A thought I have had since the passing of one of my best friends father this week is:  All the pain we experience here on earth is a constant reminder of our separation from the "realities of heaven." How gracious is God to remind us that this is not our home, and these are not our bodies,  they are just shells of what will be.  May we use these shells to the glory of God until we get to experience all heaven has to offer.

love you all,

jeff

What is God up to?

Heather like many believers want desperately to do the will of God, but often we are torn with where God would want us to go.  There are a few things about the character of God that I believe come into play when we are trying to "be all we can be" for Christ. 

         1.  My mom once told me that the ways of God are logical.  I completely disagree with that notion, and respectfully disagreed with my Mother.  For instance when he tells us to love our enemies in Matthew 5:43-48.  That is not logical in our context and for most of us is a very difficult process.  GOD IS IN THE BUSINESS OF FORMING HIMSELF IN US, a very painful process at times.  If we will allow ourselves to submit to His plan for our lives it is often going to cost us something.

       2.  The vein to finding what God wants us to do always involves faith.  Faith is where the rubber meets the road.  My buddy Jay called me a month ago and told me that his father is dying of progressive cancer, I hurt for him.  The one thing I could say to him is "it's easy to live for God when all is well, but the true test of what we believe and who we believe in, is when things everything is falling apart. "  I continued " today is the day that you put into action all that you've believed, all these years."  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." Psalms 23:4a  Here we see the true test of faith; God I trust in the good, and I trust you in the bad.  

3.  I believe the last thing is that God works on a totally different time frame than we do.  Two days ago I got hungry, I'm mean really hungry!  So I pulled off an exit to a fast food joint and filled my belly, instant gratification.  Somewhere in our humanness we believe that God works on the same time frame, and he doesn't.  Growth takes time.  I was driving through Payson Arizona and saw they were re-planting thousands of trees that had burnt down in a forest fire a few years back.  The landscape is horrific, but in 20 years it will be a beautiful forest again.  God often allows us to remain patient to show us who is really in control, and then reminds us of passages like Matthew 6:25-34.  

I have had numerous friends that tried to have kids and were unable, truly sad.  They would pray, we would pray on their behalf.  They would explore all the medical options that are available to a couple looking to conceive, nothing.  So, they give up trying and began the process of adoption, a wonderful thing, and then they get pregnant.  The first time this happened, my thought was how cool that it all worked out.  The second time it happened I started to wonder what was going on.  The third time, I saw something I hadn't seen about the character of God; we are always in the process of telling God what we want and never asking what He wants for us.  Now, I am not saying that every couple that wants a baby needs to go through this process and then they will get pregnant.  I believe there is truth in the giving up and having patience in the process of God forming himself in us.

I hope this is helpful, interact with this post and let's ask the questions that have been on your mind.

love you all,

jeff 

Walking in the Will of God

Morning all,

I loved talking with you all.  I hope what scripture had to teach yesterday revealed something to you.  I know that every time I teach I learn so much, scripture convicts my heart and pushes me to change.  

I was sorting through some old books I've had for years looking for some resources and I stumbled on this little poem.  Before I type it's contents let me explain why this poem was so meaningful to me.  When Patti, my wife, and I first started dating my parents objected saying she wasn't for me.  They come from the school that says God only chooses one person for you, and that God had told them that Patti was not the one for me.  Well, I was in love, madly in love with her and I felt in my soul that she was the one for me.  This was my freshman year of college and my parents wanted me to come home for the summer, they were in Ohio and I was in Chicago.  Of course I wanted to stay in Chicago, the coolest city in the world, but submitted to their request of coming home.  This meant I was heading right into the lions den and worst of all I was separated from Patti.

That summer was the worst summer of my life, I cannot find the words or the punctuation to communicate this to you.  I spent hours in a room with my parents while they would grill me.  The conversations usually dealt with me not submitting to them in the area of my relationship with Patti, and being a prodigal.  In the midst of this intense persecution, even though I knew they loved me and wanted to best for me, Patti sent me this poem.  

The reason for giving you this poem is that some of you might be in this phase of life where you feel "under it all" and want to give up.  Some of you have been perusing things you believe God wants you to do, and yet it's not working out the way you expected.  The conversations you have with God are frustrating and confusing.  Be confident of this, God is there and listening.  Be patient and continue to fall back on God as you risk and move.  Remember that it's through Christ that we become who we need to be, not by our own doing.  So, I hope this encourages you heart.

Walking in the Will of God

Though storms may rage and winds may blow,

I need not be cast down or awed;

Because it calms my soul to know

I'm walking in the will of God.

Although my path be dark as night,

And often fails the chastening rod;

I'm glad I walk by faith, not sight,

When walking in the will of God.

I know, whene'er I backward gaze

Upon the road that I have trod,

The sweetest way to spend one's days

Is walking in the will of God.

So, though the way be hard and long,

O'er mountain steep and vally broad,

I'll face the future with a song,

When walking in the will of God.

-Margaret K. Frazer-

 My wife, then my girlfriend, writes on the back:

When you get discouraged, keep looking at this poem.  It's a great reminder of the importance of our need to be walking in the will of God.

Hang in there Jeffy, His will, will bring strength when you obey.  Keep trusting and putting him first and he will bless you,  just has he has blessed our relationship over and over again.

I love you- P.L.

Sometimes the simplest of poems and the simplest of notes can bring to our attention some of the most profound truths.  

love you all,

jeff

A Hopeful Answer for Bob

Hey Bob,
I think you make a very good point. satisfaction is such a superficial ideal, it means a tons of different things to a lot of different people. The Bible has a tendency to say things we don't expect because often it speaks in the supernatural and we reside in the superficial. 
For instance, James 1:2-4 talks about the idea that how we deal with pain, and struggle will show the kind of joy we will have as a result of faith and endurance. Well, that is different then what our world describes as joy. If you have all the money, fame, and glory we will be happy and SATISFIED.....wrong. It's only through the struggle of working out, training, dieting, and endurance through the race that a runner gets to experience the joy and satisfaction of the finish line. It is not because he got a new pair of shoes, a cool outfit, and lot of gator aid. The race meant something to him or her because of the sacrifice. 
Complacency will never equal the supernatural joy that Christ gives. I'm a "stuff" kinda guy. I like getting anything in the mail, it makes me have a glimpse of earthly joy, but in the end I still end up wanting more. The joy and satisfaction that Christ give through the Holy Spirit is like the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1-15. You feel full, you may not have a lot of what our world says you need, and yet your full. As a result of feeling full, you have joy. As a result of having a fulfilling joy, you are truly satisfied. 
In Acts 5:41 we see something else very puzzling. We see these believers in Christ getting beat because they are proclaiming the message of Jesus, and they rejoice in it. What....? That doesn't fit into our context today and I believe it's because we have believers that think that when things are going good that means God is happy with them. When they are successful, and stress free then God is pleased with them. Then something tragic happens and their faith falls apart. What does that say about the Faith we have in our God?
I believe the only way to survive in this world as it relates to joy and being satisfied, is to see a Biblical view of what these two things are. When we look at Biblical examples of men and women stepping out in faith, we see joy, and fulfillment. Because at the end of the day they can say it was Christ in me, and Christ for me. 
I have rambled of for paragraphs and i could do hours more of writing on this subject, but i hope that i answered your questions, if not hit me back and tell me. 

Thanks for the question,
Jeff