This is for ~ Kathy

Defining Moments~

What are the chances you will blow it at least once in your life? I understand they are pretty good. As a matter of fact, some of the greatest leaders document that if it were not for their failures they would have never accomplished defining moments of achievement.

How often do we fail God, or maybe someone else, and think, "God help me change!" We might feverishly read the Bible and pray for change. You might think, "Hey, I'm a christian; where is the power of God in my life?"

Did you know that the disciples did not begin their ministry until they received power from the Holy Spirit? Today I see many ministries without power and it breaks my heart. In the past I have asked many believers in Christ, "Do you believe joy is the birthright of the believer?" Most just stare at me and don't know what to say.

Before you get down on yourself for not knowing what you would say, remember, Satan is the accuser of the body of Christ (Revelations 12:10); and knowing the answer to this question takes power from the Holy One, God. If God gave us the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is our comforter (John 14:26), where is the comfort? God's word tells us that we are not to quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Does that imply that I can quench the Holy Spirit? Uh-oh.

I am convinced that as we believe and trust God our faith is expressed. That also includes our attitude which is displayed by our outward actions. If you were about to rappel down a cliff and the person in charge acted nervous before you started to rappel, would you be nervous too? Sure. But if the person in charge appeared confident, so would you. Believing requires an action of confidence in God. I am reminded of this by the Holy Spirit each day. So take heart, friends, and live as if there is power in your life from God. Trust Him and be thankful in all things.

Let me add this: If you do not understand the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, ask God to show you. You will know it and begin to live from your heart, walking in God's desire and calling for your life. Also, many times the young believer starts out living by the power of the Holy Spirit, but through trials, or being told how to live by someone else, they forget. Soon their joy is robbed.

Asleep on the Battlefield ~

Last night I had the worst dream ever in my life. I awoke immediately to ask God to never let me have a dream like that ever again. I know God would never condone the actions of my dream.

A curious thing to be spiritually attacked while sleeping. It was like an ambush by Satan. Everyone eventually sleeps. Unfortunately we don't always know where we will be. You might think, "I sleep in my bed dingus." But when most people go to bed they believe they are going to a place of comfort. Have you ever been restless and not able to sleep? Maybe you hate your circumstances and want to be somewhere else to sleep. No matter, sometimes the situation is very uncomfortable and it feels as if we are sleeping on a battlefield.

I have slept on a battlefield and there are a few things to say about sleeping on the battlefield. One, you always sleep with your weapon. In the military they call it your "buddy." In civilian life it would be called, "cold steel." Either way you never sleep without it. Second, you always sleep with your boots on. The only time to take them off is to change socks and/or wash your feet. Being prepared to run is an essential. Third,...there is no third!

God's Holy Word is your weapon. Your heart are the boots. Is your heart ready to take action? Is God's word on your tongue as you speak?

This world is not your home, and it is not your friend. If it is then you are not God's friend. To be a friend of this world is to be an enemy of God. Be sure you will find enemies everywhere. When you sleep, remember you are sleeping on the battlefield. Suspect an ambush on every hedge. Satan strolls about seeking for someone he might devour.

Struck by lightning...and burned by fire ~

It has been so long...but here it goes. It would seem that we have an enemy. Yes, his name is Satan. Oh,... have you lost interest already? You have heard it before, I know, but why do you and I keep forgetting? What starts off as a mantra gets replace with words like, "I am so tired!" It is a wonderful thing that our heavenly Father remembers that we are dust.

This tree was struck by lightning and then caught fire.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a Gary Barkalow (thenobleheart.com) confrence in Cleveland, GA. I met with many other men seeking to understand what it means to "live the glory of their life." This is biblical and Gary made it clear that the only glory in us is Christ's glory flowing through us. And I have said it before, "It is a moment to moment relationship with God that he desires." Anyhow, back to the burned tree.

We broke up into groups and had projects to work on. One was to gather pictures that captures something in us. I absolutely dreaded doing this project. I felt like I was in grade school. I gathered about twenty-five pics, cut them out and taped them to a large piece of paper. I then had to title each one and group them together. Here is the kicker, the men in your group had to decipher, or psychoanalyze you. They had to explain why you were drawn to the photos you picked and if they really match with your thoughts.

This tree was titled, Survivor. I viewed myself as a survivor and burned terribly. However, they said, "Mike, where is the rest of the tree?" I said the picture was too big so I showed the burned part. They said, "Mike, the beauty is the part that shows the tree as a survivor...the flourishing part. Where is it?" They said I still viewed myself as the burned part or I thought others viewed me as the burned part. They were right! I had never thought about this. My new friends began to encourage me in so many ways as the flourishing tree. Later, I cried over their discovery. I am still in the process of changing how I view of myself and wrong agreements I have made that are not true.

