Lazy Days

Hey everyone! Sorry I have not been around once again for a few days. The Christmas season is always so busy it seems. Also with New Years right around the corner there is much to look forward to. With that said, my family and I had a wonderful Christmas. We got to spend time with family and see the kids go crazy over wrapping paper and boxes. Now that it is all over and things are begining to slow down it will soon be time to start back to normal schedule and work. So I am going to be taking some more time off from the Blog until after the first of the year. Thanks for everyone who reads the blog and I will see you soon. I am going to take some time to just be lazy and spend time with my wife and kids. Have a great week everyone!

Mary's Prayer

Today's Blog is not my writing. This is a chapter from God Came Near by Max Lucado.

GOD. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with
our disgrace. Sleep well.
Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the
heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in
your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect
you.
Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no
gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more
precious:
to touch a leper’s open wound,
to wipe a widow’s weary tear,
to claw the ground of Gethsemane.
Your hands, so tiny, so white—clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to
hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that
will staple them to a Roman cross.
Sleep deeply, tiny eyes. Sleep while you can. For soon the blurriness will clear and you
will see the mess we have made of your world.
You will see our nakedness, for we cannot hide.
You will see our selfishness, for we cannot give.
You will see our pain, for we cannot heal.
O eyes that will see hell’s darkest pit and witness her ugly prince . . . sleep, please sleep;
sleep while you can.
Lie still, tiny mouth. Lie still, mouth from which eternity will speak.
Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead, that will define grace, that will silence our
foolishness.
Rosebud lips—upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you,
and of death to those who deny you—lie still.
And tiny feet cupped in the palm of my hand, rest. For many difficult steps lie ahead for
you.
Do you taste the dust of the trails you will travel?
Do you feel the cold seawater upon which you will walk?
Do you wrench at the invasion of the nail you will bear?
Do you fear the steep descent down the spiral staircase into Satan’s domain?
Rest, tiny feet. Rest today so that tomorrow you might walk with power. Rest. For
millions will follow in your steps.
And little heart . . . holy heart . . . pumping the blood of life through the universe: How
many times will we break you?
You’ll be torn by the thorns of our accusations.
You’ll be ravaged by the cancer of our sin.
You’ll be crushed under the weight of your own sorrow.
And you’ll be pierced by the spear of our rejection.
Yet in that piercing, in that ultimate ripping of muscle and membrane, in that final rush of
blood and water, you will find rest. Your hands will be freed, your eyes will see justice, your lips
will smile, and your feet will carry you home.
And there you’ll rest again this time in the embrace of your Father.

Time Spent

If you were to ask most people; what is the most valuable thing they can offer? My guess is that the answer you would get would be Time. Why is time so valuable? Time is so valuable to man that we created a way to keep up with how much time there is in a day. This is yet another way for us to keep up with how valuable this unseen commodity is to us. Again though I bet if you asked a group of people, how much free time do you have? My guess again would be not a single one would have time to spare. We spend time faster than we spend money. There is no saving up of time, as a matter of fact we invent things like time management just so we can try and save a little bit of time. In the end though we still do not have any time left over. Then what do we do? We look towards time when we think we will have time, like days off or we might even take a vacation because we think we can have more time. The truth is no matter what we do to try and add more time to our lives and our days it is always going to come up short. Another truth is that we try and justify all this time we use up by saying things like, I am working towards a better future so I work late, long hours, I want my kids to have a full life so we have them involved in recreational activities or we say when I get to where I want to be financially and the kids get a little older I will have more time for other things. The truth sadly those days never come and you wake up and life has passed you by and those around you are always to busy to have any time for you either. I do not think that we were to ever measure time as minutely as we do today. I think James says it well "13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”(James 4:13-15). It is good we work for all this time and put effort out to makes better lives financially for our loved ones, but we are only here for such a small amount of time. If we turn our focus on God, I am betting that those late hours and the things we fill our days up with will seem so unimportant and those that are waiting on us will be much happier in life because you were there. What legacy will you leave behind to the ones that look up to and love you?

