Life with Jeremy

Anticipation

2007-07-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

OK before I get into my thoughts on anticipating I have to make a few comments that have absolutely nothing to do with this entry. First, I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a few weeks. Most of my time has been consumed with prepping for River of Life (from here on out I will refer to River of Life as ROL...that's the local lingo around these parts.) Second, because it's taken me so long to get to this entry, it took me quite a while to remember my user name and password. Don't you hate when that happens? It seems like I have to have a user name and password for everything these days. My email, my blog, my bank account, my cell phone account, my itunes, rhapsody, laptop, desktop, church computer, home computer, every piece of software that I buy and register, I even have to have a password to get to my passwords that i have stored on my palm pilot!!! I'm overloaded with passwords. So, tonight's password is....anticipation.

Just because I'm a nerd, I thought I would check out the definition of anticipation. Here are a few different definitions that I thought helped to describe the anticipation that I am feeling as I look toward ROL.

1.realization in advance; foretaste.
2.expectation or hope.
3 : mental attitude that influences a later response
4: anticipating with confidence of fulfillment

all of these definitions came from different places, but I think they all help us to understand anticipation a little bit better.

Here's what I think is interesting. Myself and many others are waiting...anticipating something cool to happen at ROL. Many of you reading this are agreeing with me. The questions is what are we anticipating? Fun with friends? Feelings of satisfaction for a job well done? good worship music? exciting environment? getting out of the house for a few days? have a slumber party for a week with 200 of your closest friends? for God to move? Maybe it's a little bit of all of these, but I can't help but think that there are a few of us that are anticipating an encounter with a real living God.

Everything in me wants to argue that we should always come to church expecting God to move, or that we don't need ROL to encounter God, or what makes ROL so special it's the same band, and the same room, etc. But the truth is I know that I too anticipate something different. I know that when you get right down to it, so much of the set up is the same 'ole routine. But for some reason this week is different. I think it has more to do with definition number three. Attitude. The attitude that you and I bring to this week is so positive and so strong, that it helps us all to focus, and it helps us put away frustration and anxieties, and seek after a God that loves us.

It is my prayer that you would begin now to have God work on your attitude about ROL. If you come to ROL expecting to meet God, you will.

Anticipation...What are you anticipating this week?

If you want, reply to this blog or email me at jeremywilson@foresthillsmacon.com with some of the things that you are anticipating this week from ROL.

thanks

jeremy

back home/father's day

2007-06-17T20:06:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody,

This is going to be short...I just realized a few minutes ago how tired I am and how late it now is. Anyway, myself and 34 of my closest friends went to camp this week at the beach. Needless to say, it was quite awesome. I could spend a really long time talking about what a great week it was, and how great the messages and the worship was, but I don't have enough time...as I am...starting to yawn.

Anyway, I do want to say a special thanks to all that went to camp. Particularly for those that shared with me about their camp experience either during our group times and/or through a letter. All the feedback I got about camp was really great.

If you still want to send something to me, you can do so by email...
jeremywilson@foresthillsmacon.com

As for father's day...it's been great! Got some nice cards and presents from Taylor and Rennata and had a great relaxing by the pool. I couldn't have asked for much more. I did, however, miss youth tonight and I'm looking forward to Inside Out and Fusion next Sunday. I hope to see you guys there.

jeremy

good news

2007-06-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

hey everyone,

I just wanted to pass along some good news about camp next week. I was trying to figure out what this hotel is really going to be like. It turns out that this hotel is not a regular hotel like a Holiday Inn or Best Western or whatever. Supposedly it is a condo hotel. Basically it has hotel rooms and condo/suites and there are quite a few rooms that are owned privately and then rented out. It seems as though some of these privately rented out rooms are really nice. When I spoke to the guy on the phone he said, "I think you are going to be really surprised by how nice some of these rooms are. Depending on the condo owner, some rooms have plasma TV's, some have lazy boy chairs, some have marble countertops in the kitchen."

I was blown away. I have no idea what to expect in this camp, I just know that I'm really starting to get excited about it.

good night ya'll,

jeremy

the Countdown is on

2007-06-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

In just a few short days, I will be heading to Myrtle Beach, SC with a few sr high students and some counselors for a week of camp at the beach!! I'm really looking forward to it. It's been quite awhile since i've been to the beach. I grew up near the beach and grew up going to the beach alot. Because of that, the beach is always a real special place to me.

I've got so many memories...

- the first time I found a sand dollar with my feet.
- the first time I went body surfing
- jumping the waves with my friends
- being in high school and going to the beach with friends on our days off from school
- I learned how to swim in the ocean
- I met my wife for the first time at the beach
- 8 years of summer camp

this list could go on and on...but the point is that somehow God meets me there in a special way...I'm looking forward to camp.

I will leave you with a quote from a praise and worship song by Ten Shekel shirt:

Something about the ocean
Makes me rise up and praise
Something about the heavens
Makes me stand in awe again
Something about the sunrise
Reminds me of Your faithfulness
Something about the ocean
And I'm lost in love again

jeremy

OK Ok Ok I'll post

2007-05-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand. That's right!! It's a new post. However, since it's almost midnight, it will have to be brief.

Since I took so much grief from you guys about not having posted, I decided I would stop being lazy and put something out there for you. And by the way, now that I'm doing this, it makes me wonder: if you guys are wanting me to put something on the blog, then why not email me? Or leave a comment or something? It's just a thought. I'm not the kind of guy that needs a ton of pats on the back or anything, but a comment on the post, just to let me know your out there goes a long way towards motivating me to write something.

Now that I'm off my soap box. I'll put something out there worth reading...This one is for you graduates. In the life of a youth minister every year, there is this season where students graduate and I find myself attending every last minute ball game, concert, competition, party, award ceremony that I can possibly attend. Then that season is followed up by graduation...the granddaddy of all ceremonies for a high school student. While I can't make it to every graduation because of scheduling conflicts, having to be in two places at once, raising a 10 month old, and trying to be a family man, etc. I do try to make it to as many as I can. This is something that I do with a smile eventhough graduations are boring. Dreadfully boring at times.

