Merry Christmas!!!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!! This is by far my favorite holiday! Not just because of gifts and good food. But because it is a time where families get together a celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the time of year where songs glorifying to God are played over the music systems of stores all across the world and for the most part are accepted by everyone. I love Christmas because this is the day where the world celebrates the birth of salvation for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year!

Just A Little Update.

What have I been up to lately? I have been keeping myself busy with Photoshop and Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 for fun. When I am not creating things on Photoshop or as the gamers say...Pwning noobs A.K.A. Kicking butt. I have been busy in Church and Church activities. These past few years have been the greatest of my life. I feel a purpose and that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing, and there is no question about it.

As far as the family goes.....

They are all doing well! We set out into the wild and captured a Christmas tree with an axe. The boys had a ton of fun helping me to chop it down. Unfortunatly it was at the bottom of a steep hill. So it took a ton of Kids and 3 adults to pull it up. It is too huge for our living room so it will require trimming. We tried to put it up tonight but after two dysfunctional Christmas tree stands. We decided to call it good and get a new stand tomorrow and do the decorating then.


Well that is all for now. I must be off to bed, there is much to do tomorrow.

The Foundation Of Forgiveness

What is forgiveness?

Forgiveness:
1.Act of forgiving; state of being forgiven.
2.Disposition or willingness to forgive.

Forgive:
1.to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
2.to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
3.to grant pardon to (a person).
4.to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies.

In order to understand how to forgive we must understand what brought it into existence. That one thing is what we call sin.

THE BEGINNING OF SIN

In Gen:3 we read about how sin entered the world because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God. Before sin entered the world there was no need for forgiveness because there was no sin. However since the day Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden there was need for reconciliation of Sin.

Of course God could have decided to start over from scratch once sin entered the world but he clearly decided to let it continue to exist. WHY? The answer may seem mysterious to you and I until we fully understand that God Loves us! Out of Love he let us live even if it was in a fallen state. He forgave Adam and Eve even though they sinned against him.

He held them accountable for what they did but none the less he forgave them. Just as he forgives us know and stays his judgment against us because of what his Son Jesus did on the cross for all of us. Out of Love he died for us. He paid our ransom granting us forgiveness so we could share in eternity with him.
John 3:16 so clearly states this….

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I. Love A Foundation To Build On

In order to forgive we need to know how to start the process of Forgiveness. Just to say you forgive someone is not enough. The old saying goes actions speak louder then words. Forgiveness is not only a communication through words it is an act of reconciliation in a relationship. In order to reconcile a wrong done against us we must stand on solid biblical ground.

We must understand what God would have us do, and just how he’d have us do it. We need to look the the Bible our field manual to life. Like a users manual for a Car that lets us know exactly what specific part of the car does what the Bible tells us exactly what we are to do in specific areas of life. So to learn how to forgive we must first understand how to take the first step in that direction. What is the foundation of forgiveness?

Love is the foundation of forgiveness.

There are different degree’s of Love when it comes to us in our relationships. There is the Parental love towards ones children. There is the Love shared between Married couples. There is Love that is shared between friends or even our pets. There is Love for God and heavenly things, and there is God’s love for us. Love is broad but yet it is specific in its Characteristics.

We can find these Characteristics in I Corinthians 13. These Characteristics are what Love truly is and not exactly what the world tells us love is. Today I want you to look at Love as the basis for all your relationships. Love should be the foundation of every relationship we have. Yes even those bad relationships!

we are to Love even our enemies!

Because whether we like it or not we know people who don’t particularly care for us and that we don’t particularly care for in return. Those are still classified as relationships and Love should be the foundation we rebuild those relationships on.
Through Forgiveness we can tear down the decrepit walls that have been built on the quicksand of hard feelings and grudges, and we can build a solid structure of Love and respect that will create a new relationship far different from the ashes of the old.

The strained relationship is the relationship we are going to focus on today. These are the relationships that are hard for us to be forgiving in. So in order to truly forgive someone we must understand how to LOVE FIRST rather then cast judgment.

What is love?

In today’s culture many people have the impression that Love is just a feeling of butterflies and floating on air that we have that leads us to never want to leave the side of our companion of choice. This misconception has completely destroyed families and has mis-lead people away from what Love truly is!

What people don’t realize is that LOVE is an ACT of COMMITMENT. Love is an action not just a happy go lucky feeling. Our culture has it burned into our minds that Love is this euphoric state that never goes away once you find it. In this mindset we are set up for failure from the beginning. When the euphoric feelings fade away, when the going gets tough. People decide not to stick it out for the long run because this relationship isn’t as enjoyable as it used to be.

Don’t get me wrong being in Love and Loving others have a lot of good feelings that accompany it, there are also bad feelings as well. Especially when we are asked to forgive those who have hurt us the most. Love is not just the feelings we have but the actions we take to maintain healthy relationships pleasing to God.

True love is an act of sacrifice.

Let us look at how the bible describes love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.

What do you see when you read that? The first thing that pops off the page at me is LOVE SUFFERS LONG.

WHAT OTHER WORDS POP OFF THE PAGE AT YOU?

DO THOSE WORDS DESCRIBE FEELINGS OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Paul is not writing about how love feels, he is writing about how it can be seen in action. True love is always demonstrated by action. YOU SEE LOVE IS AN ACTION NOT JUST A FEELING. IT IS AN ACT OF COMMITMENT TO THOSE WE LOVE.

Now you might be thinking to your self that you don’t really love those who have treated you badly and wronged you. And really you don’t want to. What you are thinking is based off of feelings. It is easier to Love those who treat you kindly and with respect.

Remember: LOVE IS AN ACTION! LOVE IS LONG SUFFERING!

My wife Stacey's Love has suffered long for a period of about 13 years! She has had to put up with my bad moods, my high pitched signing first thing in the morning. (and strange voices) My sleeping in the middle of the bed, and squeezing the toothpaste tube from the top rather then the bottom yet she still sticks with me. You see I'm not perfect even though I'd like to think I am. I have bad days and good days. I can sometimes say the wrong things and sometimes say the right things. I have hurt her feelings before.

Those butterflies we feel in our stomach when we first got together come and go. They aren't constant. In fact they fly away when we get in a fight and leave us with a bitter stomach. This is where true love prevails! Through our act of commitment out of love towards each other. We press forward and our love strengthens.
We are married and have made the commitment to each other that we’d follow the ingredients of Love in 1 Corinthians 13. For better or for worse.

However everyday relationships aren’t always that committed so it is hard to forgive those we are friends or acquaintances with. It is easy to hold a grudge or even end a relationship out of anger then it is to reconcile it some times.

What about someone who has hurt us deeply?

In trials you must always make sure you a setting out from a position of Love no matter how much a person has hurt you. Even if they are what you would call an enemy.

JESUS TELLS US TO LOVE OUR ENEMIES!

Matthew 5:44-48
44 But I say to you, LOVE your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you LOVE those who LOVE you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.


We are called to LOVE our enemies

In my own experience I have found that grace is a hard thing to give those who seemingly take advantage of it when you practice grace towards them. There is a great lesson to be learned in that when it comes to Gods Grace towards us personally. We should never take that lesson for granted.

