One of the amazing things God is doing right now for me is the fact I started Graduate School in August of last year.  This started out as part of my candidacy for ministry but really has become my passion.  God has lead my heart to something that I truly love.  The good part is that it fills most of what ministry was going to do in my life, help people.  I will be done in May of 2014 and will be licensed as a counselor later that year.  At least that is my goal.  I would appreciate any and all prayers as it will take all of God’s grace to get me through it I’m afraid.

As far as the rest of my family is concerned, my daughter is growing up fast and will be starting kindergarten in the fall.  The reason I mention that is because we have been researching and looking into private schools in the area to place her in.  This is a very time consuming process.  One that shouldn’t be taken lightly.  We think we have found a great place and, pending her acceptace, we will place her there.  It is a Christian Academy with the highest standards, that I can afford anyway………Just filling out applications to these private schools is a full weekend job.  However, I am grateful and blessed to be able to place my daughter in such a good school.  I hope I never take for granted all the blessings in my life.  Unfortunately, I do that daily.

Again, I am sorry for not posting in so long.  I hope that there will not be a  break this long in the future.  Please stick around and contact me if you have any concerns or if I can be of assistance in any way.  Thanks so much for reading and subscribing.  God bless.

There is not a force on this earth that can stop the power of the ocean.  We have seen its power recently with Irene.  You pile sand bags a mile high, and if the ocean so chooses, they don’t stand a chance.  Man can build levies to protect cities, but they don’t stand a chance.  We are not in control as much as we pretend we are.  Scripture shows us the powerful hand of God many times.  All the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the list goes on.  So, standing on the shore, here is where I can feel close to the power and majesty of God.  Here is where you can look out to the horizon and see that you are small, and God is big.

I have had the opportunity to wake up to a view of the ocean many times in my life.  When I was a child my family spent many summers in Gulf Shores, AL.  While technically not the ocean, it works for me.  The picture of the ocean, particularly at sunrise is most certainly awe inspiring.  You look out and you see gentle waves stretching toward shore.  The birds float on the gulf breeze with ease.  This is the picture God created.  So, if this is what He created, can you imagine the beauty of seeing His face?  How marvelous must it be to see the light beaming off of His face much the same as the sun light shines off the ocean.  The beauty of the ocean is never ending.  You can travel the whole earth on water and make it back to where you started.  Here is where God and the ocean are the same.  God never ends; He never has to stop for anything.  The beauty of God and the ocean goes on forever.

Anywhere we are to stand on dry ground is made possible because the ocean allows it to be so.  Think about it.  There is enough water in all the oceans of the earth to cover all the land that is on the earth.  All the ocean would have to do is break its banks.  We have already said there is nothing that man can do to stop the ocean.  So, we are at its mercy.  However, the ocean shows us its grace by staying in its banks.  It doesn’t want to cause trouble.  It is here for us, not against us.  The ocean will and does show its mighty hand but the majority of the time it extends a hand of grace out to us.  God is much the same way.  He doesn’t want to be a vengeful God.  He does show His power, but for the most part He wants nothing but peace for His children.

It might be a stretch to consider the ocean like God, but I feel closer to God when I am on the coast more than any other time.  All because of the combination of feeling power through the roaring waves, seeing its vastness past the horizon, and knowing that the champagne shore is  its gentle hand extending out to us, telling us that it’s okay to trust it.  We can use it to support life.  Humans for generations have used the ocean as a means to survive.  I hope that humanity continues to use God’s great ocean in that manner.  I also hope that through the ocean we can all find our place with God.

