Living For Eternity

 “A Kingdom centered life is more about how you live than what you do for a living.”

I have had a lot of time to think about this statement over the last few years.  With a background in the construction industry I have been a victim of the economy and have found myself “under”-employed.  In the past several years I have been a building products salesman, trim carpenter, handyman, thrift-store manager, GED teacher, teacher of my kids, supporter of my wife’s job, minister and writer.  As a man, it is sometimes difficult because so much of our identity is wrapped up in what we do for a living.  Indeed, we spend most of our waking hours at hour jobs, so when you don’t have a job or have a job that is less than what you had hoped for it can leave you feeling slightly inadequate.

Then you think about the statement above:  a Kingdom centered life is more about how you live than what you do for a living. 

I firmly believe that the things I do on this earth are mere preparation for my life in eternity.  Everything I do (or don’t do) here makes ripples in the ocean of eternity.  That is why it is so important to focus on the Kingdom of God and what impact you can have on the eternal things. 

For this reason, whether I am working or not, I can impact people for Christ.  In fact, my attitude and demeanor when I am not working can speak volumes about my relationship with Him.  Doing carpentry work I am exposed to different people almost every week.  I have an opportunity to show Jesus to them through my life and then often times I never see them again.  I have to trust that the Holy Spirit will work on their hearts and some other believer somewhere will be instrumental in the Harvest of their soul.  As a teacher, every ten weeks I am exposed to a new group of people.  I have an opportunity there to live my life in such a way that they see Jesus in me.  It is not something I take lightly. 

My desire for my life is to serve God in some capacity of full time Christian ministry.  For whatever reason He has me stuck firmly where I am.  As difficult as 2010 was, my family and I were taken care of every day and our basic needs were met.

As you go through the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, focus on this one thing.  As Christ-followers, we are all placed in positions where we can do the most good for those around us.  We have to simply be obedient to the Spirit’s leading and show Jesus to those we meet. 

Father, help me to be content to labor where you have placed me.  Help me to never miss an opportunity to share the love you have shown me.  Give me peace and joy in the simple things that last for eternity and help me to thrive where you have placed me.

The Habit of Faith

I was reading today’s devotion from Streams in the Desert and I came across the turn of phrase: the habit of faith.  Something within them resonated with me.  Perhaps it is because the word habit is usually associated with the negative adjective “bad” in front of it.  For example, the bad habit of biting your fingernails, or chewing with your mouth open or following the slow driver in the fast lane too closely. 

What struck me about this is that habits can be good too.  What is a habit anyway?

Habit:  a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. 

So the question is this:  Is your faith a habit?  Is it a regular practice? Is it hard to give up?  Or as is so often the case do you flee your faith when the going gets tough? 

The lesson to be learned here is that a habit takes time, energy and effort to attain.  This is perhaps more true for a good habit than a bad one.  If your faith seems shaky and not in the habit category, perhaps you need to spend a little time on developing it.  Regular time in the Word, listening to what God has said to others and what He wants to say to you is a good start.  Working through your trials with a prayerful heart is another way to develop your habit.

Remember, any habit that has God as its obsession is a good thing.  It will be what you turn to automatically when you need it.  Your habit of faith will sustain you as you rely solely on the One that is sufficient to meet your deepest needs.  

 

 

Out of Control, Into His Hands

As I sit here writing this it is Monday morning---the graphic on the news is calling it “Winter Weather Watch 2011” or some other important sounding title.  Last night I watched on the news as people slipped and slid in their cars on snow-coated streets. In every sense of the phrase they were out of control. 

It made me think of the sermon series Unexplainable.  I believe that one of the first things necessary for God to do an unexplainable work in our life is for us to let go and allow ourselves to be out of control.  Of course, for most of us this is difficult to do. We like to have everything precisely under our control.  This explains our dependence of schedules, calendars, and routines. 

The problem is when we have everything under control; we have squeezed God out of the picture.  In essence, when we are in control of our lives, He can’t be.  God is not going to come in like an over-bearing relative and wrench the wheel from our hands.  He is going to let us drive and let us go where we want to go.  When we get there we shouldn’t be surprised that nothing unexplainable happened.  After all, how could it?  We effectively stunted the possibility when we retained control. 

My Pastor, Ronnie, made the statement that we want the unexplainable, but don’t put ourselves in the place to allow God to make unexplainable things happen.  We have such an opportunity before us over the next 11 days.  

