April 2005
Monthly Archive
Don’t Ask!!
Posted by Paul on 29 Apr 2005 | Tagged as: General
Sometimes it is really hard, very hard to admit that we are wrong. That the greatest obstacle in our lives at times is ourselves. I mean, who wants to admit that?
As I sit here this morning thinking upon the week. The one year celebration of Hill Country Thoughts on April 26, the events of the last few years I realized that I have come a long way. That the Lord has done a lot of work in my life. Yet there is much more to be done.
One thing that I have learned is don’t ask questions if you don’t want the answers, especially if you want the Lord to reveal them to you, those areas of weakness.
I asked one of my daughters a question and she replied to me “Are you sure you want to know?” and I said “Sure!” So she shared and do you know what my first reaction was? I became defensive, wanted to defend myself even when I knew she shared what the Lord wanted me to hear but did she have to be so honest?
Yes, she is my daughter and like the rest of my children, she loves me enough to be honest, to say “Dad, here is what I see” and for that I am very thankful. It made me introspective for the last few days. Caused me to think, to look back some and at the same time to ask the Lord’s forgiveness.
You see, it took the last three years to bring me to a place in my life where He wanted me to be a long time ago. He has and is bringing me to a place of staying the course. To see what He is doing now coming into being, to complete the task, to follow through.
It is hard to admit that your wrong. To admit that for so long you made a lot of promises but didn’t carry through. It has been the little things that have built up, the little foxes that ate the foundation of my life physically, emotionally and spiritually and that effected my wife, my family and myself. For that I ask their forgiveness.
I am not the same man I was three years ago or even three weeks ago. Since this new journey in my life a lot of changes have and are taken place.
There are nearly thirty years of the “little foxes” that have to be healed and the only one that can bring the healing is the Lord and I know that He has forgiven me and I ask my family, my children and grand children and Jodie to forgive me.
I ask you all my friends to pray for me. That in the remaining days of my life that I will reach the full potential of what the Lord wants me to be in Him. That I will be an example of a life changed and conformed to Him.
I know for once in my life that I am on the right path. That I am moving in the right direction and that my Father will bring me into the fullness of His purpose in my life.
The Lord will bring the changes if we will allow Him. He will reveal the things that need changed and He will use our families, our children and friends to show us if we are willing to hear, even when it is “something we don’t want to hear.”
Family and true friends will share what we need to hear and not what we want to hear. That is true love.
Thank you my friends and thank you my family for loving me enough to share the truth, even when it hurt, because of it, I can grow and become what I am suppose to be.
Till later,
Paul
One Year Ago Today!!
Posted by Paul on 26 Apr 2005 | Tagged as: General
It is hard to believe that one year ago today that the Lord had me launch Hill Country Thoughts!
It was one of the best things that ever happen to me. For it was out of the furnace of affliction, out of what appeared to be utter defeat, an end to things as I knew them, that Hill Country Thoughts was birthed.
I remember the day, a year ago when I shared with my pastor, Scott Bradford, of Junction United Methodist Church, that the Lord gave me the name “Hill Country Thoughts” and it bore witness to him and the rest of it is history.
I’m thankful to the Lord for His faithfulness to fulfill that which He had spoken some thirty years ago about writing. His timing is not ours, His timing is perfect.
Had I not gone through what I have over the last two years I don’t think I would have been able to write from a place of reality. It would have been mere theory.
Through the things that I have gone through He has given me a new understanding of who He is and what it means to walk with Him. To be brought to a place of utter dependance on Him.
He has brought me to a place of dependence upon my children and that is a hard place to be at 57 years of age. Believe me, it is a humbling experience to be brought to such a place. But even in this I know that the Lord has a purpose.
I know that I am where I am suppose to be at this time and I also know that I am in a place of seeing that the Lord is getting ready to open doors of ministry, of opportunity, of provision, of writing and of being all that He has called me to be.
He has given me such wonderful friends!!
You all have blessed me in so many ways. In the comments, the e-mails and even in letters. Many of you without knowing it have confirmed many things to my heart that the Lord had been speaking to me. To my blogging friends, and there are many, I want to say thank you very much for being such a source of encouragement.
For my Starbucks friends, Thank you! Being part of the men’s prayer group at Starbucks on Saturday morning, is something that I look forward to each week because I know that I will come away encouraged, lifted up and exhorted in my faith.
The Starbucks crew, all shifts, are awesome. They have gone out of their way to make me feel at home when I am there reading, studying and writing. It indeed is a home away from home. I know through the week that I will run into various friends while there. Starbucks is an oasis for me through the week.
For my new writing friends and fellow scribes, thank you. I appreciate your encouragement and making me feel part of the writing community. To be part of what is going on here in Georgia is indeed a blessing.
I want to give a special thanks to my Pastor, Scott Bradford, of Junction First United Methodist Church for all of his encouragement and for being there for me so many times.