All of these are the reasons that my wife and I were anxious and excited about getting our daughter into camping. We love it so much that we would be devastated if she did not enjoy it. Like most things in life, the only way for us to find out if our almost four year old liked camping was to jump right in. So, as a surprise for my wife and daughter I got a camp site at Monte Sano State Park. I got everything setup and ready to go and then told them to meet me up on the mountain at the park. It didn’t take long for me to know how my daughter was going to like it. As soon as she climbed out of the car, her face was in full amazement. That is when I knew, she was a camper. The weekend went well and she didn’t want to leave when we had to pack up. This is now going to become a family tradition. (I love those)

While I am on camping, I want to share with you the last thing that, to me, makes camping great. To camp normally means that you leave many of the “comfort” items you use at home, well, at home. You get to shed the pull of your cell phone, the hum of the air conditioner and stand in the presence of God; after all, it is His creation. Spending time outside in the middle of nature is like getting a big hug from the Almighty. The clarity of His voice is something to be marveled. The sound of all the creatures that He created just so this whole planet could work the way it is suppose to still amazes me. Out here is where God lives; outside is where God does His greatest work. For me it is almost impossible to hear God through all the clatter of my every day. I need times like these to remember exactly what it is God has called me and also my family to do.
I encourage you to go camping. Especially if you find yourself lost and in need of some words from God. Turn off your smart phone and leave your laptop in its bag. You don’t need those things to get closer to God. Being surrounded by God is the best way to hear His still small voice. Come and let God fill you up so that you can go back to your everyday refreshed with a new purpose and direction.

Much like your nice sports car needs fresh air to stay running correctly, we need fresh air for our spiritual life to remain healthy. Spiritually speaking, fresh air can come in a few different forms. The easiest might be to take fresh air literally. Get outside! When we leave the confines of our air conditioned existence we are able to completely surround ourselves with God’s presence. Just take a walk in the evening and listen to the animals. Here in the south you can hear the cicadas buzzing away. All of that is God. You can stock up on Holy fresh air. So, after you finish this blog post, go outside. Breathe the air but first we must check on our filter.

All that fresh air must travel through the air filter in order to reach the engine. We all know that it won’t do much good if that filter is dirty and stained. In our spiritual lives we have our actions or our thought process as our filter. It can become dirty, clogged with negativity and sinful thoughts. Much like a re-chargeable air filter, we must be washed. Every day we need to be bathed in the Word. The Word will wash all the sin and dirt away. If you have skipped this crucial step in last several days, months, or years don’t worry. It doesn’t matter what kind of dirt or sin is keeping that Holy fresh air from getting inside, the Word can wash anything away.

After you have cleaned that re-chargeable air filter, your next step is to oil it. That way the dirt is less likely to stick and stop the air flow. Here is where our spiritual lives need community. That fellowship and community creates a barrier that sin has a hard time sticking to. It is less likely to cloud our judgment and affect our decisions. You will find that a community gets together and makes the job of bathing in the Word a joint effort. We should never be left to keep this maintenance up alone.

I hope this has shown you how important “fresh air” is for your car and your spiritual life. Our faith needs maintenance; make sure you don’t neglect it. If you find yourself stranded on the side of the road right now, looking for mercy from a stranger, I challenge you to pick up the Word and drown yourself in it. For losing yourself to the Word is where living begins.

Most people consider life to be a journey.  Some call it a race in which to be won.  No matter what you consider life to be, it has never promised to be easy.  Some of the things that make life difficult can be brought on by our own decisions. Working hard and obeying the golden rule generally keep you out of most journey’s hardships.   Perhaps that is why Brent Berkshire couldn’t believe what his journey had handed him.

Growing up Brent was  a good kid.  He made decent grades in school and grew up in a traditional American house, the one with 2.2 kids, a house, and a pet.  He managed to keep his nose clean and always found a sense of peace in the traditional Christian way.  He was not necessarily raised in the church so to speak, but he enjoyed it there.  Like the other aspects of his life, he kept his faith on a low profile and managed to never take anything for granted. He was certain he had things easier than some.  He was able to talk to both of his parents, if he ever wanted to, and always had a meal on the table. Even not being close to his parents was okay for him, less emotional that way.

