What A Day!

18 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by Seeking Peace in God, God's love, God's provision, hope, joy

What a day! Often, it is a statement made at the end of a trying, hectic day. Today, for me, it is a statement of thanksgiving and gratitude, of hope and possibilities.

I start a new job today. I know it will be full of trials and adversity as is any job. It is also an opportunity to make a difference. To learn. To do new things and improve on old ones. To stretch and to grow. To dream dreams.

My youngest starts a new adventure in college. Certainly a time of hope and dreams and also a time of trials and adversity. A time to meet new people and work on relationships with old friends in different ways. Maybe a time to meet the woman of his dreams and a time to decide on how to begin his life as an independent adult.

My oldest begins her 3rd year of college. Her transition to being an independent adult is getting closer. She is already gaining confidence in her relationships and now starting to look at the days ahead of going to work. She took a job at school this year that will be great for her, will test her and will stretch her. She makes me so very proud and she keeps doing new things that keep the pride swelling. I tell her from time to time that I am thankful God let me be her dad because I aspire to be more like her. Strong. Determined. Sweet-hearted.

A day to reflect on a weekend that offered some trials and offered lots of hope and growth and opened the door to new people in my life. As I am continuing to create a new life with my VSW, we bump into some old bags from our past. I look forward to the day when we have thrown all the bags out but as I reflect today, I see all the joy that comes from the victory in working together to start tossing the bags and the hope I have for how wonderful the future will be. I have the joy of hope that I do because I see how we tackle the challenges that come our way. We are not perfect at it (yet) but we work through it in our own ways. I see a day coming when our own ways become our together ways and know that will be a wonderful time. I want a relationship that people tell stories about because there is richness to share and I believe God has placed a woman in my path that makes those stories possible. How awesome is that?

I have never been filled with more hope than I am today. A job that probably won’t be my last and will provide until it is time to take another step. A son that is in an incredible time of transition. A daughter who is in the latter stages of her transition. And a woman, a VSW, who fills me up with the hope and dreams of what a relationship can and will look like when people are committed to pushing through together. Wow! What a day!!

James 1:4. I look forward to becoming more mature and more complete. I am ready for it with my job, my children and my VSW. Wow!! What a day!!!

Grace and peace.

Memories

22 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in Allelon, beauty, God, healing, hurt, pain, sabbath

≈ Leave a comment

This ain’t a great day for me. Last night I kept thinking about where I was on the same date many years ago and things I had done on this date. The memories bring smiles and they bring tears. var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

Last year at this time I was at ACU meeting some of the coolest kids I’ve ever met. Allelon is their website I’m familiar with. I’m not sure it’s still the one they use but check it out. It was a day that kept change in my life active.

My son. Baseball. This weekend. I. Can’t. Wait.

Did I mention the Rangers look like they are headed back to the playoffs? Good stuff.

I hope to do a better job living in what God has given me instead of spending too much time thinking about what Satan has taken away. I’ve got so much more from God, so much promise and true hope, so much unconditional love and acceptance for who I am, warts and all. I want to be better at being open to his presence in my life, every moment of it. I want to be confident in my walk with him even when people don’t understand it, I want to enjoy sabbath time with him even when events, people and my desires want to pull me one way or another, I want to have peace in my time of healing even as my head tells me to press ahead and go places I know deep down my heart isn’t ready for. I want to walk side-by-side with God instead of trying to make my own way in the world. I’ve done it well at times and when I do, there is a beauty to my life that I can’t describe. It’s where I want to be.

Grace and peace to you.

Talking About God

15 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in God, talking God

≈ 1 Comment

My conversations have long been filled with sports, money, sports, girls and more sports. And hunting and fishing.

Lately, I find my conversations are filled with more talk about God. The odd part is that most of the conversations are with people I often spent time talking about sports, money, sports, girls, more sports, hunting and fishing. And NASCAR.

Why are we talking about God so much? Well, the one thing we all seem to have in common is that something bad has come into our life and we finally reached a place where we had to be authentic, transparent, real with each other and we quit thinking we could hide from God and have started bringing him into our conversations as well as our lives.

I spent part of Sunday afternoon talking with a new friend about God and the journey we were on and would have sat there for hours if time would have allowed. I spent lunch on Tuesday talking with another friend and co-worker about God and discussing the revelations we both had as we read The Shack. I sat on the porch of a house on Saturday talking with two of my dearest friends about something God is leading us to and how we are finding ways to go about answering the call.