For my special friend Lewis and His family, for also being there for me, to encourage me as I pursued the vision of Hill Country Thoughts, as will as the many other friends in Junction, from the various churches, the Emmaus Community who have also encouraged me.
Also a special thanks to all my friends of the Christian Writers Group, the Fellowship of Christian Writers and Writers Helpers Online, thank you all for your encouragement also.
To my children, especially my son Joshua, for His faithfulness, when ever we talked, encourage me to write, giving me that swift kick of encouragement and the fact that he believed in me, went a long way in encouraging me. For all my family, my daughters and Mom and Dad Shelley and Jodie, who prayed that the Lord would open the doors also. Thank you all for your encouragement.
For my friends Roy Li and Jessica of Crossmap. Thank you for your encouragement, for finding me and opening new doors as a columnist. For there are many who may never come to Hill Country Thoughts but they will come to Crossmap. Thank you Crossmap team for all of your hard work.
I want to thank my Heavenly Father for believing in me and for pursing me and doing what was needed to bring me to the place that I am at so I could be a pen in His hand. That is my desire.
To be a pen in His hand to encourage others in their walk and relationship with the Lord. That I would be able to share a word, a thought in due season that would meet the needs of others.
May each and everyone of you be blessed as Hill Country Thoughts begins its second season. I ask that you would keep me in your prayers as I pursue writing a book. Pray that He would open the doors of of opportunity to share, doors of provisions.
I pray that the Lord will open doors for you my friends, my family as you pursue the Lord. That He will bring you fully into His purpose and calling on your lives!
Till later,
Paul
A Raging War Within!
Posted by Paul on 25 Apr 2005 | Tagged as: General
The battle rages on!
A constant struggle, warfare and battle, most of which is in the mind. Internal conflict within. I fight fear, anxiety and doubt. Like the Apostle Paul, that which I don’t want to do I do and that which I should do, I don’t!
Yet I am not without hope. The battles are normal, the warfare is real and what I am going through is part of what is being used in me to create the character of Christ within.
Sunday morning while in the divorce care class in response to a question I made the following statement, “That the Lord will not allow us to go through anymore than we can bear.” Even when I think I can’t, He can. He gives us the strength to not give up. To press in and lay hold of Him.
That in the midst of the battle, in the eye of the storm, we rise up in strength. That we can put on the full armour of the Lord. That He gives us everything that we need to stand and there comes a time, that when we have done all that we can, that we stand!
To stand on the word, on the solid foundation, on the rock, on the word of the Lord, knowing that the foundation will not be shaken or torn down. That we will survive the winds of adversity, the storms of life and that we will come to a place of rest in the Lord.
As David often did in the Psalms. He declared, that in the midst of the battles, in the storms, in the times of adversity, that He would lift up the Name of the most High. That he would declare the majesty of the almighty.
So even this day, at this time. Let us declare the awesomeness of the God we serve. Our faith, our life is based on the reality of the Christ within, upon the word of God.
Let us rise up in the spirit today and declare that having done all, we stand upon the solid rock, the sure word of God, the unmovable foundation of the Hope of Christ that we have within.
Till later,
Paul
God Believes In You!!
Posted by Paul on 21 Apr 2005 | Tagged as: General
Our Fathers timing is perfect!
It is amazing how the Lord will speak to us. Before I went to sleep last night my heart and spirit seemed to be in turmoil as a lot of things where going through my mind making me wonder what is going on, how long will the battles last?
I woke up at around 04:00 and was listening to FM 104.7 The Fish, out of Atlanta, Georgia. The song that was playing was called “God Believes In You.” Of course my first reaction was to tear up, to realize that in the early morning hours, my Father woke me and let me know that He believes in me!
How awesome is that! That He let me know that I am not walking this path alone, that as His child, He is walking with me. Revealing Himself, making Himself known as I remember to stay focused on Him.
It is during these times that we hold even closer to the Lord. Even if it is only a thread, a thread in the Lord is stronger than anything when it is our Father that we are holding on too. For it is as we look to Him, like Peter, when he appeared to be sinking, that Jesus reached out and lifted him out of the deep that he was sinking into.
That is the hope that I have this morning. That my Father reached down in the midst of despair and lifted me out of the deep and let me know that He believes in me. That I, that you are not without hope. That the time of restoration in our lives is at hand as we cling to the Lord with all that is within.
To realize we are being intertwined with the Lord, with our Father, becoming one with the them. That we are reflecting that relationship and that gives hope to us, as well as others.
Remember my friends. God believes in you. He has called you. He has chosen you and you are His.
Till later,
Paul
Revelation!!
Posted by Paul on 19 Apr 2005 | Tagged as: General
It is so relaxing here on the patio in the backyard. Clear sky, moon shining brightly. Everything shut off. No TV, no radio. Just the oil lamp, the word and me.
It is times like this that I can relax. Sit back and enjoy the end of the day or it might be the early morning hours waiting for the sun to rise.