Think of all the times you’ve fallen short when it comes to sin. How often has God forgiven you when you have done him wrong? Shouldn’t we extend the same forgiveness to those who have sinned against us?

AREN’T WE SUPPOSED TO BE IMITATORS OF CHRIST?

Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma .

How do you feel when someone continually wrongs you after you have forgiven them time and time again? We get angry or frustrated right? According to the gospel of Matthew we are to Love our enemies and bless those who curse you. We need to look to God as the example on how we are to actively forgive. Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do especially when you have been deeply hurt by those who have wronged you. However we are called to do so without hesitation. Isn’t that what God does?

HOW THEN DO WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES?

II. The Ingredients Of Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.

We must suffer Long We must look at how God has dealt with us as the example of this.

2 Peter 3:9 –The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance

God does not take his promise lightly. The root of Gods forgiveness is love! If God’s love is in us, we will be long suffering to those who annoy us or hurt us.

In 1 Corinthians 13 we find a list of ingredients that make up this love we can build forgiveness on.

1. Love Is Long Suffering!

We have to put up and remain calm in situations where someone is persistently pushing our buttons or wronging us. This is one of the hardest things to do especially when you are not being treated justly. We can see there are quite a few ingredients of Love that we must have to sustain active forgiveness in situations where you have endured many wrongs from certain people.

2.Is Kind

We must be kind even if we are being treated poorly.
Take time to cool down before you speak or Act.

3.Does Not Envy

In certain instances we may Envy what another has. Envy is the root of jealousy and causes conflict. If we Envy someone then we often harbor ill feelings for them. Envy murdered Abel (Genesis 4:3-8) In order to forgive we must not envy.

4&5.Does not parade itself and it is not puffed up (PRIDE)

If you are gloating and trying to be viewed better then the person you are having conflict with you are not acting in Love towards them. We must sacrifice our pride and respectfully humble ourselves, we must swallow our pride.


6.Does Not Behave Rudely

Even if you are being treated rudely by another, treat them with respect even if they don’t deserve it. When we act rudely in return we are not acting out of love but out of anger.

7.Does Not Seek Its Own

Philippians 3-4
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

If we take this to heart and apply it to our lives then forgiving others will become easier to do. We will see conflict with others diminish because we are paying them respect. Often our own selfishness causes others to lash out against us.

8.Is Not provoked

It is easy to get provoked by someone who likes to push our buttons. We must remember to not let anger lead us into sin but to let love lead us into Grace.
Someone once put it this way…..

“When the man who possesses this love gives way to provocation, he loses the balance of his soul, and grieves the Spirit of God. . . surely if he get embittered against his neighbour, he does not love him as himself.”

(When we don’t let love lead us, we set our selves up for a fall)


9.Thinks No Evil

Don’t think of ways to get even or to gain revenge. By doing so we are giving thought into acting on our anger. This is premeditation of sin or sin in the fact that we are judging someone out of malice.

10&11.Does Not Rejoice In Iniquity But Rejoices In Truth

Love . . . does not rejoice in iniquity: It is willing to want the best for others, and refuses to color things against others. Instead, love rejoices in the truth. Love can always stand with and on truth, because love is pure and good like truth.

12.Bears All Things

This is a big one! Love Bears all things it covers all things! In the act of forgiveness if we are truly walking in love it will cover the worst possible transgression against us. We being human must seek divine providence when it comes to some matters. We will be able to carry the burden of being sinned against. IF SOMEONE WERE TO HURT MY FAMILY I’d have to seek God in order to forgive that person.

13.Believes All Things

In love we must believe that by showing Grace towards those who sin against us that because of the Grace and respect we’ve shown them will cause them to have a change of heart when it comes to us and God. In some cases it may seem we believe in the impossible!

14.Hopes All Things

As we forgive we hope that whatever the problem was will cease no longer. We hope for reconciliation with those we argue with. In hope we are looking to the future in a positive manner rather then a negative one. This helps us to Forgive and Forget.

15.Endures All Things

Meaning if we are walking in LOVE we are able to have superhuman strength when it comes to the slings and arrows of everyday life. We are able to withstand trials and come out strong. (Arrows Just bounce of us as if we were made of steel!)

15.Love Never Fails

Underline NEVER FAILS No matter what….If we are walking in LOVE we will never fail to Forgive those who have wronged us. No matter what has occurred. Because In LOVE all is Forgiven Jesus Christ is the example of that!

No matter what we have done or what others have done to us. Christ Forgave it all!!!

III.Prayer

Prayer is the mortor that holds the foundational bricks together in our Christian walk. We must always be prayerful in all situations.

PRAY FOR THOSE WHO WRONG US

I HAVE FOUND THAT PRAYER TOWARDS THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED ME IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN SO HELPFUL FOR ME IN FORGIVING THEM. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO START PRAYING ON A REGULAR BASIS IF YOU DON'T ALREADY. ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED YOU.

WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY FOR?

1.ASK GOD TO SOFTEN YOUR HEART

2.ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU WHERE YOU FALL SHORT WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.

3.ASK GOD TO HELP YOU FORGIVE THEM

4.ASK GOD TO GIVE YOU THE ENDURANCE TO CONTINUALLY SHOW THEM RESPECT. EVEN IF THEY DON’T SHOW YOU RESPECT BACK.

5.ASK GOD TO HELP YOU TO LOVE THEM

We must remember God even loves those who don’t Love him!

Matthew 5:45-46 for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you LOVE those who LOVE you, what reward have you?

Even if non-believers are not accepting of his saving grace they are still blessed and provided for by him. If you think about it every breath is a gift from God. Even though they mock him and continually deny him. He still provides for them so they might know his LOVE.

God still is LOVING to those who hate him even if they don’t deserve it. Jesus died not only for you and I but for them as well. We don’t deserve the Grace he has given us. Yet he extended it to us out of LOVE.
So we must do the same to those we need to forgive because the same has been done for us. The price of their Sin against us has been paid in full whether they have accepted it or not. We should not stand against them in Judgment but stand with them in LOVE.

Jesus Mocked On The Cross Prayed to His Father As He Died.

“Father Forgive them for they do not know what they do!”

As He hung there dieing, He prayed for those who sent him to his death. He Loved those who beat him, who scourged him. Who spat in his face and insulted him. He prayed for those who mocked him as he drew his last breath. He prayed for those he Loved even though they hated him even though they crucified him. He took all their sin on to himself and paid the price in full.

As Jesus loved his enemies so should we love ours until our dying breath.


Matthew 6:14-15 - 14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.


Read Matthew 6:14-15 and realize we are asked to do the same as Jesus. We must pray for those who mock us. Who down right hate us for who we are or what we stand for. We must love them as Christ loves them. If we can't extend the same love towards our enemies as Christ extends to us. Then we are not standing in love or grace, nor are we doing what God would have us do.

I urge you all to take inventory of your lives. Look deep into the relationships that you need to be forgiving in. Seek God for guidance and provision, so that you can take steps towards forgiving those who have wronged you. Stand in Love and let your grace towards them be a light that shines forth the glory of God so that the world may know his Love.

