Be Strong. Be Bold.

A Man of Prayer

Being a man of prayer is about having a conversation with God. In a conversation there is dialogue between two people. If one person does all the talking and the other only listens- that’s called a lecture. How often do we lecture God by coming to Him with all our requests and petitions and then leave and never wait for a response? I think if we pause, and listen- we might find that God has things on HIS heart that HE wants to dialogue with us about.

Being a man of prayer, and keeping a dialogue with God raises a heart belief- and that is- Do you believe that God still speaks to us today? Jesus tells us in the book of John- John 10:27- My Sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. That is a promise for us today, that we can hear God speak to us. Sometimes it’s a still small voice, sometimes it’s in the scriptures, sometimes through situations, sometimes through other people, and sometimes in the night time in our dreams. God is GOD and HE will get our attention.

What about praying for the lost or family members or praying for revival? That’s great to pray for that, but let’s have a heart check up. AM I doing all of this out of a performance or religious duty to make God proud of me? Am I praying to God; or with God?

Did you know there’s a difference? Praying to God is bringing my petitions and telling God what I want Him to do.  Praying with God is coming to God and asking what is on His heart about the situation and asking Him how to pray.  The next time you go into prayer, ask God what’s on His heart; ask HIM how you’re to pray. If I pray His heart- don’t you know those prayers are going to get answer?

Are you a Man of Prayer?

If not, what do you have to do to become one?

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                                          This has been a guest post by a very good friend 
                                                         and brother in Christ, C. Elrod. 

                                      Look forward to more great posts from him in the future!

'Guys with Kids' Review

It's the fall television season and all the networks are putting out their new shows. One of the things I look for are shows related and meant for men. Almost year ago, one of the major networks put out a show called 'Man Up'. I actually wrote a post about it that you can check out. Man Up was a complete disaster! It had men in their thirties that did nothing but wine, complain and act like children. The show was not about men "manning up" at all, it merely showed a bunch of immature men that were trying to man up and failed every episode. I think the network realized its faults and the show is not to return. 

Recently a new show popped up on the scene called 'Guys with Kids'. The previews looked slightly skeptical showing three dudes all strapped up with babies and kids around them. At first I thought this was going to be another fail. I figured it would be three guys, all divorced, trying to make it on their own by dealing with the kids and their ex-wives. The worst part is I imagined the show would of course be a comedy. The show would be selling the fact that it is acceptable to be divorced, raising kids and all the time making fun of the scenarios. But this was not the case.

After watching the first episode, I was surprised. There were, of course, guys that had kids, but two of them were married while the one was divorced. I became more interested in the show based on these ideas. The main idea of a show is the relationship among the three guys. They and their families all live in the same apartment building and visit each other often. The one guy has a wife and a couple younger girls; the second guy has a wife and has four boys; and the third guy is divorced with maybe a 12 month old baby. The mother is still present in the show so far, but they mostly deal with trading the baby back and forth. Most of the comedy comes from the relationship between the three guys, but a lot of entertainment is aimed at all the kids. 

Overall, the show is not a complete miss from the target. It shows pretty good examples of a couple marriages. Do the marriages go through some troubles and run into some strange things? Well, yes, but what marriages don't? And most of the time the troubles in marriage can be pretty funny if taken with the right heart. It also shows an example of a divorced couple, but at least the father is around and takes responsibly for the child. In the end, it doesn't set a horrible example and is much, much better than Man Up. 

I don't know if it will last for seasons to come, but check it out and share your thoughts if you get a chance.

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Airs: Wednesdays at 08:30 pm
Runtime: 30 Minutes

Learning to Cope

My wife and I had just started going to a new Church. We had just got married and moved to a new place in a different state. We had gone to about three churches up to the point, but we really hadn't found 'the one' yet. One Saturday morning, we literally looked online at all the nearby churches and one popped up that we liked. The next day we threw on our church clothes and we were off to a new place. God always has a great plan for you if you are willing to let him work. We sat down near the back and low and behold another young couple sat right behind us. (coincidence? I think not) After the service ended the couple introduced themselves to us and invited us to a marriage class with other young couples from the church. We said yes to the friends, to the class and to the church. This story introduces the friend that taught me how to cope, but I taught him first...

