Its not just a time of year....

I normally don't write a blog about thanksgiving around this time of year cause its so cliché but here goes.

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever." (Psalm 11:8:1)...

Thanksgiving...What is it? Its more than an day of year, its more then a reprieve we have for a few weeks leading up to a day we eat turkey and watch football. Its a daily reprieve of how to live. Its a manner of how to live for what you are given. Its an attitude of how to act in situations when life just plain stinks.

I'm being very simple here but the word "thanksgiving" just doesn't cut it in todays age. I want to say we must live with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is gratitude as a lifestyle. For gratitude is how to live. Its what to are. Its being sacrificial with what you have, for you look with trust in the Sovereign Lord over all creation with what He has decided to give to you. For me gratitude seems to comes down to one simple word....Trust. Trust with what you have and are given. You trust in Him and His love for you.

"Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord." (Psalm 4:5)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"I will put my trust in Him" (Hebrews 2:13)

All this is huge if one is to start overcoming guilt, sorrow and shame. Gratitude makes the heart joyful, right and complete when one looks to God's gracious gifts. The greatest of all being Jesus and walking in gratitude with that in mind. Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Y'shua (Jesus) in the greatest fulfillment of the greatest need of all humanity, for Y'shua must be central if gratitude is to flow from the heart and ultimately for change to come. Its must not be a seasonal thing or thought. It MUST be a lifestyle towards God first and then it will just naturally flow towards others as we live with grateful worship for Y'shua the greatest of all God's gifts towards any human being.

Blessing to you all!

This is who I am.....

Last night I had an interesting thing happen to me. I had what is called by some as a "God encounter". I have been trying some things to continually work on my spiritual growth because just reading scripture, praying, fellowship and other "church" type stuff only did so much. I mean I would continually struggle and fight things I always thought would dissipate over time. Well they would but I always did a bandage type of a job. I mean I only got some of the surface level problems and how to keep putting a bandage over the wound. So last night I dove deep with the help of and amazing woman that I get the pleasure of calling my girlfriend (even though she's a woman and not a girl).

We all have wounds. We all have problems due to a fall of adam in Genesis chapter 2. Our flesh rides high in this world unless we seek the face of the healer to do more then a bandage so as the problem to come back like a festering wound and if not properly handled will cause something like gangrene in our body and do more damage then it should ever. Scripture speaks of God as a healing God (Ps. 103:3, Isa. 53:5, Mal. 4:2, Matt. 4:23, James 5:16, Rev. 22:1-2). This is what I sought last night. I honestly was scared cause if what I was hoping for would happen then my securities would be removed or at least start to be removed. And guess what that is what happened. God removed a burden but what was a burden I always thought of as security.

As a man I still struggle with allowing people into my heart of hearts. I always learned that standing string as a "man" was to look like your strong but this was and is wrong. By letting people in I have become stronger then even and will continue to grow in this way the more vulnerable I allow myself to become. Last night was another step in vulnerability and healing. I excited to say this and allow Danielle into this area of my life. I know she loves, cares and wants the best for me, she trust me and calls me "her man" (because I am just that; a man)...I say this cause I am excited about this and its  even more so a part of me healing and growing.

Because of my "God encounter" last night I an taking one step forward at a time. Nothing in this world defines me. I am pressing onward toward the goal in Christ Jesus. I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling. I am a man. I am a man that struggles but looks to Y'shua to help me up and heal me. I am redeemed. I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places. And guess what, I am EXACTLY who God called and created me to be.

This is who I am and am working towards!

This is who I am



 

revisting India....

One year ago this month I was in route to India for a two week during the Thanksgiving with a non-profit company from Colorado Springs, Colorado. I was in route to get my world rocked. I knew about the issues in developing countries, helped with missions organizations and even knew the stats about the issues that plagued these areas and could rattle them off at the drop of a hat, but again my world was about to be rocked. I didn't go with a prideful spirit but one as my mentor and friend challenged me with, saying "go ready to receive and experience, not give". I was confused at first by this but my friend sumeet said this with great love and care for me and his home country of India. He challenged me to go and experience the great people of India who need the light of the gospel of Jesus.

So I prayed that the Lord would give me that ability and heart to do so. He gave me one of the greatest gifts he has given me in years. I was able to look at a people and just walk with them for about 2 weeks with the greatest love and compassion and mercy I've ever been able to have towards a people that I don't even know and probably will never see again. As we flew over to a country I'd never been to I was looking forward to see the work that the Lord was doing in Kalkata and Darjeeling. Not only did I get to experience a people that we extremely grateful for what little they had but also the little they had they wanted to give what they had. They gave like the woman with two coins saying "she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on" (Luke 21:4). Granted money to food is different but the giving out of poverty is just the same.

This lady that Y'shua talks about was in a position to be selfish but was not. So the people of India have the right in my opinion have the right to be selfish in ways that I already am. I looked into a nation and saw great wealth and joy. This wealth and joy was not in cash or abundance but in gratitude of what they have. I sit even a year later and see my lack of gratitude. Wow, this must change. My wonderful girlfriend Danielle, talks about gratitude as being the pathway to joy. She has also been to India but for a period of 4 months, living and breathing the nature of India herself. My visit to India was a much needed start to seeing and understanding gratitude.

Now I'm having to revisit India and the outlook and pressure that I feel to live simply but also blessed by my Father in Heaven who gives good gifts to His children  (Matthew 7:11; James 1:17). Learning to be a good steward of what I have but also to be one that lives with a spirit (attitude) of helping others knowing that my Father will provide for me and my family. I definitely do not have it all together but am daily with the help and encouragement of friends, Danielle and the Holy Spirit I am pressing forward to live a life in a manner worthy of the gospel (Philippians1:27).

I am learning daily what this means....