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Hello, everyone. I have moved my blog over to my website on WordPress. The link is below.

Thank you for all your support!!

https://momentsfortheheart.com/blog/

Lessons Learned

It's been an incredible journey so far. Its December now, NaNoWriMo is over. The Five Barred Gate is complete: 70,664 words, 25 chapters, First Draft. Now to place it on the back burner and turn it down to a simmer. I have two trusted individuals who I know will read the very rough draft and take notes for when I come back to it in January. I am feeling a little anxious about it. How will they receive it? Will my thoughts be conveyed onto paper the way I wanted them to? I know, this being the first draft, it will be filled with spelling and grammar errors, plot holes, timeline issues, and boring dialogue. I have never just written without looking back and making corrections along the way. It was difficult at first, but as I dove into it and made the adjustment of throwing sand into the sandbox of my draft and remembering that I will build the sandcastles later, it became more natural. Then it becomes about reaching the goals. Which I am proud to say that I reached and exceeded.

I can't wait to get back into it in January. I miss my characters. I miss the little world I created for them to live in. Flawed as it was, for a month, it was home. I still have dreams about the town and the people. A couple of them I plan on adding to the story and give it more depth. I enjoyed being able to take those dreams and create a person and direct his path. I guess in a way Jacob is a child of mine. I spent more time with him in a month, than I did with David in "Waiting" in the year it took me to write that.

In the past month, I have learned some things I would like to pass on. Lessons on the awesome person of God. First, he can guide us to accomplish things that we look at as insurmountable. In the beginning, I doubted that I could write 50K words for a novel. I didn't think I could conjure up that much to sustain a story. I guess I should have learned from "Waiting." The original story was only 1800 words. But once I decided to go beyond the dream and to continue it, it turned into 6700 words. Three and a half times in length. And TFBG ended up being over 10 times the length of "Waiting." Challenging, yes. Insurmountable, not in the least. Once I became dedicated.

Second, I learned dedication. I have mentioned about the 21-day rule. I'd have to say that the habit set in much earlier than three weeks into it. I think it came when I signed up to do the whole NaNoWriMo event. I committed to the 50K in 30 days. The word says in Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." And by golly, how he established my plans. I found the direction I didn't even know I had. True, there were times of severe writer's block. But to continue on, even when it seemed I was writing gibberish, I didn't give up. Dedicated to finishing. Sand in the sandbox.

Finally, I learned that I don't have to be so serious. I have been much like my main character, Jacob. He looks at things in life and finds the negative. He has a gift of perception, but as life happened to him, he became coarse. Instead of speaking his heart to avoid missed opportunities, he negatively spoke his mind, pointing out what was bad instead of what was good about a given situation. Writers are their worst critic. I have been critical about myself, my work, my attitude, who I think I am as a person, and where this new direction my life is taking me. God has shown me that it doesn't matter. None of it. As long as I am following the direction he sets before me, I don't have to be concerned about how others view it.

God has a plan for each one of us. Each of you reading this have gifts and desires to do things, and dreams. We are all in need of guidance to accomplish the things God sets before us. We all need the dedication to commit those things to God. We all need to learn to not take it seriously when others look down upon what we are trying to accomplish. I have no clue where this journey I am on is going to take me. All I do know is that I am seeking His guidance to lead me. I am dedicated to seeing it through in victory or defeat. And I have promised myself I will not take myself, or anyone else for that matter, seriously when doubt peeps out its little head out. We both can accomplish whatever we desire. Guided by Christ, Dedicated to His direction, Shunning all doubt.

A smooth path is not promised. It may be filled with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but with the Lord being the light that shines on that path, nothing can stop you.

God Bless each of you. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Short and Sweet

First of all, I pray everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I was going to skip this weeks post given that I was so busy with Thanksgiving and also trying to finish the first draft of The Five Barred Gate.Well, last night after my second plate of leftovers, I finished. After writing for 26 days and 68,270 words, it is finally complete.

