in day to day things, and in holidays, that we forget to be IN LOVE with our first love! Are you in love?
Don’t forget this valentines day to give one or two or a thousand glances of your eyes to your ONE TRUE LOVE!
Blessings to you all, on this cold valentines day!
9You have captivated my heart, my(A) sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
This morning… I am trying to get over a cold, as I finished up a teleconference, was trying to get some more tax preparations taken care of, checking my production for the month, wondering how I was going to come up with the rest of the business I need for the month, wondering about staffing issues, wondering about the balance of my checking account, wondering about the church plant I am helping with, wondering about plans for valentines day with my honey, when I began to become burdened and overwhelmed with where I am, and all that I have to deal with today… When the thought corssed my mind… Small as it is, you have to catch them when they come because they are only here for an instant… “you ought to be on your knees in prayer” Good idea!
So at my office I got on my knees, in the front room and looked out the widow at the beautiful sky, mostly blue with some streaking clouds and a white line of clouds near the horizon…
Beautiful,
and as I sat still in Awe of how beautiful this show is that God puts on for us every day… Peace came… the clouds looked to be stationary, but I could see the beam out front and against the clouds I could tell they were moving slowly to the east, I sat there for a minute and then remembered that it was valentines day, and that I really ought to make God my valentine… I know he delights one glance of my eye…
I guess it just reminded me that we get so caught up in day to day things, and in holidays, that we forget to be IN LOVE with our first love! Are you in love?
Don’t forget this valentines day to give one or two or a thousand glances of your eyes to your ONE TRUE LOVE!
Blessings to you all, on this cold valentines day!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Why does God, want to know me?
What is this place, earth, what was meant to be a blessing and a wonderful place to live,
Gen 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
but due to our sin, turned out to be a place of toil, death, and pain.
Gen 3:16
16To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; (O) in pain you shall bring forth children.(P) Your desire shall be for[f] your husband, and he shall(Q) rule over you."
17And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree(R) of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,'(S) cursed is the ground because of you; (T) in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.19By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken;(U) for you are dust, and(V) to dust you shall return."
Thankfully he didn’t leave us there! Although due to our choice to sin He would be justified in doing so. Yet, because He wants to be with us; wants us to be with Him, more than we can imagine wanting anything in this world. He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not(D) perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Why? (As I scratch my head) and then after some time, as my brain begins to smoke, because the equation does not compute… I realize, I don’t care WHY! We don’t deserve a relationship with him, yet
“6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8
So we could be justified in his sacrifice… The bridge that was destroyed by SIN, (which = separation from our loving creator) has been rebuilt by a master carpenter. Why he wants to know us doesn’t matter. Who cares why this amazing God wants to know me, or you? THE GREAT NEWS IS!!! He does, and, he has demonstrated this countless times throughout history, and to this day continues (through his holy spirit) to show me his love. Though I don’t measure up, (See Exodus 20:1-17) He wants to walk with me, and talk with me, and He wants me, to spend time with Him.
What a mystery this place called earth… Well enough time spent writing this, I have a God that wants me to notice him! See you all later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoYWDCwxExs
Gen 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
but due to our sin, turned out to be a place of toil, death, and pain.
Gen 3:16
16To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; (O) in pain you shall bring forth children.(P) Your desire shall be for[f] your husband, and he shall(Q) rule over you."
17And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree(R) of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,'(S) cursed is the ground because of you; (T) in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.19By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken;(U) for you are dust, and(V) to dust you shall return."
Thankfully he didn’t leave us there! Although due to our choice to sin He would be justified in doing so. Yet, because He wants to be with us; wants us to be with Him, more than we can imagine wanting anything in this world. He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not(D) perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Why? (As I scratch my head) and then after some time, as my brain begins to smoke, because the equation does not compute… I realize, I don’t care WHY! We don’t deserve a relationship with him, yet
“6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8
So we could be justified in his sacrifice… The bridge that was destroyed by SIN, (which = separation from our loving creator) has been rebuilt by a master carpenter. Why he wants to know us doesn’t matter. Who cares why this amazing God wants to know me, or you? THE GREAT NEWS IS!!! He does, and, he has demonstrated this countless times throughout history, and to this day continues (through his holy spirit) to show me his love. Though I don’t measure up, (See Exodus 20:1-17) He wants to walk with me, and talk with me, and He wants me, to spend time with Him.
