Two messages that have changed my life...

and that I have to remind myself of what they talk about daily.


The first is one is a message that I have posted before but it seems like I get something new out of it every time I listen.


Outreach

This second message talks about prayer and how it is necessary for our life. Check it out.


Prayer

Happy listening :)

My Crazy Summer

Let's see if I can remember most of it.


I started it off in Disney World. That was a blast.


I stayed at a friends house with him and his brothers while their parents were away.


I then moved into a frat house with the rest of the Rock.


I took 16 credits over the summer. By God's grace I got 3 A's and 2 B's.


I co-led a discipleship team with another dude.


I led a Friday service project group.


I worked full time and then part time and then full time again.


God a new computer. A Mac :)


Moved to an apartment at the end of the summer.


Played Ultimate Frisbee every Thursday.


Learned more of what it means to run after Christ. I think I will always be learning this which is not a bad thing.


Okay, now I have to get off because I told myself that I would start shutting things down at 12:15 and now it is 12:18. I wouldn't change any part of my summer if I could do it again. There was much rejoicing at times but there was much sorrow at others. But I know that it was all for my good because of Romans 8:28 because I have been called according to God's purpose and I sure do love him bunches.


Good grace blog readers!

Slowly but surely, I will catch up

I don't think I am going to be able to remember anything about the rest of the trip to disney world. I just have to say that it was a blast to spend time with my family that way on a vacation. Being with the parents, the sister and brother-in-law, and most definitely can't forget about the nephews. They were all over the place all the time. I still don't know two little boys can have so much energy. I think by the end of the day, all of the old people were more tired than they were.


The hotel we were at had swimming and a movie night. So we got pizza from California Pizza Kitchen and it was much good. I think the movie had something to do with rats? mouse/mouses? (I know, I spelled it wrong, deal with it) some sort of animal? I can't remember. But I really like the pizza, maybe that is why I can't remember.


By the way, if I repeat myself from the posts while I was there, I apologize. I didn't care to take the time to reread what I put there.


One of the best parts about the trip was being able to see a space shuttle launch! I knew that I wanted to put something about it in the blog so I wrote a little bit about it on the way to NASA in my itouch.

A spectacular sun rise. The sun was coming up and it kind of looked like the sun rise at the beginning of the Lion King. It seemed like the edges glistened a bit while it was this golden yellow. I would have taken a picture of it but I was too lazy and B had his head on my lap while he took a nap. Plus I was mostly just resting my and took a glance too see how light it was outside by that point. Pretty much awesome.

We had to get up way early to catch the bus to get to NASA and then we drove for a really long time but we finally got there. We went out to the watching sight which was like 6 miles away or so. The craft seemed so small but they really are crazy huge. We then waited for what seemed like forever for the spaceship to blast off. We did get to see a dolphin swim by in the waters that were near by which was pretty awesome. When the shuttle did blast off, it was an amazing sight. It took off crazy fast and the shear amount of energy and thrust and power was...I don't think I have words to explain it. Another thing that made it amazing was that it was the 3rd to last shuttle launch ever and the last launch ever for that shuttle specifically.


The shuttles are 30 some years old and are being decommissioned. NASA's budget has been completely cut essentially and so they are no longer sending shuttles up there anymore. They are working on a new design if they do ever get funding back, but for now, it is like NASA has become no more.


Essentially the trip was awesome and I loved it and hope to do it again some day with my family.

Disney World Day 1, 2, and 3

Well, I am out in Disney World with my family right now and we have been having a blast. So far, we have been to Epcot and the Magic Kingdom and today, we are going to go back to the Magic Kingdom for more magic. I am gonna try and post something on here everyday, kind of give you as much of a running commentary as I can. But we will see how well that goes.

My parents were going to get me an itouch for Christmas but couldn't find one that was a good deal and so they just got one for me before we left. So most of these posts will be from the memo pad from  that. Maybe I will get a Flicker account so that I can put up pictures for all of you to see, but that won't be until I get back.

Day 1
We made it out yesterday. The flights were fine and not very bumpy at all. It was good to just spend time with the rents. We got here first and went to go and get our tickets from the super nice hotel that we are going to be staying at on Monday. We went to get settled in the hotel and then go and pick up Sarah, Willie, Skyler, and Bryce. When Skyler saw us he started to run for us and Bryce was close behind. The sad part is that while we were looking for the car because we forgot where we parked, Skyler biffed it hard. Face first onto the ground. So things started off a bit hard but maybe that will be the only one. We are headed off into Epcot now, should be a pretty good day. Soarin', Test Track, Mexican food, Mission Space,  and fireworks.


