Satan and Demons Lecture

This is the second part of my teaching series over Angels, Satan and Demons, Heaven and Hell

Lesson On Angels

This is the first part in a four part lesson I am doing with the youth group at my church. The four parts will be "Angels" "Satan and Demons" "Hell" "Heaven"

I am linking the first video in the series to the title of this blog click on it to take you there, however you can follow the link to my Youtube page and see the rest right now it is in 6 parts. The last 15 is still missing since my video ran out at that point. I will be rerecording this here shortly from my office. So enjoy watch al pass on to as many as you can. Don't forget to comment!

Question: How do you help someone that won't talk, other than prayer?

The best thing that anyone can do for someone who does not initially open up (which is the case with most people) is to befriend them. This may seem like a simple act, but I assure you that this is not always an easy task. In each case that Jesus talked with someone He was able to connect with them in a personal way. He knew who they were and where they came from and what was important to them. This was the same in Paul's ministry to those he went to; he was always in a place for an extended amount of time. The thing that is most important is to be the example in each and everything you do, making sure it glorifies God. Take the time to get to know the people you want to help. Hang out with them, do things they are interested in as long as it does not compromise your faith and God. The reward will be great you will gain a friend and you may find out you were the one blessed. God relationship with us is a personal relationship and so should the relationships we make. I once read a story in a book about a person who was ministering (helping) to people and one of the people asked him with much concern; "If I never become a Christian will you still be my friend") We are called by God to lead people to the Most High God, we do not abandon those who do not understand our ways, we continue to be a light for them.

Your Grace is Enough

We sing the words “ Your Grace is Enough” but do we really believe what we are singing. Do we understand that His grace is enough, do we know that His grace is efficient for us as Christians? ‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”’ 2 Corinthians 12:9. There is a underlying truth here that we often overlook. As Christians in order for us to experience the grace God gives us freely; we have to be in a state of weakness. We as humans have this inherited idea to make ourselves look great as possible. We do all we can to fool the world around us and ourselves that everything is okay and we have no weakness. Most call this pride and this can be most damaging to the Christian heart. How can God work with a prideful heart, how can God bless you in your pride and lies? Paul understood this when he talked about God’s grace. Paul even says that he will boast about his weakness. Does this mean we walk around with our head hung down and have this defeated look on our faces all the time? Not at all! As a Christian you are a child of the Most High God. Walk with the joy He has given you. I think that a great example of this is Hezekiah; he was the King of Judah he could not walk around looking weak and defeated. He did not even act this way when Sennacherib threatened to destroy Judah. Hezekiah could stand strong against his enemy because he knew where his power and protection lay. Before the Lord Hezekiah was a different man in Isaiah 38:3 we are told that Hezekiah “Wept bitterly” before the Lord. A man broken, a man weakened, a man that knew where God’s grace was greatest. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6. What Paul is telling us is that God’s grace is made perfect in our humility. Humble yourself before the Lord, you have nothing to boast about. All that you have has been given to you by God. Paul tells us that God had put a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble. Stop trying to fool yourself and the world, accept God’s grace. For His grace is enough. Do as Hebrews tells us in 13:9 let your heart be strengthened God’s grace not by earthly things. We put so much value on what we have, what we are or what we can do; pride is what all this equals. You want value, you want to know what you can really do, you want to let yourself and those around you who you are? Humble yourself before God keep your heart humble and let God’s grace rain down on you. His grace is sufficient, but will you let it be efficient for you?

Giving the Honor

Wow what a great start to summer. There have been tons of exciting this happening around here this summer. As it is said ‘we have hit the ground running’. With summer in full swing, the hear sweltering and water bringing enjoyment; there is much to be thankful for during this time of year.
I know that it has been a few weeks since my last post, but I assure you that I make no excuses for the lapse in time, I have been having a great time enjoying the summer with my family and friends.
Throughout the year there are many times to be thankful for what you have and the things you receive. However there just seems to be something spectacular about the summer months. Besides the heat being brutal, giving everyone a sunburn at one time or another, the work that is needed to keep up a yard or the work you talked about getting done all winter. We endure all this during the hot months, but at the same time we enjoy all the opportunities that come along with summer. The days spent at the water parks, baseball games, a day at the pool and the awesome food that accompanies group gathering cookouts and dinners. We enjoy the vacations and the stay-cations that summer brings. So, how is it that we so often forget to give the thanks and honor where it is due. Everything we have and enjoy is because God has giving it to us. We enjoy the ability to work in our yards and tend our gardens, when they grow and produce good fruit we say “we worked so hard in keeping it alive” when in fact God is the one that gave the plants life and your ability to work your gardens. Give Him thanks and honor for that gift. You go on vacation and have a grand time and you may tell someone “ we had to save all year to make vacation happen this year” give thanks to God that you had the job to be able to save for your family vacation. The time spend outside by the pool or on the baseball field give God the thanks for the ability to be there and the family or friends you enjoy it with. Those cookouts you have on Saturday nights, give God the thanks for having a place to entertain and the give thanks for the friends that He has blessed you with to have in your life. Often we get so tied up in what we are doing and how hard we worked to accomplish something, that often God gets set to the back burner in honor being given.
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Take time today and give God the thanks and honor for what you have and the love that He gives you.