But every time I find myself fighting traffic, fighting crowds, squeezing into seats that are made for someone half my size, listening to people talk that I don't know (and often times aren't very interesting) somewhere in the midst of all that I always have a moment to reflect back on the student/s that I'm there to see. I get to think back to when I first met them. To reflect on how they've grown. To see where God has moved in their lives. I remember retreats and trips and conversations and laughs...and I relive in just a few short moments some many good memories. And I'm proud. Proud to know those students. Proud to know that I'm there because I was allowed the priveledge of being a part of their lives. Proud to know that they've accomplished something. It's an incredible honor that I've been given to know students from when they were children and then see them walk across that stage and become young adults.

Then after a few moments of reflecting I wonder...I begin to wonder if that student I've shared so many good memories with will remember me in 10, 20, 30 years? Will that person remember the things I tried to teach them? Will the life lessons make a difference? Will they go to college or get a job and remember that being a Christian isn't something that you do, it's who you are? Will they remember that the church exists for them and they for the church? Will they be one of the masses that falls away from Christ and his church for a season? for forever? or will they be faithful? will they be a revolutionary? will they give back to others the way that others have given to them? I wonder...

Graduations are not fun...but they are necessary. The are necessary for the student and for those involved in their lives. They are a time for us to reflect on where the student has come from, where the student is now, and pray for where they are going. Class of 2007...you are in my prayers.

jeremy

update time

2007-02-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's been too long since my last post. I will do my best to give you guys and girls something interesting a little more often.

Quick update. In the past month...

I've been skiing in West Virginia (mucho fun!)
Traveled to Colorado for 4 of the most spiritually fulfilling days of my life
Read 3 books
Had my daughter baptised
Started coaching tennis again
Re-strung about 20 tennis rackets
written an entire months worth of curriculum
and watched an entire season of Pro's vs. Joe's (a show which I became hooked on during our ski trip because of Jonathan Griggs)

Anyway, it's been a great month, and I have plenty more adventures ahead of me this month. I can't wait.

Anywhoo, I've been teaching on Sunday nights the past couple of weeks about self image, and the fact that God desires to help us with our self image. Tonight I talked about the self images that girls wrestle with....the "questions" about themselves that they wrestle. What an incredibly hard lesson this was. I don't know that there has ever been a lesson where I have felt quite as underqualified to teach as this one was. I just hope and pray that I was helpful in someway, and that I didn't embarass myself by totally missing the mark. I guess we'll just have to see. If nothing else I hope that the young ladies will be thinking about the fact that God is the one who provides a healthy understanding for their true beauty and worth...not men.

On to other business...I am looking forward to this spring and summer already. I have to say that my favorite time of year in Macon really is March and the Cherry Blossom festival. I'm not a huge carnival type person or whatever, but I do love the weather in Macon in March. Also, I love being able to walk downtown and listen to the music and smell all the smells that come along with the Cherry Blossom events. I'm really looking forward to March.

well, that's enough for me right now. Hopefully it won't be too long again before my next update.

later,

jeremy

good report

2007-01-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

OK...this will be different than usual. Only because it's been a long day and I'm going to bed. I just wanted to point out for those that are going on ski trip...the weather is going to be PERFECT!!

Go to weather.com and then type in Flat Top, WV and read the 10 day report. It's going to be awesome!!

I'll put up something profound later this week.

jeremy

oh yeah...Happy Birthday Meghan!!

cleaning up and cleaning out

2007-01-15T18:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay in my blogging update. Thank you Sheila for the reminder for me to get back to it. I could give out all kinds of excuses pointing to how busy I am, but I'm sure that many of you (as busy as you are) would not find that to be a good excuse. So, I will suffice it to say that my time that past few days has been spent cleaning and rearranging furniture in our house.

I can honestly say, that I am not much for keeping things "tidy." Take one look at my office and you know what I'm talking about. I guess the truth is, I don't really enjoy the tediousness of daily cleaning and picking up, sweeping, dusting, organizing, blah, blah, blah. Some people tell me that my lack of daily cleaning up is just a sign of my immaturity. Hmm...interesting thought. Oh well. I do, however, enjoy the occasional clean up and clean out. You know that day where you just get fed up with the clutter and just start throwing junk out. I know that there are some people out there that have the pack rat mentality and just can't get rid of stuff, but I do think that most people arise one day and just can't take it anymore, and have to get rid of the junk that's in the way.

Well, this time Ren and I decided to rearrange some furniture and do some organizing while we were cleaning out a bunch of junk. It' kind of fun rearranging furniture sometimes. It's almost like moving into a new house. Sometimes it can be exciting. For example, today is the first time I've ever used my computer to write this blog in this room of my house. So you are a part of history.

Well, anyway, to get to the point, these ideas of throwing out junk and rearranging furniture and stuff have kind of got me thinking about the spiritual life. (Right now your probably going, no kidding, doesn't everything make you think about the spiritual life with Christ...well yeah, it does...it should I think in some way...) So anyway, first the idea of the occasional clean out. I see how we as Christians like to do the occasional clean out of our souls. I think that most of us tend for our personal soul care the way I clean my office or my house. "When it just gets bad enough, or when I can't take it anymore, that's when I'll deal with it." I see it all the time, the students... the parents... the church people... only wanting to do the discipleship work occasionally ...retreats, ski trips, River of Life... What about a daily quiet time with God? What about a prayer life? What about growing in our practice of the living as Christians? Like I said, most of us tend to our souls the way I tend to my office. But hey...it's better to occasionally treat my soul like Jeremy treats his office than to treat my soul like those "pack rat" people. Could you imagine life like that? Not ever being able to truly let go of the things inside you. Not being able to let go of hurtful comments people have made...not being able to forgive...not being able to release bitterness...what a terrible feeling. You're probably right, it is better to occasionally tend to your soul as opposed to not tending to it at all. But maybe the fact that you only occasionally spend time with God, maybe the fact that you are occasionally thinking and growing as a disciple has more to do with the fact that you are spiritually immature? Hmm...kind of like how I am about my office.

I really do want to get better at keeping my stuff tidy...but I'm far more concerned with keeping my life with Christ together. I can handle my lack of maturity about my office, but I don't want to be immature about my faith. I really do want to grow...I really do want to be a better disciple each day. I wonder what our lives would look like if we grew in Christ? Hmm...

Hebrews 5:11 - 6:3

11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. 1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[a] and of faith in God, 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And God permitting, we will do so.

new year

2007-01-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

OK, it's 2007!! This is going to be a good year, I can feel it!!

