Sleepy Friday Night

I'm so glad the work week is finally over! Although we have responsibilities for Church this weekend, we should at least have a few hours to just unwind and do what we want to do for a change. I look forward to that.

Let's take a deep breath, let our shoulders down and rest in the Lord tonight.

Good Night

Just What I Needed Today

After a busy, productive morning at work, I found myself completely stalling out at about 2:30 PM. I kept somewhat busy, but once the boss left early (if I'm being completely honest) I just tuned out. I watched a couple of videos on You Tube and lost all form of focus- I was done.

The ride home on the bus ended prematurely, with my egress at Burger King on Wallace Road. The aim was to connect with my wife and daughter whom were fueling up at the Chevron nearby. We ended up syncing up and headed out to the stables, where my daughter rode her beloved pony friend, Quinn. While my daughter was getting saddled up, I took a few minutes to greet another pony. More on that in a minute.

Rewind a few minutes. My wife and I stumbled into a conversation concerning the Lord, creation, evolution and whether or not the world's population was simply being duped. I've chosen to believe what the Bible says as truth. I've asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life and have been baptized. However, at times (at least I do) I've taken a step back and wondered if any of it is real. Maybe this is an attack from Satan, or maybe I'm just courageous enough to admit that I've doubted, but it's an honest question. "What if none of my beliefs are real?" What a pointless and hopeless existence that would be. I choose to believe in God. I choose to believe all things come from God.

Colossians 1:16 (New International Version)

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

As my daughter was going through her lesson with Quinn, I went to see another horse named Blue, who also lives at the stables. He's a beautiful horse, with a friendly temperament. As gentle as he is, he's still young and working through some poor habits. He would frequently "lip" my hand as I stroked his cheek and neck. He never bit- just licked me (yes, licked) and used his lips to "hold" my hand. Blue also yawned several times in a row while I was present. It was something I'd never seen before and struck me as extremely funny- something you'd expect to see from Mr. Ed. God certainly has a sense of humor.

Good Night

On The Treadmill...

So, here it is, Wednesday. Hump Day. The middle of the week. It was a busy day in IT-land. There never seems to be a shortage of problems to resolve, systems to fix and duties to carry out. I'm thankful for the opportunity, but it feels as though it should be Friday evening. Maybe that's just laziness talking.

Whatever we're in the middle of, whether it's a long work week or a true hardship, let's stay strong and finish the race. Let's knuckle down and accomplish God's purpose for our life, one step at a time.

A house is built brick by brick. A human life is built one day at a time. Let's keep our eye on the prize.

Acts 20:24 (New International Version)

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Good Night

Just A Quick Hello

I have to admit that I'm a little tired and not terribly motivated to blog this evening. Things aren't going badly, I just don't have a lot to say. I'm sleepy and the act of resting my head on the pillow for the night is really attractive.

I will say this:

To all of the people I've ever hurt or let down, "I'm truly sorry".

To all of the people in my life whom don't hear it enough, "I Love You".

For all of the blown opportunities to take the high road and build character, "Please forgive me, Jesus".

For every good thing placed in my life, either cherished or taken for granted, "Thank you, Lord".

Good Night

Who is Jesus to You?

It's a simple question. "Who is Jesus to you?"

In Luke, we see the blind beggar calling out to the Lord in order to have have his eyesight restored. Rather than instantly restoring vision to the man, Jesus asked "What do you want me to do for you?" It was when the beggar requested physical restoration, and believed it would be done by faith, that he was healed.

Luke 18:35-43 (New International Version)

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see," he replied.

Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

In that moment in time, the beggar was filled with faith that the Lord would heal his eyesight. He wanted healing- and he had faith that was focused like a laser beam upon the Lord, just where it should be.

What is it that we want from God? Who is Jesus to us? Do we have faith and is it directed toward Jesus? If the Lord were standing here before me, I can assure you I'd be asking for my eyesight. But, how often are we placing our faith in other things like wealth, status, etc. How many times are we asking for things that might not line up with God's best for us?

Just something to think about...

Good Night

Everything But the Kitchen Sink

Oy! Today was busy, but fruitful.

The day began with a cuddle with my lovely wife and a trip to Starbucks where a Venti Black and White and a slab of Chocolate Banana Coffeecake brought my brain to life. Church services were awesome. It was a great message from our pastor about the friend and judge of Jesus. He's the perfect parent; His grace is sufficient for us- covering anything we've ever done wrong in our past.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (New International Version)

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

However, at the end of days, grace will stop and judgment will come, separating the saved from the unsaved for all of eternity. He loves humankind so much that he's making sure we've all been informed of the Good News and have ample time to choose Him, before the separation begins.

Revelation 14:9-10 (New International Version)

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

It was also missions week and we were blessed to run a high-tech Skype conference with a couple whom are currently serving in Cambodia. It was something to behold, 300 people hearing and seeing missionaries thousands of miles away on the big screens, while out pastor conversed with them wirelessly from the stage. We also heard about City Vibe, an outreach program which assists the homeless in our area. The videos of people living right in our own backyard was heart-wrenching. I really want to help them out in any way that's possible. You should consider it as well.

After service, I updated and quickly rebooted the Windows Server which runs the operations side of the church and then my wife and I grabbed a quick bite at the Pita Pit for a late lunch. Once home, I proceeded to mow the front and side yards before seeing that our neighbor was out working on our shared fence. After assisting our neighbor in hanging brackets, cutting and installing the main supports for our fence, it was time for a break. The kids gathered around the table and we turned our break time into an opportunity to learn. We assembled a few AA batteries, some tape, wire and a spare DC light bulb to make a rudimentary flashlight. After a few minutes, all of our kids knew what an electrical circuit was. (I love science experiments)

After a few more odd tasks outside, it was family dinner time. Ah, lasagna and garlic bread! Dessert came a little later in the form of homemade scones with blackberry jam. What a tasty and delightful way to end the day! Thank you God that we live in a country of such abundance!

It's definitely time to relax with my wife, whom has been cleaning the house, as I've been off doing all of these other things.

Good Night.

It's Time for Rest

Preparation for church tonight was stressful. We were trying to ensure all four check-in laptops were up and running, slides were ready and our video chat with some church members whom are in Cambodia was set to go. A lot of little pieces had to come together just so, in order for the night to come off without a hitch.

All went according to plan, mostly.

Three of four laptops were online, but I had to work on a printing issue with one of the functional computers. Once this was done, a colleague and I ironed out the technical plans for the set order for the evening and ran through as much as we could, leaving only the internet chat as an unrehearsed element. Needless to say, the chat never ended up working out tonight in production. The Cambodia feed was never formally announced and our pastor was never cued up for the the chat due to technical difficulties on our end. He promptly said a prayer and moved into his sermon, so the church body was unaware of what they'd missed. However, we were left scrambling in the sound booth. By the end of the evening, the glitches were overcome and we were cleared for another attempt on Skype during tomorrow's services.

Date night was fun; my wife and I enjoyed a fine dinner from Quizno's and watched Who Do You Think You Are? on our DVR, as well as some other sitcoms. It was time well spent. Tomorrow is a new day. I'm thankful that although I started out as one stressed out puppy, my evening is ending on a calm and peaceful note.

Thank you, Jesus for life. Thank you for the life that's sometimes stressful, nutty, fast-paced and spontaneous. Even when it's bad, with you in control, it's all good.

Good Night