The talk is richer than all that other stuff, deeper than all of that other stuff, more rewarding and fulfilling than all that other stuff.

I try to say as little as possible but if you want to get me talking, bring up God. It’s my most favorite topic.

Grace and peace to you.

I doI honvar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

Rocky Mountain High

08 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in Colorado, God, sabbath

≈ Leave a comment

I love the Rocky Mountains. I always feel closer to God when I’m in the mountains and it’s not just the altitude but the beauty of his creation that comes to life for me. There’s nothing I like more than standing in a river and taking in the creation around me. The week I spend here is my sabbath rest, certainly not how God may have intended it but it is the one time each year where I shut down and let the cares of the world float away.

Ivar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}
I am looking forward to a week of rest and a week of getting closer to God. Open my heart, Lord.

EDIT: I had written the above post before leaving. While traveling on Thursday and listening to the Rangers game, I was aware of the fan falling over the railing when it happened. I was saddened to learn later the man had passed away. He was attending the game with his young son according to reports. I cannot imagine the effect this might have on Josh Hamilton who had tossed the ball to the man that he reached out for and fell. I read a report where Oakland pitcher Brad Ziegler was in tears after the game after watching the incident from the visitors bullpen.

I cherish the moments I have with my children and this incident is a reminder that those can be gone in the blink of an eye. I will enjoy this week with my son and cannot wait until I can hug my beautiful daughter next Saturday.
Ivar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

More Chan Man

02 Thursday Sep 2010

Posted by Seeking Peace in Chan, Crazy Love, God, Prayer

≈ Leave a comment

We started talking about ideas offered in the book Crazy Love by Frances Chan in class last night. Thinking about it has re-energized my mind and heart for how I want to serve God and live in His will for me. In the video clip we watched tonight, Chan talked about our prayer life and how we approach God – whether it be routine or whether we are blown away each time we come in the presence of God to talk to Him. He related how, after reading Revelations 4, it stopped him and humbled him before talking to God and got him thinking, “when I come into the presence of God, what will be the first thing I want to say?” Think about it. We sometimes talk about the questions we want to ask but what will really happen when we approach the presence of God, the Creator of the world, the Author of life, the Healer, the Savior.

Wvar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}
If you haven’t read Crazy Love I can only ask why. It will challenge the strongest Christian to draw nearer to God, to reassess their life and the path they are walking.

Wvar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}
Grace and peace to you.
Wvar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

The Evil Men (and Women) Do

18 Wednesday Aug 2010

Posted by Seeking Peace in Evil, God, Light, Son

≈ 2 Comments

I removed the gadget on my blog that shows my followers because a naked lady appeared in one. I don’t know how long she was there because I seldom look at it but I do appreciate the reader who told me about (thanks MY!).

It’s sad that something I started to be helpful to me can be turned around and used for evil. The Internet is full of pictures, videos, stories and many other things that are used to draw people in to Satan’s trap. How I know it all too well. It’s bad enough that people start their own porn sites but when they start abusing the space of others who want nothing to do with their mess, it becomes more frustrating.

I had a great lunch today with a new friend and we discussed what must happen to Satan and his forces when people praise the name of God in the midst of their sufferings, how they must be confused and maddened at the same time. My friend went on to say that he also thinks about the heavenly hosts, that they likely stand and salute the one who is praising God’s name in their suffering, how they must shout cheers of victory. When I think about it like that, it makes me want to strive even harder to glorify the name of God in the midst of evil, in the midst of suffering, in the midst of the things that are being done to tear me down.

God, I praise you in this space. I praise you before the people who read this. I praise you before the ones who would try to infest this space with evil. I praise you before the one who wants to fill people with sadness, doubt and to steal their hope. I praise you because you have prepared a banquet for me and for others who use this space and the words here to draw closer to you. I praise you because you are alive in my mind and in my heart and give me words to put in blank places that might touch one heart you know that needs to hear it. I praise you because you love me for all that I am – fallen, sinful, hurting. I praise you because you have a vision of who I will be by following your desire for me – a light in the darkness, a hand to help someone up, a son of yours, a son of the great and almighty God.

Grace and peace to you.