God in the Daily

At first it was nothing more than someone being rude early in the morning on, imagine this, a Monday.

"Man, that guy sure needs his coffee," I thought.

I said good morning to no response, as he took the buggy I was offering him as I started my day off as a loader.

Then it hit me that's how we are with God.

We are very quick to take gifts, what we call blessings, from Him, but we ignore whatever He is trying to say to us. His revelation, His loving words, His direction . . . we miss it! He wants to spend time with us and all we care about is receiving something. Sometimes it's blatant apathy, as to why we don't respond, other times it's because we simply don't hear Him-- either way we miss out on the most valuable thing this life can afford fellowship with our Creator and Savior.

The second incident, that caused me to pause for reflection, was what many would view as sheer stubbornness.

"Sir, do you need help pushing one of those carts," I asked as a man pushed two lumber carts, loaded down with wood, to his car as he steadily talked on his cell phone.

"No, I got it. Thanks though," was his reply.

"Are you sure," I pleaded.

"Yep, I can handle it," he shot back in terse fashion.

That's just dumb, I thought, I am offering my help and he won't take it. No sooner did I think that; I thought of Matthew 11:28-30 about how the Lord will take our burdens and make our yokes easy. Yet, just like that customer . . . we so often times don't let Him!

As evident as it was he needed help, I couldn't help but think of how it's just as evident to God when we are loaded down, tired, burdened, and because of His great love for us, He wants to help, but we push Him away.

The Creator wants to make our lives less stressful, wants to help us tackle any of our problems and take away our Great Sadness, alleviate our hurts, and we refuse His advances of Love.

Then the final way I saw God at work, recently, was I was pulling four garden carts, like trolleys, with customers lined up at both cash registers, leaving just a small alley-way, of passage, to get the carts to their destination.

And something funny happened. Not one person was concerned I was going to run over their feet . . . in fact, not one person moved an inch. The only reason I could think was my uniform. THEY TRUSTED ME because of my uniform. I'm supposed to know what I'm doing-- that uniform is a tangible example illustrating just that.

That's when I received an incredible revelation. Jesus has the MOST impressive uniform ever known to mankind-- two holes in His palms, so shouldn't we TRUST He knows what He is doing . . . shouldn't we trust when He says He is working ALL things together for our good (Romans 8:28) He is doing just that? Or that when He says, through Paul, 'Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us,' (Romans 8:18) that we can accept that as the truth?  Shouldn't we believe Him, and take Him at His word, when He says He not only blots out our trangressions (sins), but He remembers them no more (Isaiah 43:25)?

Crowns on His head, the robe dripped in the blood He shed for us on Calvary, the iron scepter to rule the nations (Rev. 19:11-16).  He knows what He is doing and He already is 'there' before we even know the problem exists, so shouldn't we trust Him?

After all, He has the uniform.

TearS

Tears flow down my face~ tears of pain or tears of joy
Tears of a grown man or are they the tears of a little boy?

They burn my cheeks, but do the tears of my heart burn?
Years may pass, but still for it my heart continues to yearn

Dreams never die, they just turn into ashes and rise
Tears become Truth when tears used to be lies

Hurt becomes strength~ strength spawns survival
Where weakness meets Strength comes my soul's revival

Tears don't mean you're weak tears mean you're not scared to feel
Tears move things forward where regret makes time stand still

My heart's cup overflows where it used to weep like a willow
Tears dance down my cheeks where they used to fill my pillow

Down on my knees I accepted Jesus but that's been 20 years
It's been a long, hard journey~ my birth that began with TEARS

John Mark Brooks
Copyright April 24, 2013

An Open Letter~ It's Precious

Madison, Karson Faith, Finley, Jordan, Tyklen and Luke, I pray for each one of you every single day. I ask the Lord to guide you, protect you and hold you close. I even clarify that 'hold you close' and tell Him, but not too close because I don't want any of you in Heaven quite yet. *laughs*

But I want you to know how much I love you. Madison and Karson Faith, I've always been Duncle to the two of you and I've always viewed you as my daughters. You've lit up my life from the first moment I held y'all in my arms. I remember them just like they were yesterday! Tyklen and Finley you've been in my life for a year now and I look at you and love you both as mine. I will never try to replace or remove your father; the way I love you, and how I do my best to let the Lord love you through me, is completely independent of what he does or does not do. Jordan and Luke, you are a part of our family now and I love you both. Luke you are the little brother I never had and Jordan we always have a lot of fun picking around with each other.

