The Best Days in Life

Have you ever heard the song by Geoff Moore and The Distance called "Best Days"? There is a live version of the song on their greatest hits 2-disc set. You can listen to a sample of the song here. The song is, just as the title implies, about some of Geoff Moore's best days in his life. I love that song because it reminds me of some my best days. Friday was one of those days.

I had a great time with just me and the boys. It seems like it has been forever since we last had a guys day out. We went to the park, played around the house, watched some movies, and to top it all off when Angie came home we all went outside to play (after diner of course). We just had tons of fun. These kinds of days make me long for heaven. I long for the day when I can have these kinds of adventures with my other children and my nephew. I look with great excitement and anticipation. I know someday I will see them all soon. Until, then I will do my best to enjoy my boys here on earth and who knows maybe someday it will be my boys and my girls. :)

The Longest Days

What have been the longest days of your life?

Today was one of the longest days of my life. It was the kind of day that you just wanted to end so that you could begin to move on and forward. I will never forget my son but I long for the day when maybe it does not hurt so bad. I long for the day when my wife does not hurt the way that she does. I am pretty sure that at some level the pain will never really go away. I suppose what I am hoping for is that I will find ways to better process the pain.

I am not sure if that makes any sense to you but in my little world it does. I firmly believe that my God is bigger than the Boogie Man and that He is always by my side. He has never left me alone and He never will. He knows what it feels like to have a son die. He understands the pain. I know that God has carried me through this day. It was long and hard but it is nearly done. Thank You God!

So I would like to know...What have been some of the longest days of your life? How did God carry you through it? Was He even a part of your life then?

Light and Dark-I Peter 2:9

Have you ever been caving? If you have then you have a pretty good idea what it means to be in total darkness. I remember on one of my many caving trips we all stopped for a rest and some food. As we all finished our food we decided to conserve battery life by having everyone turn off their lights. It was amazing! I literally could not see my hand when it was just inches from my face. I was in total darkness. If I had tried to get up and move around I would run into walls and possibly fallen into some deep crevice. Thankfully this darkness did not last forever. Eventually we all started turning our lights back on and we continued our journey. Our spiritual journey is not much different than this.

1 Peter 2:9 tells us that Jesus has brought the believer our of darkness and into His wonderful light. The word used for darkness implies the idea of blindness or total darkness. We are all understand, at some level, this kind of darkness. Maybe you have been in a cave with the lights out or maybe you have been in a dark room and simply closed your eyes. However, we can not understand the light that Peter speaks of. The word used for wonderful means beyond human comprehension. The light Christ brings the believer is unimaginable.

I think believers forget how far Christ has brought us and where He wants to takes. We do not take the time to understand the kind of darkness we lived in. Many of us look at our life without Christ with a sort of rose colored glasses. We fail to see how personally destructive we were or how cruel we really were towards our friends and family. I challenge believers to examine this darkness, take the time to reflect on where Christ has brought you from and where He is taking you.

Maybe you are someone who is living in that darkness now. If you are there is s good chance you do not realize it, I know for years I never did. If you are please know that Christ desires to see you walk away from it and into the abundant life. He wants the absolute best for you.

The Ups and Downs of Passion

I love my students. I love my youth. I love my college kiddos. They are all so awesome. There are days that it is hard for me to believe that I get paid to do what I do.

This summer has been great. I have been able to get to know some my teens a little better and I think I might have taught them a little something along the way. On the other hand I have missed my college students. I have missed having diner with them once a week. I have missed the random visits with Mr. Jonathan. I have missed hearing about God is doing in their lives. It has been so weird to not have so many of them gone this summer.

Thankfully they have returned. Their classes start on Monday and so they have flooded into Macomb this weekend. It is amazing to have watched the transformation of this city almost overnight. There is a certain amount of energy that just seems to be in the air. Of course, the parties have also returned which means the drinking and the drugs have also returned.

I am so excited to have my college students back in town. The joy this brings me is hard to put it to words. At the same time I am almost overwhelmed with sadness for those who are choosing to ignore God. There are times that the burden of these students is so heavy that it is difficult for me to breathe. My heart breaks for them. I want to see all of their lives changed. I know God can do whatever He wants with them. It is hard for to understand why things do not seem to be changing here. I want them to so badly.

I want to see teenagers changed. I want to see the Jr/High School changed by my brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to see WIU changed in the same way. I want to watched students by the hundred begin giving their lives to Christ. Not just hundreds, thousands. Please be praying for these whom God has brought to Macomb. Be praying for those youth who need to meet Jesus for the first time. Be praying for those college students who are on the verge of denying their Savior. Be praying for me. Be praying for the student ministry as we look to change the lives of all students in Macomb.

God's Warning to All the Earth-Jeremiah 6

When most people ready Jeremiah 6 they see God's warning/pronouncement about the impending destruction of Jerusalem. Have you ever considered that the words He gave to Jeremiah were also a warning to the entire earth? I had never thought about it in this light until today.

If you take a look at verse 19 God says "Hear, O earth:behold, I am bringing a disaster on this people....because they have not listened to my words, and as for My law they have rejected it." God is telling the world two thing in this passage. First, that He is in control of all things. He is the one that allows nations to become powerful and He is the one who allows them to fall. Second, He is giving notice that those who do not follow Him will have a price to pay. For many of those nations who did not follow Him it was there complete and total destruction.

I believe this message is still right and good for us today. God is still in control of all things and there will be consequences for not following Him. For those who do not believe that Jesus is God's son and that He died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins then Hell will be their eternal punishment (along with a lack of true joy and peace while here on earth). For those of us who do believe our punishment will be varied and only temporary.

Are you following after God? Are you walking in His ways? If not why not? If so, what is it like? What is He showing you as you walk with Him?