Most likely in the past few days maybe even hours you’ve been in contact with someone who’s Inked!

Tattoos are becoming more and more common these days.
Some absolutely horrible and make you question what happened…
Some just awe inspiring at the intensity of detail….

Tattooing has become an art, your skin a canvas to depict something, something real.

Back in college I read an article from Walt Mueller’s CPYU that I searched to ad to this post
[Read it HERE.]
But have you thought about those that you’ve passed with ink, or maybe you have some ink yourself.
What does it mean?
What life change happened that might have sparked that piece?
What significance is that in their life or maybe a previous season/chapter?

These are all questions I ponder when I pass those walking by with ink.
I personally have a piece signifying my marriage. Its the one key reminder that kept my wife and I on track…
“Love Never Fail”.
1 Corinthians 13 unwraps that one for us, and that was a key to our dating and now marriage.
The story goes deeper, but guess you’ll just have to meet me and get the rest.

Next time you pass someone with ink, don’t be quick to judge…
if you get a chance ask them, use it to start conversation.
Who knows where God could take it!!!!

This past Sunday, I was yet again challenged by the message in our “Chronicles: the Parables of Jesus” Series at Crosspoint.tv.

I never really have delved into the parables except briefly with my mom and dad while growing up and I remember stealing my mom’s Bible because it had a great list of all the parables. It was spread out between all the gospels to give you the different accounts of the story.

But this week was on the two debtors and the events around the parable.

Something I was challenged with was this…

“An absence of gratitude allows RELIGION to replace RELATIONSHIP.” -Justin Davis

We are always so quick to react to how God is “working”, especially if it doesn’t line up with OUR thoughts.
We let the how to, the doctrine, get in the way of being GRATEFUL for the gift of GRACE!
Did anyone mention….
WE DON’T DESERVE JACK!

God doesn’t need us.
No way Jose.
But He WANTS us!

Celebrate with me in that today.
We’ve been sent a gift of GRACE, CHRIST JESUS!

Ponder on this…when was the last time you “shamelessly adored/loved God”?
Are you grateful for the gift of grace?

Since this week has been a ton of just sorting through my thoughts and feelings with life lately here’s something that’s resonated deeply.

Sheep don’t need cowboys, they need a shepherd. -Blake Bergstrom

This was said during an absolutely hilarious, thought provoking sermon this Sunday.
I remember the old guy sitting next to me elbowing my side like a, “hey that was some funny stuff!”
He was right, Blake was right!!!

Now I haven’t chilled with sheep for a long period of time, but I just know when I was at petting zoos or anywhere around sheep…they didn’t like me!

Let me break down the quote as best as I can, to paraphrase where Blake was headed.
Sheep…can’t be hearded!
Cattle…can be hearded!

So Sheep won’t listening to a bunch of hootin’ n hollerin’ or whips crackin’!
They need the gentle voice of their shepherd to lead them together!

Isn’t that us!?!
We fit that so well.

We need to listen to our Shepherd, Jesus!!!
Where is He leading you?!

I had every intention of sitting down this evening, like my one evening to blast out some thoughts, and wouldn’t ya know it….NOTHING, just speechless.

I was sharing with my mom today over the phone that this past week has just been a real rough one for my wife and I as we just delve deep down in and seek where the Lord has us. We were so encouraged by our friends George & Debbie as they spoke wisdom at us last night over some competitive games.

Last week I wrote about seasons of life, and well we’re praying for a season change!
Please join us in prayer as we seek the Lord in whats next for us.

More posts will come this week, please be patient as I sort through my mind! Great stuff churning.

This post is just fitting since I love bikes, work with bikes, and want everyone to ride bikes.

When was the last time you broke out that old Western Flyer collecting dust or that rusted up Schwinn Paramount and just let the wind blow in your hair and face as you just coast around the neighborhood?
I DARE YOU TO DO IT NOW, RIGHT NOW,
Just drop what you’re doing,
Stop reading this post for a few,
Ride around for a few minutes,
Revel in God’s creation!!!