Is your view of yourself wrong? Are there agreements or ideas you have made, with yourself, that need to be corrected? Confess your allegiance back to the One who has a great plan and purpose for your life. Trust Him! Listen to Him! Love God passionately and His glory will flow through you. This is the "living water" Christ talked about.

Believe our God has glory for your life where your burden will be light. Joy is the birthright of the believer. ~

Take it easy ~

"Take it easy," is probably the most famous phrase you will hear next to,
"Take it easy, Bro ~" in the biker commmunity.

I seem to always hear the Holy Spirit say this to me. Probably because God knows how I think. Now why would the Holy Spirit speak to me this way? It is because I am always to 'take it easy?' Of course not. But to worry and fret does no one any good.

As a follower of Christ, I always want to be more disciplined in my walk with God; and I have found discipline, without self examination, is like a soldier without orders. Sure the soldier may be disciplined but he needs to know his orders. I seek the Lord daily for my orders and He gladly gives them. But I often complicate the process by reasoning what God says. If it is from God it will line up with the character of God in His Holy Word. If I hear something else, that does not line up with God's character, I can bet it's from the other dude (Satan). I want to hear from God. I have found where the conscience and the heart connect is that place where I hear God. That is that still, quite, small voice of my living God. My brain is always trying to figure it out and I have to tell myself sometime to stop overthinking the whole thing and trust God; you know, "Take it easy, Bro~"

The Barrel :+:

Who says God doesn't care about the little things. I remember in a movie I saw years ago a phrase, "I never did mind the little things." The idea was the the little things didn't bother the person. I am so thankful that our Lord does care about the little things. I had told Kathy that I really wanted a barrel for burning scrap wood and such. She laughed and said, "Where are you going to find the barrel your looking for?"
I wanted a 55 gallon steel barrel, so I just prayed to the Lord, "Lord, if it's o.k. with you could you lead me to a old barrel somewhere." A couple of days latter, while the sun was setting, I told Kathy I think I'm going to find my barrel today. She said, "Where?" I told her I wanted to drive down this street and take a look. As I drove, approximately, 2 miles I looked to the left and there was an old barrel filled with trash. I went inside a building to find the owner of the barrel working and asked if he wanted the barrel or how much he would charge for it. He asked if it was filled with trash and I told him it was. He said, "If you haul the trash in it off, it's yours." I am so glad our Lord minds the "little things."

Family time ~

We are back...and we brought some family and friends this time. Starting on the left is me (Mike), Kathy (in blue), Matthew (our nephew), Scott (our brother-in-law), Steven (in the middle and the boyfriend of Kelly), in the front next to me is Tivis (our lovely daughter, next to her is Kelly (our niece), and far right my sister Linda. It was the day after Thanksgiving and we actually all got along. Everyone knows Thanksgiving is a time for family and stress, but we really had a good time. Linda made the traditional Thanksgiving meal and it was fantastic!

Missing something?

I kid you not, when Kathy picked up the adds for groceries this is what she got. It was an absolute riot. I thought I was going to die laughing. The expression on the guys face, on the adds, is fitting as well. Interestingly enough I began to think how most Christians feel there are missing parts in their life. What am I supposed to do? Why isn't "this" or "that" working out for me? I have said before that every morning when I wake up and thank our heavenly Father I also remind myself I have an enemy that comes to steal and destroy. I knew of a young man who was beaten terribly by his grandparents and had to go to the hospital. That was a turning point for him. He was trying to protect someone else and took the blame for something he had not done. In essence he was trying to rescue someone else. The result was a wounded heart that left an impression that God has left us on this planet to fend for ourselves. When the boy grew up and became a man someone took him aside and walked him through that scenario all over again. The man was asked to explain what happened except he had to imagine Jesus standing there when it happened. The man began to cry as he imagined his Savior crying as well. Then the man was asked to imagine himself as the father of himself when he was a boy. He was asked to act as a father would toward the boy. This powerful healing scenario began to heal the missing parts of God in his life. This story is powerful. When we think of the missing parts remember try and understand that Satan will steal and destroy any belief of God in you. God loves you and does not want us to suffer this way. But Satan will do anything to get us to lose heart and just give in to disbelief. When I wake up I thank the Lord, out loud so my ears can hear it, and mentally put on my spiritual armor. "It's real war right outside your front door..." - Dan Hill

Our place ~

Well...I imagine it is time to put some photos up of our dwelling place. We love what our Lord provides. Can anyone see Shasta in the driveway?
The first two is our living room.
Here is one of the Dining Room

Hey, how about the hallway?

