Radical Love for God

My day yesterday began at 4:00 a.m.  I attended the “School of Leaders” from about 5:30 to 7:30, taught chapel for Community School, drove to Manhattan, KS to hear my spiritual coach / mentor, Dean Trune, speak at Manhattan Christian College on the topic of radical love for God, had lunch with him and some other great people, walked around the Kansas State University campus with Dean and talked about family, ministry, and life in general, drove home (stopping along the way at a roadside park for some time with God), had two counseling sessions (in which I was able to see God working in amazing ways in each person’s lives), learned how to check pH and chlorine levels in the baptistry from a friend, got home around 9:30, was bombarded (in a good way) by stories from the day from some kids who were up way past bedtime but wanted to see me, curled up in the recliner with my son to read a Franklin book (after which he quickly went to sleep), read my Bible and went to sleep about 11:00.  What an awesome day it was!!  I felt so good when I went to bed.  My cup was full and I had experienced a full day of spending time with God and seeing Him at work.  Most days that are busy aren’t as fulfilling, but this was a exceptional day.

Just focusing on one part of the day, I’d like to share a little about Dean’s presentation.  Dean challenged his audience to having radical love for God vs. casual love.  He talked about the character quality of passion.  He defines it as a strong and compelling desire for God that results in an intentional and intense pursuit of Him.  That gives me goosebumps.  Loving God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength is radical, not casual.  His love for us is not casual.  For goodness sake He loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for us, taking all sin upon Himself, so that we may live eternally.  That is radical!  If we have a radical love for God, time with Him will be our top priority.  We spend time with those we love.  Dean went as far as to say if we don’t spend time with God, how can we say we love Him.  When we have casual love for God, our time with Him gets sacrificed.  However, when we have radical love for Him, it is me and my will that gets sacrificed, and that’s a good thing!  When we have casual love for God, we disappoint Him with our priorities.  However, when we have radical love for God, we may disappoint people with our priorities, but not God.  I’d much rather disappoint people than God!

He stated that casual living is a learned activity.  It is learned by being around other casual Christians.  New Christians are often on fire (radical) because they haven’t yet been exposed to the casual Christianity that we too often see in the church.  You know – the kind that we too often see in those who have been Christians for a long time and have lost their zest and passion for God.  In America, we too often worship the gods of comfort, security, and control (and right up there is the god of entertainment), and this leads us into being casual.  However, we are to love God more than we hate suffering.  This leads us into radical living – living that goes completely against the culture.  Too often we have radical excuses, but we shouldn’t try to justify our disobedience.  Radical love for God means saying, “YES,” when He calls, no matter the risk and sacrifice.

So, that’s about all I have time for today.  I have a devo. at a nursing home, two counseling sessions at the pregnancy care center, a baptism, Wed. night All Stars (no I’m not talking about the World Series, but our Wed. night program), and the men’s post encounter…  It’s going to be another great day.  I can’t wait to live radically and share it with others.

May God radically bless you today as you radically love Him!

God WILL Give You More Than You Can Handle… On Your Own

Okay.  I will try to make this short because it is late.  My uncle once said that he had heard that “God will NEVER give you more than you can handle.”  Then, he went on to say, “I wish He didn’t think so highly of me.”  I have also heard this phrase used by very well meaning people to comfort someone else.  However, I challenge you to find this in Scripture.  It isn’t there.  I have read through the Bible a number of times and have spent time most days reading or studying it, and I have never found this phrase.  I actually believe this is a misquote from I Corinthians 10:13, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way to escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”  There is a huge difference in God not allowing us to be tempted beyond what we are able to handle and God not giving us more than we can handle.

In reading and studying the Scriptures, I will accept that God will not give us more than we can handle IN HIS STRENGTH.  I say this because the Bible says that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37) AND I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13) AND apart from Jesus, I can do NOTHING (John 15:5).  I also see over and over again where God comes through for His people, who are in way over their heads.  Just one example is the parting of the Red Sea.  Was this more than they could handle?  Absolutely.  However, in God’s strength, there was victory.  God wants us to know that we are 100% dependent upon Him for everything… it’s called humility.  God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  That’s why every time I try to live in my own strength, I fail miserably…

Please don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that we should just sit around and wait for God to do everything for us.  That would be ridiculous and totally against His Word.  However, when we do set out to do something, it better be with His blessing.