Day Off

Today I spent the day doing absolutely nothing except being lazy with the family. It is nice just taking a day to do nothing. We watched movies, and T.V. shows such as LOST, Heroes, and old Popeye cartoons. We ate a ton of candy accompanied by some of the amazing goodies my wife Stacey cooked from scratch. I took a couple of hours to play around in Photoshop and made a desk top wallpaper for my Brother's band "Betty and The Boy" and it was a great release. There is something in creating something that really gives me a sense of pleasure. I have been messing around in Photoshop quite a bit lately and have been learning new things every time I use it to create something. I have to be honest, I would love another day off and I am not looking forward to getting up early tomorrow. With that said I am happy to still have a job in such hard times. So I'm going to enjoy the rest of the night with my family and go to bed early so I can face tomorrows challenges head on. There is nothing like getting rested up so you can start the week off on the right foot.

The Media

Have you ever wondered who owns your favorite News Channel? Have you ever noticed why other news channels seem so one sided when it comes to politics? If you look closely at the corporations that own these media outlets and look at their political contributions, you’ll see that not only do they report for the benefit of the party they contribute to, but they completely ignore anything that isn’t on their political agenda or along party lines. Let’s take a look at General Electric to start out. What networks do you think they own and who politically do you think they support? You can find out here to see what political contributions were given by G.E. between 1999-Present.

http://www.campaignmoney.com/general_electric.asp

Do you notice any political affiliation there? Now let’s see all that G.E. owns when it comes to television.

Television networks: NBC Networks, Telemundo, Ion Media (partial stake).

Cable: NBC Entertainment, NBC News, NBC Sports, NBC Television, NBC Universal, CNBC, CNBC World (Arabia, India, Asia, Europe), MSNBC, Bravo, Sci Fi Channel, Telemundo, USA, Oxygen, Weather Plus, Mun2, Sleuth, Chiller, Universal HD, A&E Networks (25%; includes A&E, the History Channel, History en español, the Biography Channel, Military History Channel, Crime & Investigation Network, A&E HD, the History Channel HD, History International), the Weather Channel (partial), Sci-Fi Channel HD.

Production and distribution companies: NBC Universal Television Distribution, Universal Media Studios

26 television stations, owned under the “NBC Universal” division. These include NBC affiliates, 46 stations, Telemundo affiliates, and a small number of independents.

International Channels: 13eme Rue (France), 13th Street (Germany), Studio Universal (Germany), Sci-fi Channel (Germany), Calle 13 (Spain), Sci Fi Channel UK, Movies 24 (UK), DivaTV (UK), Studio Universal (Italy), Universal Channel (Latin America), CNBC Asia, CNBC Europe, 18 Hallmark Channels (worldwide), KidsCo (worldwide, partial).

Programming: NBC Network News, NBC Universal Global Networks, NBC Universal International Channels, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Dateline NBC, Meet the Press, Early Today, CNBC, Squawk Box, Mad Money, CNBC World, CNBC Arabia, CNBC-India TV-18, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the Rita Cosby Specials Unit, Morning Joe, Mun2, Sleuth, A&E [partial], the History Channel [partial], the Biography Channel (partial), ShopNBC (27%).

General Electric has a large amount of Media might to get whatever political contribution to pay off as you can see. This is one of the “BIG 6”. There is not one Network that doesn’t have political ties. Each network is working for some sort of political gain. Why? Because their money is in the political view they hold. In basic terms this is how it is broken down.

Non-Bias News Network (NBNN) is owned by a Corporation.
The Corporation gives political contributions to political party or candidate.
Political party or candidate works for what Corporation wants in return the Corporation whether right or wrong makes the political party or politician look really good. Sort of a I’ll scratch your back you scratch mine kind of deal. In the process we’ll both make a ton of money! So you see our favorite News organization has political ties and they report what will benefit them most. Our freedom of press has basically been sold to the highest bidder.

This is just one Corporation that owns many major media outlets. I am not bashing one network and while holding another in esteem. In my opinion they all are in the business of politics rather than in the business of journalism.

Who is the CEO of General Electric and what is his back ground?

Jeffrey R. Immelt is the current chairman of the board and chief executive officer of GE. He was selected by GE's Board of Directors in 2000 to replace John Francis Welch Jr. (Jack Welch) following his retirement. Previously, Immelt had headed GE's Medical Systems division (now GE Healthcare) as its President and CEO. He has been with GE since 1982 and is on the board of two non-profit organizations.

His tenure as the Chairman and CEO started at a time of crisis — he took over the role on September 7, 2001[13] four days before the terrorist attacks on the United States, which killed two employees and cost GE's insurance business $600 million — as well as having a direct effect on the company's Aircraft Engines sector. Immelt has also been selected as one of President Obama's financial advisors concerning the economic rescue plan.

We wonder why NBC tends to side with liberal politics when it comes to reporting a story. It is this way with every network whether it is CNN or Fox News. They are all politically affiliated whether we want to admit it or not. This is all available to see for yourselves, and once you read up on it. You can see that all media has a political agenda disguised as Journalism. True Journalism reports the pros and cons of both sides of the political coin. However as our media outlets are owned by corporations that have invested in political ideals and rubbed elbows with politicians. They can’t possible report on both sides of the coin without hurting themselves and their political standing. That is why we have the bias media we have today.

Local channels are all owned by the same media outlets and so all of our news is filtered through the politically correctness of the Corporation that owns it leaving freedom of press under the watchful eye of a consolidated media system within our country. Consolidated meaning that all news facets are narrowed down to a select few of powerful corporations who dictate what the news is.

Photoshop Addiction

I haven't messed around in Photoshop for a while so I figured I would a bit the other day. It started out just doing things I was used to doing. I realized that I haven't really stepped out of my comfort zone in Photoshop. Meaning I've never challenged myself to do something new. So I decided to watch a tutorial on creating 3 dimensional letters and also one on reflection. Luckily my wife had messed around with reflections so I didn't need to watch that tutorial(Thanks honey). So after learning these new techniques I decided to experiment and to see what I could come up with. The above picture is my 4th try on reflections and 3d letters it is one of my favorite verses out of the Bible.

Romans 12:1-2; 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

So that verse is my inspiration for the photo you see. I don't think I could ever tire of creating things on Photoshop. It is almost as addicting as coffee! Anyway I am pretty stoked that I learned a couple new tricks in Photoshop. Now it is on to details and textures. I think I'm going to look for more pointers so I can learn some new tricks.

Problems

Life is good even when times are hard. It is easy to get discouraged when things tend to work against you. Your car breaks down or you struggle to make ends meet. Health issues arise and you have no clue on how you are going to pay for the medical bills that will accompany the Doctor visit. Often we let the stress of every day life bog us down and let it eat at us a piece at a time.

