No more jumping on the bed....

Or for me no more sledding and going off the ramp! I had hernia surgery at the end of October. It was an emergency surgery and I thought since it's been a few months I was o.k. to go sledding. But the problem was I went on the ramp that was on the hill. Had to go back to the doctor yesterday and make sure I did not mess my surgery up from October because I was in so much pain. Well I am thankful that I just pulled a muscle or strained it. My brother said I should be in a bubble ;-) Hope I heal up and start feeling better if not I have to go back to the doctor in a week! So please pray that I heal up! My blood sugars don't like the pain. They have been high for a few days. My type one diabetes does not like pain. I am thankful that I know the One who can heal me!

Some good news, I am going to be an uncle again. Tom and Amber are exptecting another boy any time now. I am trying to convince them to name him Gary or Joe or what about having a middle name of Peaches? Pray for them and pray for my mom as she travel's out there to meet her 13th grandchild. I guess this is a prayer request post! Thanks for praying and thanks for reading my rambles!

Today I am going to keep walking or maybe keep limping.

A good word from Charles Spurgeon

"Give yourself to the Church. You that are members of the Church have not found it perfect and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a Church till I had found one that was perfect, I would never have joined one at all! And the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect Church after I had become a member of it.

Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us... All who have first given themselves to the Lord, should, as speedily as possible, also give themselves to the Lord's people. How else is there to be a Church on the earth? If it is right for anyone to refrain from membership in the Church, it is right for everyone, and then the testimony for God would be lost to the world!

As I have already said, the Church is faulty, but that is no excuse for you not joining it, if you are the Lord's. Nor need your own faults keep you back, for the Church is not an institution for perfect people, but a sanctuary for sinners saved by grace, who, though they are saved, are still sinners and need all the help they can derive from the sympathy and guidance of their fellow believers.

The Church is the nursery for God's weak children where they are nourished and grow strong. It is the fold for Christ's sheep-the home for Christ family" Charles H. Spurgeon

What a great quote from Spurgeon. We need to have this attitude about the Church. I have seen on facebook the last couple of days a few things about Christians. Basically these things are saying a lot of Christians don't act like Christians. I think some times we church folk think we are perfect or better than others. And that is not true. We all need to be forgiven of our sins. Paul said that he is the chief of all sinners. I know I feel that way some times. Church is not to be a social club, but rather a place of love, grace and healing. I have been tired for a long time of playing church or playing religion. I want to be more like Christ. My desire is to walk as Jesus did. To love like Jesus did. So when I go to church I need to be real and accepting and showing grace to others. I am thankful for men like Spurgeon who over a century ago, he wrote something that applies to me today!

I am going to keep walking!

The Valley

 

If you have done much reading of Psalms or know much about David's life you would assume that he struggled with depression. One minute he was praising the Lord and the next he was in despair. I can really relate to David. I have been thinking about this Psalm for the last few days. The Bible talks a lot about God being the shepherd and we are the sheep. Sheep are not the smartest animals in the world. And as humans we are not all ways the smartest either. It's comforting to know that God leads us. David in the first few verses tells us that God leads us in the good times and the bad. The last couple of days I have been feeling like I am walking in the Valley. God's rod and staff will protect and comfort me while I am in the Valley. When I walk in times of the valley there are dangers all around me. Temptations loom in ever corner. Paul tells us that we do not wrestle with flesh and blood but with if you will the dark side. Satan knows what buttons to push when I am in a valley time of life. If I cling to the Lord He will comfort me in this time. I see in the last half of this verse if I hold tight to the Lord in my Valley I will come out better. His goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Life is not all ways easy. And for me it is hard some times to know what God wants me to do or to go. But I know if I draw near to Him He will draw near to me. This morning my whole body hurts like I got hit by a truck. I am still in my  valley, but if I hold onto Him I will get through this time

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.^[a]
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness^[b]
    for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,^[c]
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely^[d] goodness and mercy^[e] shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell^[f] in the house of the Lord forever

 

Keep walking!

God's will, not mine

The last couple of weeks I have been struggling with some deep depression. I have tried to mask it and even wanted to run away from it. Yesterday was my birthday. When I look at my life it is easy for me to think that my life is events of failers. Once I start looking back at what I have done I get depressed. I was reminded yesterday by a friend how gifted of a speaker I am, but through sinful actions it seems that I have blown that. So I have let my self look back and when I look back I get more depressed. Paul tells me not to look back but to push forward. Paul had made a lot of mistakes in his pass. Paul understood that if he looked back it would of held him back. I fall into the trap to many times that maybe others fall into, I sinned and fell hard so therefor I am no longer worthy or able to serve God. When I look at the Bible I know that is not to be true. Peter denied Christ three times, but once He repented Jesus used him.

Another thing I have noticed about my self the last few weeks is that I have a lot of pride in my life. I have all ways wanted to be the center of attention. To be the big thunderstorm in life. But in the body of Christ God wants us to serve Him no matter what. Maybe God is calling me to be that one rain drop instead of the thunderstorm. I love to preach and teach, but maybe I need to learn to serve God more in the back ground. Which has never been my strong point. I have been challenged this weekend to serve God where I am at in life right here right now. 

I think I have been asking the wrong question. Instead of God why did you bring me here I need to be asking God how do you want me to serve you. Today I need to give up my will and my idea of what I think I should be doing. And start asking and doing what God wants me to be doing.

Not sure if any of this makes sense, but at least it makes sense to me :-)

Keep walking!

Praying together

¹⁴ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. ¹⁶ For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 2 Chronicles 7:14-16

The above verses are one of my favorite verses. Personal prayer is very important and we need to do it daily. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing! As Christians we all need to pray and keep a good relationship with the Lord. I could talk about personal prayer and the need for it all day, but for this article I am going to talk to you about the importance of corporate prayer and how corporate prayer helps us build fellowship and a close bound as a church.

Prayer is mentioned in the ESV Bible 154 times! By that alone we can see that prayer is important. There is recorded time and time again in the Bible of answers to prayer. Most of us understand the importance of personal prayer, but what about corporate prayer? There is something special about praying together as a body of Christ. I was taught in Bible College that a church that prays together stays together. When talking about corporate prayer we need to look at the history of the beginning of the church. And for that we go to the book of Acts. Acts 1:14 ¹⁴ All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. We see here that the early Church was together in unity. And in that unity they devoted themselves to prayer. Acts 2:42-43 ⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe^[a] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. So again we see that they devoted themselves to prayer. When we pray together fellowship will accor. We get to know each other better and so then we can pray for each other better when we have our personal time of prayer. Praying together will help us build deeper relationships that is seen in the early church. The last piece of scripture I am going to use to help with my point is found in the book of James. James 5: ¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^{[b] 17} Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. When we are sick and suffering we are to come to the Elders and have them anoint us with oil and pray for us. If we are struggling with a sin we are to have another person pray for us. James uses a great example of answered prayer with Elijah. We know that prayer works, just look around you and you will see answered prayer. When we practice what James is saying deep relationships will come out of it. There is something special about being able to be honest and open with someone so they can pray for your real life hard struggles. I know the real me is not always happy and funny. So when I share and then pray with another brother I don’t feel alone, I feel that someone else cares for me.