I am relieved and anxious. Relieved that it's finally done. Anxious that I won't be able to touch it until January. NaNoWriMo still goes on for a few more days. During those days I plan to take some time and write out some of the ideas I had for revision. So I'm not really editing it, just jotting down things I am going to add when I get back at it starting Jan 1st. I want to be able to say that I completed the 30-day challenge. I met the 50K many days ago, but I want the other half of it. I also want to hit 70K. About 450 words a day. I did 600 today. So I will hit all three goals.

I praise God that he gave me the endurance to accomplish this. When I finally agreed to do this I was skeptical. I had only written my short story Waiting. That was 6700 words. That took me almost a year to perfect. And they wanted an entire novel in 30 days. I honestly didn't think it was possible. Mainly because of my schedule. I felt I would only be able to write on my days off because I generally work 12-14 hours a day, five days a week.

Well, Yes I wrote on my days off. But I was also encouraged, by Carolyn, to write a little bit on my work days. If it weren't for her encouragement, sometimes almost pushing me, to write, I don't think I would be where I am at today in this story. God has given me an awesome wife. She has always been my biggest supporter. Thank you, Babe!!

I don't know Gods plan for this novel. But I am excited at the potential it has. I feel He has spoken through it and I cannot wait to share it with the world. First, a few close friends whom I trust for an honest critique. Then, a month or two of editing. Then a final draft that I will submit for publication. Timeline, unknown. But I am excited about the journey.

So now what? What's next for me?

I honestly haven't the first clue. Start the next one, I suppose. I'll just take some good advice from a friendly fish, "Just keep swimming."

Setbacks and Opportunities

After a month and two weeks of anticipating a response from LitMag, I finally got the email about my short story "Waiting". A simple declination letter. The story did not meet their needs at this time. No real explanation on what that meant. I guess with so many submissions they are unable to take the time to let every writer know why, or what to do to improve for the next submission. It was a long wait, with a minor setback in the end. The good news is that there is more than one publishing avenue to take. So the first opportunity I had, I submitted to a different publication. Again, probably another four to six weeks. I guess when I am writing I should expect to do a lot of waiting. I should expect more rejections. Next time though I hope to get some sort of critique on what needs to be done to help the piece 'meet their needs'.

In terms of my novel, "The Five Barred Gate", and my endless pursuit for 50,000 words, I can say that it's flowing smoother now. I am having an issue of transitioning between scenes and creating a link to move from one scene to another. Once I find that link, though, the final scenes start to flow again. I also figured out how I want to end the novel. I am excited to get to write it. I passed the 46,000-word mark today. With twelve days left, one of which is a good writing day, I can see myself hitting the 50K mark easy, but unless I do some writing Thanksgiving night, or on my work days, I don't see myself completing this novel by the end of November. Which is okay. I will hit the goal of 50K for NaNoWriMo. That excites me. I've never written that much is such a short period of time.

I'm looking forward to completing it. I most likely have developed a habit of writing on my days off. I may just continue month to month with the goal of writing 50K a month. Not necessarily a new novel. Maybe more short stories. There are many directions to take. Many publishers who are looking for 5K or less short stories. Sheesh, with the way I have been flowing I could write one in a day. That would be interesting. "Waiting" was 6700 words. That took me months, probably closer to a year, to write and complete. To have a pattern of writing to condense that down to a week or two amazes me. And to reuse a word, it excites me.

Thank you as always for your prayers and support. I only wish I knew how many out there are going through this with me.If you are reading, leave me a comment of support or a prayer. I would love to read your thoughts and prayers. The one thing I am learning through all of this is the confidence meter swings back and forth constantly. Lord knows I've been on that rollercoaster this week.

God Bless each and every one of you. May God lead you to and help you accomplish your dreams as he is guiding me in mine. Until next week, have a Happy Thanksgiving and I will probably be in a Turkey induced coma but I will find the time to give you an update on the happenings of this would-be author.