Fasting is an opportunity to relinquish control and let God move in our lives.  It is a time when every pang of hunger can push us to the Lord in prayer.  It is a way to allow ourselves to be nourished on the Word of the Lord and to be sustained by the presence of the Spirit.  When we fast we are giving up control of something we often turn to for comfort. 

Remember this: as we presumably give up control for the next 11 days in reality we are merely handing over control to the One that should have it all along.  We are giving Him the opportunity to right our course, steer us through the slippery and treacherous parts of life and to guide us safely to the destination that He has prepared for us.  Keep that in mind through the days ahead and allow God to work the Unexplainable in you.

Where Is The Urgency?

Hello faithful followers. It's me again. So this title is pretty funny coming from a guy who hasn't written anything this month, but I started listening to a sermon series by David Jeremiah on Heaven and it got me thinking.

Consider these statistics:
Worldwide, 3 people die every second.
That equates to 180 every minute,
11,000 every hour
and around 250,000 people dying every day.

So again I ask myself, where is the urgency. When you hear the phrase "a lost and dying world" these statistics should spring to mind and spur us to action. Unfortunately, most of us rarely think of death and dying unless someone we know has died. Even then, we often don't think about the finality of it and what it means.

The Bible says that when a person dies they will spend eternity either in Heaven with God or in Hell separated from God. Those are the only two options. The choice is made here on earth and it has eternal ramifications.

What struck me was my own lack of urgency in letting those I interact with each day know that time is short and we don't know when we will die. Today is Wednesday. As I relate how my day went think about how many people I interacted with today. First thing this morning, I went to Home Depot to get some materials for a job I am finishing. I passed a cashier I see several times a week, the guy in the millwork department, a guy that always is cleaning the floors, and a different cashier to check out. After that, I ran by Chick-Fil-A and got breakfast for my wife and kids; I went through the drive through so I only talked to one guy. Then I went to Starbucks in a Kroger to get a cup of coffee for my wife, because I love her so much. I talked to the guy there for a few minutes about contact lenses versus glasses and how bad the pollen was this year. Next I went to my jobsite and worked until I ran out of material and had to go back to Home Depot. I ran into the electrical department guy and a lady from self checkout who, when I asked how she was doing said, 'I'm hanging in there." Then I went by QT and got a $0.49 fountain drink and said hello and goodbye to the cashier there that I have been knowing for 5 years. After I got done with work I had to run by the gas station and get gas. I then went home and changed into my "teaching" clothes and came up to school where I saw my two coworkers, several students and the security guard.

Do you know how many times I asked someone about what would happen to them when they died?

Zero.

Not one person. I probably talked to twenty-five people today and I didn't mention Jesus to one of them. Shame on me. Tonight may be the last night for someone and I didn't take time to speak to them about the most important thing in this world.

So where is my urgency?

Something needs to change within us. We need to be thinking about what is really important, not just the superficial things of this world. We need to impact others in a way that matters not just in passing superficially. I admit I don't know exactly how to make that change in myself, much less in you. All I know is that we have to be diligent in getting the word out. We have to have an urgency about the most urgent message there is.

The Easy-Going Life of the American Christian

Machete Attacks On Christian Villages Kill 500+ In Nigeria

This was the headline that grabbed my attention last night as I logged on to Yahoo to check my email.  As I read the article it detailed the attacks by the Muslim north on the Christian south.  For anyone who doesn’t know, a machete is a long bladed knife that is used primarily for clearing brush or thick growth primarily in tropical areas.  The article spoke of the killings without regard of age--children and adults--or gender--men and women.  The killers were indiscriminate---they killed Christians, regardless of who they were.

So it struck me.  What an easy-going life we American Christians have.  As I write, I am sitting in my pajamas, on the floor of my bedroom.  I just had a glass of chocolate milk (gets the creative juices flowing!)  Earlier I took a hot shower after work and had a nice hot meal that my wife fixed.  The kids are in bed and I am warm and safe in my house.  I have no fear that my door will be kicked in and my family will be dragged out into the street and killed.

It’s not a pleasant thought, is it?  Somehow, we are able to not think about these things as we go on with our lives here in comfort and peace.  We take for granted the freedom we have to worship the way we want.  We even take for granted the God we worship, because there is very little cost for us to follow Him.

I listened to a Francis Chan sermon this week.  His church supports a pastor in India.  The Indian Christians there just recently faced the same persecution, with machetes, this time from militant Hindus.  What in the world is going on? 

