Matthew 6:19-21

I donthave a lot of time thismorning but I got this mmessage for everyone...its simple and straight forward ...


"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (New International Version)

I will try to post later about HOW to store up those treasures in heaven.
feel free to open your bible and get a jump on my post....I encourage you to study that verse and find the answer on your own ...but lie I said I will post later i fyou are lik eme and are running on short time :)

Hope the verse helps some one ..... have a blessed day

Almost ready

Hello to all,

I have been really busy with the new job and moving and football comming back so im sorry I havent been able to get on here and post much but no worries on the 22 of this month we are moving into a new apartment and Anna will be staying hom with the kids...this will allow her to do some of the things we normally must rush to do at the end of the day and allow me a bit of time to start to post again...as well we wont be sharing a computer with another family therefore I will be able to get on when i have free time.....GOod thngs have been happening and great things are on the way and I almost cant wait to start telling you all about them however I have to .....im on a time crunch today as well ...sorry and i still have to make a post on my football blog as well so....start looking for a new post every day or atleasst 3 times a week starting in july... I cnat wait till then.....so much to tell everyone. Talk to you guys soon.

Where do we go?

Hey everyone,

As many of you know, I have started a bible study in recent weeks. This week however we are struggling to find a place to have it. We cant host this week or any week for about a month due to other complications and while we were thinking about having it outside at trashmore the weather looks like it isnt going to hold up fo rthat ...BOOO... so we are without home this week....if anyone has an idea or suggestion about places to go for an hour or two...pleae email me... and if you cant come up with an idea...pray for us... I know that GOD wants us to continue on this path.....Ijust dont know where he wants us to have it yet :) so like I said please pray for our group....right now we really need it. Thanks in advance for the prayers.

Grace and peace be upon you all.

Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19 (New International Version)

Wow.....You ever heard someone say take a bite out of that....this is a whole meals worth.... This is a lot of meat and can be explained several different ways....but ill just cover the basics...

This passage at its basic level is a prayer for you to know and understand the love of GOD...it talks about how blessed we can be and already are because of his love for us. This passage explains to us that his love is greater than knowledge....that part hits hard with me because I am a thinker before a feeler so to hear someone tell me that love is more important than knowledge really stands out and makes me take notice. I have heard this passage used for prosperity teachings....and I'm not all together against prosperity teachings ....they are apart of the Bible and deserve to be talked about...at this time in the world its nice to know that not everyone is out to tell us that we are in a recession...GOD wants us to flourish for his glory....but that's another topic...I'm just saying this has been used as a prosperity base and at first glance it can be ...but the heart of this message is the same heart of the bible....its about love..his love for us and how great it is. I encourage you to take some time today ....his day...and think about all the ways the LORD has tried to show you he loves you...you will be surprised when you actually sit down and take account for yourself how much love he has really put into you.

I know this is short but I hope it helps someone
Grace and Peace be upon you all

Hello

Hey everyone,

I am posting this post from WORK!!! update....MY JOB ROX!!! at any rate I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive and still intending on updating this site and now that I know I can do it from work I will probably take some time from my lunch hour and give regular posts again....computer time is so hard to come by now that my laptop is broken and I am forced to share a computer with a gamer who plays non stop from 3pm to 1 or 2 am everyday.....so I apologize for lack of posts but problem is now solved....soooo.....be prepared to start setting aside some time each day to read and spread the word about the blog...talk to yo all later.

Psalm 105

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Psalm 105:1 (New International Version)

forgive the lack of posting....alot going on these days....I will post bible passages up here until I can devote more time to posting. thank you fo ryour understanding.
Grace and peace be upon you all

Big Week

UPDATE:

Just a quick note here. We started our bible study this week ...it will offically be called "Faith Group"... there were 7 of us for the first meeting ....it went well...we all got to talk and come up with things we want to do and get from the group....I feel like 90% or better will be back for the next meeting which is encouraging... we covered some basic bible facts and kept the floor open....this week we are all meeting at mount trashmore to have a group prayer and exchange testimonies....the following week we are going to meet and discuss the book of Job...im excited about the possibilities here....great times.....

Grace and peace be upon you all.

Good Advice

I get a weekly quote of wisdom and this week contained this little nugget....

Christ must be at the center of your relationships because He provides a stable, fixed point of reference; otherwise, your relationships will be frail and fragile.

I know this to be true, I have experienced both sides of this and let me tell ya....Jesus needs to be your rock...build everything on him and it will never be destroyed....I have had a few friends come and go and there are very few things in life more painful than losing a friend or love one. I also found it really awesome that I get this the day before I do my very first bible study and start expanding my friendship base...I will literally be building friendships based on GOD....How awesome is that?

In other news....I am loving my new job.... but unfortunately the time I'm at work is usually the time I update my blog so bare with me if posting is sporadic for a few days until I get my new schedule figured out.... thanks in advance for that....

oh...soul central tonight for those of you who watch online or attend ...Faith group tomorrow night for those of you who can attend.....cell group is Friday for those who belong to one...sat is soccer for those who would like to attend...Sunday is of course church...so if you need anything from me...I'm free Monday after 6 and before 9....LOL...funny how when you let the lord in he fills up your schedule LOL....

Hope this helped someone...
PEACE and GRACE be upon you all!!!!

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20 (New International Version)

If you have been reading the blog then you will remember a quote I brought back to you from the retreat. I believe its quote number 2 and it talks about Christ living in us.

I think the most powerful thing we can learn about this verse is that by accepting Christ as our Lord and saviour we no longer live a life for ourselves...we live a life to serve him....we no longer worry about winning the lotto so we can have a life of ease ...or getting that promotion so we can have more power or money....often our thoughts are how can we change the world or save souls or change lives.....once you allow Christ to take over your life ...everything changes...your outlook on what is and is not important...your morals...your hope...your overall quality of life...life in no way becomes "EASIER" but it definitely allows you to take the hard times without as much STRESS....why? For me its because you know that there is a reason this is happening to you, and that GOD has a plan to take this hard time and make it a good work in one way or another...just keep faith in him and know that there is a reason...times are hard for a reason ....there is always something good waiting to reveal itself in every hard time....just know that GOD knew you would be going through this hard time and he gave you all you need to make it through...he filled you with the holy spirit and there is nothing more you need to make it through....I could talk about this for days ...but I don't have that kind of time...email me if you want to discuss this.
Grace and peace be upon you all.

Guess whos back...back again..

Hello everyone

I took a couple days off to go to a mens retreat in Headwaters Virginia. The resort is a cool place...I climbed a rock wall, played some pin pong (where my brother rewrote the definition for landslide), I also played some horseshoes (where I paid him back for the ping pong). The area was beautiful and there was plenty to do. We spent a lot of time in fellowship and thinking about forgiveness...4 different speakers delivered 4 different messages that all pointed in the same direction.....it was cool. If you get the chance to go check them out ...take it...I guarantee you will at least find a place to relax and be at peace if nothing else.

