how do we respond to brokenness?

how do we praise God in the midst of our sorrrow?

how do we hold onto joy when everything in our lives is crashing down?

how does God let His children suffer?

difficult questions. but we have to know that our Father in heaven holds the answers in His hands. and He even gave us a guide to help wrestle with those difficult questions. the Bible.

most of us know the story of Job.

in the book of Job (old testament) there is a narrative about a man named Job. now this man was as close to God as anyone ever could .  he was "blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." (Job 1:1)

in Job 1:6 the Devil goes to the heaven. God asks Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job?" basically he says,"look at Job he is a man whom I love and he loves Me with everything he is." Satan says, "take everything You have given him, then we'll see if he loves you."

so God allowed Satan to take everything away from Job except his health. so Satan destroyed his children, his possessions, and his lands. but still Job praised God's name.

(Job 2:3-6)

Satan went back to the heavens and God said, "Satan, have you considered my servant Job? he still holds his integrity." Satan then says, "take his health then he will curse Your name."

God then allowed Satan to take Job's health, but made Satan spare Job's life.

Job still blessed the Lord. even when his wife and closest friends told him to curse God's name. Job said, "blessed be the name of the Lord."

now i have to say, that Job was a man of extreme faith and devotion. a man seeking God's heart. even in the midst of extreme darkness, even in the midst of the destruction of everything he had. he said, "blessed be the name of the Lord."

he kept his vision on the Lord.

in His light, we will not stumble or fall. no matter what obstacles come in our way. no matter what we are going through. God is strong enough to bring us through the pits in our life.

take up our cross and follow Him. keep our eyes on the prize.

remember this: 1 Peter 2:21

21"to this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps." (TNIV)

games, thoughts, and other things

if i am not mistaken i think we all know how to play poker. we get cards, we bet on our "hand", some people bluff, then we lay down the cards and see who won. we  play against the odds. we think we hold all the cards.

i think people in life, myself included, believe that sometimes they hold the cards. that they have the best hand for themselves. we put everything else on the line. even when we don't have anything to offer ourselves.

why do we take this risk?

 

God wants us to surrender ourselves to Him. total submission for His plan for us. He took the risk...for us. Paul writes, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us..." we have no need to gamble ourselves, looking for answers in other things or people. we aren't holding the cards. we do not have control. give God everything and He will give you life, and to the fullest extent.

its so good to know we don't have to earn our way to Him. He comes to us with open arms.

He is just waiting for you to run to him.

so run.

I think of and pray for you often.

leaving prints, thoughts, and other things

finger prints, foot prints, etc. they are all interesting things. they leave behind traces of...well, traces of ourselves. now days we can leave a print on the wall and people can take it and find out exactly who we are.

in life, as Christ followers, we should live our prints all over. impacting each person we meet, giving them the love of Christ that they need. that was one of the last things Jesus told His disciples. "Go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matt 28:19). so basically in this case, leave a bit of myself, Jesus, on every person on this earth. go to the corners of the earth, make foot prints, leave finger prints on the lives of others. make them wonder whats different about you.

we should be different. we were made set apart by Jesus, for His purpose.

just thinking of that while i was looking at the picture above.

Matt. 28:19 "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

so go.

dear friends, rugby, and other things

hello. meet cameron jones and emma ruff. they are some friends that live here that i love dearly. good people. 

i also got the chance to hang out with other friends like: mckendra deveau, nathan moss, and tiffarah gosman. all very cool people.

without people to journey through life with, it would be a pretty lonely place. its good to have that "shoulder to lean on" or "helping hand." and all those other cliche things we say when talking about friends. but they're true nonetheless, that's what they do. and we love them for it.

today we played rugby with the neighborhood boys. its an intense game. fun to play.

also got the chance to hit the "chill and grill" or Dairy Queen haha.

well thats all i really have today. nothing really profound to say to you. oh well. you get what you paid for...haha!

i'll leave you with this quote:

"truth is what stands the test of experience."

- Albert Einstein

i think of and pray for you often.

time, reunited, and other things

today at Sussex Wesleyan, pastor Rob was talking about creation. and he talked about how God's view of time is way different then what we humans can comprehend. like for example, did creation really take only 6 literal 24 hour days? or were those days actually a span of thousands of years...for the environment to age and mature. i don't know. God can do it however he wants. there was no one there in the beginning except Him...so no one really can ever know. 

that's just something for you to think about. Genesis 1:1. the creation.

 

 that is megan and myself.

friends...can't live without them. they are what get you through the hard times and the ones you have fun with during the good times.

today my friends cameron jones and nathan moss got home from their missions trip to NYC.

you like the friends that you can have fun with and not care. but you love the friends that are always there.

that's all i have today. i leave you with this quote: 

"to the world you may just be one person, but to one person you may be the world."    

- Brandi Snyder

i think of and pray for you often.

Flower Pot Rocks, ocean floor, and other things

so today we went to a place called Flower Pot Rocks. 

its a place where the tide is out and you can walk and see these rocks that have been eroding for thousands of years. they're huge. they make me feel...insignificant.

it's interesting walking on the shore line. cause in a couple hours you'd be drowning in the water because the water would be so deep. its amazing how that type of thing works. it's like God gives us a sneak peek a couple hours a day on what goes on down there. again i say, its pretty amazing. its not everyday you can walk on the ocean floor.

on a lesser note, i watched the Bourne Ultimatum on blue-ray...yes please. that on my 43 inch, plasma screen...thank you. haha

well thats all i have for today. i leave you with this quote:

"in good times and in bad times, i'll be on your side...that's what friends are for."

 - unknown

i pray for and think of you often.

sleeping in, Rhyno's, and other things

i love waking up where you have the feeling of warmth and comfort. its a feeling you never want to leave...so comfortable.

people live their lives this way. becoming numb of everything around them...they wanna stay in their little warm and fuzzy surroundings. where they don't have to pay attention to what other people are going through...only themselves.

but i don't like to rant...so i won't.

but you are all probably wondering who the kid in the picture is. that is one of the Rhyno children. i won't tell you which one...due to security reasons ;) haha

they are interesting kids. we played "rugby" with them...well it was kinda rugby.

cameron jones and nathan moss return home tomorrow from their missions trip to NYC. it will be nice to see them. i miss them so.

well that's all i have for you today. i'll leave you with this quote on life:

"do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."  - Bishop Desmond Tutu

i still look forward to seeing you and talking to you. 

you know who you are.