Hope Is A Journey

Last weekend I was on a Men of NorthStar Retreat from church and the theme was perseverence, of not quiting or giving up, of not being without hope and hope has been what has carried me through the last five years.

I have never been without hope. It was that hope that enabled me to keep moving forward, even when I couldn’t see it or feel it.

There was a seed of hope within, that was nurtured by faith and trust in God.

It is hope that carries us through and enables us to not give up or let go in the midst of the storms that come our way and try to drive hope from us.

In the darkest night of the soul, in the midst of the battle, there has always been hope, an awareness of the promises of the word of God, of that still small voice of the Spirit, that would remind me to hold on, not give up, but to trust, to have faith, to see that He that has begun a good work in me would finish that which He has begun.

For me to give up, would not only effect me, but those around me, my family, my children, my friends!

In the midst of cancer, Hope!

In the midst of divorce, Hope!

In the midst of loneliness, Hope!

In the midst of despair, Hope!

There has always been Hope, even when I could not “see it or feel it”, nevertheless, there was and is always hope!

I have learned that there is always hope, that all that we go through, makes us stronger, shapes us into instruments of hope.

Hope shines forth as we persevere, as we press on and in. We become instruments that will give hope to others as the see the Hope that is within us, the Hope of Christ!

Hope is a journey, let us travel it in faith. Let hope be part of who we are as we allow the Christ within, to shine forth!

Let hope arise, that the glory of the Lord will shine forth, even in the battles of life, for we are never without Hope!

Till later,

Paul

Choose!!

If there is one thing that I have learned over the years is that every day is a new day, a fresh start, a new beginning.

No two days are alike; each day is different, each with opportunities to walk with the Lord.

There are choice’s to be made and the choices we make affect’s all those around us.

What we choose is very important. Do we choose to walk in the ways of the Lord, to yield our life afresh each day to be led of the Lord, to reach out and minister to others, to encourage, exhort, lift up others or do we choose to wallow in ourselves and bring others down, rather than lifting them up in the Lord?

We are given opportunities each day to be vessels of life. To be poured out, to share the hope that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are given opportunities to encourage others, to lift them up, exhort them, to build them up in the faith.

We are given the opportunity to be a servant, to walk as the Lord walked, as a servant of all. We are giving the privilege of being a servant, which is so contrary to what the world says.

In serving, we are set free; our focus is returned to the Father, and we learn to be one with Him.

We are all a work in progress, constantly being changed, molded and conformed to the Lord, brought to the place that we begin to reflect the reality of who He is, so that when others see us, they see the Christ within.

They see a reflection of hope!

We are given the opportunity each day to draw strength from the Lord, from the Word.

Each day we have an opportunity to walk with our Father, giving out of what He has given us, sharing the new life that we have in the
Lord Jesus Christ with others.

Every day is indeed a new day!!

Till later,

Paul

Who Cares?

There are days when you wonder, why get up, why bother. Who cares?

Then in your heart you heart you hear “I Care”

You look around to see who just spoke out. To you it sounded like an audio voice. You kind of shake your head and say, “Nah, I just hearing things. I mean who really cares about me, about what is going on in my life and why does it matter”. Again, you hear that voice again saying,

“I care, I really care for you more than you will ever know.”

And then the Lord begins to speak to you and begins to share His heart with you.

“Even before the foundation of the earth I cared. Even in the garden I cared, though the ages I have always cared. I always loved my children. Even when they rejected me, I still loved them.”

“I loved them so much that I gave them my only Son.”

“I cared so much that I allowed Him to be nailed to the cross. He bore it all, He took your sins to the cross and with the blow of the hammer as the nails pierced His Hands, His feet, it all was taken to the cross and that day He bore it all. Every single sin, every betrayal, every hurt, every wound, He bore it to the Cross and the third day He arose and now He sets at my right Hand.”

“I care so much that when you come to me through my son, that I see you through His eyes. I see you as my children, whom I loved, who I yearn for, who I want to fellowship with.”

“I created you to be one with us, to have fellowship with. I created you for me.”

“I cared so much I sent my Son to redeem you and bring you back home to Me. Back to a place of fellowship, to a place of learning to know me as Abba Father!”