While I was there I got to talk to my brother and learn a little more about his Branches of the cross vision...I'm really excited for him and can't wait to see it start coming together, if it gets to be a tenth as big as its potential it will still have accomplished a tremendous amount.

One of the best things about this weekend was the "golden nuggets" of information I found....there were 3 that stuck out the most and I feel the need to share with you....

1 Transparency is the key to being able to forgive and be forgiven....people find it easier to share their shortcomings and ask you to forgive them when they know they wont be judged....and they only know that when you share your faults with them....thanks for that one Jack

2 When we accept Christ we become a new creation and Christ lives in us....and since Christ lives in us any sin against us is a sin against him...therefore we should be able to forgive that person because they didn't offend us .......they offended GOD and it is now up to them to ask for forgiveness from him....Thanks Mike

3 I learned a truth about our testimonies that I previously didn't know....I knew our testimonies where great for letting people know what the lord can do ...but one other thing about your testimony that is almost just as if not more important....its undeniable truth....its your story nobody can twist what happened to you like they can twist the bible...nobody can misinterpret what you said because you are the one saying it...and no matter how many times you get stumped talking about the bible you will never get stumped about your story.....when you think about your story from this point of view it opens up so many new ways to think .....thank you for this one Ronnie it is life changing

Hope some of these help someone....
Grace and Peace be upon you all.

Mothers Day

Headwatters

Ok people im off to a mens retreat for the weekend....im going to get reloaded on the lord and come back with a FRESH word for everyone.... keep me in your prayers.....in other news...GOD blessed our family with a new place to call home and a new job for me this week......

More exciting news..the job is soooo Good that it will support the entire family and allow Anna to quit working and stay home with the family......we are excited about the changes GOD is making in our lives keep praying for us and dont forget to comment...how else am I supposed to know who needs prayer.

Oh yeah ...what do you know?

Hey all....

It has come to my attention that a lot of Christians these days have questions that just aren't being answered by their church. Most of these questions can easily be answered by reading the bible, however, I know that most people find themselves too busy to read the bible some days so... if you have a question concerning the bible ...or christian life....or Hindu life...or Muslim life or whatever your question is please just post here or shoot me an e-mail and I will answer it for you.

question 1
What is the "Gospel"?

The "Gospel" actually means the good news.....so when you hear go spread the gospel....they are saying to you go spread the good news....so whats the good news? that Christ came for us and died for our sins so that we can be freed from the burden of sin and have eternal life through him....this can be found in your bible...books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...they are commonly referred to as the 4 gospels.

question 2
Did Adam have a belly button?

I'm not 100% sure....GOD may have given him one so he would fit in however from a scientific stand point the answer is NO.....he was not born he was created ....the first person to have a belly button would have been the child of Adam and Eve according to this theory.

question 3

What is my "Testimony"?

Your testimony is an account of what happened according to you....It is your story about how GOD has touched your life....a story of how he opened your eyes and you were able to find him....the things that changed about your life once you made a decision to follow his word..... It is in its basic form your tale of transformation from non believer to faithful follower.

Hope this answered a few of your questions ..keep them coming.
Grace and Peace be upon you all.

Is he hip hop hard?

I was thinking about the real JESUS...the one that seems to get washed over and over until we all get a diluted version of him and it got me to thinking..... if everyone wants to be hard these days....and being the "Thuged out " Rapper is really a desirable goal for young guys would JESUS make the cut? I mean he is supposed to be all things to us...so I have compiled a list...not completed...but begun a list of similarities.....feel free to comment any you can think of that I have missed.



Biggie -self proclaimed "lyrical genius" whose messages would reveal things about him to us as well as some things about ourselves.

JESUS - prophet and son of GOD who spoke to us in parables that to this day show depth and life application to people around the world...some things he spoke are to this day still being interpreted

2PAC -believed to have faked his death and still writes powerful songs we can relate to.

Jesus- Actually died and came back! and still speaks to each and everyone of us DAILY!

50 cent- shot 9 times and lives

Jesus- Beaten with the cat of 9 tales and various whips and other objects to within inches of his life....then NAILED to a cross and stabbed with a spear.... only to rise from the dead and continue to spread his message

Jay-Z self proclaimed dealer of illegal substances for his own financial prosperity.

Jesus- worshiped dealer of a truth that was and in some parts of the world still is illegal for the betterment of man kind!

T.I. self proclaimed "King of the South" about to stand trial for attempting to equip people with illegal weapons

Jesus - King of all Kings Spent time on DEATH ROW for trying to equip people with the illegal weapon of TRUTH!

NWA- famous for saying F* the police

Jesus - challenged the accepted rules of the Pharisees in every place he taught!

Sugar Hill Gang- pioneers of a movement that would rock the world.

Jesus - the pioneer of a movement that SAVES THE WORLD.

Eminem- rocked world with shocking lyrics only then to claim it wasn't literal...just a song

Jesus - shocked the world with what he said....AND STOOD BY IT!

NAS- famous for hitting you with hard lyrics and never selling out

Jesus -hit you with hard lyrics, never sold out....not even when faced with death!

Kanye West- famous for his "I'm always right" attitude

Jesus - IS ALWAYS RIGHT!

All rappers- privilege of saying what they want under the first amendment...

Jesus - Did not have that protection and did it anyway ultimately ...was killed due to what he was teaching the people...

All rappers -do it for the business of making money

Jesus - did it for the business of SAVING YOU!

All rappers- could care less about you or what you think about them as long as you buy their CD

Jesus - cares about you and what you think about him regardless of whether or not you buy what he is selling.


I encourage you all to take and post this list anywhere and everywhere....twitter it...myspace it...face book it...blog it...whatever...get it out there and show those young guys and girls the similarities ....maybe the only reason they don't look to Jesus as a role model is because they don't know him like this!!!!!

Grace and peace be upon you all!

Choose a master!

Last night at church Steve Kelly had a great message on self esteem....you Can hear the whole message on www.wavechurch.com check out the podcast section.

The reason I bring this up is to tell you a brief part of the sermon..... Steve posed a question to the congregation that I think we should all answer and perhaps do....

Steve talked about how alot of times people get caught up in seeking the praise of others....co-workers, your boss, friends and so on..... but the bible warns us not to seek the praise of men....seek only the praise of the lord. Seeking the praise of men will stunt our growing faith in the lord.... If you are too worried about seeking your friends approval you are far less likely to step out on a limb for the Lord when he calls you to do so, however, if you are seeking his approval your going to do it...no questions asked.

