Stop and look

Working outside during the third shift has its advantages and disadvantages. Instead of telling you all my likes and dislikes I want to tell you about one thing I love. But first let me tell you about a friend.

My friend recently told me about how me loves to wake up before his family, brew some coffee and enjoy some quiet time with his Bible. It’s time for him and God. I think that’s such a great idea. It made me realize that, I’ve been doing it for a long time just in a different way.

The thing that I love about working outside during the third shift is that I get to spend time looking into the sky. Some nights are better than others but even on a cloudy and rainy night it’s a sight to see. When you look into the sky everything else around you seems to fade. I look at the different stars, some twinkling, some just blue and others that seem so far away. Then there is the moon. A planet that looks so close sometimes that you can hit it with a rock. I love to stare at it, watch clouds pass in front of it and even imagine what it would be like to walk on it. This time I spend looking at the sky gives me a chance to thank God for his creations and to realize how powerful he truly is. God created this for us to see and enjoy. The sky is so mysterious, we have so many theories on how and why things are the way they are. The neat thing is that he has all the answers. He placed the planets right where he wanted them. He took each shining star and set it in the perfect spot. It is exactly how he imagined it. When is the last time you looked at the night sky and thought about God? I recommend you try it. Worst case scenario you may be very relaxed or have a sore neck.

One thing I’ve been wanting to do for a long time is grab my Bible and go fishing. If I can get to a lake with a cup of coffee, throw a line in the water and then read my Bible it would be great. If I can do it with a friend I will. If I have to do it alone that’s fine too. I just need to make it happen.

It’s never too late

I finally got off the bench and onto the court. What I mean by that is, I finally did something I’ve been wanting to do for nine months, but never have. We will get back to that in a moment.

Have you ever avoided talking to someone because of something you did or failed to do? Have you stopped calling them, avoided the places they hang out or even ignored their calls so you could avoid confronting that person?

That’s what I’ve been doing for the last nine months. As I take my walk with God, I’ve been trying to fix things in my life. Not everything needs to be fixed, but some issues need to be addressed. I’m trying to be a better husband, father, family member and friend. I was avoiding this person because I did not contact him when something very important was going on in his life.(his wedding) After the fact I felt really bad. I was embarrassed that I didn’t call him and I thought he would be mad or disappointed. So for the last nine months, I’ve been a coward. Afraid to make that call. Afraid of what I thought he might say. The stupid part on my end was that I had a real reason why I couldn’t be there. If I would have called him and explained it he would have totally understood. But I did nothing and this has been weighing heavy on my heart for too long. I thought about calling him several times but chickened out. Until yesterday.

I finally called him and he was genuinely excited and happy to here from me. The first thing I did was apologized to him and told him I’m not going to give him an excuse because there really isn’t one. I also told him that I should have at least called him. He said, he has no hard feelings. He wasn’t mad at the time and wasn’t mad now. Then I thanked him. He was the person that helped lead my wife and I to Christ. He was witnessing to us as teenagers, explained a lot of Biblical things to us and even introduced us to the Church that my wife and I were eventually saved and baptized in. He just praised God. Then we just talked about things going on in our lives like nothing ever happened. He even said that I made his day by calling.

After I hung up I instantly felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I sat there and realized how big of a fool I’ve been. My life has changed a lot over the last two years. I’ve lost several friends and I’ve had some very important family members pass away. Life is too short to not talk to people, hold grudges or to have conflicts with.

Do you have someone you need to call? If cowardly Bob can do it, so can you. It’s never too late.

Being protected by God.

Last Saturday night my wife was on her way home from work (around 11pm) when she hit a patch of black ice, spun around three times and landed about ten feet off the road into a ditch. (She wasn’t injured).

Last night I was on my way to work when I realized I wasn’t wearing my seat belt. (Which was weird because I always do) So I reached back to put my seat belt on and continued to drive. As I approached the next stoplight I found myself happy because the light was green for a change. Just as I start to make my left turn at the light, a car that was going very fast , flies past the front of my car. I think he was less than a foot away from me. I stopped in the middle of the intersection and looked up at the lights. I said to myself “Yep I still have the green light”, he just blew the red light.

