Word Marinating

I came across this scripture last night as I was cleaning out some of my saved links. Right now it is speaking volumes to my heart. I will just let it marinate until it is done.

1 Samuel 14:7.

NIV "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

MSG His armor bearer said, "Go ahead. Do what you think best. I'm with you all the way."

NLT “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”

NKJV So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”

Wisdom From a Cup

"A person's pursuit of goodness leads to greatness, but the pursuit of greatness leads to ruin. Pursue goodness and you will achieve good things.--John E. Kramer

Powerful Video Post

I saw this video last night and it was awesome. It is amazing how the arts can be used to minister to people on a completely different level. This is amazing! I hope it ministers to you as much as it did me!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Mike

Singing....I think....

I am not a great singer. I am not one to criticize usually because it takes guts to get up and sing in front of people--even when you are a good singer. But I am a fan of embarrassment intervention--you know someone who steps in to make the blind and deaf aspiring stage performer aware by saying "hey maybe music is not your gift...." My question is where was this girls family or friend who should have intervened before her moment of fame was captured in perpetuity on You Tube? Can it really be that bad? Have a look for yourself:




It was that bad, huh?

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing--Stop a friend from doing this to themselves!
Mike

10 Good Reasons...

I am not a kid person, but there are definite times in my life when I start to feel a little longing to have a little me walking around. I am around my nieces a lot and as much as they can get on my nerves they can correct a thousand wrongs and melt my heart with a smile, a laugh or a nice thing said. Just when I am close to being worn down about my not having kids, I come across this article. It is what it is and I imagine it was written with a tongue in cheek spirit (although I imagine it doesn't have to be taken that way).

Enjoy the article here: 10 Good Reasons You May Not Want to Have Kids!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Midweek Video Distraction

There are a lot of things I would like to have over a hundred of....cars, computers, cameras, casas (had to keep the "c" thing going). But cats is not one of them. I think that anyone who has or even wants that many cats is a little out of this world (not in the good way). I happen to think that cats are gross, little blobs of fur who are way to emotional and temperamental. Here is a video of one of those out of the world people. Just the way they are fed makes me nauseous.






I don't know what else to say except never be this person if you have neighbors.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

In Reference to the Bible...

"This Book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Book."--D.L. Moody

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing
Mike

Death...

I have been doing a lot of pondering on death lately. One of my friends asked me to do a memorial service for someone special to her. I have never done one before. So that's where the death thinking comes in. I have come to the conclusion that death is actually a good thing (if you are a believer in Christ). I mean it is the finish line to the race that we are running. It is the doorway to our home in heaven. When God calls you home it is even more exciting than hearing your number called at the Italian deli where you have been waiting forever to get the best cold cuts. OK maybe I went a little far on that last one, but if you had the deli I have by me you would understand. I have had trouble working the phrase "A christian is better off dead" into my remarks without having it sound offensive. (Is it possible?) I know what I am trying to say but it doesn't just come across that way.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Mike

Sign Here

I was a nerd in school. I was a flirt and I loved all of teachers and they loved me. When I was in second grade one of the administrators leaned into my ear and whispered that I was going to be a "lady killer." When I asked her what that meant she told me I would figure it out when I was older. Well I don't know if that ever came true but I was blessed with the gift of charm that has gotten me both into and out of troublesome places. I was thinking back to my school years because it is the favorite time for all adults that live with children in their houses--back to school time. Occasionally my nieces would bring home papers that needed to be signed by their parents--spelling lists, test scores, progress reports, etc. I though that was great because it helps hold the kids accountable for their work and their progress in school. It must be a great feeling to carry home a piece of paper bearing a good test score or a positive progress report home to be signed by your parents. (I wouldn't really know--I forged most of my needed signatures when I was in school.) I can imagine that the paper must be heavy with pride in the backpack and the kid almost unable to contain the excitement and joy they feel as the recipient of such a good thing. Then just as I can imagine the joy I can almost imagine what it would be like to have to drag home a poor test score to be signed by your parents or having to have them sign a note that told of your poor behavior in class. Imagining your parents disappointment in your behavior and then having to receive any discipline that comes with the note that you had to bring home.

What if as adults we had to apply this principle to our discipleship walk. What if we had to take our completed days to God and have Him sign them for us? It would be awesome to be able to show Him your faithfulness and your dedication to the calling He placed on your life. What a great thing to be able to say that you are on track to complete all the tasks He has given you to do in your lifetime. We would be excited then to get God's signature on our days, because we wold know that He would be pleased with us. Now what if the situation was different. What if we had to show God our day and in it there was listed all the times we had the chance to use our gifts or our talents that He gave us and we didn't? What would it feel like if we had to show God all the time we spent being out of His will for our lives or just chose to be disobedient to Him? It wouldn't feel so good then, nor would we be so eager to take our days to Him to be signed off.