Vacation

Today is the first day of my two week vacation. I am very excited for the time off and the rest that hopefully I will experience. I think that we can all say that we look forward to vacation time. Whether we are going somewhere or just staying at home, there is always excitement leading up to the days of vacation. There is another type of vacation that we can experience each and every day. This vacation comes with the promise that our savior offers us; 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”(Matthew 11:28-30). Most of the time this is the exact reason that we take a vacation we are tired, stressed and wore out from life itself. Even though a vacation or two a year is very nice and lots of fun, is it not wonderful to know that the stresses of everyday, the exhaustion of the long work week and the weariness that it brings can be lifted from us in just a moment. All we have to do is come to Him. When was the last time you took a vacation in the savior’s arms?

The gift of life

Today there should be a new life in our family. My brother and his girlfriend are having a baby today. It is in times like these that we get to experience one of the greatest miracles that God has to offer us. There are few things as amazing as a new born baby, they even smell new. Their skin is delicate and soft their eyes and ears cannot see or hear very. In truth they have to be cared for in everything, left alone they would not survive. Much the same as the new life that is given to us through Christ. When we are born again through Christ we are a new creation and we have much the same lack of abilities as a new born baby. We do not understand the new world around us, our eyes have been opened but they are weak and new and we do not know how to take care of ourselves. The only thing we know is that we need nutrients and we must depend on others to help us get that nutrient. As we get a little older in our Christian life we start to venture out on our own at times and often we forget where we receive the nutrients that we need. As most children do we learn to venture out on our own and while this is good to a degree we never need to forget who and what feeds us. Keep your eye on Christ and you will have all the strength you need.

The Dark

There are many nights when I hear the infamous cry of my daughter. She wakes up crying scared and alone, a pretty scary place to be. Think about the dark for a minute, the dark is cold, it secludes you, and it is well dark you cannot see and you get that feeling of being lost. This is scary even to an adult, it is also easy for me to remember when I was a child and I would wake up in the dark of night and be scared. I would begin to call for my Dad and would usually continue until he or my mother would arrive. Just the same way my daughter does when I arrive, she stops cry and wraps her arms around me and holds on tight. At the very minute that I pick her up she knows that she is safe and no harm can come to her. Although there is no real danger in our home the dark and the noises of the silence keep a young child's imagination running. However there are many of us adults that are wondering around in the dark afraid and very alone. We are screaming and searching but we are not able to see any light near or far, we are lost. We find something that gives us a minute of security but soon find out that it is a false security and once again we are scared and searching. We as Christians do this often search for things to fill us and make us feel better. Sometimes we even hurt others in our search for our light and happiness. How often we forget that God sent a light into the world. All we have to do is call out Daddy and he comes for us. He lifts us up in his arms and holds us tight, wipes away all our tears and calms our fears. The world is a dark and lonely place but it does not have to be all we have to do is call out His name and the light will shine. ^12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying,  "I am the light of the world. He who ^jfollows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."(John 8:12)

Random Acts

I find it amazing when someone does something kind and unexpected that we are in awe. You know what I mean, for example when someone lets you go in front of them at the grocery store or someone does something that is in your favor but might have been a lose for them. We always sit back and think to ourselves, wow that was very kind of them. How many times have you been the recipient of one of the acts of kindness? Better yet how often are you the one performing the act of kindness? The best thing about these random acts is that when they are done no one is trying to brag about what they did for someone. The person who received the act usually goes away amazed that someone did something so kind, but the real blessing comes to the person who did it with a humble heart. When was the last time you performed an act of kindness? It does not matter what is going on in your life right now, I promise if you perform an act of kindness for someone and do it with a humble heart the blessing you will receive in return will overfill your heart with joy. We should not be amazed when someone does one of the acts this should be the norm. If everyone would do just one act of kindness our world would change, and that one random act begins with you.