As I sat here this evening I began to take pictures of the oil lamp, of the word and the Lord showed me how the lamp, the oil, the Holy Spirit illuminates the word. That in the darkness I cannot read but when the lamp is lit, the word is revealed and it begins to come to life as it is written on our hearts and in our minds, becoming part of us and we are given an understanding of it.
Often times for me it is the simplicity of what it says. As I read the Psalms I can identify with the things that King David reveals all through the Psalms. That at one moment he is on the mountain top and in the next chapter he is in the valley. Kind of sounds like us doesn’t it?
I know that is why we can identify with him. He is real, he is sharing his heart. Though he is going through the battles, he never gives up.
He always looks to the Father, even when he doesn’t understand the why of things. I think that He came to a place of not trying to figure things out but rather came to a place of just wanting to know the Lord.
I know many years ago the Lord spoke to my heart to stop trying to figure things out and seek to know Him. That at His feet I would find the way, that in His word I would get to know Him.
I can say that the Lord has and is bringing me to a place of knowing Him, not just about Him. That He reveals Himself in life, in the things that we go through, as we walk with Him, He reveals Himself, if we let Him.
We serve a God who loves us more than we could ever realize and we get stronger and closer as we walk daily with Him.
Let us take the things that we have and are going through and give them to the Lord , to give thanks and praise to the most High, knowing that He is creating in us the image of His son, that we are to reflect the Lord.
He has not abandon us, nor forsaken us. Rather He is giving us the strength to walk the path that we are on and as we allow the light of the lamp, of the Holy Spirit to shine, His word and His presence will be revealed and we will stand in the finished work of the Cross!!
Till later,
Paul
Gentle Thunder!!
Posted by Paul on 15 Apr 2005 | Tagged as: General
I am in the process of reading “A Gentle Thunder: Hearing God Through The Storm” by Max Lucado.
In the acknowledgement he says “A book should be a garden that fits in the hands. Word petals of color. Stems of strength. Roots of truth. Turn a page and turn the seasons. Read the sentences and enjoy the roses.”
When I read that I said “Lord, let that be true, that someday that which I write will be as that garden, that the words will be as petals showing forth the many facets of you.”
That people will find strength in that which is shared, that it will build them up in the faith, in their walk with the Lord. That, that which is shared will be rooted in truth and as the pages are turned they will reveal the seasons of life. That which will nurture the hearts and souls of those that read them.
That the words written will give off the fragrance of the Lord, the smell of the rose, knowing that the fragrance comes from the crushings of life, from the storms. Max goes on to say “That there are certain passions only learned by pain. And there are times when God, knowing that, allows us to endure the pain for the sake of the song.” (Page 29)
I know that the only reason I can write is because of that which I have gone through in my life. It is no longer theory but has become a reality. I have a long way to go but I am heading in the right direction. With the grace of god I have learned to endure, so that the song that comes forth will be a song of worship and praise.
Max also said “Though you hear nothing, He is speaking. Though you see nothing, He is acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to Him.”
Indeed that is true. I know that through the dark nights of our souls, through the storms, that He is speaking, that He was acting on our behalf and everything that we go through will bring us closer to Him if we allow it too. The choice is ours.
There are no accidents. He was not surprised or caught unawares. He will finish the work that He has begun in us.
To be a pen in the hand of God is my desire. May the Lord bless each and everyone of you in that which you are going through, for it is during these times we learn to hear Gods voice for in the midst of the storms, He reveals Himself.
Till later,
Paul
In the acknowledgement he says “A book should be a garden that fits in the hands. Word petals of color. Stems of strength. Roots of truth. Turn a page and turn the seasons. Read the sentences and enjoy the roses.”
When I read that I said “Lord, let that be true, that someday that which I write will be as that garden, that the words will be as petals showing forth the many facets of you.”
That people will find strength in that which is shared, that it will build them up in the faith, in their walk with the Lord. That, that which is shared will be rooted in truth and as the pages are turned they will reveal the seasons of life. That which will nurture the hearts and souls of those that read them.
That the words written will give off the fragrance of the Lord, the smell of the rose, knowing that the fragrance comes from the crushings of life, from the storms. Max goes on to say “That there are certain passions only learned by pain. And there are times when God, knowing that, allows us to endure the pain for the sake of the song.” (Page 29)
I know that the only reason I can write is because of that which I have gone through in my life. It is no longer theory but has become a reality. I have a long way to go but I am heading in the right direction. With the grace of god I have learned to endure, so that the song that comes forth will be a song of worship and praise.
Max also said “Though you hear nothing, He is speaking. Though you see nothing, He is acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to Him.”
Indeed that is true. I know that through the dark nights of our souls, through the storms, that He is speaking, that He was acting on our behalf and everything that we go through will bring us closer to Him if we allow it too. The choice is ours.
There are no accidents. He was not surprised or caught unawares. He will finish the work that He has begun in us.
To be a pen in the hand of God is my desire. May the Lord bless each and everyone of you in that which you are going through, for it is during these times we learn to hear Gods voice for in the midst of the storms, He reveals Himself.
Till later,
Paul