Day 2
Every Person Comes Out Tired (EPCOT) sure is true. I think all of our legs hurt by the end. Test Track sped us around while we flew over California with Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove on Soarin'. Leutant Dan from Forest Gump took us to Mars and we at really yummy Mexican food. Neither of the boys liked the big rides but they did like Turtle Talk with Crush. We traveled the world and saw many different place. I got to really test out my camera today with the firework show at the end of the night. Everyone went to get our spot for the show and I ran around for a while getting pictures for friends and I went on Test Track one last time with fastpasses that we didn't use. I found Germany and looked for a beer that one of my friends wanted me to find for him. I think the boys will like tomorrow better as they will be more adjusted to this time zone and we are going to the magic kingdom.


Day 3
Well, as much as it says that wishes come true at Disney World, it sure doesn't seem like it. So far, everywhere we have gone I can always hear a kid crying. It sure doesn't seem like it is all that magical after that. Today was a blast, I LOVE ROLLER COASTERS! We went on a ride where you drive a car that is on a track but you get to steer it around. Well, I put Bryce in the drivers seat with the steering wheel and all he did was let us bounce around and let the track guide us....never again, never again, never again. I think I have whip lash from it. We went on Space Mountain second and it was sooooooo much fun. The day just seemed to fly buy because by the time it was time to go, it seemed like we just got there. SO after Space Mountain, we went and shot aliens with  Buzz Lightyear and then went to be scared by some ghosts at the haunted Mansion. Then we had a cannon of a time with the Pirates on the Pirates of the Caribbean. Now that was all before Lunch. We left far a bit to  go check into our new, really nice hotel where I have m own room, the rents have there own room, and the sister and family have there own room. Well, the place had a water break the night before and so we couldn't check in but the kids got to go swimming for a while. We had dinner at one of my favorite places, Panerra Bread. Went back to the park and got to go onto the Big Thunder Mountain. When we were going to go onto Splash Mountain, it was broken and so we didn't get to do that but Sarah, Willie, Skyler and I tried to weave our way through the crowd that was trying to watch the light parade to get back to Space Mountain for two more rides, it was much fun.. We watch more fireworks and by this point, the boys were beat. We went home to sleep and when i hit the bed, I was out. The boys were out before we even got home.


Day 4
Soon to come...if I can remember it.

WAR A Word From Steele Croswhite

*This was taken from the The Rock Church Newsletter*

“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Did you know we’re in a war? The war is for our souls, and it takes place in our minds. All day long, the world around us (and even our very flesh) communicates something contrary to the Spirit of God. Each day the devil wages this fight. If he can infiltrate our thoughts and get us to believe a lie, then he can begin to redirect our lives and color the decisions we make. In the end, such decisions lead us further and further from Christ.

Because the war is in our mind, we must take captive every thought — every idea and every motivation — and hold it up to the truth of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). Does this thought honor God? Is it rebellious toward Him? Is the thought real, or does it contradict the truth of His Word? Does the thought cause me to be secretive or ashamed, or does it draw me closer to God’s Spirit?

We cannot afford to become lazy in our thinking nor in our understanding of biblical truth. To effectively engage in a war, one must be adequately equipped. Only a fool would enter a battle unprepared. Ephesians 6:14-17 gives us a clear picture of what our attire should be: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

We need to pray every day: “Lord, I hear lots of voices that are not Yours, directing me away from You. Will You lead me in Your truth? By Your Spirit, will You open my eyes to discern what is real and what is a lie? Will You give me the strength to take every thought captive and make it obedient to You? You are all I want in this life. You are my place of refuge.”

Today, be prepared for the war. Take up your sword, grab your helmet, and with divine power demolish the strongholds that wage war in your mind. Jesus will lead us into victory by leading us to Himself!

See you on the battlefield,

Steele

FOXNews.com - Has Noah's Ark Been Found on Turkish Mountaintop?

FOXNews.com - Has Noah's Ark Been Found on Turkish Mountaintop?

Posted using ShareThis

Need New Music?

Maybe you will find an artist that you like here.

Easter

This was the Easter service at Summitview 2010. It portrays Christ's life, check it out here.

Impressive!

I got these pictures in an email from my Grandparents and I have to say, that is impressive. It is the runway for the airport in Gibraltar, where ever that it...

 So who wants to play chicken?

