God is good

If I only knew where to begin… Each and every day I continue to grow deeper in my faith and God continues to open my eyes wider than I could have ever dreamed. Although it’s been a while since my last blog God has continued to spread His grace throughout my life. October began with a bang as Yeter and I attended the Frontline Fall Retreat. To say the very least we had an absolutely incredible time. Never in my life have I ever been exposed to such a wonderful environment where God was truly the center of each and every event.

I am beginning to see a connection between my passion for fitness and God’s truth. I continue to pray for direction in my life and God has begun to show me the light. I set aside time to read 1 Corinthians and really found strength in 1 Corinthians 6-19, 20. Although Paul was referring to sexual immorality I feel very strongly that this also applies to many other areas in our life including fitness. Understanding that our bodies are a gift given from God paid for with the ultimate price of crucifixion has gives me even more motivation to be in the best physical shape that God will allow.

Todd and I continue to grow both spiritual, mentally, and physically. Recently Todd was able to break the 200lb plateau and now weighs 190 something. God continues to strengthen me as a person through our relationship and uses my knowledge in fitness to bring Todd to new physical high. Watching God transform us both for His glory is nothing less than amazing and knowing that he brought us both together is even more profound.

October was an extremely difficult month for my father who has been battling an unknown illness. I fully trust God and continue to pray for relief. At times I find it hard to reason with many of life’s hardships but I keep reminding myself that if God were so simple that my narrow mind could fully understand Him; He would not be a God that I would want to serve. (Thanks Todd)

I continue to look forward to our Wednesday night Bible study and feel strongly that God is using it to grow each one of us spiritually. By sharing intimate stories and life experiences we are all able to learn from one and other. Biblical community has become a very important part of my life and I feel very blessed that God has led me to such a wonderful environment.

Yeter and I continue to benefit from God’s grace as our marriage has grown deeper and continues to strengthen daily. Every day I feel more of my old shell broken away and my new God driven soul evolving. I continue to welcome God’s pruning into my life and I am excited to learn what He has planned for my future.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Biblical Agenda

Sadly enough it's been 3 weeks since my last blog entry and I feel like I have taken advantage of all the wonderful things that God continues to pour into me. Although the summer days continue to fly by God continues to take His time blessing me and my family in many wonderful ways.

Yeter, Corrine, and I spent the 4th of July in Oxford with my parents and as always we had a wonderful time. While in Oxford I attended dad's Bible study group and really enjoyed myself. Mom must have spent hours preparing the meals and as a result the home cooking was absolutely amazing. Walking through dad's backyard gives you the feeling of a tropical paradise. Everything is so beautifully landscaped and colorful at times you feel as if you are lost in a botanical garden. Corrine passed the written driving exam and she was able to get some quality driving time around town.

Due to vacations and summer schedules our men's small group has not met for 2 weeks. I quickly became accustomed to our weekly meetings and I am looking forward to our group getting back together next week. Yeter's small group continues to meet regularly and everything seems to be moving forward as planned. I am ashamed to admit that I have not yet memorized all of Psalm 19 and I need to get back on track immediately.

Compliments of Todd I have begun to read a book by Philip Yancey titled What's So Amazing about Grace. Understanding God's grace is very difficult for me and reading this book is starting to give me a better understanding. At times I find myself struggling to stay on top of the biblical agenda in my life; however when I adhere to this agenda I find myself physically, mentally, and emotionally stronger than I have ever been before.

To say the very least God's continues to pour into me daily and I continue to search for ways to bring glory to His name.



In Jesus Name

Amen

This World Is Not Our Real Home!

Father's day was wonderful as God led Yeter and I towards Oxford to spend the day with my family. Although I was extremely tired from working the midnight shift Yeter kindly jumped in the drivers seat and drove both ways. Sunday night after returning home I crashed hard and Monday morning I barely even realized that I lost a full day of sleep.

Tuesday was the last day of school and Corrine was excited to begin her very first day of summer vacation. I cannot believe that she has now completed her junior year and will soon be a BIG SENIOR! Later today Corrine and I will be going to DMV and she will be taking the written driving exam and if all goes as planned she will be driving me home.