About a month after meeting these and other friends at this new church, my new buddy from that first day gave me a call to see if I could assist him with some work at their house. I had told him earlier that I was a carpenter by trade and he used it for his benefit, which was fine for my wife and me since we had no friends yet. It was later in the night, maybe 6 o'clock, but I grabbed my tools and we jumped in the car. I arrived at his house to find him working on some trim in a small room. He pointed out that no matter what he did, he could not figure out how to get the trim installed and fit together properly. The trim was actually crown molding, so I can understand the difficulty if not worked with before. I proceeded to tell him that the molding had been installed....upside down. His head dropped and I smiled. We had a good laugh about it and started to remove what was up so that it could be redone. I showed him how to properly install crown and also showed him how to COPE the ends so that they would have a nice clean fit in the corners. A cope in trim work is interesting, because you have to cut away the one piece so that it will fit perfectly over the other piece. They work great together.

So far you know about our church and a guy that I taught how to cope wood..

Well, a few years had passed since that wondrous night of trim coping magic. My wife and I still went to that same church, but our marriage had deteriorated immensely. No fault to the church though; we would go there and put on the church smile and attitude. We would talk the talk, but had drifted far from the walk. It got down to a point where I had had enough and finally wanted out of my marriage. I wanted nothing to do with it anymore; I wanted out. Well, this is where the coping skills come into play, no, not the ones that require a saw and a file, but true friendship. Cope means to, face and deal with responsibilities and problems in a calm manner. This is where my friend taught me how to cope. He taught me to look at the bigger picture in my life. What was I not doing? What was my walk with God like? Where was I putting my faith? It certainly wasn't in Christ and it was easy to tell by looking at my life. He was willing to sacrifice his time, he was willing to show me how my life was upside down and he showed me how to use a file on all my rough edges. He showed me how my marriage could be great, if my relationship with God was real and true. Although the molding may have ridges and valleys, you can still learn to cut the perfect cope. God truly works in wonderful ways. He knows the language that we speak and he uses it to speak right to us, even if we don't think we're listening.....

Christ taught him how to cope. I taught him how to 'cope'. He taught me to cope.

You may never know why Christ takes you down a certain paths,
But you can believe that it's for a bigger reason.

I'd love to hear your similar stories!

God Prepares You

As I start to see more pictures of my son growing and anticipate his arrival into this world early next year, I can't help but think about God and how he prepares us. Personally, I am glad I did not have kids in my early twenties. As 'The Way of the Wild Heart' words it, I was Cowboy/ Warrior and didn't know where life was headed. I was married out of college, bought a house and started a job all around the same time frame. I thought I was ready for anything, but God was the one who finally showed me how to prepare for anything and continues too daily. To be honest, my wife and I had no idea when we wanted to have children. Sure we had discussed, but life was always to busy. Little did I know that the big change God made in me was for something even bigger; a son.

What has God taught me over the last year that will prepare me for my future son?  Discipline.
One of the things Christ showed me was the power of discipline in my life. Saying one thing and living that same thing. I had to dig deep, deeper than I had ever before to become a man and a true son of God. It really started with reading. I had hardly ever read books and really had no interest or patience. What good are they? Well, I buckled down and read 'Wild at Heart'. Read this book if you have not yet. I know I have mentioned the book in many posts, but it is essential to a man's path. It helped show me a new path to walk, why I was doing the same thing my Dad always did and how to break the chains of those who walked before me.

"Start children off on the way they should go,

 and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

-Proverbs 22:6

How can I teach my son to become a man if I was not? From the moment I started reading that first book, God was preparing me for bigger things to come in my life and a whole lot sooner than I expected. With each line he was teaching me for the future and making repairs to my past. He showed me what a man yearns for and desires; the path a man takes through out his life; the true value or measure in a man; and finally a resolve to live up to these points everyday. When I allowed God to truly Father me, he did and so much more. He has given me essential life goals to live by and has now entrusted me with teaching my son to become a true man for God. 

