A Believer

I Believe

     So, the other day while at work with a Christian radio station playing, a guy says, "Somebody is a believer!"

     I do not know the guy personally, but I do know he is a believer, as well. The strange thing is when he said it, I had a flood of thoughts running through my brain. 

     I believe in God, the Father. Jesus? Holy Spirit? I stand firm. Was that all there was to believe? Is saying I believe in Christ enough? I let my thoughts run wild with this question. 

     I believe that there is an almighty God that sent down His only Son to perform miracles on this earth. I also believe that this Son was the one who I, the filthy sinner, hung on the cross for my salvation. Is it true that this Jesus I believe in is relevant and present today? OF COURSE HE IS! I can't help but to believe whole heartedly in Jesus. I believe with all that I have that He performed a miracle on my spine when my surgeon told my wife I had a 98% chance of being wheel chair bound. I believe that when my neurologist was looking for that tumor that had steadily grown on my brain for two years, Jesus had a hand on it. As I was facing brain surgery after that last scan, I believe that Jesus performed a miracle and took it away. I believe that through the grace of our Holy Father and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we are sanctified and cleansed by the blood of Christ so that we can be worthy of a Kingdom that is not of this earth. 

     So when the questions arise if I am a believer....... YOU BETCHA I AM!!!!!

The Fruit

     Every day I walk along and I see people abusing the title of Christian. I'm not sure where people got the idea that, if they claim to be Christian, they can live however they want and it's all ok. It's not. It's not ok to live the same filthy life of sin that you did before you were saved. In fact, if in your mind it isn't crushingly convicting to live the same way, there is a very important question to ask yourself. "Do I really have Jesus in my heart?" 

     Saved. It means exactly that, saved from your life of sin. Now, I'm not saying that you're going to lead a perfect life after salvation, no one does. We are not perfect. However, we should strive every day to be as close to the model Jesus gave us when He walked the earth. And when we fail, repent!! Don't just walk right back to the same sin over and over. If that's what we are going to do then what's the point in being saved, right? And if we truly have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, how can we? 

     The problem is people want to be saved from the consequences of their actions, without ever putting forth the effort to walk as Jesus commands us to walk. The Gospel is watered down in our churches. No one wants to be bold in preaching to the brethren or the lost, much less reproaching fellow Christians. We are to judge by the fruit of the tree. A good tree does not, and CAN NOT, produce bad fruit. And vice versa. 

     That's all I have to say about that at the moment. I could go on and on, but I won't. So, until next time, God bless you all. 

     

Work Week

     In this world, we work to pay bills. Sometimes it may even seem like we live.....to work. Sadly, in many cases, both parties in a marriage work to either make ends meat OR they have an overwhelming want for material things. The latter is more and more an issue of today's society. 

     Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not bashing those who have to work to make it. I'm not even blaming those where both parties want to work. As for Jennifer and I, we choose to follow the Lord's intentions by way of the husband being the leader and bread winner, if you will, of the home. She chooses to follow my lead, and fully embraces the Proverbs 31 role. Looking at Titus 2:5, a wife is called to be workers of the home, even after the children are gone. In this, I am blessed. 

     So the other day, I was talking with a guy at work. He made a derogatory comment about me not being committed enough to work 6 days a week. I'm sure he was just playing, at least I'd hope so. I told him if, and it was a big if, he could completely debunk my reasoning for not working, I would gladly dedicate my days off to my job. I told him, 

     "My days off are dedicated to my wife, my marriage. Whether we are doing anything or not, that time is for us to simply be together. God doesn't ordain my place of employment. He doesn't ordain my title or even my paycheck. He ordains my marriage. I can't take care of my wife and marriage if I'm dedicating my off days to my employment. And while I love the place I work, it isn't worth robbing my wife of even more time than what is required. Again, while I love my place of employment, if it ever became mandatory to be here that much, or even frowned upon if I'm not, I would have to look for something else." 

     In his response of silence, and an ever so slight head nod, I assumed he understood. 

Resolutions

     At the end of last year a thought process began in my brain. I had been stressed all year. Some things were residual from events from the past, and others more current. I had allowed myself to be distant and disconnected from God. This was a place that I had known from long ago, and I didn't like it. It's dark and lonely. Not only had it suppressed my relationship with God, it affected my relationship with my wife, Jennifer. I had to make a change. A resolution, so to speak, but not just for the new year, for the rest of my life. 