Breathing Anxiously

Once I decided to answer the call on my life, and dive head over heels into this journey, I had mixed emotions. Feelings of concern about what I was going to write now that Waiting was completed. I had a sense of satisfaction that I finally had a completed work. I felt proud. (I am still waiting to hear about the status It's been almost six weeks. Should be soon, I pray.) The idea came for The Five Barred Gate from another dream. As I began writing it, I fully intended it to be a Short Story like Waiting was. But as I wrote, the story took on a life of its own. The next thing I knew TFBG reached the length that Waiting was. And I has just started to begin to tell the story.

That's when the idea for a novella came about. A novella is a short novel. About 30,000 words. A novel is above 30,000, generally around 50,000 words. Then a friend introduced me to NaNoWriMo. That target was 50,000 within the month of November. Knowing what I wanted to do with TFBG that journey began. Well, its been 11 days and I've had good days and bad days. Not to mention, that in all reality, I have only had 5 real days to write. During my work week, I work on average 12-14 hours per day. That doesn't leave much time in the evening to do much writing. But with some determination, and a supportive Carolyn asking me, "Are you going to write tonight?" I am much further than I could ever anticipate.

After today's writing, I'm at 35,800 right now. With 19 days left in the month, 5 more days off to finish this puppy. I am confident I will complete it. My concern now is that I will exceed 50K words. Not that it matters. There is no rule, in fact exceeding it would be better. The more I write, the more I'm falling in love with it. Sometimes the words are just flowing so well that I don't realize that time is passing. When I come across a period that I don't feel like writing I write.Then I fall into a rhythm and it's so natural. When I'm at work, I find myself driving down the highway under another load feeling anxious that I am not behind my keyboard. I came across this inspirational saying, it sums it all up:

As something Carolyn and I say to each other when we dislike, or in this case enjoy, 'I like this game'.

A correction, of sorts

Before I begin this weeks entry, I would like to take a moment and explain what you have been seeing over all of my pages. NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. This organization has been around since 1999. They challenge writers within the month of November to start, write and complete the first draft of a novel. 50,000 words in 30 days. With the new found passion I have for getting back into writing, I found the fit perfect for me. It's challenging and a way to help with accountability.

So far I have written close to 20,000 words for The Five Barred Gate. It's moving along at a brisk pace. I find myself excited at times, but also exhausted at times. Usually, around dinner time, I'm spent. I'm done writing. My shoulders ache from sitting at the computer, my mind aches with focusing my ideas and conveying them onto paper, but the sense of accomplishment is worth it. I am working on something here far beyond me. I feel that this message will grab my readers and not only teach them, but allow them to have a good time reading this work God is flowing through me. 

In this week's entry, I need to make a correction. I first stated that this journey began with a challenge from a good friend who wanted to start writing as well. I must refine that statement. While yes, his challenge was real, that is not where it started. It really started at the beginning of this year. It began with our churches yearly Vision Statement. Last year it was "Love Well, Live Well". This year it has been, "Fan into Flame".

For Valentines Day this year there was a chalk artist who came out to our church. He drew an amazing picture of the three crosses. 

He was using his gift for Gods glory. Through the next several messages we learned through the book of Romans about Paul and the gift he had of encouragement of those in the churches he was writing to. Now  we are reading through Nehemiah. He was called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Using his gift of leadership and the ability to draw people together for a common good.  

While we all can't be encouragers or leaders, each of us has an inborn gift that God has given us. Gifts that will reach out to others and lead them to the Lord. Using these gifts is our responsibility as Christians. The Great Commission, to some, means running off to a foreign country and stand on a soapbox and holler at the top our lungs, "Repent and be saved!!". A little over the top, and for some, that may indeed be their calling. But with a calling, comes the gift to be able to do it. For most of us, being a foreign missionary is not our calling. 

So each of us must look within ourselves to find what God has called us to do. For some, they have an ability to speak clearly and convey the truth in a manner people understand. Those should look into teaching a Sunday School class. Some have an awesome ability to cook and love doing it. They could use their gift in hospitality. Cooking for shut-ins or to help those bogged down by life. 

For me, my gift has always been writing. When I saw the chalk artist complete that drawing, from a blank canvas to what you see in the photo, it amazed me. While I could never in 100 years do what he does, I'm not called to do that. It's not my God given ability to create in that fashion. Now, to put some words onto paper and to convey a message that is well received, and in some cases not well received due to a conviction of some sort, I can do that. Sign me up.  

