Several years ago an opportunity for my wife and I to buy a house in Southern Indiana presented itself. So we did a reverse Clampetts and "moved away from there" from the city to the country. Now for the most part I have always lived in the suburbs or in a city, never in a small town let alone in a rural area. I learned quickly that fishing and hunting are a big thing to do in these parts. The fishing was no problem. I already had a tackle box and a couple of poles. Despite living in the land of tract housing and parking lots it's not hard to find a place to wet a line. But shooting squirrels in a city park will get you arrested really quick. So when I moved down here I had nothing in the line of hunting gear. No tree stands, no scent blocking soaps to wash me or my clothing (which I had none), no guns or archery equipment. I found clothing can be bought from the local big box store pretty cheap. The idea of hunting from the ground really didn't bother me. All of the other odds and ends pieces gear that I wanted and/or needed I would get as I could. I have served in the military and have had the chance to shoot several different types and styles of firearms. Even fired a few guns before that as a kid. So I was pretty comfortable with the idea of using a gun to hunt with and even had a family member that I could borrow one from. Now the lack of archery equipment did not bother me much. I have never been anywhere near a bow and arrow aside from the ones that had the little rubber suction cups on the ends. I didn't know enough about that part of hunting to care much for it. And between the start up cost of getting all of that equipment and the time that needs to be put into practicing, I thinking it's for not me. Over the years I have really enjoyed my time out in the woods. I have been out with my sons and my son-in-law several times. I have even been out with a couple of my daughters. But I think I enjoy being out there by myself the most. I have had some good years. My first time ever to go out deer hunting I shot a spikebuck. I have heard the big bucks grunt, which is something I have only heard on TV before. I have even bagged a bunch of squirrels over the years (makes up for all those ones that I couldn't shoot at the parks). But as the years have gone by my view on archery hunting changed. I started to really want to give it a go. Besides the fact that I might be able to bag a couple of more deer, it just give my more time to enjoy God's great out doors. The stumbling block was still the start up cost of buying what I needed. I made mention of my desire to learn bow hunting and the problem that I was running into a couple of times to some friends, and nothing more was ever said on the subject. As a matter of fact I had for the most part given up on the idea, at least for that year because bow season was only a couple of months away. One night after a Sunday night youth service I went to my pick-up truck and found a large object in the cab. It was a bow case! Opening the case I found a beautiful compound bow and all of the gear that I needed to get started. I also found a small note. "Today this was given to me and now I am giving it to you. Signed God (the Father) I love you." Now I could end this story here and leave you with warm fuzzy feelings and shouting to God for His goodness. I could tell you of the bow hunts that I have been on for the last three years. The deer that I have harvested using this bow. The blessing that this gift has been. I wish I could. The story of this honest-to-goodness gift from God does not end here. No, it goes on. It goes on to tell of a dust covered bow case that is sitting in my room. Take a second and re-read that last line. This wonderful gift is sitting under my desk in a corner of a room gathering dust, and has done so pretty much ever since I got it. Now don't get me wrong when I first got it I showed it to several people and told the story of how God gave me this gift and praised His name as I told it again and again. And each time I was done telling the story it went back to into the corner to gather more dust. I have even tried to pawn it once when I was needing money. Then other day when I had stretched out my legs and kicked the case for the hundredth time I really got to thinking about what people do with the gift(s) that God has blessed them with. I wonder how many others do like I did? They take what God has given them, put it away somewhere and don't use it. It just sits somewhere out of sight. We have many different reasons for us to hide our gifts. Is it a stagefright like fear?  Maybe you don't use your gift because of something painful you suffered in the past? Could pride be getting in the way? Or maybe, like me with my compound bow, just plain laziness? Friends we all have been given gifts by God the Father. He has given each and everyone of us something that we can use for His glory. They may not be the ones we "see" at church every week. They might be something that only you and God know about. The freshly baked cookies and time shared with an elderly neighbor. The oil change that you do for the wife whose husband is overseas. Seeing to the needs of a child that is not even yours.  The ones that show His love through your hands. Do you need to be dusting off the gift God has blessed you with? I think it's time that I do.