Till later,

Paul

Weave The Fabric of Friendship

Last Thursday at our life group, Cassandra, a friend, closed the meeting in prayer and while she was praying she used the phrase “Weave the fabric of friendship.”

That phrase stayed with me through the evening and when I woke the next morning, it was still on my mind and heart, it was like the Holy Spirit was saying to me, think about this, dwell on it.

The more I thought about it, the more I dwelt on it, I realized how important this was in my walk with the Lord, with the Spirit and with each other on this journey called life.

How the Lord is weaving us together with Him, that we are the fabric, the material that He is using to create a people who are one with Him, with each other, that He is weaving, intertwining us, to make us one, fitted together, to reflect Him in all aspects of our lives as we pursue Him.

We are the fabric, the material that He is using to weave into garments of praise, to reflect in our lives, our work, our callings, what it means to be one with Him, with each other, that others will see the Christ within, that they will see a people called by His name and they will know us by our love for Him and for each other.

That which He is weaving together, will be like a robe of many colors, reflecting Him in all things!

Till later,

Paul

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4^th

Of

July

To All My Friends And

Family!!

From

The Hill Country of Georgia

Paul

Sharing The Lord One

Cup At A Time!

From The Journal

So many thoughts are going on in my head today, thinking about things, mostly good, to focus on the Father, on the Lord and the Holy Spirit. To not do so, brings a sense of hopelessness, of despair, of fear!

I want to be where the Father wants me. To stay focused on Him and Him alone. To be one with Him in all areas of my life.

I miss my family, my children, my grand-children, of not being where I can be a part of their lives, of being one with them.

I see how it breaks the heart of our Father. He so much wants to be part of our lives, to interact, to fellowship with us, to not be separate from us but to be one with us. To embrace us and remind us that we are His own and He is our Father!

We have an elder brother, the Lord Jesus Christ, who wants us to follow Him. That He will teach us, show us how to be one with the Father, even as He is one.

To hear His heartbeat, that the Holy Spirit will reveal and give us understanding and will create a heart in us that is sensitive to the Father.

Like a child, He wants to teach us to see, to simply trust, to abandon ourselves to Him, to fall into His arms and embrace Him, to allow His tears to cleanse us and make us whole in Him.

“Father, reveal yourself to us this day. Mold us, shape us, make us pliable in your hands, make us to be one with you. Unite our hearts this day with you.”

“Teach us your ways. Help us to not complicate things but to have the heart of a child, that says, “Yes Father, Yes, I put my trust in you!”

Till later,

Paul

It’s Me Lord!!

It sure seems like I have a lot of conversations with the Lord lately!

I have discovered that He really likes it when we talk to Him and it really pleases Him when we learn to listen.

I am sitting here at Starbuck’s having a cup of coffee, looking out the window and …

“Lord! You know there are a lot of questions going on in my mind. Trying to figure things out. Wondering how I can change them. Why are these things happening in my life?

“I noticed!”

“You Did?”

“Yes! I thought you already gave me those burdens, those hurts, those wounds, those misunderstandings!”

“I did”

“Then why did you pick them up again? Can I not take care of these things?”

“Yes”

“I know your heart. I am aware of all that needs to be done and I want you to trust me and see that I am able to work on your behalf as you focus on me!”

“I am a Father. I know the needs of my children. When they ask for bread, I will not give them a stone!”

“I know Lord, but it is so hard!”

“I know! I have not given you a spirit of fear but a sound mind. A heart that can trust and focus on me. I have given you my Spirit and I will increase your faith that I have given you. Just trust me and be still and know that I am God and I am working on your behalf. I will fulfill my word to you”

“You will Lord?”

“Yes!”

“Lord?”

“Yes”

“Teach me your ways. Make your word real and alive in me. Help me to know you more Lord!”

“And Father, I love you!”

“I love you too”

Till later,

Paul

Coffee Cup Thoughts

Recorded Sunday Evening at Starbucks

in Hiram/Dallas, Ga!!

Blessings to you all,

Paul,

The Mayor of Starbucks

Why?

Do you ever have a time, when that flame you have in your life, seems to be flickering, that one more strong breeze, will extinguish it, given you a sense of life ebbing away, of things coming to a standstill.

The darkness begins to overcome you, your vision begins to dim, growing darker and darker, till there is no light at all.