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, 

bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

-Ephesians 6:4

How do I plan to succeed with this mission? The same way I am on a mission for Christ in my life. I have to continue to let him Father me. I have to be able to anticipate what will be coming next for my boy, just as Christ has done for me. I have to teach him, prepare him, pray with and for him, and show him the way. It will truly be the greatest adventure of my life and with Christ as our guide, the mission will get accomplished. Wait, Christ will be our Guide? Another thing I learned and hope to instill in my boy is that Christ is a Father to all of us, both of us. I have to take the lead in this idea and not only make sure that I understand it, but that he understands it. He will start life on a much different path than past generations. I pray he will be the generation that holds a firm faith for the generations to come.

"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. 

For what children are not disciplined by their father?"

-Hebrews 12:7

How has God prepared you in your life?

'Unconditional' The Movie

As I was checking out my Facebook tonight, I ran into a link for a new movie. The movie was being promoted by the makers of the movie 'Courageous', so I thought it would be worth checking out. Take a minute and watch the trailer below. I have some information about the movie story line below it. 

IN THEATERS NOW!

Synopsis:

Samantha Crawford is living a storybook life: she’s happily married, she lives on a ranch where she keeps her beloved horse, and the stories she’s told and illustrated since childhood have become published books. 

When her husband Billy is killed in a senseless act of violence, Sam loses her faith and her will to live. But a death-defying encounter with two children leads to a reunion with Joe, her oldest friend. Inspired by true events, UNCONDITIONAL stars Michael Ealy (Think Like A Man) and Lynn Collins (John Carter). 

As Sam watches “Papa” Joe care for and love the kids in his under-resourced neighborhood, she begins to realize that no matter life’s circumstances, the love of God is always reaching out to us.

Check out the 'Unconditional' website.

Share some links and promote the movie! 

Wax Seal

We've all heard the horror stories related to the john, the pot, the throne or best known as the toilet. After a fresh installation, the possibilities to leak could come from so many places; the water connection in the back; the connection from the tank to the pot, and of course the wax seal. I write about this because this weekend was my first experience with replacing a toilet. I won't lie, anytime I do something new I watch a couple Youtube videos to see what to do and not to do. I download the information into my hard drive and off I go... to the pot. The toilet that was there worked, but had been there for a loooong time. I'm sure the gallons per flush were easily 3 or more, which today's standards are about 1.28 gallons per flush; quite the money savings over a long period of time. I know you probably don't care to hear about this, but, to be honest; it is good information to know. With the old toilet removed, I dreaded the new install. Like I said, with so many opportunities for it to leak, you never know how it will go after you turn that water back on. I can honestly say though, that it was a great and easy installation with no leaks. (so far)

Why does any of this matter or even apply to life. Well, you have to ask yourself 'where am I leaking'. Where am I letting things go or how am I making sure what gets in doesn't leak out? Consider your water source and its connection. With a simple turn of a handle, the water to a toilet can be on or off. Are you on or off? Are you allowing the water to flow in (leak proof), and flow out (leak proof)?

I learned that Jesus is the water source and in order for your life to go according to his plan, you have to make sure your valve is turned to 'on'. That first connection; that connection to him is of most importance and the seal has to be right. That first connection for the toilet consists of threads and plumbers tape. The plumbers tape is that extra seal, that little bit needed to make a tight connection. What is your connection like with Jesus? How do you make sure your relationship is tight; so that when he is ready to shine through you, you are ready?

Once that valve is turned on, you have to be ready to allow him to work through you. As the process of this takes place, you have to check the rest of your seals or connections. In plumbing these are your tank seals and bolts. In your life this could be your relationships, friendships, work, hobbies and more. How are you keeping the seals tight for Christ in these areas?

The last connection is the Wax Seal; this is where the water exits and is forever on a different path. The wax seal is the biggest connection for the toilet. You have one chance to get it right, and if you don't, you have to get a new one a try again. This relates to your expression of Christ to others; how do you treat others and how are you displaying Christ in your attitude? You can allow him into your life, you can keep your seals tight by living for him; but you when the opportunity is there to serve or speak about him, and you have to make sure all your connections are tight. This is the Wax Seal; this is where Christ can shine through you the best. Sometimes you only have one chance to get it right with people, and you have to be ready. It's not to say you won't get another chance, but that first impression can make all the difference.

OK, so this may be a slightly odd example of living for Christ, but I do believe the point is made.

How are you keeping your seals tight?