More than a Blog...?

I have to do something. How can I just sit idle and allow the souls of the lost perish right before my very eyes...?

I have an opportunity with every encounter to tell people around me about Jesus, but do I...?

No.

Isn't the greatest news in the world that Jesus Christ Loves us and that he died for our sins on a cross two thousand years ago so that we would have an opportunity to escape the Judgement Wrath of God and the fires of condemnation if we believe in HIM...?

Yes.

Well, why then am I not telling the whole world about it..? I suppose that I am witnessing in this blog venue. But blogging about it is about the least I can do.

Hasn't my life been changed irrevocably by the love and mercy and grace of God...?

Absolutely.

Well then why don't I fashion a testimony about how God changed my life and is continuing to change my life...? And, why don't I use my story to persuade and encourage others to come to Christ...?

If they already know Him perhaps my testimony can encourage them to walk closer with HIM.

I have to do something. I don't want to get to my own judgement and hear God say, 'Thanks for the blog, but is that the BEST you could do...?'

I want to give God more than a Blog.

And I have to get started 'cleaning up my act' today...! It's high time my life CLEARLY reflected that I am a child of God...

There's no time like the present to fully surrender to Jesus Christ.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I awakened this morning with a strong conviction to take my witness to a different level. This is something that has been building in me for a long time. Father God I want to live my life totally, recklessly abandoned to You. Help me to be Bold in the proclamation of my Faith.

You can do this. You have done it innumerable times in the bible through ordinary men. Why not use me, Lord...?

Today is a good day to start. Lord I just pray a blessing over my day. Bless all of my encounters today. There are no 'chance' encounters, Lord. Every person I meet today is an opportunity to let my light shine for You.

Father God, Thank You so much for my sweet family. Thank You for a praying wife. Thank You for Connor. Thank You for Elijah. Lord I want to show my gratitude by living totally for You from this moment on.

Lord the Evil one will seek to tempt me and distract me more than ever now. He wants to destroy my testimony. Deliver me from Evil and Temptation, Father.

You have transformed me, my King. Oh what a wondrous day this is. I am filled to overflowing with Your abundant Joy, my Lord....! I want to shout Your Name to the whole world...!

Father God I love You. You have truly rescued me. Thank You my Lord and Precious Savior. Oh there is none like You...!

And I pray these things in Your sweet holy name, JESUS CHRIST,

Amen.

Paul Harvey's Prayer

A Christian friend forwarded an email to me containing this prayer from well known radio personality Paul Harvey...

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

If You'd like to visit Paul Harvey's website go here:

http://www.paulharvey.com/index.aspx

Thursday Thanks... Romans 8:28

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I do thank You for all the adversity I'm facing right now. I am overwhelmed with deadlines and more responsibility than I can handle and I realize Lord that my only hope is in YOU. Lord I trust You to get me through.

I have to rely on the promise of Romens 8:28. Lord I trust that all will work for Good because I do Love You, my King. And I AM called to Your purpose.

Father God I pray that You order my steps this morning. Help me get everything on my plate accomplished. And Lord let every accomplishment be to Your Glory and Honor.

I know that anything and everything is possible with You, my King. Oh Lord I love You. And I fall upon Your mercy and grace this morning.

Lord Jesus I lift up my sweet wife to You this morning, also. She's going through the same sort of 'busy-ness' that I am. I cover her in prayer this morning and pray blessings over her schedule as well. I thank You so much for Monica. Through eveything we face she always gives me strength and encouragement because of her faith. Lord I am so grateful for my precious bride. Thank You for her presence in my life.

Oh Most Holy Father, I give this day to You, my King. I am not discouraged in the face of adversity. I just give it all to You Lord and trust You to make sense of it all. Guide me Lord. Lead me Good Shepherd. I rest in You.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

You will know them by their fruits...

I awakened this morning with these things on my mind... Don't be so angry. Don't judge others so harshly. God will treat me the way I've treated others. I really need to be more gracious. I need to be slow to speak in anger.

Scriptures that immediately came to mind were Ephesians 4:29, Matthew 7:12, and Matthew 7:16

You will know them by their fruits...

I'm worried about my fruit tree. This has been a 'bad crop year'...

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I feel like You have been speaking directly to me this morning. Basically, You're reminding me to follow the Golden Rule: Do unto others as I would have them do unto me...

- Oh Father God I hear You...! I want to obey You. Help me, Father. I want to live my life differently. I can start right here with this prayer.

Lord, help me to be gracious and thoughtful like You. Help me to love others with Your Love. Take all pride away from me, Lord. Draw me close. Hold me close to You. Oh Transform me, my King.

Father God I trust You. I Believe in You. I love You, Lord. And I pray these things in Jesus' name,

Amen.