This letter is for all six of you and these aren't just words on a page. It's what I wish someone would've told me more than they did. It's a hard letter to write in some ways. I already have tears forming in the corner of my eyes. That's how much y'all mean to me, that's how much I wish things would've been different in my own life and how important these words are that I'm about to share. . . words you won't read for at least 10 more years KF, Tyk and Fin.

You ARE Loved

1. No matter how much anyone loves you. Your Mom, your boyfriend, your husband, your family, your friends, your girlfriend, your wife, NOBODY loves you as much as God does. He has loved you and was excited to know you before the foundations of this earth were laid! The Creator of the Universe knew you before you were in your Mothers' wombs and He is completely, totally and forever head over heels in LOVE with you!

You can add up how much those closest to you love you and it's only a drop in an endless ocean compared to how much God loves you!!

In your teenage years, which some of you are in now, you will start searching to find your Love, Acceptance, Worth and Security (LAWS) . . . that's normal. Completely normal. As humans, it's only natural to seek those physiological needs out-- it's the way God wired us. But what I want you to know is try to let Jesus, who lives inside you, fill each one of those. Seek HIS validation and try to start, trust me I know it's difficult, seeing yourselves the way He sees you. You aren't just important to Him. You are the apple of His eye! You are the icing on the cake! You are His most favorite! If you would've been the only person alive, Jesus would have died just for YOU. That's an awesome thought, huh?!?

You ARE Beautiful

2. I'm not just talking to you Madison, Jordan, Karson Faith and Finley . . . although, you'll likely struggle with not feeling 'beautiful' more than Luke and Tyklen, it's still for you boys too! See, insecurities and self-esteem issues aren't limited by gender or sex. No matter what society, and the media, may try to sell you as their definition of 'beautiful' ; I want you to know something-- EACH one of you is BEAUTIFUL . . . beyond measure!! Madison, you ARE beautiful! Jordan, you ARE beautiful! Karson Faith, you ARE beautiful! Finley, you ARE beautiful! Luke, you are beautiful . . . err, handsome *laughs* no, you are beautiful! Tyklen, you are beautiful!

God sees your beauty. He sees your pure hearts. He sees your beautiful minds. He sees your gifts, talents and personalities, which are unique . . . each one of you are different and nonetheless BEAUTIFUL!! Society will teach you being beautiful is about how your body looks or the clothes you wear. It will say if you don't have a flat stomach, you aren't beautiful. If you don't have the perfect figure, you aren't beautiful. If you don't have the biggest muscles, you aren't beautiful. Tyklen, it will tell you because you have a scar that runs from your chest to your stomach, you aren't beautiful . . . NO, that scar is tangible proof God has a mighty and awesome plan for your life-- it shows His faithfulness, and your courage, in the valley of the shadow of death. YOU ARE beautiful just the way you are!

You are beautiful because you are made in God's image, so before we even get to your amazing personalities, your intelligence, your awesome hearts or anything else that makes us love you so much; you are beautiful for that reason alone!!

You Only Get One

3. There are two things I want to tell you: 1. I gave mine away when I was 23. I let the devil and society tell me what was normal and stopped listening to what I knew was RIGHT and the very thing I held so dear and 2. I've never taken a girl or woman's virginity. We only get one of both-- one life and one virginity. Sure, if you screw up God honors our heart, so there is a such thing as a 'second virginity,' but it's not the same.