Our men's Bible study went well this week although I found it difficult to focus due to the fact that I had to report to work immediately after we finished. This week's chapter was titled Living a Balanced Life which began by saying "This World Is Not Our Real Home!" and once again I found the entire chapter to be a great wealth of knowledge. Nathan announced that he has accepted a new position with MBC which will require him to relocate his family to South Western DC. I am both excited and sad to learn of his move only because I believe he will be leaving our Bible study group. Tonight shortly after arriving at work I shared some very exciting unexpected biblical conversation with a sister in Christ. God continues to jump into my life when I least expect it and each time He brings new understanding to His word.

Todd and I have been doing well with our workouts and I continue to look forward to our time together. I am concerned about the weeks ahead because travel plans will force us to spend many weeks apart. Although Todd has a very strong foundation I fear that he may fall short and allow his recent success to slip away. I will continue to pray that God will give him the strength and guide him toward the ultimate goal that he has chosen for himself.

Last night was the first meeting for Yeter's Bible study group and although we did not get to talk about it in detail she seemed really excited. I look forward to spending time with her later this evening and hearing more about it.


In Jesus Name,


Amen

Hitting the wall

Hitting the wall is a term that I have come up with while working the midnight shift that describes they way your body feels once you cross the notorious 3 o'clock hour. Unfortunately since I started working nights again last week these feelings have found their way into my every day life. Those close to me may have noticed that I am easily irritable and overly negative, sadly enough I have been really depressed. I am saddened that I have allowed these feelings to become part of my life and I will continue to pray for the strength to find happiness in every situation.

Bible study continues to go extremely well and the entire group seems to be growing together. This week's chapter was titled Maintaining Moral Purity which hit very close to home. To be more specific I had more of the chapter highlighted with my yellow marker than not. Each of us was able to share our own personal stories and feelings pertaining to the chapter and I really feel like everyone benefited. As a birthday surprise Todd brought fat free pudding cups for everyone and managed to get two candles in mine. Although I have never been a fan of celebrating my own birthday it was very nice of the group to join together singing "Happy Birthday". I am still amazed on how much a small group can really change your life.

Today is Moms birthday and after talking with her I believe she had a really nice time with my sister and nephews. Sunday is Fathers day I would really like to surprise everyone by showing up to spend the day with Mom, Dad, Wendie, and the boys. Sadly enough the night schedule and my Hitting the wall emotions are making it very difficult to find time. I will continue to pray about it and I am certain that God will provide the correct path.

Do to a doctor's appointment on Wednesday we were forced to cancel our interview for the El Salvador Mission trip at the last moment. I was later saddened to learn that all the slots had been filled and we would not be able to make the trip. Although I completely understand why we missed the boat I am still left with many unpleasant emotions. I will continue to pray that God will provide another mission trip and lead Yeter and I both to bring Glory to His name.

Next Wednesday marks the first day of Yeter's small group which will be hosted at Todd and Julie's house. We are both very excited and I have great expectations about the spiritual direction coming down the pipeline in Yeter's life.

In closing I would like to point out that it is only 9:20pm which means that I have 8 hours and 40 minutes to go, but who's counting.

:(

In Jesus Name

Amen

Reputation

Another week has passed and I find it hard to believe how quickly the days continue to fly by. There is so much I want to do and so many things that I want to accomplish I am having a really difficult time following Psalm 46:10 which says “Be still, and know that I am God”. Each and every day I feel like I am racing 100 miles per hour and yet I feel like there is not enough time. The thought of being still actually scares me and I will have to rely on prayer to bring change in my life. For as long as I can remember I have always lived this fast pace lifestyle the main difference today is the simply fact that my priorities now belong to God.

This week Yeter lost her uncle who passed due to a heart condition and her mother is left with one less sibling. His death has brought many emotions in my own mind because he was not a Believer. I continue to pray for the rest of Yeter’s family who also do not believe in Christ. His death has also given me encouragement to continue to share Gods word with everyone who crosses my path in hopes that they will one day find the beauty that now fills my life.

Yeter was invited into a women’s Bible study group by a few of the ladies that have husbands in my men’s Bible study. Both of us were really excited that God reached out to her with this invitation and we anxiously await their first meeting in July. Our men’s Bible study continues to grow deeper every week. It has only been a month since we started and already I cannot imagine trying to tackle life without being involved.

Last nights discussion was on chapter two Building a Good Reputation. For most of my life I have lived for the moment and disregarded other people feelings and emotions to satisfy my own agenda. For most of my life I have been extremely judgmental and very quick to form opinions. Reading this chapter has allowed me to realize that these are not things that I want to be remembered by and they are certainly not Godly. Caring, forgiving, loving, and generosity are just a few of the things that come to mind when I think about how I would like to be remembered. Last night in closing I led the prayer which was a big step for me, this was the first time in my life I have prayed openly with other adults. Everyday my relationship grows deeper with Christ and I look forward to bringing glory to His name.