Unexpected Love

There are times in life when we all experience an overpowering of love. This comes in many forms and in many ways. Sometimes it comes as a gift other times it comes as a touch or a phone call. They also seem to be awe moments in life. For instance, take something simple like a grand view of snow topped mountains or those miles of green fields with the coming of the morning sun causing the dew to glisten. You think to yourself wow; that is so beautiful. You want to know something better? It was made just for you! God painted the skies, the land and even the little spots on the lady bug just for you to enjoy and to see you smile. He spent all that time creating to show you how much he loves you. Unexpected; that is the very thing God specializes in when showing His love. Think for a moment about the point in time that God decided to show the world how much He loved them all. The world was in dire need of God's love. Israel was hurting and suffering, Rome was expanding their empire and tyranny, and a king so feared the loss of his throne to a new king that he had babies killed. The world was hurting and God was saying I love you and let me show you how much I do love the world. The gift; a child born wrapped in death clothes and put in a feeding troth, here the King of the Universe here on Earth. The problem with all this love God was giving? Much the same as it is today, just as many on that divine night missed the birth announcement that had been made years before and was written in the heavens, so we miss the love God has for us. I am not just talking about missing Jesus, although that is a great loss if you do miss the savior. I am talking about missing God's love. He shows this to you every day as all of creation announces his divine glory. However there are moments when he reaches out a touches you with His love and in that moment it is all for you. Has life become too much for you to bear? Get ready because God is about to show you His love and it is all just for you. Jesus tells us just how much God loves us here in this verse, Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? (Luke 12:24).

 

Hello

To everyone who reads my blog. I am sorry I have been out the last several days. I was very sick for a while and my internet has been out the last few days. I will be returning with new post tomorrow. Please continue to check here each day.

The Sick

Sorry I missed yesterday on the blog, I have been sick and still am. Since I am sick it got me thinking about the sicknesses that humans have. Everyone has been sick at one time or another, so we all know what it feels like. There are other sicknesses though and they are the ones that attack your very spirit. For some it is stress in their lives they stress so much not even realizing what they are doing. Then you often hear them complain about how they feel sick, tired, or over used. Not only does this affect your body but it harms your spirit. There is still yet another sickness; the one Jesus came to heal us from, the sickness of sin. Sin infects our lives and our souls and seeks out to destroy us.“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”(Matthew 9:12-13)When Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees at the time he was telling them why he chose to be with the sick, tax collectors, and those the Pharisees deemed unworthy. The very people Jesus surrounded himself with were people just like you and me. He knows how sin can infect us and he tells us that he can heal that sickness if we just come to Him. Is there something that you need to bring to Jesus to heal, do you have a sin that has been haunting you for so long that you have become sick. Jesus is waiting for you to bring your sickness to Him so that you may be healed.

I'm Human too

As we keep moving forward towards Christmas I mind sets often think upon Jesus. Our thoughts are often about God's gift to us. How God cross the distance of heaven to earth to send His son. We see Jesus and the divinity that represents. How often though we forget about Mary. Oh sure, we see her as Jesus' mother, but we forget she had an important role also. First she must have been some kind of woman for God to choose her, second she was human. This is the part that really stands out to me about Jesus. He was human too. Now there is something I can understand. This means that he had some of the same struggles I do, like hunger, being tired and struggle with temptation. God made flesh. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,(John 1:14). We serve a God that knows what it is to be the creator of the universe and at the same time knows what it is to be a man. I love the song by Aaron and Jeffery "Promise Me" It's hard to imagine that I've been there too I've felt the passion burning in you Every temptation, oh, I understand Your savior knows what it is to be a man. I believe that Jesus says to us promise me that you will remember that I was human and turn to me, because I can guide you through.

Have a great weekend everyone! I will see you again on Monday.

I'm Thirsty!

Now there is a line that I have heard and said many times. The next question is usually, what do you want? I usually have to go through a nice little song and dance routine with my daughter when she says "I'm thirsty." She never knows what she really wants, while all the time I know exactly what she needs. The problem is showing her that what I am presenting her is what she really wants. Does this sound familiar? I bet it does. We come to God and say Father I really need some help can you come with me and help. Is it not funny how somehow or another we end up treating Him much the same way my daughter treats me when she is thirsty. God says hey you told me you needed my help and I am here to help you. What we fail to realize is that He also knows what is best for us too. He knows how to fill our thirst. The Psalmist tell us in (Psalm 23:5)You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;My cup runs over. In (John 4:13)13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Time and time again God knows just what we need, but for some reason we keep refusing what he offers. God loves to hear us say "I'm Thirsty", this is how He wants us to come to Him, thirsting for Him.