Imagine how amazing it will be waiting until your honeymoon to give your wife or to give your husband something you have never given anyone. You remained unblemished . . you stayed pure . . you kept your most precious gift and special secret locked away until marriage. How awesome of a thought is that!?!

While I did not hold on to my purity until my wedding day . . . I am grateful for the second thing I shared with you. To you girls, in high school and college, especially, you will 'fall in love' and with all those wonderful feelings of love will come the temptation of giving away your V-card . . . I encourage you not to do it. Is this the ultimate do as I say and not as I did-- it absolutely is. I realize that. But it's because I know the emptiness crossing that bridge before the right time brought me-- all the hurt, all the confusion and all the heartbreak-- that I plead with you not to.

Having held you in my arms as a tender new-born then watching you go from a baby girl, with chubby cheeks, to a toddler, from a toddler to a girl, from a girl into a young lady . . . it sickens me and bothers me when I think about another boy touching you much less pressuring you into doing something he wants, and maybe you want to, but then I remember I've been that 'boy.' I've disrespected my own body and a girl's own body, so I will refrain from ripping his head off!

I can not tell you what to do, but I can ask you to honor God in honoring your body. If a boy says to you, 'If you love me, you will do this.' That's NOT love. He has mistaken lust as love. God didn't give us sex as a gift to be opened only after we're married to punish us . . . He made it that way to protect us-- our hearts, spirits and minds.

Viewing y'all as my daughters, it pains me to think of another boy touching you, but how much more does it pain God? You are His daughters . . . His beloved . . . you are His cherished little Daddy girls no matter how old you are! He is your Heavenly Father and no matter what your relationship is like with your Earthly Father; He hurts when you hurt and there are few hurts bigger than having pre-marital sex.

You are so much more than an object. You are so much more than how your butt looks in a pair of jeans, than the size or shape of your breasts or how your stomach looks! As you start dating, choose someone who will respect you. Choose someone who knows Jesus, through actions, not just in words. Choose someone who lets you walk in front of him, but always opens up your doors. Choose someone who will pull out your chair, pay for your date and walk on the side closest to the road as many good man, or boy, should. Choose someone who encourages you, someone who believes in you, someone who prays for you more than he does for himself! Choose someone who sees you as his equal and not someone who is beneath him. Choose someone who builds you up with his words and not tears you down . . . that is not love!

Your name is not 'hey girl' , bitch, slut, whore or anything else . . . your names are Madison, Karson Faith, Finley and Jordan! Never settle for anything less unless they're calling you baby, sweetie, princess or angel. But never mistake flattery, pretty words that make you feel good and cause your heart to flutter, for sincerity. Always look at his heart! Actions will always tell you where his heart is.

Luke and Tyklen, guys, I haven't forgotten about y'all. Be the boy, and the man, I just described. Do all those things because that's WHO YOU ARE not expecting anything in return. If you're hanging out with your girlfriend always treat her with respect. If she is uncomfortable, don't push her to do more. Don't be a jerk. Don't be a boy, whose views have become warped by what you've seen on TV or movies.  Take it from me, as I was a BOY far too long, it is EASY to be a boy. It's easy to not want to grow up. It's easy to use and abuse girls and women . . . to view them as objects that are simply there to fulfill your desires without even realizing it, thinking it's just harmless fun. It's not.

Read the book of Ruth and see how Boaz treats her and read the Song of Solomon. They provide an excellent, the perfect, blueprint of how to treat a woman. Strive to be a modern-day Boaz. I know you both have it in you! The only way to be a good man is to be led, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." Psalm 37:23.

Ladies, I encourage you to read Proverbs 31:10-31. That's the only type of woman you should aspire to be. Not what society tells you in terms of what a real woman looks like and does.

What I Want You to Know

Even if you screw up, after all I did, I will love each one of you the same. God will forgive you and be just as goo-goo, ga-ga in love with you as He ever has too, so don't beat yourself up too much when you 'miss the mark!' You will be extremely special to me nonetheless. Every day I pray the Lord would grow you up to become mighty men and women of God . . . that His plans for your lives will be fulfilled and daily I lift up your future spouse, asking God to prepare the two of you, so that when love awakens you will find your reality to be all you've ever dreamed of and not a nightmare.