In Jesus Name

Amen

Balance

Each and every day God continues to pour into me and my excitement continues to grow. As God continues to shape me I find myself getting involved in areas that I would have never imagined. More importantly I am finding incredible levels of enjoyment and happiness in many of these areas. In addition to Sunday night's Frontline service I joined Todd on Monday night at Frontline Arlington. I was very excited to see God providing for Arlington just as he has for Mclean. I had an incredible evening greeting everyone and selling CD's for the Christian band who led the worship service. Todd took center stage as usual and spread Gods word throughout the church.

Bible study went extremely well last night. Although we were missing two from our group the six of us who attended really seemed to open up and connect with each other. I am excited that our group has taken off so quickly and I really believe that we are going to help each other to grow spiritually. Just as I suspected last week, the whole team had incredible insight to share in reference to the first chapter in our book. Being around other believers and allowing God to use me for his glory has opened my eyes to a whole new life that before was completely hidden from me.

I am finding myself struggling on the days that I return to work and know that I will have to find a way to balance my new life. At work I am surrounded by so many people who are completely lost and openly share their mistaken thoughts and opinions about life. In many ways these people are a lot like the person I used to be. Although my heart aches for them, I also know that it is not healthy for me to be submersed in this kind of environment. I will continue to pray for God to lead me towards a path that will bring glory to His name.

Wendie (my sister) spent the weekend in Boone, NC attending a Beth Moore conference and had nothing but incredible things to share. Mom and Dad are spending the next couple of days at the beach and I am really praying that they both have wonderful time. I am eager to dive into the next chapter of The Measure of a Man and I continue to work on my scripture memorization daily. I just finished reading Matthew 24 in my daily bible reading and I have to say that the scripture has grabbed me by the horns. I had to cancel the fall mission trip interview this Sunday due to my work schedule; however I have already rescheduled for next week. God has graciously taken control of my life and I anxiously await the next step.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

The Measure of a Man

Last weeks Bible study went extremely well, we all gathered outside on our deck and spent 2 hours together. As a result we all voted to hold it at my home every week. Todd chose a book titled The Measure of a Man for our study group which will provide us with a weekly guideline to follow. We all agreed to read a chapter a week and then we will use it for our discussion on Wednesday nights. I just finished reading chapter 1 titled Becoming a Faithful Man and I am very impressed. The chapter identifies 20 spiritual qualifications written by Paul in his letters to Timothy and Titus. I was able to quickly identify areas in my own life where I feel that I am on track and many others where I may be failing miserably. Reading the first chapter allowed me to confirm that I want to work on all 20 qualifications and continue to grow deeper in my Faith. I am certain that hearing from the rest of our group later this week will open my eyes wider and allow me to dig even deeper.

This week is a very important week for a very close friend of mine who must make an extremely important decision that will impact both his family and many people around him. My family and I will continue to pray for God to lead him towards the correct path and I would like to ask anyone who reads my Blog to join in. I have also been praying for God to give me the strength to accept the choice that he chooses even if is not the choice that I feel certain to be correct. Often in my own life I feel very strongly about a certain situation and later find myself saddened by the outcome. I know in my heart that God ultimately draws the final straw and I will continue to work towards a better understanding.

Dad completed a 6 hour stress test yesterday which he explained to be pretty stressful. Although he seems to be feeling much better we will continue to pray for his health. Mom's knee does not seem to be responding to the injections and she is left with lots of pain. We will continue to pray that God will allow the injections to penetrate her aches and bring relief. Memorial Day is around the corner and the weather has been absolutely beautiful. I continue to look forward to each and every day and give thanks to God for allowing me to see the light.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Summer Already!

It's really hard to believe that summer is almost here! Each and every day continues to pass more quickly than the one before. It is hard to believe that Justin is in college and Corrine is finishing up her junior year in high school. Summer has already begun for most of the college students which means that many of the kids who I helped coach over the years are now home on break. Throughout the year during the breaks they always manage to find their way back to our home, as we have always had an open door policy. This week in addition to my normal routine I was able to get two solid workouts with Jonny B who now plays football for Temple. I also had some good one on one talking time with Powars (aka... Porky) who is going through some difficult times after breaking up with a girl friend who he believed would be his wife. Scanlan has been back for a few weeks and has agreed to help get Justin back in the gym.