Do you believe it?

Ephesians 2:19-22

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

For those of you who know Christ as Savior, you were aliens to the Kingdom of God but now are a citizen of some place that is greater than anything else in this world. That place is built upon the only person that can support it which is Christ. We cannot reconcile ourselves to God and there is nothing that you can do. Here is the proof. Because Christ has built and still is building this temple that God can dwell in by the Spirit. Do you believe right now that the spirit is dwelling in you?

1 Corinthians

If you haven't read 1 Corinthians lately, you should. I dwelt in the later half of the book for a while letting it's words sink in. There is a lot of good stuff in there but I am going to draw your attention to the end of chapter 15 verses 54-58. Paul is talking about the resurrection of the body and what will happen when Jesus comes to bring us home.

Starting about mid way through 54 "then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Isn't that good? Death has no claim on us. Nothing can hold us back because we have victory in Christ. It says that sin causes death and then he wraps up a pretty good portion of Romans in less than a sentence, "and the power of sin is the law." If you did catch that little phrase, go ready Romans.


Because we can have victory in Christ over sin and if has no grip on us, Paul tells us to "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." I love the last part, we can know that we do not have to labor in vain.


I feel as if my thoughts are scattered in this post, I hope you see what I'm seeing because it is beautiful. Keep pressing on friends.

So NPR is good for more than just the news

Are we going to fry?

I'll let you decide for yourself, but be warned...there is many hours of video to watch here.

An Inconvenient Truth

an inconvenient truth...or convenient fiction

My hope is in Christ!