I believe the New Testament paints a clear picture that following Christ is not easy to do.  Indeed, it comes with a high cost.  For the first century Christians who were persecuted by Rome and unable to fit in with their Jewish heritage, Christianity was costly.  For those who follow Him in Nigeria and India, Christianity was costly.

What has Christianity cost you lately?  Does anyone even know that you are a Christian?  Ouch. The fact is it doesn't cost us much in America to be a Christian.  If we are doing it right, we should at least be experiencing a little discomfort.  Maybe we don’t swear when everyone around us does.  Maybe we have to explain why we aren’t drinking at the office party, when everyone else is.  Maybe we wonder if everyone is looking when we are at a restaurant and our 4 year old, sings, quite loudly, Father we thank you, Father we thank you, for our food, for our food, now we say the blessing, now we say the blessing, Amen. Amen.  Following Christ is a sacrifice.  Remember when He said, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must take up his cross…”  

That cross is a burden, it is difficult to bear.  Somehow though I think that the ones in Nigeria and India that lost their lives in a horrific way are now standing face to face with Jesus.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the day will come when we must stand up and admit that we are a Christian or deny it for our own sake.  I hope when that day comes, we will be ready to do what is necessary, for the One who did what was necessary to make us His own.              

 

THE INNKEEPERS TALE--A Different Kind of Christmas Story

It’s amazing to think how a night so seemingly ordinary could be filled with such wonder and adoration.  How could the most magnificent and important birth in all of human history take place in such meager and drab surroundings?  I was there, I know the story.  I saw them when they came into Bethlehem.  He was tired and worried about her.  She was weary and yet her eyes held a knowing expectation of the glory that was to come.

So who am I?  I am the innkeeper.  You have heard of me in the Bible.  I was the one that turned them away that night, having no rooms available.  All I could offer was my stable and so that’s what I did.  I knew that the woman was ready to deliver the child at any time so I gave them what I had. So sit back and relax, let’s take a journey back to Bethlehem.  It is a night that almost everyone has heard of.  It is the story of the very first Christmas. Here is my tale.  It is my brush with the SAVIOR.  It is the day that heaven came down to my inn.

That time in Bethlehem was busy to say the least.  When the decree came that all men would have to go to their place of birth to be registered, the buzz immediately began about the money to be made.  The shopkeepers, the innkeepers and the tax collectors were ready to make some extra money.  I had been booked solid for weeks when the young couple came to town. 

There were many weary travelers that had come into town but there was something about this couple.  I have never seen a man so gentle and so caring towards his wife.  And the way she looked at him, like he was her protector and yet she was also taking care of him.  And the sparkle they had in their eyes, like they held some sort of huge secret.  It all makes more sense now looking back. 

When they showed up at my door, I was tired and a little irritated at the travelers seeking a place to stay.  When the knock came, I threw open the door and before me stood a very pregnant young girl and her betrothed.  When they asked for a room I quickly snapped that there were none left here.  Then she looked up at me with those eyes that touched my soul and stirred my compassion.  I myself am a father of two girls and I would not have wanted my very pregnant daughter to have no place to sleep at night.  So I gave them all I had left, the stable where the animals slept.

The stable was small and smelled, well, like a stable, but it was dry and warmer than the Bethlehem streets.  The girl turned as they left and met my eyes with hers and smiled a smile of thanks that gave me chills.

So the young couple took their donkey and made way to the stable.  I watched them from the door between the inn and the stable.  He made her a warm place in the straw with some extra blankets he had brought and his own cloak.  The love and protection that this man felt for his wife and child was like none I had ever seen before.

I closed the door and went on about my business in the inn, tending to the guests, making sure there was wood for the fire and food for in the morning.  Little did I know what the morning would bring.

It would later come to my mind what the Scriptures foretold from the prophet Micah, “But you Bethlehem, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” (5:2) Every God-fearing Hebrew in Bethlehem was familiar with that verse.  We were all waiting for Messiah to come and deliver us from the Romans and re-establish our kingdom.   I still can’t believe the way He came and how He lived and how He died.

I awoke that night to a bright light streaming into my window.  I quickly woke my wife to show her this glorious light.  I pulled back the curtain and looked outside.  It was the dead of night and yet the sky was filled with a light brighter than a thousand suns.  Peering out further and looking up I could see a magnificent star high in the sky.  I ran outside and looked up; it looked like it was directly over the stable where the young couple was.    I ran to the door of the stable and pushed it open to see what was causing this light...