So, It's time for me to make a blog entry, and since it's Jan 1, I feel compelled to write briefly about all the great things that happened to me in 2006. Short recap, here we go:

Jan 2006 - Ski Trip!! Always the highlight of my winter months. Ski Trip is always blast being off with students and having a great time skiing and getting to know my students better.

Feb 2006 - Winter retreat with Jr. High and the unbelievable trip home with the red van that couldn't hold water and kept overheating. I will always remember being on my back in the parking lot of the gas station in SC and asking Andy if chewing gum would plug the hole in the hose that spewing water everywhere! Ahh good times.

Mar 2006 - Cherry Blossom time!! - This is absolutely the best time to live in Macon. It is by far and away the prettiest time of year, and there's a lot of fun stuff to do.

Apr 2006 - Boys retreat to Okefenokee - The whole trip was worth it just to see that alligator jump out of the water and try to grap Andrew Mochrie's bait off his fishing line. I will never forget Andrew's freaking out and screaming as he was staring straight down the jaws of an alligator from about 10 feet away.

May 2006 - Rennata and I went on our anniversary trip to New Smyrna Beach, FL. We have some really nice friends at church that let us borrow their condo for the week. (It is awesome by the way!) It is always a great trip to go down there and have a relaxing time. It was also the last family vacation that Rennata and I will be taking by ourselves with no children.

June 2006 - SUMMER CAMP! Enough said. Great week! Great time to build relationships! Great worship! Good time to just get away! And the highlight of the week was learning from David Welesko that corn dogs were the new currency.

July 2006 (two items) 1st - River of Life. Because this year it was awesome! I look forward to what God has in store for River of Life at our church in the future!
2nd - The birth of Taylor Lane Wilson July 24th. This was the pinnacle moment of my year...if not my whole life. Getting to be a part of the birth of my first child was amazing and has affected me like nothing else in my life ever has. I am a better man because of that day.

August 2006 - I don't remember much about August. I was totally deprived from sleep in every way. I just remember waking up some time in September

September 2006 - Whitewater rafting down the Ocoee. Yeah, I think this was the weekend that woke me up from the stupor that happened after Taylor was born. What a fun retreat!

October 2006 - I turned 30!! I don't exactly know if this was a highlight, but I dreaded it the entire month.

November 2006 - Being hired by the church as the "worship leader" for the 9:30 service. May not seem like a big deal to everybody else since I've been playing and singing in there forever. But, being the leader in there now means that I get to spend some time with Shane planning, dreaming, visioning, and hopefully growing that service in such a way that it will bring glory to God. It's really been a lot of fun to be in there the past few months for me. (OK admittedly, I have a second small highlight...UGA beat GT!! Go dawgs!)

December 2006 - Christmas!! Is there any other time of year that really competes with Christmas? It's magical. It's awesome. And it was my first Christmas as a daddy. How cool!!

Oh yeah - second best highlight of December is that Rennata and I became officially consumer debt free. For those of you dealing with debt in your past, your present, or your future you know how big a deal this is.

So, that 2006 for me. God's blessings everywhere. This was just a month by month recap of the highlights. There were tons of other things I could have added in here.

Where has God blessed you this past year? Did you take time to thank him for all he's done?
God is good. He is good to you, and you need to take some time to reflect on His goodness, His mercy, and His love for you.

Psalm 115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Happy New Year!

jeremy

Vacation

2006-12-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry that I've been away from the blogging scene for some time. Not to worry, I hope to be back in full swing now. These holidays you know have been quite hectic, fun, inspiring, and all sorts of other things.

Before i get going, thanks to Ronnie for the comment reminding me that I need to get back at it and write something useful. So, here goes. (Ronnie, just for you, I hope that this doesn't stink!)

Vacation. Is that what these last few days have been? Hmm...Let's play word association for a minute. I say vacation, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Beaches, warm weather, sunny days, mountain scenery, traveling, lazy days of watching video rentals...maybe it could be any of those things. I would pretty much take any of those options right now. My "vacation" has been somewhat different I must say. This is the first year in my life that my Christmas vacation with my parents/extended family lasted less than 2 days. Rennata, Taylor, and I drove to Savannah, Sunday and returned on Monday. It was a whirlwind of eating too much, listening to Christmas Eve cantatas, opening gifts, and eating some more. I returned from my "vacation" with not just one, but two sick women. That's right, both Rennata and Taylor returned home from our whirlwind tour under the weather. Rennata has been at work even though she's not been feeling good, and Taylor and I have been at home.

Tuesday we learned that Taylor has an ear infection in both ears...LOVELY!! So, in summation, let me see if I can sum up my overall vacation experience...I've eaten too much, gained weight, feel guilty, haven't gotten out of my pajamas in three days, am constantly cleaning up after Taylor who by the way, doesn't like to sleep with her ear ache, so I wake up every night at 3a.m., I have a wife who is doesn't feel good, and I wish I was at the beach. Does that pretty much cover it? I think I need a vacation from my vacation don't you think?

Now, if you've read this far, please don't stop here, I do have a point I promise. And this blog post is not quite the gripe session that you might be thinking that it is.

OK back on topic here. My thoughts on my current vacation (or lack of vacation) are similar in many ways to the way that feel about our walk with Christ. The spiritual life, if looked at from the proper perspective can look burdensome and time consuming. Many people look at the spiritual life of Christianity as one of constant drudgery or petty tasks to be completed. For many, there is no joy in the life with Christ, and therefore, many folks choose to want to vacation from the spiritual life. Do you ever want a vacation from church? from Jesus?

Don't those thoughts cross your mind?
"I'm so tired, if I never get to sleep in!! I need my Sunday mornings."
"Sunday mornings are the only time I ever get time to myself"
"I can pray any time...why do I have to set aside time to pray?"
"Read my Bible? I barely have time to read all my school work (or substitute what ever you want to read?"

Hey, I know. The Christian life can be tiresome. But, I think it has much more to do with our attitude about the spiritual life than it does about reality.