I'm Making My Way

Do you ever stop and wonder; where am I headed? What am I doing with my life that makes a difference? There are many questions we could ask ourselves, but they all have the same answer. Who are you making your way for in the life you are given? You may answer; I am doing everything for my family. I work hard for them and give them everything they need and want. You may say; my kids are my life and hope, everything is for them and their future. These are all noble statements and things that everyone should do for the greater good. Taking care of your family and children is a universal truth and a widely excepted one at that. Okay, so who should we be living our lives for everyday? What should be our motivating factor? The answer is simple, but the doing is very difficult. God. Nothing else even needs to be said. Jesus says “It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” We may need the bread of this world to survive this earthly life, but our life and soul depends on how much time with spend with the words that come from God’s mouth. These words that come from the mouth of God, are none other than the very Bible. God has given everything we need to deal with this life in this book. You may be saying to yourself that it does not cover every subject known to man. The truth in this is that everything falls under some subject in the Bible. This is why we need to spend time daily learning and reading God’s word. Not only does it strengthen our relationship with the creator, but it gives us the very substance to survive our daily lives. By gaining more understanding and investing in our relationship with God, we are investing in more than we could imagine. When you are making your way with God as your leader and instructor; the other things that are important to you like your family and children will automatically be blessed by your obedience. When those things of life get you down and you are broken as Hezekiah was when he learned of his soon to be death. When you weep against the wall as he did and ask God to pull you out of the depths of sorrow and pain. Or when it is the blessings of life as it was for Abraham when God provided a sacrifice for him. Making your way with God may be a great challenge at times and may bring sorrow and pain. The great thing about making your way with God is that you are making your way with the creator of it all. He knows the path because he laid the foundations of the earth. (Job 38:4)"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.” We do not understand, but he does. Live your day for God; fill your plate with His word and the rest will fall on the plate where it needs to be; but you can bet it will not fall on the floor as crumbs from a table.

What Do We Do With Sin

What do we do with sin? A simple enough question, right? You may be thinking, well duh, you repent, you do away with the sin or try to overcome the sin. Okay, this works great when the sin is your sin and you have the ability through Christ to deal with the sin. What if the sin belongs to another person; what do you do then? This becomes a completely different scenario when you start to talk about other peoples sins. Now, before we get started I am Not telling you that you should make a habit of seeking out others sin. Seeking out other people’s sin is not what we are called to do; by Christ. At the same time though we have a great responsibility as Christians to other people see sin for what it really is; that sin is part of a fallen world. I am going to take a guess here, but I am willing to say that most if not all people hate to be told they have done something wrong or committed a sin. Most of the time the response goes something like this; “ who are you to tell me what I am doing wrong, look at your own problems and stay out of mine.” We have gotten it into our heads that we have this right to be living in sin as long as we can justify the sin. I hate to tell you but no matter what the sin is, there is no justification for the sin; stop thinking there is no justification. As a Christian you have the responsibility to let another Christian know they are headed down a road of destruction. I believe the reason most people do not like others to tell them what they are doing wrong, is that most of the time it is done in such a harsh or hateful manner. How exactly are we to approach and deal with other people’s sin. By being Christlike of course. Never once did you see Christ be hateful in showing someone their sin. A great example is how Jesus deals with the adulterous woman in (John 8:1-11). Jesus met her where she was at, on the ground broken, accused and humiliated. What did he say to her? “Then neither do I condemn you, Go now and leave your life of sin.” There was no, how dare you, you evil sinful person or you are living in sin and going to hell. When the disciples began their ministry the followed this example. There are four easy steps to follow when talking to someone about their sin. 1. Patiently Listen - James 1:19 says “Let every person be quick to hear”. Get to know the person see why they are the way they are and the reason they do these things. Most of the time it is because they do not even know better or somewhere in their past someone important to the justified their actions. You cannot help anyone if you do not take the time to understand them. They will only look at you and say “who do you think you are.” 2. Personally Repent - The sins you commit are no less than anyone else's sin. (Luke 13:5) “I tell you no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” There is no way you can help someone with their sin if you are committing the same sin. Unless you understand that you are without a doubt a person in need of redemption you can help no one. Another question to ask yourself is’ what are my motivations? Do you really care about this person or persons; or do you just want them to disappear and be silenced. Luke 7:47 says “ he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 3. Gently Instruct - (2 Timothy 2:22-25) “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone..correcting his opponents with gentleness.” We are to be kind in approaching someone and telling them they are living a destructive lifestyle. We also have to be careful that what we are calling a sin is a sin. There are plenty of times that people will say something is a sin and there is no biblical background saying it is a sin. For example, someone would say having an alcoholic beverage would be a sin or that dancing is a sin. There is no biblical basis on these matters. Sure, we are told to be drunk is a sin, but having a drink of alcohol is not. Be gentle and understanding in how you approach people. 4. Mercifully Pursue and Then Engage the Heart - “Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh” (Jude 22–23). We are told not to hide in the shadows or to be rude, but to move boldly into confusing, high-stakes situations with the gospel of God’s mercy. (1) Stay with people do not give up on them, continue to love them in mercy and show them where their mistake lies. Help them not to just see then understanding of the sin with their minds but with their hearts so that they may remember and cherish the gospel of God’s forgiving, redeeming, and merciful plan of salvation.


John Freeman Christ and Sexual Sin http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/christ-sexual-sin/
This 4 step guide is John Freeman’s message in the above link. I only added to his ideas.

Misguided Devotion

Have you ever known anyone who did something in the Lord’s name, but you knew that what this person had done could not have been what God would have wanted? Often these types of acts are done with a complete lack of thought. There is a story of a man in the bible; his name is Jephthah and he was a judge of Israel. Jephthah was not an evil man, in fact he was a man that God moved upon when the Israelites fought the people of Ammon. I gather he was a man devoted to God and wanted to please God. The problem with Jephthah I believe is that he got a little excited and made vows to God that he did not think through. In Judges 11:30-31 Jephthah makes a vow to God; he tells God that he will sacrifice the first thing out his door to meet him, if God would deliver Israel from the people of Ammon. This vow does not sound to bad at first, but the problem arises after the battle when Jephthah gets home. I believe he truly thought an animal would be there to greet him, however this was not the case. A person greeted him at his door and it was his daughter, not just any daughter; his only child. What a foolish vow to make to God. Now there is much debate over what Jephthah actually did to his daughter. In God’s law human sacrifice was strictly forbidden, but I believe that Jephthah was not to knowledgeable on God’s law. If he was I think he would have offered silver in place of his daughter. Some say he sacrificed her others say that he sent her to the sanctuary to live out a life of virginity. Either way his vow cost him and his daughter greatly. I am not telling you to never make a vow to God to show your love or devotion to Him. What I am saying is when you do make a vow to God be sure it is one that He would have you do and that it does not go against what God has commanded. We often make silly promises to God that He knows and we know that we will never be able to keep. A vow to God should never been done in haste, it is always best to think it through and most of all pray to God about your offering. Sometimes or promises effect others in ways God would not want.