This brings me to the question he posed...when is the last time you asked the lord what he thought about you? ask him to send you down some praise and see what he does....im not saying make it a habbit but sit down with the lord and ask him to show you where you stand.

Hope this helps someone...grace and peace be upon you all.

Happy EARTH DAY

For those of you who don't Know.... Today is earth day.... it's the one day a year dedicated to loving GODs creation and the planet we call home. I encourage you to get out today and enjoy the hard work the Lord did and still does for us. I challenge you to go out today....take a picture of some of the beautiful things you see in creation and send them to me...ill post them up for all to see! ....if yo don't have a digital camera ....I have a challenge for you as well..... there are hundreds of beautiful places to see in your community and I guarantee more than half of them have litter....give GOD a helping hand today and show him you appreciate his beautiful Creation by stopping to pick up and if you can recycle that litter.....help clean up his canvas....send me a note about how you got involved today and I will post your story on the blog for all to see...... My family and I are headed out to Mount Trashmore .... they are having an earth day celebration and we are going to go and get involved...Ill be posting pics and stories tomorrow.... Enjoy your Earth Day.
Grace and peace be upon you all.

How many licks does it take to get to the center?

Do you remember that old "Tootsie Pop" commercial where the kid asks the owl how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop....then the owl takes his Candy licks it 3 times and bites it off the stick.....he smiles at the child and says 3 it takes 3 licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop.....

I remember thinking as a child.....stupid owl..... then as I got older i thought stupid kid, you gave him your candy.... then as I got older and started reading philosophy I thought .....well, the kid did get what he was looking for....and the answer is 3...it took the owl 3 licks.....these days I'm relating it to scripture....

I don't really know where I'm going with this, I just found it funny that 1 that commercial has stayed with me for more than 20 years....2 I have spent way too much time thinking about something SO small and insignificant and 3 my views have changed on it sooo much.
I was going to do this posting on this clever way of saying ...we are like the tootsie pop....and god is breaking us down to that goodness inside one layer of candy at a time....but then as I'm writing this I realise I'm not all that comfortable with telling everyone we are being licked by the lord...its just a sticky situation...( man that was corny but I had to) .......

Now I'm sitting here breaking down this post going man ...what if I have it twisted....when I'm looking at my three things about the commercial...what if that's the way GOD views me?

1 I have been on his mind now for more than 20 years (29 to be exact)
2 he has spent a LOT of time thinking about something small and insignificant (me)
3 his views on me have changed over the years as I have struggled to find him

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason for this post...I just wanted to walk everyone through my creative process I guess....I find it funny though that I found GOD in my obscure thoughts and memories not in one way but in two....I guess that speaks to the truth about GOD....once you let him in he finds his way into all of you.....

Don't know if this post will but i hope it helps someone out there.
Grace and Peace be upon you all.

Makin' Moves

I have been touching on the subject for some time now but ...its finally official... on Thursday nights I am going to be leading a Bible study/ discussion group at the house...we are starting small...6-10 people depending on the week but once we are in our new place I am going to open it up and I'm already hearing talk of 20 or more!!!!! its an awesome thing! I will be posting a brief message about what we are doing and whats going on with the group for all to see so if you want to join you can...and you wont feel left out because there will be a place for you to keep up with us right here!!!! YAY...ok...my first message is going to be called "Building on the Rock" I figure its a fitting place to start. If you would like to join us just email me so I can send you out some information. Hope some of you can make it out.....

Looking forward to it.....and please pray for us....we will definitely need it!

Grace and Peace be upon you all.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18a

You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18a

This is a great verse for keeping you humble..... often times we get caught up in the thought that we DESERVE that raise or that promotion or that nice new toy we have been working so hard to get but this verse reminds us of the truth.

I have, many times in my life, found myself saying...I deserve this.... raise, job, promotion, reward for my hard work....I was wrong to think this and in Truth so is everyone else....not that its wrong to want to be rewarded for your hard work....because I believe you should be rewarded for hard work but to believe you DESERVE it is a different story....

This matter plays in almost directly to my feelings on tithing as well......
in short its like this:

If you give lets say 10% of your earnings away to the church....its not actually giving away anything....its GOD allowing you to earn the other 90% for you and your family...... if GOD didn't provide you with that job or the physical or mental ability to produce at that job you wouldn't have it....therefore that money you are giving to his house is small in comparison to not actually having a job at all...am I right?...of course I am!

this principle applies to any situation where we believe we DESERVE something...its because of GODs Good grace we were in the situation to earn this things in the first place....so if anyone deserves anything.....GOD deserves a than you for putting you in that spot....at least give the praise to him ....as well as a thank you when you get that object of your desire.....it ultimately is all up to him!

One of my favorite new sayings about this idea is this: "WORK like its up to you, BELIEVE like its up to GOD"

Follow that thought and your head will always be in the right place....and GOD will continue to put you in the right place...... That reminds me of a story my brother told me leading up to another great quote.... he go to speak with an elderly man (70's) who had been walking with the lord for well over half his life and my brother had the wits to ask him an awesome question..... in your long walk whats the single most important thing you have learned....the man thought about it for a second and replied.....

"Stay humble.....the second you believe that these great things being done are because of you ...GOD is done using you"

both of these are great quotes but you can never knock the advice from someone who is more than twice your age.....try to apply this things to your daily life and watch how many great things the lord has for you and does through you.....exciting times ...

Hope this helps someone .... Grace and Peace be upon you all

Colossians 2:6

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him."
Colossians 2:6

There is a very important message here that is echoed throughout the entire New Testament but gets overlooked by hoards of people every day. For those of us who speak "Christianeese" we can look at this verse and break it down....but then most of us after breaking it down would still fail to do as it asks sadly......

We received Christ Jesus as Lord through GODs GRACE....its his GRACE alone that saves us, its where it all begins and its what always carries us through! His GRACE sent his son to us to pay for our sins....his GRACE is what forgives us when we fall short and its his GRACE that comes through for us and puts us in the the right place at the right time ....without his GRACE we would all be doomed to a fruitless life.......

so then if we received Jesus because of the GRACE of GOD then we should live our life according to that as well....

So often we judge without thinking about it....we gossip about a coworker....bad mouth a relative... talk down or blow off friends in need or just turn our head at the homeless man on the corner.... What is it about people that gives them the attitude that we are better than or deserve better than this or that or them..... we are all equal in GODs eyes his only judgment is saved or not yet saved....

Open your eyes and look at people the way GOD would ask you to....know that perhaps instead of ridiculing them for their short comings we should tap into some of that GRACE he showed us and do the same for them....if they are down...pick them up....going through a hard time...help them out....need a shoulder to cry on....bring the tissues....feeling sick.....pray for them and ask GOD to heal them.....

