My Highest Calling

I am a blessed man. Not a day goes by that I am not in awe of the beautiful family God has blessed me with. At the same time, not a day goes by that I am not conscience of and often overwhelmed by, the enormous responsibility I have in leading my family. In my estimation, there is no higher calling.

To be a loving and godly husband is my desire. To love her as Ephesians 5:25-28 is my call.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Equally it is my desire to lead my children in the same manner that Christ leads me. To parent in a fashion that demonstrates both truth and grace.

I want my faith and trust in God to be caught by my children. I want to faithfully parent them as God has called us to in Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

In all of this I am woefully aware of the fact that I can do none of this alone. For me to love and lead my family as God desires, I must first allow Him to lead me. To seek Him daily. To stop long enough in the business of life to listen to Him.

As a spouse and a parent, make it your priority to follow God's lead. Spend time listening to Him. Learn from Him. Allow Him to lead you as you seek to lead the family He has entrusted to you.

Game of Hope

Love this!

What an amazing difference we can make when we love people the way Jesus does!



At the end of the game Isaiah, the teenage convict-quarterback surprised everybody and asked if he could pray and he prayed, "Lord, I don't know what just happened so I don't know how or who to say thank you to, but I never knew there were so many people in the world who cared about us."

On the way back to the bus, under guard, each one of the Gainsville State School players were handed a burger, fries, a Coke, a Bible and an encouraging letter from the players from Faith Academy.

Sounds like "Sheep" to me!

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:31-40

Daily Audio Bible

I'm not sure how I missed this one, but I just recently came across the Daily Audio Bible podcast, and am loving it.

Since beginning my new ministry at Foothills Community Church I have have been faced with a rather long commute. As we wait on God to send just the right buyer for our home I get to "enjoy" a 50 minute drive each way to work. Not wanting to waste that time, I have been seeking a way to redeem it for something good. One can only listen to so much talk radio!

I have always had a great love for the Word of God. I base my entire life on the truths found within it's pages. I enjoy reading it, studying it and teaching it. Now I am listening to it!

The Daily Audio Bible is a daily podcast of the God's Word. Everyday it is a community of people listening to host Brian Hardin read through the Bible in one year. Each day he reads from a portion of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and from the Psalms and Proverbs. I have found it a way to just sit and let the Word of God filter into my heart and mind and it's incredible!

If you are faced with a long commute or even if you are not, check it out.

Listen now.
Subscribe in iTunes.