Covered by Jesus

You know when you wake up and have to make the run for that late night glass of water, or take that midnight trip to the bathroom. You get up realize its about 20 degrees below freezing. So you bolt up, dash to make your trip and then run back, bolt under the covers head first and hold them as tight as possible hoping that the cold would immediatly flee. You cling to the warm covers and pull them as tight as you can as  if they were your protection from the cold. I feel like this is the way my walk with Christ should be. Although with him I should never leave the covers, I do because I am foolish and follow after the things of this world, aka a glass of water. When we realized that we have left the warmth and fellowship of Christ we should run back to him, dive head first, and cling to him with all the strength that we have and burrough ourselves in  him for our protection and comfort. I wish that I never had to make one of these late night adventures in sub arctic temperatures, and I pray that I can abide within the warm arms of the Savior who can protect me from all of lifes bitter temperatures. Why if he is it that I would rather stand in the cold than come and be warm? Why is it that the covers often are so much more appealing than the love of Christ? I pray that Christ would become my "covers" to whom I always run to and hold fast to in the storms or cold floors of life. Jesus surround me with your protection and warmth, let me rest my weary head upon your shoulders,  and let me lay in safety within your presence. Jesus be my blanket I pray.

Joe Nichols - I'll Wait For You

more than just a good song.

One door opened to another door closed, keep walking until you find the window

Even in the end of something, there is always a bright and glorious future that is just the start of something new. Its hard to let go of what was and what could have been. But its time to pack up the suitcase and move on. What the future holds is in the Masters hands and I am simply going to follow him in everything I do.

I Believe..

They stood when everyone fell, with their hands high, their eyes to the sky, with a God who never left them even through the flames.
                                        Daniel 3: 7-25

        Its about time that I stop being afraid of others and finally stand up for what I believe.. This story was hugely convicting. Flames or no flames i'm going in!!!!

A Diamond in the Rough

            It sure is nice when everything is going perfect, and the storms of life are no bigger than a simple apology or a single prayer. The problem is that those days are few and far between.  For quite some time I was very content with where i was as a Christian, (that should have been my first clue that something was wrong)! As I am getting older and am starting to face some of my own battles I realize that "oh boy, I just cannot do this on my own".

                                                                Psalm 121:1
              I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, where does my help come from.

  I read the story of Corrie Ten Boom a few years back and this story has been on my heart. 
                      Corrie and her dad were at a train station getting ready to board, when Corrie asks her dad what is "sex"? At this time she is little more than around 8 years old. Her dad does not reply but simply asks her to carry his suitcase for him. She complies and tries to pick up the heavy suitcase, she gets a few steps and her dad notices she is struggling carrying the suitcase on her own. He gently grabs the suitcase from her and hands her thier tickets. Her father asked her if she remembered the question that she had previously asked and she said, "yes". He then told her that some things in life are too heavy to carry such as the suitcase was just moments previous. He said that the suitcase was just like that question, it was simply to heavy for her to carry right now. He said as you get older and stronger you will be able to carry the suitcase and the same goes for your question. My daughter right now your not quite strong enough and you must trust me to carry the baggage for you. 

      That story has been on my heart since the day I heard it. There are always situations in life that are just too much for us to bear on our own. I am reminded that what I face is impossible on my own, but if I just ask my father to carry it, he will. Oh so many times in the recent months I have come to the understanding that I am more fragile and weak than I thought. Situations I thought I had all figured out came around and took me by surprise, and well to put it bluntly, I fell and I fell hard. The thing is I have never ever grown more in who I am in Christ and as a person as I have these last few months. Lord "Here I am" is becoming a very important line in my life. I know that when I try to do it on my own and in my own strength I fall. I still try to carry things on my own sometimes, but He brings me to the reality that I need him to carry all my problems, not just the big ones.

                                          Isaiah 40:30      "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall. but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

              Father will you carry this suitcase for me it is just too heavy for me to bear.

                                         Matthew 11:28  " Come to Me, all you 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."

                      He smiles and replies to me,"Yes, my son I will carry your burden."

From Rags to Riches!!

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

      I have that through spending time in prayer with the Lord today and an amazing guitar worship session in my pj's and with my glasses on, I found the peace and serenity and joy again. I feel His presence. I have the urge to jump, sing, dance, do just something, anything crazy!!! he is so good to me!!! Lord I will wait upon you and I will obey your precepts in my youth. Lord while I am young and capable use me and my life for your glory. He is with us always! I have seen and felt his presence today more than ever!!! This verse has been in my mind all day. I urge you brothers and sisters in Christ to keep strong in your faith, no matter what obsticle or harship is set before you. :)

to sleep or not to sleep?