Last night as I reached into the fridge I learned that the entire chicken pot pie which Yeter had prepared the night before was completely devoured. As I looked toward Yeter she quickly reminded me what its like to have all the boys home again. For those of you who have never witnessed a pack of young men attack a well stocked fridge, I can assure you that resembles something you would see displayed on the discovery channel. Although my heart was set on that chicken pot pie I feel like it's a blessing to be part of these boys lives and would not even think of trading it, not even for my chicken pot pie.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful and I was able to find the time to get all my yard work completed. Tonight I will be picking up Todd and the gang from the airport and I am really looking forward to getting back in the gym with him. I am also looking forward to hosting the study group tomorrow night at our home. For now I have another long day at work behind closed doors, and I need to find some time to work on my scripture memorization. (The Heavens proclaim the glory of God, the skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak, night after night they make Him known.) Twelve more verses to go!!!

Psalm 19

I decided to wake up at 4:30am this morning and hit the gym before starting my 12.5 hour shift at the TSOC. Immediately after wakening I found myself brainstorming through every possible reason why I should turn off the alarm and go back to bed. After a quick prayer I jumped to my feet and gathered my things. While driving to work I had some quality prayer time which allowed me to enter the gym completely charged! I must say that God is good.

Wednesday nights bible study at Todd's house was really nice and I enjoyed meeting 6 new guy's that are all looking to grow deeper in their faith. Drummer Dan was not able to show because he was out of town but I look forward to meeting him next Wednesday evening where we will all meet again at my house. We all agreed on memorizing Psalm 19 within 4 weeks and I must say that it is proving to be more difficult than it sounds. I am very happy to be part of this new study group and look forward to building deeper relationships.

Dad had his MRI yesterday and seems to be feeling well however I will continue to pray for his health. Mom had another injection in her knee on Wednesday and I will continue to pray for her as well. Justin seems to be getting his life on track and managed to finish last semester with a 4.0GPA! This was just what he needed to take advantage of the R.S. Wheaton scholarship fund which paid for his summer semester in full! Corrine has 2 pieces of artwork that were chosen from Dominion High School to be on display at the Dulles Town Center Mall and we are all very proud. God continues to provide for me and my family and I feel truly blessed.

A New Beginning

My very first blog, where do I begin...

The last two years of my life have been an incredible journey as Christ continues to rebuild me from the inside out. On Easter of 2005 I decided to try something different so I gathered my family into the Envoy and headed out to the Frontline Easter Service at Mclean Bible Church. Although I grew up in a Christian family and attended a United Methodist Church for most of my childhood I never truly knew Christ. Over the years I allowed my life to stray far away from the values that my family had lovingly planted inside of me. I had heard of Frontline and Mclean Bible at different times throughout my life from different people who crossed my path; however it was Easter 2005 that led me towards the next step.

Because of my judgmental mentality after hearing about Mclean Bible I figured that it was another one of those Sunday morning infomercial Church's where the dollar tickers are rolling across the screen. From the moment I walked into the church I was amazed at how peaceful it was. Although it was the largest church I had ever stepped foot in, and it did not really look like a church I was filled with an incredibly warm and peaceful feeling. I managed to find seats all the way in the back above the sound booth directly centered with the stage which allow me to keep my distance (at the time I was clearly lost). Within minutes the band opened and I was completely taken by the incredible passion, energy, and power that the band filled throughout the church. I find it very difficult to put into words what I felt but my whole body was filled with goose bumps and as I looked toward Yeter I could see she was also feeling the same. As funny as it sounds I still get the same goose bumps today even now as I type this blog.

When the band finished playing Todd Phillips jumped up to the stage introducing himself as the teaching pastor and he thanked everyone for coming. Immediately Todd grabbed my attention and my first impression was nothing less than astonishment. As Todd pulled scripture from the Bible I was truly amazed with his ability to articulate each and every word into his own life and then spread it out onto our own. This was something I had never seen done in the church, at least not to the level that Todd was able to take it. As I sat there in my seat like a damp sponge soaking up all that Todd poured out I knew that I had found something I desperately wanted to be part of. In closing that day Todd led a prayer and directed everyone who wanted a personal relationship with Christ to follow. I followed every word verbatim and truly meant it from the bottom of my heart when we prayed “I don't know you, but I want to know you". I look back now and know that it was those very words that led me to Christ.

