It’s been a month since I last wrote and I wish I could tell you I had a good reason. Truth be told I have had a bunch of things come from the Lord over the past month but I just didn’t know what to write.  As many of you know I have had a very difficult time with one of my eyes.  I have had two detached retinal surgeries in 8 months and the vision in that eye is about 5%.  Read on...

When the earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Japan this past week we had to quickly decide what to take from our home, get in one of our cars and drive to higher ground. I was paralyzed for several minutes as I couldn’t grab everything. I scrambled to back up my computer to external drives then realized I didn’t have the time. I grabbed my guitar, my cameras, unplugged the external drives with whatever was on them, passport, birth certificate, a change of clothes, an orange jacket, camo pants and stuffed it all into a backpack. I headed downstairs and my wife was packing food, water, toothbrushes, towels, pillows and clothing. She and I discussed my guitar and it’s “value” and I left it behind. We quickly went around the house and turned off all the power strips and I turned off all the electricity except for the fridge.  I am now so impressed with what my wife chose to get, the necessities of life and not the things that weigh you down.  Wisdom!

We packed the car, locked the doors (dead bolt too) and dove into traffic. Just about that time the first siren whaled, indicating the seriousness of our venture. Granted we had 5 hours before the first wave would strike but none-the-less the adrenaline was pumping.  Like the dead-bolt was going to stop the wave?

Fast forward 36 hours, the devastation to Japan was unprecedented, people were missing and presumed dead. The video footage was something that Hollywood could not have produced and yet there it was in near real time. My wife and I returned home to sand covering our street, a bit of debris along the curbs and maybe a dozen dead fish on the sidewalk. The house was completely intact and other than sweltering heat from the house being shut up, everything was fine.

I share this with you because in the days since all of this I have been really taken back by my attitude towards it all. God has been opening my eyes to a world I have truly not seen. Okay a world I have not cared to see but it has been there. A world seen through the eyes of the Lord which is a world dying for hope, for peace and for purpose.

I write all this to get to this point, God used an earthquake and tsunami this week to show me how ridiculous my focus has gotten. “Oh my gosh I cannot grab all my stuff now what do I do?” Those dear people in Japan had zero time to prepare and had no choice but to flee and unfortunately in some cases could not even do that. I have been such a type ‘A’ getter-done guy and I have been all about the task. I am grabbing things to “save” them and in the process I was curt to my wife and I had plenty to say to the tourists in their cars that were clogging the roadways on my way out of “my town.”

Father forgive me for being so foolish. Help me to see people the way you see them. Lord remind me to store up my treasure in Heaven and that the people around me are the only thing of true value besides my relationship with you.  I don't need earthly eyes to see the hurting or the needs of the people, I need to take the focus off of myself and listen to Your voice.  Father You bring hope, You are peace and You have a purpose for each one.  Help me to share that GREAT NEWS with everyone around me. 

I challenge you with this;
"If the task isn’t about people then rethink the task!"  "If your stuff has control of you then what do you have control of?" Take a moment every morning to see how much you can thank the Lord for just by what you see around you. How about starting with the fact that you are alive, that you can see and that He has given you another day.

Thank you for taking a little time out of your day to read these words. I want you to know that God has a wonderful plan for your life, that He loves you very much and that He desires a personal relationship with you. If you do not understand that or you do not know God like that I encourage you to find a church near you and seek Him out. Jeremiah 29:11-13 in the bible says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

With fresh eyes...

I sat out on my deck this morning and I read Galatians 6:7-9, and as I looked around the landscape I saw a variety of plants and trees.  A huge mango tree sits right in the middle of this beautiful garden area and it is now producing beautiful large mangos.  I can hardly wait until they ripen so that I can enjoy it's amazing fruit.  This tree also provides wonderful shade during the day when you want to sit by the pool and read.  As I sat there I thought of the person who probably 20 years ago planted that one seed that now blesses so many people.  I wonder if he or she thought about us that would appreciate the fruit and shade of this tree today?  What about the gorgeous orchid tree that sits just off the edge of my deck?  It is in full bloom now and the pink flowers are a sight to see.

A variety of palm trees, crotens, hibiscus and other hedges surround this beautiful place.  Someone had to plant them with purpose so that some day others could enjoy them.  God began to use these examples around me to make this passage come alive today.  No matter what the intent of the planters of these seeds were, the plants grew.  Along that same thought, what was planted also became the type of item that was planted.