Sleepless nights are not the way to go. For anyone who was just thinking, "man i would sure love to give up my night just pondering and not dreaming." DONT DO IT!!! It's not all it is cracked up to be. It may seem like the bee's knees when in fact it feels more like the bee's stinger. However if you must loose sleep, loose sleep over something good. The only remedy I have found to be soothing on such a night of sleep deprivation have been my guitar, prayer, and the Bible. Peace of mind leads to good sleep, and peace of mind is something I could not quite obtain. So maybe later today a nap is in order to straighten this all out. From my bed at 6:43a.m. this nap is looking quite unobtainable. I guess when exhaustion hits, my body will have no choice. Well its time for me to "get up", and see what the world has to offer today.
                                                 signing out, yours truly exhausted

tomorrow's fears and wiped away tears

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself..."                                                       Mathew 6:34
I find myself asking God everyday to pick me up today and make me a better man for tomorrow. I cannot worry about tomorrow, but I can ask for strength and wisdom every single day so that when tomorrow comes I am that much stronger. What is a flower without sun, what is a tree without water, what is a book without words, what am I without Christ? Switchfoot said, "The shadow proves the sunshine", so does my love, life, and attitude prove Christ? I do fall many times but I am desperately searching everyday to do better. Each day is a battle, and a really tuff one.. Christ is my reason for getting up each day and my reason for not being apathetic towards life. Here I am Lord, your servant asking you to take this humble man and make him into a bright shining example of who you are. He has brought me so far through the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know with Christ,today was taken care of yesterday, and tomorrow is taken care of today. All of the tears he can take away, all of the heartache he can ease, all of the troubles he can calm. I know that my Lord is my peace in the midst of this roller coaster ride, the calm in the midst of the storm, and my deliverer from trials. Simply He is my everything :)

The Davids vs. The Goliaths

My trials seem so small when I look at those around me. Why do I fuss and complain when really I am blessed to be who I am. Jesus has put me in this place right now and he knows what he is doing. All I have to do is just to keep looking up. Oh how I love Him and I know he loves me. God is sooo Good :) sometimes I just cannot see the forrest through the trees. Now I see all there is to see :) That being I am his forever and He is mine!!!
                                                 One Blessed Boy, signing out

the ramblings of a weary man.

I am at the point where im just sick of running. I have come so far but yet its like im on a tread mill and im actually in the same place.. I am just tired of running and getting no where. If were ever gonna go anywhere we have to run together, if we don't we will end up running in different directions missing all of the blessings we could have had if we would have just run together. I am not ready to run this leg of the race alone, but I want you right next to me to help me along when I stumble. If you want this your gonna have to set the pace because I am tired of trying and failing over and over again. Its up to you. I am not giving up its just that I need help for a while.

Neither Here Nor There

Its like your neither here nor there, you want to be somewhere, but that somewhere is relative and dependant on where here is. I don't even know where here is so.. if im here then where do i want to go.. The game of life is much easier said than done. Someone once said, "Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress." I see plenty of motion but I see very little progress.. But somewhere from here, I know that there is light at the end of this tunnel. So I keep on keeping on to where ever I am going. When I can't walk Jesus is my help, he carries me through the valley.. its just hard not having progress, but only seeing the motion. As Mattew West said, " I don't want to go through the motions.." Give us progress Lord!

Paddle but don't rock the boat.

There is a fine balance to everything good. Sometimes it seems almost too fine. If there is one ride I hate most in life it has to be the teeter totter.. when is there just enough weight to keep it balanced? A few ounces too much and its topples to one side, not enought weight and it topples to the other. Its like trying to walk the tight roap with a loose roap, you try and try but eventually you will fall. How can you determine the temperature of the water  without even stepping into the water to see if its too cold or too hot. You want forward motion but you seem to want to paddle but not to rock the boat. It is one thing to want motion, but it is an entirely different situation when you want movement but are standing in quick sand. Sometimes we fight and fight, but when is the right time to lay down your sword? Is there ever that time? The only sure and solid foundation I have is Christ. Thats all I know and with him I don't have to worry about rocking the boat because he has his hand on the boat all the time. A fine balance is easier said than done. But when Jesus is in control everything is possible!!!

I dispise when...

that feeling when you walk away but know you should have stayed,
the feeling when you analyze every move you make to see if it was good enough,
the chance of a lifetime that slips right through your fingers,
that knowing you did wrong, but might not get the chance to make up,
that sinking feeling you get when someone you loves says im done,
when you feel like your just not good enough,
that thought you just can't get out of your head,
the loss of sleep,
the loss of appetite,
the feeling you get when you just said something really dumb,
the feeling of knowing what you want, but its out of reach.
the yes' and no's and maybe, but i don't knows,

What's awesome is no matter what I can't walk away, I am yours, I am here to stay.

Opening the Floodgates of Heaven

                                      Someone wrote, " Give all that you have, in everything you do.
                                    Help a person at least once a day. Never expect anything in return."
                                           Romans 12:10 says, "Be kindly affectionate one to another,
                                              with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another."