When I looked inside, it was the most beautiful sight I had seen and right then I knew.  The young girl was holding a precious infant in her arms.   Her betrothed was beside her and all around was that heavenly light.  The animals were quietly gazing at the baby.  It seemed as if all heaven was singing at this little ones birth.  Indeed, as I would soon find out, it was. 

Not long after that, a group of shepherds that had been out in the fields surrounding the city came to my stable after following the star.  They too had seen it from the fields.  What they told me next though sent chills down my spine.

For them what was a normal night watching over the flocks turned extraordinary when an angel of the Lord burst out of the sky.  The glory of the Lord was all around them and they fell to their faces afraid for their lives.  What had seemed to be several hundred years of silence from the Lord, since the days of the prophets, was to all of the sudden end with this proclamation:  “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is today in the city of David a Savior, who is CHRIST the Lord.  And there will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”  As soon as the angel had finished speaking, hundreds of angelic voices burst forth in a joyous noise, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

I could scarcely believe that the Lord would come to these men, these shepherds, first to proclaim the arrival of the Savior.  Yet here this baby was in a manger, the manger in my stable! 

As the shepherds crowded around the baby, the wonder and adulation was evident on their faces.  They knew they were in the presence of God.  They realized that they could only bow before Him in wonder, for when you are in the midst of holiness; all you can manage is to fall on your knees and lift up your hands in praise.

I stood up and peered down at the sleeping infant.  Was He the one that would be the deliverer of Israel?  Was I standing in the presence of my King? 

I could not have known then what I know now.  That those hands and feet and body would be pierced for my sins.  That he would die and spend three agonizing days separated by our sins from the presence and love of His father.  And most importantly that He would forever conquer the chains of death by rising up on the third day.

The wise men came from far away, following the star and finding the child.  They brought gifts for Him, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Most importantly though, they brought the gift of worship.  It seemed so unfitting that the King of Kings was only welcomed by us--an innkeeper in a small town, a ragtag band of shepherds, and wise men from the east.  Even as an innocent baby, we knew He deserved so much more than these humble beginnings.

They stayed with me for a while and then the father was told to take his wife and young son and flee to Egypt from the wrath of Herod.  I was forever touched by this encounter with Jesus. It truly changed my heart and my life. 

I followed His life and His ministry for the next thirty years. I heard of the miracles and the compassion showed to the multitudes.  I saw Him pick his band of disciples from the fishermen, tax collectors and tent makers.  I watched as He preached amongst the outcasts and the Pharisees.  I took His words to heart and His call to follow Him seriously.  I watched at the Passover as He was led up the hill with the cross on His battered shoulder.   I heard Him cry out to the Father on the cross in agony.  I cried as His lifeless body was lifted down and placed in a tomb.  I waited in anticipation those three days to see if what He said was true.  I stood astonished at the tomb where the stone was rolled away and the body was gone.  I rejoiced when I found out that He was alive. 

I am a very old man now and my days are coming to a close.  I can’t wait to see Him again. My God who came as a baby and lived perfectly as a man, died a criminals death and will come back as a conquering King.  I am thankful for that night in the manger, where I gave Him my best, all that I could give.  I know He knows me and will call my name when I get to Heaven.  I am forgiven and justified.  I am a simple Innkeeper.  You have heard my story of my brush with the Savior. 

What is your story?

God Knows Me?

You probably won’t be surprised to note that according to a July 2008 Gallup poll, 78% of Americans believe in God.  Other less stringent polls put that number closer to 90%.  If one believes in something then chances are they know something about that thing.  So it is safe to say that 78% of Americans probably would say they know God or at least know something about God.

But what if I told you that God knows you?

What would you say to that?  Read that statement again. 

God. Knows. You.

In Galatians 4:9, Paul writes, “So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you)…” Read the 139^th Psalm.  The fact that God knows us permeates this passage.  Most of us, though, haven’t taken comfort of the fact that God knows us.  Rather, it scares us to death.  You mean God knows about what I am watching on TV or looking at on the Internet?  God knows the way I talk to my wife and kids behind closed doors?  God knows that I am only faking it on Sunday mornings for all my church friends?  Yes, He does know all that, but that is a discussion of a whole other nature and I think we misunderstand what these verses are really referring to.  God has been misconstrued as this spiteful old man waiting to take us out when we slip up.  Sure there is sin to deal with and consequences of that sin, but nothing could be further from the truth. 

