Crooked Sticks

"What do you learn by putting two crooked sticks down next to each other? Nothing. If you want to know if a stick is crooked or not, you have to put it down next to a straight stick. Jesus is the perfect straight stick."

Brother Ottis Derrah

10 Year Bonus

I have lost two grandparents in seventeen days (same set). However, I have no sadness for I believe them in Heaven and better off now than they were before. Psalm 90 tells us that we get 70 years on this earth, 80 if we have the strength. They both had 80 so I figure that means they both got a ten year bonus. To me, it doesn't get any better than that. I went to my grandma's funeral this weekend and watched people cry for the sadness of my mom and aunt. I did not cry. I figure if I cry for them that does them no good. Instead of casting down tears for them I cast up prayers for them. For I know that the more I pray the sooner God will fix whatever the problem is. "All things work for the good of those who love him."

Jesus is my rock, rock, rock. He taught me how to roll, roll, roll!

Faith Sublime

"God has frequently to knock the bottom board out of your experience if you are a saint in order to get you into contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of sentimental enjoyment of his blessings. ....I will remain true to God's character whatever He may do, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him"--this is the most sublime utterance of faith in the whole of the Bible."
---Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Relationships

The thing I can't seem to understand about relationships is why we have to hurt one another. I mean it just seems like you should be able to have a relationship with a member of the opposite sex and not spend most of your time making one another feel bad. I don't know of a single relationship where the guy and the girl don't end up doing one another more harm than good. They leave each other broken and scarred and then go on to repeat the process with someone else. I know it's not possible for it to be anything but good all throughout and then have a happy ending, but I do ever so wish that this were the case.

Love and illusion

Just figures! God must have a sense of humor. He gives me the perfect relationship with the perfect guy at just the perfect time. Then I screw it up. Yes, leave it to me. I do the most wrong thing at the most wrong time. I swear I don't have a brain in my head. If I had one, I do believe I would be dangerous. "If it is illusion, it will screw me up. If it is love, I will screw it up." At any rate, this has been the most magical and fun month of my life. I wouldnt trade it for the world. The experience was worth it even though it is not likely to last. No matter how it ends up or what happens from here on out, nothing can diminish the value of the moment. To connect on such a high level with another human being, even if only for a moment, has to be the most beautiful experience I have had in my life that wasn't spiritual. I guess it is fitting that he called me butterfly and I called him shooting star because the two of us promise to be just as fleeting.

Ask For What You Want

Perhaps, I have given the impression that Christians who have a tight relationship with their Lord and Savior will never experience stress and worry. That is totally inaccurate. However, there is a difference. Christians should approach it all with the confidence of people who know that no matter what it is or how bad it is, that it is only temporary, just as their earthly bodies are temporary and will one day return to dust. "The darkest hour is only sixty minutes long." No matter the sorrow of the night, joy comes in the morning. Yeah, life is tough, and you will get thrashed about by it sometimes. However, keep stillness in side of you in the midst of the chaos and God will whisper secrets in your ear. Whatever happens to you, look at is an opportunity to show God's grace and faithfulness at work in your life. Share your confidence that the situation will all be okay because you are a child of the living God who is bigger than anything that is going to happen to you today. Also, know that He is your strength and that with Him you can do twice what you think you can do. If you think you can run off six hours of sleep, you can run off 3. If you think, you can run two miles, you can run four. If you think you can study five hours, you can study ten. If you are struggling with something, ask God for what you want. His promise is that if you ask for something in his name that it will be given unto you.
P.S. "If you think you are going through hell, keep going."

My Peace I Give You

I'm beginning to think that it's not really hard work and lack of sleep that makes people tired. It is the toll of stress and worry in their lives. Therefore, just work hard and do what you can do. Then, pray that God takes care of you and that his will be done. Here comes the hard part: don't worry about a thing. Have total and complete confidence that you will be taken care of. "The lilies of the field toil not but not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these." In other words, the Lord is well aware of your needs and you will be cared for, as you are more important than the lilies who are here today and gone tomorrow. John 14: 27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

God's way

I asked God to help me let go of something I had been holding on to for such a long time. Funny thing is I think he is doing just that, but it certainly isn't any fun for me. I thought it would be a gradual process, but I asked for it and it feels like He is ripping it away from me. God knows what we need better than we do. This is probably one of those situations where He can see that it is best that He just rip the band-aid off rather than pulling it off slowly. He is thinking better a big bunch of pain all at once and then it will be over than to just keep dragging out the process. God's way, will, and timing for my life are all so perfect. I pray that he just give me the strength to hang on for the ride.

Only Heaven Knows, Only Heaven Shows...

There is a song by Oleander that says, "Only heaven knows, only heaven shows the way back to everything you know and love." In life there will be trouble and strife and struggle and suffering and pain. There is a quote that says, "You may not can keep the birds of sorrow from flying over head but you can keep them from nesting in your hair." Don't fool yourself though. It doesn't matter what you are struggling with, you can't do it by yourself. It will tear you down and destroy you, if it's bad enough. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you were never intended to. God made absolutely certain that we weren't physically strong enough to do this. That's why stress gives us such adverse affects. Stress and worry are simply the absense of a close personal faith based relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is a quote that says, "if the devil can't make you bad, he will make you busy." Is your life too hard? Do you have more than you could possibly get done in the time that you have? There is a quote by a man that had it figured out, "I have so much to do that I must spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it."
There are so many Christians that are saved and are going to heaven, but they aren't experiencing the "abundant life" they have been promised. It's not because they don't pray and it's not because they don't seek God. It is because when they pray and ask for God's help, they don't really turn it all over to him. They still try to hang on to it and fix the problem themselves. The devil has blinded them to the power of God to reach into every minute detail of their lives and transform it. God promises us that if we have even a mustard seed worth of faith that we can move mountains. He also promises that us that whatever we ask for in his name will be done.
There is nothing you are experiencing that God cannot fix. Nothing is bigger than God. However, you have to "let go and let God." God cannot be your co-pilot. He has to be the pilot or he isn't going to do the navigating in your life. When you pray, you have to invoke the promises that he gives us in the Bible. Once you pray about something, give it fully to God. Don't carry the burden of it any longer. Hand it over!!! This means that once you have prayed about it have absolute confidence that it will be taken care of. Don't continue to worry about it. You cannot be good enough, talented enough, or work hard enough to fix the problems in your life. Only God can do this. Futhermore, you cannot improve your efforts by worrying nor can you add a single hour to your life. There is a quote by Rick Bragg in All Over But the Shoutin' that says, "I can't fix everything that is wrong, flawed or broken in my past." There is no truer statement than that. God is in charge of that.
I am not the most moral person you will ever meet, not the most saintly, not the most upright nor righteous I do try to live my life as God would have me to, but I daily fall so fall short of the glory that is God that it's not funny. However, my Lord said that "love covers over a multitude of sins." My God is a God of love and he daily blesses me beyond belief and it takes me so by surprise that I can think of nothing to do but to stand in awe of him and to be thankful. My point is that many live more moral lives than I do, but I don't believe them to be any closer to God nor to be more blessed than I myself am. God knows we are all screw ups, defective so to speak. If he didn't, he would never have sent his son Jesus to save us from ourselves....from the wicknedness and evil that is stored up in our hearts and minds, which prevents us from keeping the law. The point is that we can't be good enough to deserve the love, blessings, and mercy that derive from the Lord. The only thing I can think of to say in conclusion is: "Lord thank you for this good life and forgive us if we don't love you enough."