I've seen this TRUTH worked out in my own life as time has gone by.  I've sown into sin at times in my life and whether I wanted to believe the word of God or not, those seeds that I planted did reap a harvest.  It doesn't matter whether I believe God's word or not, it is truth. Like whether I believe with all my heart that gravity does not exist, when I jump off the top of my roof to the ground, I will fall and splat.  When God's word says "Do not be deceived" it is always smart to take good notes on what follows.  If you view pornography and think it will not affect you, think again.  If you continually watch worthless television programs and think that what you are watching is harmless, think again.  If you read romance novels and gossip magazines and think it's merely entertainment, think again.   

God's word never minces words, when it says "do not be deceived" it means do not be deceived.  You will  reap what you sow and the harvest will come.  I look back on the times I struggled with pornography and when the harvest of those times came, I no longer viewed my wife as the beautiful creature that God created.  She began to not look so good.  When I read a bunch of novels, 52 in one year, I began to be disenchanted with my own amazing life.  I still have a huge issue with watching television and you know what;  I could lie to myself and say it isn't hurting anything but truth be told, I will reap a harvest of wasting this time in the future.  It may not be today, even though the time I spend on the couch is time I am not spending exercising which is making immediate changes to my waist, the time not spent reading God's word or in planting good seed will at some point reap a harvest.
So what are you planting today?  Where are you investing your time, your treasures and your talents?  Are you investing in the flesh because if you are you will reap fleshly things.  God's word says that you will and I can attest personally that you will for sure.  Verse 7 says "God will not be mocked." and He promises that we will reap whatever seed we plant.  This is not because God is mean and hateful for says this, He is not sitting in heaven laughing, saying HAHAHA I told you so.  He is saddened by our actions and that we do not heed what He has already told us is fact and a simple fact of nature.  Plant an apple seed, get an apple tree.  Plant distrust and sensual thoughts and reap distrust and disillusionment in your relationships.

As I sat there this morning, the view from where I sat was a bit glim from being reminded of all the "bad" I had planted over the years.  God had me read on though verse 9 says "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."   I have sewn into many good things in my life as well and many of those things have reaped good harvests.  Some of those seeds have yet to come out of the ground and some are continuing to bear fruit.  We must continue on and not grow weary.

I bet that when Edward Kimball agreed to teach Sunday School he did the best he could and enjoyed it for the most part.  I bet too that there were times he wondered if what he was doing there was really making a difference.  Edward Kimball today is still reaping a harvest from planting a seed in one of his young Sunday School kids, Dwight L. Moody.  This one Sunday School teacher planted a seed and through the fruit bore Billy Graham who continues to plant seeds today.  Edward Kimball, even in heaven today is receiving more jewels in his crown.

I leave you with this; what are you planting today that will reap a harvest in the future?  It is a fact that it will happen so what are you planting?  Is it things of the flesh that will eventually fade away or is it spiritual things that will reap for eternity?  Are the fleshly things taking up all your time so that you have no time to plant eternal seeds?  I encourage you today to take time and pray to the Lord about what you are spending your time doing.  Ask Him to reveal to you where you could be better spending your time and ask Him to help you move towards those things that would bring an eternal harvest.

May God richly bless you today as you seek His face.

I must say that the view from where I sit is looking good.  With much of the Country buried in snow and ice, I am blessed to have the warmth of Hawaii all around me.  I've had little to write about this past 2 weeks and I know why that is.  Some would say it is writers block and others would blame it on being busy.  I on the other hand know it is because I have neglected to read God's word and pray diligently.  Sure I work in a church office and people think that I must be daily in the Word and studying but truth be told, I have been a little stubborn.  I have been angry with God about my suffering.

Why is that?  Why is it that I get stubborn and withdraw from the very source of my strength?  I've taken my eyes off of the amazing grace of God and His perfect provision in my life and I have begun to focus on my infirmity.  Sure my eye is miserable but if I had my heart and mind focused on Him I would be praying for others and not looking at myself.  God revealed to me all the wonderful things that I have around me and how blessed I am as a child of God.  The weather is fabulous, I have a job, a 22 year old body (according to Wii fit), an amazing wife, an excellent home to live in, a fantastic family, a talented son with a heart of gold, and I could go on and on if I focused on God.

