Top Five Regrets

I read a sobering and enlightening article the other day entitled, "Top Five Regrets of the Dying." I actually just skimmed through their list of five and was impacted by the insight that those who were close to dying had on life.

There is something about death that helps us to put aside the unnecessary, and really see what matters. I have never walked in the shoes of someone who knew they were dying soon. I have no idea what that would feel like, nor do I have any idea what thoughts and emotions would be running through my mind. Yet, I know somehow that God wants us to be conscious of our own mortality, and the brevity of our lives.

The reality is that we all are dying. As my good friend says, we're all part of that great statistic - ten out of ten people die. In light of eternity and the "vapor"-like existence of our lives, we are actually close to dying. Our lives are like grass, here today and gone tomorrow.

Yet, our lives matter. Greatly.

What we do matters. How we live matters. How we love matters. Which brings me back to the article. Those on their last days and weeks have provided a short list of things that are beneficial to us who are also dying, it just may not be as obvious as those referred to in the article.

So check it out, read the article or skim the list. I think you will find it adds value and perspective to your life, as it did mine.

Click here to read.

Caught

I think that's what I am - an Angler. Or at least a wannabe.

If only buying the poles and having the guide made you a fisherman. But at least I'm headed in the right direction. I'm still not totally sure what "angler" means.

With some remaining birthday money, I picked up some fishing poles today. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I did my best to prepare myself and the kids for some fun outings going fishing.

I'm hoping that the fishing poles help me catch more than just bluegill and smallmouth bass... I hope they help me catch priceless moments with my kids. I hope they help me catch teachable moments with them that otherwise, may not have been caught.

So, these poles I bought today are more than fishing poles, they're moment catchers.

And that has this wannabe angler pretty excited.

Wolves

The Wolf - a beautiful animal

I spend most of my day in front of a computer screen. Two of them to be exact. So, it's nice to be able to display pictures on the screens that inspire you, remind you of what's important, or that simply make you smile.

Well, thanks to Windows 7 and the Desktop Themes that they have, I can select from a wide variety of desktop backgrounds. The theme I currently have selected falls into the category of "makes me smile." The theme, believe it or not, is wolves.

I have always had a fancy for wolves going all the way back to probably my middle school years. I'm not sure why, but wolves grab my attention. They're fierce, yet familiar with that dog-like look. They look playful, yet, you wouldn't want to get to close to them. They seem almost tame or domesticated, when in reality, they're wild.

The above is a screen shot of one of the desktop backgrounds from the Windows 7 Wolves theme (I have my wolves theme displaying a new pic every 5 minutes). If you spend most of your day in front of a monitor like myself, you may appreciate some of the variety that the Windows 7 themes provide to the generic computer desktop.

Find something that suits your fancy by clicking here.

Meditate

I have found myself recently going back to a familiar portion of Scripture for me. It's where Paul describes all the reasons why he could have confidence in his flesh; how he, if anyone, could put confidence in his own efforts before God.

Yet, after listings all his accolades, he describes these things as being gain for him, and not for Christ. They were all things that he could glory in. They were all things that pointed to his strength and what he could do. None of it pointed to God's strength, and what God could do.

He was doing good things, but it was still all about him. It was all about his work, and what he could do. (Of course, as he describes in Romans, all his efforts fell drastically short.)

When, in reality, it's all about what Jesus... Did.

Here's the passage:
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ... http://bible.us/Phil3.3.ESV

Free!

Just received today - take a look at the fine print in this pic...

All I can say is, "Thank You Jesus!"

God has been doing a good work in us in regards to (His) money that we simply are stewards of. Liz and I have been working hard to get out of debt. We were able to pay off our van over a year early; definitely reason to celebrate, and to thank the Lord!

Using "snowballing," it's now onto the next thing!

Homesteader

Homesteading, me?!

I've been leafing through the book in the pic above, and have really enjoyed it!

Google homesteading if your not familiar with it. I stumbled upon this book in our local library and have loved it. It has so much info on living "off the grid," and will open your eyes to the homesteading life.

I'm not exactly sure where we are going with the information we are reading, but we have been enjoying the insights and knowledge.

Stay tuned for more...

Lazy Sunday

As I get more honest with myself, and learn to be aware of how I am feeling, I get to see some things in me that I don't really like. Things I never would have thought I struggled with or dealt with in my life are becoming more apparent. My supposed, "I don't really struggle with that" syndrome is wearing off, at least a little bit...