Our theme verse for this year comes from 2 Timothy. Chapter 1 verse 6. The first part of the first says, "Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God that is in you...". Seeing him use his gift stirred up my enthusiasm for my gift. We often go through a message and get fired up by it. We say a prayer and even before we pay our check at lunch after service that fire that burned has calmed. One is often amazed to remember what the sermon was about in the first place. And yes, I was like that. And with the frequency my job allows me to attend church, it was easy enough to allow that fire to remain quenched. But it was still smoldering. It never died. This is where the challenge and the book about success came into play.

We have an amazing church. God has so many gifted individuals within it. Beginning with an unashamed Pastor who speaks the word God gives him, not a sermon he wrote. I pray those with the gifts they possess have been as impacted by the messages of this year as I have been. I am ashamed that its now November and I am only beginning to 'fan that flame'. Well, for some of us, our heads are pretty thick and it takes many different confirmations in our personal life, to get through the hard outer shell, and stoke the flame before it is set ablaze. God uses people in our lives to further confirm the calling he has on it. First, he used a Vision Statement and a chalk artist. Next, He used Jeremy and his challenge. Then he used Thomas Newberry and his book to further challenge me and help me see that the time is now.

And so I move forward with the reminder from Paul. The fire is burning, and I plan to do what needs to be done to keep it from dying out again. As always, I ask for your prayers that I lean on Gods strength, not my own, to get through this. It is exciting to be on this journey, but it's more exhausting than I have anticipated. That being said, I am loving every minute of it. Thanks again for your support. God Bless!!

Dream Building

Back in 2012, our church purchased playground equipment. This was a large tower that had two slides coming out of it, a couple of poles to slide down, and monkey bars kids could pretend they were swinging over hot lava or snapping alligators. Four or five of us gathered on a Saturday to assemble this monstrosity. There were so many boards and bolts. It looked like a task that would take considerable time. As we started it didn't resemble what the box showed in any way. But the more we put those boards and bolts together, they began to resemble what we were striving to create. We didn't finish on that day and the kids would have to wait a little longer to enjoy it, but it eventually was completed.

I've experienced something of the sort this last week. I've been tirelessly clicking away on my keyboard in an effort to convey my thoughts to paper, well a monitor screen in this case. I have made excellent progress on The Five Barred Gate, the novel that I am writing. I completed two chapters yesterday and a little bit on one today. I didn't write much because I spent much of my time today building a website for Moments for the Heart. Just like those boards and bolts came together to form a wonderland for the children of our church to expend their energy on, today's website building put a few together within my dream building. Moments for the Heart Check it out!!

One other thing that put a slide on the side of my funhouse was that Carolyn helped out using her amazing talent of painting. If you have never seen one of her paintings, you are missing out. I had a picture in my mind of what I envisioned the cover to look like. The story behind the term in the title and someone searching for answers came together in one still photo in my mind. I quickly sketched it onto paper and sent it to Carolyn. She is somewhat unconfident in her ability, but I assured her she could do it. Well last night when she came home, she studied a little on how to do it. Then I could see the excitement in her eyes and she grabbed a blank canvas and her paints and went to work. This was the result, along with a little editing to only put up title:

Amazing isn't it!! It's coming together. God is blessing me with words and flow that I haven't felt before. I have a goal of completing this by the end of the year. I ask for your prayers for me to stay committed to this calling. It's pretty easy right now because the passion for writing is blazing within me. I thank you again to all of those who have commented and supported me. I look forward to the day that I can get this work out to the public.

In case you were wondering, no I have yet to hear about my short story that I submitted a few weeks ago. I'll be sure to post something the moment I receive news about it. God is soo good!! Go, my friends, chase your dreams. If God is for you, who can be against you?

And the Adventure Continues...

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my last blog. I know it was a tad long, but it was necessary to explain what I am attempting to do with my life. The likes and comments were encouraging. Please continue to do so. If you have anything to say, feel free to leave comments. I love to read your replies to this blog. Especially if it challenges you and you begin a journey yourself. Heck, tell me I'm insane if you'd like. Good or bad, I'm open to any feedback you have.