An utter sense of aloneness begins to overwhelm you and your heart begins to cry out, why Father, why?

Why am I where I am at, where do I go, where do I turn?

What path do I follow?

Where are you Father, where are you?

Our hearts break, We cry out in the midst of darkness, in the midst of despair, we cry out, from deep within a wounded heart, a broken spirit cries out to you.

The inner most part of our being cries out, flees to you and lays hold of you.

Though we cannot see with the natural eyes, the eyes of our spirit are open and hope floods in. Light begins to shine and you breathe life into us. You sustain us, by your spirit, you call deep unto deep, spirit to spirit.

You call,you breathe in new life and say come forth, live in me, live in my presence, live in my word, I am your life.

That which you planted within us, that seed, that hope, that Christ within will come forth.

It is no longer us that lives, but you Lord!

The flame begins to burn brighter, stronger, driving out the darkness, the despair. Hope is brought forth and life, Your life begins to shine forth.

You speak to our hearts, you say come forth, walk and live in the new life I have given you. Share the hope, the peace, the rest that comes only when you dwell in me.

Go forth and shine as lights in a world that seems to grow darker.

It is time for those who are called by my name, to be flames that burn brightly, shining forth and drawing others to the light that is me, the hope, the Christ within.

Till later,

Paul

Never Without Hope

Father!

I am tired!

Can’t I let go?

Can’t I just come home?

To rest, to forget, to not look back?

It seems the more I hold on, the longer I trust, the more I hope, the harder it gets.

Everything within me cries out, everything cries out, sometimes the pain is more than I think possible.

It seems like I am always in need, always on the edge.

The only thing that keeps me from going over, is the hope that I have in You.

That Hope that says don’t let go, which reminds me,  you are here!

A hope that opens our eyes to see beyond the circumstances, to see that we are anchored in you.

A hope that enables us to see, to stand in the storms of life, a hope that will bring us into a safe harbor, into a resting place in you!

Teach us, to be still and know that we are never without hope, for our hope is in you!

Till later,

Paul

Be Still And Know!

There is just something about taking time to soak in the Lord!

To dwell in His presence, in His word, in worship and adoration, of acknowledging His presence.

A time of preparation, of the unveiling of the love of the Father! As we spend time with Him, we go from a state of religion, to a state of relationship, of fellowship, communing with the Father, learning to hear the heartbeat of His heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the Father, the son, a place of becoming one with them.

It is during this time that we draw from the well of living water, that which will quench our thirst, build us up in faith, bringing us to a place to receive that which will enable us to walk this path, that we call life, that no matter what battle we are in, what victories, we have, we walk knowing He has prepared the way before us.

He has set us free to serve and in serving, we have greater freedom, fuller life, for our trust is in Him and Him alone. He opens doors, prepares the way for us to walk in faith, to follow Him, to yield to Him.

He is rekindling our passion! That which has been buried for so long is being rekindled, a passion for the word, for His presence, a passion to know Him, not just about Him!

The wounded heart is being restored, that we might love with His love, hear with His heart and walk in His ways.

The passion of the Lord will consume all that is not of Him, it will burn away the dross, that which hinders us, as we yield to Him, we are restored, made whole in Him, who has set us free on the Hill called Calvary!

Till later,

Paul

Take Delight

Over the last few weeks, there has been a real sense of the presence of the Lord, working in my life, in new ways, of coming to a place of rest, of knowing Him, a place of assurance, of trust in the midst of life.

The more that I walk with Him, the more I realize that this life in Him, is not rules and regulations, but rather a life of relationship, of communion and communication, of abiding with Him and dwelling in His presence 24/7.

It is an attitude of relationship, of wholeness with the Father, of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Jesus, of coming to a place of dwelling, abiding and trusting, not based on feelings but an assurance of His presence with us!

I read, I study, I love theology but at the end of the day, it is relationship, of learning to become one with Him and in learning to be one with Him, we learn to be one with others because we are building on a sure foundation, on the word, on the Father who takes delight in daily walking with us!

My heart is warm this day, with an assurance that the Father takes delight in me and I in Him, that we are one, that He takes delight in us, that He wants to walk with us each day, to reveal Himself to us through His word, His presence and His Spirit.