Breath

I am going to start off by saying that some of what I am about to write is not all from my thoughts, I found the information to be very cool and uplifting.
Over the past few days I have either read or heard people speaking about the Holy Spirit and/or the Spirit of God; I found some very profound statements. Before I get off into some of those statements I would like to ask you about the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy Spirit? Conventionally most would say the Holy Spirit is what resides in us after our conversion, others may say the Holy Spirit is our comforter, still others would say that the Holy Spirit is our conscience. While all these are true statements I believe there is so much more to the Holy Spirit and the work He does.
This week I learned the word “pneuma” the Greek word for the spirit. However I soon learned that there is so much more to this word then just this one meaning and that it was used in various forms in the Greek language. Then I looked up the word in the Hebrew for spirit and learned “ruach”. Now here is where it gets interesting. The word pneuma is used for Holy Spirit and the word ruach translates Spirit; referring to the Spirit of God. Both of these meaning “breath”. The sacred name for God in the Hebrew is YHVH. Unpronounceable if you try to speak the letters, but take a deep breath and exhale and you can hear these letters. Genesis 1:2 “ Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God (ruach) was hovering over the waters.” (I added emphasis) Genesis 2:7 “ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed (ruach) into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (i added emphasis) Acts 2:2 “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind (pneuma) came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (I added emphasis). Now here is the statement that got me to thinking about these verses. “What is the first thing a baby must do after it is born? Take a breath. What is the last thing you do before you die? Take your last breath.” I think you are beginning to see where I am going with this. What if the very first thing a baby does to live is speak the very name of God “YHVH” (remember just breath), and the very last thing you do is speak the very name of God “YHVH”. For you to receive the Holy Spirit you have to cry out to Jesus, the name of God. I do not care if you are a believer or not just as it says in Romans 14:11
“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”

Every breath you take you acknowledge God, before you even knew how to speak you spoke His name. Take a moment get on your knees and thank God for the breath He has given you. (Do not sit there and think this is a good idea, literally get on your knees and no matter where you are and thank Him.) What will you do with your breath today?

Have You Been Measured

Wow what a busy time of the year for me and my family. School is about to wrap up for all of us; Ruth Ann and I have finals over the next few weeks and Zach will be out for the summer. One of the reasons I have not posted in about a week or there about, no making excuses just stating the facts. However along with looking over why I have not made a post in the last few weeks I began to wonder. What do I measure myself against and is what I measure myself with the right things? Here is just a few pondering ideas I explored.




There is an old saying, you have been weighed, you have been measured and been found wanting. I think that this is a great statement to make about the Christian life. Let me ask, when was the last time you spent time reading God’s law? When was the last time you spent time in Church? When was the last time you spent time with those friends you use to hang out with all the time? Think on these question considerably before reading more.
I have found not only in my Christian walk, but in others walk also; we tend to run away from the very thing that is going to make us question our life style. We will make excuses for the things we do, not only do we make these excuses, but we try to justify them by measuring them against the rules of the world. Sometimes we even use the Bible to justify our misconstrued ideas. All the while straying from God and the people that will tell us that we are wrong. This is our human nature; we do not like to be told we are doing something wrong. Now I am not saying that every time someone tells you that you are doing something wrong, that you are doing something wrong. Remember people are human too and will make the same mistakes about life as you yourself will. Take a look in Job and see what advice his friends were giving him; they were totally off base on why God was allowing these things to happen to Job.
What we need to do is stop running and face the Law of God. Weigh yourself, measure yourself against His Law. You know what you will find? You will be found wanting. What do I mean by wanting? You will be found lacking. You may say well that is not a very good message to put out and you may even stop reading. I encourage you to read more. Romans tell use in 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”; if you read more you will find there are many passages telling us that when we measure ourselves against God’s Law that we will always be found wanting. What is the joy in that you may ask? The joy is that if you read and if you measure yourself against God’s Law you find yourself wanting... wanting Jesus, because you will see that even though we find ourselves short and so does God; that there is a hope and joy that can be found in the Law. It will lead you to Jesus and the salvation that comes in accepting Him. For the believer you will find a renewal in the promises of your salvation. So, do not be afraid to weigh, measure yourself and find yourself wanting. Take great joy in God’s Law just as the Psalmist. Psalm 119:97.

Holy holy holy

Just how holy is God? Do we really understand or comprehend this very statement out of Isaiah? Sure we sing the old hymn; Holy holy holy, merciful and mighty. When we say this or sing this are we giving it the reverence that is deserved? Just how important is this statement? To look at the text we have to understand a little about how the Jews show importance to a word. In the English language we have many different types of punctuations that allow the reader to understand the importance of something. For those writing in Hebrew, although they have many of the same punctuations, they used a repeating of a word to show just how important the message or word was. You often see Jesus saying; Amen Amen, or Truly Truly. Show what He is about to say is of some extra importance. In all these cases though the word is only repeated two times, here we see the word repeated three times. Not only is the word holy repeated three times but the words come from a Seraphim angel. This is no ordinary Angel, these are angels that are in the very presence of God. You may be asking yourself; OK so how does this show how holy God is? Let us take a closer look at these angels to get a better understanding. In (Isaiah 6:2) 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. These angels say it all in this description; what gives it away that God is Holy holy holy? Here it says that the Seraphim has two wings that are for nothing but to cover their faces while in the presence of the most high God. These are beings that God created to stand in His presence and they are equipped with the very thing to keep them from seeing all of Gods glory. We know from Moses that no one can look upon the face of the Lord and live. Here we see that this includes any being in the presence of God. We have the repetition of Holy three times and the very make-up of Seraphim angels to give us a small understanding of just how holy of a God we serve. We are not able to understand all the things of God, we are not meant to be able to comprehend all things of God. God does give us great insight into His nature and who He is and how Holy Holy Holy he is. The next time you kneel to pray or lift your voice up in praise, humble yourself low and shout to the heavens for it is being sent to a holy holy holy God.

