The Ol' Folks

This past Monday I had the day off because Martin Luther King Jr. day is a banking holiday.  The day was wide open and I decided to travel up north to visit G&G Noah.  Gpa and Gma, as we affectionately call them, are both in their nineties now and are still in very good health for their age and are still living mostly independently.  I am very thankful for them!  When I arrived they were sitting in their stuffed lazy boy chairs as usual "watchin' the birds."  G&G love to have company and after sitting myself down in a chair we began to talk.  Of course I wanted to know how they were to which they answered that they were "doin' fine." Gma's shoulder was still hurting her from the shingles that she has been struggling with for almost a year and Gpa had twisted his foot and it was giving him a little pain, but they "guessed for their age they were doing well."  Then they wanted to know about me and my sweet wife and what was happening in our lives.  We talked about the weather and them moved on the old times and stories of when Gma was a girl and her family would travel from Missouri to California in the 30s and how she and her mother would sing on the bus.  Gpa told a couple deer hunting stories and we laughed and enjoyed one another's company.  The conversation just fluidly rolled on for about an hour.  The time pasted quickly but is now another memory that I will never forget.

Proverbs 16:31 says, "A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness."  I am very thankful for those who have grey heads in my family and those I know affectionately as "ol' folks."  The ol' folks are leaving us quickly and most often unnoticed.  I think this is sad.  The ol' folks are a generation that know how to have a conversation and tell stories.  They lived "green" before it was cool and recycled out of necessity.  Those ol' folks who lived through the Depression and WWII knew how to survive and go without but yet have a positive outlook on life.  When at work I would rather call my older clients all day long than those of younger age because the older folks are a lot more fun to talk with and I think that is because they actually know how to have a conversation that is not through an electronic device.

I will not ramble about this topic near to my heart, but I will encourage all who read this post to appreciate the ol' folks in your life.  There are people who have never had the blessing of grand parents and I am sad for them.  However, all who have the opportunity to go visit and talk with the ol' folks around you, go do it!  Time is literally of the essence and you never know how much longer you may have!

Until my next post.  Remember that God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

A Fresh Start

I came across my old blog today which I had totally forgot about!  Reading back through some of my older posts has brought many memories to my mind and makes me very thankful for the Lord's blessings as I think back over the past few years.

Since my last post I have graduated from college at Evangel University, started my career at AG Financial Solutions, married the love of my life and continued serving the Lord in my daily life.  The Lord has been so faithful and kind over these years and I look forward to the years to come.  I have renamed the blog "The Adventure of Life" because I believe if we look at life correctly it truly is an adventure that we daily live out.  

My plan for this blog is to describe in brief some of my daily adventures for others to read that will be encouraging, interesting and a genuine expression of a life lived to the full and dedicated to Jesus being honored in every area of my life.

Until next time, the Lord bless you all in this adventure of life!

Praise and Faith

"Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
Proclaim good tidings of his salvation from day to day.
Tell of his glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him,
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
Bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in holy attire;
Tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, 'The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity.'

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
Before the Lord, for his is coming,
For he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in his faithfulness."
Psalm 96

"Todo el que cree que Jesús es el Cristo, ha nacido de Dios, y todo el que ama el padre, ama también a sus hijos.  Así, cuando amamos a Dios y cumplimos sus mandamientos, sabemos que amamos a los hijos de Dios.  En esto consiste el amor a Dios: en que obedezcamos sus mandamientos.  Y éstos no son difíciles de cumplir, porque todo el que ha nacido de Dios vence al mundo.  Ésta es la victoria que vence al mundo: nuestra fe.  ¿Quién es el que vence al mundo sino el que cree que Jesús es el Hijo de Dios?" 1 Juan 5:1-5

A Poem

Land of the Christless Cross

There's a land far south where the heavens rest

On the peaks of eternal snow

And the plaintive call of the reed-flute falls

From pastures to fields below.

Where the Indian huts on the cold plateau

Nestle low and are lost to sight

As the travelers scale by a zigzag trail

The face of the barren height.

'Tis a wayside cross by a rock-strewn path

At the top of the world you'll find,

And o'er hill or dale by the winding trail

There are crosses in stone enshrined.

Then on red-tiled roof over thick mud walls

Stand crosses where souls yearn for God,

And row upon row where the wind sobs low

O'er the loved ones beneath the sod.

And the crossbeams point to the sin-sick souls

With the emblem and form, but lost,

Sunken low in shame, though they bear His name

In the land of the Christless cross.

So I'm going back to the cross-crowned hills,

To the ruts through the desert sand,

To the rough old streets where a hot sun beats

On a parched and thirsty land;

To where Hunger stalks through the dismal streets

When the bleak wintry rain-mists blow,

And the days are drear because Death lurks near

With his anguish and wordless woe;

Where the false and true are so oft confused

And the gold is so mixed with dross,

There to take my stand in that sin-cursed land

And to give them the Christ of the cross.

There to tell how He conquered the powers of hell

And will lovingly banish their care,

For the cross can't save, but the One who gave

His own life as a ransom there.