I like Chinese food. I like egg rolls and the chicken and beef on a stick. Oh and pork or shrimp fried rice. OK, ok, I need to stop here I am making myself hungry and maybe some of you too. I don't need you running out to get food before I even get to the meat (pun intended) of my blog today. Traditionally, for us Americans, at the end of a good Chinese meal there comes the ever popular fortune cookie. Now personally I like the cookie. Sure it is a little short and taste but I like it all the same. But I think the most fun is that little slip of paper that is somehow is magically placed inside the cookie. Now for those of you who have watched one of those cable shows that explains how this is done; don't write in the comment section telling me. I still have a little of my innerchild left and HE doesn't want to know! No! What I want to know is what words of great universal wisdom is written on that tiny, tiny slip of paper. Something like, "At the end of the road your are traveling on is your destination", or "If you look up you will see that which is over your head". Hey, you know what I think I could get a job writting for these things! But here is my favorite one, "Be angry and sin not". Now that you have just spit your morning coffee all over your computer screen let me explain this one as you are cleaning up the mess. Yes, I know that this is Scripture, the very Word of God and I have every intension to treat it as such. But admit it if you got this on that little slip of paper out of your fortune cookie you would blow it off as nonsense. You would be asking yourself how could you "Be angry and not sin?" I know I would and even knowing that this this verse is found in Psalm 4:4 and again in Ephesians 4:26 I still have a hard time getting my little pea brain wrapped around this idea. I admit I have anger issuses. Have most of my adult life. The sin my anger caused was not so much in my actions but in my words. From sly putdowns to out and out foulmouth name calling. But even when I could gain control of my anger enough and could find the proper words to use there still was a sinful aspect to them. They were harsh and more importantly UNLOVING. The best analogy I can use is I was trying to fix a wrist watch with a sledgehammer instead of using jeweler's tools. Well this has been the trend until recently when one day God used a blog I was writing to show me something. My last blog, 'Good For What Ails You', was birthed out of anger. I had got some very disturbing news about some Christian people I know and proceeded to get up on my high horse and began banging out my thoughts and feeling on the matter. I was going to tell the internet world what I thought of people like that and I was taking no prisoners. But as I got further into my typing the thing that usually happens, happened. The Holy Spirit began to do some editing of what I was typing. As I would go back and re-read the last few lines that I had just typed He would ask if I meant to say that or maybe it would be better if I said it this way. By the time I was done with the blog and read it over again I found that what I wanted to say was said. But more importantly it was how God wanted it to be said, and there was much more love in the words than what I had intended to use. So this is a long way to tell a short story. You CAN be angry and not sin. But this can not be done in your own strength. You must willing to let God have your anger and then let Him use it in such a way that He sees fit to accomplish what He needs to be done.

Church folk are people like any other people. We have our ups and downs like everyone else. We are not immune to the woes of this world. Because of this we can be a pretty "sickly" looking bunch. People go to church and see others who look and act a lot like them and have no desire to seek treatment for their worldly ailments. Some may say,"Why bother? They look as messed up as I do." To many times a church body will be judged on first appearences. Now some of that look is from those that have just come in seeking the medicine that will start them on the road to recovery. Other have just had their first few doses and still look a little green around the gills, as it were. Any reasonable person would not judge how good a job a hospital is doing just based on walking through the doors of the ER and seeing all of the sick and wounded laying there. No they would go to the upper floors of the hospital and see the patients there. They would go check and see if patients were receiving the proper care and treatment. Are they given medications in a timely manner and at proper dosages? Are the therapy sessions helping the patient regain the use of an arm or a leg? Did the surgery succeed in getting rid of the cancer? Even as the patient endures hardships to get better, to be functional again, is the staff supportive and caring? Just as this is how a hospital should be judged, we should hope our churches are also judged by the same standard. Not by a quick glance through the doors but by a long hard look at what is going on in the upper room. Now the really tough question is...What does our upper room look like? Are those that are sick and hurting in spirit receive the treatment that is needed to make them well and whole again? Are we giving teaching in a timely manner and at a proper dose? Are we giving counseling session to help regain the use of lives seemly torn apart and lost? Are we praying so that the cancer of sin is removed from one that is in its grip? Even as a person is strugling and suffering hardships to be functional again are we supportive and caring? Most of all are we LOVING? I started all of this saying, church folk are people like any other people. But we are not just like other people. We are special. Not saying we are better than anyone else, just different. We can do what even the greatest of hospital can not even dream of doing.We can offer the answer that is the cure to all the worldly ailments; Jesus Christ and Him curcified.