I am thankful that I will not be tempted beyond what I can handle and that God will give me a way out, AND I am thankful that I don’t have to do anything in my own strength because His grace is sufficient for me.

So… when you are trying to comfort someone, please don’t use the normal phrase that has no Scriptural basis.  Let’s speak the truth…  God will never give us more than we can handle in His strength.

May God bless you and give you strength in whatever life brings your way!

Bring On The New Year!

I really don’t get into New Year’s resolutions.  If I call it that, it is almost like giving myself permission to do what most often happens with resolutions – QUIT.  However, it seems to be a great time to look back on the past year and to look forward to the new one.  I like fresh starts!  The last day of 2009 was awesome.  We were down in Texas spending time with my wife’s parents, who live next to Lake Brownwood.

On New Year’s Eve, I got up early and spent some great time with God.  In addition to Bible study and praying, I spent some time thinking back on all He had taught me throughout the year and all that had taken place.  I also spent some time praying and reflecting on how I want / need to grow in 2010.  Among these are to read through the Bible again (and not with the goal of getting through the Bible, but getting the Bible through me) and to memorize a verse per week, beginning with Psalm 91, which I have adopted as my theme passage for the year.  I will share one more of my goals for this year with you, and won’t bore you with the rest.  My mentor has the goal each year of making it the best year in his marriage, from his wife’s perspective.  I have adopted this goal for the year, as well.  I want my wife to be able to say that this is the best year of our marriage.  If I can say it, and she can’t, that means I have been selfish.  God has been teaching me that selfishness has no place in marriage (or anywhere else, for that matter), and this will be a great exercise in selflessness.

Later in the morning on New Year’s Eve, my oldest daughter wanted to get out and drive the golf cart, so she drove the other three kids and I down to the Lake.  We spent a good 30 minutes or so skipping rocks across the channel.  We were having a blast.  One of the girls brought me a piece of a clam shell that was sort of pearl colored and shiny, and it was in the shape of a heart.  Just the day before, as I was finishing up my study of Malachi, I had read the verses in Chapter 4 where it says that the prophet Elijah will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.  I kept the piece of shell as a reminder.  As God always does when He wants to drive a point home with me, He re-enforced this teaching by leading me to study the book of Luke next.  This morning, I read Chapter 1, verse 17:  “And he (John the Baptist) will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  I got chills when I read this verse.  God is reminding me to not neglect my own children as I minister to others, and I believe it is a confirmation in what I am doing to try to encourage other men in their fathering.  It also encourages me to take advantage of the opportunities God is giving me to help others grow spiritually.  I love when God does this!

After our rock-skipping adventure, my wife and I left the kids with her parents and went on a date.  We saw the movie, “The Blind Side,” and I highly recommend it.  It is based on a true story of how a family took in a fatherless child and made a huge difference in his life.  Those of you who know me know why I like this movie so much.  I have such a heart for those children whose Dad can’t or won’t be a part of their lives.  Anyway, we went for a late lunch after the movie.  We had a great visit over a Schlotsky’s sandwich and soup.  This was one of our favorite places to eat early on in our relationship, and it brought back great memories.  After that, we went shopping and then went back to rescue the grandparents.  Later that evening, the kids opened gifts from my wife’s siblings.  You probably heard the scream clear up here in Kansas when they opened up their Wii.   Anyway, it was a great way to end the year.  We got the Wii hooked up last night, and some of us are a little sore today (yes, even I played… LOL).

I am so excited about what God has in store for 2010.  I want to apply Psalm 91:1 (typing from memory since this is my memory verse for the week): “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

May God bless you as you seek Him in 2010!

Don’t Fence Me In

I’m guessing most people have given up on me, as I haven’t blogged in awhile.  However, this morning, a friend commented on my last post (from over 2 months ago), and it inspired me.  Then, I began to read some of my old posts and realized what all God has been teaching me this year.  Back on May 20, I wrote how I was sensing that “thirty-seven” was going to be a significant year.  God has not disappointed me.  I climbed my first mountain and went on my first overseas mission trip.  In addition, God has taught me so many things along the way.