I'm sure you have seen the wristbands that say WWJD (what would Jesus do) I like to think of it in reverse ....without GRACE...WWWD....what would WE do.... what hope would we have....what direction would we follow.....where would we turn when the situation is just humanly impossible to fix.....

Take note of this.... Nobody asked GOD to send his son to pay for our sins...he just did.... Most people aren't going to ask you for a little GRACE... Just do it

Hope this helps someone.
Grace and Peace be upon you all.

Houston Pics

HEre are a few random shots of our trip to Houston texas....good trip over all....but I think we are going to stay put...atleast for now MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

1 This is a pic of Anna and me...arent we happy!

2 This pic is the view I want to have from my backyard one day....the pic does it NO JUSTICE!

3 Pic of me sitting outside the mall in one of thier common resting areas....Houston knows how to treat people!

4 This is a pic of Anna sitting on a water sculpture that is actually used to recycle captured rain water to irrigate the shopping centers plant life...talk about going green!

5 this is city hall or Sugarland....beautiful place...and they have thier history as well as thier core values written in the bricks that you walk on....Check out the FAITH value on the bottom of the pic

6 Me at the Houston zoo....sitting next to my new meercat buddy!

7 Anna her aunt and her little cousin get to gether for a pic prior to yet another shopping trip lol

We have SOOOOOO many more pics...comment me if you would like some of them sent your way.

Easter Pics

Here are a few of our easter pics:

1 Family photo before church....one of the last known pic of me with long hair!

2 Allyshia and her hero Ashley prior to Allyshias' singing debut! she rocked the yellow....you wish your kids could do what mine do =)

3 Alana on her first easter hunt....she crushed it....check out Isiahs blog for a funny story about the hunt.

4 & 5 are pics of Allyshia and Isiah going down a HUGE inflatable slide after easter morning service...it was a free ride the church put out for all the kids who attended church that morning .....

As always we have tons of pics....if you want to see more leave me a comment and ill get them out to you.

Lakewood pics

We recently got to visit Joel Osteen and lakewood church while we were in Houston Texas here is some of our pics of his HUGE and beautiful church! from top to bottom they are :

1The front entrace of lakewood

2The sanctuary ...holds 16,000 people!!!!!

3One of MANY childrens areas aroudn the building.....they all are themed in one way or another this just happened to be the easiest one to get a pic of.....AWESOME childrens ministry there!

4 The exit of the church with PART of the rescource center above it.....I kid you not...thier rescource center is the most complete christian store I have ever been in....It was like goign to a christian mall!!!!

We have pics of the service but they came out blurry on a digital camera....from the 4th row...dont ask how that happens but hey we got some lol....

We have tons and tons of pics....if you would like to see more leave me a comment and Ill be sure to send them your way......

Its as easy as counting!

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Psalm 27:8 (NIV)

When you said, Make search for my face, my heart said to you, For your face will I make my search.
Psalm 27:8 (BBE)

When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek."
Psalm 27:8 (NKJV)


1 verse, 2 main ideas, 3 different translations, 4 you!


obviously the 1, 3, and 4 are easy to understand but you may be saying what are the 2 main ideas.....

the first thing I notice when I read this is the "SEEK MY FACE" now obviously you cant actually physically look GOD or his son in the eyes, and I'm sure he didn't mean go find a picture of me..... what the message is here is spend your time trying to get to know me......read about me...pray with and to me ....talk to others about me....SEEK ME....put some effort into finding out who I am why I was here and what I did for you....sounds all to easy, however, its more that just reading a book or talking with a friend....how do you know your actually on the right path, actually seeking the right person.... well that's the second thing that stands out...

USE YOUR HEART....no where in those three translations did they say...figure me out...research me with your scientific methods, discuss me with your worlds scholars and great minds....no the LORD asks us to use our hearts....

why our hearts? because our minds are so easily misguided and deceived...our heart has no eyes to lead you a stray and no ears to to listen to folly.....our heart is the way GOD speaks to us....with that little voice inside ...the little voice that you have to pay attention to in order to hear...the voice that actually takes effort to obey.....while your eyes and ears dominate your mind and what you should accept ....your heart holds the true story....the world is full of problems.....we know this because we see them...or hear about them every day...but our heart reminds us that there is more.....more to life...more to this universe....more to everything and everyone.... Our eyes can teach us to lust for a person...our ears can teach us to admire a person......but it take our hearts to teach us to LOVE a person.....

in total....you should seek the lord as he asks....but not in traditional methods with research and science but with your heart....because when you find him using your heart.....there will be a bond with him that will not be easily broken...you will have found in him a true and loving relationship....and in my opinion....TRUE LOVE is the bond that can never be broken...

seek him using your heart and find a mutual deep love that nobody can break.....give it a try and test my opinion...what do you have to loose?

Hope this helps someone. Grace and Peace be upon you all.

You Dont need to read this....or do you?

A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
Proverbs 29:23 (NIV)

Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.
Proverbs 29:23 (NLV)


These verses come from two different translations of the bible however they ring one very true and important fact.....

PRIDE is no substitute for Humility.....

at first glance you might think that the bible is saying pride is all wrong, I don't think that is what the author intends to tell us.....there is nothing wrong in taking pride in your work or being proud of your accomplishments ...... i think the author is simply saying being full of pride in self is destructive...... how many times can you recall needing help but refusing to ask for it.....how many situations could have been lessend in severity or hardship if only you humbled yourself to say....maybe I was wrong...or I'm sorry for my part of this.....or thought I shouldn't have done this how can i make this better......

i have found that in life a lot of people think the goal is to be perfect....or blameless ..... that is exactly opposite of what the bible teaches us.... the bible tells us out right....we are sinners and we are going to screw things up from time to time....saying you don't is calling GOD a liar plain and simple.

All you have to do is put aside your pride and humble yourself enough to own up to your mistakes and shortcomings..... that's what GOD wants ....and it is the first step to EVERY recovery program there is....admitting your problems and mistakes is what wakes us up to what we need to fix.....without admitting your messed up....you cant fix what you don't think is broken....and that is where PRIDE in self becomes dangerous.

Hope this helps someone out there.
Peace and grace upon you all.

