An Awesome God

I can’t believe how long its been since I’ve blogged! This post is going to be me kind of rambling, but here I go!

I recently read Job 38, (which is a really awesome passage that you should read if you haven’t yet!) and it hit me that the God who tells the ocean where to stop, the sun when to rise, and the rain when to fall, is the same God who’s a part of my life and cares about my day-to-day stuff that seems so silly compared to His greatness. In school, I’m taking an apologetics class, and we’re studying religions that view God as an impersonal, distant, and aloof being. I know that the opposite to be true, and I think it’s so awesome that I can know the God in Job 38, and He cares about me and is involved in my seemingly insignificant life. But then I think how dumb it is for me to constantly think that “I can take care of this myself” and “I know what I’m doing”, when God’s resume way over-qualifies Him to take care of me, which is what He really wants to do. Sometimes I want to just “fix” situations and take care of them, instead of talking to God about it.

And there are people in my life right now who are sick, going through divorce, are struggling at school and with friends, etc., and I wish I could do something about it. I like immediate solutions, instant gratification, stuff like that, and sometimes its hard for me to just stop and pray for others and myself, when sometimes that’s all I can do. But in knowing that God is such a personal God, and seeing in Job 38 how incredibly huge and capable He is, I’ve been realizing how ignorant I am and that I really can trust Him with everything. I’m really glad about that, because if it were all up to me, I’d probably end up breaking even more the things I try to fix. I’m finding that there’s incredible freedom in handing things over to God and letting Him take care of me and my life. God is continuing to help me trust and give things over to Him; I’m in super-capable hands!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5&6

Hayley

Life Group Jazz

The Life Group we’ll be hosting begins on October 14th.  Cornerstone Community Church, our home church, has agreed to support the group and pay for child care!!!  I’ve got the “Syllabus” prepared, house cleaned/painted and getting contact information for those planning to attend.  So cool to have the date coming close.

Marissa and I are both prayerfully entering the ministry again and this is one of the steps we’ve taken toward His service.  We will be hosting, in our home, a meeting on Wednesday nights to go verse by verse through the Word.  We’re going to start in James, because it’s such a no-brainer for the Christian that is looking for direction; for the “where to now?” that eventually comes in ones relationship with Christ.

After our move to Virginia we put our primary focus on being partners and parents again.  This was such an awesome and blessed time for me personally.  I went months without serving in a church.  I was able to talk with the kids again, and get closer with Marissa, and most of all, get re-focused on my own relationship with Jesus.  I was able to take the time to strip my life back to the basics, understand where my priorities needed to be, and basically start over on my daily life.  The job, the friends, chores, grocery stores and utilities all changed.

I realized how much I had neglected which should have been a priority.  Exp. We returned to faithfully tithing.  I don’t say this to boast, but to show that even this core principle had been neglected for a time.  We had justifications, just as everyone has justifications for what they do.  Bills, debt, getting out of debt, but this move, and this change in our lives, allowed us to re-focus/re-prioritize again.  WooHoo!!!

It’s so exciting now to be entering into the field again.  I feel like the harvest is waiting for me.  I remember studying for one of the first or second messages I taught the youth in Florida, how excited I was, how right, blessed, confirmed it all was and I’m happy to be there again!!!

We’re praying to keep our lives balanced, to keep our priorities where they need to be and to let everything we do be used for His service.  I want to remain a good employee for my company.  I want to be a good servant for Jesus here.  I want to remain a good husband to my wife and father to my children.

James is going to really open my eyes.  I’ve been studying it for a long time, preparing, getting ready, and I’m anxious to get it out there and hash it out with some brothers and sisters.  That’s a really good time, just talking one on one with others about the Word.  It’s like, a guarantee to get Jesus’ attention.  Especially this book; there will be more than one spanking in there for me.

Say a prayer for my family and I, and our success, not for the life group, but for us, for our strength, love and unity as we give our time back to God again.

Life Group

We’re going to host a Life Group through our church, Cornerstone Community Church, here in Galax, VA.

We’ll, we’re praying that we’ll be able to host it.

Our focus will be verse by verse teaching and application, to give those that attend a chance to listen, learn and apply the Word of God in our lives.  We’ll go through the Word, not only teaching through it, but showing some how to study the Bible, others how to Share the Bible, and beyond all, offer a place of refuge and peace for those interested in getting to know God through His Word with others close at hand.

We’re praying that there will be enough interest to have a group meet.  We’ll see.

We’ll be holding it in our home, here in Galax, with child care available, every Saturday Wednesday night.  It will begin in October some time if it’s a go.

Thanks,

Ben

Catch up

So, I can’t quite think of anything in particular to blog about but I want to blog, I haven’t in awhile. But I guess I will just play catch and fill everyone in on whats going on.

Lets see, Our youth “band” got invited to play in big church on Thursday which is Agape night. Im super excited about this since I will be singing! Should be cool to switch things up a little bit.We have been going though the book of 1st john in church, and it rocks! Doug is doing a awesome job teaching it, It seems like it’s really hitting people hard,  and they are getting it! woo hoo!!!

Another exciting thing happening is I think im gonna start a bible study, I have been really wanting to lead a small group through a book in the bible. Im gonna lead a group of girls 11 and up. I talked to Pastor Doug about it and he was super excited, so this thing might really happen. This is a huge step for me, but I am learning and I think it would be and awesome opportunity. I have never done anything like this, So pray for me!

That’s it for now!

Ray