I hate to say it…

Hello friends,

I have a sad announcement to make.  Due to a conflict within my household, I am going to stop blogging.  I do not know how long I will be away from this, I hope not for long.  This is a decision made out of honor and respect for my wife, so if there is a change in her feelings towards this then I will be back.  I know that I will definitely not be posting though I will probably be swinging by everyone’s blogs to see how everyone is doing every once in a while.

I will continue to keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers as I would ask everyone to do for me.  Please pray with me for my family, my son (due to make his entrance into the world in May), and that Margaret would come to know the Lord personally.

One last thought I would like to leave with everyone is the necessity of dieing to our own selves.  Only when we give our lives over to the Lord can we exist in our daily lives without bitterness but in love.  He has been working on that in me over the past day or so and I wanted to pass that on to all of you.

I look forward to meeting all of you someday, whether it be here on this earth or the next one.  I love you all and will miss you!

 

My New Favorite Song

I heard this for the first time tonight, it is off of Matthew West’s new album… er CD, Something To Say.

“Stop The World” Lyrics	[edit]
by Matthew West | from the album Something to Say

The TV is talking
The telephone’s ringing
The lights are all on and the radio’s screaming
A million distractions are stealing my heart from You
I’m tired and empty
This life is relentless
It weakens my knees and breaks my defenses
It’s wearing me down and I’m desperate to hear from You

Stop the world I wanna get out
I need an escape away from this crowd
Just to hear You speak to me

I need to be still before I make a move
I need to be humble with nothing to prove
I need Your Word to show me the truth
And I need time, precious time

Stop the world I wanna get out
I need an escape away from this crowd
Just to hear You speak to me

Stop the world I’m ready to listen
Show me sign, give me a vision of Heaven
I can hold on to
Stop the world I need some time with You

Before I can find my voice
I need to hear Your voice above all the senseless noise

Wow, that really hit me! I heard it for the first time driving home from work and then I walk in the house with the dogs barking and jumping on me, my wife firing off a list of things that she was wondering if I did today and some ridiculous rock star matchmaking game on MTV giving off so much annoying noise that my fillings were burning.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my dogs, I love my wife and I am thankful for my television and AV system. But, I wish there was safety for my battered and overwhelmed senses in my home when I get out of the hail of the workday! ;-P

My job is to design and sell kitchen cabinetry in Fairfield County, CT. This is a place that takes ‘Keeping Up With The Jones’ to a whole new level!  I deal with admitted extravagance on a daily basis.  Watching people that don’t cook and eat out every night but drop $100,000 on a new kitchen makes my heart hurt and I see it all the time.  This is the place I live and work.  All I want from time to time is some time to make my time with the Lord a little easier to concentrate on!  Now, I firmly believe that if my quiet time were an easy thing then that means that the Devil isn’t pricked by my prayers at all, so that is one consolation.

I do miss the ‘greenhouse’ times I had when in training to enter missions, but, we shouldn’t always be on the mountaintop either.  What good does it do if no one sees the other Life that lives within each of us?

I guess what I would like to hear about is two-fold…

- The first part, I would like to hear about a song that inspires you in whatever you do.

- The second part, what do you think about the idea of having a ‘quiet time’ with God?  Do you have it?  When is your time of day?

 

So, this is so that everyone can see my ‘kids’

Well, while I am waiting for the real kid to get here in May, these are my wife and my present kids…

So, this is Lissie, our Newfoundland, stretched out on the couch.

 And this is Josie, our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, homing in on a nap.

 

 

Okay, so here it goes…

So the sermon this past Sunday, as I already said was about finding God’s Will for Your Life. It is actually the start of a series that will be centered on 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 (you know what is sad, my spell check just highlighted Thessalonians).

Anyway, this introductory week basically introduced us to three different types of God’s will.

Providential - The all-encompassing plan that God has in store for the Universe and everything in it.

Proclaimed - The directives and expectations that have been laid out in the Word, what God expects generally from His people.

Personal - The actual plan that God has in store for any of our individual lives.

Now part of the big point this week was we come from on a regular basis…”Oh, God, I need to know what You have in store for my day today/ or what I am to do with this career option/ or what am I to do with this relationship that I am in?”

Stop!!!

We are all ready to drop our paths at God’s feet first thing. That should be last! A lot of people (myself included) have been in a situation and immediately run to God to try and figure it out without examining how we are living the rest of our lives.

These are two examples given by my pastor yesterday…

“Oh God, I need an answer as to whether I should take my romantic relationship to the next level? God’s answer… “You are already living together, out of wedlock, in violation of what I have asked in how you conduct yourselves and now you want to know what you should do? Get that living together thing right first, then come back and ask Me!”

“Oh God, I have this $10,000, unexpected windfall, what should I do with it? God’s answer… “You never tithe as I have asked and now you want insider tips on finances? Get the tithing part right first and then ask Me about your stewardship of the rest!”

How many times have I been outside God’s will and searched Him for an answer, too many!

Our sermon was closed with this…

First, TRUST in God’s Providential Will for us.

Second, OBEY God’s Proclaimed Will for us.

Then, and only then, Ask of God’s personal will for each of us.

 

A Fantastic Day

Well, yesterday was a great day, and no this is not going to be a Super Bowl post, though that was one of the best games that I recall in quite a few years.

See, I got the chance to go to church yesterday, which, due to life getting in the way, I had not gotten a chance to go in about two months.  I have been having alot of questions recently on God’s will for my life, whether it be work or my homelife.  Well, of course when I finally get back to church, our pastor is starting a sermon series on God’s Will for our Lives!  Funny how that works, hunh?  We just need to keep our eyes and ears open people, God wants to help us always, we just have to be available.

 On top of that little answer to prayer it was just so good to catch up with my Brothers and Sisters.  I take for granted sometimes, that not only are we told to meet with our brethren in the faith, but, the uplifting that goes on when we all gather together.

Just wanted to throw out that little note, I think I am actually going to post later some of the details from the message, I think it might help to lift some others as well as helping me out with my life.

 

Book meme

Okay, I was tagged by my friend Tam so here we go… 

Book meme:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4.Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people.

 

Okay, the book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

 

“But do not imagine that he is always here so often. It is on your account that he has been so frequently invited this week.  You know my mother’s ideas as to the necessity of constant company for her friends.

 

Okay, before anyone gets any smart ideas about the book I chose.  My process of elimination was I told myself that I would pick the rightmost book on my bottom bookshelf behind me.

 

Okay, and as for 5 people to tag…  I don’t think I have that many friends! haha  Wait, there are three on my blogroll that you guys haven’t touched yet, lol

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