This is an email that I sent to my discipleship team and thought I would put it on here to and I hope you may be encouraged by it as well.

~~~~

Hey friends, can I just tell you how good our God is? Today, I have just been overwhelmed with how much our God loves us. He has taken all of our sin upon himself and taken it away from us. All of our past sin, all of our present sin, and any sin in the future. We suck and can't do be righteous in ourselves (Romans 3:9-20), but Christ died for us and God see us as righteous (Romans 3:21-31). There is nothing that you can do to gain life (Romans 3:23). To have life, we have to put our hope in Christ (Psalm 33, my favorite psalm). What are you living for? Is your hope in Christ today?

Something else that I have been thinking about lately is the shortest verse in the Bible. Do you know it? It's John 11:35, 'Jesus wept.' There are many times where we can see Jesus weeping. This got me to thinking, what do I weep about? It has not been easy and I told God that I wanted to weep and God does answer prayers. What do you weep about? Do you even weep?

Encouraged,
Zach

God's Sovereignty

Let me tell you about a little story that happened to me recently. I was heading to a friends house to go walk the dogs as the place where they live is a bit sketch and for safety reasons I go over to help out. I came to a red light and stopped and waited for the green. When I got the green, I started to move through the intersection when all of a sudden I found myself going in the direction of the street I was crossing. I was hit by a vehicle that ran the red in the front left corner. My car is totaled and I'm not sure about the other persons vehicle but I don't imagine it is too good. I am fine, I was just a little bit shaken up and got a scratch and a bump on my lower leg. The person in the other vehicle has taken to the E.R. by an ambulance  because her chest and neck hurt.


Now let me explain to you how all the dots connected for me to realize and understand God's sovereignty so much. During the summer, my car died and I was out of a car to use as my own. Then during winter break, my dad and I flew to Seattle to see my sister and pick up a car from my sister and her husband that they didn't want anymore. We fixed it up and drove it home where I was able to use it as a car of my own. This was the car that was in the accident.


Now I was probably about 5 feet away from death. If I had taken off any faster, I probably would have been hit in the driver door, therefore hitting me. The person was going at a pretty fast speed when I got hit and only God know what would have happened if I would have been hit on the side. I can see why my car died over the summer, although it was my stupidity in why it died. I can see why I got this car from my sister, as if I had my old car, the damage to me and to my old car probably would have been greater. I say this because the vehicle that hit me was old, and in those days they were built like tanks. I bet if I was in my old car, their vehicle would have sustained minimal damages. My acceleration speed in my old car was much better than this one and if I was in it, I probably would have been hit in the side. The most I can say is that as much as I would rather be up in heaven right now with God, he is not done with me here on Earth yet.


I can see how God knows everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. I didn't know that I was going to be in this accident, but he did. I didn't know that this vehicle probably saved my life, be he did. I never thought that running home to grab my winter jacket would keep me warm while outside dealing with police, but he did. There are so many more dots that I could make out if I thought about it longer.


Another thing that I have been thinking a lot about since then is how close to death I was. I literally was probably about 5 feet away from it. Ephesians 5:15-16 says, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." So we are told to use our time wisely as the days are evil. Why should we choose to use out time wisely? We can see why in the parable of the talents. The wicked and slothful servant did not know when his master was coming back and did nothing with what was entrusted to him. With what you have been entrusted with, have you spent the time you have been given in a way that will be counted worthy? We don't know when Jesus is coming back and I sure do hope it is soon. Nor do we know when God will snatch us up to be with him, that is if you know Christ and I get to stay here for now because God isn't done using me here on earth yet which I am okay with for now. And if you don't know Christ, I would suggest you find out where you stand with him. Because driving a car is not as safe as you may think it is.

I like it

Easter Egg

Need something to listen to?

For those of you who like listening to messages, and for those who don't listen to messages all that much, I encourage both parties to listen to both of these within the next week.

Outreach

 Idolatry

Enjoy :)

Awesome quotes

"I don't know what we're doing but I'm into it!"
-Random kid at the church building

"I miss daddy! When is he co...ooo a rubber band!"

-My nephew Bryce

Question of the day

I was at work doing work as you should do when you are at work. I work at the church building as a facilities guy and so I get to fix a lot of things and it is much fun. There are some home school enrichment schools that meet here.

I was in the ceiling fixing some air ducts and some of the kids were going to recess and I overheard two of them talking and I quote, "I was so busy this morning, I had so much to do and this was all that I was able to bring." He was talking about the carrots that he had in bag for snack compared to the kid that was with him who had a large bag of pretzels.

I'm not concerned about what they had for snacks, although that could be another whole discussion, but the fact that the kid thought he was completely busy this morning. He may have said it because of the food that he had but I was surprised that a kid about the age of my nephews would think that he was busy. I couldn't understand it.

So here is my question, should we impose our busyness upon our kids? Now I don't have any of my own and I think that I can say that I am honestly busy. Because we can be busy with productive things or with silly things that really don't matter (I'll talk about this in about a week). But should my kids ever think that they are busy in their day? Should we, as adults, give our kids a lifestyle of busyness or a life style of leisure? Where is that middle ground?

Who doesn't like free music?

I heard of these guys from Travis and I must say that I really like them. And they currently are offering their newest album for free from their website. No sign up or anything. Just click and download.
Angels and Airwaves

Yep, those are my nephews!

What are you living for?

10 Words That Don't Exist, But Should

I got this in an email, and I thought some of them were pretty good.

1. AQUADEXTROUS (ak wa deks'trus) adj. Possessing the ability to turn the bathtub tap on and off with your toes.

2. CARPERPETUATION (kar'pur pet u a shun) n. The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance.

3. DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt') v. To sterilize the piece of confection (lollipop) you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, assuming this will somehow 'remove' all the germs.

4. ELBONICS (el bon'iks) n. The actions of two people maneuvering for one armrest in a movie theater.

5. FRUST (frust) n. The small line of debris that refuses to be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep it under the rug.

6. LACTOMANGULATION (lak' to man gyu lay' shun) n. Manhandling the "open here" spout on a milk container so badly that one has to resort to the 'illegal' side.

7. PEPPIER (peph ee ay') n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want fresh ground pepper.

8.PHONESIA (fo nee' zhuh) n. The affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer.

9. PUPKUS (pup'kus) n. The moist residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to it.

10. TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin ay' shun) n. The act of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up, even when you're only six inches away.

Christ wants everything...not just what yout think you should give...everything!

Dang it, I keep seeing this theme of giving it all to Christ. To count my life as nothing and give everything I have. I'll present the evidence and you can decide for yourself.

Matthew 13:44-46

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 16:24-28

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Luke 14:25-28

The Cost of Discipleship

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Philippians 3:7-9

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Well, there it is. What did you decide? I'll tell you what I think though. As much as I would just rather live for myself and what I want, the Bible says otherwise.

Christ is a treasure and a pearl and the people in the parable sold everything that they had to attain it. Not just some or part of it, but everything they had to attain what they had found. They put their complete trust in Christ and they he would take care of the rest.

I think that Matthew 16:24-28 says it pretty well. You must deny yourself, take up your cross, and then follow him. I don't want to be one that gains the whole world and have my soul be forfeit. You cannot give 100 percent if you don't deny your life. How can I give 100 percent if I love my life more than what Christ has done for me, which is what Luke 14:25-28 says.


While at Faithwalkers, there was a person on my team where they realized how worthy Christ is of everything I am. And I just have to say that I completely agree. Christ is completely worthy of my whole life because of what he did for me. My prayer is to be more like Paul in Philippians 3:7-9.

Amen!

The Parable of the Sower

We have all heard this story many, many times. I probably cannot count on all of my fingers and toes how many times I have heard it and read it. Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear."

"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

 Wow, now that is quiet a parable. Jesus tells us the crowds the parable and then later on his disciples ask him what it means and he tells them. It seems to be laid out pretty well. I think this is a great parable and I have seen every single type of seed Jesus talks about. But what I want to talk about here is the seed that was sown on good soil.


The very last part was pretty convicting to me. Jesus says that the seed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and another thirty. I had to stop and think about it, what do I yield? Twenty, fifty-five, eighty? I sure hope that I am one of the cases that produce a hundredfold. I want my life to count for something more than just living for this world.


What seed are you, and how much to you bear fruit and yield?

What do you think?

I was reading in Matthew and I read these verses and I completely love them, but I want to know what other people think about them.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

So what do you think about this set of verses?

A few Christmas things to catch up on

Silence and Solitude Part 5

Here is the last part to this series, please refer back to Part 1 before you go on to read this section.