These verses refer to the amazing fact that the Maker of all things created, the One who placed all the stars in the sky and formed everything we know, has a personal interest in you.  He wants to love you the way you have never been loved.  He wants to share with you all of the riches and fullness of Himself.  He knows you, intimately, personally and passionately.  This is what it means to be known by God.  It means that you are so important to Him that He thinks about you constantly.  Psalm 139 verse 17 states, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!”  What thoughts consume you?  What do you think about all the time?  God thinks about you even more than you think about that. 

Maybe an analogy will help.  When I think of God, I think of the most awesome, amazing, supreme being that there is.  He is all-powerful, all knowing, and totally self-existent.  He doesn’t need me at all.  If I try to think of a comparison here on earth all I can come up with is an earthly king or president.  I know who the President of the United States is.  He knows that I am one of the 308,003,000 people that make up this country.  But he doesn’t know me.  He doesn’t know that I like old cars, gumbo, The Princess Bride, blue jeans and hiking boots.  He doesn’t know that I married the only girl I’ve ever kissed, honeymooned in Vancouver, broken my arm and played trumpet in middle school.  He doesn’t know that I love to write, wrestle with my kids and make great French toast.  He doesn’t know I want a log cabin in the woods someday and a place on the beach.  God knows all of that about me, and so much more.  God knows things about me that I don’t even know.  He knows the number of days I will live on this earth.  He knows His purpose for me.  He knows who will read the words I write and the impact they will have on you.  He knows my heart, my soul, my needs, my desires, my weaknesses and my future.  God knows me. 

Somehow, I take great comfort in that.  Do you know the difference between Christianity and every other major worldview?  In Christianity, I am known by God.  God is a living and vital entity.  Every other religion worships or reveres someone who is dead.  That relationship is a one-way street.  I could find lots of great dead men to worship, but they wouldn’t know me.  They would be nothing more than a picture or a statue.  God knows me.

By having a God who knows me, I can walk confidently in this world.  I can rest assured that I have purpose.  I have significance.  I am known and loved by the One who is Love.  Psalm 139:16 says, “You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”  God has left nothing to chance.  He knows you and He loves you.

God. Knows. You.

 

Does Your Life Need An Explanation?

“As Christians, we need to live our lives in a way that demands explanation.”

Let that statement sink in for a moment.  It comes with several implications.  The first is that other people pay close attention to how we live our lives.  Why do you think reality TV shows are so popular?  We are curious about other people.  You can bet that you are being watched.  Anyone who has been a Christian for a while can attest to this.  One of the main reasons people are reluctant to even say they are Christians is because most people think that Christians are hypocrites.  The second implication is that we should be different from everyone else; so different in fact that it causes people to take a second look at us.  Maybe their jaws drop and they do a double take. 

So does your life demand an explanation?  Are there things about you that cause people to question you?  Are you so radically different from everyone and everything around you that it causes others to wonder why?  Do you go against the flow?  Or do you simply blend in with the crowd, wear your cross necklace, maybe try and be kind to everyone you meet and say “God Bless America?”  Are you mired in mediocrity?  Does anyone even know you are a Christian?

We are called to be different.  Romans 12:2 says “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…” Jesus says we are to be salt and light adding flavor and illuminating the truth.  Peter says we are aliens and strangers here.  Hebrews says this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.  We should be different for although we live here on earth our citizenship is in Heaven. 

Think about this:  If you were dropped off in the middle of a country to which you had never traveled, you had no idea of the language, customs or culture, you had never tasted the food and didn’t know where anything is, would you need to explain some things to the people there?  They would notice something different about you.  So it should be with us. 

We seem to have this misconception about what the Christian life should be.  We mistakenly think that because we live in America, a “Christian” nation where most people profess a belief in God, that we are living as we should be.  I propose to you that there is a huge difference between being a Christian and being one who follows Christ.  Many of the Christians I know are content to be merely saved from hell.  They know just enough to get them in the door of heaven.  And yet their lives are virtually indistinguishable from the world around them.  Christians are merely saved from Hell; Christ-followers enter into a world at war.  Christians may get by; Christ-followers must sacrifice, take up their cross and follow Him.  And when we follow Him, He will lead us to do some strange things and make some crazy choices. 

