A Conscious Effort!

Wow! So much has happened since the last time I have written a blog.



As of late I have made a pledge to myself, my wife, my family, and most importantly God that I would weed out the negativity in my life.



So with that said, God is good. Check that God is AWESOME.



Today was mine and Diana's second week back at DCW. For the past two years we had been attending Center Pointe/Axiom Church where God had worked so much in mine and Diana's lives that we are still baffled by all of the blessings and trials we have made it through during not only our time there, but the months prior to us going there when we really we not attending anywhere.



Mike Simmons delivered probably one of my favorite messages I think that I have ever heard, and last weeks message by Steve was no slouch either. Both were very powerful.



But today's sermon spoke to me in such a special way. Mike taught out of Luke 8, on how the disciples woke Jesus out of a dead sleep to deal with a serious storm while they were at sea. I love Mike's analogies. He also read a paragraph from "When Heaven Invades Earth" by Bill Johnson basically saying that we only have heavenly power over the storms that we can sleep through.



So anyways, while listening to the sermon (he was about ten minutes or so from wrapping it up), I felt my hands start to get very hot and I felt like I was supposed to go and pray for Bonnie Willoughby not knowing really anything about her recovery from cancer, but I felt this tremendous fear come over me. So a minute or two after the music started I went over to pray for Bonnie and I stood there praying for her I felt that fire (heat) just leave my fingertips. It was amazing. I had faith, but so often Christians are afraid to step out and express their faith. I have been guilty of that many, many times.

Well after a couple of songs into the praise service, Mike got back on the mic and said that he felt as though God was telling him to repent of fear, that instantly spoke to me. As soon as he asked for people to come forward one other couple beat me to the front. I wanted to rebuke that fear out of my heart. It doesn't belong there because God did not put that into my heart Satan has, and Satan has no authority over my body because I am a Son of the Most High God.

Another thing that has really grapsed me since returning to the DCW scene was our small group we attended a week and a half ago. Mike and the group were reading out of that same book Mike referred to in the sermon, and one of the clips that caught my attention since then was "when we pray we should praise God 80% of the time and make our requests 20% of the time. I have made "A Conscious Effort" to implement that into my prayer life daily. Man it has changed how I pray, it has changed my desire to pray. I always felt as though prayer was a chore, but I love praising God for all of the things He has done in my life, and over the last week and a half, I have started praising God for not only the things that He has done, but the things I know He is capable of doing and the things I know He will do.

Feeling a little lost!

Not really sure where to begin! This is a big change from where I was last year at this time or even 4 or 5 months ago. A few months ago if you would have asked me if I was where God wanted me to be I would have said "Yes" without a doubt. A year ago I would have said the same thing. Today, I am not sure at all what God has in store for me, but as of late I feel a lot like that Matthew West song....."Motions". I feel like I am just going through the "Motions" which for me is very difficult to understand since at this point last year I was on FIRE! A very close friend of mine noticed the difference in me simply by just hearing my voice over the phone which was a little disheartening! Ray said something in his sermon last week that really caught my attention "He said that God had Joshua march his armies around the city 7 times and then sound their trumpet, he said even though Joshua didn't understand why he was doing it he just obeyed and did it anyways". I have been dealing with something very similar to this concept in my own life. There are things going on within the serving Christ areas of my life that I just wasn't understanding or even comprehending why or if it made sense, but as soon as Ray said that I knew that I was supposed to hear it. I know that each week I am supposed to hear Ray's sermons and they do minister to me in a different way each and every week, but I all of a sudden feel like that is the only thing I am getting out of going to church and that hurts deeply. I am not exactly sure what has changed, my relationship with my wife has gotten stronger as a result of listening and learning during the Home Improvement series, and her I and I are on the same page for maybe the first time ever on just about everything. She has been wonderful, and understanding while I am going through these things and I could not ask for a better spouse and we are so glad that we were able to be there for the Home Improvement series. I guess in closing this book of a blog post, all I can ask is that you pray for me, pray that I find what it is I am looking for in my walk with the Lord and that He will show me the direction that He has for me and that it would be a crisp clear picture of His desire for me and my family! Thank You. In case you haven't heard the song "The Motions" here are the lyrics for it.........

This might hurt
It’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care
If I break
At least I’ll be feeling something
‘Cause just ok
Is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

No regrets
Not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love
Make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something

Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Take me all the way

Vacation! (Time to reflect in God)

As many of you know I was on a little "vacation" for 12 days. I fully believe that God had me in that situation for a couple of reasons and that I either fulfilled those reasons or he fulfilled some things inside of me during that time and what was supposed to come out of it, DID in fact come out of it! If that makes any sense to you all! Well Monday evening when I finally got to come home, my family and I decided to spend my first night of freedom with the Brock small group and I must say that I do not think there is a more outrageous bunch of Christians out there. We had an awesome evening, I was so glad to be back around the people that I love and respect and God is doing amazing things in and through His people at AXIOM. Also that evening when we got home from church we had a card in the mail with no return address to it. Someone had sent us a much needed $50 gift card and we are sure that it came from church because it was playing "How Great is Our God" when we opened it. Diana cried and I was just blown away by the love that we continuously receive and the fact that no one was judgmental about the entire situation and I DIG that about Axiom. I (we) love you one and all. Thank you for the gift card whoever you are and know that you blessed our socks off!

Vader working for Target!

Business Experiences

I recently hired someone to set appointments for me, so that I could focus more on presenting my products I offer and focus less on setting appointments which physically and mentally drains me. Well after a week of training someone, she quit! She didn't even call me she quit by text! Wow. I could never have thought that I would endure that especially with the person who did it! Anyways, you live and you learn I guess. So now I am racking my brain trying to figure out someone I can get to set appointments for me and work the hours I need them to work!