So today is the National Day of Prayer (as of the writing)? If you watch the news tonight I am sure there will be some 'Fluff piece' on what people prayed for today. Surf the web, especially the social networks, MySpace, FaceBook, etc... and you will read about people praying for this country, this administration, and the troops. They are praying for friends, family members, and love ones. A great many prayers will bombard the Gates of Heaven today. And I am sure there is a good reason behind everyone that is offered up. But I have a question. One I had to ask of myself before I even thought of asking you. WHO are you praying for? Or let me ask it this way, WHO are you NOT praying for? OK, I see the wheels turning in your mind. The letter carrier? The cashier at the big box store? Maybe it's...Oh I know, I know it's the guy that helped me change my flat tire when it was pouring down rain last week. While all of these are good guesses and they to deserve and need your prayers these are not the WHO that am asking about. Who then, who??? Well let me give you a little hint. It is found in Luke 6:28 " bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you". The dictionary defines the word spite as 'petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart'. The word malice can be substituted. I don't think this is about the guy that cut you off in traffic, or the kid at the fastfood place that couldn't seem to get your order right or give you correct change. This is about people who PURPOSEFULLY mean to wrong you, to cause you harm. God through Jesus Christ gave us people to add to our prayer list. We are to get down on our knees and pray for the addicts, abusers, liars, thieves, adulters, and.... You know who they are. The ones that have hurt you so much. The ones you have so often called fire down upon there heads for all of the pain and suffering you have been through because of them. He said we are to bless and PRAY for them. Could it be that by doing this act, in obedience to God, that a healing can take place in our lives?  Seems to me as good as any place to start. So on this National Day of Prayer let us seek God, to seek His will. As we pray for all of those around us I think we can take one minute and be a little selfish. Offer up one prayer for ourselves. One prayer to ask God WHO he wants us to pray for.

I wrote in my last blog, "Church is Where the Heart Is", that something didn't feel right about having church in our new location. I wondered if not having it in a permanent location (a place that we could call our own) was not giving me trouble. Then God showed me that having or not having a building to call a church was not the issue. That so long as Jesus was in the heart of a believer that place was were the church was. PTL! But, in the two weeks since I wrote that blog I have gone to two more Sunday morning services and sad to say I STILL had the feeling that something was not quite right. I frimly believe everything that I wrote in that blog, but I could not shake the feeling of something being wrong. Why was I feeling this way? What else had changed that was troubling my spirit so much that I was coming away feeling less than fulfilled after service? I sat down after last Sunday's service again wondering, pondering, and praying why? Was there something wrong with me, something in my walk that was blocking me from receiving what I was getting before? I couldn't come up with anything. So then, besides the new location, what was different? Then God laid Hebrews 10:24-25 on my heart. "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching". What? What do you mean God? I have only missed one Sunday morning service in nearly a year ( see blog Mirror, mirror). What do You mean forsake not the assembling with others? I am here every Sunday morning! I am here setting up before service. I am participating during service. I then help in tearing down and packing the trailer after the service. I am here doing the ministry that You called me to do. I AM AT CHURCH! I HAVE ASSEMBLED! Then it hit me. I was missing the biggest things this Scripture said to do. "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works... exhorting one another". I was so busy doing, I wasn't FELLOWINGSHIPPING! Sure I was saying Hi to people, even hugging on some. But I was not loving on them as I had in the old building. Seeing how thier week went. How thier kids were doing. Not taking time to talk to them in depth. Telling them how important they are to me. How glad I am that they are in my life! I wasn't doing anything wrong, but I wasn't doing it all. I was letting the hustle and bustle get in the way of being about my Father's business. So this Sunday morning I made the effort to stop being so busy and took more than the two seconds it takes to say hi, and fellowshipped with my church family. You know what? I walked away from this morning's service without that nagging feeling that something was missing. My dear friends and family I do not believe that we should consider this Scripture fulfilled just because we meet on Sunday morning, Sunday night, midweek, or some other time. Unless we do ALL of what it says we are just assembling for the sake of saying I went to church today.

