10 ways to know you are growing in Christ

10. prayer becomes more than a 1 time a day deal.

9. scripture becomes alive. and personal.

8. worship happens more than once a week.

7. people matter.

6. formulas disappear. you realize who you are.

5. perspective changes.

4. joy is evident...even on bad days.

3. when sickness comes to you or family, or people you know, prayer is first thought.

2. people notice.

1. Jesus is the first and last thought of the day.

these are just a few obviously. but tonight, i had a huge headache. kinda messed up plans for the night. my wife did not hesitate in praying for me. the headache left.

it got me thinking about how she and i have grown in recent weeks. we decided we were not going to be typical believers. we wanted all Jesus had to offer.

he is coming through big time. all we risked...everything. all we did...obey.

funny how simple it is. but he told us it was like that. i love this stuff.

washing her with the Word

this picture has nothng to do with the story...but it looks like Ava is saying "hmm, this popop guy is pretty awesome."

there has been some concern in my heart about my spiritual leadership with my wife. it seems that we have been on a valley hilltop deal for a while. one on the hill and other in the valley.

we both spend the time we should in the word and in prayer, but time together as a couple has always been difficult. there are reasons and excuses, but they don't seem to cut it.

she gets up at the butt crack of dawn, i stay up late. so what do we do?

i had a friend remind me of something a few weeks ago. 15 years ago someone spoke some wisdom into our lives we had walked with for a bit, but it never really took.

my prayer was God would wake me early so as to begin a new tradition. reading the word over my wife. no explanation, no discussions, just letting the word do what it does. wash us.

it was cool. it was amazing. it was intoxicating. very addictive. we sat in the presence of our magnificent God and were cleansed by his word.

taking my responsibility to disciple my wife seriously. not lording it over her, but taking her by the hand in honor and walking with her. so we both can be together at the same place at the same time.

should be cool.

mid life awakening

i have heard stories how some guys get to their 40's and later and look back at their life and decide they have lost something. they leave their families, buy sports cars, have affairs, try and regain some glory fro a life they think they had as a high school kid, or college.

i am at that place.

i have looked back and what i have seen is the hand of a holy God leading, guiding and loving me into situations that have changed me.

becoming. that is the best way to describe it.

raw faith has come to rest in me. there is a communion that is intoxicating and captivating. he speaks when i wake, giving me thoughts for the day, what to read, what to think on, what to act on.

this God who has pursued me has become more than a visit to a church, more than a prayer, more. he is consuming me. and i am watching me burn.

no mid life crisis here.

more like an awakening, an understanding of what is at stake. lest we forget there is a battle raging.

mediocrity is no longer an option. passion has replaced apathy. i don't talk about how to do church, or how to get people to come so i can give them what i think they need...rather, i talk about the intoxicating presence of my father in everything.

my discussions involve action rather than theory. my prayer is with expectancy not duty.

somewhere along the line i became typical. i hate that word.

kiddie porn

my oldest grand son came to visit for a few days. it is amazing how fast they grow, how much i miss them when they leave. we have 3 grandkids now. 2 boys and a girl. they all have popops heart. my desires for them are a God stretched, Jesus knowing, power filled life.





we spent the time riding, seeing and playing with trains.

here is his vice. thomas the train. the weird thing is all the videos, all the toys are old school stuff. wood trains.

apparently he knows each train, each situation, each job, each conversation from each show.

he had a blast while he was here. all things train, the least of which was this one.

i guess each generation has its vice. gi joe, care bears, my lil pony, cabbage patch kids, barbie, pokemon, now thomas.

amazing that a 4 year old knows so much about a kiddie show and toys.

the bible tells us to be "excellent in what is good, be innocent in evil." kids today know way to much about stuff that is evil. sex, drugs, drinking, std, just to name a few. it seems as though the thoughts have been reversed.

i pray for my grand kids each day. i pray for them to be excellent in what is good, and innocent in evil. i pray for their parents/ that they would begin dialogue early about the greatness and glory of God. the holiness and grace become part of their discussion when the kids are around. i pray they don't leave that to another...that they have to catch it at church.

passion for God is not caught, it is nurtured and delicately learned. learned from those who pursue God with passion. it is seen in action, heard in daily conversation. seen in the warrior spirit passed on from the father, developed in times of difficulty when they are reminded of what the stack of stones are for.

be a stone stacker. don't leave the most important discussions you will ever have with your kids to some one else.