One thing I have learned is that I can be a very controlling, and I believe, therefore anxious person. Uptight, worry-full, stressed out to the MAX... whatever you want to call it.

The other day I spent time reading over some Scriptures directly related to worry, including this one:

...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 ESV.

I was laden with fear and worry at the time over a specific thing, and the Scriptures helped me to hang on to another way of thinking. A more godly way of thinking. A heavenly way of thinking. Jesus' way of thinking.

All my fear and worry can cause me to be preoccupied and disconnected from the task at hand, especially when it comes to my family. Instead of giving them my full attention, they get leftovers, if there are any. My body is there, but my mind is elsewhere.

So why "Lazy Sunday"? Today was a wonderful day of anything but worry-full and anxious. I've had to work hard at it, fighting moment to moment sometimes to keep from giving in to the anxieties that can invade my mind. But there has been definite progress.

This picture of my daughter on our swing was a perfect snapshot of my heart today - carefree and peaceful. I was able to enjoy my family more, laugh more, and not be weighed down and preoccupied about "stuff." Stuff that didn't go away, mind you. The stuff still exists, but God is helping me to walk day by day without worry, even in the midst of the potential anxieties of life. God didn't promise that life wouldn't throw at us things that might cause us to worry, but He did say that He would be with us in the midst of it.

So praise God... for His Word and His love towards us. And how He empowers us to live with peace and joy in the midst of the chaos of life.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

To my passionate, generous, loving son Josiah,

Happy Birthday!!

There are so many ways I want to be just like you.

Fear that Torments

Fear activates the devil like Faith activates God. Jentezen Franklin.

I watched the message on Fears That Torment Our Lives by Jentezen Franklin yesterday. I soo needed it, and I believe it will be a blessing to you.

Check out part 1 below, and be sure to watch the rest of the message...

Work Ethic

A friend of mine once said that he enjoys watching anything that shows someone performing or competing at the top of their game. In other words, they are the best at their craft, whatever "their craft" may be.

There is something we can gain from those who perform or succeed at a very high level. Those who are the best at what they do didn't get there by accident, rather, a lot of qualities, virtues and intangibles brought them to the level they are at.

And a lot of hard work.

It is 5-time World Series Champion Derek Jeter who said, "My parents always told me, 'There's always going to be someone that's better, but there's no reason why someone should outwork you. That's just an excuse.'"

Though I'm not much of a fan of baseball, I sure can appreciate and gain from one of the greatest Yankees players of all time.

Question now might be, is anyone out-working you or I?

Sick Babies

Please pray for us. We have two very sick kids and a sick Mama. (And Moms aren't supposed to get sick!)

Thank you!

Dominion

I ran across these short videos a little while back. They are well done, beautiful videos, and they are done for God's glory.

Check out this one entitled, "Dominion."

Click here for the video, or visit their site for more...

Doggy Time?

We'd love to move out to the country in the future. You know, the classic "house, barn, and a few acres" talk. With that, comes the animal talk too.

My wife and I have generally shied away from animals in recent years, but the discussion has opened back up. Specifically, in regards to a family dog. We've even gone so far as to get an encyclopedia of dogs book (we flipped through it as a family tonight), and I was the one who picked it out from the library. (This is a BIG step for Dad!)

So, will we be getting a dog in the near future? Not so sure. But. At least we are talking about it :)

Question

I watched part of the UK game tonight using my wife's iPod. Though that's a sweet way to way to catch the game live, a tweet by a March Madness fan posed a great question about Indiana and Kentucky after the game.

Check out the first tweet in the pic.

So what do you think??

Grace... Again

Yea, I need to visit it again. I need to dwell on it again.

The richness of His marvelous grace.

We know about Romans 3:23, in fact, we are Romans 3:23. But it's verse 24 that points to the miracle of the cross. It points to Jesus. It points to His grace.

I needed to visit His grace yet again today, as I can so easily forget that it was Him who made me right with God. Not me or my actions.

Stop trying to earn His favor, stop serving from fear. The grace of God has saved me, not me saved me.

So here it is, one of my favorite passages and great reminders of my wretched state apart from Him, contrasted with His great sacrifice and grace that rescued me...

Find it here.