I have been struggling with my church attendence lately. For the past two weeks I have not gone to church. Yes, I have been attending service but I do not feel as if I have been to church.  The move out of the old building and using the school has messed me up I think. I walk into an empty room, help set things up, we have service, and when it's all over we pack it all up and leave an empty room. I am left thinking we have pack God into the trailer with the rest of the equipment or we have left Him there in that empty room. I am having a hard time wraping my head around that. I am not a traditional thinker but I guess I am not as radical as I thought I was. Not having a full time building for church is messing with me. I am waking up on Monday morning trying to remember if I went to church the day before or not. In all of my years of going to church, I have always gone to a church for Sunday morning service. Even when my family was one of the first families to be in a starter church we met in a church building. I have been to many special occasion services. Sun rise services, been to retreats on Sunday mornings and several other places but I always knew that I would be going back to my church home the next time there was a service. Now my church home is an elementary school lunch room. Something does not feel right about this. I have racked my brain trying figure out what is wrong. But as I sit here and think about the last two Sunday services one thought keeps coming to my mind. I DID FEEL THE PRESENCE OF GOD. I know that God was moving through me during praise and worship. God was in the specials that were done, I felt the Holy Spirit ministering. And the messages were annointed be because they stirred my spirit. GOD WAS IN THE HOUSE. In His house. Not the Orange County House of Pray house, even though He ministers there. But in His Holy Temple...ME. Yeah, I like the traditional four walls we call the the church but how much cooler is it that we, His children, are the church. You or I can have church anytime or place we choose. We are not bound to a location or a day to worship our God and Father. We do not have to wait for the building to open to be able to pour out ourselves to Him. We can open the altar of our heart and speak to ABBA, Father at any time. So while I would like to see you at church this coming Sunday, or at least hope you are attending the church of you choice, I am comforted by the fact that if you have made Jesus Chirst the Lord of your life that you will be having church no matter what.

How many of you remember the '70s TV show "Happy Days"? It was a show that was set in the 1950s and dealt with a small circle of family and friends. For the most part a very likable bunch of characters. Nerds, jocks, honeys, class clowns, and adults that tried to be understanding and caring. But I dare to say if you ask anyone who has ever seen the show, and even a few that may not have, to say the name the first character that comes to mind they will answer be...Arthur Fonzarelli aka Fonzie or The Fonz. Most likely one of the coolest character to ever grace a TV screen. The Fonz was many things to many people in his TV reality. Ladies man, mechanic, best friend, defender of the less fortunate, etc... He was in his own way very articulate. Even though his vocabulary at times was nothing more then the phrase "Aaay" or even just a snap of his fingers you knew what he was saying. But what some of you may not remember was that even with all of his coolness Fonzie had a speech inpediment. Arthur Fonzarelli had a very difficult time saying he was wrong. Everytime he had to do so it was like his tounge was stuck to the roof of his mouth. Now you might be wonder why I bring all of this up on this weeks blog? Well I had a similar thing happen to me this past week. No I did not have trouble admitting that I was wrong about something. No it was another word that stuck in my mouth. My youngest son has just been paroled from prison, and I have attended his last two meetings with his parole officer. Well what can I say about his PO? And PO is what this guy has done to me. I know deep down he is doing his job but the way he does it just rubs me ALL the wrong ways. I came home after this last meeting madder than I can ever remember being in my whole life (BC days included). After several hours of trying to blow off the anger I finally went to bed for the night. As I laid there I knew I needed to pray over this situation. So I started out by telling God I was sorry for blowing my cool like I did, and that I was WRONG to do so ( see I can admit it. LOL).  And for my son to find favor in the eyes of his PO. And next I said," I wanted to forgjwd;klghe". No that is not a typo that was what it was like for me to say I wanted to forgive the PO. All the sudden I had the speech inpediment. I couldn't forgive someone for the wrong they had done me. I tried a couple of times to get the word out of my mouth, but it would not come out. The pain that I was feeling was just to great. As of this writing I am still very hurt by the event of that meeting but God has brought this to mind. Luke 23:34, Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” This was said from The Cross. How much pain, how hurt was Jesus when He spoke these words. As a follower of Jesus Christ I am called to be like Him. So how can I not forgive a man who hurt me with words when Christ ask God to forgive those that not only hurt Him with words but with actions to gruesome to describe.
Father God, first of all I am sorry that I have fallen short of Your calling. I am sorry I thought ill of one of Your creations. Please forgive me. God I forgive this man for the pain that he has caused me and my family. I ask that you pour out Your love on him, bless him with knowledge and wisdom as he goes about a very difficult job.