I really honestly hope you did go ride and are just coming back with the biggest smile on your face.
Each and every day when I suit up in my riding garb and get my rig all set for 25-35 miles I just get pumped.
Tunes in my ear, Sunglasses on my face, God in my heart, the road underneath me. What more could you ask for?
Oh ya, the SUN just shining down on you warming you each pedal stroke of the way.

Cycling has become my time of quite, just me and the Lord. Yes I know I said tunes in my head, that’s on some days. But I’ve always enjoyed riding my bike, whether that was just 5mph as a youth on my mountain bike or now blasting a pace of 18-22mph, or better yet smoking a decent at 48.2mph. It all comes back to a HUGE smile on my face as I wouldn’t be able to do any of it with out God.

He gave me my body, the bike, the roads to ride on, the air to breathe, water to hydrate with, etc.

What’s got you smiling these days because it’s got GOD all over it!?

Life is much like the four different seasons we are so privileged to experience during each year. Most of us have a favorite season or we tend to look forward to certain parts of one verses another. I, for one, love Spring and Fall…that crisp cool air is just amazing.

I’ve personally been through a lot this year so far and to be perfectly transparent with you all, I’m just plain beat. God has brought me through I swear four full seasons in a short time frame. With feeling called out of my youth pastor position in early April, I wasn’t sure what was going on. Was I just packing up and seeking ministry positions back home in the North? That wasn’t what God had in the plans. The season He was moving me to was one that I never thought I’d experience this fast in life or ever really.

I was completely broken, ripped to pieces, not sure what I was to do. Thanks to good friends in ministry, George, Kevin, and others they encouraged me in the brokenness to turn to the Lord, the only one who could make things better. The season I was in was all about Faith. A test of all tests, one that I had not studied for and was not supposed to study for.

Here I am months after, a mere Bike salesmen and minor repair guy, making a retail wage, living paycheck to paycheck but yet blown away every week when the bank has more money than we really should have. Bills being paid and the Lord just preparing my wife and I for the next season.

As I process more and more each day in this season of Faith, I’m amazed at what a fantastic God we have watching our backs and guiding us each step of the way. I would have been so lost at this point if I had not just given it all up to the Lord.

I write all of this to ask this, a simple question but yet hard to answer…

What season of life are you in?

Here is yet another great reminder for us all, and you guessed it…it came out of Pete’s “Plan B”. [that book is the jam]

There is only one GREAT sermon in the history books.
Sure there’s great speakers,
Or pastors,
But seriously the GREATEST sermon ever given was from Jesus himself.

We know it best as the Sermon on the Mount.

In the midst of this great sermon there’s a lesson we all need to grasp.

We all are PARALYZED.

Ok, ok, maybe not physically but we ALL are PARALYZED by WORRY.

“So I tell you, don’t worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes.” Matt. 6:25

Jesus is just trying to give us a new perspective on how we look and deal with the busy thing we call life. We just get so wrapped up in everything and everyone and cannot seem to just let God take care of us. Look at the next verse.

“Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.” Matt. 6:26

We have so much going for us and being paralyzed by worry isn’t going to help us EVER. Everyone is going to have problems or questions but its not something we should allow ourselves to get hung up on.

God wants our trust, our devotion.
Jesus rocked it here with the perspective of ‘hey, you can’t add any time to your life so calm down, move on, and live for the Kingdom.’

How can you take on this new perspective?

Life has thrown me many curveballs lately that just haven’t seemed fair. So a pastor friend, Pete just happened to have a book, his first, coming out right in the middle of my depressive, alone state of being entitled “Plan B”. This book is literally subtitled, “What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought he would?”

Does that hit home for any of you? It sure as hek hit right where I was.

I wanted to cuss God out to be honest. My new marriage was rocky because of all the stress that I just didn’t get why God has put in my life. I felt alone, like why did I leave our friends and family to move so far south and know no one. Everything was changing and FAST.