Let me give an example: My vacation. If my attitude is negative, bitter, pessimistic, etc. Then my attitude about my vacation looks like the rantings that you see above. However, if my attitude is positive. If my attitude is loving and seeking God's hand in my life, I get to see greater things at work. For instance, yes, my daughter is sick, and because she's sick she is not allowed to go to her daycare for the 10 days that she is on her anti-biotic. That is tough, but it comes at a great time of the year for me. This is the slowest 10 days that I have. My mom is a school teacher and it is her time off, so she's been up here in Macon helping me to take care of Taylor while Rennata's at work!! And next week, it just so happens that Ren's mom has free time and is coming then up here to help me then!! How cool is that?! In the past two days of being at home, I've spent more time with my mom than I have in the past 2 years. We've talked and share more in the past two days than we have in such a long time.

No, the past few days have not been FUN! But they have been a blessing. It just so happens that in the past few days, I've developed a bit of a sore throat myself. However, since I'm already at home relaxing, I'm already doing what needs to be done to take care of myself.

I guess what I'm saying is, even when we find ourselves in some situations that are less than ideal. God has a way of meeting us and blessing us. Our attitudes, however, often influence how we choose to look at God's blessings.

We don't need a vacation from the spiritual life. We don't need a vacation from church to get ourselves rested. We don't need a break from Christianity to get it figured out on our own. What we need is an attitude adjustment.

Matthew 11:28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Need a vacation...need to feel rested and restored...where do you go? Jesus says to come to Him, and He will give you the rest you need. Hmmm

"there is always hope"

2006-12-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

Hello again everyone! I hope that this blog post finds everyone doing well.

Well, the reason that this blog post has the title that is does is because I'm at home now at youth and everything and I'm sitting here in my easy chair watching "The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers." What a great movie! I don't know if you are a Lord of the Rings fan or not, but these movies are so captivating to watch to me. Well, there is this one scene where Aragorn - he's one of the main characters. (Disclaimer: Before I go any further, if I ever reference a character name or a situation or generally anything about any of these movies and it is not 100% accurate, please deal with it. I do not claim to be a Lord of the Rings guru, nor do I want to be.) As I was saying Aragorn and some others about to begin a really big battle in the second movie at Helms Deep (a castle). The long and short of it is that Aragorn is talking to a young man that is about to be involved in the war. When I say young, I'm talking about 14 or 15 years old. The young man says that the other men (the other soldiers on their side) have given up hope. Then Aragorn gets all serious and he says to the young man "there is always hope."

If you've never seen this movie clip...you should. The coolest part of this movie clip is the message behind that quote... "there is always hope." What a great message. HOPE.

I think that many of us live without hope on a daily basis. We all do. We all experience hopelessness at times. Here are some examples...maybe they speak to you:
-maybe you lose hope about in thinking that you can overcome your family situation.
-maybe you lose hope about the fact that you have an addicition to something.
-maybe you lose hope in thinking that someone you care about could actually become a Christian.
-maybe you lose hope in thinking that people care for you
-maybe you've lost hope because someone you care about has passed away
-maybe you've lost hope regarding your education...either you just can't get any momentum going or maybe you can't get into the college you want to get into.

For whatever the reason, hopelessness gets in the way at times. And the truth is, God desires to bring hope into our lives.

Psalm 25
1[a] To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

I would love to offer more commentary on the subject matter of hope. Maybe tomorrow. But right now I can't keep my eyes open. gotta go to get some sleep.

goodnight.

jeremy

second wind

2006-12-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

When I was in high school I had a summer job cutting grass for a local company that worked on Skidaway Island at this really nice country club community. My job was basically to drive around all day and cut people's grass and make their yards look nice. I remember having to get there just about everyday at 6:30am. Now, I don't know how many of you reading this really know...but I have never really like waking up at 6:30am. Not then, not now, not for pay, not for pleasure. I will wake up early if I have, but I'm not excited about it. Make a long story short, we would have to get there that early so that we could actually be ready to crank those lawnmowers up at 7:00am. (That's the earliest we were allowed to start cutting grass at someone's house.)

We also started work that early in the morning because by about 10:00am in South Georgia in the middle of July is just HOT!! I distinctly remember everyday me and the guys I worked with would start out working really hard, knocking out job after job from 7:00am 'til about 10:30am or so. Then you would eat lunch. Well, once you ate lunch, there just wasn't a whole lot of excitement. Your belly's full, your sitting comfortably, and the A/C in the restaurant feels real good. After lunch there was always this lull 'til about 2:00pm. During this lull we were lucky to accomplish much of anything. We were spent. We were tired. We were out of gas (physically, not for the lawnmowers).

Then about 2:00pm something would happen. We would catch a second wind. Do you know what a second wind is? It's that moment where you receive this burst of energy that pushes you, it drives you towards your goal. In those days, my second wind regularly came about 2:00pm as I would looking forward to better times (mostly quitting time 3:30pm).

Today, most of my day is spent doing stuff on a computer, or sitting in meetings, or visiting with people, or playing my guitar planning worship services. Nowadays, my work day is not nearly as physical. So, I don't need or experience a second wind everyday around 2:00pm. Most of the time, if I've gotten enough sleep the night before, then I will have plenty of energy to do whatever I need to do.

Even though I don't need a physical second wind anymore, there are still times when I need a fresh wind to blow in my life. There are times when I need an emotional second wind. Maybe I'm depressed because things aren't going my way. Maybe I'm insecure about what people think about me and I begin to believe the lies that are floating around in my head.

Sometimes, I need a spiritual second wind. There are times when spiritually I feel dried up like stale, crusty bread. I feel like I could turn to dust at any minute. You know those feelings, when you feel like you are thousands of miles away from God. You feel like you just can't get it right.

Believe me there are still plenty of times that I need a fresh wind to blow in my life. Do you need a fresh wind? I God could blow a second wind in to your life right now, where would you need it? In your relationships? In the way you get along with your parents? (or if you are an adult reading this, with your children or husband/wife?) In your motivation to stick with your goals? In your desire to grow and be discipled? Maybe you need a second wind to blow just so you can feel like God is even there at all?

Whatever your situation, there is good news. God desires to breath a fresh wind into your life. He's been breathing life into things for quite a while. If you don't know what I'm talking about here are a few scriptures I would recommend checking out.