Therein lies the demand for an explanation.  When we follow Jesus as He commands us to, we tend to stick out from the crowd.  We have to make crazy choices that tend to brand us as different.  We make sacrifices that affect our personal comfort for the well being of others.  We look at things from an eternal perspective rather than a temporal one.  We change from the selfish position of “what can this world do for me?” to “what impact can I make on this world?”  We look at people not as a means to an end, but as individuals desperate for a loving touch, the voice of hope, and a genuine sincerity.  We show them through our lives that there is something different within us, something that has been placed there by God alone.  We are new creations, we are transformed, and we are different.

It may be painful and difficult at times, this explaining and defending yourself.  It may seem to be too hard or not worth it.  But as for me, I will joyfully explain myself here to the people I meet, rather than have to attempt to defend myself before the Throne of God.  I know that I will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” not “Depart from Me, for I never knew you.”

When it is all said and done, I want my life and my legacy to speak louder than any words I have spoken, or any words I have written.  I want to be different and thereby make a difference in the lives of others.  I want to point people to Jesus, not be a stumbling block to their faith.

In the end, I want to have lived a life that demanded an explanation, because without Christ, it will have made no sense.

 

 

 

         

Are You Living On Purpose?

Words like legacy, heritage, and inheritance all have a nice ring to them, don’t they?  They imply that what you are doing and who you are matters.  They speak to our hearts because they give us purpose and direction.  They cause us to focus on taking the necessary steps to leave something behind for those that follow us. 

However, have you ever really thought about your legacy? Have you thought about what you are leaving behind?  More importantly, do you have a plan in place to leave something behind?

This is something that I have been thinking a lot about lately.  The actual definition of legacy is this:  “an amount of money or property left to someone in a will.”  If that is all my legacy will consist of then my poor kids are in big trouble!  I don’t focus on the material legacy that I will leave to my kids.  I am concerned about the legacy that lasts.  I want to know that what I have left my kids and anyone else who knows me is something that they can learn from and live by. 

The problem is this.  If I do not know exactly what kind of legacy I want to leave behind, how will I know the steps to take to put it in place and how will I know if I have succeeded once I reach the end?  It is a little like setting out on the road to take a trip and getting to Kansas City and not knowing if you were supposed to head that way or go to Portland Maine or San Diego California or Savannah GA.  So we just keep driving, because that is what we think we ought to do.  We cannot expect to get anywhere on purpose when we don’t even know where we want to go.

So the question then becomes, are you living on purpose?  By that I mean do you know where you are going? Or like so many of us do you just wake up, put one foot in front of the other all day long, come home and collapse only to do it all again tomorrow.  Its no wonder we are tired and frustrated and feel insignificant and helpless. 

So now that I have bummed you out, what exactly is the answer?

This is what I have been focusing on for myself lately.  Right now I have been asking more questions than finding answers, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  If you ask questions then at least you are seeking to get on the right path and not just blindly plod along like an old mule.  I am currently seeking a job.  My difficulty lies in what I want to do for a living and what I should be doing to serve God.  I believe I am called into vocational ministry.  However, my first go round with it ended rather abruptly and frustratingly.  (Is that even a word?)  So now I feel like my slate is clean and I can go in any direction.

That is another aside and some of you may be in the same boat.  Thanks to our economic situation, have you noticed that some of the comforts you have relied on may have been taken from you.  I sure do in my family.  Clark Howard would be proud.  We have pared out every non-necessity we can think of.  Gone are the nice new car, high-speed Internet and fancy (oh so clear) channels on cable.  Now we are left with food, utilities, rabbit ears and a house payment.  Funny how that sort of simplifies life and gives you time to think.  Its almost as if that’s what God intended for us to get our attention.    

So back to the job thing.  I have realized that I am not just seeking a job; I am seeking a way to live my life according the calling that God has placed in me. I am seeking to align my God-given passions, talents and abilities with my need as a man to provide for my family.  I am seeking to have God provide for my needs daily, because that is all we are told to focus on.  But most of all, I am seeking to leave a legacy to my family and friends that is not based on my successes and the things I leave behind, but on my character, integrity, relationships and my humility and gentleness.  That is where I stand. 

In a word, I am seeking to live life on purpose.  Whatever that may be, I am trying to pin down and clarify.  Thanks for following on the journey with me and listening to me ramble…

Stay tuned for what it means to live life on purpose and how to do it, bear with me and we will figure it out together!