Living a Blessed Life…
Over the past 7 weeks, we have had the opportunity to see and lead people through life changing decisions… It’s been one of the most blessed times of our lives… It’s been a whirlwind experience… People have made decisions to show outward examples of inward victories, people publicly sharing God’s blessings, people publicly totally changing there lives, and on and on!!! We have seen the blessing of God, it seems like on a daily basis…
The funny thing is, when you are seeing and experiencing God’s blessings, the things that use to be huge obstacles, are no longer an obstacle… You see those obstacles that once seemed SO BIG you couldn’t see ANY possible solution, are more like non-events… It’s not that those obstacles don’t happen, but it’s your perspective has changed, you see that God hears, see’s, knows your situation, that He has GREAT plans for you, that HIS purposes are good, that He LOVES and CARES about you!!
My Point: I’m looking forward to continuing to see all Life Change Ahead!!
MORE HIM, less me
brent
Ain’t nobody got time for that…
“If you want to know what people mean by what they say, watch what they do. Actions not only speak louder than words, they interpret an individual’s words” – Deep and Wide (Andy Stanley)
I remember growing up and hearing my parents telling me this every time I did something I shouldn’t have done… What your doing is speaking so loud, we can’t hear what you’re saying…Now, as a parent, I find myself telling that to my kids… When there actions were not lining up with what they were saying, I repeated that statement…
As a follower of Christ, I find my self hearing those words again… Not in an audible voice, but in my mind, my heart. When I’m doing or not doing what I should or shouldn’t do… I’m so glad I serve a God who loves me enough to help me be a better me…
MORE HIM, less me
brent
Quiet Time….
This morning while spending some quiet time alone, I really felt impressed to share this…
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
The only words that will NOT return void, and the only words the will NEVER go out of style, God’s words. So, here it goes…
“The steps of a man are established by the LORD,” – Psalm 37:23
“But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.” – Psalm 71:14-16
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” – John 14:27
and last but not least;
“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19
As we continue to do what God’s word says; “… when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” – John 12:32
HE will do what HE says HE will do!!! Let’s KEEP lifting HIS name up, and HE will continue to supply ALL that we need…
MY POINT: If you are in the middle of a tough situation or if you are discouraged right now, read this… I know the words will encourage you and will allow you to DO what God has called YOU to do!!
MORE HIM, less me
brent
Valentine’s day deaths…
Today, there are people all around the world celebrating “World Love Day” also known as Valentine’s Day, buying cards, chocolate, flowers, jewelry, etc… I began to search for the history of this weird day…I wanted to better understand why people are buying all this stuff… So, without further suspense here is an interesting take:
“Somewhere along the line the church began to celebrate a feast in February commemorating the death of Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr. However, one of the difficulties with pinpointing the patron saint of the holiday is that there were legends of three men named Valentine being executed in the first few centuries of Christianity. Legend has it that Roman Emperor Claudius II executed two men named Valentine on February 14 in the third century A.D.
One story says that Valentine was a priest who continued to perform marriages even when the emperor had issued an edict against marriage in order to make sure that his soldiers had no family ties. / Another legend says that Valentine was a Christian who had been put in jail because of his faith. After healing the jailer’s daughter of blindness, he reportedly sent the young girl a goodbye message the day before his execution, February 14—the letter was supposedly signed “From your Valentine.” / Still another story says that Valentine’s Day gets its name from the Christian martyr Valentine of Terni, who was the bishop of Interamna in A.D. 197. Legend says that Valentine of Terni was martyred shortly after he became bishop on February 14th under the reign of Aurelian.”
There you have it!!!
My Point:
As i sit here and think about my HOT wife, (as I do everyday) I am reminded of how blessed I am… I don’t need a “certain day” set aside to honor my wife, If I’m not doing that EVERYDAY, I’m an IDIOT!! God has blessed me with an amazing wife, I need to thank her on days when she NOT expecting it… I wish people would just look at the example my wife has set and love there spouse “IN SPITE OF”… I’m a jerk sometimes, don’t always take out the trash as soon as I’m asked to, put my dirty clothes in the hamper, or wash of my plate before I stick it in the dishwasher, but she loves me anyways, EVERYDAY!!! for almost 24 yrs. she has loved me, and I have loved her!! Show som love today, and EVERYDAY!!! (My rant is over, now I have to go buy a card and some chocolates…)
MORE HIM, less me
brent
Friends, both new and old…
I had an opportunity to visit with some great friends and meet some new friends over the last several days… We had several chances to meet in different settings and venues… Several different topics came up and I had the chance to learn some new things… We were at a conference/retreat attended by Pastors & there families… I’m going to list several Quotes that we’re heard, and one conversation I had..(the names and circumstances have been changed to protect the guilty…)
“What your going to do is your Goal, how you’re gonna do it, is your Vision“
This was said by one of the speakers… It really made it easy to explain the difference between the two…
Here is a statement that was made while sitting at lunch discussing growth within our organizations:
”
– choice allows me to start growing
– change allows me to keep growing
– climate allows me to enjoy growing
This alone could be a blog in and of itself… What a POWERFUL group of words… (More on this in another blog post)
“Growth is natural but not automatic.”
“Don’t let learning lead to knowledge, let it lead to action.” (Jim Rohn)
My Point: Take the chance to connect with an old friend this week, but don’t forget to meet someone new, you never know what you could learn from someone.. Choose to focus on self-development, not self-fulfillment…
MORE HIM, less me
brent
Influence…
I just got done watching the Superbowl… During various times, Pre-game, during the game & post game, I heard numerous people discuss there “Religious” views… Now, I’m all about sharing your faith and using your influence to “give all glory to God”… It’s not the first time we’ve heard that… Every celebrity awards season, sports awards, etc., etc…
If we have a platform to share our beliefs, lets do that, but your influence is not as big as your platform, your influence is biggest on the smallest platform… When you invest in someone’s life!!!
My Point don’t wait to get a big platform to share your influence, use it now!!! Luke 16:10
MORE HIM, less me
brent
The Notebook…
Over the last several weeks, my wife and I have been communicating in a different way… On top of still talking and spending time together, we have decided to write to each other everyday… Not just mushy little love notes, but real letters to each other… It has been a VERY amazing process… We decorated a cheap notebook from the dollar store with some of my wife’s scrap booking stuff and then used “modge podge” on it. (whatever that is…it looked like runny Elmer’s glue to me) every day we write out thoughts, ask questions of each other, define stuff for each other, and ALWAYS tell each other what we are feeling that day… It’s really cool to share each others thoughts, but everyday? It’s been AMAZING!!
My Point:When is the last time you REALLY communicated with the ones you love? Take some time to do that today…
MORE HIM, less me
brent
A blog about my random thoughts... 