As for this week, It's been pretty full. Several articles were written, submitted and accepted. I've submitted 8 poems the last couple of days. I still have yet to hear back about my short story, but the guidelines stated that it could take a couple of months. Its only been two weeks. Yes, I am impatient. I guess its more excitement at the possibilities than impatience... Aw, who am I kidding, I'm impatient.

What I am having a tough time with is figuring out how to manage my time. While I have two, sometimes three days off in a week, at least one of those days I spend getting things done around the house that I can't do during the work week. So when I do write, I have been just going with the flow. Doing what I feel like doing, or what attracts my attention that day. Yesterday I spent the day organizing the writing from my past. Some   were the poems I submitted. Today I looked at the different publishing sites that accept poems and submitted more. Those will take a few weeks to a few months to hear back. So I again, wait.

During this time I covet your prayers. I need prayer for direction. Not only with managing my time, but with what the next step is. I feel I am making progress, but now that the groundwork has been laid, I'm finding myself a little overwhelmed. I want to do so much, that I don't know where to begin. I focus on one thing, like the poem submission, but I didn't touch anything else? Then I feel like I didn't do anything that day. I suppose I need prayer that what I do accomplish, that I find it gratifying. And be satisfied with that.

God is good!! He has spoken to me about several things this past week. He has shown me some things about myself that I forgot existed. Things that I nearly let die. If you don't use the gifts you have, they will be taken from you. I'm grateful that it wasn't taken from me. I am making a conscience effort to not let that fire die out again. Writing is part of who I am. I cannot let that voice be silenced again. And you reading this and being encouraged by it AND paying it forward are what it's all about.

Thank you again for joining me on this journey. See, as promised, this entry was not that long. God Bless and see you next week!!

A new chapter in my life

You may be thinking, "Uh oh, here he goes again. Saying that this time he will commit to writing, and then disappears for a year." Well, 3 years in this case. But, I am honestly making a return. Certain events in my life have steered me in this direction. I can't avoid this calling any longer.

First, I ask that you please bear with me. I know this post may be lengthy, but what your about to read is background of what I'm doing now, so you can understand the incredible journey I'm about to undertake. A journey that begins with this blog, a platform that has already been established, to hopefully gain an audience and further my pursuit of a career in writing.
 
About six or seven months ago a friend of mine expressed his desire to write. As most of you know, I have always had that desire. He challenged me to get back into it. We both read a book titled, Success is Not An Accident by Thomas Newberry. This book changed me. It evolved how I looked at my writing career as well as my personal life. The book is essentially about goal setting. It helps you determine what you want out of life and how to get there. Newberry does all of this with a Christian theme and putting God first in all that you do.

At the end of each chapter Newberry extends a challenge. Setting goals, writing a Mission Statement for my life and continuous evaluation were some of them. I followed along every step. I chose the goals that were most important in my life and narrowed them down to 5 main goals. One of which is to be a full time writer. I want to, by the end of the decade, retire from the oilfield and driving a truck to be completely supported by a writing career. I know God has given me a passion to write as well as a gift of delivery. I want to use that gift to affect lives for Christ.

Before I continue, I'd like to explain what I mean by 'what I'm about to undertake'. I plan to take you on my journey.  I feel that my experiences can help you develop a passion you may have. I want to challenge you to set goals and to do whatever it takes to accomplish the dreams you have for yourself. My plan is to use this blog to do just that. I will talk about what I am going through. The highs as well as the lows of what I write, how its going, the submission process, and other aspects of this journey to become a known author.

I have a lot of support. From the man who began with the challenge, to a fellow writer who is my accountability partner, to friends who continue to push me toward that goal of moving beyond a Freelance Writer to a full fledged Author. The biggest, and most important support is from Carolyn. She gets the behind the scenes view of the struggles I go through when a paragraph isn't working or I just cant find the right words. And I'll be honest, some of the words I come up with are hers. So I must put a footnote in every piece I write that some of it comes from her. She is my life partner and my true inspiration in keeping me going in my endeavor.