I take my eyes off of God and that is where I get into trouble.  You see when I truly take time with the Lord, He always reminds me of just who I am and He never reminds me of who I once was.  It is the enemy who will constantly remind you of who you were and that you couldn't possibly be any different today.  The baggage will still remain and that can quickly get your eyes looking back at your condition.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are a new creation, the old things have passed away and new things have come.  So the next time Satan reminds you of your past... remind him of his future. 

This weekend we had a great message about Standing Stones.  In Biblical time these rock monuments were erected as a reminder of something that God did at that place so when future generations came by they would ask and then the story could be told in remembrance. 

I have several that came to mind when he brought this up and I wanted to share some of these with you this morning.  I pray that you too will take the time to not only stop and recollect those times that God was all over something in your life but that you will then thank Him and share it with others.  Our testimony is a powerful word to those that are seeking the truth. 

The first recollection I have where I would have a Standing Stone would be at a camp when I was about 10 or 11 years old.  I was hiking with a bunch of other kids and we came across this opening in the rocks where the walls were about 2 feet apart.  I thought it would be cool to climb down this opening; you know you press your hands and feet along the sides and down you go.  Well about 10 feet down I slipped and began free-falling and the bottom was about 600' down.  The next thing you know I stopped, no effort on my part, I just stopped.  I put my feet and hands back on the sides of the crack and began to shimmy up the rock.  When I got to the top everyone was bug eyed and said I literally stopped in mid air and when I showed them that I had not one scratch on my hands or arms they couldn't explain what happened to me.  It wasn't until a year later at Vacation Bible School that I knew it was Jesus who saved me from that fall. 

The second Standing Stone would be August 11, 1977 when I went forward and prayed to accept the free gift Jesus had paid for long ago with His life.  A point in my life when I can say for sure that I changed and that things were never the same again.


I have many places in my life that I can remember making decisions that looking back on them later, were certainly crossroads and life-changing places, but I'd rather not put a Standing Stone on them because I didn't involve God in the process and most if not all were disastrous.  Then on the other hand, God used those very decisions to shape and mold me into the man I am today so I guess they deserve a Standing Stone. God causes all things to work to the good for those that love Him and are called according to His purposes. Romans 8:28 

I have many more stones to share with you in the coming months but for now I want to stop there and ask you to take a few minutes and let God show you some of those times in your own life.

Just a word of encouragement today for someone, I don't know who it's for but God has impressed upon my heart to share this with you.  You are so loved by Him and the things that you have experienced in the name of LOVE are not the kind of love that God is talking about today.  He wants to love you the way you ought to be loved and there is nothing in your past that would disgust Him or keep Him away from you today.  There is nothing you have ever done that His son Jesus didn't take to the cross on your behalf.  If you ask Him today to take those things from you and if you let Him know today that you want to accept His love and give up trying to do it yourself, He will do what He has promised to do.  Today you can know His love and you can know acceptance as His child.

May God reveal Himself to you today in a way that you cannot blow it off as some coincidence.  Open your eyes and your heart today.  God is waiting for you and would love nothing more than to hang out and for you to get to know Him better.  He already knows everything about you and loves you more than you can imagine.

 

The View From Where I Sit is soggy and wet.  It has been raining here for days and flooding much of my community.  I don't mind the rain like some people because it brings fresh smelling air and greens up my view.  I do however get concerned when the water becomes a rushing river of what looks like chocolate milk, and it creeps ever closer to the threshold of my environment.

It is interesting to me to note how many people are out cleaning debris from the stream and area around their house when it is too late.  The river has taken all that junk and pushed it up against the storm drain and now the water is rushing over the banks and over the bridge.  Why is it that we wait until it's too late to address things that need to be taken care of?  Gutters are all full of debris and even growing plants out of them.  I call it "my gutter garden", but seriously, how can I expect the gutters to function with 11" of rain falling in 24 hours?  Tree limbs, grass cuttings, all piled up against the bridge now flooding the neighborhood. 