The Days After

Easter has passed for another year, you went to Church, had lunch with family and friends and watched the children hunt eggs. At the end of the day you were probably think; wow, I am glad that is over and done for another year. That is what you think anyway. For us as Christians I believe that the work is really just beginning. Easter should be a time of renewal for us, a time to reflect on what Jesus really did for us on the Cross. To make sure we do not get too caught up in the worldly things of the season. A renewal of rejoicing in our Salvation in Jesus, that out of all the religions in the world that we serve the only living God. After Jesus arose from the grave His work was complete. Sin had been defeated and even though it has not come to pass for us the battle has been won. The days after Jesus arose He knew that His followers would need a little bit of a confirmation that He is alive. Jesus spent the next 40 days visiting people and still performing miracles. Then at the end of those 40 days He gave His disciples and us a commission to continue the work He had started.
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Jesus gave us a job to do and during Easter I believe we should take hold and remember not only what He has done for us, but also what He has commanded us to do in obedience to Him. However as with all things with God He gave us yet another promise. That we do not have to go it alone. He tells us that He will be with us always. Not only this but that He sent us the Holy Spirit to help us along.
So rejoice not only in the spring of the year, the resurrection of Jesus, but also in the promise that He is with you and always will. Begin the work He has commanded you and be renewed.

What a Friend We Have

I know many of you have heard at one time or another the song or someone say "What a friend we have in Jesus". The question you have to ask is do we really know what kind of friend we really have. Here are a few points in Jesus' friendship to us.

1. He is a friend that intercedes for us in Prayer.
(John 17:15) 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
(John 17:17) 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
(John 17:21) 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
(John 17:24) 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

2. He is a friend that leads us by experience and protects us.
(John 10:27-29) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

3. He presents us blameless before God and the accuser.
(Revelation 12:10)“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.

Now that is a true friend. When was the last time you even did a small part of this for someone you call a friend. You; yourself cannot present anyone blameless but you can lead them to the one who can. You may not be able to lead a friend down the right path but you can lead them to the one that leads you. The one thing you can do is send up your prayers for your friends. If you pray for them let them know you are praying for them; even get them and pray with them over them.

No greater love than this than he who lays down his life for his friend.

Letters from war

My fellow Christians; there is a war raging all around us. I am not just talking about the Wars that are all around us in the world today, but with all these wars going on here on Earth; you know that there must be an even greater spiritual battle raging. Now that I have mentioned battles on a broader range, let me talk about the more personal battles raging. I am sure that somewhere in your life that there is a battle raging. Maybe it is an illness, a person, a commitment or financial matters. Now why these things may seem to be earthly things I assure you that they very well may be spiritual. All off these are seen in the Bible as spiritual in one way or another. First you see illness throughout the Bible but you see it as a spiritual battle in the book of Job. A test for Job; but a battle to be fought. His letter from war were tears and heartache lifted up to God, a man who knew the battle ground on which he stood. Second a person that is causing you trouble, pain or sorrow; fear not you are not the first and will not be the last. It is a battle that can be won through love and prayer. Think about Isaac's sons Esau and Jacob. Could there have been more hatred between two people? A brother who stole his fathers blessing and a brother mad with rage almost killing his brother and running him off to a distant land. However in the end Jacob goes to his brother and apologizes and knows that for him to prosper he must reconcile with his brother. His letter from war; a battle with God and a new name. Maybe the battle is a commitment that you are afraid to make to God or something. Do not fret to much about this struggle because you are not the first. Moses struggled with God's request to free his people, Peter struggled with staying faithful to Christ, and Jonah feared going where God would have him. Their letters of war were ones of submission and the joy that comes from obedience; even if it takes a little nudging. Third on finance; it may be a battle in giving back to God what is his, it may be that you are overwhelmed with the cost of living. Continue steadfast in prayer and do not let the enemy defeat you. The Bible says, “Where ever your treasure is so shall you heart be.” Be sure that your treasure is found in Christ. The letter from war you will write will be one of victory and rejoicing in the Lord.
There is a constant war raging for us as Christians. Condemnation for our beliefs, countries where if you speak of the Gospel you are punished or killed. Pray for these people that are out there following God and on the front lines of the battle field. Because the letters they send home from war; are ones stained with blood and sacrifices that we may never know.

