savoring

Having one of those rare moments…where I literally…love….everything.  Love my life, love the struggles, victories, challenges, triumphs…….love the rain, the new CD I found, the season we are in…my family, friends, the past, the future..did someone slip something in my drink cuz I’m high on life at the moment…..

A special message for you

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9607774149

Felicity

Dallas my brother-in-law and I had big, big plans this week. 

I’m at the beach with my in-laws..and we are staying at The Resort at Seaside, a gorgeous place right on the beach…

2 xbox 360’s….two monitors….two men who haven’t grown up yet….and a week staying up a little too late to play Call of Duty 4. We had scheduled to play on the internet with my friends Ace, Matt Singley, and Michael Sainz.

One problem.

The internet here ranges from incredibly lame to moderately lame..neither of which support xbox live.

So..right now Dallas and I are watching Felicity with three of our daughters.

And we’re sleeping at night!

Plateau

Currently in my fitness routine I’m doing what I have pretty much done for the last 15 years..with pretty much the same results.  I lift about 2 or 3 times a week.  O.K. more like 2 times.  I do cardio about 2 to 3 times a week.  O.K. more like 2 times.  I stretch about once a week…for about two minutes.   I weigh about 15 pounds more than I should, and manage to hide it decently well with an untucked shirt or jacket.

The most success I have ever head in becoming fit was when I did two months of a three month program called P90X. (This was about 6 months ago…the DVD system now sits in my basement and mocks me.) The routine was built on two things.  1. Working your tail off 6 days a week. 2. Switching it up constantly, never settling into a routine, confusing your muscles with variety so that they continued to get stronger. The idea is to not let yourself plateau.

What is your spiritual routine?  Have you been doing pretty much the same thing, getting the same results for the last x amount of years? Do you feel like you are in a spiritual plateau? What can you introduce into your day or week to switch it up, to get to know Christ better, to take the next step?  Are you journaling?  Are you in the Word?  What is your prayer life like? Do you have accountability?  Are you practicing your faith with good works?  What are they? Do you have a mentor?  Are you a mentor?  Do you worship Christ throughout the week?  

I just listed a lot of things to “do”.  And in any religion…there are all kinds of things to do, morals to achieve etc.  The difference between every other religion and Christianity, is that in the “doing”, the goal is not just to be good, the goal is to know, to walk, to live with Christ. So in that pursuit, let’s go to the next level in Him today!

Jeremiah 29:13:
¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

emotional

So yesterday the most amazing thing took place…Macy began asking questions about God, heaven, hell, sin etc..

To make a semi long story short…she decided she wanted to follow Christ, and asked for His forgiveness in her life yesterday.   Her faith…her understanding…at just about five years of age…is nothing short of awesome to witness.   I rejoiced….and at the same time braced myself…for the spiritual warfare and battle that she has now officially engaged in.   Though I would give my life for her without blinking an eye..there is so much that I have to just…trust..God…for His will in her life.

  Macy…I pray that you will grow up to be a dangerous Christian…a fully devoted follower of Christ.  I pray against your enemy’s plan for your future…and I praise God that at such a young age you have made a choice that I believe has changed your eternity.  I pray for the millions of choices still before you on how to live out your new identity…given to you by Christ. 

random

*I found that when I’m fatter Jay, if I spike my hair up my face looks a little thinner.  My hair is spiked right now.

*One of the best days in life is when your baby first begins to laugh.

*Life is about being open to change..constantly….we’ve never arrived…it’s a moving target…we’re always aiming…which is good..but when we’re almost there, the target changes, and so we have no choice, but to focus…again.  The alternative is to quit.  Or at least stay away from run on sentences.

*I want to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus.  Don’t know that I’ve ever been able to truthfully say that I am one.

*I can’t wait to go to a Blazer game this year.  I would love to go and sit on the Blazer bench after my knee surgery in my cast, right next to Greg Oden..just to have people wonder if I’m an injured water boy.

*God’s Word is never ever in jeopardy of being non-relevant…but I am.

 

When God provides

This weekend I listened to Tyler Braun sing the song Found in our worship services…and was BLOWN away by the moment. I remember when I asked him to sing it, wondering if it was the right move..wondering how he would do on the actual day, but thinking it was worth the risk to find out.   To hear him sing it twice as good as I could have, literally..and to do it with such grace and humility and realness….wow…it was awesome.  I have been praying for God to bring some young men with hearts for worship and could sing to start surfacing at our church.  Tyler, Nick Lind, and Alex Strott are three direct answers to prayer.  I gotta keep remembering to pray!  I’m liking the whole ask God and He provides thing.