So I picked up a copy at Crosspoint since my preordered copy was weeks away and it was available to all of the campuses during a “Broken Dreams” series (How fitting right?). God was about to touch my life hard and fast. This week will have similar posts to this one. I want to share different things that I’ve been shown through my time reading “Plan B”

I’ve always loves two guys in the Bible, Peter because I can relate to that guy so much. But my next favorite is Joshua. He is an amazing leader, one that stepped up for God in many different times. Many parts of his story are just simply an encouragement to me as a leader. That’s who we’re talking about today.

In Ch.4 of the book, Joshua has center stage. Let me set the story for you a bit like it is in the book.

God has got His chosen people, the Israelites waiting to get into the promise land. Moses and that generation passed on and Joshua took over as leader of God’s people. He was called to go into the land. FINALLY right? Well there was one thing. He had to cross the Jordan River with specific instructions and the people were to follow him, the priests, and the arch of the covenant. Problem was, the river was in flood stage! So Joshua, as many leaders, was nervous about this one.

How many of us have a Jordan river? Something that’s got us at a halt in our lives, that we just need to cross to move on into the promised land, the plan that God has for our lives. Now here’s where I get stoked. Check this passage from pg. 47.

“I think God’s words for Joshua as he stands beside the Jordan are also for each one of us. God says, ‘I’ve already gone ahead of you. I’ll be there every step you take; I’ve occupied the land. But you’ve got to choose.’ And because stepping into the Jordan, whatever you Jordan is, always involves overcoming fear, God keeps repeating what he told Joshua over and over again: ‘Don’t be afraid, Don’t be afraid, Don’t be afraid’.”

That’s just stinkin’ awesome. Did you catch something important for us all. “I’ve already gone ahead of you!”

God has already paved the way. We may not see it yet, there might be some seriously dense fog blocking at the moment but he’s already marked out a path for us. Might be some huge bumps in the way. But just think, he’s saying this to YOU, TODAY….

“I’ve already gone ahead of you!”

Remember that today! Be encouraged. God is watching over each and everyone of us. Even in these hard times in life. He wants us to succeed, not fail. So crack a smile today and be encouraged!

God’s got you, are you willing to not be afraid?

Yesterday at Crosspoint, Pete delivered a slam dunk. God’s laid some awesome insight on that man’s heart. I hope to sit down with him one day soon over coffee and discuss more. (He technically owes me coffee, and yes, Pete I hope your reading this. )

We love to base our faith in God around what we physically see as evidence that He loves us.
We tend to “spiritually give God the middle finger” when we do not see His provision.
We ask every day for things that WE want vs. what HE wants.

When will we wake up.

The question was asked, “What would you do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you” in your life?

I know personally, this question was something I dealt with recently and let me tell you, its just simply amazing what God does when you give everything over 100%. When you begin to let Him handle your life, you have a peace, a joy that you’ve NEVER experienced before. To the normal person looking into your life, they would go “dude, your life sucks.” But you get to respond to that by saying, “No, dude, my life ROCKS!”

Quit confusing yourself.
Choose to put your faith in God’s IDENTITY not His activity.

Thanks Pete for delivering God’s Word & Truth this week.
I share this to all of you readers out there to challenge you.

Are you willing to become absolutely confident in God?

This past Sunday was Easter, and I was broken. Life hasn’t been easy for me for a while. Just down right painful at times, a time that I honestly never wanted to be at in life. God was showing me things, teaching me thing, preparing me for a life He has vs. what I had planned.

Sunday I was able to just be somewhere where I was refreshed and heard this, with the words just flashing on a screen.

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In a broken state, on a joyous day…this resonated in my heart! I just was ready to break down, just scream out.

“For You and You alone, awake my soul, awake my soul and sing,
For the world You love, Your will be done, let Your will be done in me.”

This was and IS my prayer now, every day! How in each moment or hour can I just be 100% for God? I’m broken, down on my knees wanting more and more.

I have never felt so ready to just give my ALL to the Lord.
How can I stay in this awakened state?
How can WE stay in an awakened state? Letting God’s will be done, not ours.

Let HIM speak into your lives today.
May you begin to become a servant, no matter your past, or present.
Let HIM speak into your lives, with HIS love.
May you let God’s will be done, bringing light into your lives.
Let HIM change you, FOREVER.

Are you ready for your awakening?