Mission Trip

Hey everyone. It is good to be back in the states, but I am excited about getting back on the mission field. I spent my spring break in San Miguel, Mexico. Not the nice city but the one in Choa Mexico. In one word I would have to say Amazing; that is the way the whole trip was for me. There was tons of driving on long roads that seem to not lead anywhere, but we made it to the desert. I had a lot of anxiety before going on this mission trip and I spent many nights in prayer about the mission. My main concern was about the dangers that are going on in Mexico right now and me being able to eat the food without getting sick; plus a few other things. I have to be honest I made this commitment to go on the mission trip with much excitement, but as the time got closer I felt like there were things that were signs that maybe I should not go. Then after prayer and talking with friends it was very apparent that God was wanting me to go on this trip not matter what excuse I made to why I could not. With that said I am so glad that I was obedient to God and went; I was immensely blessed by this trip. Now a little bit of information about our trip into Mexico.
We headed into Mexico on Saturday morning and made it to the border about 3pm, we made our last calls to home and headed into Mexico. I should have known from the start what an amazing trip this was going to be. We were not 20 minuets into Mexico when Tony the guy guiding us to our location stopped at a church and dropped off a washer. The blessing was about to come to us. We went in to see the small church and there was a praise team doing a bible study. They asked if they could pray over us; they did and even though I could not understand most of what they were saying it showed me just how big the body of Christ is in the world. The prayers they prayed for us were filled with the power of the Spirit and you knew that their prayers were blessing to us. Our first night in Mexico was spent at a small church in Muzquez; what they call a city in that area. We were feed some great food there and we all spent the night on the roof of the church.
Our second day we spent most of the day on the road traveling through the mountains down long stretches of road. We made it to San Miguel about 1pm and got unloaded and made ourselves familiar a little bit with the town. Did a little work and made some dinner then spent the evening till sun went down; because there was no light or electricity in the area. We made plans for the next day for work; painting, working on the little church in one of the neighboring villages, and of course food for the next day since I was one of the cooks.
On the third day we started out bright and early or at least I did along with the other cook. The day was spent pretty much doing work in the areas that we had planned and preparing the food for the days to come. Later in the afternoon I got to travel to the other village, expecting to take pictures, but I ended up with another blessing in getting to work with some of the local men and then getting feed one of the better meals I had on the trip; fresh goat and rice. The day ended with continuing with work and we made it early to bed one because of it being dark and mostly because we were tired.
On the fourth day some exciting things happened. First The other cook and I got right to work on preparing food for the whole village. To me though the most exciting part was preparing lunch for the school there. The kids were so excited and it was lots of fun to feed the kids and get to see them in a school setting. Later that evening we feed all the village deer, hog, and other wild meats. This was really great combined with the service that was done also.
All in all the trip was great, I was ready for a bath and inside toilets and the absence of sand. It was so relaxing though not to have to be worried about e-mail, bills, or the craziness of American life. It makes me really appreciate the things I have and the luxuries that we have. I can not wait till our next mission.

I Long

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. (Psalm 42:1)
Have you ever wanted something so bad that you could taste it or feel it. You know what I am talking about; it is that feeling you have when you are sixteen and you are about to get that first car. You can picture yourself driving down the road, playing your music louder than your mother ever let you play it in her car. Maybe it is to you like that very first date, now that is something you can feel; you feel nervous, at times you think that you are going to get sick, but under all those confused feelings there is excitement and you daydream about how the date will go. However when you get to drive or go on that first date, it is usually not like anything you pictured it would be when you were thinking about the driving or the date. This is very much how it is when we are longing for God. We have in our minds how things are going to be when we become a new Christian, get in God’s will or sit down and pray. I would say that most of the time it is not even close to the way we pictured things would be when we seek after God. I love this verse though; as the deer pants for streams of water. That deer is not just wanting a drink of water, this deer is down right thirsty and the deer knows without this stream of water he is not going to survive. Much like us, if we do not pant after the author of salvation we are going to thirst that cannot be quenched, no matter what we trying to put in the place of God.
This verse has spoken to me this week; I have not had much time to do my bible readings as I like to do during the week. Mostly because I have filled my time with other things, not terrible things just things that I have not done in a while like getting out and enjoying this great weather with a walk or working in the yard. It is just that time for schedule adjustments as the days get longer and warmer. My soul has been panting for my time with God. I know that many of you have very busy lives; work, kids, school and other activities. I encourage you though take a moment this week and give your soul a drink of the living water. I believe you will find yourself renewed with a new energy and outlook on the events happening in your life.

Are You Small Enough

It has been several years back when I was going through a very hard time in my personal life that I asked God; are you small enough. This time in my life was during a time of confusion, hurt and a mountain of heart ache. I would hear from people all the time that they were praying for me and that God was bigger than my problem and my hurt. I cannot take credit for all of my hurt and problems at this time, but I was part of the problem. I would say to myself and to God when others would tell me that God was bigger than my problem; “God I know you are big and awesome, but I really need to you to be small enough for me.” Many times when we think on God it is on a grand scale, we think of things as Creator, Life Giver, Author of Salvation and I AM. These are big things and I praise Him for being all those things. Often though in the mists of our pain and hurt we forget that He is Counselor, Comforter and most of all Savior. A counselor is someone I can talk to about my hurt and pain, a comforter is someone that can hold me and hug me and just be there when the hurt and pain become to much to bear, lastly and most importantly as a Savior God tells us that He was once a baby, a child and a man He knows my hurts and pains. Most of all He knows how to free me from them. When I asked this thing of God; if He was small enough. He did not answer me right away, instead He was each of these things all the way through my hurt and pain, even when I was not doing as He would like for me to have done He was still there being it all. The answer is yes God is small enough, He became small enough to dwell within a baby; the Creator of it all packed into a baby. Now that is being small enough just for us. I do not know where you are at right now, maybe you are good right now and God is blessing you with a time of peace. Maybe though you are in a world of hurt, pain and trouble and need a comforter, counselor and Savior. Things may just be in the beginning stages of the hurt you will have to go through, but let me tell you there are blessings and peace to be had and found in your hurt and pain. All you have to do is be willing to go to God and lay it at His feet and say “Daddy I need help”. Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. Is it not awesome to know that we have a God that meets us right where we are and is willing to take on our burdens and let us rest why He solves the problems.

Passing it On

I hope that everyone enjoyed the Podcast that I posted this weekend. I am going to try and post a Podcast each week, hopefully I will get a little better each week at the sound control. If you had difficulty in hearing it or anything else please let me know.