    Everyday I see a world that is lost, hurting, a world that seems to be encompased with death and suffering. I want to be like Nehemiah. Nehemiah saw that Jerusalem was in destruction and without walls. He being only a cup bearer went boldly to the king and asked that he be given permission to rebuild the walls. He faced opposition on all sides, but yet he built with his people the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah saw a need and felt a calling upon his life to do what God had commanded him.
              It seems that God has really been opening my eyes to the hurt around me. I am really starting to feel a major burden upon my life to pray for these people. So in my life I am seeing a huge calling to dig deeper in God's Word. I am happy to say that I am finally walking the walk that I know I should be. God is opening my eyes to my defects and flaws. Its like an open window and I can finally feel his presence in such an unexplainable way. I am asking everyday that God comes and makes me the man that i know he wants me to be. There have been those people who have hepled me through these things and I now I just want to stand up and be there for them. I am ready to "carry the call" and be there for others. God is shining his light in my life. All I can say is that I am undertaking a huge change. My goals and my desires  are being dramastically changed :)

Drives me Wild by:Dusty Jones

I can see Fire in your eyes,

I can see Jesus in your smile,

I can feel the Warmth of every look,

Oh how you quote to me from that good book

I see a Scared little girl,

Yet I see a girl who Owns the whole world,

I feel the Love of your heart,

Oh how your Love drives me wild.

Even though we Fuss and fight,

When we spend Hours late at night

All the times I’ve wanted to Laugh and Cry

Still I’ve never Wanted to say goodbye.

You need someone to Take care of,

When you sing, I hear Angles  above,

I know some times I make it rough,

You, me, and Jesus, Baby, that’s enough.

Now your Looking at me with those eyes,

I try to Hide it behind a weak smile,

Take my hand Now and Stay for a while,

In you I see Jesus and that Drives me wild.

So I ended up walking around town in a banana suit all day! Who knew you could use a banana as such an effective witnessing tool. I think it should be included in the soul winners begginers bag :)

The Ivory Alter

The other day at school I was very frustrated with myself and a situation in which I was struggling in obtaining God's will for my life. I realized that God was only going to reveal himself to me if I gave it up to him. I went to the stage at school and sat down on the piano. I only know five chords on piano, those being the chords to "fall for you" by secondhand serenade. Well I just started messing around and singing. really just shouting it out. I was all alone in the little storage room where the piano was. I sang and played my frustrations out to God upon those black and white keys. I cried to God my heart in the form of song. I can tell you that revival can happen just about anywhere, even in a storage room :) wow God is very awesome. He turned the grey in my life to black and white. And from the black and white I fell upon that old ivory alter where I found him and his will for my life!!!! BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!!!

Checkmate?

In the National Gallery of London, there hangs a painting. Depicted in the painting are two men sitting at a small table. On the table is a chess board, and, if one looks closely enough, one can see that the game is nearing its conclusion. On the far side of the table, bigger than life, is an old man, head thrown back in macabre laughter. On the near side of the table is a young man, head held low in defeat. The painting is entitled "Checkmate". While on a school trip to the gallery, a young man sat for almost the entire duration of the field trip in front of this work, staring at it. When his teachers came to collect him at the end, he stood up and shouted, "It's a lie! The king has one move left!" And, if you look at the game, you will see that the young man is correct. It is not checkmate after all. Even though sometimes we can't see the forrest through the trees we need to remember that God is in control. He knows what we deal with. Even though we cannot see the victory, he always has a next move. With God, our backs are never up against the wall nor is our king in checkmate! Though we feel defeated, it is a lie!! God will provide the escape!

In His Hands

When you have to seek the Bible soo diligently everyday it changes your whole outlook and perspective on life. I have found myself in the last few weeks searching so hard that it is just insane. At first it was a chore but now it is my greatest joy. I now find myself not trying to avoid Him, but rather find myself running to the Bible daily because of the tremendous difference and peace I find in it. Peace is something hard to come by these days. I have found out why I have been struggling in certain areas of my life such as daily devotions and in my relationships. The reason, no routine with Christ. Recently I was given three days to make a huge decision. That has caused me to devote all of my thoughts to Christ because I don't have peace about where I am at. Wednesday is my deadline and already in day 1 I have been shown more than I could have ever hoped for. All I have to do is raise my hands and give it to him. wow what a radical concept.. that I knew forever, but have avoided. "When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:" proverbs. 2:10-11. God is GREAT!!!! enough said.

Brad Paisley - She's Everything

peanut butter and jelly

It's funny how you find the perfect people in the most unlikely of places. Its when you think you know someone and then find out that they are the exact opposite, but in a good way. So people who were once the thorns to your feet have become the peanut butter to your jelly. God is such a funny guy sometimes.