Well we do this with temptation in our lives don't we?  Let a little PG13 in or a little of that TV show, it won't pile up and affect us.  I used to say 'R' rated movies were out of the question but yesterday I watched a PG13 movie and they dropped the "F" bomb in it.  I almost flipped thinking what's next nudity?  Do we see the slippery slope that is slowly sliding into our lives?  Like the gutters on the house, "I will get to that this weekend."  But the weekend comes and goes and the "gutter garden" still remains.  So too the subtle "slips" of the media creeping in and we allow it, we shrug it off like it doesn't affect us.  One little "F' bomb, a nude butt or a quick flash of a breast.  The sex scene between casual acquaintances, do we think that these visions aren't burning into our brain?  Do we think the debris around our lives won't eventually clog the flow and flood our lives with pain and lead to drowning?

In all the years that I have counseled with people and in my own counseling, I found out that it was never a "raging flood" that takes people out it is the lack of cleaning the debris away as it comes.  People always look back and say, it was this and this and this that built up over time and eventually it was too much to handle. People have said to me, "I only watched R rated movies once in a while, then I wanted more and more until I found myself renting X rated films, and I couldn't stop."  The old saying "garbage in garbage out" is likened to Proverbs 23:7 "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."  The things that you take in or meditate on will become what you think and that is what you will become.  If garbage is all that is going in to your body, all you can expect out is garbage.

Psalm 1:1-3 says. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

I don't know about you but I want to prosper in all the things I do.  The Lord can promise that because if our heart is meditating on the Word of God and we are surrounding ourselves with godly men and women, and we are truly taking care of the debris that is constantly piling up around us, then we will be doing the things of the Lord and how can those things NOT prosper?  Man I tell you I want so much to be this guy all the time but I fail almost daily at it.  The things I allow my ears to hear and my eyes to see are filling my "brain gutters" with junk that when the rains come I will surely drown. 

Today, take the time to ask the Lord, like David did in Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." (NLT)  Pray this prayer if you are serious about cleaning the "brain gutters" today.  It takes courage to ask the Lord to search your heart for things that are clogging up the system, but if you are serious He will show you what needs work.  The next step would be to get started on the cleanup before the rains come.

Share with a friend what you are cleaning out of your "brain gutters" so that you can have accountability to see the job through.  If you are serious about getting them clean then ask a friend to ask you about it weekly. 

Don't delay because the rainy season is upon us and the debris is piling up.  Allow God to restore those areas of your life that have been cluttered with sin and wash them white as snow.  He can do that today.  He has the power over every sin you are battling today and if you invite Him into your life He can and will do a mighty work in you and through you.  There is not a thing stuck in your gutters that He hasn't already taken for you, you simply have to ask Him to.

May God richly bless each of you as you seek Him with all your heart.

The View from where I sit looks a little different today.  My friend and co-worker has resigned from his position and I find myself alone in the office.  I have to admit that I never saw this moment coming and I really don't know what to make of it all.  I mean he is an incredible teacher, a man whom I would consider a great friend, one who works hard serving the Lord, yet he is now unemployed and looking for a job.  Today the view looks a little blurred, today questions run through my mind as to why God would allow such a man as this to be removed from the pulpit and thrown back into the regular grind of life. 

I wish I had the answers to those questions.  I wish I could understand the workings of the Almighty God but I cannot at times so now what?  Well I am fortunate enough to have 33 years under my belt with the Lord so He has a proven track record in my heart.  Oh trust me, I have run off and done my own thing during those 33 years and many were so clearly my stupidity.  Many however were the Lord allowing things to take place in my life so that I might have the opportunity to grow in my faith.  This is another one of those times.  The Lord has ALWAYS been faithful through tough times.  He has always provided when things, at the time, seemed impossible, when life seemed completely out of control.  In those times I certainly didn't feel like things were in control but looking back on those situations I can now see God's hand all over them. 

Today is an opportunity to grow in your faith.  No matter what the situation you find yourself in, God has a plan in it and one of the bi-products is faith building!  My faith is being built today.  Many things seem up in the air and I truly have little control over my friend and pastor leaving, my eye not healing well, the economy, and any other thing that may come my way today. 

One of the things that I do have control over however is how I spend my time.  I was listening to the radio this morning on the way to work and the speaker was talking about prayer time and reading great books.  I was nailed immediately because I have been throwing up little popcorn prayers lately and reading a little out of my bible but not much.  He talked about setting aside time and really giving God a scheduled time when you are at your best.  I even taught on this subject less than a month ago and yet I find myself mindlessly wasting time in front of the television or reading some stupid novel. Am I serious about my faith?  My faith is being challenged every day.  As a Christian I am not out on the field playing some game, I am on a battle field fighting for my life.  The devil roams around like a lion seeking to devour us and we must be prepared for battle by putting on the FULL armor of God each and every day.  What good is that television show or that novel doing for my faith and my walk with God through this battle?