And if we should fall on the battlefield

While fighting for truths sublime,

Brother, heed the cry of the souls who die,

And go forth while there yet is time.

Strive to fill the gap, lift the standard high,

Counting all earthly gain as loss

That the world may view Jesus Christ in you--

The all-glorious Christ of the cross.

Written by Louise Jeter Walker who served as a missionary in Peru

Trust God

The last few months have been very busy for me filled with many changes, challenges, and of course blessings. The blessings of the Lord are new every morning and He faithfully provides in each new challenge. A life committed to following Jesus is truly an adventure!

I have one thing to share this morning and it is really built around one phrase that the Lord has put into my mind lately. "When you live life continually thinking about the future, you will miss the daily blessings of the present."

I have found myself lately being consumed with thinking about what will happen in the days to come. I think about graduation, marriage, missions. All these are topics that I need/desire to think about. However, I find myself being so consumed in thinking about these things that I miss so many things that are happening right now. I need the grace of God to help me live each day as if it could be my last. I am not guaranteed tomorrow. Plus, the Lord says that the worries of today are sufficient for today.

So, I want to remind myself and encourage anyone who reads this to live life each day trusting the Lord for that day and any that will follow. Don't be consumed with the future, but trust that the Lord has and will provide. Live each day to the full because I once had someone tell me, "You only get one shot." Life is short. Live it to bring glory to the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Mi Jesús

Hoy es un día nueva! Gracias al Señor estoy vivo. Doy gracias a mi Jesús porque Él es tan bueno de todo. Él es mi Salvador, mi Redentor, mi todo. Hoy es un buen día porque Jesús está en su trono y Él tiene todo bajo de su control!

Lo siento que yo no posted mucho lately. Yo he tenido mucho hacer. Pues, queiro empezar posting más.

Da gloria a Jesús todo! Él es digno.

Dios te bendiga.

Consider this Psalm

"I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who makes

the Lord his trust,

who does not turn to the proud,

to those who go astray after a lie!

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are more than can be told.

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear.

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

Then I said, 'Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written of me:

I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.'

I have told the glad news of deliverance

in the great congregation;

behold, I have not restrained my lips,

as you know, O Lord.

I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation.

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain

your mercy from me;

your steadfast love and your faithfulness will

ever preserve me!

For evils have encompassed me

beyond number;

my iniquities have overtaken me,

and I cannot see;

they are more than the hairs of my head;

my heart fails me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!

O Lord, make haste to help me!

Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether

who seek to snatch away my life;

let those be turned back and brought to dishonor

who delight in my hurt!

Let those be appalled because of their shame

who say to me, 'Aha, Aha!'

But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

say continually, 'Great is the Lord!'

As for me, I am poor and needy,

but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliver;

do not delay, O my God!"

Psalm 40

A Psalm of David

Hum...

I think the point of having a blog is to write on it. Sadly, I have not done a very good job. I do not have a good excuse for this and will not try to make one up. However, I do want to express my great joy in being alive at this moment. Not only my joy in being alive but also my joy of knowing that my sins are forgiven, that I have been set free, and that Jesus is my Lord and Savior!

I never want to take for granted the gifts that my Heavenly Father has given to me. These gifts include life, family, friends, a home, a car, clothes, the Bible, freedom to worship as I please, etc. God has been so good to me!

I have been thinking about the blessing of life a lot lately. Our lives are so short! We are on this earth for such a short time and then we pass on into eternity. I've been thinking about people I've known that have come into my life and then quietly gone. I think about friendships that have come and gone; people who have been a significant part of my life but who now I never see. James in the Bible talks about life being like a bit of mist that is here for a short time then gone. I've been noticing how true this statement is here lately.

My thoughts on the shortness of life have caused me to desire to live each day more fully. I am not promised tomorrow and may not wake to see another sunrise. I may never see my family again or any of the friends that I love. These thoughts cause me to want to make the most of each day, to have a good attitude each day and live a life characterized my joy. I catch myself possessing an attitude of "Man, I can't wait for tomorrow" when I should be thanking the Lord for His blessings today. Each new day is a gift from God and should be lived out in thankfulness.

So, if you wake up tomorrow morning, start out by thanking God for another day of life. Life is a gift, don't take it for granted. :)

St. Louis Trip

These are some portions from my journal that I wrote while in St. Louis.

[Friday]
I traveled up to Crystal City yesterday by myself in Mom and Dad's van. I am so thankful they allowed me to use the van. Th Lord has been so faithful to me concerning having a ride since I have still not yet purchased a car. My trip up was fairly uneventful. I listened to some Spanish worship music and a C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia audio book. I arrived at the Sutton's home before Aaron got home from work, but I had a good time talking with Rachel, Aaron's wife, and meeting Olivia, their daughter. Olivia is four years old and was at first very shy but has now become a very good friend. She is a very cute little gal with brown hair and blue eyes.
When Aaron got home we talked for a little while and then he took me out to see the town. We went to the local Latino Market and bought some yummy stuff to drink made predominantly from rice and cinnamon called horchata. Aaron drove me around and told me about the town. It really seems like a nice little town. Rick, Billy(a photographer, interested in missions, and just recently in Bali), and the Pfleeger family came over for supper. I really enjoyed talking with Billy about his trip and he seems like a really cool person. He sounds kind of like an adventurous type. I was also very blessed to see the Pfleeger family who I have not seen for many years. Michael has been such a blessing to me over the past few months. We had Spaghetti, bread, and salad for supper and wonderful cup cakes for desert. After supper, the guys sat around the table and talked. Our conversation was primarily around missions and living out the Gospel in our every day lives.