Now consider this. We do have to take our days to God and have Him sign them off. Whether it will be a positive experience for us or one that we missed altogether will be dependant on how we live out our days now. When we leave this earth we will be held accountable for the lives we have led on earth while we were here. We will have to answer for all the time we spent out of His will for our lives, for all of our compromises and all of the times we squandered the gifts He placed in our lives to be used for Him. Just the thought of that day pushes me into accountability mode.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Here is the song that put me into my current thoughtfulness:

Get this widget Share Track details

Friends of Faith

When I think of faith, I can't help but think of words or feelings that I associate with it. The first one that comes to mind is fire. When I have faith it is either feast or famine with me. When I am feasting in times of faith, I am on fire. I have an energy burning in me that can't be suppressed and makes me feel like I can be superman (leaping buildings, faster than speeding trains, etc., etc.) I have a passion that drives what I am doing and what I am called to do when my faith is charged and ready to go. I love that feeling. I can have any number of naysayers in front of me and my armor is impenetrable by their negativity. It is then that I know who my God says He is and I believe Him. Moreover, I believe who He tells me I am.

When my faith isn't charged up to capacity and I have left room for something other than faith to creep in, it is usually fear. Faith is the hoping for things not seen, the belief that they even exist or will come to pass. Fear comes in when I am left to my own senses and I am looking at a God situation--it is easy then to say that it is not possible, and I am not the one that should be undertaking such a calling. Fear prevails when I allow myself in front of God. That only happens when I feel I have bitten off more than I can chew or have been so busy serving God that I have forgotten to worship Him.

Father I pray that You will strengthen my faith and my passion for Your will through our time together.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing.
Mike

The Beginning of the End

I was on the way to pick up dinner tonight when I saw it. I looked in the rearview mirror and there it was. I had one single solitary white hair in my beard. It is official. I am older than I feel. White hairs are just like ants. Where there is one there is more on the way. I had a good run being young. It was cool while it lasted.

Umm Can You Repeat That God??

I have been doing a little self exploration lately. I am planning on taking a couple of days soon to be away from my life of routine and just be alone. I am going to a place where I can be quiet, be still and basically just be. While I am out and away I want to meditate on the things I feel are what make me up. I also want to spend some time seeking direction from God on the parts of me that need to increase and develop more. One of the areas that has been heavy on my heart, and kind of heart breaking at the same time, is my faith. I think everyone would like to say that they are a spiritual giant in terms of faith. I mean why not, it is one of our spiritual foundations after all. I will be the first to say that I have faith. I have every reason to believe. I have seen some incredible, miraculous things in my lifetime that can only be attributed to God. Yet of all of the foundations of my belief in God, I would say that the one I struggle with the most is faith. More specifically I struggle with my faith as it relates to me. God can tell me He is going to heal someone or deliver someone or tell me to speak something into someone's life and it is all good. No problem there. I struggle when God talks to me about me.

God: Mike, you are going to do such and such thing (some off the wall, out of character, somebody-anybody-better-than-me-should-be-doing-this thing) and you need to prepare for it now.
Me: Umm can you repeat that God?!? Then can you follow it up with a sign or a wonder? You know who you are talking to right? It's me Mike, in Chino Hills? And that sign or wonder can you make it kind of big so that I know it's really You?

I know what I have been called to do and that the time is coming really close to now for it to start happening. I feel it in my spirit and in my heart--that longing feeling of discontentment with life as it is now. Sometimes I wonder if God really knew what He was doing when He called me. It's hard to remember sometimes that God calls us in our weakness and vulnerability so that He can demonstrate His God-ness. There would be no testimony or glory to give Him if I did something on my own that I could do on my own.

People say it is the first step that is the hardest. I am not sure that is true. The first step is an easy one. You are not so far in that you still can't turn around and say "just kidding." It is every step that comes after the first that is the hard and every step in succession becomes the hardest. It is so because with each step you go deeper into a plan or a purpose that may not seem logical to you when you are following God. You become deeper in involvement and deeper in commitment with each step after the first, making your investment greater. Often with following the leading of the Holy Spirit we don't know what we are investing ourselves in. We simply need to know that regardless of the way it looks and seems to other people, and even how it looks and seems to us, we are simply trusting in One that we trust with our soul and heart to lead, guide and use us for His purpose.

Weakness. Vulnerability. Trust. Father I pray that You grant me the measure of faith I need to work as You have called and strength I need to take each step after the first.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing.
Mike

Wow Some People....

Some people are serious about their coffee at 5AM. I mean SERIOUS. There was almost a brawl over coffee in the Starbucks I chill in this morning because something wasn't made right--twice. The customer came with attitude and that set off the associate behind the counter and it was on!!! I don't think 5AM is the time to be anything but sleepy. I hope this is not the precursor to how my day is going to be.

Be Blessed and BE a Blessing!
Mike