~~~~~~~

Part 5

Journaling
The following is a copy of the template I created for myself to organize my days of silence and solitude for the purpose of journaling. I offer it knowing that you can and should chande it to fin your life. This is not Scripture, it's not perfect, and I don't claim it is. Rather, it is a simple tool for you to adapt as you need. For me, I keep notes in my Moleskine throughout the week, and sit down to answer these questions on my laptop in a Word document. This keeps it simple for me and allows me to see God's work in my life over time.

Ideally, every Christina would do a modified version of this plan every week as an act of worship, taking around an hour to answer a few questions that are most pressing for them. In addition, it is wise to take at least one full day a month in silence and solitude to answer all the questions without being rushed, leaving time to open your Bible, pray, repent, worship, and ponder.

Silence and Solitude Journaling Template
"... the report about him [Jesus] went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray."--Luke 5:15-16

Date:
Modified or Full Plan:
Note: Here I am making note if it's one hour or one day for silence and solitude.
Place and Conditions:
Note: I am someone for whom space deeply matters. On a nice day I sit outside by a river or at a beach in a beautiful spot. I don't like coffee shops (too noisy and crowded) or the office (too much distraction). I like to be up high with a view, crave fresh air, love the sun, and cannot relax where it's loud, busy, ugly, stinky, disorganized, poorly designed, uncomfortable, or too hot or cold, and yes, I am picky. So, I note where I was and that helps me keep a record of nice spots for silence and solitude days. I borrow friends' vacation homes, have spots I like outside of town in the mountains, and so forth.

Part 1 - Recent Evidences of God's Grace

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."--2 Thess. 2:16-17


Note; To have good words and works, we need hope and comfort by seeing and savoring evidences of God's grace. I start with this topic to get me into a mode of worship. I can be quiet a gloomy and moody person, so this gets me going in the right direction for my time with God. I often take an hour on this topic alone and make a long list, thanking God and praying as I go.

Part 2 - Deep Questions
 
"The purpose in a man's mind is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out."--Prov. 20:5 (RSV)


Note: These are my questions and you can make your own or change mine. I don't include Bible reading and study because they are like breathing to me, but you may want to add them. In question four I'm talking about my wife, Grace. I list each of my kids in question five because with a big family it's too easy to treat the kids as a herd rather than knowing and pastoring each one. I put my owrk last, figuring that if the rest of my life is in order, work will go well. I rate every question on a scale so that I can be honest about how I'm doing and track progress over time. The prayer points are things I pray about as I'm journaling and things to put on my prayer list that week. The action items go on my calendar. Lastly, I share a lot of this with my wife, friends, and others, and a lot of my blogs and ministry training are simply sharing what comes out my journaling on days of silence and solitude.