[Saturday]
It's about 4:30pm and so much has already happened today. I've really spent the day hanging out with Aaron. We have spent a lot of time talking about church and how to live a Godly life and be a witness to others. Aaron really has just been teaching me by example. We have spent time today leaving tracts for people but also talking with a lot of people and just spending time with/helping others. We ate lunch with Marco(a local church planter) at a Mexican restaurant in STL in a neighborhood known as "Little Mexico." I had authentic tacos and horchata. After lunch we three visited a women in "the hood", it was really just an older/low income neighborhood in south STL, and visited with her for a little while. A group meets in her home once a week for Bible study, her name is Maria. After visiting Maria, Aaron and I went to La Pachanga the restaurant that he first started meeting Latino people at. Aaron just is inspiring to me. God put a desire in his heart for Latino people and he has just started to do out of his way to interact with Latino people. Aaron is known as "the guy who knows all the Mexicans."

[Sunday]
Sunday was a great day. We all got up early in order to get to church early to prepare for the Spanish service. Aaron and Rachel do the music with the help of a few others. Rachel sings and Aaron plays the piano and sings. The service was good. Aaron spoke out of John 8 about the women caught in adultery. Jesus had more condemning things to say about religious people than sinners. The biggest point I got from the message was that I need to not look down on others because of their status or anything else. Marco brought some kids from his church in Illinois for the service. Jonny, Jesus, Edgar, Javier, and George. These guys were really cool and after service we all played futbol with some other guys from Rockport. We had a lot of fun playing and then went to McD's for lunch. In the afternoon, Aaron, Rick, and I traveled to Marco's church in Illinois. I enjoyed being at the service but had a hard time staying awake. I sat in on a Sunday-school lesson with some of the guys I played futbol with. A man named Eric taught and did a great job. Eric is not Latino but works with the church. He actually is a school teacher and helps out a lot within the Spanish speaking community in STL.
I was greatly blessed by my trip to St. Louis and hope to continue a strong relationship with Aaron. I believe the Lord is continuing to give me a greater desire to work among the Spanish speaking community. Many needs exist not only in the States but also around the world. My prayer is that the Lord will continue to lead me closer to Himself and continually reveal to me His plan for the life that He has given to me.

Day by Day

"Day by Day" by Carolina Sandell Berg

Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've not cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best-
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As your days, your strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in ev'ry tribulation
So to trust Your promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation
Offered me within Your holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

God is good at all times

I have been reminded today that God is good at all times. This past week I spent the whole week at Teen Camp on a very beautiful spot of land near Conway, MO. I was able to listen to some wonderful sermons that God has used to bless my life, work with a great group of teenages, and spend time fellowshiping with some friends that I don't get to see very often. The week was such a blessing that I really wish it didn't have to end. I look so much forward to camp every year, but the time just seems to slip away so quickly and leaves me wanting more. I just love being able to get away from "normal" life for a week of studying God's word and spending time talking with other fellow believers! I enjoy the fun in the sun, swimming, singing, ping pong, talking at a noisy lunch table with friends....The atmosphere at camp is just really amazing! Then coming home on Friday leads to many reflections on what happened at camp. All the funny stories, thoughts of the good sermons that were preached, looking at other people's pictures on Facebook, and chating with friends about what they learned about camp and their favorite events and sermons. Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday are just kind of covered in a mist of the afterglow of the fun and encouragement of camp.
Then, Monday morning comes. For me, Monday started like this...I woke up with sinuous pressure starting to get intense and a nose that was starting to act like a garden hose. I had to go to work but seriously did not feel like it. I sat down to read my Bible at 6:06am and let head drop; when I picked my head back up it was 6:20am. So, I decided to read my Spurgeon morning which I did half mindedly. Then on to the shower, breakfast, making lunch for work, and finally heading off to work. As the morning continued on I began to feel worse and worse, but thank the Lord after lunch I asked one of my supervisors for some medicine which thankfully she had some. The medicine really help and the Lord gave much strength through the rest of the day. This evening, however, I have done nothing. I made myself a cup of mate from a Brazilian brand of Yerba Mate. The mate tasted good and now I'm just typing away aimlessly on the blog that I just created yesterday...
What I am trying to say is that God is good at all times. God is good at camp with all its blessings and God is equally as good on Monday morning when my head is killing me and my nose is about to create a river flowing from my head. My Heavenly Father loves His kids and knows exactly what they need and when they need it. He gives grace for all my times of need and I know that I can trust my Father to help me through all life's ups and downs.