How can we better spend our time developing the man or woman that God has called us to be?  I am going to use the same bullets that I heard today in hopes that you take the time to evaluate how you are spending your time and what you can do to change those practices if they aren't working for you.  I encourage you to look each of these scriptures up and read the verses before and after for context.

1) Think great thoughts.  Philippians 4:8 dwell on these things.
2) Read great books. Romans 12:2  Renewing of your mind.
3) Pursue great people. Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men...
4) Dream great dreams. Ephesians 3:19-21 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
5) Pray great prayers. John 16:23-24 my Father will give you whatever you ask in My name.
6) Take great risks. Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God...
7) Make great sacrifices. John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this...
8) Enjoy great moments. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 ...this is the gift of God.
9) Empower great people. 2 Timothy 2:2 and the things you have heard me say...
10) Develop great habits. 1 Timothy 4:8 ...for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things...

Each and every day we can control how we spend our time and if at any time you say, "that isn't true",  then evaluate what that thing is that controls you.  Is it sleep, your job, your "busy" schedule, your ministry, television, whatever it is either you have control over it or it has control over you.  Take back control of your time and do these 10 things each day.  Remember that the God that created all things is with you and has given you a helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide you and empower you to live your life according to the Spirit and not the flesh.

Today as your faith is being strengthened work with the Lord and trust Him because I can tell you from experience that this too shall pass.  Whatever you face today has the potential to strengthen you for the next challenge that comes along and believe me the next one is coming.  Faith comes as we trust the Lord and lean not on our own understanding.  If we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will make our path straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Spend your time wisely, either you control your time or it will control you.

May God richly bless you today.

How well did your investments do in 2010?  Did you make any financial gains in 2010 that have put you ahead for 2011?  What about your Spiritual gains?  Did you invest in your Spiritual bank account in 2010? 

I ask these questions because I taught this weekend at church about investing in your church and making contributions to your EXPIREMENT PLAN.  We all think about retirement and what we have in those plans, if we have any at all but we think very little about our EXPIREMENT PLAN.  1 Timothy 6:7 says "we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it either."  All that hard work to save for retirement is not a bad thing at all and is quite wise but how much effort are we putting into the plan that must last for an eternity? 

We will spend an eternity in heaven serving in God's kingdom with the "bank account" that was sent ahead.  Heaven is not going to be a bunch of folks sitting on clouds playing harps, Scripture tells us there will be various degrees of rewards for believers ranging from those who watch as all they accomplished is devoured in judgment to those who are awarded the privilege to reign with Christ.  These judgments will determine how we spend eternity.  At that moment we will not have a chance to go back and change eternal judgments, those judgments are being made right here, right now on earth.  How are you investing in eternity, today? 



As I've gotten older my life now seems to be cruising by at a ridiculous pace.  I find myself thinking about what retirement is going to look like and how little I have in an account to retire on.  I've squandered so much by living for the here and now.  Now with my eye problems I struggle to think about life without medical insurance.  All this causes me to ask myself, "where have you put your hope and trust?"  Well I say my hope in is the Lord and that I trust in the Lord with all my heart but do my actions articulate those words?  What am I so worried about if in fact the Lord has promised that I will never go without food or shelter?  Luke 12:22-31 says that God feeds even the birds that have no storeroom, and the lilies of the fields are clothed and how much more will He do these things for us as He sent His very own son to die on the cross so that we might live.  Selah, this means something like "stop and listen".  That struck home for me when you stop to think that He actually gave His son so that we might live, do you actually think that He would then let us go without food and shelter? 

Store up your treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves cannot steal.  Matthew 6:19-20.  Are you storing up treasure in heaven or here on earth?

I challenge you today to begin to take a look at your EXPIREMENT PLAN.  Where are you storing up your treasure?  Luke 12:34 says, "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Put your whole heart in the Lord and there your treasure will be and vise verse.  Put your whole treasure in the Lord and your heart will be there also.  There is no better place to invest then in eternity.  Use your talents, your treasures and your time for the Lord more in 2011 and you will be contributing to your  EXPIREMENT PLAN.  The greatest investment you will ever make, backed not by the FDIC but by God Himself.