MIrror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all? Ok, we are all friends here, you can admit it. When you pass a mirror you check yourself out. Then you ask those age old questions. "How does my hair look? Is there something in my teeth? OMG is that a zit???" And the worst one of all, "Does this make me look fat?" We worry about how we look, the image we are projecting. Whether our appearence is good enough for the cover of GQ, Cosmo, Seventeen, Iron Horse, or High Times, we are trying to make a statement about ourselves. Goth or Emo black. Biker leather. Suit and tie. Just plain old blue jeans and a T-shirt. We are saying somethig about us. What about our "THINGS" cars, motorcycles, TVs, computers, etc. What story do they tell? Where we live, our jobs, music we listen to, programs we watch on televison, even the foods we eat say something about us. We use all of this to carve out our niche in this world. To say this is who I am, this is me! But have you ever stopped to think, "What if all of this was taken away? Who would I be then?" I had to recently ask that question of myself. The answer was not what I thought it would be. For reasons to long to explain here (short answer bad decicions on my part) I got to spend about 48hrs in the local county lock-up a couple of weekends ago. And because it was the weekend I was not able to see the judge till Monday. I could not be process to go to a cell block so I was held in the drunk tank for the entirety of my stay. Now it must not have been a party weekend because I got the palce all to myself for my entire stay that weekend. I was able to wear the pants and T-shirt I was wearing at the time of my arrest. I was given a sleeping mat and a blanket. I was allowed nothing else. No books or magazines not even a Bible. Everything that said this is Jeff was gone. I now had to look into the mirror that God held up and see who I was. Friends the reflection was ugly. I found that I am to wrapped up into the things of this world. There is far more of the world in me than there is of God. And this hurt and haunted me. I can not begin to tell you how low I felt for the following week after my release. I suffer with a form of depression and this was far worst than anything I have ever felt before. But Praise God, Light came in the morning, a Sunday morning to be exact. This past Sunday God was in control. The OC House of Prayer had one of the most AWESOME times of praise and worship that I can remember in the three years that I have been going there. As I poured out my sorrow and shame upon the Altar, God pour His mercy, love, and grace into me. I left that service knowing that even though I was imperfect, perfect love abounded in my life. Friends sometimes we must be knocked low, put upon our backs to look up. That was my case that weekend in jail. But you do not need to wait for a time for things to get so bad. There is an old saying, " Learn from the mistakes of others. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself".  As you look into your bathroom mirror to make sure you are presentable to the world, take the time to look into God's Holy mirror, Jesus Christ, and make sure are presentable to Him.

