I head out tomorrow for a weekend with some high school guys. It is in a small town with lots and lots of pollen. On the good side though; we are discussing how to tell “your story.” In other words, we are putting down on paper how God has changed our lives. I had to do this for an evangelism class when I was 24 or so. It was honestly the first time I had written “my story” out.

It is an amazing experience to sit down and create a timeline of how God has changed our lives. It gives us perspective of exactly where we have come from. It seems sometimes that maybe we have not come that far, but once it is on paper, it really comes through exactly how far God has brought us. Even more amazing is that He is going to take us even farther!

What is your story?

Today I looked again at Jesus’ Prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane.  It is where I am starting this week of study leading up to Easter and such.

I gotta say that I think this passage deserves a week or more of study.  I am not sure we can truly unpack it all in a day.  First, I look at the setting.  Beneath Mt. Olives in a placed basically called “Olive Press.”  Just studying what took place there traditionally, and then seeing what Christ is going through there is enough to try to absorb in one day.  Imagining Christ being emptied or pressed/crushed because of my sin . . . wow!  Am I really worth that?  Are you?  Are we really worth the crushing and emptying of one so pure and blameless?  I can honestly say that there is nothing  that I have ever done that would make me worthy- nothing; Not a thought, a deed, an intention, an action or even a single fleeting moment of goodness.  But God asked it, and Jesus accepted it.  Again, WOW!

I could never repay this, but I should try.

Since Easter is upon us, I have been thinking that this week would be a great week to study the final days of Christ before His crucifixion.  We sometimes only see the actions of Christ, but we forget about the anguish that must have been going on inside of Him during this time.  Since Christ was 100% man while being 100% God, I am quite sure that the man in Christ must have been going through some very serious thought.  After all, He did know what was coming.  He had been telling people about it for a few years now.  What must He have been going through?  What were His thoughts?  What insight and clues can scripture give to us about this?

If you were looking for somewhere to go in the Word this week, I encourage you to look at the places in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that would correspond to the last few days before the crucifixion.  Let’s see what we see.

Yeah, apparently my allergies have decided that they hate Columbia, SC.  Itchy eyes, runny nose, itchy throat . . . not so fun.  It could be worse though right?

I am glad that spring is coming though.  The green is coming back and the Bass will be jumping in the boat soon (not jumping as much as being pulled in on my line).  So, in spite of the allergies, it is a good time.

Spring is also the time for Disciple Now.  Apparently almost all churches that do D-Now’s do them in March or April.  So, the next few months will be fun in that respect too!

So, this weekend I was at an event in the upstate of SC, and I visited my parents while I was there. While I was staying with my parents I accidentally left some Baker’s Chocolate sitting in a place that I should not have. One of my parents dogs (their babies) snatched the chocolate and ate 3 ounces of it on Sunday.  (Just a note-  Bakers chocolate is like extremely toxic to a dog.  Apparently just two ounces can kill a 20lb dog)   My mom just called, the dog just died in her arms. How rough is that?! My parents were in the midst of driving the dog to a Vet ICU in Georgia. Only after their vet in Greenville could do no more. So, yeah- I feel pretty rotten! Pray for my parents. I know it is an odd thing to ask for prayer about, but I know if I lost my dog it would hurt, and I know my parents are hurting. I hate that.

You can call me what you like, but I must be honest; I miss my wife when she is gone.  She is out of town for a few days for work, and I really do miss the gal.  I like knowing she will be here when I come home.  I like eating with her.  Eating by yourself is simply not fun, and food should be fun!  Come HOME WIFE!  Oh well, I will wait it out a few more days for her.

I preached at a church in the lower part of the state this morning.  I will be there three times this month.  It went very well.  I think God really used His message to direct some people to an understanding of their capabilities for the kingdom.  I look forward to the other Sundays there this month.  The rest of the day consisted of my sitting or sleeping on the couch.  I think that is a pretty fine Sunday!

I did things today that I normally dislike ALOT (I wanted to say HATE here, but I am trying to refrain from using that word).

#1. I went shoe shopping. I DISLIKE buying shoes ALOT! Nothing is ever as great as I think it should be when it comes to shoes.

#2. I cleaned out my car. I DISLIKE cleaning out my car ALOT! I feel much better when it is over, but I do not enjoy the process.

#3. I WASHED my car and vacuumed! Again, I DISLIKE THIS ALOT! Man! My poor jeep was FILTHY!

Why did I do all of this if I dislike it so much? Well, my feet have to take me places, and if they are broken down from wearing broken down shoes, then my feet can take me nowhere. The car stuff? Well, my car takes me places, and I am hoping to start taking some guys on the road with me when I travel to engagements if my wife cannot go. I know they would not enjoy riding in filth, so I got her all cleaned up.

What’s the deeper meaning here? Haha, none today that I will point out. But, I will say,
“Take Care of Your Feet!”