To Him be the glory.  

The View From Where I sit allows me a unique perspective into the lives of many people.  I see tourists walking by the office door looking for the bathroom mostly, and others cruising by to see what's up.  What I've seen this past few weeks is quite interesting.  Most are much busier than I have seen them in the past, well judging by the pace of their walk and talk that is.  Why is it that we seem to get all uptight around the holidays?  Gotta find that perfect gift, parties, cards, wrapping and shipping on time, did we miss anyone?

Throw in eye doctor appointments, surgery that one of our church members is going through on Thursday, house hunting because leases are up, teenager issues, sickness, ear aches, flu, finances,taxes, cars breaking down, washing machines dying, computers crashing, shall I go on?  We keep saying to ourselves, "oh but after next week it will all slow down and things will get back to normal."  Well if you are like me your normal is not really any different than what I just described and you know that next week isn't going to be any different than this week or the one before it.

So Matthew 11:28 comes to mind, "come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."  What about Matthew 6:27, "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"  Some of you are carrying the weight of the entire world on your shoulders it would seem.  For some the holiday season needs to be busy so that it keeps your mind from thinking about family and the history that surrounds your holiday memories. 

Have we lost our perspective?  Why are we buying gifts?  Why the perfect tree?  Why all the parties?  Why?  Well because so-and-so sent us a gift so we must return the favor, right?  Well you can see our tree from the road and well...

I saw a staggering statistic this weekend that to be quite honest I didn't believe so I did some research.  Sure enough the numbers were verified by the American Consumer Council so here is what I found.  American's spend roughly $425 billion on Christmas EACH YEAR!!!   That is $1384.33 per person with the current census stats of 307,006,550 people in the U.S. 

Have we lost our perspective?  You better believe we have and if you say, "well I didn't spend anywhere near that much" like I didn't then that means someone made up our portions by spending what you and I didn't. 

Jesus was born as a free gift to humanity so that we might have a restored relationship with our Father in heaven.  Gifts were brought to Him because He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and the Prince of Peace.  I encourage you this year to stop and take a look at where you are looking.  Are you looking at your neighbors tree, the thousands of people marching in and out of the stores or are your eyes focused on the original gift that was given this holiday season.  Jesus can give you rest this season, He can take the worry out of your life and the history associated with it for you. 

This Christmas can be the beginning of a new history, a new tradition; one that brings true peace, true joy and happiness to your life and the life of those around you.  Give your time by sitting and making memories with those around you, give your talents by helping someone that cannot do what you are gifted to do.  Give of your resources if you are blessed financially, to those who are in need.  I didn't say in greed but in need. 

Gain back your perspective this holiday season by giving yourself a wonderful gift.  Peace, contentment and rest.  Stop, sit and look up and thank God for His Son.

Have a blessed Christmas.

The View From Where I Sit can get interesting at times.  I want to tell you a story of a time God revealed a major truth in my life through something as simple as a bookshelf.

I was looking for a good book to read and the loaner bookshelf was packed with books of all kinds.  Some of the covers were in pretty good shape and you could see the picture and read the back of the book for a quick "what is this about."  Others were really worn out and even some had no covers at all.  I began by pulling one with a nice clean cover off and started reading.  I would get about 10-12 pages into the book and think, "If this doesn't get good soon I am getting another book."  Well that lasted through about 4 or 5 books, grabbing the ones with pretty pictures on the covers.  Eventually I grabbed one with a torn cover and began reading.  The first book I read I couldn't put it down and 450 pages later I was done, literally in 5 hours I had finished the whole book.  I went back for another tattered cover and again the same thing, a fantastic read.

God said, "Take a look around you, what do you see?"  I saw many people around me, some with tatoos, some with scars and others weathered by life itself.  You know the kind I mean, the person that looks 70 but you know they are in their 50s but life has just beat them up.  God said, "I love that one, and that one and that one too."  Everywhere I looked God said the same thing, "I love that one too."  

My view of "those people" was that of looking down on them for whatever reason.  God said, "remember the books?  Those books represent people, some have perfect covers but nothing inside, no story and no depth.  Some have worn covers and with that comes some knowledge and experience.  Others still have no cover at all, they are an open book."  God began to show me that these worn out people were not worn out at all.  They had volumes of knowledge and a story to tell.  They are loved by God as much as I am and it really impacted how I "look" at people.  I am so guilty of judging a "book" by it's cover but the next time you catch yourself doing it, try saying "God loves that one too."