Some of those BIG things Popin'

Hello all,

just throwing out a post to let everyone know some of the things we should celebrate... My wife and I are going to be starting a small bible study / cell group on Thursday....my first time stepping out in a leadership roll for GOD...so pray for me.....HUGE things planned on that front..... My brother in law is attempting to join the military....he had great scores on his ASVAB and has the ability to pick ANY job he wants....Praise GOD for giving him the ability to do well on his test! KATIE & DAN....friends / family members of mine.... just bought their 1st house!!!! WHO SAYS WE ARE IN A RECESSION!!!!!! GODs people aren't affected by recession and Katie and Dan are great examples of that today! MUCH CONGRATS to them. Also what may be the most important happening of the week....my brother-in-laws girlfriend made a decision to live for Christ on wed. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS TO RIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It takes a big person and an honest humble heart to ask the lord to come into your life and she stepped up and stepped out into the GRACE of the Lord.........I am so proud of you Rio.....GOD has great things planned for you and through you .......so happy for you. I'm so happy for all of you....

It is an awesome thing to see the lord still hard at work providing his children with blessing after blessing in this time of worldly recession.....The GRACE of GOD knows no bounds and its truly awesome to watch it come through for people over and over again!!!!

I hope this helps someone out there realize that there is always a better way ....and that the best is always yet to come.....May Grace and Peace be upon you all....

WE are BACK!!!!

Hello to all!

My wife and I returned from a 5 day stay in Houston Texas late yesterday afternoon and then attended wed night service at Wave....it was great to get home and back to our church....we attended Lakewood church while we were out there but in the words from OZ....there's no place like home! Lakewood is the church pastored by Joel Osteen incase you were wondering....its a HUGE place with an awesome kids ministry and an even cooler resource store......the sanctuary is overwhelmingly big......we have pics...and I will post them once we get unpacked and find all the necessary cords and what not to do that.

We had a good time...no wild stories to tell or anything like that...just a good break from reality.....Houston itself is not a place I think I would like to live but we found a small community on the outskirts called SUGARLAND....its definitely a place I could see me and my family living....not anytime soon mind you....but maybe one day.

While on our trip Anna and I had some time together to finally figure out what the lord wants to do with us. We had a few discussions about where we were where we wanted to be. We also talked about some things we are wanting to do in the near future and we spent some time in prayer together....for the first time.... it was a good get away for us though next time we are going some place TROPICAL....and without Walmart lol......we ended up going to like 3 different Walmart while we were there....that got me thinking ....did we really go all the way to Texas to visit ....walmart?

Anyway we had a good trip and discovered some things we really want to accomplish before the end of the year...GOD permitting....and we are back home and focused on accomplishing our goals.....be on the look out for posts.... we are going to be launching a few big ideas and this is where you will be hearing about them first. cant wait to tell you guys everything.!!!!! ...but I have to :*( also keep a look out for those pics...
thanks to everyone who kept us in there prayers while we were gone.

VACATION!!!!!!!

Hello all!

It will be a few days before my next post, My wife and I are finally after 10 years going on our first vacation together! we will be gone until the 26Th at which point i will be back with pix of the trip and whats more the announcement of my new vision ....BIG THINGS POPIN....Little things stoppin! Can't wait to get back and tell you all. PRAY for us ...Pray for yourselves....pray for the entire world..... and see ....well talk, to you all soon.

My Son the Prophet

Check out my sons new blog...filled with games....questions and blog posts....he says there is more to come :-)

check it out at www.4thgradeprophet.blogspot.com

Since I havent done one in a while....Im going to do a bible verse ...I should do this more often...sorry I dont...I will try harder....bu tif you want more meat please check out my brothers blog...he has a great online ministry he is starting up called Branches of the Cross....check out his teachings for more "WORD" check them out here: http://brian-mandy.com

James 5:7-8 (niv)
Be patient, then, brothers, until the lords comming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable cropsand how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the lords comming is near.


And now its time for a breakdown:

I think that this verse is pretty self explanitory.....be patient....with everything..know that whatever will be ...will be.....just as you can not rush the growing of the plants or bring on the rains of the seasons ....you can not rush the hand of GOD...he will put you where you need to be exactly when you need to be there and not a moment sooner.....

I recently heard or read something that goes with this....it went something like ....

Work like its up to you but believe like its up to GOD......

A good lesson...and great quote..... if this message combines with the passage taken from the bible then we lshould learn this.
GOD has a plan for you....though it may seem like you are lost or not on the right path ..just be patient...keep working hard and believe that GOD is in control and is going to put you where you need to be....it will all work out for the better in one way or another.!

In the imortal words of Bobby Mcpharen....DONT WORRY....BE HAPPY!

Hope this helps someone.

Wow-za

Just a footnote...
the other day my wife Anna got to speak with the grandson of Gandhi...from what she tells me the experience was very AWESOME they spoke about GOD, the family, his grandfather, all sorts of things..he said he would be back to visit her again...and this time he will bring photos and tapes of his time with his grandfather...awesome stuff....just awesome... and on the Job front...I was laid off last Friday ...booo....I know....but the lord has opened a new door for me....I will be interviewing with a HUGE (international huge) company in my field and they are looking to fill an estimator position ......its along the same lines of what I was doing but different...ill hold off on the details until after I get the job but it looks awesome! Pray for me!

Branches of the Cross

As a quick update:

My brother Brian is starting his own online ministry to be called Branches of the Cross.
I believe it will be started on his blog and they will grow it from there...so all thos interesed please check out thier blog.....the Brian-mandy blog I posted about previously.

HaHaHa

Ok....so check this out....

After my baptism, I started finding it really hard to stay in my walk where I work. I was trying to check my language and thoughts and practices with a bit more effort than normal and People noticed....some of my co-workers actually did their best to consider that around me (thanks charlie) while others decided to try to make things harder for me every chance they got....instead of going back at them and arguing I simply prayed to GOD to surround me with more like minded people....Christians ....or at least people who are mindful of other peoples choices.

Well the lord has answered my prayers.....I GOT LAID OFF ....LOL... one would think I learned my lesson when I prayed for patience ...but hey ....I'm hard headed lol....the up side to all of this is that I know this time the layoff has ZERO to do with the economy and everything to do with GODs WILL......I cant wait to see what he has in store for us...but in the mean while ....I ask that you all pray for me and my family as I am sure that the testing doesn't end with the layoff....that's merely where it will begin....so here we go...off and away twisting in the wind of the lords favor until he finds a place for me to land.....maybe Ill actually get a day of fishing in one day LOL....ill keep you all posted..thanks in advance for your prayers.

Baptism

Me and my family will be baptised at wave church in virginia beach after the 6 o clock service....if you would liek to attend please feel free to do so.....or sign up for an account on streaming faith . com and sign in to wave tv....it will be televised over the internet as well.....thanks for reading and thanks for watching.

All I need is a miracle

I was doing some reading in my bible and ran across some things i thought everyone should know so here you are......

Keep in mind in order for the catholic church to call you a saint you have to have performed 3 miricles in your life time.

In the 4 years or so of the ministry of Jessus Chirst he performed 49 verified and documented miricles (if you include crucifiction and resurection )

Thats a little more than 1 miricle per month on average for the entire 4 years.....thats staggeringly AWESOME let me break it down a bit better......