Genesis 2:7 - God breathes life into man and woman
Ezekiel 37 - God breathes life into an entire nation of bones. (If you don't know this story, this is a must read!!)
John 20:22 - Jesus breathes on his disciples and they receive the Holy Spirit. (talk about a second wind)

I don't know about you, but one of the places I CAN go to regularly receive a second wind is to church. Everytime I go to church expecting a fresh wind to blow, it does. Everytime I go expecting God to meet me and revive me, He does. Everytime. The problem is that most of the time I show up at church with frustrations, distractions, distresses, and problems, and I'm so focused on them that I miss the second wind that's waiting there to carry past all that junk. I wonder what would happen if more people came to church expecting God to move? Would He? I wonder what would happen if we got into the habit of expecting to meet God in worship? Would it spill over into the rest of our lives causing us to invite people to church to come receive what we've received? Hmm...I wonder? If God could meet me and give me a second wind at church, that fresh experience might actually create momentum in my life to change who I am, change my circumstances, and change my outlook on life the other 6 days a week?

I don't know about you, but I'm going to start looking a little more for that second wind

goodnight
jeremy

sponges

2006-12-05T20:46:00.000-08:00

Hey there everyone!! I hope this blog post finds you doing well. Before I go any further, I recently got some advice from a friend suggesting that I share some info about safe blogging.

Here is a website that can give you some information about safe blogging:
http://www.blogsafety.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1200000051

Before I get into the meaning of tonight's blog, let me add just a few tips of my own about blogging:
1. If you have a myspace or facebook or whatever, and you put pics on it. THINK through about the types of pictures that you put on there. Particularly stay away from putting provacative pictures on there.
2. don't put all of your personal info on there. for example don't put what city you live in, or cell phone or home phone numbers, addresses, or even your whole name.
3. If you create an online blog, and make posts...whatever you do, please remember that people can actually read it. That means ANYBODY can read it...your friends, your parents, your teachers, your pastors, anyone. Use good judgement with what you say.

OK, so sponges. The other day we had a small leak in the drain under our kitchen sink. The p trap became disconnected and we had a little mini flood result. One of the casualties in the mini flood was a box of sponges that we had stored under the cabinet. Because there was a bucket under the sink that held the box of sponges, when the bucket filled with water, it caused the box to get soaked and then all of these brand new sponges spent quite a good bit of timein the nasty stinking water.

Did you know that sponges can sour? These sponges absorbed all they could. Because we didn't pay attention to the sponges when we discovered the flood, these sponges were never squeezed to empty the water from them. Instead they stayed very wet. Well, today we found the wet sponges...and man did they stink!! They stunk really bad. I think that part of the reason that they stunk was because the sponges soaked up both the water and all the nastiness in that water. Also, the water, once soaked up didn't go anywhere...it just remained in the sponge. Water came in, but none went out.

The concept of the sponge, reminds me of a lesson I learned tonight in this class I was taking. I'm in a class about how to manage money, and the guy teaching the lesson was discussing the giving attitude that people should have. He basically said that most people are very selfish and don't like to give of themselves or their money. He compared most people to ponds. You know ponds...little bodies of water out in the cow pasture or whatever. The pond...somehow water gets in, but it doesn't get out. He pointed out that because no water leaves a pond, eventually the water spoils (kind of like my sponges) and becomes covered with scum. His point being that selfish people horde the goodness of God's blessings in their life and don't share them with others and so eventually become scum. My point, people that are like sponges, or ponds, can eventually become scum.

We all have relationships in life with people that remind us of sponges. The people that take and take and take from us, but never give back. We all have relationships with people where we know that the only thing they care about is themselves, and if you disagree with them, you will probably end up a casualty of that relationship.

But what if we are the sponge? Is it actually possible that there are times when we are the sponge? If we are sponge-like would we even recognize ourselves as being that way? I constantly have to remind myself that I have the potential to become sponge-like. I'm sure that I am not the only one that treats my relationship with God from a very sponge-like perspective. There are plenty of times where I act like God exists to give me stuff or to fix my problems, and all my prayers are focused on me, me, me (how insane is that!!) There are even times when I treat the church like that. I act like the programs at the church, or the worship services, or even the other staff and people at the church are there to serve me and make sure that I'm comfortable. When I behave like that, I become very sponge-like. I really do pray that God can help to teach me to think about Jesus and others first. I really pray that God will give me a great attitude to be giving so that the good stuff that he puts in me doesn't spoil. I really don't want to be equated with scum.

John 3:30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

I hope that some of the things I struggle with will help some of you as you pursue a deeper relationship with Christ.

Success

2006-12-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

Success is such is funny thing. I think that most us have spent or will spend a whole lot of time and effort striving for success in many, many different areas of life. I however, got a taste of true success this weekend...even if for a brief moment.

So what is true success? Money? power? enlightenment? influence? acceptance? I think that we all bring different opinions as to what we think success is. Maybe we focus on success being that thing that we desire most. For instance, maybe the people that consider money to be the benchmark of success feel that way because they believe they are underpaid or because they compare what they make financially to everyone around them? Maybe, the people that see success as being about power feel that way because they feel powerless in their own lives. Powerless to their parents rules, powerless to their friends pressures, powerless to the demands of work or school influences, or powerless to addictions.

here are some insights as to successful living from the scriptures. This is really pretty good. You should check this proverb out more in depth.

Proverbs 1: 1-7
1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.
2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.
5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance
6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

As for me, I found success this weekend in my time with my daughter. This weekend my wife left for an overnight retreat with some of the senior high girls from our church. This was my wife's first night away from our 4 month old daughter. It was very tough for her to leave our little girl. But off she went, leaving yours truly alone with our little one. I don't know who was more nervous, me or my wife. I'm pretty sure it was me. I think my wife's nerves must have simply revolved around the fact that every female that knows my family was asking my wife, "is Jeremy going to be alright with her? Do we need to call in some reinforcements just in case?" In the defense of those naysayers...those comments were probably deserved. When it comes to handling little kids, I don't exactly have stellar resume' of babysitting or hanging out in nurseries. I'm usually the guy that says, "here you change her diaper" or "can you please make your kid stop crying in my ear."

This weekend however was different. It was AWESOME!! My little girl was in a great mood. She made meal time and bath time and nap time and bed time a pure joy for me. She laughed and cooed and hugged and slept in my arms for two straight days. It was incredible. Since it was my first time with her solo overnight, it was great to have the opportunity to learn some of her nuances and quirks. It was great to have the opportunity to learn what the different cries mean.

The fact that I was able to keep my child healthy, nourished, clean, safe, and LOVED. That's success...real success.