I am going to be looking at a few verses out of Deuteronomy 6:1-2, 5-8

I think sometimes that we forget just how important it is for us to take the time to study God’s word. In these verses we find out that obeying God is not just for out benefit, but also for the benefit of others.
We as parents have the responsibility to pass the commandments of God and the love that he has for us. Showing our children the promises that God gives us for obeying His commands. In today’s world of passing the buck so to speak onto someone else for the teaching of our children, we have made ourselves as parents a little powerless. Yes, we depend on our school systems to teach our children the knowledge they will need to graduate to a knowledge level that has been set by the state. However we can not depend on them to teach our children morals and values, especially those of the word of God. That is our place to teach and the only thing that a school should be doing, which many do not, is to reenforce those values. We will leave all of that talk for another blog post. Let us take a look at what God says we are to do and the promise He gives us in doing so. First we are to take the teaching of the law commands from God and learn them ourselves. We cannot teach our children anything if we do not take the time to study God’s word; bottom line you cannot teach what you do not know. Next we are to take these teachings and teach them to our children so they can teach them to their children and so on for generations to come. How is that for immortality for you? By following these commands God’s gives a promise of a long life. What are these commands that God give us? The one mentioned here and is later quoted by Jesus as being the greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Moses goes on to say, that we are to write these commands upon our hearts, we are to impress them upon our children. It is interesting here that Moses do not just use the word teach, but impress our children. When you are impressing something on someone you are not just teaching them but you are also showing them by doing the very thing you are teaching. In other words you have to live these commands in order to truly teach your children. We are to talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk on the road. Think to yourself when was the last time you were sitting down and home and talking to your children about God and word? Most of the time I think it is safe to say the TV is doing most of the talking. How about when you are going somewhere? Whether it is taking your child to school in the morning or you are running to the grocery store, have you talked with them? You may say “awe my kids do not really listen when I start talking about these things” or “my kids learn these things in Sunday school, I am good Christian and we attend church regularly. Once again these scriptures tell us that it is our responsibility to teach our children. We are going to be the ones God holds accountable for our children and the legacy we leave them. We are also told to think on these commands when we lie down and when we get up, tie them on our hands and write them on the frames of our homes and on our gates. You may be thinking to yourself that is all a bit eccentric don’t you think? No the point is that we are to surround ourselves with the very word of God, to protect us and our family from the enemy that is our to destroy us and our family. It is very interesting how this is very similar to the command Paul gives us in putting on the armor of God, we are to cover ourselves with His word. I hope everyone has a great day and finds the time to read a little scripture sometime today.

The Very Hope of God

I am trying something new here, by making podcast every now and then of my post. Try it let me know what you think. This is my first attempt at this so be patient it will get better. To make the podcast play click on todays blog title "The Very Hope of God" I will be working on getting these posted to iTunes and linking the RSS feed to them. This is just a test to see how it does.

Here I am to worship

In our world I do not think that the word worship truly sits well with people and in truth most people are probably not truly worshiping. When you think of worship, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Church, singing maybe even prayer? Worships is all of these things, but it is also so much more. Let us look at a few things that Jesus had to say about worship.“It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. (Luke 4:8); first and foremost we are to worship only God, no other and no other objects. What does God think of our Worship our prayers? 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma (Gen. 8:21) Our worship to Him is a pleasing aroma. Have you ever thought that your prayers and worship have a pleasing smell to the creator of the universe? Now that we know that we are only to worship God and that it is pleasing to Him; the question is what are some ways to worship Him? There are so many ways to worship God here are a few, in prayer, in song and dance, with your time, with money, with obedience and with fasting. We should have a hunger for worshiping the Lord everyday not just on Sunday mornings when there is someone leading you in worship. Worship God everyday, after all He is the creator of the very ground you fall upon to worship Him. Take a little time and spend it on your knees worshiping the Lord and send up the pleasing aromas to heaven.

This Little Light

As I think most of you would remember, those of you that grew up going to Sunday school, the song this little light of mine. The song was quite simple; this little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine; simple song strong message. Over the last few days I have heard in sermon and in devotional reading a reoccurring message of just this very thing, letting your light shine. Sure in the sermon and in the text they used words like sharing the Gospel or the different ways people try or think they are sending the message to others or ever the way they share verbally the plan of salvation. After hearing and reading these things I got to thinking that maybe God was speaking to me about sharing His message, then I became sure that He was telling me something. This got me thinking that I should also share this with those of you who read my blog. When we are being taught as children this little song “This Little Light of Mine”, often it go without saying that we are being taught to share what God has done for us and what he has done with us. Now as a child we are not thinking these things, but none the less it is being taught to us. The question is have you been letting your light shine? All the time? Are you truly letting your light shine or do you talk yourself into believing that you are? Let me explain what I am saying. In today’s world of being politically correct and everyone watching their words for fear of upsetting someone; the message of Christ get lost. We as Christians are to blame, because we are not letting our light shine. Listen to me when I say this, we are all guilty at times of covering our light because the darkness seems so convincing. While acceptance and tolerance are very good things, the message can get lost very quickly. We often do not speak up for Christ because it will cause people to look upon us as intolerant or judgmental. I ask you can it truly be your fault that people see your statement of faith or standing up for Christ as intolerant? I heard Charles Stanley say a few weeks back; do what God has asked you and the responsibility of the consequences are His. I myself find myself at times not speaking up as I should or skirting around what really needs to be said; for fear of losing my job or a friendship. Oh we can come up with excuses to justify these things, but when we do not follow God’s lead the consequences become ours. Christian I tell you LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE! Our faith is under so much attack, if we do not start speaking up for Christ we are going to lose what ground we have left and it will soon come that to speak the very word of God will come at a great price to us. I encourage you sometime today to find a way to let your light shine. There are many ways to let your light shine, but none of them are done in silence. What to know a good approach to witness to someone, read Acts 8 and see how Phillip did this very thing. Have you read the great commission recently, sometime we need to be reminded, read Matthew 28:19-20.