Within three days my wife and I had two very close calls. When my wife spun out she could have hit another car, a poll or even a tree. With my close call if I wouldn’t have taken the extra few seconds to put my seat belt on I would have been T-boned without my seat belt on by someone that blew a red light. There is only one way to explain all of this. “God”

Two weeks ago in Church I heard a sermon based on the book of Daniel. Daniel 3 The story of Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego. It was a story of how they were thrown into a fiery furnace because they would not worship a golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had made. They were not killed, not one hair on their bodies were burned because God sent an Angel to protect them. Today I read Daniel 6 the story of Daniel and the lions den. In this story Daniel was helping King Darius in many ways.He was preferred by King Darius because an excellent spirit was in him. The presidents and princes got jealous of Daniel and tried to find a way to get him in trouble with the King. So the presidents and princes tricked King Darius into making a decree that for the next thirty days no one can worship any other God. They can only worship the King and that this decree cannot be changed. If anyone was caught worshiping any other God then they would be thrown into the lions den. Daniel new that this decree was signed but he went home to pray anyways, he always prayed to God three times a day.As he was praying he was noticed by several of the presidents and princes and was brought before the King. At that point the King knew that he had been tricked by these men into signing the decree and he also knew that he couldn’t save Daniel from the lions den. Daniel was cast into the lions den where he was not harmed. God sent an Angel to shut the lions mouths.

First I want to say that I summarized these two chapters of Daniel to keep this blog from being extermly long. But I encourage you to read these chapters (Daniel 3&6) to get all the details of these stories.

In these two chapters people kept their faith in God even though it could have cost them their lives. Both times God sent an Angel to protect them. In my life there have been many of times that I could turned my back on God and didn’t. My faith was recently attacked by someone I work with and I stood my ground and stood up for God and what I believe. I’m not sure if Angels were with my wife and I over the last few days when our situations could have ended up very bad but all I know is that God was protecting us from something worse. Both situations could of ended in a very different way in a matter of seconds. So thank you God for keeping us safe.

An unexpected attack on my Faith.

When I started work last night it seemed like just another work day but in a short time things changed.

Usually I start my night by clocking in, grabbing my route(I drive a truck) putting it in order then I walk into the garage to see what truck I am going to take. I always have a brief conversation with the mechanics but tonights conversation wasn’t brief. At first we were just talking about trucks, then management and then about how we speak to management. I told him that I can say anything I feel as long as it is said properly. It seems like you can be honest and blunt if you have the right tone and choose your words wisely. He said ” I’m not very good at that, I don’t have a filter” then I replied “it took me a long time to filter myself but because of my kids and other reasons I learned to do it”. Then his response shocked me he said “other reasons? what you a Bible thumper or something?” Then I told him ” I don’t think I’ve ever thumped my Bible but yes I am a Christian. That’s when it all started.

The debate was a typical debate from a non-believer.( I am starting to wonder if they all subscribe to the same magazine or something). I will spare you the details of every topic but I will tell you his points of debate. The Big Bang Theory, The Theory of Evolution, The Bible is the greatest story ever written, the Church isn’t even in the Bible, the Ten Commandments were written to keep people in line and he asked me if God is real then why does he let so many bad things happen to people.

These are all very good questions. I really think that God prepared me for this debate. I handled it in a calm and considerate manner. I never got angry and I always referred to the Bible.  I told him that the Big Bang theory and the Theory of Evolution are just that “Theories” . They are both what some Scientists think may have happened. I agreed that The Bible was the greatest story ever documented and explained to him that the Church was devoloped in the book of Acts. I also explained to him that I believe that there are way more than Ten Commandments and that God gave us these Ten because they were the most important. I also told him that I believe God allows bad things to happen to people to get them to learn or to get people to turn towards him.

When this debate started I said to myself “I’ve got to get out of here, this isn’t a person I want to argue with” then the more he got worked up the more I realized that I had to have this conversation. So I could set a good example.

So was it worth my time? You bet it was. I took some time to reflect on the debate and my relationship with God. I think it will make me stronger and more eager to learn so when I get into this situation again I will be more prepared.

My take on the inauguration of Barack Obama.

In the words of one of my favorite radio hosts David Stein, “Today I was touched, moved and inspired.”

When it comes to politics I am all over the board. I find that I like and dislike many things about both political parties. This year I voted for Barack Obama, not because I felt he was going to change the world overnight but because I really believe he has a fresh approach to politics and I believe change is needed. I felt that if I voted for John McCain it would be the same approach we’ve had for the past 8 years. I have to admit that I believe now former President George W. Bush did a very good job in his first term and a poor job in his second term. But on this day the political world has changed. The first African American President has been put into office and it seems like most of the country has come together behind him.

I really enjoyed the Inauguration today. I will be honest I did not get to watch it live because I was working but I did record it and watched it when I came home from work.