As the weeks passed we continued to return to the Frontline services and decided to sit in the front rows directly in front of Stephanie (the lead singer in the band) and her husband Dan (the drummer) who continued to pour out their hearts, and souls week after week which left us spiritually uplifted and ready to soak up all that Todd continued to teach. Because Todd speaks so openly about his family and articulates scripture into his own life during his teachings I felt as if I already knew him and his family intimately which drove me to want more. I had already sent a few emails telling Todd and the staff how much the services really meant to me (I actually remember one where I invited Todd, Stephanie, Dan, and the whole gang to my home for a cookout, lol). Yeter had me follow up with another email where I attempted to explain that I was not crazy and justify my initial actions. I was completely full of my new found faith and simply wanted to share it personally with the people who had played a large part in leading me towards Christ. Knowing how mature Todd was with his faith I feared that he would have no interest in starting a relationship with a (new believer), this later proved to be far from the truth. Having no idea where to begin I turned to God, and prayed about it. I continued to pray about it for months asking God to reveal a path where Todd and I could meet and if it would bring glory to His name for us to be able to share life together.

Summer of 2006 a year had passed since we first attended Frontline and after accepting Christ into my life I found it much easier to deal with many of life's obstacles. I could feel the changes taking place inside of me and welcomed Christ deep into my heart. I was able to dedicate myself to fitness and achieve a personal goal of being in the best physical shape of my life on my 32nd birthday. One bright summer day I decided to go to our community pool and catch some rays, this was the first time I had been to the pool in years and the only time I went the entire summer. While lying in the sun gazing across the pool my eyes focused on a man that looked just like Todd who appeared to be counseling a young boy who looked just like his son that he had spoken of on stage. I quickly got up and made my way over to where they were standing and waited for the right time to jump in and formally meet Todd. Immediately after introducing myself to Todd he gave me a great big hug and introduced me to his wife Julie, son Parker, and his daughters Katherine & Raney. I learned that Todd lived in my neighborhood and had been there for 2 years! As I walked home from the pool that afternoon I was completely amazed on how God brought our lives together and I knew that my prayers had been answered.

Todd and I continued to trade emails for a few months when I decided to ask Todd about getting together and discussing a few things that I had on my mind, one being baptism. Todd promptly responded with a date and time for us to meet at Starbucks. While we were at Starbucks Todd and I covered many topics in a fairly short amount of time. I did manage to share with Todd that Yeter and I were ready to be baptized and we wanted him to be the one who performed this very special event; Todd kindly replied "I would be honored". Todd then asked me about getting in shape, I explained to Todd that I have had a life long passion for fitness and through my new relationship with Christ I was given the strength to achieve a new all time high with my fitness goals. Instantly I knew that God had provided an incredible opportunity and I told Todd that I would be honored to help him do the same. Todd explained that we could use some of time during our workouts for him to mentor me in my faith, which was exactly what I wanted to hear. As I drove away from Starbucks I again was left in complete awe on how God continued to bring Todd and I closer together.

Since our first meeting at Starbucks my family and I have been blessed to become good friends with Todd and his family. I look forward to our workouts and the time we spend together. Todd continues to share biblical truth with me and encourages me to grow deeper in my Christian walk. Two weeks ago I attended the Lead-Now conference followed by Fusion where I had to opportunity to meet several other young believers and listen to many wonderful speakers. Last weekend Yeter, Corrine, Todd, and I ran the 5K trail run sponsored by access ministry and although Yeter beat both Todd and I we all had a wonderful time participating. Todd has also recently invited me into a men's small group that will meet a few times a month over the next 18 months which will allow us to become more involved with each other and grow deeper in our relationships.

As I mentioned in the beginning of my blog God is truly rebuilding me from the inside out and I now find happiness in things that I would have never imagined. In January this year I began sponsoring a child named Rafit Mohamed who lives in Indonesia and I look forward to letters that I receive from him each and every month. My marriage has grown deeper and Yeter and I both have a much better understanding for one another. Yeter and I are attending an interest meeting next week where we will discuss joining a mission trip which will be heading to El Salvador later this fall. I continue to grow spiritually everyday and my old selfish, materialistic, and unhealthy life style continues to fade further away. For the first time in my life I am able to understand the truth that has driven my own father for as long as I can remember, and I am proud to say that the same truth now drives me. I look forward to each day that I am given and pray that Christ will lead me to use it for his glory.


In Jesus Name,

AMEN