We let our circumstances blind us from what could be. What I mean is that we let our stress cloud our thoughts. We start drowning in self pity and let our troubles dictate our life. If you take a moment while you are in the midst of these troubles and really take a look. You'll see that some strange way there is a blessing in each struggle we face. When you think about it, we really have no control of anything. We like to think we do but we do not. For instance when you are sick you can't control how sick you are or what the Doctor is going to charge you for treatment.

You may ask what kind of blessing comes out of being sick? I'll tell you what I learned from watching my Mom go through a life of diabetes, 2 kidney transplants, and Cancer twice. Even though she was on the verge of dying multiple times and feeling horrible for months on end. She often spoke of all the blessings she received due to her illnesses. She used to speak of all the amazing people she met while at the hospital. All the bonds she made with people as she sat hooked up to a dialysis machine for hours at a time.

She gained an appreciation for life and the relationships we share in it. Through her trials she gained riches greater then gold and she wanted us(her children)to know about them. She would often quote Matthew 17:20 - for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. She moved many mountains in her life and I saw that verse lived out by her every day that she lived. Sure she has weaknesses like all of us. Yet she never let her troubles get the best of her. She often talked to me about how God provides no matter what circumstances we face.

The challenge for everyone is looking for those blessings in our troubles. It is hard to see straight when it seems the world is falling in all around you. You just got to take a moment and hit pause, pray and seek the Lord in the midst of the chaos. When you do this those blessings seem to pop up everywhere. Sure you still are burdened by whatever trial you are in. However there is less burden when you finally see the blessings that are mingled in within that trial. So I encourage you all who face trials to pause,pray, and seek the Lord so that each trial you face becomes not a burden but a blessing.

The future is wide open!

There is a lot happening here in the next week. I am excited what the LORD is to bring. We are kicking off some cool stuff with the Active ministry and starting a Church group at our home. I am really excited to see how the LORD is going to use our group within the community. I've always said that the best way to serve the LORD is to open up your front door and hit the street. There are so many needs with in everyone's community that you'd have to be blind not to see them. So this new adventure is something I can't wait to start. Meeting with new and old friends and sharing that fellowship is something that is so valuable. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas to get rolling! Also that same week my in-laws are going to be visiting. I can't wait to see them because it has been too long. I am hoping the nice weather holds out for them. It is starting to get cold and I feel fall in the air.

You Are What You Eat

This Sunday I was given the opportunity to teach the Junior High student youth group, and I was very excited to do so. There is nothing better than being able to teach the word of God to students who are at that age where adolescence begins. I know for me personally it was one of the worst parts of growing up. Peer pressure, hormones, dating, popularity, looks, clothes, and all the opportunity to take drugs to cover all the pain that is associated with all those things.

The message was on 1 Peter 4:1-6

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

“The proof is in the pudding” What does that mean exactly. Originally that phrase was “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”. But through the years it was shortened to what we all know now. The proof is in the pudding. You see food can be tragically horrible, or unbelievably amazing. It all depends on how that food was prepared. All the dishes we love to eat consist of ingredients. It takes the cook skill to get the recipe right. You see you need the right ingredients. If one ingredient is missed or used in excess it could completely destroy the lovely dish it could have been! So truly the proof of the pudding is in the eating! If it tastes horrible then the cook didn’t do too good of a job following the recipe. In fact you could say they failed miserably. If it is the best dish ever! The cook followed the recipe to the “T” and did a great Job! So the good ingredients or the bad ingredients determine the overall taste of the pudding right? It also depends on what recipes you use! There are bad recepies and good ones. Ultimately we all want good recipes so we disregard the bad ones.

So let’s apply this saying to our walk with God. If we are took look at our lives and break down the ingredients that make us who we are. What would those ingredients consist of? Would all the ingredients be pleasing to God or would they make him want to spew us out of his mouth? Look at it this way. If you were serving God a plate of food wouldn’t you want it to be the best food ever? Would you want the ingredients of that dish the best you could find? We have one place to find the recipes that are pleasing to God when it comes to our walk as Christians, and also those that make him sick. If we follow what is written in the pages of the bible and apply them to our lives. I guarantee you that God is going to love what you are serving him, and when all is said and done. He will say to you. Well done good and faithful servant!
So what ingredients make up your life? Are those ingredients ones that are pleasing to God? Do you have some ingredients that you could do without? I want to share with you some must haves when it comes to your relationship with God, that you may have a spiritual recipe that will be pleasing to God.

1.Sacrifice
We must be willing to sacrifice certain things in order to have a healthy walk with the LORD. In order to start we must look at Christ as our example.

1 Peter 4:1 - Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind,

He willingly went to a horrible death to grant all of us salvation. He knew what he was going to experience but he did it why? Because it was the only way our sin could be paid for. So we must first put on the mind of Christ. Meaning if we are truly going to walk a Christian walk we must mentally and prayerfully prepare for Sacrifice.

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is not easy and it is not painless. It hurts and sometimes may cost our life. There are many all over the world dying for their faith in Jesus Christ, or thrown in jail and tortured. Why? Because they will not deny him as their savior, we must be ready for that if we are truly going to be committed to Christ. How committed are you?

Romans 12:1 - And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

Christ was committed to us unto death. So Paul asks if it is too much to ask to sacrifice parts of our lives even up unto death after Christ paid the ultimate price. How committed are you?

Repentance

We must be willing to actively seek repentance. What is repentance?

Repentance: A heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.

How do you actively seek repentance?

“Three R’s to Live By”

Remember God
Remember God always is there, he is omnipotent. In the midst of temptation we can remember he is there holding his hand down offering us strength and a way out of that temptation. All we need to do is accept his hand and take that exit.

Return To God
So by taking hold of his hand we are returning to God and taking that exit. As he pulls us to him with one hand he is pushing that temptation away with his other. This is how we actively repent.

Repent
Now that we have remembered God and returned to him we have now denied temptation that lead to active sinning. However if we fall into sin like we all do, we must ask for forgiveness right away and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This way we are not in danger of letting that sin take root.

By repenting we suffer the desires that go unmet.

1 Peter 4: 1.5 – 3 for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

2. Facing Peer Pressure

By repenting and weeding out those ingredients that ruin our Christian walk. We will find that those we used to practice those sinful things with begin to pass judgment on us and talk behind our backs.

1 Peter 4:4 - 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

Often by denying certain sins in our lives people we used to practice those sins with will notice you aren’t the same person who used to smoke pot, or have a cold beer. They will see that you aren’t spending as much time with them doing those things. Most of the time they feel as if you are passing judgment on them for example: Drinking, partying, ect…. Even when you try to explain it to them they feel convicted by it. Thinking since you feel getting stoned is wrong you must think I am a horrible person. This is very common especially when first stepping out in public faith.

Dissipation – “wasting of time”

Ultimately it boils down to what you spend your time doing. Is drinking and parting something that glorifies God in your Life? Do you want ingredients in your life that bring sorrow and destruction, or promise and life? What you spend your time doing will end up being what you are.

Spiritually speaking you are what you eat!

When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by Satan, he had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. Satan tempted Jesus to turn rocks into bread. Jesus replied to Satan.

Matthew 4:4 - But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

You are what you eat! If we are to take in bread for physical sustenance it will do our soul no good! The only real life saving food is the word of God! That is why daily we must be reading the bible, and why we must be constantly in prayer.