Natural

Lately I've been off my schedule it seems. I haven't been writing at the same time each day, so it's writing whenever and wherever I can. I wish I could blame it on the time change, but this existed before the hour of sleep was ripped from our pillows. Hopefully I'm not the only one out there who ever gets off their schedule!

I'm working towards getting back on a predictable writing pattern. Hopefully late night posts will lessen, but I offer this one tonight. The significance of the book in the picture is simply this: I love books like these!

It's funny, my wife and I have talked about getting back to all things natural in our lives, as it seems to be unorchestradedly (if that's a word) happening to us. One of the "natural" draws in my life is nature itself. So books like this are awe-some to me as I get to leaf through pages of images of God's beautiful creation. It's inspiring and invigorating to me.

And that's it... I'll see you in the morning... ;)

Spring Break

The kids are currently in their spring break from school right now, so we took advantage of the nice summer-ry weather to get out and do some fun things together as a family. I took the day off from work today and we enjoyed breakfast together, visited the local library, went on a picnic, and then played on the playground... it was definitely a fun and full day!

Voice

I believe that the Lord may be whispering His will to me as of late. It is a soft voice, not forceful, and it's my privilege to respond.

I haven't always responded when I heard His voice though.

I would encourage anyone who is hearing the voice of heaven, to hear the encouragement of the Scriptures:

For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.”
Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.” From Psalm 95, bolding mine

I will not harden my heart, Oh, Lord. I will respond to your leading.

Amen.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to my son and little buddy Carson today! Love you buddy!

Photo Finish

Great ending to a great day today. Yea, this pic about sums it up. Follow it up with s'mores and story time and you just about got it :)

Date Night

*sigh*

Liz and I got away for a date night tonight. How refreshing! A much needed getaway for both of us.

I've been stressed lately, and when I'm stressed, I'm not sure even why I'm stressed.

Its kinda like my difficulty with finding things. I'm horrible at it. Down right awful! What I'm searching for can be right where I'm looking, and I still can't see it. It's the same when I'm stressed, the reason is inside me and my emotions, and I can't recognize it.

Of course, my wife is opposite. She is a phenomenal finder (if there was such a title), and she is excellent at understanding and putting words to her emotions. (Another reason she's perfect for me!)

In fact, I've learned over the years that she has a better awareness than I about where we are at as a couple - if we are connecting well or emotionally distant. I could go for weeks of disconnect and if my tummy was full and we talked about "business" stuff regularly, I'd think our relationship was great!

Thankfully, my wife knows better than me. (And hopefully I've moved from clueless to at least semi-conscious regarding emotional oneness!)

Anyway, it was a great night to get away and be together. We need to do this more often :)

Blogger By Night...

I'm a blogger by night (or morning. Or anytime, really), and am in the payments industry by day. It's a fascinating industry that I am in, as it revolves around the movement of money. Or maybe even simpler, the movement of information; it just happens to be payment information.

Every business out there needs to accept money from their customer in one way or another. We help make that happen. My company has been ramping up for a release of a massive product that will help businesses receive and move their information in several different ways, safely and securely. For those familiar with the industry, we will have a single-sign on virtual terminal that allows merchants to accept and handle Credit, Debit, ACH including ARC and BOC, Remote Deposit, POP and Check Re-presentment transaction types. That's a lot to put into one product, believe you me.

Anyway, the payment industry is rapidly changing and is in many ways the wild wild west with the rules still being written and the methods being re-designed. I read through the "infographic" below today and I thought that some of you may find it interesting to see where the payment industry is heading. Whether you are a business owner or consumer, these changes will affect us all.

So check it out, and let me know what you think. Back to my daytime alias...

For more on my business, click here. (be patient, site still under construction) or "like" us on Facebook here.

via: The Digital Wallet and the Future of Payments [INFOGRAPHIC]

Time is Short

There is one thing that has been in my heart lately - that time is short.

It's one of those things that doesn't show itself in obvious ways, but it's running in the background of my mind. Kind of like those annoying programs that won't stop but continue to "run" in the background of your computer, using its memory space. Difference is, what's running in my head isn't annoying. It's sobering, and empowering.

Paul says to the Corinthians that, "the appointed time has grown very short."

James reminds us about the brevity of our lives when he asks, "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

And Jesus, in Revelation 22, says three times in the chapter - "I am coming soon."

Yes, time is short. We cannot get caught up in the ways of this world. We cannot allow our feet to sink too deep. We are just pilgrims passing through, and our true home is in heaven. Everything in this earth will encourage you to play it safe, live for security, live for pleasure, and live for this life only.