Take delight in the Father today, be one with Him, let go and allow Him, to speak to your heart and reveal Himself to you, delight in Him and He will delight in you!

Till later,

Paul

In His Presence

I woke this morning with a real sense of the presence of the Lord, an awareness that He just wanted me to be still and know Him!As I listened to the music in the background, I felt my heart being prepared, a warmth, a comfort, a rest that almost cannot be put into words. It was a time with my Father, of looking to Him, of being touched by His presence.

It brought a sense of healing, of hope, of assurance.A place of rest, a place of knowing that my Father takes delight in our time together, no sense of rush, of hurry, but a place of stillness!

I felt in my heart a sense of rejoicing, that my Father was smiling, embracing me and letting me know that I am right where He wants me and in nothing is He taken by surprise, that His purposes are being accomplished in me!

Our Father desires us to walk with Him, to be one with Him, that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through the Cross made a way for us to be brought back into the family, that the Holy Spirit reveals and teaches us through the word, what it means to be reunited, to be one with our Lord, with our Father, to commune with them daily.

How awesome, that we serve the creator of heaven and earth, The I’AM, that He takes delight in you and in me, and desires to walk with us daily, to reveal Himself to us, that we might be a reflection of Him, to those around us, in all areas of our life.

Let us rejoice in His presence this day!

Till later,

Paul

Cartoon Cowboy!

Inkwell Of Life

For several days, something that the Lord spoke to my heart, has kept going through my mind and my spirit.What I heard was“You are the ink in my pen and I use your life to reflect who I am!”

“I take all that you have gone through to bring hope to others. What I have written in you, I am expressing to others, to show that I am your source of strength, of hope!”

Indeed, we are learning by the things that we have gone through. That we might be a reflection of the inner working that the Lord is doing within us, in our lives.

That He has taken us, as I have shared before,from the realm of theory, to the realm of reality. That we are building on a sure foundation that will stand the storms of life.

That the word that is being written within will give hope to others as they see the Christ within manifested in what we write and what others see.

That the fragrance that comes forth, through the times of brokenness, will draw others to want to know what gives us that assurance within.

The ink that the Father uses is our lives!

Are you allowing the Lord to take what you have, to write, to express Himself, so that others might see in you, the work of His hands and sense His presence in your life, as you put your trust in Him?

Your are the inkwell that He dips His pen in, to express Himself, through you!

Thoughts, Friends and Cancer

It’s Time!

It’s Time!

Wondering?

Hi everyone!I should be back to normal after this weekend

I am in the process of moving to Dallas!!

Dallas, Georgia, that is

Hopefully this will be the last move for awhile till I eventually have my own house or apartment, which would be nice!

One of the things that I have been learning and sensing, is the abiding presence of the Lord, of learning to walk in communion with the Father on a daily basis.

A place of intimacy, of learning to walk with Him, so I can walk with others, learning that true intimacy is based on our relationship with the Lord, with our heavenly Father.

In learning to love Him more than anything else, it enables us to love our families, our children, our friends, with a love that is based on reality, because the love of our Father, radically changes us, as He breathes life into us.

It is only then that we can truly love others, with a love that builds them up, esteems them, prefering them and it gives us a peace, a rest, an assurance of a heart relationship, it brings freedom to us.

I am in a transitional period in my life, a place of being molded, shaped and conform into an instrument that can be used by the Father. He is molding and shaping and bringing His people together for a time such as this, to be disciples, followers of Christ, living His life in the market place.

My desire and my hope is that I will be a light, that others will see the reflection of our Lord. It is about Him, who has redeemed us and set us free, that others might be set free also.

I am about to turn sixty-one in a couple of months and I am just now learning what it means to be a friend of God, to have a Father who loves me and takes delight in spending time with me and I with Him.

Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has brought us back into fellowship with our Father and He has prepared the way before us, He is the key that unlocks the door and now we are one with them.

How awesome that our Father delights in us, let us delight in Him!

Till later,

Paul

Ponderings

On The Road Again!!

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to share with you all how God answered your prayers for me concerning a vehicle!

What an awesome gift from him.

I picked it up Thursday morning!

I will share more in the next post!!

We serve an Awesome God!!

I am on the road again!!

Blessings,

Paul

You Wonder!

Sometimes you wonder about it!

The whys, the how comes.