3.The Pie

Let’s look at it this way. God gave you your life and let’s look at your life as a huge pie filled with all sorts of ingredients, some good some bad. All around that pie are multiple ingredients you can use to fill your pie with. Some of you might choose a little beer here, a little pot there. Or maybe you want a lot of money to fill that pie. Video games you like to fill your pie with video games! Now let me ask you a question. Do you give God only a slice of that pie?

You see each slice of the pie is filled with something. Maybe one slice is reserved for Church and another work, family, friends, or T.V. What percentage of your life (The Pie) is given to God? Shouldn’t every piece of the pie be filled with the most important ingredient of all? God is the most important ingredient that so much of us leave out. God should be the filling of the whole pie.

Each portion whether it be reserved for work, school, or entertainment should all have one constant ingredient in with them. That ingredient is God! Every aspect of our life should glorify God. Maybe there are some ingredients in your life you could do without. Maybe you have a few pieces of pie that need to be thrown to the dogs so you can replace them with pie that is good and glorifying to God. Our whole lives not just parts should be pleasing to God.

1 Peter 4:5-6 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Those who pass judgment against you for following God will face judgment by Jesus Christ. However the gospel is preached for all to hear, so even the ones who persecute may have salvation also. You see we all have a choice! We can choose life or death. If we live by the flesh then we are dead physically and spiritually. One day our bodies will die. One thing is certain, one day we will all die. When that day comes we will stand in judgment before our creator. He will grant those who gave their lives to him Life, and those who denied him death.

John 11:25 - “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. 26. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

So my question to you is what do you choose?

If the answer to that question is Life and Jesus then all you have to do is say the following prayer to begin or re-commit your relationship with him now.

Heavenly Father,
I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of
my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the
Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe
that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now
to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and
Savior. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit.
I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the
day's of my Life! Because your word is truth, I confess
with my mouth that I am cleansed by the Blood of Jesus.
In Jesus Name, Amen

1st and Kitten

I was looking for a funny picture for my blog that had to do with kittens when I came across the above picture. This is a Cyclopes kitten. This is a real picture and here is the story about the creepiest kitten I have laid eye's on....or should I say laid "eye" upon! Muahahahahahaha!

Story Link

Now to get to what caused me to search for a picture of a kitten. Yesterday the family and I celebrated my birthday. We decided to eat at Five Guys and then afterward head over to Game stop to check out video games. While searching through the Xbox titles one in particular caught my "eye" and that title was Madden 2010! I have been "eying" that game since it came out and "eye" really want it! While standing there drooling over the awesome prospect of finally owning such a wonderful game. My wife decided to throw a curve ball in my direction. While standing by a few guys who were also shopping for video games. She asked me this....

"Would you rather have Madden 2010 or a kitty?"

I thought about it for one second (I love cats especially kitties)and replied without one bit of hesitation! "I want a kitty!" As those words left my lips I realized what I had just said around complete male strangers. This is not something a guy who buys manly video games such as Madden would ever say! It is something he would never admit to saying! I could feel humility setting in and my face must have turned at least 10 shades of red. So I choose a kitty over Madden 2010 and now I am blogging about it! I have no shame! My manliness has now hit an all time low in the history on manliness! Well I have revealed enough for now. I must go look for a cute fury friend.

A Note From My Daughter.

Today Ashley wrote me a note during creative writing and it tickled me so much I have to share it.

Dear Dad,

I love you so much. How was work today? Thank you for teaching Trevor and I science yesterday. Do you know when we are going to do art class again? Because I want to do it next Monday. But home schooling is really fun. I can't wait to go to heaven! Can you wait to go to heaven? I Heart U again!

I heart U,

Ashley

Don't Hang Your Church Bulletin Here # 2

I am going to go with my first instincts on this one. I left the conversation with my boss to give in to his request in order to show him respect. The bible states that we are to respect those in the position of authority, and being that the bulletin board is property of my employer. I must do as he asks out of respect to him. I know that the bulletin board is for public use and anyone can put anything on it. My employer reserves the right to take anything off of it as he See's fit. As he has done in the past with the Fresh Life bulletins. Since I am employed by this person he is in a position of authority. Whether he is using it correctly is between him and God. How I respond to this situation is between me and God.

Let me make it clear that I am not running away from a fight because I am scared of loosing a job. I am stepping back because God has a plan, and me hanging bulletins or not will not affect the out come. I am 1 of 1700 people in my Church. They put those bulletins up wherever there is a public bulletin board. It will not matter if I hang one or not. There will be one in place of the one I have stopped hanging from someone else.

So I have decided to see what God will make of it. I have heard people tell me to do it anyway, and you know I am half tempted to. I have to respect the wishes of my boss being he owns the bulletin board. I know it is discrimination but he has a right to do so being the owner of it. There are other ways of spreading the word and I fully intend on doing that in a respectful manner.

Jesus Christ is not who he said he was but he had some good teachings.

So many times I have heard various people state that they love the truths in the bible. That Jesus was a good teacher of Love. That the bible has a lot of good in it, but it is not the word of God. Or I've heard people say that there are many ways to heaven and not just one even though I choose to follow Jesus Christ's teachings. often when the facts are presented to them they don't want to hear the facts or come up with excuses why not to believe them.

For those who say they choose Christ as their way to heaven but they don't believe he is the only way. Your going to have to ignore the fact that Christ teaches this....

John 14:6 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

You can't pick and choose when it comes to Jesus Christ teachings just because it doesn't fit your life style. You see he taught what he taught so that you would know how to live your life so you could be with him in heaven. We all have a choice on whether we want to believe his teachings or not. We can't pick the the lessons we like over the ones that challenge us or go against what makes us feel comfortable.

Usually when this point is brought up the conversation is diverted on the topic of man manipulated bible over God inspired. Let us take a look at why the bible is not that of man but that of God. We can all agree that the U.S. Constitution was written over 200 years ago not only by documented history but dating of the original manuscript. We can also agree that Shakespeare wrote plays between the years 1589 - 1639. These are facts that are not disputed.

However when it comes to the 66 books of the bible there seems to be great debate over them even if these 66 books are dated and proven historically accurate. Not only by science but also by divine means such as prophecy. Most people that have problems with the bible shrug and roll their eyes at the word prophecy. Let us take one prophecy written in 681 B.C. That is 681 years before Christ was born. To understand this prophecy we must understand what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross.

Jesus was scourged,beaten,and mocked before he was placed on the cross to die. As he hung there on the cross. He took upon him the worlds sin as the mockers sneered at him. He took on our sin so we could be forgiven so we could live out eternity in Heaven. You see Jesus Christ's death was predicted in 681 B.C. by a man named Isaiah. He wrote about it in Isaiah 53:4-6

4Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins!5 But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!6 All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.

You see his death was written about in this instance 681 years before it happened. Not only that but the purpose for his death as well. Don't forget to take into account that it was written before crucifixion was even invented. There are so many more prophecies that are proven and fulfilled in the bible to prove that it is truly the inherent word of God. Here is a list of just a few that you can read.