One thing that is happening from all of this is that the spirit of adventure deep inside me is manifesting itself in big ways.  This is the perfect year for me to be going through Men’s Fraternity – The Great Adventure.  We are almost half way through the course, and I am excited about the second half.  I am trying to process it all.  One thing I’m trying to do is bring my spirit of adventure together with my desire to help people grow spiritually.  For me, being outdoors and doing things like climbing mountains is such a spiritual experience, such an incredible time with God.  One of the things I put on my “Life Compass” (things I want to do before I die – could also be called the “Bucket List”) from Men’s Fraternity is that I want to be a spiritual life coach.  I’m not sure what that looks like, yet, but I hope it involves some trips to the mountains with people who want to grow closer to God.

I only have a certain amount of time on this earth, and I want every minute to count.  I will try to blog more often as God leads me on this adventure called life!

May God bless you as you seek Him first and embark on the great adventure that He has for you!

Mountain Top Experience

I’ve had a hard time writing lately.  I start to write and then it just doesn’t sound right.  Here goes another attempt.  I wish I could just download what’s on my heart.  It all sounds good on the inside until I try to write it out…  Maybe I should just do little bits at a time.  I always end up writing mini-novels.  One thing I learned on this trip is that we climb mountains one step at a time.

I just got back from a trip with a friend to Colorado to ascend Mt. Elbert.  Let me tell you, the view from 14,433′ was spectacular!  Though, it was probably the most taxing thing I’ve ever done physically and mentally, it was also one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  I learned a lot about myself and a lot about God on that mountain.  Before I left home, I kept joking about “dying on the mountain”, meaning I wasn’t sure that I was in the physical shape to do it.  Well, I did die on the mountain in a way.  I came back a different person on the inside, having had spent time with God on the mountain.  I kept thinking of how it must have been for Moses on Mt. Sinai as he spent time with God for 40 days and nights.  No wonder the dude was glowing when he came back down.  I think I was almost there after just a few hours.  I desperately want to go back and do it again.  I have always found such peace in my heart when in the mountains.  There is just something about it that frees my heart, and the dreams begin to flow again.  My sense of adventure seems to heighten.  God uses the mountains to bring restoration and renewal to my soul.

Yesterday, I was watching one of the videos to prepare myself to lead Men’s Fraternity 3 – The Great Adventure.  Robert Lewis read a quote from John Eldredge’s book Wild at Heart that really spoke to me: “Adventure with all its requisite danger and wildness is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man.  The masculine heart needs a place where nothing is prefabricated, modular, nonfat, ziplocked, franchised, online, or microwaveable; where there are no deadlines, cell phones, or committee meetings; just simply where there is room for the soul, where finally the geography around us corresponds to the geography of our heart.  Deep in a man’s heart are some fundamental questions that simply cannot be answered at the kitchen table:  “Who am I?”  “What am I made of?”  “What am I destined for?”  It is fear that keeps a man at home, where things are neat and orderly and under his control, but the answers to his deepest questions are not to be found on television or at a ballgame, or in the refrigerator.  These answers require a courageous adventurer whose quest is nothing less than the best of life.”

I hope to share with you over the next days some things that God really taught me during my adventure up the mountain.  I think I’ve written enough for now.

May God bless you as you seek your own adventures!

Fear Not!

We are in the middle of another great VBS.  This year, we are doing Crocodile Dock.  The theme for last night came from Exodus 3:12.  When one of the leaders would say, “God is with us,” the kids were supposed to yell FEAR NOT!  I think we as adults can learn a lot from this, too.  If God is with us, we truly have nothing to fear.  Moses tried to come up with excuse after excuse and then finally tried to say, “Lord, send someone else.”  It is common for us to look at the mistakes of those in the Bible and be judgmental, but how often do we do the same thing?  We often don’t step out and try anything new or risky or uncomfortable because “what if….. you fill in the blank.”  If we are going to teach our kids that God is with us and we have nothing to fear, we better be ready to live it out ourselves.