Why am I where I am at?

You look at life, you look at the events around you and you wonder, how did I get here?

I don’t remember signing up for this event in my life.

This is not where I expected to be!

You look back at what was, to what is and ask why?

Why am I alone, in a room, no car, no family, everyone gone, no one to turn to, with a sense of aloneness that can be like a cold breeze to the heart!

Then you realize that you are in a place of pliability, a place where the hands of the Father can begin to work on you. To mold and shape you and take the events of life to transform you into an instrument of grace.

Of being in a place of learning to see Him in the midst of all that is going on. That like Joseph, in all that he went through, he was in the very place that the Father needed him, that he would be used to touch the lives of many, his family, those around him.

He saw with the eyes of the Spirit! His heart, his spirit, his hope, was focused on the Father!

You begin to realize your not alone, you are where you need to be, a place of being pliable, molded and shaped into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Being transformed and brought into relationship with Abba Father!

You begin to see with the eyes of the Father, you see the friends that the Father has given you, the brothers you walk with, He opens your eyes to see, to no longer see dimly but with clarity, with hope.

To have a heart of anticipation, of expectation, of hope, that today, this day, even this day, a new day has begun, life has sprung forth and the Father and you walk together, into this day and a sense of wonder floods your whole being, to see what He has in store for you!

Till later,

Paul

Prison?

That’s what it seemed like to me!

That is, till last weekend at the Joshua’s Men 2007/2008 retreat in Blue Ridge, Ga!

The closing out of the old and the birthing of the new and what an exciting time it was for those of us who where finishing and beginning the second year of service, watching our new Joshua’s brothers begin the 2008 journey, knowing that a year from now they will look back in wonder and see what great things the Father has done!

One of the things that I learned that weekend, is what I felt had been a prison, my room, where I lived in Holly Springs, though a very nice room, was in reality a birthing place, where the Father was working on me and in me, dealing in areas of my life that needed his touch, refining me!

And as I found out Saturday night, there was yet work to be done and by Sunday morning, the surgical knife of the Holy Spirit began to work in me and removing some roots in me that were will hidden but brought to the surface so that He could remove them and bring healing and move me forward into His purposes.

It has been rough to be without a car, not be able to get out, to go places, to be around people, in fellowship with others, as I have been doing for the last four years, almost on a daily basis. No Starbucks, Serene Bean, no life group, no church.

Literally it was the room, me and the Lord and I was fighting it, though once in awhile I did get out but only to feel locked in again. But now as I look back, I have begun to see, even in the midst of all of this, the Father was and is working His purposes and as I yielded to Him, it released me to simply trust Him and reminded me that I know, that I know, that I am where I am suppose to be and that the birthing of new directions is about to take place and I am to remain focused on Him, knowing that the doors will be open.

That He is teaching me to see with the eyes of faith, to have a heart of trust and hope, knowing that He who has begun this, will finish it. That gives me hope that is beyond words, a peace of knowing a new day is dawning and that a day is coming, when I will look back and say, “So this is what it’s all about Father, it’s all about you!”

Is that not what our life, our writing, our songs, our poems, our lives are about? About our fellowship with the Father, with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach and instruct us, teaching us what it means to be one with them!

So my prison has become a birthing place, a place of intimacy, of knowing Him and in that knowledge , a freedom to trust and to simply be able to say, “Yes Lord,” and follow Him where He leads!

How about you?

Are you in prison or a birthing place?

Till later,

Paul

Called To Be Servants!

Joshua’s Men 2007/2008 Retreat

What Do You Want To Look Like?

Looking at my hats, I didn’t realize how bad the old one looked, look at it!!

It looks like what we in Texas would call, “road kill”.

Till I compared it to the new, I just didn’t realize how bad it looked and needed to be replaced!

As I was comparing the hats, the Father reminded me, that is what we look like sometimes, old, beaten, road worn, in need of renewal, of restoration.

He reminded me of Romans 13:14, “Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!” Romans 13:14 (The Message).

That we are to put on Christ, to renew our mind, to have the full armour of the Lord, that which will help us walk in His strength and power!

What a difference when I looked into the mirror. I saw myself as the Lord saw me, one with Him and one with the Father, walking together!

What do you want to look like?

Till later,

Paul

Thursday Night Ponderings