Prophecies about Jesus

Keep in mind some of these are 1000 years or more before Jesus was born and that these are specific to Jesus. There are multitudes of prophecies concerning other things as well that are just as profound! To deny it you literally have to choose not to see it or accept it.

Psalms 22 written 1050 B.C. predicting Jesus Christ's Crucifixion in detail down to some of his last words.

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune "Doe of the Dawn." My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help?


Psa 22:2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief.


Psa 22:3 Yet you are holy. The praises of Israel surround your throne.


Psa 22:4 Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.


Psa 22:5 You heard their cries for help and saved them. They put their trust in you and were never disappointed.


Psa 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!


Psa 22:7 Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying,


Psa 22:8 "Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the LORD save him! If the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!"


Psa 22:9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother's womb and led me to trust you when I was a nursing infant.


Psa 22:10 I was thrust upon you at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.


Psa 22:11 Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me.


Psa 22:12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!


Psa 22:13 Like roaring lions attacking their prey, they come at me with open mouths.


Psa 22:14 My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me.


Psa 22:15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.


Psa 22:16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet.


Psa 22:17 I can count every bone in my body. My enemies stare at me and gloat.


Psa 22:18 They divide my clothes among themselves and throw dice [fn] for my garments.


Psa 22:19 O LORD, do not stay away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!


Psa 22:20 Rescue me from a violent death; spare my precious life from these dogs.


Psa 22:21 Snatch me from the lions' jaws, and from the horns of these wild oxen.


Psa 22:22 Then I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among all your people.


Psa 22:23 Praise the LORD, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!


Psa 22:24 For he has not ignored the suffering of the needy. He has not turned and walked away. He has listened to their cries for help.


Psa 22:25 I will praise you among all the people; I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.


Psa 22:26 The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.


Psa 22:27 The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. People from every nation will bow down before him.


Psa 22:28 For the LORD is king! He rules all the nations.


Psa 22:29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Let all mortals--those born to die--bow down in his presence.


Psa 22:30 Future generations will also serve him. Our children will hear about the wonders of the Lord.


Psa 22:31 His righteous acts will be told to those yet unborn. They will hear about everything he has done.

This whole thing was written long before the events it promises will happen. Lets put a little perspective on this. Look at the last verse of Psalms 22.

Psa 22:31 His righteous acts will be told to those yet unborn. They will hear about everything he has done.

Over 3000 years ago David wrote that we (those yet unborn) will know and hear about all of Jesus Christs righteous acts and what he has done for us! You cannot deny that this is the case and it was written long before the debate over the bible was even a thought of in the mind of man.

With every bit of evidence there is that makes the case for the bible as the word of God. It amazes me that when that evidence is presented people choose to disregard it. So before you decide to disregard it again. Really think about that decision you are making. Don't let pride or the fear of not being in control of your life blind you. God has left the bible as evidence of his existence. A record of his relationship with us. It is there so that you may know that there is a God who cares for our eternal well being.

So do you choose to ignore the evidence? Or accept it and really look at it for what it really is? I submit to you with out hesitation or a shadow of doubt. The bible truly is the inherent word of God. So in referring back to Isaiah 53 do you choose to follow the path of your own? Or the path God has laid out before you? I hope you choose the later.

Don't Hang You Church Bulletin Here.

So it finally happened. After about a year and a half of hanging my Church bulletin on a bulletin board for public advertisement, I have been asked not to hang it there by my boss. Today while leaving work I was hanging one of my bulletins so that general passers by could see it and come to my church if they wanted. My boss stopped me and ask me what the bulletins were all about. He stated that he keeps tearing them down only to find them there again. I told them they were bulletins with my church info on them.

He said that they seemed a bit tacky to him. I didn't say much to that and he continued to ask what this Skull Church thing was all about. I told him that the Skull symbolized Golgotha the place where Jesus Christ was crucified in Israel, and that that place in English is called The place of the skull. He stated that it didn't seem too religious to him and that he was tired of all the stickers all over his pop machines.

Explanation: Recently our store has been hit by some website called The Jamhole. They stick the stickers all over our products and pop machines. He was trying to say that those stickers were skull church stickers.

I pointed out to him that I would never vandalize store property with any sticker and that he had the Jamhole stickers confused with Fresh Life bulletins. I explained what Skull Church was about and that it was an outreach event targeting the younger generation. However he asked me not to hang the Skull Church stuff on his bulletin board. Being that all the bulletins from my church mention Skull Church times, that means no Fresh Life bulletins allowed at all.

So my dilemma is.....do I continue to hang the bulletins being that the bulletin board is for the general public to hang announcements? Doing so will definitely put the heat on me and possibly cost me my job. Or do I obey even though I know it is discriminatory? I realize Skull Church is very controversial but so is some of the other stuff I see on that bulletin board. What would you do? I have mind to continue putting the bulletin on the board just to stand for what I believe in. However the bulletin board is owned by Rosauers and I am employed by them. If I am off the clock then I would assume that they would have no grounds for punishment.

My car has a Skull Church sticker on it. Does this mean I can't park in the store parking lot? I want to be respectful to my employers, yet I don't want to be discriminated against. I guess I should check the laws when it comes down to these things. So I am not breaking any if I decide to continue to hang the church bulletins on the public bulletin board.

Update: While posting this post I received a book in the mail from out of the blue called.....

Tortured for Christ: One Man Who Dared to Stand Up.

Ya think there may be something to that?

Bible School

Being that I am a man of little means and I have a family to tend to. I just can't pick up and head out of state to the nearest bible school, nor can I afford one. So I have found the next best thing. I was directed to www.bible.org to check out a free way of going to bible school! That's right the key word is free! On bible.org there is a two year bible school available streaming the Internet. You can watch the class via video or mp3. They are all prerecorded so you can watch them whenever your heart desires. There are 10 classes per course and I am just starting Intro To Theology. You can view the class work book via PDF file as you watch or listen to the class. This is such a blessing because I have wanted to go to bible school for a long time now.

I am waiting for books in the mail that I have ordered so I can do the reading assignments for future classes. This has been my passion for a long time and I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas. I have never felt so fulfilled ever! There has always been this feeling of I should be doing something more with my life. I am happy to say that there is no feeling like that now. I know that this is exactly what I am supposed to do. Often people go through life not knowing why they feel like they feel like something isn't quite right. That they should have taken a different path. I can say that my whole life has led up to this moment for a reason. There is no question that every event in my life has led me to where I am supposed to be and that is here now.

Every trial I have ever faced has always led me to rely on God even more then I had previously. I must say that he has been a sturdy foundation on which my life has been built upon. I have an unyielding urge to let others know about God and the amazing lives we can have by putting our faith in him. Especially those who doubt in him. So taking these classes will help me communicate this through a better understanding of the bible and God. I am really stoked!!!!

Don McClure

This last Sunday our Pastor was in St. Louis with Franklin Graham doing an outreach. So we had a guest speaker give the message and it was AWESOME! You have to give it a listen. It is not only powerful and full of truth, but it is full of good humor and very inspiring. I encourage you to watch it even if you feel it would be a waste of your time. You might just be surprised!