The first thing I would like to do is say I am sorry. I am sorry that I did not post my blog last week. There has been some changes going on in my little corner of the world. Moving, lots and lots of moving. Let's see in the past two weeks one of my kids got married, another one got engaged, so they are moving in new directions. The church I attend started packing so we can move to a new location. My wife Sherri and I have started moving into a new home. And lastly I started working at the local Wal-Mart because they are remodeling, moving stuff around in the store. Lots and lots of moving going on all around me. Now before anyone thinks I am just reposting something that I wrote on Face Book and stops reading this please let me finish. No this posting is about something else that happened since my last blog posting. I am not sure how to say this any other way so I will just come out and say it. I LET THE EVENTS OF THIS WORLD COME BETWEEN ME AND GOD! Now stop and take a moment to catch your breath. Think about what I just said. I just admitted out loud what many of US do everyday. We get so busy and caught up with what is going on in our lives we don't go about our Father's business. I got so busy with all of the moving going on around me that I didn't move to my computer and do the very thing God called me to do. I forgot the very reason I started posting blogs in the first place. This all started with Net60. Let me refresh those of you who might have forgotten what Net60 was about. It was about stopping what you were doing in your hectic life and focusing on God at least one time during the day. Now did I quit thinking about God while I was doing all of the moving? NO! I thought about Him quite a bit, God give me strength to move this couch, Lord help me get through the hub-bub that goes along with this wedding, and many little things like these. But I  never STOPPED and gave Him the time He so richly deserves. I am sure God is happy with these little moments of our time. After all we are made in His image and we enjoy those brief moments we get with those we love. But we also get very fustrated with drive-by relationships. And I am sure God is no different. And that is what these last two weeks have been for me and God a drive-by relationship. So let me say it again. I am sorry. I am sorry that I let the events going on in my life come between you (the reader) and me. But most of all I am sorry God that I let THINGS come between our relationship.

A little over nine years ago my wife and I packed up four of our five children and moved to Orange County, Indiana. Quite a change from living in Indianapolis, one which took a couple of my kids some time to forgive me. After all it was for the most part the only life they knew. Even for me it was lifestyle I had never known. For the first 11 years of my life I was a Navy brat, moved up and down the East Coast a couple of times. Lived on or around Naval bases that whole time. Then when my Dad retired we moved to the Northeast side of Indy, to a place called Lawrence. For the next 25 years, with the exception of when I joined the Navy, I always lived within a few miles of Indy. In that time I watched farmland and wooded areas become stripmalls and housing additions. I've saw my old fishing hole turn into lake front property for high dollar homes. Even my old high school has had so many face lifts and building additions I don't recognize it, I even tell people where I went to school does not exist anymore, its changed that much. And OMG! I won't even start about how the traffic had gotten worst. I ventured up to Indianapolis for the first time in three years this past weekend. And once again the place I spent a good chunk of my life was changing again. Old buildings were torn down, new ones were being built. New stores and shops replacing my teenage hangouts. And the traffic was still no better despite all of the new road construction going on. Lot and lots of changes. But it was the next day I really learned about change. Or should I say the lack thereof. It was while driving to church and thinking about all that I had seen while I was up in Indy that God laid Hebrews 13:8 on my heart. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." What pleasure we can take in that simple verse. That no matter how much time passes that Jesus will never change. Who He was when He walked and talked to Peter, James, John, and all of the others that followed Him 2000 years ago is the same Jesus that abides with us now. And He will be the same Jesus that will be with our multiple greatgrand children if He tarries. But read the last word in this verse again, FOREVER. That means when we get to Eternity He will be the same. And if we know Him now we will know Him then. And nothing can change that!

In His Majesty's Service

~Kingschyld~

There is a creek near my house that I go to and sit on the banks. There is one spot I like to sit at more than others because there is a line of rocks that stretch across the creek. I sit there and watch the water as it flows downstream and listen to it as it goes over the rocks. I have seen the water at various levels. Nearly bone dry to overflowing its banks. One day while sitting on the bank God laid a thought on my heart. The rocks that went across the creek were like the problems in life. And the water was the Holy Spirit in His children. On normal days the water flows without to much trouble. It comes up against the rocks, swirls around, and eventually makes its way downstream. We are like this with life's little troubles. The missing car keys, the forgotten homework assignment that needs to be taken to school, or the hundred and one other things on the to-do list. All the things that make us feel like we are getting no where fast. But if we maintain that level of the Holy Spirit that God has put in us these problems are just a minor set back. We come up against them and move on. But when we don't do what it takes to keep that level up, praying, reading God's word, the fellowship with other Spirit lead people, we become like the creek that has not seen a drop of rain for a very long time. The water level becomes so low that it can not get pass the rocks. Soon there is NO flow! The water in the creek becomes stagnant, and eventually it drys up. When we let the Spirit in us get low we cease to flow in the gifts God has given us. We may no longer go to church or even want to keep company with other believers. Without the flowing of the Spirit in their lives many turn their backs on God and rejoin the world. While this is sad news let's talk about a time of overflowing. There comes a season when the rain falls and the creek's water level rises, and the rocks that are there are submerged. I have seen huge rocks disappear beneath the surface when the heavy rains fell. I knew that the rock(s) were there but no longer could see them. Not even a ripple in the water showed where they were. Such is our lives when God pours out His Spirit. Those huge rocks, loss of a job, death of a love one, a child that is an addict, are all still there. He just gives us that extra portion of the Holy Spirit that submerges what we are up against. We all have met people that we knew were going through really rough times in their lives but to look at them you never could have guessed. Not a ripple to be seen. Why??? The answer is the Living Water that God supplies.
In His Majesty's Service
~Kingschyld~