What a mystery this place called earth… Well enough time spent writing this, I have a God that wants me to notice him! See you all later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoYWDCwxExs
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Crazy good listening skills make a good leader?
Proverbs 5:11-14
11and at the end of your life you(O) groan, when your flesh and body are consumed,
12and you say,(P) "How I hated discipline, and my heart(Q) despised reproof!
13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.
14(R) I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation."
Opening ones eyes, and stepping back from our current point of observations can often times enlighten us to many things we miss... Duh, you might say, but how often do we actually practice this? Do we daily, weekly or even monthly, take the time to look at our surroundings, and imagine how others are perceiving us, rather than how we see ourselves fitting in? I read something today that made me question the above.
“A leader’s communication must e consistent, clear, and courteous. But leaders must also be good listeners… Ultimately, poor listening leads to hostility, miscommunications, and a breakdown of team cohesion. How are your listening skills? Give your self a 360-Degree review. Ask for feedback concerning your ability and willingness to listen from your boss or mentor, your colleagues, and your subordinates. If you don’t get good grades from all of them, then quiet down, listen up and work to become a better communicator.”
-The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork-
How often do we assume we understand what someone means, buy their actions… Because if I acted in such a way it would mean such and such… And there in lies the problem… They are not us, and they don’t necessarily mean what we would when they act in such a way.
I am out of time… Trevor out
11and at the end of your life you(O) groan, when your flesh and body are consumed,
12and you say,(P) "How I hated discipline, and my heart(Q) despised reproof!
13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.
14(R) I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation."
Opening ones eyes, and stepping back from our current point of observations can often times enlighten us to many things we miss... Duh, you might say, but how often do we actually practice this? Do we daily, weekly or even monthly, take the time to look at our surroundings, and imagine how others are perceiving us, rather than how we see ourselves fitting in? I read something today that made me question the above.
“A leader’s communication must e consistent, clear, and courteous. But leaders must also be good listeners… Ultimately, poor listening leads to hostility, miscommunications, and a breakdown of team cohesion. How are your listening skills? Give your self a 360-Degree review. Ask for feedback concerning your ability and willingness to listen from your boss or mentor, your colleagues, and your subordinates. If you don’t get good grades from all of them, then quiet down, listen up and work to become a better communicator.”
-The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork-
How often do we assume we understand what someone means, buy their actions… Because if I acted in such a way it would mean such and such… And there in lies the problem… They are not us, and they don’t necessarily mean what we would when they act in such a way.
I am out of time… Trevor out
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Willing... I am.
Now I have a hard time getting up in the morning… It really doesn’t matter what time it is. I have tried repeatedly to start a morning devotional time, but have had little success. I think it is partially due to what I get out of the study times I have had in the early morning… I will sit there and wonder where the pages have gone. I started in Luke 1 and now I am in Luke 4… Not knowing what happened in the mean time… But I am willing to do whatever God asks of me. So after praying about it for a couple of weeks, I decided to act. This thing will always just be an idea if we never make it more than that. God needs us to take action.
A good friend of mine “Steve Erickson” once said, “Truth and action in Christ is a ‘holy knot’, Teaching and doing are a package that must not be separated”.
I have to agree, it is the same way in business. We can have great business plan and ideas, but unless you get out there and take action, it will always be just a plan. Someone has to bring it to life. So Lord. I am willing to do the foot work! More than willing, I am excited and love the Idea of helping further your Kingdome! It is you who will have to bring it to life.
So the first Monday of every month, Lord willing, I will open my office, invite everyone to pray with me.