     Moving forward, I have things in my life I need to nurture, to take care of. First and foremost, I need to stay close to God. I need to get my prayer life where it needs to be. Dealing with the things I allowed to creep in my head last year, I failed at these things. I found myself questioning His will for my life, or if He even had one. Instead of trying to handle things on my own, I need to rest on my faith that He can handle all things. 

     Aside from my personal relationship with God, I need to take better care of my marriage. This is the relationship that He has ordained. He gave me a beautifully wonderful woman as a wife, and I need not squander that. She is my help meet and I truly feel we have a mission to accomplish together. And together, with God, accomplish it we will. 

     And finally, I must concentrate on myself. My health plummeted dealing with the stresses caused by others. I gained weight. My blood pressure sky rocketed. I have to learn to invest in things that will have a return. And that's not being selfish by any means. It's more of a defense mechanism. 

     So, these are my three main goals for the future. Naturally, more will stem from these as time goes on, but these are my main plates.  

Support

I am sitting in the hospital, hungry, tired, nervous, and waiting. My wife is having surgery today. We have prayed and talked, and I have had an overwhelming peace about all of it. Until today. Nothing can take away the joy I have because we have an army of faithful brethren praying on our behalf. Nothing takes away the fact that I have full faith God has it in His hands, but I wonder as I look around this room. I have been on the brink of tears twice, and I am holding them back now. All around the room I see groups of people. Families, friends, talking, taking the edge off of the situation at hand. There is only one person not speaking, me. It's not out of any feelings towards others. Not at all. But more of a way of life that we have created. There's no one that understands each other better than each other. See, my wife and I are like an "A" frame. We are firmly leaning on each other and connected at all times. If it isn't in that order, or one of those traits is missing, then it's just not the same. Right now, she is heading to surgery, there's nothing I can do. She isn't here, now, to support me. I'm not there, now, to support her. Awkward isn't the word. It's a very lonely feeling as I wait to see her again. This is the first time I've been here like this, waiting for her. She has been here two or three times waiting for me. The unknown lurking in the air. It's hard. I do not like it. I am not a nervous person, but I am nervous. I am not a worrying person, yet, I am worried. She is the love of my life,  and I wouldn't trade my position here, now, for anything. It is a privilege to support her. It is a privilege to call her my wife. I like our "A" frame relationship. I am thankful to God everyday for such a woman as her.

In the Morning

I decided to venture out this morning to try to take some early photos. I love photography and have really been digging into landscape a little more lately. Anyway, let's move on. It was dawn, light out but the sun hadn't risen yet. There was a soft fog above the water and a little thicker in the sky. It was very quiet, I could hear every rustle in the leaves and every fish that broke the surface. As I was shooting, the fog fell. It fell thick, too. It got to the point that I couldn't see the trees across the inlet, and it wasn't very far. I took a moment to breathe it all in. As I was leaving, the fog began to lift and the sun broke over the trees. Everything that light hit was so vivid, so lively. The trees were lit with blazing autumn colors. The sky was a perfect deep blue. Even the houses looked as if they were just built. Everything looked new. I stopped to look in awe, as if to say, "Hey God, WOW!"

Then I got to thinking. Everything was new. Every day is new. God blew me away. I thought of my salvation. I thought of the mistakes that I've made since my salvation. And I thought of the way, when I ask for His forgiveness, it's all gone. Everything is new. Our request for forgiveness and our repentance is crucial in our walk with Jesus. That moment when the fog is above the water, in the sky, hindering our ability to see clearly, is just like the moment when we are broken from our sin, not seeing straight, and asking for forgiveness. That heavy fog that falls, that's the equivalent to His answer to our request, smothering us with an unbounded love that we cannot understand. Then, when the fog is lifted, everything is new. He has forgiven us so that we can see clearly and enjoy the wonders of His love. And we say, "Hey God, WOW!"

Most Valuable Accessory

I woke up this morning a little early before work. I had some time to just sit back and reflect, and God put a thought in my head. What's the best accessory to a man? Now, I'm not talking an accessory to fashion, but an accessory to life. As I contemplated this, my first thought was "You,  God." He softly spoke and said I was right but other than that. So as I thought, I ate my breakfast. I thought about my wife. And He kept placing thoughts of her in my brain. She has been right beside me through so much. She has walked a fire that she doesn't deserve. Often, she is misunderstood and misinterpreted by others. She is very precious and worth more than her weight in gold. There's a description of what I wife should be in the Good Book and she does her very best to uphold that daily. I am blessed, well beyond measure. I have done nothing in this life to deserve such a wonderful wife.
So, my answer to the question. What's the best accessory for a man's life? A GOOD, GODLY WIFE. I thank Him daily for her.