 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

Words... they mean things. Words are use to describe people, places, and things. We use them to tell what, when, where why, and how. They have meanings. When we use words in certain combinations we create sentences. And with these sentences we express ideas. For the most part the bigger our vocabulary is the better we can emote (state) our thoughts and feelings. If we have enough words at our disposal we can say or discribe just about anything. But whether we use great big fancy words, or just little one syllable ones. Many or just a few. We need to watch how we use our words. All that we know was SPOKEN into existence by God. And we are made in His image so our words can also be used to create or destroy. We are reminded in several places in the Bible to be mindful of our tongues (words). Both the words, word and tongue is compared to a sword in the Bible. They can be harmful. Which brings us back to this weeks scripture. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. Now before going on any further let's define argument. ARGUMENT: A discussion in which disagreement is expressed; a debate. In otherwords to talk in a civilized manner even if the parties invovled do not agree. This verse does not say "Thou shall not Argue". It says not to get invovled in a foolish or stupid argument. Now I will not sit here and try to define what is a stupid or foolish argument is because I believe that would be getting into one. Each of us must seek that answer for ourselves through God and His Word. With that being said we may not need to look much further than the second part of this verse. A foolish and stupid argument will produce quarrels. Quarrels: An angry dispute; an altercation. While a person may argue with passion I believe they need to be aware of how the other person is preceiving this passion. Are they thinking this is a personal attack? A character assassination? Could it cause this person to lash out in such a way as to make any further attempt to talk foolish and stupid? The only time I can recall, in the Bible, it being ok to argue with someone, to push them to the point of getting physical was when it dealt with Salvation. Jesus, Peter, Paul, Stephen, all pushed (argued) to the point of producing quarrels (death) when the salvation of those that they were talking to was on the line. So choose your words carefully. Will you use them as a sword? Or use them to bring life?
In His Majesty's Service
~Kingschyld~

Alright you're standing there with the frig door open and your stomach is rumbling. Now you've got to decide what you want to eat. Do you go for some of that left over pot roast, a slice of cold pizza sounds good, or how about a big ol' slice of chocolate cake. Descisions, descisions. Most of us put at least some thought into what we are going to feed our bodies. Some eat healthy, counting calories, fat and salt content. Others if they're diabetic have to worry about how the food they're eating is going to affect thier blood sugar. And some even have to watch out for food allergies. Most of us though just eats whatever looks good at the moment. Watching what we eat is called Diet. Its not just a word to express what you're not eating, "Oh I'm on a diet I can't eat that." It covers everything you eat. Maintaining a proper diet is important so our bodies can function as they should. But food for the body is not the only thing that we need to watch our intake of. We need to be careful of what we are feeding our spirit. We need to control what kind of food our eyes take in. You should also be asking questions about your spiritual diet. You need to ask is that magazine I'm looking at or book I'm reading really good for my heart? What about the time I spend on-line is it going to be healthy for my soul? Am I just feeding my spirit junk food by watching that TV program or going to see that movie? And my ears, how does what I listen to affect my inner being? What about my choices in music. What kind of mood does it put me into. How does my spirit react when I play that CD? Can you preset your radio? What types of radio stations do you have preset? Then there's your choices of news, talk shows, and lectures. And yes, even preachers and evangelist. Here is the hardest question we must ask of ourselves. What about the people in my life? How do the people that surround me affect my walk with God? Are their words and actions helping me to maintain a proper spiritual diet? I know when I do not feed my body properly I do not feel well. I get fat. I have no energy. I get sick easier. The same things happen if I feed my spirit improperly. There is a food pyramid that allows us to plan a healthy diet if we choose to use it. God also has laid out a healthy plan for us to feed our inner-man.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate, feed your spirit man, on these things. 
 So what are you going to put on your spiritual plate?
In His Majesty's Service
~Kingschyld~

