It has been 8 days now since my lovely wife and 3 beautiful kids have been away. The biggest thing I noticed on their first day away was that my house is WAY too big for the one of me. It was like a ghost town. I wanted to stay in the basement and not think about the fact that I'm all along in this, what seemed to be, large house. So that's what I did. :) Almost. Lol.

After I got over the initial shock of being alone I started to think about what I could learn from this break from the family. One thing I found was that the quieter it was the easier it was to listen to that small voice inside of me. That voice, I believe is the Holy Spirit speaking to me. You may think that's funny or weird, but I actually believe God when he said that he was going to send a helper for us to guide us in this life.

There are so many distractions that can keep us going non-stop that we never get an opportunity to hear what God is trying to say to us. From the alarm clock in the morning to the movie that we fall asleep to at night our minds are being filled up and the voice of God has a tendency to get drowned out.

I would encourage everyone to take some time this week and be alone. I challenge you, no, I dare you to take the step and allow God to speak to you. it may take some time to know what works for you, but the point is to make the steps to get there.

We read in the Bible that Jesus himself spent lots of time alone. That's where he heard from his father God and was directed in this life.

God has a plan for your life. Grant him the time to share it with you.

Mark.

Journey to the Impossible

Moses was 80 years old before he stepped into what he was put on this earth for. We can enjoy our life and the journey we're on allowing the seed that God put in us to become the tree that He intended it to be.

Enjoy this message and learn from the life of Moses.

Click here to listen.

Reach up and touch the nose of God!!

Tonight during a worship service at church I was holding my 7 month old son in my arms. When I looked down at him he seemed to be intrigued with my nose and wouldn't stop grabbing on to it. I couldn't help but think that as he was looking up at his father, he was discovering something new and reaching out to see what it was.

I like how God calls himself our heavenly father. The bible says that as we come near to God he will come near to us. (James 4:8) It is then, when we are close to God, that we are able to see new things and reach out and try to figure out what they are and how they work in our lives.

So this week as you are getting closer to God, whether it's reading the bible or praying or however you connect with your heavenly father. I challenge you to look for something new. And if you see it then reach out and discover where it fits in your life.

Mark :)

To Get or to Give????

Last week I was driving down the road an noticed a billboard with a woman walking down the mall with about 8 bags tossed over her shoulder. I couldn't help but think about the fact that Christmas was coming up and all the shopping that comes with it. Then I started getting a little bummed about all the gifts I had to get for people and realized that soon it would be me walking in the mall with bags tossed over my shoulder.

I then stopped and realized what I was thinking. Is Christmas about getting gifts for people, or is it a time when we can enjoy the gift that God gave to us and in turn give gifts to each other?

I decided this. That this year I am not "getting" gifts for people. Instead I'm going to be "giving" gifts to friends and family. I know it almost sounds the same, but in my heart it means something completely different. It takes the focus off of me and what I need to do and puts it on the one receiving the gift. And isn't that what it's all about? Now I can enjoy my time in the malls this year because it is all about the one who is getting the gift.

I challenge you this year to do the same. Don't think about all that you have to get for others this year. Instead think about all that you get to give this year. Understanding that you are blessed enough to be a blessing to others in this great season.

God was the ultimate giver when he gave his own son for us. He had us as the recipient in mind.

Enjoy your time finding that perfect gift for those that are close to you this year.

Mark :)

4yr Old Boy Claims Heaven Is For Real!

This is a neat Story. I love hearing about stuff like this.

What do you think about it?

Allow life to provide opportunities!!

A couple of Sunday's ago in church a video like this one was shown as part of an illustration to the message. After watching I couldn't help but think how sometimes life gets in the way of our grand plan. I'm sure that when Dick and his wife were expecting their new bundle of joy it was not in their plan to have to care for him in the way they have. But we see a beautiful thing take place. They chose to not let life get in the way. Instead they let this situation in theirs lives become an opportunity for their future.

I'm not sure about you, but my life plan has taken some turns in the past. Things happen that are unexpected. That's the world we live in. Sometimes the unexpected is great and other times it comes with some challenges. The beauty is that we get to choose whether the unexpected brings us down or propels us into a new life.

So let's allow life to provide opportunities for us and then take them with the strength that we have.

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Partnership with God!!

I've been thinking lately about the privilege we have to be in partnership with God.

It is nice to say that Jesus provided a great life for us by dying on the cross, but what does that mean in my day to day activities? What is it that I have to do? Where do I fit in this thing we call life?

If you look at the story of the Israelites when they went to capture the city of Jericho (Joshua 6), we find that there is a definite partnership between them and God.

In verse 2 God said that he had given the city to them. It was already done in God's mind. It would be easy for the the Israelites to relax at this point and not do anything. Why would they have to? God said he had given them the city. Wouldn't it make sense to just wait around for it to happen.

But wait, at this point in the story Jericho was not inhabited by Israel. They were still on the outside of the city walls and did not physically have possession of the city.

That is where the partnership comes in and we get to see the beauty of God working on their behalf. As we continue in the story, we see that God gave the Israelites a set of instructions to follow and when they did those things we saw God do a miracle in their lives. The walls of Jericho fell to the ground and the Israelites were able to take the city.

Our lives are quit similar. For example in John 10:10 we see that Jesus came to give us life and life more abundant. I would say that there are times in our lives that we do not feel like we are living in abundant life. Yet that is the promise that Jesus says to us.

This is where we get to experience the partnership like the Israelites. We have the blessing of being able to have a relationship with God through Jesus and with that He will give us instructions to help us through life. It is when we follow Him this way that we will begin to see miracles in our own lives.

And then we will all have our own story we can use in witnessing to people. We can all be great witnesses of what God has done in our lives.

Enjoy what God has for you today!!!!!!!

Mark