Now twenty-six and married his faith has grown and he strives to keep faith a priority in his family’s life.  He has  worked hard in his chosen career and has been given a great opportunity at a locally owned small business.  Things were shaping up nicely.  So they appeared.

One February morning, Brent was in his office finishing up a review on his company’s financial reports when his journey took a major detour.  The phone rang and Brent noticed it was his mother.  He thought about not answering it, normally the call would be about what family dinner was planned and on what night, but he picked up anyway. His mother was frantic, his father hadn’t come home last night and she had just spoken to him on the phone; he was in jail. She told Brent to call his father’s attorney to get all the information about what was happening. Brent quickly called the attorney’s office, never giving much thought to why his father actually had an attorney.  What the attorney told Brent changed everything he knew about his father and the life that he had provided.

What follows will change what the role of father means to Brent and how he associates it with his faith.  With Brent’s father serving a long prison sentence, Brent will have no choice but to turn to the only Father he really needs.  Brent will use the strength given to him by his heavenly Father to piece together some mysteries from the past and patch together what is left of his mother and sister’s lives.  Remember, God never said your journey would be easy, He said that He would never leave you.

Alabama is a special place.  I have been to many other states and I can tell you that you won’t find another like Alabama.  We have a way of getting things done; we also have a way about having fun.  We know what hard work can get us and and we know how important spending time with family has become.  On April 27, 2011 Alabama, including Huntsville was rocked by tornadoes.  We had around 95 tornado warnings go out in the matter of 12 hours.  The families that work hard and play hard, the ones that built this city and state, have lost much.

In Tuscaloosa, home of the Crimson Tide, there was an EF-5 that ripped through downtown.  Alabama and other states lost sons and daughters that day.  While the pride of Alabama is still here, we were bruised and battered.

Great stories have come from this chaos.  Stories of a little girl telling her family she knew she would be okay because of the guy in white sneakers and pants told her so. I heard a couple that recently moved here from other states was in their yard crying when a news crew showed up.  They were asked if they were crying because of the damage.  They said no, we just can’t believe all these people showed up in our yard this morning and asked if they could help.

In Huntsville, my hometown, Fords Chapel UMC lost their sanctuary.  It was, I believe, the oldest in Alabama.  Church members came a day after the storm to survey the damage and they found stain glass scattered all over the parking lot. They found the steeple impaled on a utility poll across the street.  Hymnals were scattered like seeds. Through it all, if you scan the news articles online about this storm, you will find story after story about strangers helping each other, no questions asked. Chainsaws being used without a thought of payment.

I know from scripture that God uses all things to His glory.  I know that this tragedy in Alabama will be no different.  I am only asking you to please take a moment for the next several months to pray for the people that have lost so much. Donate what you can in the form of service hours or money.  I will have links at the bottom of the page to make that easy.  Alabama will heal.  Will you help us?

Help Tuscaloosa Schools

Huntsville News Site includes multiple links for donations

Pledge time to Volunteer

American Red Cross

To me this book is a very slow read, almost choppy at times.  It never seems to catch a rhythm.  With writing mechanics aside, the ideas in the book are a little far off for me.  As someone who has spent many years as a corporate accountant I can tell you real business doesn’t happen the way it is presented in this book.  I could gather together a hundred companies founded on Christian Principals and tell you how they are doing.  However, is it because of those principals?  It’s anyone’s guess.  If you want to know how well a company is following the teaches of Christ, ask the employees.  The idea that Christian Principals and Corporate America can remain in harmony is ridiculous.  Even the example Mr. Malloch uses of Tyson Foods; yes he never had any federal charges stand, but Mr. Malloch blowing off the loss of a civil suit as a media blitz is laughable.

In order to maintain the insatiable hunger of shareholders you must maintain a certain level of greed.  Greed is certainly not part of Christ’s plan. Greed makes you do things that are not in the best interest of your neighbor.  Sorry, this book was not written about the real Corporate America that I know and have been a part of.

This book was given to me by the publisher to review on Booksneeze.com