My God My Everything

Have you ever needed grace in your life? I sure have. Looking back I am in awe of the many times that God has forgiven me and offered another opportunity to begin again. Thank you Lord! Eli was priest of Israel and had two sons. His sons Hophni and Phinehas were wicked men that sinned against God. As a father he had indulged them and allowed them to continue in their evil ways. Then came Samuel. A young three year old boy that had been an answer to prayer for Hannah. You might wonder why she would leave him with a man who had failed as a parent with his…

As I continue on my quest to know what a person after God’s own heart would be like, I believe that that person would be someone who is faithful to fulfill their vows and promises. That person is one who has sought the Lord and prayed deeply for an answer to their prayers. They then made a commitment to God either in a promise to follow Him in obedience or a specific vow. Hannah was a woman who did just that. Her vow was to give her son, the one she had waited for, prayed for and finally received, back to God. David made promises to follow God all the…

While studying the life of David I discovered that I needed to examine the influences in his life that contributed to the man he became. We all have mentors that have made a difference and given us examples to follow or not. Samuel was a Godly influence throughout his life and it’s fascinating to see where his influences came from. First his mother was a woman named Hannah who sought the Lord in her distress and made a vow that if God would give her a son she would give him back to God to serve him all the days of his life. That is a huge vow given that…

The story of David reminds us that we always have hope in Christ. We cannot out sin God’s ability to forgive and we can live in a meaningful and beautiful relationship with God. There have been several times that I have identified with David. Times when I didn’t feel that I measured up or times when others felt I didn’t meet their expectations. Have you ever felt that way? I’m sure that at sometime or place you have probably been treated as if you didn’t exit, weren’t wanted or didn’t matter. David’s story began when Samuel was sent by God to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king…

I’ve been studying the books of Samuel and the life of David. Many of the stories I have heard several times over the years, but this time God was challenging me to go deeper. To go beyond the surface stories of intrigue and drama to the the heart of David which is the real story. David is known as the “Man after God’s own heart.” His victory over Goliath would help you believe that, but his sin with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah, would make you doubt, as many people have for centuries. When you think about how you will be remembered wouldn’t it be wonderful to have…

I received a visual message from God of a woman who had dark clouds surrounding her. She stood and with her hand she swiped the clouds and began to push them back revealing clear blue skies. The clouds were wrong thoughts, bad attitudes and reactions to unmet and unrealistic expectations. Her moods and demeanor reflected in the view of her skies. Dark, angry, resentful, suspicious, unforgiving and full of self pity – when the clouds were heavy, black and thick. As the clear blue sky was revealed the mood lightened and brightened. Cheerful, hopeful, joyful and smiling. She was standing in the same place the entire time. Her situation hadn’t…

Last night as Tracy and I were sitting on the deck you could see the hints of color in the sky as the sunset was forming. Our house blocks the view from the deck so we went to the front porch and watched the most amazing transition as God painted the sky. The colors were deep and rich reds, orange and yellow. The silhouettes of neighboring trees added to the scene and we watched as the stunning sunset appeared. He had captured our full attention as we watched, not wanting to miss a moment. I took pictures, but they couldn’t display the real beauty that was unfolding in front of…

I attended a family reunion this weekend and one of the events was burying a 5 year time capsule. The assignment was to write a short letter about yourself and what you think would be happening in 5 years. A current newspaper was added to the capsule as well as a Polaroid picture of each person. Everyone’s height was written down and the smaller kids included an outline of their hand print so they could compare when the capsule is reopened. It was interesting watching everyone as they sat at the picnic tables writing their letters. Often them would stop writing and look up with thoughts going through their minds…

Yesterday as I attended a prayer group at church I was in awe at the compassion that each request was given. There was heart felt concern and a desire to see God’s will in each of the lives of the petitioners. Prayers for healing, softening of hearts, comfort and direction were being made as a thunderstorm rolled in. The loud rumbles and the cracks of lightening shook the windows but we continued to pray. As this was happening I thought of Mt. Sinai and the Israelites that were in awe at the power of God as the mountain rumbled with His presence. The volume of the storm made the volume…