Now, I’m not saying jump out and do something stupid…  I’m saying, we need to listen to God, and when He calls be ready to answer “Yes, Lord!”

God is teaching me a lot from the book of Exodus right now.  As time allows, I’ll try to share some of those things.

May God bless you as you trust in Him!

Spiritual Retreat

It is a beautiful day.  The rain has cleared and the sun is shining.  It was a perfect day for my spiritual retreat.  I rode my bike down the Jim Martinez Sunflower Trail.  I have a couple of favorite spots by the Arkansas River where I stop to spend time with God.  I had some great time of seeking God and listening.

Awhile back, during another spiritual retreat day, I asked God what His vision for my life was.  I believe that answer is becoming more and more clear as I have been spending time seeking Him and listening.  As I have been reading through the book of Nehemiah, I sense an urging to become a repairer of the breach that has taken place in families.  This includes leading men to be better spiritual leaders, husbands and fathers, helping people to grow spiritually and teaching them how to pursue God (after all, His Holy Spirit is our “in-house” Counselor!), helping strengthen marriages and families, and by standing in the gap for single parent families.  I’m not so arrogant as to think I’m perfect and can do all of this myself or in my own strength.  In fact, the whole thought of it kind of overwhelms me.  However, I am available for however God wants to use me.

I believe that all of the ministries that I’m responsible for can be aligned under this key vision of building the wall and repairing the breaches that are happening in families.  God is teaching me a lot about leadership, which will be crucial as I lead teams in making this happen.  He is also leading me toward getting more training in couseling.  My heart is wide open to His wisdom and leading.  Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

May God bless your family!

Nehemiah 2 – God at Work

In continuing my study of Nehemiah, I just want to share briefly what I learned in Chapter 2.

After praying and fasting for 3-4 months, Nehemiah could no longer hide his sadness (burden) from the king.  This could have cost him his life because everyone was supposed to be cheerful in the presence of the king.  However, the king noted that this was sadness of the heart and asked Nehemiah what was wrong.  In fear, Nehemiah stated the problem, and the king responded with the question, “What is it you want?”

At that point, I’m guessing Nehemiah’s heart skipped a few beats.  All of his prayer, fasting, and mental planning and preparing had come down to this moment.  What does he do?  He sends up a flare prayer (you know… one of those, “Oh, Lord be with me” kind of prayers when you’re right in the middle of a situation) and then answers the king.  He had already been praying about it, and obviously he had a plan in his mind prepared for the day the door opened.  So, he told the king exactly what he wanted to do, and not only did the king give him the ”time off”, he made sure he would have safe passage along the way and building materials once he got there.  Then, Nehemiah gave God the credit in the last part of vs. 8: “And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.”

Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah and a few men went by night to inspect the damages.  As a true leader, he didn’t just send someone else to do it, he made the assessment himself.  With a job of this magnitude, he couldn’t rely on second-hand information.  He had to see the damage himself.

Then, he cast the vision to the people of Jerusalem by saying, ”You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.  Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”  He presented a problem that was affecting them, then a solution, and lastly told them about the benefit it would be to them to have the problem solved.  Then, he backed it up by telling them all that God had already been doing to lead them to this point (giving a little history for those who were clueless how he had come to the point of knowing this was what God wanted them to do).  In the true spirit of Henry Blackaby’s book, Experiencing God, they saw what God was doing and they joined Him in His work because at the end of vs. 18, they said, “Let us start rebuilding.”  And so they did.

At the end of Chapter 2, I love how Nehemiah answers the opposition, those who were ridiculing and mocking them: “The God of heaven will give us success.  We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”  He knew what God wanted him to do, and he was not swayed by their words.  That’s what happens when we stay close to God  – we know beyond a shadow of a doubt what He wants us to do and we won’t let anything stop us. 