Fed more that 4000 thousand people - TWICE
Healed the sick or injured- 35 times
showed power over nature- 9 times
Raised the dead- 4 times (includes himself)
Paid for all of mankinds sin- ONCE


so keeping that in mind I say to you

DONT JUST TALK ABOUT IT.......BE ABOUT IT!

Philemon 1:6
I pray that you may be activein sharing your faith, so that you will have the full understanding of every good thing we have in christ!

James 2:26
As the body without spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

and check out James 4:17....go do it lazy...crack open your bible and find out 1 more reason to get off your butt and help out!

say WORD!

Miss Mary

before I get into what happened here I just want to make it clear that im not telling this to boast... im typing this one out 1 so i can remember the details and 2 in hopes that this will inspire some of you to do something for someone. this is being taken from a personal journal so excuse the delayed entry and 3rd person writing.

March 21, 2009
Today was awsome! I have now for a few days been praying to GOD to "refule" me in the fire dept. I have been feeilng less full ...almost going on empty, well today GOD answered my prayers.
I woke up this morning and prayed for GOD to get me through this days as I was not particularly excited about working in the rain on a roof 10 stories up on the windy and cold oceanfront of virginia beach.....I had been doing it almost all week and I had today to get through to make it to the weekend....I remember saying to GOD....please give me the strenght and patience to make it through today, I dont want to do this but I know I hae to so please be with me and guide me through today. I made it to work and got all my tools on the roof and began to get done the things I needed to get done....about 8:30 I got a call from my wife telling me about hwo she felt about Mary.
A little background on Mary, my inlaws (who we are currently staying with) have been going over to her house for the past couple weeks to help her pack and move, in return mary had been giving them various items that she no longer wanted. My mother in law would always come home with a desk or garden statue or some other trinket to tell us about so we were getting bits of information for weeks....mary had recently lost her husband ( 4months ago) and was at this point unable to make ends meet so she was in a tough spot and had to sell the house.... she is only a few months away from getting her Doctors degree in naturalistic medicine and healing, so she chose to move to Colorado where that type of medice is in higher demand....she hired a moving company to come move her stuff but needed help packing it which is where the inlaws came in.....and she had some vehicles and other valuable objects to get rid of so she had an auction house come in and sell some of her stuff so she wouldnt have to.......it all sounds so simple ...but here is where it all starts going wrong...by opening her doors for help, people just rushed in and took advantage....the auction house got a total of 800$ for her SUV and tools and other various items ....the car alone is worth 3k not to mention the couple thousands worthin tools and what not....(to make matters worse she to this date of TYPING this, hasnt been paid)
her family wouldn't help and she was running out of money!
Anyway Anna calls me around 8:30 and tells me that her mom just left marys house with some more stuff and that mary has a bunch left, Mary has to turn over the keys to her house at 9 ( 30 min away) and has nowhere to go .....she has to stay in town until Monday in order to get her money from the house, the auction house hasnt paid her and she has no idea where to go or what to do. I knew right away what needed to be done....I knew that Anna knew as well....so we did it....I left work right then and left to go find Mary, We had never met and I was only partially sure of where she lived but I was going to go help... meanwhile back at the Bat cave Anna was hard at work arranging a place for Mary to stay for the weekend. Anna being a wiz at research found, reserved and paid for a room at Motel 6 for the weekend....by this time I was pulling up to Marys house...she was asleep outside in her car.....she thought I was there to get the keys...I explained to her that my name was dave, I was the son in-law of annas parents and we had heard about the hard time she was having so we decided to help and would like to give her a place to stay for the weekend....i told her I had a truck and a storage locker to store her stuff if she wanted to get anynore of it out before 9 but she said it was only stuff and she got all she wanted from the house already.....but she did accept the place to stay. We hung out and talked until 9 when she had to hand over the keys....I took her to motel 6 and got her checked in and gave her my number to call me and let me know when she wanted to go down to the auction house.....I was going to help her handle that ....they were really angering me....anyway she took a nap and called later in the day to go do the auction thing....she just wanted me to sit outside while she handled it ..i guess she just needed to know she wasnt alone.... it was cool.
Here is the amazing part......Anna and I had been trying for a while to find a place to get pluged into the church and help out but as of yet nothing had come to light. well wouldnt you know that within 1 hour of helping mary I recieved not 1 but 2 phonecalls from the church asking me to be on two different teams....maintenance and ground crew as well as security crew.....Anna recieved 2 emails...1 requesting she join the photo team for the church and the other letting us know that the pastrs would lie to include us in this months baptism service.....(and on sunday night we got added to some cell groups we were waiting to get into) it was just an awsome Grace filled day, that I needed and prayed for.......and GOD came through in a BIG way...it was awsome.

Domoinos

I recently read a book that said that if you heed gods call and trust in him when he gives you something small to accomplish he will give you bigger things .....and so on and so on....well I had the opportunity yesterday to do something.....I saw a situation where someone needed to step in and help a person in need.....so i took off work and did what i could to help them.....one hour after that my church called and asked me to be on not one but 2 different teams .....both of which I have been wanting to be apart of for some time...o top of that we were signed up by an assistant pastor to finally be baptised at the end of the month.....I just thought it was awesome how i said yes .... to what GOD wanted from me and he in turn said yes to me.....it was awesome....I honestly cant wait for the next time to come where GOD uses me in his way.....its an awesome thing to be used in his service!

thanks to those who check in .... Im trying to get the laptop fixed.

will be gone

hello all...my laptop is down for repairs and will be gone fro a bit so i will be unable to post on her for atleast the rest of the week sorry....check back next week hopefully for the good news....i will do my best to get on another computer and post when i can but until i get my laptop back im really at a loss....see you guys next week.

so welcome to march people....this month I am going to try and tap into my evangelical side.....IM big on grace in action right now....i see works in my life that are happening and im going wow....GOD is doing big things....im also reading a book called in a pit with a lion on a snowy day.....check it out ...great stuff!

I am being put in a spot where my faith is going to be tested .....Im letting you all know this so that there is an accurate account of GOD doing big things in my life.....In order for me and anna to stay here in the beach we are going to need to come up with roughly 800 more dollars a month more than what we make right now...and thats scraping by lol...... those are bre minimums ...no cable included and only 300 a month on groceries for a family of 5....one is just past 1 year old! I for one think that this can be done through GODs grace.....I feel he is going to provide! somehow ....some way he is going to open a door for me that right now I dont even see as there..... but to make things better .....I have let my unbelieving co-workers know what I need as well so they can watch GOD provide for me......if seeing me make it on less than what it actually takes doesn't fire them up what will am I right?! so here it is....be watching for updates on whats going on with us....cant wait to let you know how GOD has provided for us!