None of These Things Move Me :: Don McClure from fresh life church on Vimeo.

Bye Bye Cell Phone

In order to cut back on expendetures that really are there for conveinience rather then need. We have decided to get rid of our cell phones that cost $100.00 a month and go with a lower bill of $2.95 a month for Skype phone service. The cool thing with this is that it is all over the intrenet. So no more long distance fee's or going over minutes. We have our new number and it works really good to my surprise. Another cool feature is that if you have a Skype phone or Iphone/Ipod touch. You can access your skype telphone service via WiFi. Meaning if you are at a Wifi location anywhere. You can use your phone with no roaming charges. This is very cool and a cheap way to go. So we are doing it and we'll be giving out our new number soon.

You can check out the plans here...SKYPE PHONE SERVICE

A Medical Mystery?

Today we decided to skip our next appointment with the Neurologist being that he was going to refer us to another Doctor anyway. We figured he would charge us another $217.00 just so he could point us to another doctor. We called and had the appointment cancelled and asked just for a referral. However the Neurologist called back and stated he had never seen symptom's like Ashley's before and would like to run tests. Normally I'd be all for this, but I know someone who was treated by this Neurologist in the past. They ran tests and fed medication to her. After a long while of her symptoms not improving they wanted to perform brain surgery on her. Her parents took her to Spokane for a second opinion and found her symptoms were caused from anxiety. After finding ways to calm the anxiety her problems went away.

We have decided not to let this particular doctor perform any tests on Ashley. We are probably going to have to seek help in Seattle because all the Doctors here seem to be stumped. This is going to be difficult being we are on one income and insurance is a joke. Also our car has died today and I wouldn't drive it to Missoula in fear it would die a quarter of the way there. So we are currently looking for a new reliable vehicle that we can afford. With all of this happening I am not stressed because all of this is out of my control. I rely fully on God and now this will all work out. I must say I am truly blessed by all of your prayers, and all of you who have spoken words of comfort and have given us a helping hand. I will never be able to repay your love and kindness, but I know God will bless you all greatly.

Very Expensive Breath Mints

Ashley has been taking a placebo pill to see if she would get better. The Placebo we ended up giving Ashley were little blue sugar free breath mints. They didn't cure her by any means even though they were doctor perscribed and in a perscription bottle. I take that back they really did a number on a condition called hallatosis. In plain english hallatosis is known as bad breath and these pills worked beautifuly! We received the bill for this perscription and it came to $217.00. I have never in my life payed that much for container of tic tacs before!

Now I know that there is a first time for everything. So now we are on to the next doctor to see if this doctor knows what is going on. In all of this I have learned that stressing is not going to help matters and money is just paper. What matters is that we get down to the bottom of what is causing Ashley to have these symptoms. We are all doing well and Ashley is doing great and isn't letting this get her down. She is so strong that it brings a smile to my face. Thursday we are going to dedicate to prayer and fasting for those of you who want to join us in that. We will be praying for answers and healing for Ashley.

I will try to keep you posted as much as possible here. Thank you all for your support and prayers. You all truly make this time easier with your words of comfort and encouragement. We are so blessed to have you all in our lives. Well I suppose I should go find a nice picture of a breath mint for this post. Thanks for reading it!

Very Hungry!

I am very hungry!

My Breaking Heart

Today is the first day of Ashley taking here placebo pills. We ended up buying these small blue mints and having the pharmacy make up a mock prescription bottle for Ashley. She is to take two of them by mouth daily. I know she is not creating her condition for attention, yet we have to rule it out as a possibility. This has proven harder then I ever thought.

Today when I arrived home from work. I noticed Ashley was still having her spasms with no change. I figured this would be the case. She asked Stacey when she could take her next pill because she didn't feel she was getting any better. Hearing this come from her mouth absolutely crushed me. I don't know if I can do this for a full week. I know that Ashley is placing great hope that this medicine she is taking will help her symptoms go away. It kills me to know that I am giving her false hope in something that isn't going to work.

To build my little girls hope up in something I know won't work is almost more then I can bare. I just have to keep telling myself it is part of the process of elimination and will help the doctors make educated guesses as to why she is having problems. I have never thought I'd feel this way but I feel as if I am betraying her trust. I hope that she doesn't get too discouraged when the little mint flavored pills don't work. I will be fighting hard to remain up beat this week, but it is going to be very hard.

PLACEBO

Placebo - a substance having no pharmacological effect but given merely to satisfy a patient who supposes it to be a medicine.


We went to the Neurologist today with all the kids. One point during the appointment the doctor asked Stacey or I to take all of the kids into the waiting room while he discussed what was going on with the parent that chose to stay. I volunteered to take the kids being that Stacey remembers things much better then I. So I took all three kids into the waiting room. While sitting there knowing that this is not good. I prayed for strength and courage in whatever news was coming my way. I realized that if he didn't want the kids to hear what he had to say, it couldn't be good. I felt dizzy like I was on the precipice of something horrible. I looked at Ashley and realized I had to remain strong for her so she wouldn't be scared. So I joked with the kids for a bit as we were waiting.

Stacey came out and I scanned her face for any trace of crying and there was nothing. I couldn't read her face for a hint of what was said in the examination room. So I was on the edge of my seat until she showed me the prescription that read. "Please make up a bottle of placebo pills for Ashley." So there was much relief in that. So after a couple weeks of stress and a lot of prayer we came to the day where we thought we'd get some answers concerning Ashley.

However what we found is we are in the same spot of uncertainty that we were in before. So in order to rule out any mental disorder or nervous habbit. We will give Ashley her placebo pills. I pray that that the doctor perscribed tic tacs will be the magic pill that makes her symptoms go away. I'd rather deal with that then something like a tumor or terrets syndom. We are still waiting on the blood test results. We haven't heard anything back yet on them so I think we are safe. They say no news is good news.

Skull Chruch Message

The Religious Trial :: The Bloody Death of Jesus Christ (Part 2) from fresh life church on Vimeo.

Blood Test

We took Ashley into experience how it feels to get blood drawn. Surprisingly she watch the whole thing from needle entry to needle extraction. I however had to turn away when the needle pierced her. I felt dizzy are ready to pass out right there on the examination room floor. So in the scheme of things Ashley is a little warrior. She hasn't shown a bit of nervousness or fear. This has brought me great comfort seeing her strength in all of this. Today I found it extremely difficult to concentrate at work and hard to smile and joke. I have been worried sick and I think knowing that test results are at hand makes me even more so. There are all the what if's going through my mind. I try to pray often to keep my mind off of it and it brings me comfort, however that fear sneaks in and turns my stomach. In the midst of this trial I have found comfort in this verse and I try to keep that on my heart through out the day.

Phl 4:6-7; Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I can't tell you how much prayer has helped through all of this. When you have faith in a God who can do anything and you can come to him for comfort and peace beyond comprehension, how AWESOME is that. Jesus once told his disciples that if they had the faith the size of a mustard seed, you can tell a mountain to move from here to there and it would be so(Matthew 17:20). I think of all the things I would seek comfort in if I didn't have the Lord. All of which would do no good but make matters worse. How amazing is it that if you have just a little bit of faith you can get through trials in life that seem like impassible mountains!