Oh, wait...it gets better. The Office.
We have a Guest Room too.
We have a basement. Score!
We have other rooms: Our bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, garage closet, car port, the back yard, closets, a half basement...you get the picture.




Oh, we love our tree. We have flowers around the base of the tree now (it's an older pic).
The front porch is a nice place to read and a cup of joe (coffee).

It is always great when family drops by. This is Kathy's mom (Mrs. Pat Zeleznak), sister (Mary Concha) and neice (Bethany Concha).

Sunset ~

Twelve Years ~

It has been twelve years for Kathy and I. I love her so and truly every year gets better. Kathy and I were married in Kansas City, Missouri; spent our honeymoon on the Oregon coast; and have share in many adventures. Marriage is a sacred bond before God. It is the same sacred bond that Jesus Christ has with saints. I long to see Him. Getting back to our aniversary >> Sunday we decided to go to the Cider Festival in Louisburg, Kansas. It was delightful and peaceful. We watched how they make the cider and even had some apple cider donuts. Speaking of donuts...I ran into an old friend. Alverez and I worked together when I was a cop. We had some good laughs talking about the past. As we were heading home we drove by a sunflower field and just had to stop. It was so fine ~





Man oh man, I love this woman ~

Are you convinced they know Christ as Savior?

Recently a professor commented that there is no way we can know whether anyone knows God in their heart unto salvation. "Only the Father knows those who belong to Him," he said. I thought, "Really?" Questions popped up immediately. At that comment I interrupted and asked him, "Are you telling me there is no way I can know that my wife knows the Lord?" Does not Scripture tells us to not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. As much as I love my professor, his comments, I am convinced, are wrong. Has not God given us the Holy Spirit and common sense to perceive those who belong to Him? Does not are spirit bear witness with those who belong to the family of God? Wow! Can we not see the love for God, the humility, the passion for God's glory in an individual and say to ourselves, "That is a person of God." Sure "Christians" everywhere are working out their own salvation, and many claim to do things in Christ's name that are phonies, but is not there a place where you and I find comfort in knowing that there are those we know who love the Lord when we fellowship with them?
I know that I know that I know that my lovely wife, Kathy, knows the Lord. Her character displays the things in Scripture that tell me she is a follower of Christ. There is no doubt in my mind or my heart.
We can especially tell those who belong to the family of God when trails come. Look...all I am saying is that there are indicators along the way. There is much more I would have to say on this comment but I am restraining myself for the sake of my readers. There is tremendous comfort when I dwell in fellowship with other believers of Christ whether I know them or not. It is the coming together of those who love the Lord where the Holy Spirit dwells; Scripture tells us that. Also in 2 Timothy 2:5 Paul writes to Timothy and says, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. How could Paul say, "I am sure..."? Well, I know how he could say it. It's called overwhelming evidence that their character lines up with God's Word of holy living.
It breaks my heart for anyone to think there is no one we can trust in fellowship. I consider it lonely and tragic. Peace out ~

Hang on ~ This is kind of heavy ~~

Faith and Repentance or Repentance and Faith or Faith or Repentance or…you get my point. Recently my readings have taken me to an old debate since the 2nd Century. “What are you writing about?” Well, since you asked I’ll tell you.
Christ said by faith alone are we saved; no one wants to dispute that. But does repentance come first or faith? Did not John the Baptist say, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2 and 4:7) Sure he did. There no one more known for saying, “Repent!” than John the Baptist. Are there others that said repent? Yes! Even Jesus said this. Compare the two passages between chapter three and four. Jonah also told the people of Nineveh to repent because of imminent doom upon them by God. But hey, did they get saved? Only from God’s destruction did they escape (Jonah 3:5-10). They did not repent unto salvation. God has mercy on all who repent. This is general love for all mankind, but it does not secure salvation. You can ask, “What’s the point in repenting?” If I told anyone to repent, what would they think of immediately? They would think, ‘Oh, this guy is talking about…God; oh brother.” But 2 Corinthians 7:10 says that, “Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.” Let’s observe that Paul says, “…leading…” He did not say repentance saves you but that it leads you toward.
To repent is to change one’s mind; to change a behavior is to be more exact. The good news is repenting does lead toward thoughts of God. Most people understand that in Exodus God gave us the Ten Commandment; but did that save them? Absolutely not! It only curbed their propensity to not sin. It pointed out what their sin was. God was saying don’t do that, do this instead. It was never about works even then; it was always about faith in Him. While repentance is not a condition of eternal salvation, God does reward those who seek after them. Look at Hebrew 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” That is good news for everyone who sincerely desires to know God. The rabbis had taught people that a condition to enter God kingdom was that they had to repent. Look at Luke 18:9-14. Come on! Get your dusty bible off the shelf and look at this passage.
Now we know why we are called to repent. What about Faith. Jesus said that belief was the only criteria. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (John 3:18).” How comforting. If there were any works involved at all many would be dead meat. God made it simple for anyone to enter the kingdom. Faith is what we hope for but we cannot see. Faith is a conviction that what He says will be. Jesus also said, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” But isn’t that great news to anyone who is disabled. Many cannot grasp deep understanding, but even a child can believe. Anyone can believe; that is the point.
Wow! I hope that wasn’t too much. Take it easy ~