Is it in you?

been away for a bit...fighting the flu/ common cold....and long work hours so please forgive my absense......
today at church there was a guest pastor....his message was on the fact that we all have what we need inside ourselves to accomplish the tasks at hand in our life.....it was a good message and I took away a few things from it that I hope I can impliment into my life..... one quote in particular was a instant favorite.

" we tend to over value what we are not and under value what we are."

that is almost true in every aspect of life for almost all of us....I encourage you to stop that way of thinking....I was always told by my grandmother as a child that if I wanted something badly enough I could have it....just go for it and dont let anything stop you from getting it......sounds like your run of the mill inspirational quote for life but ....I tested it out....

At the ripe old age of 14 I met and instantly fell in love with the woman i now call my wife.....I won't go into detail about how many bumps ther ewere along the way let me just say that the hardships we faced as a couple starting at age 14 until now would tear apart 9 out of 10 marriages....GUARANTEED....and im not talking about those minor squabbles of so and so thinks so and so is cute....or I heard you flirted with this person....or I saw you checking her out.....yes we did those but those shouldnt even come close to rocking your marriage.....im talking about families not approving and actually trying to keep you apart....hundreds and at times thousands of miles between us....the loss of a baby...stupid decisions..bad financial decisions..looking for answers in a bottle....straight up spitting in the face of GOD... you name it and we have probably been through it....NO JOKE.... but with all that there.......here I stand at 29 years old with that same girl now as my wife and mother of not 1 but 3 children....and the only answer I can come up with as to how we could do this ....GOD....he gave us a love so strong we knew from the first moment we wanted to be together and we neer let anything stop us.....or relationship was tested and pressured and placed under fire....but by the grace of GOD we today have ....in my opinion....the best and strongest relationship two people can have....

Please let this sink in on you and think about what im trying to say here...... You have what you need in your life to be happy....I promise you....al you have to do is stay faithful to GOD and dont let the world deter you from what GOD wants to give to you.
Hope this helps someone.
Dave

I havent been posting lately due to LOOONG work hours.....sorry...but for those of you still reading....I have two requests.....1 do any of you out there know of a good method for studying the bible.... my wife is looking for a partiular method of breaking down the bible for everyday application.....2nd question....we have a tough choice ahead.....I ask that you pray for us...but any verse that anyone can point me in the direction of for making tough choices concerning the family.

Act of Random Kindness

i have seriously been considdering making a huge sign that lets people know that in these hard times Jesus is there for them and standing on the corner of independance blvd and va beach blvd on friday afternoon at around 4 and just seeing what kind of response I get....wild? stupid? I dunno.....I just want to do it once....once....and see if i get fruit from it.....comment me and let me know what you think.

A ct of
R andom
K indness

ARK....got it from evan almighty....good movie!

Why GOD, why?

Today I dont really have much pulling at me. Outside of the norm anyway so I will just go with a random verse if thats cool with you guys.

Habakkuk 1:2 (niv)

How long O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, Violence! but you do not save?

this is a tough one to swollow....it is a conversation between the prophet and GOD....it asks the same questions most people ask when confronted with GOD...... If god is real why does bad stuff happen.....
I have read a book or two on apologetics but I am not as well versed as I should be when it comes to answering these types of questions... What I gather from 1 Halley's Bible Handbook 2Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole bible and two different applications from the NIV and what I can recall from several various apologetics books is this.....

Though it may seem like your prayers are going unanswered at these times or that GOD is absent from these things , KNOW that he is NOT.....most times you have to look at the long term things.....his will in these matters usually doesnt present itself until much later....and I think that is wherethe popular phrase hind sight is 20/20 comes from.....I know this is where the foot prints story is inspired ..... often times we blame GOD when things go wrong even though the bible tells us in James 1:2-4 Considder it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. because you know that the testing of you faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Then again in James...James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial,because when he has stood the test, he will recieve the crown of life that GOD has promised to those who love him.

I know to the non believer this sounds so "Standard Christian Response" GOD has a purpose blah blah blah....hope ...faith.... yadda yadda ya.... To that I can only say...fine...believe that GOD just hates you...believe that there is a GOD and rather than what the bible says about him think that he isnt perfect and does hate you....so if somone so powerful hates you sooo much ....how then are you able to have any joy in your life.....any one second of happiness...even that one shred of luck that falls your way from time to time.....if GOD does hate you and does have the power to infulence your life in such ways why then do you get moments of stressless living? That to me is a much harder question to answer.....

In closing know this....sometimes you suffer so that you may learn a lesson.....if that is the only reason its still a good one. your parents use the method when they punish you for a wrong doing and it hopefully worked there......know that GOD does not hate you or anyone going through tough times...maybe he is simply trying to break them and show them how much they really need him.....who knows ...not me. Hope this helps someone.

Anger Answers

here is what the bible says:
Eph 4:26 (niv)
In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

Why?

Eph 4:27 (niv)
Do not give the devil a foothold.

Anger stored up becomes wrath....and you should not considder youself as one who can wield the power of wrath.....only GOD can wield wrath and still be fair in judgment.....you as a human will most likely go overboard!

plus....in the event you are angry at someone the bible says in james (james 2:8 niv)
If you really keep the royal law found in scripture "Love your neighbor as yourself" you are doing right.

and we all know that those who pass judgment will be judged accordingly......keep that in mind before you blow up on somone.......

None of these say it is wrong to be angry....infact if you look at my first statement it is assumed that you will at some point become angry......so I would say anger is not WRONG persay.....its how you handle it ....go figure right.

I will say that medically it can be harmful to hold your anger in....it can cause a LOT of physical ailments and emotional turmoil.....so if you are getting angry....find an outlet.

I am as of yet unable to find an outlet for my anger.....my traditional ways are not working lately and I am seeing that a few of those ways were not as healthy for me as i thought they might be....soo I am on a search for a new way to relieve some of my anger wish me luck!

Anger

Lately I have been feeling an old friend creep back into my life.... I have been getting more angry at the smallest of things lately.... I was at first chalking it up to my situation.....or the fact that I have been keeping it bottled up for a while but now I am beginning to wonder if its not apart of another of my prayers.....recently i asked god to fill me with passion....Iwas and am tiered of living a dull existance and i wonder if anger isnt a part of the way I show passsion.....I dont know why but looking back on it I see in my life that where I get passionate about thingsthere also is a bit of anger attached to it.... I cant help but think its just part of who I am.....do you think this is wrong? is this normal? is it healthy? these are all things tha pass through my head when i finally calm down from being angry....... I dont want to bottle my anger up again as it makes me feel less emotional on a daily basis but I know that my anger is also the most powerful of my emotions and it can cause me to act irrational or worse....Im kinda cought on this one....gonna hit the books and see what i find....feel free to comment me any suggestions.