Technical Difficulties

Our Internet keeps timing out and loosing connection and our wireless router died. So we sometimes have Internet and sometimes we don't. After about 20 calls into bresnan to get it fixed. They put us on a higher service level to where the people who know what they are doing will come and check out our cable connection and hopefully get our Internet fixed. I was originally going to post a blogger version of the message I gave at the Thrive Summer Camp. Being that our wireless router died I can't access my files on my external hard drive. Even if I hard wire it I can't access my files and that is very strange considering not everyone has wireless. So until I can access my external hard drive I have nothing but Technical difficulties to blog about. On a side note, Ashley is doing better today so that has been great! Looks like our prayers are being answered! Now lets hope her condition goes away completely. She is now outside playing in the beautiful sun that I am about to relax in.

Patients in the midst of a trial.....

I am willing to admit that in the midst of a trial my patients wears thin. However I need to stop and realize that instead of getting frustrated I need to stay calm and look to God for relief. Today while trying to get Ashley into a Doctor who could give us an explanation on what is happening, I did absolutely the opposite. I hit panic mode and got frustrated at the fact that I was being directed back to the place we started that held no answers for Ashley's condition. Every pediatrician that I called referred us back to urgent care after I told them I had already been there and they had no clue as to what was causing Ashley to have her spasms. I spent the good part of the day waiting for a referral for a Neurologist and a call back. Finally after a day of seeking help other then the ER or urgent care we got a call back.

As of now we will be taking Ashley in for blood work Wednesday (That is too long for me, however I must be patient). Then Monday we will be in to see a neurologist. I am praying they will not find something horribly wrong with her. I am not sure if I'm ready to go through that again especially since it is my daughter. I find comfort in the Lord and know that he is here for me and the family. Ashley has been amazingly brave through all of this and has been spending her time reading the bible, drawing pictures about Jesus, and playing with friends. She is such a trooper and still manages to laugh and smile a lot. It is funny how encouraging that is to me. I feel like falling apart and she feels like laughing. I have spent a lot of time snuggling her and trying to re-assure her everything will be all right. I feel helpless and wish I could just put a band aid on her to make it go away. All I can do is pray and wait.

A way to keep us focused on the Lord we bought the Kids Journals so they could write down what they got out of their quite times when reading the bible and praying. Afterwards we get together and discuss what we got out of our quite time. It is a comfort and a blessing to hear each others personal experiences. Weird as well when they seem to go hand and hand with each other. I am looking forward for tonight's family quite time.

A Frightening Development

A Frightening Development from Todd Harvey on Vimeo.

This Thursday my daughter Ashley developed some sort of involuntary muscle spasms in her neck and shoulders. These spasms cause her shoulders to shrug and her head to nod up and down. We took her to the doctor to see if he could find a cause. He did tests to see if there was some neurological cause but found none. So that is good news, however he couldn't come up with a good explanation for it. So he told us to keep an eye on her and if things worsen to take here to see a neurologist. I am praying that the Lord will bring her healing for whatever is causing this to happen. For all of you who have been praying and have offered up your prayers. We would like to thank you. There is much comfort in knowing that others are praying for our family.

Pre-summer Camp

It is the morning of our departure and I realize I thought we were leaving yesterday but that was because of my excitement to do so. So I am still home and on the computer blogging. I woke up this morning and made coffee while I surfed around on Facebook checking out what was going on in everyone's lives. I spent some quite time in the bible after I woke up a bit. A passage really jumped out at me because it is something I've noticed that has been fading away in our society unless it is a rare circumstance.

Proverbs 3:27-28; Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. 28 If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”

It is crazy to think on how many times I've needed help and someone who could have helped had been too busy with their own world to stop and help me in my time of need. Then I began to think about how I have done the same? Sometimes I think we get caught up in all the craziness and forget the world doesn't revolve around us. That we are in this all together. I think that I myself need to be more observant of others needs so that I can be there for them in a time of need.

I just thought I'd share with you what I got out of my quite time this morning. After today it will be about a week before you hear from me again. Trevor has his clothes spread all over the living room floor and is in the process of packing. So I need to get going and help him out otherwise he'll forget his underwear. : )

Fathers Day

First off I'd like to wish my Dad "Happy Fathers Day" again. Today started out slow and consisted of a mass consumption of coffee. I think I hit the snooze button more then 20 times and I am not exaggerating. After coffee and a brief breakfast of which my lovely wife made, we were off to Church. If you were wondering what wonderful creation Stacey baked up, it was an amazing crumb cake that was delish! We spent our morning at Church and listened to an awesome message about Jesus Christ returning to Earth. After service went up stairs to help with youth group where we spent most of the time in prayer. It was a great day of bonding with the kids and with God.

Afterwards the family and some friends all went out and ate at Famous Dave's for some really good barbecue food. The kids all got Mac and Cheese? I have no idea why but they liked it. It was good food and conversation with good people. After we were done there we went shopping (This is forbidden on Fathers Day). However during this shopping I picked up some new swimming trunks so all is good. So overall today was a great Fathers Day for me. I all you fathers out there had a good one!

Thrive 09 Summer Camp

It is almost here! Two days from now will be the day we depart for my Church youth group summer camp. I am so excited to be part of this because it is such a blessing to see Kids and young adults mature in the Lord. I have been praying that this time out in the wilderness will bring everyone including the leadership not only closer together but also closer to our awesome God! While at camp there will be music,devotions, and a guest speaker who will be giving messages daily. On top of that there will be games and a lot of fun activities! Trevor my oldest son will be attending and I am so happy that he is going to get to experience all of it. He is such a good kid and I can't wait to see the Lord work through his life. I hope that after this experience he and all the other students will draw even closer to the Lord. I have been so blessed to be able to help do the Lords work. There is no greater reward then to do what God calls us to do. I am truly humbled by all he has done in my life and in the lives of those around me.

Insanity!

Recently one of our local breweries went out of business and the last of their product has hit the grocery store shelves and once it is gone it is gone for good. This being the case people who like the beer are frantically trying to by it while supplies last. Being that I work in receiving at a grocery store I get to take special orders over the phone. This last week I received a call from a guy in Texas requesting that two cases of his favorite beer be shipped to him because he heard the brewery went out of business. This of course is against the law so we weren't able to do this for him. He stated that he loves that beer and it is a tradition to drink it when he comes here on his vacation during the summer. He asked that we hold it for him till August when he takes his vacation.

He stated that he'd drop everything and drive out but he figured after all was said and done it would raise the price of beer per bottle to about $25.00 and he decided he wouldn't do that. However a week later I had the privilege to meet this guy in person. He drove all the way from Texas for two cases of beer! I have never heard or have seen anything so crazy since beanie Baby frenzy at McDonald's! I told him that he was crazy and that it must be really good beer to have driven so far. He ended up buying 3 cases and I hope he enjoys every last drop!