Thanking God Bad Weather Missed Us

This morning I'm very thankful that all the bad weather missed us. We spent much of the day yesterday preparing for a hurricane, but it was minimal in strength and made landfall farther up the coast. We had braced ourselves for lots worse.

Thank You Lord for sparing us with the weather. Now I have time this morning to get caught up on some things I have been behind on... Wow... You really do work all things for good...!

I love You Lord and I give this day to You.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen

The Inward-Kingdom

The Thoughts of John Wesley: My Thoughts for Today!

The inward kingdom of heaven, which is set up in the heart of all that repent and believe the gospel, is no other than “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Every babe in Christ knows we are made partakers of these, the very hour that we believe in Jesus. But these are only the first-fruits of his Spirit; the harvest is not yet. Although these blessings are inconceivably great, yet we trust to see greater than these. We trust to love the Lord our God, not only as we do now, with a weak though sincere affection, but “with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength.” We look for power to “rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, and in everything to give thanks;” knowing, “this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us.” -John Wesley

-exerpt taken from his sermon on the Devices of Satan


Coach Sam's Personal Notes:

I need to work on my 'inward Kingdom'...

John Wesley on Prayer

Out of what I can only describe as a 'Holy Spirit prompting' I did an Internet search for John Wesley yesterday because there was a quote by him on the Christian resource website studylight.org. To my delight, I found a staggering wealth of information on numerous websites regarding this great Christian who lived in the 1700's and founded the Methodist Denomination.

Wesley was a man of deep conviction and love for God. He felt he was living during a time of intense corruption in world full of sin. He took a bold stand for Christ in an evangelical effort to rescue the souls of the lost around him. Oh how tame his world looks to me as compared to the era that You and I currently live in. Indeed, what would Wesley think about today's society? Well, his words from the 1700's are just as relevant today as they were two hundred years ago. Perhaps they are even more relevant today. I will be spending a good deal of time in the near future studying the works of John Wesley and will no doubt have more commentary and thoughts regarding my findings.

Here is a link to many great sermons by John Wesley. I could probably spend a year or more just studying the sermons on that resource link alone and that's not even a complete listing of all of Wesley's works...!

Here is what The founder of the Methodist Denomination had to say about prayer.

Wow...! This great man of God from the 1700's lived a life totally abandoned to our Heavenly Father...! What an inspiration...!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I need Your Grace to subsist like my body needs air to survive. I need it all the time. I mean, how long can I go without air...? -Not very long. Father God help me to stay connected to you all the time through prayer. Help me to 'pray without ceasing...'.

Lord I pray that everything I do in my daily life is pleasing to you. I believe that when I function as You designed me, then I am praising and worshiping you. Therefore I praise You when I eat regularly and healthily, and I praise you when I get enough sleep. I praise You when I love and care for my family. I praise you when I give the best tennis lesson I can. I praise You when I am totally in the moment giving my 'best' to the occasion. Lord when I desire to please you constantly then everything I do to the best of my ability is to Your praise and glory.

Oh Lord PLEASE fill my soul with love and the desire to continually please You. Father God my heart cries out to You this morning.

I love You Lord. Help me to love all men with Your love. Help me to especially love those who who are against me or would do me wrong or offend me. Let them see the transforming power of Your Grace and love and mercy in me, Father.

Oh Lord I am so weak. I need You to hold me up and lift me up. I give You all the praise and credit and glory for anything I have accomplished or will accomplish. It's all about You, Jesus...!

Father Praise You. I am a new creation in You...! In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

The Foolish Man in Luke 12

The story of Luke 12:16-21 is the story of a man who worried about wealth and spent his time accumulating and saving his wealth so that he could retire comfortably. Then right as he was about to retire, God called him a fool and explained that all his work was going to go for nothing because he was going to die that very night. The man had spent his entire life pursuing things of earthly value. And when he died he had absolutely nothing of eternal value to show for his life. We don't have all the details but this man probably neglected his family because of work. He probably didn't have any friends because he was busy working all the time. He was definitely living a fleshly life because the main thing he was focused on was to be able to kick back, eat, drink, and be merry.

The message for us today is that when we strike off on our own and initiate actions with no thought of God, we are behaving like fools. If we want t0 live an eternal life we must keep our eyes on Jesus and live for HIM...!

Oh I've been a fool at many times in my life... (Including up to Right Now...) But I don't want to be a fool any longer. I want to be a follower of Jesus. And I want to keep equipping myself to be a rescuer of men's souls. And I want to make a difference in the lives of those around me every day. I believe that is what God has called me to do. And I believe that is what He has called all men and women of faith to do.