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of all of you and I appreciate you reading what Duncle, Uncle Johnny, John Mark and Shredder had to say. My prayer is for you to get to know Jesus, that you will wrap yourselves so far up in Him when a boy or girl wants to find you . . . that's where they will have to look.

Thank you for all the joy-filled, fun, sweet, special and priceless moments, for your love, for your friendships! I am blessed to have you in my life. Cling to Christ.

With all my love,
JM

Do Good Anyway

In the course of our lives, we will run across quotes, books, movies and songs that move us, challenge us and inspire us. They serve as the gas to get us closer to God.

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite pieces of inspirational writing, a poem, by Mother Teresa. It's called, 'Do It Anyway,' which has just enough gas to get us to our Destination.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may often accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

~Mother Teresa

This did not speak volumes to me. The knowledge, wisdom, faith and truth spoke whole libraries to me! What we have to realize is this-- there are a lot of jerks in the world, but as Christians we can instead look at it in another way . . . there are a lot of lost people in this world. The thing I've found is LOST people act lost, so it should come as no surprise when people are ugly to us for seemingly no reason at all. Should it?

My Dad, @CowboySpirit, has taught me, and encouraged me, to love people with absolutely NO expectations at all. Love them because Jesus, who is Love, inhabits your being. He overtakes your body, your Earthly vessel, so much so that no matter how people 'treat' you . . . you always respond in love! You do nice things for people not expecting anything back. In fact, if you do something for someone just to get something back . . . you really need to check your heart because your motives aren't motivated by love! The truest litmus test of character is doing something out of the goodness of your heart-- not expecting, or seeking, any recognition. It's giving something-- your time, love, energy and fellowship-- to someone who has nothing to offer in return.

Love always requires sacrifice and putting the recipient's needs, wants and desires above your own. It's putting an action with your words. It's simply wanting to make that person's day better in that moment. It's adding sun rays, Sonshine, to their day no matter how dark of a place they're in or how blue their life's skies are! It's uplifting words, words of encouragement, smiles, hugs and just attention, and validation, we all need.

I am LEARNING how to take things more with a grain of salt. Praise, criticism, being treated well or being treated terribly, responding the same way in indifference or in love, but doing my best not to react or do what is has been done to me. Be more like a duck and let their hurtful words and actions be the water that goes flying off your back!

Through forgiving someone, and asking someone to forgive you, there is great freedom, so let things go . . . life is too short not to! It's not easy to have the self-control to respond to cruel behavior in the right fashion, but it definitely worth it. For God sees!!

"You are my friends if you do what I command." (John 15:14) What is that command? Look at verse 17-- "This is my command: to love each other." What a radical, yet nonetheless, powerful thought!! Do I have this perfected? HARDLY, but God, through me, is making strides in this area.

Am I offended when someone is rude to me for no reason? When someone acts hateful toward me when I've done nothing to deserve it? Of course I am. I am human, when someone is ugly to me it hurts my feelings, it temporarily angered me . . . as in past tense. But what we have to understand is what Jesus said was and will always be true! The world will HATE us the same way it hated, and hates, Him (John 15:18-25).

Look at Jesus' words and it will come as no great surprise, or no surprise, at all when we are treated as outcasts.

Verses 18 and 19. "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it's own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

But then look at verse 25 "But this is fulfill what is written in their law: 'They hated me WITHOUT REASON.'

So we should not EXPECT people to be nice to us, but we should assume the exact opposite. We get spoiled into thinking we aren't supposed to be ridiculed, shunned, disappointed and treated badly, but the reality is without expectations of how we're SUPPOSED to be treated . . . there is no disappointment.

