Category Archives: Just a Thought

Ever have one of those moments where you forget what you were doing?  Then, you have to go back and retrace your steps and hope that same thought will make its way back through the confusion, to the forefront of your mind.  I meet people every day that have forgotten the truths of Christianity.  They started out on a great path, but somewhere along the way, they forgot what they were doing.  One of these truths is the reality of Satan and the presence of his attacks.  This was brought to my attention as I visited with a young man who is getting baptized this Sunday.  I am thrilled that we will be able to celebrate Easter with two baptisms this Sunday!

I sat down with him last week to visit with him and make sure he understood the decision he had made and why he was getting baptized.  I can honestly say this young man knows what he is doing and has experiences the salvation that only comes through Christ.  It was a great visit that got very interesting at the end.  I asked him if he wanted to pray, and tears filled his eyes.  I asked him what was wrong and it took him several minutes to be able to tell me.  After several broken words and tries, he finally said, “Every time I pray, Satan comes and tells God, ‘you can’t talk to him, he is mine.'”  We talked and prayed, and then did it several more times.

Somewhere along the way, we forgot that we were at war.  This is not an option, but the reality of our spiritual life.  When we are saved, we switch sides and start playing on the opposing team.  Satan is real; we have a real enemy; we are in a battle.  Ephesians 6 is very clear about this reality.  Have you forgotten?  Do you need to retrace the steps of your spiritual journey and refresh your memory about the battle at hand?  Join us this Sunday as we celebrate victory, Easter.

  It is amazing to me how many prayers are offered each day.  So far, through the birth of Levi, there have been thousands of prayers for him, and for us.  I looked at the stats of the blog, and yesterday alone there were well over 1,000 different people who looked at our updates. 

  Coming on these trips, visiting Akron Children’s, and now meeting some of the other parents in the Special Care Nursery has made me awestruck at the power of God, and the amazing things that happen when God’s people pray.  It breaks my heart as I see children that have no human advocate going to the throne for them.  I pray that a believing nurse is sent to take care of them, that the other believers in the room will lift up these children, or that church groups in the area have adopted these kids (even if it is not by name) and placed them on their prayer list. 

  We are going to feed again in the next hour.  Levi has two neighbors in the nursery, Evan and Lily.  They are both pre-mature babies that are a little over 2 pounds each.  They have a long stay ahead of them.  Even if it is just through prayer, pray that we will continue to have opportunities to impact these families and point them to the God that is able to see them through these situations.

  It is funny how we get caught up in life and forget to remember the great things God has done.  I was reminded of this while reading Judges.  We had a great week.  It has been about a year since I quit working full-time at the grocery  store.  When we did this, Amy and I lost our insurance.  We still have coverage for the kids, and now Amy, since she is pregnant, but I have been 1 year without.  In that one year, God has sustained and I have not had to go to the doctor once!  God sustains!

  Then, Sunday morning we had a visitor.  This may not seem like any big deal, but listen to the story.  14 months ago we participated in “Friendship Sunday” with our association.  During the services prior we all listed lost friends to pray for and that we were going to invite to that service.  One young man was invited and ended up in a wreck that changed his life.  14 months later, after a lot of prayer, he came to visit! 

  Finally, after four and a half years of working at the grocery store, I am finished.  We are not sure what is going to happen next.  I have taken a job as a music instructor, but there are still no students.  We know that God will sustain us as he has in the past.  We are looking forward to a great year and know that He is in control!

  Take some time and think about all that God has done in your life!

It’s amazing what can happen over the course of a 24 hour period.  Look back over your day and think about things that took a drastic turn, for good or bad.  We are coming up on one of the most mind-blowing holidays of the year.  Thursday morning many of us will wake up with a renewed spirit of thankfulness.  We will spend the day with family and reflect on everything we have been given.  Some teams will celebrate victory and some will fall to defeat; and though family members will nag one another over the victory or loss, they will still be something in the air that allows them to shake it off and keep being thankful.  UNTIL . . .

Friday at exactly 12 am, all this will change.  People will turn from thankfulness and enter a store where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  The people who were previously so thankful for everything will act as though they have nothing and fight for the last iPod or iPad that is on the shelf.  All rules will be out the window and people will revert to barbaric action in order to find the special gift for that special someone (that they’re not willing to pay full price for). 

It is an amazing change that takes place over 24 hours.  To all of you that choose to brave this environment, my prayers are with you.  I will be at home in my bed.  Have a great Thanksgiving and remember the real reason you have to be thankful!

Yes, God does use our circumstances to change our view of Him to one that is more accurate, but there must be another tool used: the Bible.  If we just allow our circumstance to dictate our view, but neglect to rely on the Word of God to be the solid source, we may easily fall into another false view.  God speaks through our circumstances, but we should never let that trump the primacy of His Word.