1. How accurate is my view of God lately?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items


2. How are my joy in the Holy Spirit and corresponding hope?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

3. What temptations and sins are mosst ensnaring?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

4. How is my connection with my wife?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

5. How is my connection with each of my children?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

6. How is my health (e.g., weight, diet, exercise)?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

7. How is my sleep (e.g., bed time, quality of sleep, length of sleep)?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

8. How is my energy level?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

9. How is my dominion over my technology (e.g., cell phone, laptop, email, text)?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

10. How is the stewardship of my wealth (e.g., finances, possessions, property, investments)?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

11. Hos is my social life with friends and extended family?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

12. Who or what is filling my tank lately?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

13. Who or what is draining my tank lately?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

14. Who has sinned against me and how am I responding?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

15. Who do I need to confide in and where should I seek wisdom?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

16. Are there any warning signs that I am burning out?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

17. Am I successfully getting our of the river onto the bank enough through silence, solitude, study, and Sabbath?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

18. What do I need to stop doing, do less of, or hand off to someone else?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

19. How are my self-deception and truth suppression?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

20. How is my writing (e.g., books, blogs, papers)?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items

21. How is my preaching (preparation and results, in and out of Mars Hill)?
+Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
+Prayer Points
+Action Items


~~~~~~~


I have a love/hate relationship with journaling. I love doing it because I can get things out of my head and put it on paper so that I can see it before me instead of trying to keep track of things in my head. I find that when I journal, it is a way of talking with God. I get to think through the things that are going on in my life and here is where the catch is for me. There is so much going on in my life that I just want to keep writing and writing and writing. And I don't really have the time to do such. I think that there are some good things that Mark shared here but I would recommend doing your own thing when journaling. Maybe take a few things that he said but definitely come up with your own plan.

Well, there has been a lot to think on and a lot to chew on from this little discussion. I pray that Mark's thoughts and my thought help you to pursue Christ more as you pray, read the word, and journal.

Silence and Solitude Part 4

It is a new year and I have been busy with family and friends. It almost seems like forever since I posted on here. But to continue on with the silence and solitude series, please refer back to Part 1 before you go on to read this section.

~~~~~~~

 Part 4

Silence and Solitude Stealers

Despite the Bible's exhortation and Jesus' example to enjoy times of silence and solitude, few Christinas regulatly enjoy thses gifts from God. This is because there are some real enemies at work that need to be combated for silence and solitude to be enjoyed. The following are some of the more common silence and solitude stealers that have to be dealt with as an act of repentance:

1. Those people - pushy, needy, demanding, high-drama, inconsiderate people steal your life, joy, health, and time--often in the neame of ministry, when it's really people-pleasing idolatry that allows them to get away with it.
2. Technology - you cannot be a maturing Christian following the example of Jesus Christ if you are always surging the Internet, dinking around on your cell phone, reading emails, texting, tweeting, rocking out, and watching TV. You have to turn them off to tune int ot God. Yes, I have all of the latest technology, and I turn it off so my soul can recharge. Do you really think Jesus would have been checking his buddy's friend request in the Garden of Gethsemane if he had and iPhone?
3. Lack of planning - in Leading On Empty, Wayne Cordeiro shows that in Genesis 1 when the Bible describes days, it says there was first evening then morning. So, bibically, the day begins at night with rest, Sabbath, and silence. That then prepares us for work and conversation. This is like Jesus who spent time alone before beginning his public ministry.
4. Trading busyness for fruitfulness - some people say they are too busy to worship, pray, Sabbath, journal, and so forth, cut they have tragically traded being busy for being godly, obedient, and wise fruitful stewards. Is your busyness truly fruitful or would some plans to organize your world, home, diet, budget, schedule, and life be helpful?
5. Lack of appreciation - the Bible has a great deal to say about the benefits of purposeful silence, including:

• hearing from God (1 Kings 19:11-13)
• waiting patiently for the Lord to act (Lam. 3:25-28)
• worshiping God (Hab. 2:20)
• knowing God better (Ps. 46:10)
• praying effectively (Luke 5:16)

My prayer is that those reading this who are guilty of people and noise addiction would experience the regular gifts of silence and solitude because that is often where God is waiting for us. There was silence before God spoke the world into existence, and silence for forty days before Jesus began his public ministry. May you too enjoy silence and solitude before you attempt to live your life with, for, like, and to God.


~~~~~~~


I have to say that I love number one and two. There are so many people that I love hanging out with and there is so much technology that I love messing around on. I can get distracted by what people and this world has to offer. There are many times that I justify myself in what I do which is not okay. I tell myself that it is okay to go and hang out even though I have not had any time with Jesus that day. I think that your day will be more filled with Christ if you are to dive in each morning and spend time in the word and in prayer. Mark says that night is when it should start, but I think you need something to reguvinate you in your day. Something that you can hold onto and cling to through out your day. So the best time, I think is in the morning before you start anything else in your day.