Hurt people do what? They hurt! And let's face it . . . there are many, many hurt people in our daily lives. What's the easy thing to do when someone hurts you? That's right-- to hurt them back, but the 'easy' thing to do is never the right thing to do. It's not about what the offender 'deserves' ; it's about being who God intended you to be! After all, we didn't 'deserve' mercy, grace, forgiveness and love, but thankfully that didn't stop God from extending it when all we REALLY deserved was death.

It's not just about when someone treats you badly . . . it's also about being who God created you to be-- being who YOU ARE! It's no coincidence the Bible says we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). With that being the case; we are made out of Love, to love, to share His love!

I encourage you to pray John 3:30 over your lives every day-- More Jesus to fill your body, your vessel, and less of yourself. Only through dying to ourselves, see Romans chapter 6, can He, through us, allow us to obey the Golden Rule. A big part of the Christian walk is taking up our cross (Luke 9:23) and sharing in the suffering of Christ (Romans 8:17). It's not fun, but it is what we are called to do.

There will always be people who speak destructive words instead of words brimming with life. There will always be words filled with doubt, fear and hate not of faith, courage and love. There will always be people telling you you can't do something as opposed to encouraging you to achieve those special goals you have in mind. There will always be those telling you to be realistic when you want nothing more than to chase your dreams.

They can easily steal your joy if you let them. They can certainly chip away at the peace, which has been given to you, that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

But remember, it's not about them . . . it is between you and God, so DO GOOD ANYWAY!!''

He has shown you, O' mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Gonna Get Mine . . . Gonna Give God His

I was faced with a decision. To me, it wasn't much of a decision at all. I am going to get mine. That's it-- short and to the point. No, I am going to give the Lord His!

With boldness, I asked my employer if I could have church hours off on Sundays and with equal boldness they said no. They told me I was granted every other Sunday off-- a 'compromise.' While 'fair' in some people's eyes . . . to me, I was left wanting more. But more than resentment toward them for not letting me off until 12:30 or 1 p.m.; I focused on how I could get and give what I NEEDED and that was Jesus.

There have been many times I've voluntarily missed church and when I say many I mean MANY, but that was a different season of my life. I've changed. Now, I can't get enough of Him. I pray often, I read the Word every day, I seek Him in the big matters of life and in the small details as well. It's a hunger I've never felt before. More insatiable of a desire than the lust for sex and women that permeated my life for years. More insatiable than any desire I've ever had.

What would I do? What could I do? I mean my hands were tied. If I refused to work on Sundays then I would be fired. Then it dawned on me-- I would go on my lunch break! I'm not sharing this with you to get pats on the back or to get any glory or recognition. I felt compelled to share this because it's AWESOME to see that's not only where I am in life, but it's more importantly WHO I AM and it has nothing to do with being religious or seeming holy, because Lord knows I've been anything but holy at various points of my walk with Christ.

I am going to get mine and I am going to give Him His. What does that mean? I am going to press through the throngs of people just to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. (Luke 8:40-48) I'm not going to let my flesh, my girlfriend, my job, my pain, my anger, my emotions, my feelings or my doubt hold me back. I am not going to let my PAST, especially my past, hold me back from reaching the Way, the Truth and the Life. I look at each one of those as obstacles to keeping me from reaching the destination I know He has for me. I include my girlfriend because it's so easy to let the person, or people, we love the most distract us. It's easy, yet nonetheless dangerous, to let our significant other distract us from what should be our No. 1 pursuit (God). And when we do, we give them lordship over our lives without even realizing it. I've told her many times I want to be her No. 2 biggest fan. NOBODY no matter how much we may try can fill the physiological needs of L.A.W.S. (Love Acceptance Worth and Security) like Jesus. It can be our spouse, our children or other family members. He belongs on the throne of our hearts . . . no one else!

The thing is I KNOW when I touch the hem of His garment . . . that's when my faith will be realized, when the impossible becomes possible, when what others looked at and scoffed at my God says, Piece of cake!' But to me-- getting mine-- is about so much more than just spending time with Him. It's about making sure the people in my life get their's too! I believe I will be married and have children and I honestly believe what greater privilege and honor, as the head of the household, is there than to make sure YOUR house gets their's?!? What's the key? Knowing YOU can't do it, but the key is Christ through you CAN! So simple, yet often overlooked and hidden from view by the enemy.