I can not imagine how older people in this country feel about this. Older White and African American people that had to see racism at one of its worst stages. I can’t imagine that people would have different bathrooms because of the color of their skin. African Americans sitting at the back of the bus or getting beat up or murdered because their skin was darker than mine. I think as Americans we should all be proud that people are not looking at him as just an African American but as a leader.

One of my favorite parts of the inauguration was Rick Warren’s prayer.

I gained alot of respect for Barack Obama when he chose Rick Warren.  Rick Warren is the founder of Orange County’s Saddleback Church also the Author of one of the most popular Christian books called ” A Purpose Driven Life” I gained even more respect for Obama because he stood by his choice after being criticized for it. If you did not hear Rick Warren’s prayer you can click this link from the LA Times to read it. Here are a few parts that stood out to me…

We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.

May all people of goodwill today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you..

 

 

 

 

Now you may find different lines from his prayer that stand out more but these are my favorite.

I am glad I watched the inauguration of our 44th President Barack Obama. I can only hope that he does what is in the best interest of this country. I hope that he will bring people together. The United States of America is in desperate need of change, in need of a leader that can get us back on track. Is Barack Obama the answer? I don’t know but I will be praying for him as I do all political leaders.

Oh I almost forgot to mention. Barack Obama is a fan of the Chicago White Sox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 GO GO WHITE SOX!

 

 

 

 

 

..

A Christmas to remember

This was the best Christmas in a very long time. Not because I received the best gifts and it wasn’t because of all the good food I stuffed my face with. It was because of other reasons let me explain.

First off I have to be honest. I did love the gifts I received. I didn’t ask for anything this year because over the last few years I’ve bought anything and everything I wanted no matter what the cost or how it would hurt my family. Yes, I’ve been very selfish. The food I ate was great. Beef, Ham, polish food and plenty of cookies.

This year was great because my brother came in from Texas, where he is stationed at Ft. Bliss in the Army . He has a family now and to get all of them at the house with everyone else was nice. This is the first Christmas without my Grandpa, which is very sad for me because we would always grab a plate of food and go sit off in a corner. We would talk and slowly pick at our food. It was good for my grandma to get out of the house and spend time with us. My Uncle Rick was there as well. He just had back surgery. I think we were able to distract him a little bit from all the pain he was in. The thing that was so great about Christmas this year was that it was peaceful. My family will usually fight like cats and dogs but this year …….nothing. 

We were not able to go crazy and buy tons of gifts like we would normally do but a small gift with alot of thought put into it can be better than something pricey with no meaning. One major reason why this Christmas was so great is because of Jesus. He  is the real reason for the Holiday .  I really enjoy going to Church on Christmas Eve for a time to reflect.  A time to set all the worldly things aside and thank God for the birth of Jesus Christ. As I grow as a Christian I have noticed that the Holidays mean more to me. Because I have realized that without the birth of Jesus, I am nothing.

What I’m thankful for……….

First I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and that I hope your holiday is blessed.

What I’m thankful for……

First I’m thankful for God. Without him I would not be here and without Jesus Christ I would be living a very bad life and I would have to pay for all my sins.

Next would be my wife and my kids. My wife Jacquie is my rock. I am thankful to have such a wonderful women that is caring,loving and that is willing to be by my side no matter what happens. If I did not have her I am not sure where I would be. She helped me grow up and become the man I am today. My daughter Katelyn has a huge heart like her mother. She is so loving that she is willing to do anything for anyone. She loves being Daddy’s little girl. My son Matthew is my buddy. He wants to be just like me and do everything I do. That’s why it’s so important for me to set a good example. I want him to grow up and be a better person than I am.

I am lucky to have both of my parents around. They have been married for 32 years. They love my wife and kids and support the decisions I make in my life. We don’t always see eye to eye but no matter what happens we are always there for each other. My brothers are the same way too. I am thankful for my brothers and their families. My brothers and I love each other, fight with each other but help each other out whenever we can.

I am thankful for my grandparents, my Aunts and Uncles, my cousins, nieces and nephews and my sister-in-laws.

I am thankful for my mother and father in law. I could not have asked for two better people to have in my life. I enjoy spending time with them and I am thankful that they have accepted me into their lives the way they did.  I truly feel like a member of the family.

I am thankful for my friends. I don’t get to spend enough time with them but they know I care about them and I know they care about me. I hope at some point in my life, things will change and I will have more time to spend with them.

My Church is something to be very thankful for. I love having a place to worship. The people at my Church are wonderful. The staff of the Church are real people, they don’t  believe they are better than anyone else. They don’t judge you for the things you do and they are also friends not just Church leaders.