Life is simply what Leonard Ravenhill said, "A dressing room for eternity."

So where is your vision today? Where is mine? Is it on the eternal? The everlasting? Or are we caught up in the things we see and the cares of this world?

I love what Ravenhill also said as a prayer, "Stamp eternity on my eyeballs!"

Oh Lord, help us to realize the brevity of our lives, the value of the moment, and that time is indeed short.

Freedom

I have made mention of this in previous posts, and it does not burden me to mention it again.

There are those who are being abducted, raped, and forced to work with little, if any, pay - right now. Human trafficking and slavery is real. And it's prevelant.

27 million slaves.

So to get the word out again is not a problem, but rather a privilege, and a must. We must speak up for those whose voices cannot be heard.

The video below is a trailor to a longer video that can be viewed here. Check out the trailer below and when you make a few moments, watch the short documentary in its entirety.

For justice. For Freedom. For Jesus.

Lukewarm

We will be discussing this portion of Scripture tomorrow at The Chapel's men's study.

Most have heard of the "lukewarm church," few would be willing to honestly admit they are lukewarm; fewer yet are willing to pay the necessary price that Jesus outlines to fix things.

Read the loving words of our Savior below...

"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" http://bible.us/Rev3.14.ESV

Camping

We are planning to go camping as a family this year. We have been slowly building our camping gear, which hopefully we will have the rest of the essentials in the next month or two.

Camping is something I have fond memories of doing over the years. There is something about getting the whole family out of the house to enjoy the great outdoors together. Simple, little distraction, and focused time together with your family... It's a recipe for building relationships and creating fond memories.

Anyway, I was searching for a good tent camping essentials list and liked what I found at the link below. I'm going to use it to make sure we have all the necessary gear, and that it ends up getting to our campsite.

For you fellow campers out there, you may be a pro at camping and have your own list of essentials, but maybe this will be of value to you semi-newbies like me...

http://campingwithgus.com/camping-checklists/

Prayer

Jesus beckons us to come away with Him, yet most of us won't heed His voice.

Prayer is what keeps us from a "going through the motions" Christianity, yet we won't prioritize it.

The late Leonard Ravenhill said no man is greater than his prayer life, yet we try to run ministries without prayer.

Jesus said that He is the Vine and we are the branches and apart from Him we can do nothing, yet our prayer life, or lack thereof, says we think we don't need Him.

Most of us are too busy to pray. Too busy to get away with the Master, too many other priorities that come before the Lover of our soul.

We hear about the need to pray, yet most of us never change. It costs too much. So I guess preachers don't preach on prayer anymore - maybe because it's not popular, or maybe because they themselves don't pray.

So what about you? Will you sacrifice to pray? What are you willing to lay down to be with the Master? For most, the cost is too high. They'll hear something just like this, and there will be

No. Long lasting. Change.

So what about you?

Storm Shot

This pic was shot from our back porch as a severe weather system approached Somerset, KY. Though Somerset area didn't have a tornado touch down, it was this same system I believe that produced a tornado about 30 miles east.

Please continue to pray for all the families affected by the tornadoes, and see how you may be able to help.

Be Safe - Tornado Watch

Weather Channel Home Page

I thought it worth while to get the word out again one more time - Weather.com has been sharing this morning about the high risk of tornadoes in our area of the country/state TODAY, Friday, March 2. Central/Eastern Kentucky as well as other neighboring states seem to be at the highest risk of tornado outbreak today.

So play it safe, watch the warnings, and know what to do to prepare for a possible tornado.

Be safe out there today.

For more, click my links above as well as here, and stay tuned to your local weather and weather.com for the most current updates on the weather.

God Is Like

God is like...

One of my good friends shared with me from a book by A.W. Tozer the other day. Tozer talked about how God is like nothing else in this world, so to say that God is like something... really isn't possible.

God isn't like anything in this world. We cannot try to explain God by comparing Him to things that we know. He is unlike anything we know. He is the Creator, and as such he is the Uncreated One. There is none or nothing like Him.

I appreciate Tozer writing about this because it puts God back where He belongs - much bigger and much greater than I. We make God out to be so much smaller than He is many times - comparing Him to what we know, bringing Him down to our level.

Let's remember when we pray today, Who we are really talking to. Let's put God back where he belongs in our hearts - the highest place.