Breakdown!

Today I had a breakdown of my soul.... today while alone...in the shower...I began to pray outloud to the lord....I was asking hime fo rthe wisdom I need to lead my life and my family in todays world...but as I was praying for this I realised that part of me wanted the wisdom so that people would admire me in a way....but when I realized what i was doing I stopped...I hit my knees and I asked GOD right ther to humble me...humble my heart....put me in the right place and then fill me with the wisdom I needed to glorify him and not me....I thanked him for my family...I thanked him for my wife...she is my inspiration and a major part of the man I am today....I thanked him for sending such an awsome loving and supportive woman to help me in my life....then I thanked him for sending his son JESUS to earth ....I thanked him for sacrificing himself on the cross for my sins and the sins of the world.....I asked GOD to use me as a tool to open the eyes of those who have not yet seen the path ....and GOD filled my heart with absolute SORROW....There I was in the shower on my knees praying to GOD and weeping like a small child.......I was overcome with grief and sorrow and the feeling of being unworthy of what JESUS had done for me and for what GOD had blessed me with in my life.....the tears fell sooo hard and so fast I couldnt believe it..... I felt my stone cold...passionless heart break into more pieces than there are grains of sand in the desert......and I got out of the shower and sat in my room crying .....finally I was able to get my arms around my wife and again...the tears fell.....

I know for those of you reading this your probably going ....OK ...he cried...and... but thats what is important....I prayed to be humbled and GOD answered me right then and there.....I as a man normally do not cry..... I have been in many painful situations in life and many joyful situations and tears are not a normal response for me.....not saying i havent shed tears but they are not normal....... I am a man who works in construction and coaches football....I have told my son before when questioned why dont you cry dad...I told him because men dont cry....yeah im that guy....a bullet hole in the chest wont get me to cry but here I am ...balling like a baby.....talk about being humbled...... it was an amazing experience.....I can't put into words how awsome it felt ......but I can say I have a new view of the lord and the sacrifices he made for US.....
I hope this helps someone.

Fasting 2

ok so for those of you who were interested...here is what i learned on my fasting experience....
I found myself twinge once or twice with hunger but it served mostly as a reminder to me to stop and pray for those women we were fasting for.... I cant honestly say I felt closer to GOD that day as a result of my fasting but I was able to focus on my prayer life in greater detail for one day....infact I felt like I should have gone for moe than a day as honestly there wasn't much to fasting for 24 hours.....at the end of it I honestly wasnt hungry until I finally ate something....My hope is that as a church our fasting doesnt go unanswered....time will tell. Ill keep you posted.

For those of you waiting to find out what fasting is...... Fasting is in its most BASIC lamens terms....a trade off.....you are going before GOD and saying lord...this part of my life needs attentionand as an effort to get more help from you in this area....I am going to 1 humble myself and ask for your help...2 i am going to give up the luxury and indulgance of food for this ammount of time as a sacrifice to you to show you how serious I am taking this and how much I would like to have and need you help with this....Its a sacrifice to the lord on your behalf....There is scripture upon scripture about how to do this and website upon website about how to and not to do this propperly....I urge you all to pick up a bible and get in the word....do some research and try it.....its actually something we as christians should be doing as a part of our walk so please look into it further for yourself and let me know how it works for you. Hope this helps someone.

Fasting part 1

As an experiment I would liek to know what everyone thinks fasting is and or is for....please either leave me a comment at the bottom of this post or email me at coachdave757@gmail.com I will beposting about what fasting really is tomorrow and then be filling you in about my experience with a recent fast on the following day.....please also feel free to let me know about any stories you hae about fasting. thanks in advance.
This will help some one :)

P.S. soul central on wed night at 8....Wave church! see you there.

hello all,
Sorry I didnt write yesterday....between two AWSOME sessions at WAVE CHURCH in Va beach and prepping snacks for the game plus we did "meet the pastors" where I may have trash talked my way into a basketball game with one of the pastors....not worried he only played for NC State...averages 33.3% from the arc and 100% from the line for his career at that school....im in for it this time LOL...itll be fun... at anyrate sorry I couldnt squeeze you guys in there yesterday I hope you forgive me.

It feels really good to be apart of a church that wants you there....not judging you....not just asking you to empty your pockets but genuine want for your companionship....fellowship...input the whole thing.....I have been invited to several cell groups and am going to atleast one of them comming very soon....the 13th...It feels really good.....oh and as an update the friend I brought to soul central a week or so ago is bringing a friend this week.....awsome stuff.... Its so hard to focus on daily life right now....I just want to wrap myself up in the church and enjoy myself....I know thats bad but good at the same time....but here is the real scarry thing...we are all but committed to moving to Houston in 6 months or so...we new it was gong to be hard to leave but this church has laready got me questioning my motives to move.....we will see...

For those of you in driving distance of a WAVE church I urge you to take in a service....if you dont like it then dont go back....but if you take in just 1 service with an open mind....I promise you will be back! Honestly its like jesus is throwing a party and its happening at WAVE....If you dont know where on eis email me or check out thier website... www.wavechurch.com hope to see some of you there!
as always... I hope this helps somebody

Can it really be done?

first let me say sorry for no post yesterday.....power was out and by the time we got it back I was just too frustrated to do anything.....

OK..I have heard many many many peoples opinions on tithing and and have never really gave what I should....I will throw a few bucks in here and there bu never sat down and looked at what I can afford to give and then done it....until now.....I was going over our budget with my wife the other night and we figured out what we SHOULD be giving....so we have decided to do so but here is the catch....we are going to need close to 8,000$ to move to Houston in June and with everything we have been doing to get out of debt, plus b-days and Christmas as well as current bills etc...we have 0$ in savings....we need to save roughly 1,500 a month (plus our tax return and some cash we had set aside for other things that we are now diverting to the moving fund) in order to make it....

So you see what I'm getting at here.....I am giving money to the church when I should be saving every penny I earn in order to make my goal.....so why am I doing this? well 1 its what the bible says I should do....and 2 I have faith that if we are supposed to be there GOD will get us there....and 3 this is going to make for a great testimony...I mean if I am giving 10% or better to church and I still get to where I feel we should be going....how can anyone refute that story....I am putting faith in the fact that the lord wants me there and that he will open a door for us to be able to do it.....If that doesn't happen....well life will get a bit hectic for a while since almost all of my eggs are in this basket but I feel like this is a great chance for GOD to show me, my family, and any who are paying attention that he does provide all we need to do is trust in him.....I will revisit this at least once a week to let everyone know how its going....I'm looking forward to watching great things happen.