Peter was terrified by the storm that was brewing all around him, but then he saw Jesus walking towards him on the water, he became calm and confident.  Jesus asks Peter out of the boat and onto the water and as Peter steps out his eyes are focused on Jesus.  He began to walk towards him, on the water, but then what happened?  The flesh begins to "see" what is happening around him and he begins to sink. 

It seems like I find myself in the "Storm of Life" all the time, if it's not one thing it's another.  What do I see from where I sit?  Where are my eyes focused?  Are they on Jesus and in His word or are they focused on the circumstances around me?  I cannot begin to tell you what a joy it is to pray for others.  Now getting to that place where I stop and pray sometimes takes a nudge from the Lord but when I get there all my "Stuff" just goes away.  My focus is no longer on my little world and my storm doesn't seem so big.  I see the Lord who has everything in complete control and His peace floods my world.

People ask me nearly every day how my eye is doing.  For those of you that do not know, I have had two major eye surgeries in the past 8 months.  Both times I had a retina tear and detachment which were just out of the blue.  No major accident or trauma just the gel from inside the eye pulling away and holding on for dear life.  Well I wish I could tell you that it has been okay and that I see light at the end of the tunnel.  God has used it to talk to me about so many things and for that I can be pleased.  I have so many people praying for healing and full restoration which I too am grateful for.  Want to know what really sucks though?  I cannot see very good at all.  Just today I found out I cannot use scissors because I need my depth perception to make cuts and I ended up botching what I was working on.  I trip on stairs and pretty much any walking surface that is uneven.  Just last week I went on a whale watch and fell down in my seat because I cannot judge distance or motion.  Not whining, I do thank God that out of the other eye I can see and see very well.  But on the other hand I am whining because I feel so defeated and crushed.  Shaving is such a chore, try it some time with one eye closed.  Step into the shower with that eye closed and reach for things.  Now open those eyes and thank God that you have both working just the way He designed them to. 

My whole point in this is to share with you that what we see many times determines our attitude and we can make judgements based on what we see.  When I focus on the fact that one eye is miserably annoying then I lose sight of what the other I can see.  When I look at the tattered surface of an individual I could look downward towards them or recognize them as a co-heir in the Kingdom.  Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face.  and the things of earth will grow strangly dim, in the light of His Glory and Grace.  Are you focused on Jesus or your circumstances?  LIterally in the blink of an eye you can change that focus and turn from the situation you find yourself today.  I don't care what it is, He is glorious to gaze at and the abundance of life that is all around you will shout His magnificent name!  Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!

Well this week has been filled with distractions both wonderful and not.  Family and friends were in to visit and those times were absolutely wonderful and filled with joy and happiness.  Then back to the daily tasks of paying bills, washing cars, folding laundry and on top of all that worry.

As I read the daily reading today and prayed I was asked, "Where's your faith?"  God has said, "Never will I leave you nor forsake you", yet in the midst of seeking direction it sometimes seems like we are going it alone.  He has already promised to never leave us but I cry out "where are you God?  Why can I not see clearly down a path or direction that You want me to go? "  After years of what seems to be a cyclical pattern in my life I know that it is best to wait on the Lord and do nothing.  Making knee-jerk decisions always tend to set us back rather than move us forward. 

Do nothing... now that sounds productive.  When I say 'nothing' I mean don't make life changing decisions in a second.  I am prayerfully asking for guidance and direction and I have asked others to join me in that.  You see as I mentioned last week, if I am the only one answering my own questions then I can only get the best answer I have which typically isn't very good.  Where is my faith?  What exactly is faith?  Faith by definition is having confidence or trust in something or someone.  So to answer my question, my faith is in the Almighty God.  Now that I have answered what my faith is in, where is it?  Is it close to me or far away?  Is it in my heart or just in my head?  When the going gets really tough, do I get going or do I shrink away and isolate?