Little things

2006-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

OK, before I get into the rest of this blog, let me say that I must agree with Meghan Mochrie!! She says that, "WOW!!! either no one comes and reads this or no one likes to leave comments!!" So, if you are reading this (that means all three you that have bothered to stop by) then get going with the comments people. And on that note, if you find that you ever don't agree with something that I write, or if you think that my thinking is flawed. Let me know...I would welcome a little banter about the things of God, the meaning of life, etc. etc.

Now that I've given my little shout out to Meghan and done my pitiful beg for comments, I will return back to the real topic for tonights "deep thoughts."

Little things. Sometimes it's just the little things in life that just make it for you. For example...my daughters smile and her little giggle, a hug from your wife (or significant person in you life i.e. parent, friend, etc.) at just the right time, the perfect nap - you know the one where you sleep so hard so fast that you wake up with a little drool pool, or maybe it's just the perfect moment where you happen to pay attention to the beauty that God has orchestrated when you see the sunset just right and the colors cause you to amazed.

You know what I'm talking about...the little things.

It's amazing to me that the little things in life have the ability to grab your attention, your affection, and your imagination in such incredible ways. The only problem that I've found in my life is that I am perturbed by the little things in life far more than I am the big things. I know that you are reading this saying, "Jeremy, you've lost your mind!! There is no way that the little things in life should frustrate you. Their insignificant, let them go!"

I suppose you're right. However, venture here with me for just a moment. I don't know if you are like me, but I can handle the large things in life OK. Please understand, I don't like it when catastrophe strikes. I don't like it when people die, or family or friends are involved in car accidents. I don't like when things like 9-11 happen or when teenagers commit suicide. But somehow, I hold it together through catastrophes. It's the little things that set me off. I don't why...

It's the missing car keys when I'm late for an appointment and I'm rushing around the house like a mad man, getting angry that I can't find the keys and even madder at myself at the fact that I'm mad. It's when I'm mad at myself for forgetting an appointment with someone. Sure, it's regrettable that I made a mistake, but is it really worth the self-abuse I put myself through? Is it worth the fact that I treat myself like a dog for missing an engagement. Or here's one from literally my day today...I go to buy something for work, and I need the receipt to turn in for reimbursement, and somehow (believe me I DON'T KNOW HOW!!) in the matter of a 4 minute drive I lose the $84.17 receipt and i spend 2 hours looking for it!!! How mental is that? Ha, look at me, it's almost 8 hours later, and I'm still irritated with myself for feeling this way.

In case you're worried...I am OK. I will make it through the loss of a small 3 square inch sheet of paper...and yes, I will get reimbursed even if I can't produce the receipt. I know all of that already, but somehow, it just get down in side of me and rubs me the wrong way like a small pebble in my shoe that I can't rid of.

Isn't is great to know that in the midst of all things great and small God is right there with us?!! God is there teaching me and guiding me through the little frustrations of life...and it's moments like this where I can see that he was with me that help me to make it through the BIG challenges.

Isn't great to know that God is there is the little special moments of life. I feel so much closer to Him when I realize that for a breif moment, I recognized the work of His hands. What a cool feeling.

I'll close tonight with this thought.

Luke 16:9-11
9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.[a]
10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?

I know that this passage is talking about money. But I think it can speak to all aspects of life and who we are. When we learn to see God and trust God and love God in the little things of life both beautiful and frustrating, we will grow with God into a life that is bigger than we can imagine.

Good night

deep stench

2006-11-25T18:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!!! Sorry that it has been so long since my last post. I've been out of town, and really not had access or time to get to the internet. It's weird not getting to check email and cruise the net from the comfort of my recliner (like I'm doing right now.) Ahhh, this is the good life...however, I can honestly say that not being tied to the computer and all it's distractions can be a very good thing as well.

So, it has been an eventful week/end. Pretty much all of my time has been spent with family (both mine and Ren's) in Savannah for the past few days. It is always good spending time with family. I don't get to see my family everyday, so I think it makes me appreciate them more. I also think that because I don't see them often it helps us to have a better time when we are all together. That being said, there are some definite advantages to living close to family that we don't get to take advantage of. Such as help with raising children. Advice and help on how to do things around the home. For instance, my brother lives in Savannah near my parents and my dad spent all morning helping my brother fix his bathroom.

Anyway, all in all, time with family is a good thing. So let's get to the heart of the matter. If you've read this far, it's because you want to know what in the world could be this Deep Stench that Jeremy is talking about. Let me tell you.

The very reason that I went home early for Thanksgiving is so that I could take part in what has become a fairly regular tradition for me the last 5 or so years. In Savannah, there is a civic organization called the Shriner's. Each year at Thanksgiving time they hold a Boston butt cook to raise money for the St. Jude's Children's hospital. For those of you that are laughing because we were cooking butt...then ha ha laugh it up. You don't know funny, until you've been around a bunch or 70 year old men that keep saying, "those sure are some nice butts." Well, it just so happens that they do cook butt every year and yours truly is the head butt cooker. Actually, we don't cook the butts, we smoke the butts. (I'm sure that right now, many of you are laughing at the mental image of smoking a butt...so let me just say that a Boston butt is a cut of meat from a pig...and by smoking I mean that we build a very big, very hot fire and then direct the smoke from that fire to the meat, and the hot smoke is actually what cooks the meat. If you want to know how hot the fire was, at one point, it singed my eyebrows, beard, eyelashes and hair on the side of my face!!!)

Now that I've explained what butt is and how it is smoked, please know and understand that this process takes a long time. My friend Jeff and I had to prepare and cook 850 Boston butts. This is a lot. It takes about 7 hours to do this, and we had to cook three different loads. About 285 at a time. Needless to say, I apart of cooking for 26 straight hours. NO SLEEP. 26 straight hours of standing in front of a cooker, being choked by the smoke and the fire...and you guessed it the unbelievable smell.

So, anyway, the smell is so bad, that when I get home at 6:00am the next day, my parents make me strip down in the garage, and leave my clothes there. I've taken 4 showers and there are still times when I can smell it on my hands. My clothes have been washed 3 or 4 times and they still smell like it too. I'm talking a deep, deep stench.

It makes me think of sin. I know that sounds weird, but we all sin, and gets down into us deep. We try to do good things, and overcome it...but we still stink. We try to wash ourselves off with good deeds, but the smell of our sin is still there. There is only one thing that gets the stench of our sin out of our lives...the blood of Jesus. I can't earn my self clean, I can't "good" myself clean enough.