We often think of a man as the 'provider' yet it's not hard to look around and see the No. 1 provision we should, and are commissioned to, make we entirely neglect. You can make all the money in the world yet if you aren't making sure your wife and kids are getting their spiritual needs met, then you are indeed poor. As for me and my house; we WILL serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15) and no matter how much $$ we have; we will be rich in the things that matter! Praying with, and over, your wife, saying your prayers with, and over, your children, even worshiping together are all essential to not giving the devil a foothold to infiltrate your home. If you give him a place; He WILL destroy it.

It's YOUR territory . . . it's your turf . . . it's your ground-- DEFEND IT!

Gonna Give Him His

Our walks with the Lord are about so much more than blessings. Yet many seek God's hand instead of His face. He is NOT Santa Claus. Are blessings nice? Of course-- it shows God has heard your prayers and has provided things you have asked, but shouldn't we be more consumed with wanting to BLESS HIM vs. getting BLESSED? Jesus died on the cross for us, so honestly if He never does anything else for us, don't worry He WILL, the rest of our lives; Has he not already done more than we deserve?

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

That's what church is about to me. It's me giving Him what he so rightly deserves! For new life (salvation), for waking me up this morning, for my health, for my family, for my job, for my gifts, for my talents, for my money and possessions I praise Him! But I praise and I worship Him also for who He is!! I praise Him for being faithful, for being loving, for always having my best interests at heart even when I can't see how He's possibly working it for His good. I praise Him for His very nature. He is GREAT . . . no matter our circumstances, the adversity and hardship in our lives or the pain we feel. He is bigger!!

Rushing to be in God's house for 45 minutes, in my work clothes and hat, wasn't about drawing attention to myself . . . it was about ALL those times when it came to me making sure I got mine in terms of satisfying my flesh. It was about all the times I made sure I gave the Devil his. No I was never a 'devil worshiper,' but I sure have, with my actions, worshiped the devil. Why else did Jesus say you can't serve two masters? To serve is to pledge your allegiance to in any relationship. It's giving a part of yourself to the entity you are doing acts of service for.

When I set out to get drunk; I got mine. When I set out to get high; I got mine. When I set out to meet my physical needs, which led to acts of sexual perversion; I made sure I got mine, so NOW I will make sure Almighty God gets His in my life!

We have largely become such an ungrateful people; there seems to be only a remnant of believers who don't have amnesia. Have you forgotten what He snatched you out of? The place Jesus delivered you from? I know I haven't. I am instantly brought to tears when I think of how I have treated Him and how He not only loved me through it, but how He loved me enough to pursue me and once I let Him catch me how He loved me like I had never left!!

Me? I know I'm a sinner. But I also know my 'old man' is no more! (2nd Cor. 5:17) I know in Christ there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). God not only has blotted out my trangressions, my sins, He remembers them NO MORE (Isaiah 43:25). He has separated my sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and casts them down onto the bottom of the ocean floor (Micah 7:19) and if my God does ALL those things . . . then the very least I can do is.

GIVE HIM HIS!

The Inconvenient Truth

Since Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life . . . wait a second, rewind that! See that second word? He is the TRUTH. With that being the case; you would think His followers would be able to better deal with the truth. Honesty and holding someone accountable is not being judgmental-- it's part of our Christian walk.

The truth is we as Christians want as much of Jesus as possible and desire to have everything He will give us as long as He doesn't inconvenience our lives! That's what I call the inconvenient truth. Why do I believe this? Because I used to be one of the worst. Who knows how many years I talked about wanting to get involved in the community, give back, go on mission trips and be a servant. There was only one problem-- you can't be selfish, prideful and inconsiderate and also walk in humility, thoughtfulness and altruism.