Do we want to know God’s will?  It comes from first knowing God and abiding in Him.  As we are spending time with Him and / or doing His work, He will often lay something on our hearts.  The first reaction is to begin to act on it.  However, if we really want supernatural results, we better spend some time praying and waiting for God’s timing.  During this praying and waiting time, a vision will probably begin to form in our minds and we’ll probably write down what God is teaching us.  Then, when the time is right, He will make things happen beyond our wildest imaginations, and we’ll know it’s from Him because there is no way we could pull off “something like that.”  We’ll cast the vision, share what God has been doing, and people will get onboard!  And through it all, we’ll be in total awe, giving God all the glory.

Like I said yesterday, I’m in the praying mode regarding several things on my heart, including our ministry to single parent families, but not limited to it.  Waiting is not easy, but it is worth it.  I don’t want to step out ahead of God, like I’ve done before.

May you abide in God and build intimacy with Him first and foremost!

Thirty-seven

Something hit me on May 2 when I turned 37.  It’s not usually a number that one would focus on.  It’s not one of the so-called “milestone” years.  However, something deep inside me says that 37  is going to be a significant year.  God has already been teaching me a great deal.  He has reminded me in gentle but firm ways that I need to be pursuing intimacy with Him first and foremost.  I have missed very few early morning hours with God over the past several years.  However, my journaling while spending time with God has dwindled to a few times a week.  Without my journal right there with me, my mind tends to wander, I tend to forget things that I really need to be praying about, and I don’t listen nearly as well.  In addition, I don’t have a way of going back to review what God has been teaching me.  When I use the journaling method that Dean Trune taught me, I am able to stay focused and my time with God is much richer and more meaningful.  Now, please don’t get me wrong.  I know I can pursue God and spend time with him any time of the day, no matter where I am, and whether I journal or not.  However, in order for me to really be focused and listening, I need to spend early morning, uninterrupted time with Him, and have my journal right there with me.  So far, I have journaled all 20 days of my 37th year, and I’m excited about what God is doing in my heart.

It is also helping that I’m going to bed earlier, so I can get up closer to 5:00 and have some time of exercise, too.  I feel so much more energetic when I have my time with God and some good exercise.  This morning, after my quiet time, I spent 15 minutes on the treadmill while watching a John Maxwell leadership video.  I have to do something while treadmilling or I can’t hardly stand it.   Today is the last day of school, so I can get part of my exercise by riding my bike to the office at least a few times a week.  So far, with the exception of the day I found water coming into our basement, I have stayed on course with my exercise plan since turning 37.  That’s huge for me.

Another thing that will make this a significant year is the fact that God is really teaching me some leadership skills right now.  Much of it is coming straight from the book of Nehemiah.  I’m planning to focus on a chapter of Nehemiah each day for the next thirteen days.  I’ll try to share what God is teaching me.  Today, I’ll talk about Chapter 1.

I am so impressed with what an incredible leader Nehemiah was!  I don’t know why I haven’t focused on him before.  He learns of a need that burdens his heart to the point of weeping.  Instead of going out on his own power to find a solution, he spends three or four months in prayer and fasting to God.  Take note:  prayer was his first action, not his last resort.  Oh, what power we would see as leaders if we would learn this.  His recorded prayer is so meaningful and powerful, complete with worship, confession (his sins and those of Israel), and petition, and it came straight from his heart.  One of my favorite parts is where he says “O Lord, let your ears be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name.”  What would it look like for us to come together in prayer because we delight in revering God’s name?  Wow!

Another thing that has been brought to my attention is the fact that Nehemiah was very close to the king.  In fact, according to Dr. Howard Hendricks, a Bible professor specializing in Christian leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary, the cupbearer was second-in-command, kind of like the Prime Minister.  He was the only one who had direct access to the king and his own expense account.  In other words, he was living the good life in the palace.  In the world’s eyes, it would have been so easy to ignore the need in Jerusalem in order to continue living in comfort, but servant-leaders don’t do that.  Servant leaders seek God and put the needs of others before their own.