Thank you Jesus for washing away the stench of my sin.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

home

2006-11-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

I've spent my entire life being very independent. Maybe you can relate? As a child, I always wanted to be out, moving, going, doing, being, etc. I was that kid that loved going on trips and vacations. It was really convenient for my dad that I liked to travel. My dad was and still is a workaholic. And truthfully, I appreciate his hard work, because it provided for a very nice life for our family. However, when I was really young, my dad's job was moving people. He worked for one of those companies that owned a fleet of really big semi trucks, and you hired them to move your stuff from one place to the other. So, my dad was on the road alot. I remember spending alot of time as a child, going on these trips with my dad. Luckily for him, I loved driving and traveling, seeing new places and meeting new people. It was a great way for him and I to spend time together.

I'm definitely a little older now, and I still love traveling. I love being off and going, doing, being, blah, blah, blah. But there's something different now. When I was a kid, I had such a great time on the trips, that I didn't care if we ever went home. Now that I'm older, it doesn't take me nearly as long to miss home.

Just the other day, I was in Southern California. It was a neat trip. I had never been there before, and it had so much to see that I had never seen or experienced before. But after I was out there for about 3 days, I started to him home. Now, you might be thinking, "oh, well, Jeremy you were just missing the comfort of you bed...or you were just missing your house." I think it was that I was missing my home.

Home is a state of mind, and a state of heart. I missed my home that included my wife. After three days of not having her to talk to face to face...I was missing something I needed. After three days of not seeing or holding my little girl...I was missing something I needed. I missed being able to go out to eat at the local restaurant and be greeted by familiar faces. I missed my friends and life I share with them. I did miss my bed, and I did miss my dog Sam, but more than the things in my life that I missed, I missed the people and the relationships that make my life a "home."

I'll still get to travel alot in the future, I'll still love to go, go, go. But I'm finding that my heart needs home so much more than it used to. I think that this is just one more way that God is growing me and teaching me what is important in life. I pray that I will always be as sensitive to the relationships around me as I am right now.

jeremy

Proverbs 27:7-9
7 A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
8 A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.
9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense

rain

2006-11-15T19:43:00.000-08:00

Rainy days can be tough can't they? That's today. Rainy. Tough. Cold. Frustrating.

I don't really like rainy days too much. They get in the way. By that, I mean that rainy days make me rethink everything. What I'm going to wear, where I'm going to go, how I'm going to drive. Rainy days get in the way of my attitude. I get annoyed by the big puddle I step in in my nice tennis shoes. Then I walk around in wet socks for several hours.

You're starting to get the picture. Rain affects everything. People... cancel meetings, don't go to church, stay at home, drive less, get in accidents, get their appearances messy...all because of rain.

It's amazing that the rain does so much good as well. Rain provides relief from heat, nourishes the ground, washes away dirt, and is neccessary for our crops. Cultures and generations prior to ours, use to pray for rain regularly. Rain made it easier for crops to grow, and in turn for people to eat and/or make an income. It seems as though now a days, many people (unfortunately, me as well) simply just find the rain to be a nuisance.

I remember that there was this time when Jesus was talking about how we treat our enemies. He said in Matthew 5, that God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous"

Wow, God causes rain. For a reason. There is a reason for this rain today, and it falls and good people and not so good people. I wonder if that is the reason that we equate rain with God's mercy? We say it all the time, "God, rain down Your mercy on us." Maybe use that analogy because God's mercy really is for everyone. Even the people that I don't like, or that I think don't deserve it.

Hmmm. Maybe I need to spend a little more time paying attention to the rain.

jeremy

laughter

2006-11-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

Alright, so today I came home to meet Rennata and Taylor before we went back up to the church for our "Financial Peace" class. (This class, by the way, has been one of the best things I've ever done. So that is my plug for "Financial Peace!" If you are 17 years or older and reading this, consider this your encouragement from me to take the class in January when Chris Cole is going to teach it.)

So anyway, I get home and finally get to hold Taylor. Which, as of late, she has become quite cuddly with her daddy...and that is a great feeling. Well, while I'm holding her, I decided to start playing with her, and I begin to kiss her on the neck, and then make grunting noises. I'm just doing this to see if I can get a rise out of her. Well, first she starts to giggle a little bit...so I do it again...then she giggles more...so of course I do it again....more giggling...I start grunting and kissing at her yet again (I'm having a blast at this point!) and that's when she let's out a full fledged laugh!! Several laughs...complete with a big snort to end it! It was one of the best moments of my life. That was probably one of the best times I've ever had with my now 3 1/2 month old daughter.

So, if I get this much pleasure out of seeing my earthly daughter have a good time, then how pleasure does our heavenly father get out of seeing us have a good time? I wonder.

It makes me think of this passage of scripture in Matthew 7:
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Basically, Jesus is addressing how we need to ask our Father in heaven for good gifts. It seems from looking at scripture that God desires for good things to happen to me. God has my best interest in mind. And when I spend time with Him, it is the best time that He has all day.

The God of the universe wants to give me to live in His blessing and all I have to do to receive it is to spend time with Him. I wonder if God really wants that time with us because of our ability to make Him laugh.

Laughter is a powerful thing.

jeremy

Comfortable

2006-11-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

Right now, I'm sitting in my very comfortable easy chair recliner, trying to find out yesterday's NFL scores on ESPN. Life is really comfortable right now. Life is so comfortable right now, that even my dog Sam wants to join in on the good life. 'Ole Sam has just jumped up on my lamp and curled up into a nice warm little ball and is attempting to fall asleep in my lap while I begin typing this. If you really want a picture of comfort, then look no further than 'ole Sam, 'cause he has definitely got the good life figured out.

I wonder what it is about sitting up here on my lap that Sam likes so much? Is it because it's warm? safe? secure? because it makes him feel loved?

It just might be a little of all of those things.

I think that all of those reasons that make Sam want to be in my lap are alot of the same reasons that i want to be in a relationship with God. Being in a relationship with God helps me to be comfortable both with Him, in Him, and with myself (and being comfortable with yourself is often the hardest thing to do). It's nice to just curl up in God's lap every now and then. I think I'll just read a book.

later,

jeremy

OUCH!!