Mark 14:38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Trevor OUT>
A good friend of mine “Steve Erickson” once said, “Truth and action in Christ is a ‘holy knot’, Teaching and doing are a package that must not be separated”.
I have to agree, it is the same way in business. We can have great business plan and ideas, but unless you get out there and take action, it will always be just a plan. Someone has to bring it to life. So Lord. I am willing to do the foot work! More than willing, I am excited and love the Idea of helping further your Kingdome! It is you who will have to bring it to life.
So the first Monday of every month, Lord willing, I will open my office, invite everyone to pray with me.
Mark 14:38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Trevor OUT>
Thursday, December 20, 2007
We all do?
My first post, on my first blog… You would think I would spend more time trying to come up with something worth while to read… but no, so here is some thing I have thought about in the past, and now I can post comments on my friends posts!
We all do… We all forget that it is not about us, it is not about what we can get for ourselves, it is about people, and how we interact with them. When we are on a trip across the state or even the country, or even town, when we stop for gas, do we just stare at the counter when we go to pay and hand them our credit card and take our receipt and leave. Or do we look them in the eye, smile say Merry Christmas, and hope they can feel the love of the spirit of God living inside us. Or does it even matter? We will probably never see them again. Will it make a difference in their lives ever? Will it make a difference in ours. Does it make a difference to the God we say we live for? Do we remember after years of being married, that the spouse we chose once made our eyes sparkle?!!! Sparkle!!!! And yet so many times, I see married couples speak to one another with contempt for each other… They respond to the most simple of questions with barbed phrases and sharp tones. Where did the respect, and honor for that person go? I have experienced it myself, I see it almost every time when I hang out with married couples. The gentleness is gone. The person we are supposed lift up and honor and cherish most has some how become the person we treat with the most insensitivity, carelessness, and least respect. WHY? We all do… From time to time… But this Christmas, stop for a long moment, really stop……. ….. ….. and remember what that person was to you when you stood with them in front of God and a congregation of people, and VOWED!!!! I will take you, to have, to hold, to honor and cherish, till death do us part… Are you living out the vow you made before God and man? Or are you breaking your vows? Are you breaking your covenant? Look up the words in the dictionary, the ones you used to convey to that person how you pledged to take care of them, how you pledged to hold them in high regard… Who am I to talk? I am just a screw up, just like you…
But in Gods eyes I am one of his, loved and forgiven! What a gift, I receive that this Christmas, and I need in more than ever!
We all do… We all forget that it is not about us, it is not about what we can get for ourselves, it is about people, and how we interact with them. When we are on a trip across the state or even the country, or even town, when we stop for gas, do we just stare at the counter when we go to pay and hand them our credit card and take our receipt and leave. Or do we look them in the eye, smile say Merry Christmas, and hope they can feel the love of the spirit of God living inside us. Or does it even matter? We will probably never see them again. Will it make a difference in their lives ever? Will it make a difference in ours. Does it make a difference to the God we say we live for? Do we remember after years of being married, that the spouse we chose once made our eyes sparkle?!!! Sparkle!!!! And yet so many times, I see married couples speak to one another with contempt for each other… They respond to the most simple of questions with barbed phrases and sharp tones. Where did the respect, and honor for that person go? I have experienced it myself, I see it almost every time when I hang out with married couples. The gentleness is gone. The person we are supposed lift up and honor and cherish most has some how become the person we treat with the most insensitivity, carelessness, and least respect. WHY? We all do… From time to time… But this Christmas, stop for a long moment, really stop……. ….. ….. and remember what that person was to you when you stood with them in front of God and a congregation of people, and VOWED!!!! I will take you, to have, to hold, to honor and cherish, till death do us part… Are you living out the vow you made before God and man? Or are you breaking your vows? Are you breaking your covenant? Look up the words in the dictionary, the ones you used to convey to that person how you pledged to take care of them, how you pledged to hold them in high regard… Who am I to talk? I am just a screw up, just like you…
But in Gods eyes I am one of his, loved and forgiven! What a gift, I receive that this Christmas, and I need in more than ever!
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