It's almost been a year...

Well it's almost been a year since my last post...a lot of things can happen in a year...and a lot of things can stay the same! About this time last year, my wife and I decided that we were going to move our family of 16 years cross country from Rhode Island to Arizona. We both were born and raised in RI, married there, had our children there...It wasn't a job change, it wasn't a life crisis- we just felt that God was saying "move". What a strange feeling...You know, I can kind of understand how Abram felt leaving UR in his 70's to follow the voice of God. So know it's a new place, new job, and new opportunities that the Lord has me here to take! It is my prayer that God would keep my eyes wide open to the 5 million + opportunities happening around me every day...Can you see your opportunity today?

Opportunity?

I haven't updated in a while...as some of you have pointed out. Thanks for trying to shake me from my slumber. You know it really hasn't been slumber...it's been more of a hibernation. I have come to realize that opportunity is closer than you think, and sometimes it lies where you never even thought to look.

God is calling us, his children, to not only look for the opportunity to show His love in the darkness, but also in the light...I have found out that many people in the Light need to be shown His love, forgiveness, unconditional acceptance (also known as Grace) and that by doing so, the Dark will be caught off guard...

Over the past few months I have seen the tragic consequences of sin, not only in my life but in the lives of many of the people I love and hold dear. And I have seen the way sin separates the "righteous" from the "unrighteous"...and I am hear to say that I am witness to the scripture that states that our righteousness is like dirty rags...

And that all we are called to do is to ... Love the Lord our God with all our Heart, Mind, and Strength ... and Love People as we Love ourselves!

Look for the opportunity to Love today, and try not to see anyone's rags...dirty or not!

Because of Winn Dixie

Yes...Because of Winn Dixie! I know, it's a kid's movie. And it's about a girl and her dog. But in having 2 kids of my own, we were watching the movie version last night. It is quite good, and in the middle of the movie Opal, the main character, is given a tin of candy called "Litmus Lozenges". The story surrounding the way the candy was made is important, but not for this post (see the movie or read the book), but whomever Opal gives a Lozenge to, comments that it is "sweet and sad at the same time". Then Opal says something very profound regarding her life and how it relates to the candy..."It's sweet and sad all mixed together, and it's impossible to separate them."

...and this got me to thinking. Isn't life exactly that way? Sometimes sweet one minute and sad the very next moment? Isn't it at the times we feel on top of the world, that we feel the most alone? Then I'm reminded that we are in a world crying out for completion, perfection, and love that only God can bring, and that in those feelings of sweetness and sadness, our heart is actually yearning to relate to our Creator. He wants us to share those feelings with Him. And as I realize this, I realize that I am never alone...that He is right here with me, feeling those same things. In a trivial, human way...isn't that feeling of sweet and sad what He felt at Calvary? And then I realized that God was speaking to me through a "Kids Movie". How cool is that? Thanks God for taking the time to watch that movie last night with us...had a great time!

Brent

Home School Has Begun!

Hello all...just a little post to let you all know what is going on. God has given my wife and I the awesome opportunity to homeschool our 2 boys. I have the privilege to teach history. I love history! It really shows the way God pursues people with His Love. How He has actively sought out relationship with mankind since the beginning of time, and how we as followers of God must share His love with others, or He finds other ways to get people's attention. Lord help me take the opportunities you give me every day to show your love!

Away from the blog for a while...

Not that anyone really needs to know...but if you haven't noticed, I have not posted in a while. The month of August was really spent spending time with people! We have a wonderful neice Dennae, who had been staying with us since April. She was scheduled to go home to AZ around the 10th of the month, so we wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before she left. What a challenging young woman she is! Every time you turn around, she is finding opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone...it really challenges my heart!

So, you know when your heart is being challenged, how the Lord really pours it on thick! I have been reading Ephesians in The Message translation of the bible, and chapter 5:8-10 has been sticking with me...

" The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. GET ON WITH IT! The Good, the Right, the True- these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it!"

I can honestly say, she has done that. She has a prayer written in her bible, that she has laminated as to make it a permanent reminder. The prayer paraphrased says, "Lord, let my heart be open to love people today, just as you have loved me. Let me not think of my own comfort, or security, or pain...just let me, by my love, show people You. Please don't let me put walls up, but help me be vunerable, just as You made yourself vulnerable..."

I think she has figured out what pleases Christ...and has set out to GET ON WITH IT! I just wonder if I have? Have you...

Be Careful What You Read...

In my last post I commented on a book I am reading called "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. In the comments to my post there was a lot of agreement about what was written by him, but also some disagreement. I think this is good, I don't usually agree with everything I read, and it is sometimes this disagreement the makes me think all the more. In her comments of disagreement on this book I am recommending, JillVerrier stated that the book was "full of nuggets, unfortunately you had to choke on the pages junk to get to the good stuff."

Pretty strong words, and I do agree with her in that there are things in Donald Millers writing that I disagree with...But I think the point of the book as a whole is just that! How many people who call themselves Christians in this consumer culture of ours, see the "Pages of Junk" in peoples lives and never try to look past that to the "Nuggets" of truth that lie within?

• Why aren't our hearts aching for the people we come in contact with every day who are hurting and lost and by putting on an air of self-confidence are really just crying out to be loved by us?
• Why do we close our hearts to the Pandemic need of the Africa AIDS Crisis? Where one person dies every 15 seconds, not the weak and the frail, but (pardon my frankness) the sexually active who are usually the adult men and women of society.
• By 2010 UNAIDS estimates there will be a grand total of 107 million orphans in the world - virtually no change there - but a mind-numbing 25 million of them will be orphans of AIDS. That's 23.7% of all orphans
• There are 34 million orphans in Africa, of whom 11 million are believed to be orphans of AIDS. One third of Africa's orphans, or about one child in 20 overall, has lost his or her parents to HIV
• The global number of orphans due to AIDS is going to double in a decade, if we don't look past the pages of junk and see the people that Christ came to love, dying with no hope at all!

Finally I want to say that JillVerrier is a very good friend of mine, and when she says "It is so real that everyday I walk by demon possessed men and women living on the streets because they were "free" and didn't care what others said. Because they were "just being who they are". She means it! She is one person whom I know is looking for the nuggets in everyone she comes in contact with! In fact, she has laid down her life for these precious little ones, and IS making a difference every day in their lives, so when she comments strongly like she did, it really makes me stand up and take notice! So thank you Jill for reminding me through your comments to be more like Christ, and look for the "Nuggets" in everyone, just as He did in me!

Busy little thoughts...

Wow...it's been a while since I last posted...been busy, and I have been reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. AMAZING book...in it's point of view. It is really challenging me, and I hope helping me to see the opportunities that are out there, especially when it comes to people with different ideology than me. Let me quote from the 2nd chapter...something that I am trying to digest and ingest...

"Some people skip through life; some people are dragged through it. I sometimes wonder whether we are moving through time or time is moving through us...I say this only because time kept traveling through me. When I was young I thought I had forever to figure things out...But I didn't. I didn't have long to figure things out. I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God."

So I ask myself...

Am I wasting time?

Am I being religious to the detriment of taking the opportunities God is bringing into my life?

Am I sinking into habit?

Is my heart engaging God?

How about You?