Heavenly Father,

Father God I don't want to be a foolish man one minute longer. Lord change me. Holy Spirit empower me. I love You Lord and only want to serve You. Father God I lift up my precious family to You this morning. Bless them Lord. Father I especially lift up Connor and my relationship with him to You. You can heal the hurt and the hard feelings, Lord. I know that my life will not move forward until this issue is resolved so I am placing all my energy and resources into my family.

I love You Lord. I really do. And I know I fall short of Your Glory just about every day because of sin in my life. But Lord I do repent. I don't want to sin. I don't want to have anger and negative thoughts and feelings in my heart. I'm truly sorry for my trespasses. Lord I throw myself on Your grace and mercy. And I pray these things in the power of Jesus' name, Amen.

Evereyone who wants to live a Godly life will be persecuted...2 Timothy 3:12

Is it just me or does it seem that it is definitely getting tougher to be a Christian in today's society...? The world is getting more wicked and evil every day. I simply can't believe how much the content of television shows has deteriorated from when I was a child. Why, we can't even watch the commercials any more, either.

I feel compelled more and more with each passing moment to take a stronger stand for Christ. I don't want Connor and Elijah living in a world like this. And I don't want to face my Lord and Savior at the end of my life and not have lived My Utmost for His Highest.

But 2 Timothy 3:12 says the way of Christ is Persecution... And, Acts 14:22 says that we must endure tribulation to enter the Kingdom of God.

I don't care about the persecution. I don't care if I'm ridiculed. I'm losing my pride. My God is a strong and mighty tower. I will rest in HIM...!

Life is Hard, But God is Good...

Hmmm... That phrase is the title and some of the Lyrics to a popular Christian song by Pam Thum that just popped into my head. The lyrics to that song are a sermon unto itself and complement today's scripture verse very nicely...

You turn the key
Then close the door behind you
Drop your bags on the floor
You reach for the light
But there's darkness deep inside
And you can't take it anymore

'Cause sometimes living takes the life out of you
And sometimes living is all you can do

Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good

You start to cry
'Cause you've been strong for so long
And that's not how you feel
You try to pray
But there's nothing left to say
So you just quietly kneel

In the silence of all that you face
God will give you His mercy and grace

Jesus never said
It was an easy road to travel
He only said that you would never be alone
So when your last thread of hope
Begins to come unraveled
Don't give up, He walks beside you
On this journey home and He knows

Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good

-Pam Thum

Wow... Aren't those some powerful lyrics...? I'm going to try to find a clip of that song to post soon. What ever we face, God is there. He knows what's going on. Our life is short and we must take a stand. It will be a hard stand. But God walks beside us the entire way. Life is hard, but God is Good.

Thankful Heart

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You Lord for a good night's sleep. And thank You Lord for another opportunity to give glory to You and impact this world for Good.

Lord I pray blessings on my day. I pray for kind, gentle, encouraging words to come out of my mouth. Bless my many encounters through out today as I engage the world.

Father God I pray that others will be able to see You in me today. I pray for Holy Spirit power to indwell me. Lord God You can do all things. I believe in You, my King. You have good plans for my life. You have good plans for my family.

I love You Lord. I give You praise, worship and glory, my King. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen

Back to Spurgeon

I really love to read the works of Charles Spurgeon. I try to read his morning devotional every day. Today's devotional was particularly moving. The verse that it focused on was Mark 14:72.

When the apostle Peter remembered Jesus' prediction that Peter would deny him three times it made him so sad that he wept.

In studying Spurgeon this morning In came across a word I was not familiar with: Bochim

I did an Internet word search on it and came across a new website that I'm really excited about. First of all the word 'Bochim' means 'place of weeping'. And here's a link to the new website I found... http://www.studylight.org/

There are many bible study tools and interesting links, including a Spurgeon Link.

So, back to my topic this morning. Peter denied Jesus twice before the rooster crowed. We deny Jesus any time we sin. That means that I deny Jesus just about every day... That's pretty hard to swallow but I believe that's the truth. And you know, that makes me really want to cry.

I really and truly want to eradicate all trace of sin in my life. But my problem is that I continually slip into the trap of trying to do it under my own power. I must lay it down daily before God and trust Him to get me through.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I bare my soul before You. You know my weaknesses and short comings. You know my sins. Help me, Father. Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil. Lift me up build me up. Set my feet upon Your solid ground. Hold me close, Lord.

Lord Jesus, please send Your Holy Spirit down upon me. Help me to walk in the Spirit all day today. Oh Lord season my tongue with speach that brings life. Allow me to greatly impact those around me today. I lift up my camp to you this morning. I pray that this mornings camp will be a life changing event for a young person.

Thank You for Andres and Wesley helping me with the camp this morning. I lift them up to You as well, my King.