Is Anyone Trying to Destroy You? ~

Father above...guide me in this post. As I read the Proverbs 26 this morning I was struck in my heart. Let me ask a question. Has anyone tried to damage your life? Recently, a year or so ago, God put someone in my life who sought their own personal gain. In the process of knowing this person I understood ulterior motives that those in authority did not see. "Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart." (vs.23 ESV) I will continue, "Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. A lying tongure hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin." Do you understand the impact of this passage? If someone has a goal, and you just a happen to be in the way, what do you do? Don't take it personal; you just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Really? Is not our Father God sovereign in our lives? God may be wanting to bring to the surface your lack of fellowship with Him. You may say, "I do what I can but I am so busy." Really? Has God abandoned you? Never! You do have time but keep making excuses of how tired or busy you are. Legitimately you probably are tired of something. God's yoke is supposed to be easy. Remember, it is moment to moment fellowship with Him...always. God loves you very much; you must believe that! No matter where you go Satan will seek to destroy through someone, maybe even another believer. Scripture says that are "battle is not with flesh and blood." You must forgive and move on. It hurts deeply when someone injures us, especially someone you might care for though they don't believe it. When those old feelings come back remember that your ability to tap into God's strength is directly connected to your forgiveness. ~

The Word became flesh ~

I am certain of this...that every day God reveals to us so many things we could never have time to write about it all. It is just too much. Each year I try to set a goal of reading through the Scripture of God; it usually takes me three years.

In the first chapter of John the author, inspired by God, tells us that:
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Each of theses verses has been disected and studies many times. Chapters in commentaries have been dedicated to just these five verses. My professor, Dr. Neil Nelson is a greek teacher. This passage is the first he has his students read in the Greek language. The "Word" is pertaining to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word. You say, "So what? What's the big deal?" Here is my point. To think the our Creator became flesh, later on in the chapter (v.14), to save us from eternal separation from Him...is very hard to understand and accept. I cannot fathom that kind of love. Can you? When I spend time meditating on this I am in tears. God's grace and mercy is born from his holiness. God is, "Holy, holy, holy!" In the book of Revelation is says:
Rev 4:8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come."
There are angels in heaven that are created just to respond on His holiness. Why would God give us His only Son to save us? He loves us. He loves you. Meditate on these five verses and you cannot help but respond in thankfulness. Remember that the "light of men"(v.4) is Christ. The only light in you is Christ. Continue to walk in His good fellowship and feel His good pleasure flow through you today. God bless you ~

War in heaven ~

A thought occurred to me that two-third of heaven went to war for God, our heavenly Father. What I find interesting is that the battle continues to this day. What!? According to the Scriptures the battle will not stop until Satan is contained for a thousand years during the millenial reign on earth (if your theology believes that). Then he (Satan) will be released again for a short time. After that he will be judged and cast into the Great Abyss (lake of fire) for all of eternity at the final judgement. There he will not able to do battle against the God we know and love. The angles went to war for God! I will say it again, "The angels went to war for God." This disturbs me alittle I'll have to admit. With a single thought God could have taken Satan with the third of angels, he had convinced to side with him, and banished them for ever; but God didn't do that. He had a plan that involved you and me. I will ask you this question. Do you battle for the Lord? Man! Bro! Dude! This is no joke. Do you battle for the Lord? When I thought of the angels in heaven siding with God to do battle, which they had never had to do before, I thought, "Do I battle for the Lord...at all?" My heart is heavy with this thought. God battles for us all the time. Do I battle for Him, my Creator?

