Cisterns

Today, I was up early, like always on Thursdays for a men's Bible study that i am apart of. You never know where discussion will lead at 6:30 am. But this morning there was a comment in the notes of our study, it went something like this. The problem with evil and people today is they have abandoned God in their lives. As a man who tries to live with Christ in my life i feel this is an accurate statement.
Some people realize they are missing something some people don't realize it. I was walking through Rockford for the start of summer celebration parade; we had a float in the parade for the WELL. We were handing out water bottles, because our theme for the WELL is all whoa re thirsty come, and a well is the source of water. Anyways as we were walking down the parade route people could see we were passing out water and they were chanting water, water, water. It was an unbelievable experience. The WELL exists to guide all of us the the source of living water so we will thirst no more. Little do some people know that as they were chanting water they were really being honest with themselves and admitting what they are missing in life.
So what does all this have to do with broken cisterns? Look at Jeremiah 2:12-14, it says there that we as God's people have committed 2 sins we have forsaken God the Spring of living water and we have dug our own cisterns.
there are times in my life that i try to avoid God and try to do things on my own, i dig my own ideas and cisterns to put my thoughts in. I do turn from God at times, which in my opinion is wrong, it is sin, anytime we turn from him we sin. Do i recognize the problem in me, do i see the things i do that turn myself from God? I am working on not forsaking Him and not digging my own cisterns but letting him be my one and only cistern that is filled with his living water.
how is your cistern?

Love one another

If you look in your dictionary for the word love. I am sure not many of you do look in a dictionary for the word love because we now how to spell it and we “know” what it means. Love is a verb. A verb is action. I think of jumping. You cannot say you jump unless you do something. You have to jump to jump. I know that seems so obvious, like why are you saying that. I say this because 4 days ago my wife left for Guatemala on a mission trip. Like I say almost every day I left her with the words, “I Love You” what does that mean. If love is an action then while she is gone what do I do. What is love when your spouse or loved one is away for a period of time. I am beginning to understand a little bit about what love is. This past week has been a difficult week. I have been with my 2 kids and taking a week off of work. Yes I have had the blessing of parents taking them a couple days. There has not been a tougher week in my life than this past week. I was joking with my wife before she left that I was going to just ship the kids off and spend time by myself. I did not do that this whole week but being a man of integrity I am doing that tonight at the present. I dare any of you men who are husbands and who work hard to make money to put food on the table and to provide a house to live in. I dare you take a week off of work and spend time with your kids, pay for your wife to go and be pampered, or if she is like my wife who loves missions send her on a mission trip or whatever it is that will help her re energize. As I have been thinking about those words we use so much, “I Love you” what would happen if you would stop saying I love you and start doing I love you, this is not erotic love you but what is that you can do to make those all important words a true verb.

What would happen in our marriages and in our homes if instead of saying I love you, you start doing it. Tonight as I spent some time by myself I mopped the kitchen, dining room and front entry way. I have done laundry this week and been able to be with my kids. I have been pondering those words since my life left, so men start loving your wives by doing love rather than saying. There is nothing to great or to small for you to do to show that love. Try to be with your kids for a week, if not a week maybe a couple days then you will understand the work that our stay at home wives go through each and every day. Maybe then we as men will understand what our wives do for us.

Stop say love and start doing love.

Miracle

Have you used the word lately? I was talking to a friend yesterday and he is leaving Monday for Guatemala. I had the opportunity to drive a Hummer H1 and my friend saw me in it and drove up by me to ask what i was doing driving that. I was letting a friend borrow my car and he let me use his. Anyways we were talking about the trip to Guatemala and i asked if he was ready and he said,"ready to see miracles." that is a man who is optimistic. A Man who understands you get what you seek for. If you look for them you will see them. I have been on the trip my friend is going on and he is right he will see miracles happen. So what is a miracle anyway? Webster defines it as, "An effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause. " are they rare? Can you think of a time that something happened with you or someone you know that would fit into this category? The friend that needed my car was going to Ann Arbor to see his nephew who is 3yrs. old and having a hole in his heart repaired. To repair the hole they sow Gore-Tex to the hole and it is healed and covered. This little 3yr. old had to have his sternum broke to due the surgery and he will be up and walking and probably running around in 3-4 days. That is beyond me to comprehend. So this trip to Guatemala that my friend is going on my wife is also going. There are 18 people from our church going, and as my Friend said going to see miracles happen. What about us whoa re living our ordinary life are we going to see miracles happen? I will stick to my thoughts before you see what you seek and you get what you look for and prepare for. If you want to see a miracle i be live you can if you seek it and look for it. Miracle what is it?