2006-11-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well, today's topic is pain. This morning, I had the pleasure of playing paintball with 20 some odd friends of mine from church. It was great fun!! There's nothing quite like being given the opportunity and permission to shoot a teenager! Ha! Actually, in playing paintball, I (being quite a large man) am more a slow moving target than a weapon of mass destruction. That's right, I'm about like shooting an elephant. I'm pretty hard to miss. On most days. But today was MY DAY!! That's right yours truly started off the game by being the games most decorated sharp shooter!! I took out about 5 or 6 people from my hiding place. It was awesome. We won the first game and I never even got shot once.

Then we played game two. Well, by the time game 2 began, I was a professional paintballer. Skilled in the ways of secrecy, espionage, and the like. So, me and my team of ruffians decided that we would flank our opponents from the other side and storm the hill. However, somewhere in the midst of this game, I forgot that the rules changed. This time, if you shot someone, they could run back to their base and then be reentered in the game. So, back to the action, we stormed the hill, took out half their team and we were making our way towards their base. I was hiding behind this large wooden spool. On my hands and knees facing up the hill that lied just a few feet away. That's when it happened!! An absolute barrage of pain up my backside. One of the opponents that we had shot and hit earlier had reentered the game and came around from the other side and shot me in several places on my backside. It was the first shot that stung the most though. Right in the butt!!! And I mean right in the middle of slightly raised and protruding hindparts! Gary got me!!! And I mean he got me good. I was jumping around like a stuck pig. I don't know what hurt worse, the actual pain, the surprise, or the hurt pride.

Isn't that just like life. We think we've got it all figured out. We're moving along, winning and getting it done. We begin to think that we are invincible, untouchable. And then next thing we know...shot...right in the backside. Ambushed by life, sabotaged by pain.

Mabye for you that pain has come in losing a loved one, maybe that pain has come over watch parents fight or even split up. Maybe your pain has been caused by people that you once thought were you friends and cared about you. Maybe you've been abused or neglected by the people that should have been loving you. Whatever your pain or loss, I'm sure that you have experience the shock, surprise, and hurt that comes with being ambushed by life. For those of you that have been down this road, I would encourage you to explore a relationship with Jesus. For one simple reason. Jesus will not stop the troubles of this life from coming on, but he does promise to go through these tough times with you. For those of you out there wrestling with pain. You are on my heart and in my prayers.

jeremy

Anticipation

2006-11-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight is a night full of anticipation. For several reasons. First reason...paintball. Tomorrow I am waking up to go and play paintball with some of the kids from church. I love playing paintball with them. I'm terrible at it, but it's so much fun. The main reason I'm not very good is because I'm just so big, I'm a pretty easy target for most of them. For me, the parts of paintball that I'm anticipating are the great fellowship I will have with some of the students, the thrill of playing, and the pain of being hit. Anticipating things can sure bring on a wide range of emotions from joy, to excitement, to anxiety and worry. I have a pretty good idea of what to expect tomorrow. I expect it to be fast, fun, freeing and even frustrating. But I can't wait to be there.

The second reason I am full of anticipation has to do with worship Sunday morning. I'm anxious for several reasons, but mostly because I'm going to be playing a new guitar. It's very nice and really cool looking, but I hope that it enhances the worship experience not detract from it. I really do want worship to be something that moves the people in our church closer to Christ and his call for their lives. So I'm pretty excited and anxious all at the same time about how that will be on Sunday morning.

Anticipation is part of the spiritual life as well. God desires for you and I to anticipate His work in our lives and His work in the world. I wonder why I don't think about or expect God to fix stuff in the world as much as I should? I know that I should be more prayerful about where God is at work and what He is doing. I hope to anticipate that Jesus will move in my life more in the next few days.

what sorts of things do you anticipate are going to happen in your life? What role does God play in those things for you?

have a good night,

jeremy

deep thoughts

2006-11-10T06:26:00.000-08:00

Who likes getting sick? I know I don't. Well around my house we've been dealing with sickness. However, This time it's not me. Both my wife and daughter have been sick this week and it's been really tough. Sometimes it's just as hard to watch somebody be sick than to actually be sick yourself. I've experienced that this week when I look at my 3 month old daugther.

I look at my sweet girl that is struggling with a cold and battling with chest congestion, and it just makes my heart sink to watch her get choked up and have moments where she has to fight to catch her breath. I tell you what, if I could take away that sickness, I would.

How I look at my daughter gives me a glimpse into how God must look at you and me. The more I'm around my child, I grow in my understanding of how much God must love me and care for me. The difference, however, is that God is not powerless in my life to deal with my sickness. In my life, it's the overscheduling of my time and bitter attitude that I show others that open the door for sickness of the heart. God knows that about me, and chooses to love me anyway. Chose to offer me Jesus, to help remove my sickness.

I thank God everyday for my daughter and the insights that life with her provides.

talk to you guys later,

jeremy

Life with Jeremy Day 1

2006-11-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Life with Jeremy!! What's in store for you as a reader of this blog? I'm glad you asked!! I have absolutely no idea. This blog just feels as though it should be done. So if you wandered in here on accident...I hope that you get something out of it. If you've come looking for this, then you'll just have to post and let me know how you found me.

so here we go!!

I think that I mostly want to talk about whatever topic happens to be on my mind at the time. Today that topic is rest. Everyone needs rest. Sometimes rest comes in the form of sleep or naps, some vacations, others even still it's vegging out watching some TV. But do any of those things really provide rest? I do all of those things at times, but yet so often I am still tired. I think that rest is best suited for us when we take time to rest regularly. Maybe that's why God told man to rest on every 7th day.

Well, now I've just opened up a whole can of worms. Do I take my 7th day off regularly? No, but I should. I wonder if I would stay healthier if I recharged truly once a week? I wonder if my energy level would increase? I'm sure it would.

I think that real and complete rest not only involves the body, but the mind and soul as well. I think that God wants me to rest so that He can help restore all of me.

Maybe as you are ready this, you are thinking about your stress level, workload, and schedule. Maybe we both need to reevaluate where our Sabbath has gone?

Matthew 11:28 say "Come to me (Jesus) all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest."

So, if I want real rest, that means that I have to go to Jesus, not away from Him. Maybe that's why we don't really feel more rested when we sleep through church instead of just going to worship? Maybe by just going, we find rest?

Well, I going to go rest now. I'll have more thoughts later,

goodnight,

jeremy