A New Chapter ~

Thank you ~ There is always a time when a new chapter in life is recognized. Such is our circumstance today. The neighborhood we live in is full of young couples with children. Shasta, our white lab, has been our good will ambassador. The days are thoughtful with plenty to do. At times our Father in heaven knows when it is time to rest. Kathy is very busy with her new occupation as a business analyst. It is a supervisory role and part of team of people she enjoys working with. I am finishing up my graduate classes at the seminary and hope to be finished in six months. But, believe it or not, this is our time of rest. Kathy is very busy at work and I am always studying. But the "rest" is there as we live moment to moment in fellowship with our Father in heaven. The job is not important. The studying is not important either. It is always about our communion with God. Hearing from Him is premier in all that we do. If anxiety or fretting seeps in it is because we have lost focus. This is not rocket science. God has made it easy; we just refuse to believe it at times. I had talked to an old friend recently. He has been to so many colleges trying to find the right fit for him and wondering what to do with his life. When one is greiving it is extremely difficult to hear God. There is a grieving process. But after that there must be praise to Him. As we praise God, and join in the work He has going, we find direction. I know it sounds simple but let me ask you a question. Are you risking anything in faith trusting God? If not, you must try it. "Without faith it is impossible to please God," the Bible. Kathy and I love you all ~

Whose in charge?

"I'm in charge." "No, I'm in charge!" I love this picture. It was taken less than a month ago at the Womacks. The person next to me is Linda Womack. She is the brilliant wife of Everett Womack. They are both close friends. Linda and I were talking about our missed opportunity of discussing escatology (i.e. - future events yet to happen). We both just happen to have our hands on our hips at the time which I though was funny. When I first looked at this picure I thought of my relationship with my Lord. I get to this place where I am convinced that I am living moment to moment with the Lord only to be interuped with something that draws me away from fellowship with Him. I am a fellow who likes to get things accomplished well. As a result I am constantly having to watch my behavior towards others. It is not about how I can accomplish this or that; it is about my moment to moment fellowship with God. I can choose anything to get for self satisfaction or I can listen to what my creator is guiding me to do. If I brush off a thought to accomplish what I want to do am I sinning against my Lord? God's word tells me that I will give an account for every thought to my Lord. A dear friend, who has passed on five years ago, paid me a compliment, "Mike, you are a capable guy you know." I thought, "Wow! She is so cool." Then she said, "Mike, I am a capable person to too. And well, can I say something?" I said, "Sure." She then said, "Mike, I know because I am capable I don't pray very often; how about you? Do you struggle with prayer?" Man, I did not know what to say. I was struck through. My heart sank because I only knew this to be true. I told her that I did struggle with prayer and thank her for the exhortation. I knew God was trying to get my attention...my fellowship. God wants our fellowship from moment to moment. He wants to commune with us. As I seek to live more humbly with my Lord I hope to leave Him IN CHARGE so that I remain living in fellowship moment to moment with Him.

Great friends...great ride~

I went for a bike run with some friends a month or so ago. I'm front, second from the left with the black vest and maroon shirt. There are so many friends here.The "Tree of Shame" is a place where bikers place pieces of their wrecked bike. I'm not sure why a kids plastic trike is at the base of the tree.We're wasting time; let's ride!Chillin ~Chris is the man with the meal plan.Bear reflects on good times ~ Waiting for chow ~
Chris and Kate's house was a good place to make it all happen ~Wayne, Mike and Joe make a might trio ~We all gathered after church for one last pic.
Present freedom ~

I have so much fun with my chopper...well look for yourself, wouldn't you?

Here is a crazy story. This rider, Wayne Gresham, turned out to be a pretty neat friend. Some how God used him to help me disclose some things about my past. It was healing. In the same way he returned the favor by opening up to me concerning his father. Well it was a few months later and Kathy and I were halfway to Kansas City from Maryville, Tennesse and I had just said to Kathy, "Man, I sure wish I could see Wayne again some day." Kathy smiled at me. A few minutes later I'm looking at this white truck in front of me with a decal that says, SEED OF ABRAHAM. I said to Kathy, "I know only one guy with that emblem under the decal...Wayne Gresham. I pulled up along side and lo and behold, Wayne! I could not believe it. We all pulled over and had a great laugh. The Lord knows our desires and blesses us. I so thankful our Lord loves us. Below are picutures of that encounter.

I hope to get with Wayne in a week or so down in Joplin, Missouri He's doing a job there; not in a Mafia kind of way.

We finally have internet~

Where do I begin...let me count the ways. On the other hand...there are too many things to count. We are alive and well in Belton, Missouri. There are many items to post. I will attempt to daily post comments and pics. Kathy and I love you all and we hope you find some of the post helpful for your journey.

It won't be long until I weekly blog