"Why do you look at the speck of saw dust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

(GROAN!!!) Yep that's what I did when I saw this was going to be the scripture for this week's blog. Mostly because I have to deal with this in my life. But, I have finially figured out what is causing this to be a problem for me. I am a people watcher. I love to find a place with people, sit back and watch. Do you know if you just sit somewhere quitely you will see and hear all kinds of things. Now watching people is not a totally bad thing. People in medical professions must observe patients to help formulate treatment plans. Actors watch people to learn how to create chacters. And if we did not watch people some of us would never have met our spouse. But it seems to me that it is the passive sitting and watching that leads to the problem that this verse is pointing out. The watching that has no goal other than to find fault with someone else so as to judge them. OK then, the question is how to get out of this rut? Prayer? Reading the Word? Both good answers. Still there seems to be something missing. How about BEING ACTIVE. I have found in my walk that when I get truly busy in ministry that I do not have time to sit and watch others. Now I am not talking about being so busy that you are totally oblivious to the world around you. To be so Heavenly minded as to be no earthly good as the old saying goes. No, even as busy as Jesus was doing His Fathers business here on earth He knew when people needed to be ministered to. You need to be busy doing what God would have you do, to be so in tuned to His heart that you are not sitting still long enough to see the faults in others. I have also found that as I stay busy with God's work that I can see the plank in my own eye and deal with it. That is the kind of busy I want to be.
In His Majesty's Service.
~Kingschyld~

 "One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind." Have you ever wonder what small step you could take that would be a giant leap for those around you? Asked what difference can I make? I will never find the cure for AIDs or cancer. I don't know how to solve world hunger. I can't preach like Billy Graham. Unless God has placed one of these callings on your life, most likely all the above are true. So what can 'little ole me' do to change the life of people around me? God showed me the answer to that question one day last Spring. I was parked out front of the local Christian bookstore waiting for it to open when I notice an evergreen bush close by. This bush had berries growing on it which seemed popular with the birds. There was as many as 20 small birds on it at one time. Then whoosh a larger bird came flying in and chased all the others away. The larger bird would eat a few berries then fly to a tree about 10 yards away. If the smaller birds try to come back and eat the big one would swoop back in and drive them off. I noticed that after a couple of time of this happening the bigger bird did not even eat any of the berries. He just seemed to want the bush to himself. I sat there and thought," God, isn't that just like the Devil? Come in and steal the blessings from your people." He replied. "That is not what I want you to see. Watch a little longer." So I sat there and watched. I noticed that the small birds were perched in the trees across the parking lot. There was about 50 of them, just sitting there looking at the bush. I looked at the tree where I had seen the bigger bird sitting while he kept watch over his prize. Nothing, he was gone. So I turned my attention back to the smaller birds. I notice some had left. And while I watched even more flew off. More and more flew away, looking for food else where I guess, until there was about a dozen left. Then God revealed what He wanted me to see. One. One little bird came out of his tree and flew to the bush. At first he just sat there on the bush not eating the berries. I guess he was waiting to see if he was going to get chased off again. After several seconds of not being attacked he begain to eat. As he sat there eating the other birds started to fly across the parking lot landing on the bush. Some came alone others in pairs but finially all that had stayed came over to the bush and began to eat the fruit of that bush. That is when God laid it on my heart what He wanted me to see. "That if ONE will step out in faith, others will be blessed. If you will just take that first step many more can be blessed behind you." I often wonder as I look back on that day if one of those little birds had flew to the bush sooner how many more would have got to eat from the bush that day? Now what would happen if at the next altar call you would step out of your pew, much like that little bird, and you were the first down to the front? It could be that by stepping out first maybe you help that someone who is hurting, afraid, or ashamed they might be the only one, step out as well. That one small step could make a gaint difference in someone's life.
In His Majesty's Service
~Kingschyld~