What Law?

I often get frustrated when people say God is going to punish you because you did not follow His law. I encourage you to please listen closely to me in what I say this morning. My question; why do you keep trying to live under the old law? Why do you try and mix it in with the new covenant? First, when Jesus died on the cross, the old law was destroyed. Yes that means the 10 commandments. I know what you are thinking now. How can he say such a thing? The law was set in place to guide us to Jesus. Sure it is a good moral code, but honestly there is a lot of things out there that are good moral programs that will help you become a better person. Jesus is different. He does not just make you a better person He frees you from the law. Look at what He has to say about the law "“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. (Matthew 5:21-22)" Jesus says you want to follow the law ok then, let me tell you what the law really says. Then he tells us that even if we are angry with someone that it is the same as murder in God's eyes. None can live up to that standard. Here is a quote from Andrew Farley "When I am feeling distant from God, it is because I have measured myself and have come up short. This leads me to believe that God must be measuring me by this same standard. So I end up with the false conclusion that he's distant from me."
Now how many times have you felt like this? I tell you any emotional attempt to measure yourself is an ill conceived human emotion. The scripture is clear on how we are to get close to God. Through Jesus, that is it you are not going to get any closer. Please do not confuse what I am saying with you are able to do what you want. No we are to be imitators of Jesus, not imitators of a law that He has removed. If you try and measure yourself by the law or what you do, you will always keep coming up short. Live under the new covenant with Jesus and enjoy the new with the Holy Spirit and God's grace. Jesus says in John 10:10 (I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.)
Want to talk to me more about this e-mail me. fantomboo@hughes.net

The Gift.

I can remember as a child getting lots of wonderful gifts for Christmas. Oh I got all kinds of things, remote control cars, action figures, cd players, a TV and cloths. But if you were to ask me what the best gift I ever got for Christmas was. I would have to say time. Oh, I did not know that it was the nest gift I was receiving then as a child. I was like any other child "show me the toys!" Looking back though, it was the time; the time that someone took of themselves to give to me, to think enough of me to give of themselves. You might say well your parents have to give you Christmas gift. Do they? No, I can remember my mother doing extra things just so we would have just a little for Christmas. Again, time spent on me. I could see my grandfather every holiday making time to talk to each member of the family. Such wonderful memories made with others time. It is the same for God; He took the time to cross the vast distance from heaven to earth. Just so he could have time with you. Make time for someone this Christmas, you do not have to buy them a gift or lavish them with things. All they really want is a little of your time. Give that someone you have not talk to in a while a call. Take a friend to lunch. Find a needy family or child and meet there need as you can. Maybe it is that you need to spend some time with the creator and rest in His loving arms. I promise you that giving a little of your so called busy time, that you will not be disappointed.

Be Humble.

I heard this in service on Sunday and thought that it was good. Then this morning I read it in my devotional and thought whoa, maybe I should share this. The verse is 1Peter 5:6-7 (6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.) This verse says so much to us. First it tells us to humble ourselves UNDER the mighty had of God. How are you going to be under the hand of God. Well, by getting as close to the throne of God, so that you are under his hand. This will surely be uncomfortable for you at times and at times you may want to sit up so you can be more comfortable. But, listen to the promise that is made to us next if we remain under the hand of God. It says "that He may exalt you in due time", this is the first promise made to us for being under the hand of God. This means he has great things waiting for us and he is going to show you great things for your obedience. The second promise made to us is "cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." This is an awesome statement and promise. Cast you cares upon the Lord. Tell Him your hurt your needs and your pain. Tell Him about the terrible day you had, and how you want to hide form the world. Why, you ask? Well because like a good father He cares and loves us. That is the second promise in these verses. This tells us that He cares for us, and what do you do for someone you care for; you protect them. Satan is always on the prowl looking for someone to devour, it says so in (1Peter 5:8). So, humble yourself before God, so that he may show you His love and the power of His protection. When was the last time you got on your knees and cried to the Lord, thanking Him for your blessings and casting your cares upon Him? He is always on His throne and we are always welcome in His court.