I am thankful I have a job. Some days I may not be excited to go to work or happy with the things that take place there but at least I have no fear of being laid off.

I have a roof over my head, I can feed and provide for my family. I have many things that others would love to have and I should be thankful for that.

And finally I am thankful for The Chicago White Sox. If I did not have the White Sox then I would be a Cub fan and get depressed every October….hahaha.

Gods power is amazing

Mark 16:16
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 2:38
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Over the past 14 months I have seen many people get baptized. But three of them stood out to me. That’s because it was my eight year old daughter Katelyn, my younger brother Joe and my best friend Chris.

For several months my daughter was talking about getting baptized and to be honest I kept putting it off. Then one day I finally had a talk with her and realized she was ready. To me this was a huge step in her life and I was very thankful and proud that she was so serious about this. She was baptized and takes on a new role as a Christian. We continue to talk to her about it and what it really means. We also talk to her about the responsibility of a Christian.

My brother Joe was a lot different. He had a tough time growing up. Actually he didn’t want to grow up. He was not responsibleat all. He started hanging out with the wrong crowd and doing drugs. In many ways I felt like this was my fault. Because when I was younger and before I was saved, I was not setting a good example. I always had a job but I allowed him to do drugs and look at pornography. I never encouraged him to do well, to be a good person or to become a Christian until I became one. Then I always talked to him about God and told him my mistakes. I let him know I was wrong for not teaching him better and that his life needs to change. After a few years it did. He accepted Jesus Christ and stopped doing drugs. He decieded to join the Army and then when he came back from boot camp he was baptized. On November 15th of this year he celebrated two years of sobriety. Thank the Lord for that.

My friend Chris was different as well. He has been a Christian for a long time but never chose to be baptized. He felt like he wasn’t good enough yet. He didn’t believe being dunked in water would make him a better person. But through Church and the power of Christ,  his thoughts changed.  My wife and I encouraged him to go to Church with us and you could see the change in his life. You could tell the Holy Spirit was working in him. Well two Sundays ago, he was finally baptized. I did not speak to him about this until he told me he was doing it that weekend at Church. It really made me happy to hear that he wanted to take the next step.

The reason I say “Gods power is amazing” is because these three people are different ages, come from three different backgrounds and all have taken the next step in their relationship with God. I never doubted Gods power but sometimes you don’t think about it all the time. At each one of their baptisms I cried. I cried because I was proud and I was happy they took then next step. It made me realize that God can change a life and influence it more than I ever thought. No matter what  issues you have God can help. Look at me. I’m not saying I am the best Christian in the world or putting myself on high. But I too had a drug problem, I would lie, swear, cheat, and be a rude person.   I was not the type of guy you would want your son to hang out with. You would have freaked if your daughter would have brought me home, (and I think Jacquie’s parents did at first….. ha ha). But I’ve changed. Since then I have accepted Christ into my life and now I am the person I’m suppose to be.

Do I make mistakes? YES!

Am I perfect? no way.

But I just pray that God will continue to shape me into the person he wants me to be.

Excited for growth.

For the people that don’t know, my wife and I lead a community group at Church. We love to do it and think it’s a way to give back to the Church. Well my wife plays the role of the teacher in the class and I am just her assistant…..lol.  We don’t have many people going to our class right now but we are hoping it grows. Actually we can’t Wait for it to grow. We know that its going to take time and we are looking forward to it. We are not teaching people the Bible we are all learning the Bible together. All we need is a few people in the room and the Lord to open our minds and hearts so we can understand his word.

Sunday was great. We only had a total of four people in the class but we all had an understanding of what we read and we all had a great coversation. If that can expand to eight or ten people, I can’t imagine how cool that would be. Being in this class is also helping me to pray out loud in front of people. It’s not that I am embarrassed or anything. It’s just that I’ve always prayed quiet and to myself, making it very personal. I will be happy when I am comfortable and I can be called upon to pray at anytime.

something to think about

If someone gave you a recording of everything you’ve said to everyone in the last month, would you be proud? Would you change the things you say? Think about that. I did and I wasn’t very proud.

I realized that when I get to work and start talking to the people at work I talk more like them then a Christian. What do I mean? I start using the same bad words that they do, I start talking about things that I shouldn’t. This is not something that happens all the time but every once in a while I notice it.

This may not be something that I should tell the entire world but I think it’s good too. This is definitly something I need to work on. As a Christian I have the responsability to act like a Christian not like a non-believer.

I know this is something I can overcome because I have eliminated alot of bad things from my life already.
All I can do is keep praying. Praying for the ability to bite my tounge and filter the bad things that come out of my mouth.