Oh my goodness, the more I type the more question marks I make.  I'd like to say my faith is solid and as close as I could get but we all know that our relationship with God is a process.  It is a daily work in progress because as we have some history behind us we can more clearly see how God used things to tweak and adjust our lives.  The thing we are in right now may look way too big to handle but if we have been there before we know that God brought us through last time and He will again.  This is where the heart and the head thing come into play.  If I know it in my head I still sweat it out, I still try to fix it on my own and I still get no sleep through it.  Now if my faith has moved from head knowledge to my heart then times of refreshing come.  As we mature in the Lord we had better be growing in our faith not simply in our knowledge.


Where is God stretching your faith today?  We must remember that the testing of our faith develops perseverance; James 1:2, so in order to make it through the next trial we have to be made ready.  God's word is full of people struggling through issues and God's redemptive power showing them the way.  I encourage you today to ask others for prayer and to read God's word daily.  You would never go and play tackle football without putting on the full gear so why would you take on satan and his army without putting on the full armor of God each and every day?  The battle is on and the victory has already been won.  Praise God that Jesus Christ defeated death and sits at the right hand of the Father.  Amen. 

Well it was time to move this to a blogging site so here we are.  The View From Where I Sit at times does look a lot like this, without the coffee cup of course.  Many of you know I do not drink coffee but the pad does look like that most of the time.  The pad is empty, I sit staring at the screen and nothing happens but when I read God's word and take the time to ask Him what I should share, a flood of ideas come to the point that I cannot type quick enough.

As I drove into work this morning I was asked in my heart, "What is your comfort food?"  What comforts me when I am down and out?  Many people I have counseled will turn to the place that brings them a physical soothing.  Alcohol, drugs, sexual outlets, food, daydreaming, and the list goes on and on.  I asked myself, why is it that we turn to 'physical' comforts when what we need our spiritual ones? One of my comfort foods in the past has been isolation.  I need to be alone and work things out in my head.  That has never been a good solution because the only answer that I will get will come from me.  Hello, I got here in the first place by what I have done, if I had the correct answer I probably would not have found myself in the spot I am in now.

What is your comfort food?  Jesus said that if we drink from His cup we would thirst no more,  John 4:13.  Are you finding yourself running to the physical comforts that have “worked” in the past for you to find only more heartache?  Guilt, more pain and deeper wounds come as we fix those things in the physical.  Most of our wounds are at a soul level and require spiritual healing.  God came so that we might have life and have it abundantly.  My definition of abundant had always meant much food, big house, nice car and extravagant living.  God’s definition for abundant is much joy, much peace, much love, much comfort.  When I find myself in need of a ‘fix’, I find myself more and more running to the Father than ever before.  Those old things have lied to me and robbed me from the love that my Father in heaven truly desires to lavish on me.  I find greater peace in seeking His comfort for my life; His fixes are not temporary fleshly patches but soul restorations that lead to health.  What does your diet look like today?  Are you eating the lies of the past or are you ingesting the Living Word of God that brings true refreshing and healing?

1 Timothy 1-4 was the daily reading for today and as I read it the Lord used so much of it to speak to me that I want to share here.  I encourage you to use a daily reading plan that takes you through the bible in 12 months.  You will be blessed I am certain of that. 

I was so blessed by verse 12 because it reminds me that I have no strength in and of myself.  I will surely fall flat on my face daily if I am walking on my own power.  On your face is a good place to be daily but as an act of submission before God, not because you face planted.   Also in that same verse how thankful Paul was to be considered faithful enough to serve God.  Many times I feel as though I should never be speaking to others about God and serving in the church.  I too feel like the chief of all sinners but only by Jesus’ shed blood am I able to have a testimony.  How hopeless I would be if all I had was Chapter 1 of my life.  How utterly despicable and gross would the story be if it ended there.  Praise God that I have a testimony because Jesus redeemed my sin and washed me white as snow.  Apart from Him I have nothing to boast about. 

As I read 1 Timothy 4:11-16, it was as if God was talking directly to me.  Have you ever been reading something and it is as if it was written by your closest friend that knew you?  This is what it says in 1 Timothy 4:11-16;  ¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.  ¹⁵ Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

This is a call to all who call themselves a Christian.  Each one of us has a gift or gifts, we are all example setters to someone around us.  Our testimony is in our daily walk and we are called to be diligent in all these things.  Watch your speech, watch your conduct and in love, faith and with pure motives live your life the way you know you should.  The reward is you will save both yourself and those around you that ‘hear’ what you are saying by your actions and words.

With much love and a grateful heart.