I've worked diligently over the past couple of years of letting God mold me into being less ME, ME, ME, but it's really just been this year where I started to embrace the notion I was TRULY second. It's not that I cared any less about me or lowered my self-worth by coming to his conclusion. In fact, it was just the opposite-- because I have begun to grasp my self-worth, started to answer the call on my life and have let God take a look under the hood and begin to make my engine (Spirit) run better; I've come to the realization what truly matters is putting others above ourselves. (J.O.Y- Jesus Others Yourself).

At the urging of my best friend Sara, I started volunteering at the local Christian Ministry soup kitchen. After talking about it for years, I finally took the plunge and diving into the waters of benevolence has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever experienced! These waters have baptized me into a life of greater purpose. If you want to truly test your motives and purity of heart . . . do something for someone who has nothing to offer in return. In doing so, you will find a rare and special type of fulfillment. That's a guarantee.

See, I am concerned. It's like the Casting Crowns song says, "If we are the body (of Christ), why aren't His arms reaching? I believe the reason is-- it's not convenient. The greatest directive our Savior gave us, after loving Him, was to love our neighbors as ourselves and treat them the way we want to be treated also known as the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). I feel we are treading on very dangerous ground brothers and sisters. In a 'feel good,' instant gratification society, many have adopted that same attitude in their walk with Christ. They just want to feel good! That, in and of itself, is not a bad thing, but what I've learned, primarily through Jesus' 33 years on this earth, is love is not love without sacrifice. Can you love without giving up something? Can you love without putting the other person's needs, wants, desires and dreams in front of your own?

After all, don't you think the Creator of the Universe, who sent His son to die for you, deserves at least that much?

Many of us, in the body, want everything God has to offer us, except the privilege of sharing in His suffering. That's where we draw the line! It's in our trials, tests and tribulations, in our suffering, we find dependency on Him. It's during those times we are finally honest with ourselves and admit we don't have ALL the answers.The reality of our Christian walk is it's not supposed to be easy, but it is meant to be rewarding. I believe there is an epidemic in our churches-- we want to feel good for an hour and a half, we want God's blessings, but when it's time for us to put the work in . . . we want none of it. I know there are many who devote their lives to service, serve the poor in their cities, towns and in foreign lands and love the downtrodden, but to put it bluntly most Christians just want a 'cake walk.'

We just want to 'feel good.' We want to get caught up in a feeling of euphoria. Do we want each word we sing to be doused in love, adoration and gratitude for our Heavenly Father when we worship or do we just want to find an emotional high we can carry throughout the week? We want God to have control of our lives except for this area or that one-- as long as He doesn't step on our toes, change our attitude about that one person or make me look like some freak and turn me into an outcast; we're all for Him working in our lives! Don't even get me started on how much we hate the thought of God asking us to sacrifice anything for the sake of the Kingdom. We don't want to sacrifice-- not OUR money, not OUR time, not OUR energy and not OUR resources. . . even though it's NOT our's to begin with and never will be (James 1:17).

If you love Jesus; that love compels you to serve Him, to obey Him, to please Him. . . to do more! It's not about your salvation, that was purchased through unmerited Grace through the Great Sacrifice, and it's not even about storing up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:20)-- it's about knowing there is not a better feeling this life can afford than being obedient to God and making Him smile.

Life is about trifold blessings-- when we do for others-- they bless Him, bless the recipients of our acts of love and we get blessed as result. To see someone who has very little light up just because you gave a little bit of your time. To hear a homeless person tell you thank you profusely and how much they appreciated the meal. To bring people in out of the rain and feed them the only warm meal they will eat that week. To live those moments is to find true love. To live those moments is to look straight into the eyes of Jesus.

I encourage you to find the courage, the time (yes you have it) and enough love for Jesus to sacrifice. When you do . . . You will find more purpose, more faith, more character, more perspective and what this life is truly all about.

In short, you will find the TRUTH and not an inconvenient one.

The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Within the month, after more job applications filled out and places of employment visited, at the urging of my girlfriend; I reached out to Lowe's one more time.