The Haunting Question

It was a few days back back but a friend and I were talking about different ideas on all types of subjects, but the most reoccurring subject was religion and God. As our discussion went on it began to remind me of a book I had once read. The book, The Time Machine, the conversation that I was reminded of was the one where Alexander Hartdegen is talking with one of the head / Uber-Morlock. The Morlock tells Alexander that he is a man haunted by the great question of what if. You see to understand what Alexander was after; you have to know that his fiancee Emma was killed. The part that was driving Alexander crazy was even though he could travel into the past no matter how many times he did go back to save Emma, she always died. Alexander spends most of his time pondering on what could have been if he could have only saved her, he completely forgets about life happening all around him. During my conversation with my friend, it became apparent how much we ponder what what if or what could have been. We spend so much time wondering, what if I could have gotten that promotion, what if I would have stayed in and finished school, what if I would have made a different decision on a night I try to forget or what if I could be more like someone else. People I am telling you that God is big enough to work with and around all our what ifs, the problem is that most of the time we are not. We get caught up in the what if scam, believing that it will make life all the better for us. I am here to tell you that it will not make a bit of difference because decision once made can not be revoked. Stop haunting yourself with the questions of what if and yesterday and focus on what is and what will be. Live in the promises that God has given us.

When was...

Once again it has been a little time since I have posted a blog; things have been a little crazy figuring out the new schedule and prioritizing my time. Speaking of time; I have a little Q & A to look over.

When was the last time you spent quality time on your knees in the presence of the most high God?
When was the last time you took the time to listen to Him, instead of praying and getting up off your knees and leave Him with words for you?
When was the last time you told Him thank you?
When was the last time you spoke a blessing to your child?
When was the last time you stopped that important work you were doing and played in your child's world?
When was the last time you told your spouse thank you?
When was the last time you told your spouse I Love You?
When was the last time you called a friend to just say you were thinking about them?
When was the last time you surrendered yourself to someone else will?

I encourage you over the next week to do all or a few of these things. Then notice the difference you made in that moment. They are only moments in time, but they can last for an eternity.

The Walk

This week has not only been busy, but it has also been a milestone week for my youngest daughter. She started walking this last weekend, not only was I excited about her walking, but I was also a little sad. She is the baby, the last child of mine that I will see make this great milestone. Now the world can truly become her playground, but with this comes many dangers that I will have to help her navigate. This reminds me much of the Christian walk. We start out not even able to walk and all of heaven rejoices at our birth in the spirit. Then it is not to long and the spirit begins to feed us the bread that our heart desires. Then we take our first big step in faith and a whole new world opens up to us. Again we can see God smile at us with the proud father look, but I cannot help but wonder if he thinks a little the same way I have about my daughter. As we think that we are going to conquer the world; I wonder if He is thinking to Himself how proud he is but that the road starts to become a little harder. Now truly think to yourself; after you became a Christian did life get easier or harder? I think that if you are truthful with yourself you will agree that life became harder. Oh sure we have an unlimited power source to tap into, but we often ignore God and his power; thinking all the while we can handle these things ourselves. Is it not interesting how as soon a we start to walk a little that we tend to think we need God a little less, that we can handle things on our own. I find it amazing how after a child learns to walk that the independence starts to stand out. Soon it is I can do it Daddy and I do not need help Daddy. While I rejoice in these things, I become deeply saddened because I know that I am needed just a little bit less and at some point I am not going to be needed near as much. The difference in our relationship with God is that, while He likes us to be independent, we still need Him very much. Sometimes we get so far from Him that we tend to forget we need Him, then we are reminded at some point that we very much need out Daddy. When was the last time you sat down and told Father God that you needed Him and loved Him? I believe you will find Him standing right there beside you say, "I know you do and I love you too; I am here to help you navigate this cruel world."

The Promise

There are so many promises we make to one another and to God each and every day. Some are simple little promises like telling someone you will run by and get something for them. Other times they are life changing promises, like committing yourself to a relationship with marriage. In a promise like this you have made a covenant with someone to love, care, grow and committed no matter what comes your way. At least this is the way it should be. Not going into that now, I will do another blog on that someday. Then we make commitments to God, often though the commitments to God are more like request to him. We will say things like God if you do this, I will do this. This is even a common theme in the Bible with a few people. However the promise we have from God was made thousands of years ago and he has not wavered from it. As a matter of fact He has renewed the promise with us through Jesus. The promise to Abraham was one to bless the entire world. Here is the text.
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Through Abraham all are blessed, through Abraham and God giving him land there is the chance that the land can be healed from the hard labors and through Abraham there is the opportunity for us to once again be joined together. This promise was made to Abraham all those years ago and God has continued to hold His end of the bargain, even to the point of the sacrifice of His own son Jesus. Take hold of this Promise from God and enjoy the benefits from this promise. This promise changed the world, dare to imagine what the promise can do for you.

Here I Stand

Hello and good morning everyone. All I can say is wow; what a busy busy week. Classes started for my wife and I this last week, hence the lack of blog posting. Have no fear though I will be back getting blogs out daily soon. There is always something about adjusting your schedule when new things push themselves in your life.

Speaking of things getting a little rearranged in your life; I am betting that this has happened to you a time or two in your life. Some people say it is life throwing you curve balls. I say it is a time when you really find out what you are made of; it is also a great time for you to discover something new about yourself. This is very much the same way that God works in our lives. We have a great routine going and we get to planning life and wham, God has something for you. The turning point comes in how willing are you to move forward with what God has planned for you. Most of us say "here I am standing Lord, what do you want me to do". Then God says ok, I have something for you to do for me. Our response is much the same as Moses', I can't do that that Lord I am not qualified. Let me tell you, if God has called you to do something, you are qualified. As a matter of fact you do not get any more qualified. A few weeks ago I posted about us being in the potter's hands and being available. So, now that you have made yourself available, move forward with the word of God being a lamp unto your feet. God wants to use you, but you have to be willing to go where God wants you to go; even if it is not something you can do. Has God called you out asking you to do something, remember no matter how small you think something is, it makes a big difference if you are obeying God's call.