Father God, You are a wonderful, awesome God. I love You Lord and I am so sorry for denying You all those times. With the help of your Grace I will sin no more. Lord I pray all these things in the power of your Holy Name: Jesus Christ, Amen.

Arms Wide and Heart Abandoned...

This month our family celebrated two great milestones... Connor observed his 16th birthday on July18th and Elijah had his 3rd birthday yesterday (the 28th). It's amazing to watch these two boys growing up. It's also amazing to note how much the world has changed in just three years.

Have I changed very much...? Well, not enough to keep up with the times. Pastor Cere painfully pointed out to me at church on Sunday that I hear lots of good spiritual information on a regular basis but I'm only taking it in intellectually. I've been deceiving myself thinking I'm growing. The fact is that growing intellectually is not growing spiritually. The proof is in the lack of fruit in my life... I'm still suffering with many of the same sins I've had for years. I've been deceived like many others have been deceived...

Well, today I acknowledge these weaknesses and just fall upon the name of the Lord.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, help me change to be a man of deeper convictions and ACTION. -Not just some of the time, but all of the time. Father God, allow me to grow to become a difference maker in this world. Right now I hardly register as a blip on the radar.

I want to raise up Connor and Elijah to love and cherish a close personal relationship with You. How will they see that if I don't model it first...?

Father God I come to You in all humility with arms wide and heart abandoned to You, THE ONE who gave YOUR ALL for me. Lord this morning I give You my all.

Father I live for You.

I love You Lord. My strength is in You. I can do all things in You. Oh praise You, Blessed Savior.

Thank You my King for two fine sons. Thank You for a precious wife. I will honor You by caring for them in the best manner I am am able and give You the glory every step of the way...!

Father by Your Grace these demons who have been waging their attack on my spiritual growth are bound and conquered....! I am Yours, Lord.

Father I rest in You. In Jesus' name I pray.... Amen.

Intellectual Workouts at Church

Yesterday was our first day back at church in a long time. During the worship period of the service I went up and received prayer. I feel like a different person today. Praise the Lord...!

Cere presented a good message. It was very convicting, as usual. He's always making us think about changing. But that's the problem. For most, myself included, Sunday sermons are an intellectual workout that seldom produces change. Here I am after a whole year at life church and I'm still struggling with some of the same sins I always have.

But for some reason I do feel different today. I think yesterday was really a 'breakthrough' day for me spiritually. I'll be exploring this topic for the next few blog posts...

Today I just have to give praise for my sweet little boy's Birthday. Today Elijah turns three years old...! Wow..! Three years...! What a blessing...! Oh my precious little Elijah... How we all love him...!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today is truly a happy, blessed occasion. Thank You Lord for times like this. Father God I give You all the credit for everything good in my life. Thank You for delivering me from the bondage of anger and busy-ness. Thank You for my precious family and the occasion of Elijah's 3rd birthday. Thank You Lord for the trials that refine me and draw me closer to You.

Father God I am most definitely not a perfect man. Oh I have many faults. Lord I am very sorry for my sins and I will do everything in my power to make them right. I want to honor You by living a life of purpose dedicated to You, my King.

Father God I can face today because of Your grace and wondrous mercy. Thank You Jesus. Thank You for the healing. Thank You for the courage.

God You are a good and awesome God. I totally give today back to You for Your Glory, in Christ Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Matthew 11:28-30

I love this verse... 'Come to me you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.... Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. -For my yoke is easy and my burden is light....'

First of all, it describes me perfectly:

• I am weary, and heavy-laden.
• I am not rested.
• I know I can learn from Jesus.

What does it mean to take his yoke upon us...? Jesus is asking us to put ourselves under the yoke of His Lordship. If we share our burdens with Jesus they are sure to get lighter...

Jesus is gentle and humble of heart... Oh how I want to be like that, too...!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord You are Good. You are Mighty and Awesome. I know You have planned great things for me but I have made a mess of my life with busy-ness and procrastination. Oh Lord I am so weary right now. I just keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

But thank You Lord for never giving up on me. You have given me my dear sweet Monica as a help-mate and an encouragement. You have given me Your word daily. I hear great messages on a regular basis from the likes of Dr Charles Stanley. And of course I have guidance from the greatest counselor: Your Holy Spirit.

Father God I keep trying to do things under my own power and it's getting me absolutely no where except farther and farther behind. Lord Jesus, today on this Sabbath Day, this day of rest, I ask You for Your Yoke. Oh I need rest for my soul. Lord let me learn from You. Help me to be gentle and humble.

Lord Jesus I pray these things in Your holy name, Amen...!

Hebrews :4:16 Drawing Near

I like this verse. And do I need mercy and grace right now more than ever...!

Dear Heavenly Father, Hold me up lift me up today. I need You Lord. I love You Lord. And I pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.