I was supposed to hear from one of the managers and I hadn't yet, so I reached back out to them again. But this time; something was different! I could sense it as soon as the assistant store manager Shelley picked up the phone. Although she was eating breakfast; she dropped what she was doing and told me about two jobs they had posted just minutes earlier.

I wasted no time. I jumped in the car, since the jobs weren't posted on the website yet, to go into the store to fill out the applications . . . I was standing in the store in a nice shirt and jeans within 20 minutes. It was a Monday. Before I left the store, with tears in my eyes, I told Shelley how grateful I was for the oppportunity to interview as she assured me I would at least have that.

This was only the second interview I had been granted and the first one for a full-time job in since I had lost my job. I heard from Shelly six days later, telling me I had an interview the next day-- I was ecstatic!

Most of the time when I pray; I pray for God's will to be done, but I do believe there are times in our lives when He wants us to step out in faith, saying, "Lord, I know You are going to move on my behalf. I am not asking for anything excessive. You say You will give me the desires of my heart if I delight myself in You. That's what I've been doing, so I believe you are going to give me this."

That's what I did. I had marched around these walls for six days and I was believing Monday was the day they would come crashing down! I had marched around these walls for over four years-- through the loss of my job, loss of lives and loss of relationships depression (the only one I've ever experienced in my life)-- and this was the moment I was going to seize not what I deserved, but what I believed God was going to be so gracious to give me.

My approach to my interview was CX4-- Christ, Cool, Calm and Collected. It was two parts-- two managers taking 30 minutes apiece to drill you. In the interview, I was told it was the best interview she had conducted in 13 years. That's what happens when you put your faith, and trust, in God . . . He does exceedingly more than anything we could dream, ask or imagine! (Ephesians 3:20).

Never in my wildest dreams, would I have pictured me getting the job on the SAME DAY I interviewed for it, but that is exactly what happened! All of the prayers, all of the tears, all of the sleepless hours, all of the frustration and all of the discouragement were WORTH it-- the monkey, no one thousand pound gorilla, was off my back! As I was officially offered the job; I cried . . . slow, sweet tears of JOY and gratitude. Feeling the tears flow down my face was one of the best feelings I've ever felt in my life.

My family showered me with love, telling me how proud they were of me. Their words made me feel great. I love making them proud of me. I don't always need their validation, but any time I receive it . . . it always means the world to me! After I had soaked in their praise, I couldn't wait to tell my girlfriend Sara.

When I got to her house; I could barely hold in my excitement. I handed her my work schedule and asked if she had left her work schedule in my car. She looked at it, studied it for a minute, before handing it back to me. "No, that's not mine," she said. "It looks like your handwriting," she followed up as she awaited my response.

"That's because it is MINE," I said smiling.

"You're kidding. Are you serious!?!"

"I'm not. I'm serious . . . I told you I was going to do it this month and I did."

"I am SOOOOOO proud of you. That's awesome!!," she said.

I was so grateful. Without her encouragement, and direction, I never would've followed back up with Lowe's after already doing so once. She had lit a fire under my butt. She had pushed me to reach my potential because she cares about me and about us. She wants to know I will help provide when that day comes we are a family and that I will meet her at least halfway in every area, what a job is symbolic of, and I am more than happy to do just that. I also was excited about how a good job, with a proven company, would impact my girlfriend, her kids and me in the future. There were not enough words to reflect my gratitude to her and my family who believed in and pushed me along the way, but being able to tell them, and us sharing in that special moment, was the best 'Thank You' I could offer.

With as much love and respect as disgust and frustration, in earlier conversations, which were meant to motivate me, she lavished me and I soaked in every single minute, every single second! Each of her words were like small hugs wrapping their arms around my heart and telling me how special I was. There are few things I enjoy more in life than making her smile. I'll never forget that moment-- the moment where the one I love the most and I overcame our first major obstacle!

It was a milestone moment, a benchmark, it was the moment the walls came tumbling down!