The Mind of A Child

Yesterday I spent a good part of the afternoon outside with my daughter. She has been itching to get outside for days now, but since it has been to cold or raining she has not been able to. Yesterday though, one of the first things she said after church was that the sun was out and she wanted to go out and play. Normal 2 1/2 year old thinking; it was not long until she wanted to do one of her favorite things, playing in the dirt. I told her that she could not play in the dirt; she then asks why not? So I told her that she could not play in the dirt because God made it rain the night before. She the looks up and says "God don't let it rain". Then she went on about her playing. It was about 45 minutes later I was sitting on the back steps with her and she tells me that God made the trees and the grass, the without skipping a beat she looks up and says "God make me some dirt". She turns and looks at me shrugs, then says "God does not hear me". I then told her God had made the dirt and it was all around her. How often this is us when we pray and ask God for something. We ask and never look around us to see that God has already provided everything for us we just have to look around sometimes.

What are we doing

What are we you doing with what God gave you? How would you answer that question? With no more detail then just that question. What would be some things that come to mind? You might think God has given me my family, health, salvation, money, peace, happiness or freedom. What about the very things that sustain us? The air we breathe, the ground we walk on and the water we drink. I think that there are times that we easily forget these things. The creator of the Earth made the air perfect for us, if it had only a small amount more nitrogen in it, there would be no us. If the Earth was just a smidgen closer to the Sun, we would not exist. The ground would be to hot, the water would be boiling and the air would be steam. God to such great care in providing a beautiful place for us to live, to make sure His creation had the best. Then He created man and told man to enjoy the Earth.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)
God blessed man with all this wonder, we are here we need to take the best care of it that we can. So as we continue to move into the New Year think of some simple ways that you and your family can take care of the earth. Maybe it will be by recycling more, drinking less bottle water, and turning off some lights, planting a tree or garden. By doing just a little something will make a difference.

Where are you

This morning I was not up for fifteen minutes and my wife's phone rings; I hear her on the phone sounding disturbed and a little upset. She then gets off the phone to tell me news that I already knew was not going to be good. She tells me that in Athens that two more churches have been burned and it was arson. None of the churches were our church but in that moment my heart was breaking for the families of these churches. We are all a part of the body of Christ and when one part suffers we all suffer. There may be differences in opinions and ideas but we all serve and are a part of Christ. Jesus says "and there will be one flock and one shepherd." (John 10:16). As my heart broke this morning and on my drive into work I was reminded that no matter what happens God is still on His throne and loves us very much. Now I am not trying to say that the losses of these buildings are not a horrible thing. What I am saying though is that these builds are just those buildings. God resides within us and though there may be fires, tragedies, and sorrows, the body of Christ still stands. Jesus also tells us "10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) Yes we lost a few churches and these people who did this thing came to steal and destroy, but they do not understand the power of Christ and that though they may destroy and steal; they cannot take the life that we have in Christ. How abundant that life is in Christ.
People pray for these churches and the church families, but also pray for those who did these things.

He Calls Your Name

This is not from me but I thought that it was good. This is by Max Lucado


“The Son of Man came to find lost people and to save them.” Luke 19:10 NCV
God will do what it takes—whatever it takes—to bring his children home.
He is the shepherd in search of His lamb. His legs are scratched, His feet are sore, and His eyes are burning. He scales the cliffs and traverses the fields. He explores the caves. He cups His hands to His mouth and calls into the canyon.
And the name He calls is yours.

Through A Father's Eyes

When I became a father I was still very much a child myself. I also still held many of my childlike thought patterns too. I had these ideas and images of grandeur, I thought my children are going to be different I am going to be different then how my parents were with me. Well it did not take long until I found out that was pure fantasy in my thinking. Oh my children are different each having their own special talent or way of being. They are also good kids never causing any trouble different than just being a teenager or little girls. But things often happen that make me think to myself "this is not my child; I did not raise him/her like this!" Then the questions come; what were you thinking when you did this or just plain ol why? Well I had one of those why moments this morning. Of course I became angry, upset and wore a scowl on my face for most of the morning. Then as the dust settled I had time to think upon the events of the morning. As I reflected, God soon began to speak to me on the matter. The idea that my children were going to be these perfect individuals was a thought of fantasy. Not because they are not awesome but because of the sin that is always around us. Some would say that it is because we are human, I believe that is nonsense. Christ was human and he was perfect, he fought sin not humanity. Anyways, God started to remind me just because I hold an idea in my mind about what my children should be like or act like is an illusion in my mind. I can help mold them and shape them but ultimately it is up to them to decide. Much the same way it is for me and my walk with God. I am sure there are many things God would like to see me become or do, but until I make a decision there is not much God can help with. Oh sure, God can nudge me a certain way or encourage me to understand; just the same as I do my children but until I make a decision I will never know what He has in store for me. In Jeremiah he says "Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!" (Jeremiah 18:3-6) This morning was a good reminder to me that I must remain in the potter's hands to be molded to what He would have me be. We can shape our children to what we think is best and the world will say we did something wrong along the way; but in the Lords hands for either us or our children there are not mistakes. He placed the stars in the heavens and named each of them and they follow His set path. How beautiful the heavens are and how intricate they are. Imagine what he can do with you His greatest creation if you are willing.

He Walks With Me

As a child and even now as an adult one Bible story that always captivated me was the story of Enoch. He does not get much attention in the Bible but what is said about him is profound. Here is what is said "21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:21-24)Yes it is amazing that he lived for as long as he did. But what always captivated me was that he never died. God took him, Enoch did not know the pain of death, he was never found because God took his whole body. For 300 hundred years Enoch walked with God and built a friendship that the creator of the world enjoyed so much that He spared Enoch the pain of death. One reason I think that this relationship was so successful was because Enoch walk with God in humility. 300 years wow! The talks they must have had and the loved that must have been shared between them. When was the last time you walked with God along life’s narrow ways? When was the last time you had humility before Him.