When I read and study the Bible, I always ask the question:  What is God teaching me through this?  How can this be applied in my life?  Well, I, too, have had a burden placed on my heart by God.  It’s not a physical wall that is broken down, but can be compared to that.  It’s the state of marriage and family.  I think the state of many marriages and families are much like the state of Jerusalem:  “in great trouble and disgrace because the walls are broken down and the gates have been burned with fire.”  Success rises and falls on the leadership, and that includes leadership in the family.  I believe that we, as men, are supposed to be spiritual leaders in the home.  We are supposed to be the gatekeepers, providing protection and security by staying close to God.  This includes praying for our families and fighting the spiritual battles through prayer and God’s Word.  I’m not saying that women can’t do this because they can and are usually very capable, but it should be done in addition to what their husbands are doing.  Too often, women find themselves as the spiritual leader because their husbands don’t step up.  I really believe it’s because they aren’t equipped.  Often, without the spiritual leadership of the husband, marriages fall apart, and families find themselves in a place of insecurity because the protective walls are broken down. 

As most of you know, I have a heart for ministry to single parent families.   I have a real burden for helping rebuild the walls, and standing in the gap that has been left most often by the father.  At the same time, I have a heart for counseling families and helping men become better leaders in their homes.  In these ways, maybe we can repair the walls before they disintegrate.  I want to continue to develop my skills in these areas.  My animal science degrees did not prepare me for this, although my mentor in college taught me skills that went far beyond the degree.  Through Nehemiah’s example, I plan to take time this summer in prayer and fasting for God to give me a vision for how best to do this.  I’m afraid I have tried for too long to do this in my own power and without the proper leadership skills being developed.  I’m finally on track. 

This will also be a good preparation for my first overseas mission trip to Thailand to minister to Karen refugees, including a village of mostly single moms and widows.  Yep, 37 is going to be a significant year in the Lord!

For you single moms who read my blog, remember:  Even though the walls may be knocked down, and  you may feel discouraged at times, take courage in Psalm 68:5 – “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.”  The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is your protector and shield.

May God bless you as you spend time seeking Him and His vision for you!

Time of Growth

I’ve been trying to write for a couple of weeks now, and just can’t seem to get anything worthwhile to come out.  I seem to have writer’s block.  Sometimes I think if I’ll just start writing it will begin to flow, but that hasn’t happened yet.  So, here goes another try… 

Since I last wrote, I’ve started a new fitness routine with the encouragement from my coach / mentor.  I really do feel better when I exercise.  I’m starting off pretty slow and building up.  When school started, I quit riding my bike to work, and I got out of shape pretty quickly.  A friend gave me a treadmill, but I haven’t been as consistent as I want to be.  Now, I am keeping a plan on paper, so I don’t have to decide what I will be doing that morning when I get up.  That helps to keep me on track.  I’m having to get up earlier so I can still have my time with God and get in my exercising before I start the rest of my day, but it’s worth it.

On the days that I do the treadmill, I am listening to John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  Not only does it help the time go by more quickly while I’m exercising, I’m learning some great stuff to help me be a better leader.  My eyes have been opened to the fact that I’m really lacking as a leader, so I’m taking steps to strenghthen that area of my life.

My eyes have also been opened to the fact that I need to be seeking God more.  I recently took part in a 24 hour prayer vigil that we had here at the church on the National Day of Prayer.  That was a very powerful time of refocusing my heart on pursuing intimacy with God.  That is the key to fruitful ministry, not the other way around.  We don’t pursue ministry in order to get closer to God.  We pursue God, and then He makes our ministry fruitful.  I was reminded of John 15 and that I need to abide in Him and He in me.  I cannot be fruitful apart from Him for apart from God, I am nothing.  I have discovered that I’ve been so intent on seeking God’s will that I’m missing out on seeking God, Himself.  From experience, I can tell you that when I am seeking God, His will becomes very clear.  I don’t have to guess or wonder.  He’s not out to try to trick me or make me guess.  He will lead me when I abide in Him.  When I’m abiding in Him, I’m readily available and my heart is in the right place to step out in faith and obey.

Anyway, I’m in a serious growth mode, and the enemy doesn’t like it.  That’s probably one reason I’ve had a hard time writing.  Here’s to putting on the full armor of God so we can take a stand firm against the enemy’s schemes.

May God bless you as you abide in Him and pursue intimacy with Him!