Over the last six months I've developed some of the things I have written. I think I have told you that I journal. (Journaling is a guys way of saying he writes in a diary...plain and simple..its a diary) I have written in a journal since I was in Junior High School. I was given a small diary with Bart Simpson on the cover. I wrote that day about a trip I was about to take to Disneyland.  I would write in it practically every day. Once it was full, I moved on to different journals. About 90 percent of my Jr. High and High school years are recorded. I still have every journal I've ever written.

Lately I have been writing in an app I have on my phone. I make an attempt to write everyday. I journal in the morning and also at the end of the day using a technique I learned in the book I referenced earlier. It helps me to reflect on how I felt my day went, what I could have done differently and how I will change for tomorrow. All in effort to accomplishing the final goal of furthering my writing career.

I don't remember if I have written here about my dreams. I have dreams. Extremely vivid dreams. Details and colors (yes, we do dream in color) and feelings. I began to journal my dreams last year. It wasn't until recently that I began to use those dreams to create stories. While in most cases the entire dream wont become a story, some aspect of it will. This birthed 'Waiting'. My first short story. It is based off a dream I had about 25 years ago. I never wrote it down, but its impact on my life forever stuck with me. I have been working on it for several months now. Writing and revising, sending it to an editor friend for her to work on and then me revising it. I finally reached a point to were it is completed. Last week I submitted it to a literary magazine for publication. I wont find out if they accept it for another month or so, but it's submitted. Accepted or not I will learn from the experience.
 
Finally, I hope you will feel challenged by my blogs. My desire is that you will get excited and want to pursue your dreams and embark on a personal journey of your own. Let me know about them, we can celebrate together. Meanwhile, I will write and blog to gain experience, and as accountability to keep on pressing toward the goal Christ has called me heavenward to....sorry Paul, I don't mean to plagiarize, but your Christ inspired words are apropos to my situation.

Thank you for your patience. I do not plan for future blogs to be as long as this one, but I had to lay down the ground work so you can understand where I am coming from. If you are still reading this, I pray it is a blessing to you and I hope to hear your thoughts in the comment section of each blog I am to post. I don't promise to write every day. That would be crazy. But well see how it goes. Perhaps a weekly entry.

God Bless!!

Just a few thoughts....

The last couple of months I have been really getting serious about my walk with Christ. I read more, pray more and yes, write more. Writing is a gift God has given me and I have not used it to the best of my ability. With that I am ashamed. Those of you who have read my blog before have seen me say that I am going to write more, but yet I dont. I intend to turn that around. Trying to refine that ability, I am keeping a journal of what I read and learn about that day. God always speaks to me in those devotional times. Sometimes He speaks to me more in what He reveals during my journaling time, than He does the actual devotion. Here are a few of those God given inpirations I have had during my devotional and journal times.....

 

--How many times do we inhibit God working in our situation by trying to force our agenda of how we want Him to work in our situation?

--One of the reasons its hard to forgive ourselves regarding the sin that we have committed is because we can still see it. Now, sin is in darkness and wants to stay in darkness. God is in light and will always remain in light. God casts out darkness just as light dispels darkness. So the closer we get to God, who is in the light, the less we see darkness. The less we see the darkness, the less we focus on the sin we were once in. And the guilt and unforgiveness of self will fade away.

--All in all God does work all things out for the good. If we are devoted to Him, He can turn any mistake into a lesson learned. All we need to do is call on Jesus and be obedient when He answers. Our obedience is key to His working. If we ignore it, then all that is left is either self pity or rationalization. Both are dangerous paths. One leads to worthlessness and the other to destructive habits. Obedience is the only path that will lead to true healing and a sense of worth. Then God can work in our lives for the good and make us whole again.

--God never said that we do not have to go through the situation. David had to face Goliath. God did not protected him from the situation. He protected him through the situation.

--God is the key to every marriage. If He is at the center and both of you are focused on that, then it will be one that will last a lifetime!! Evan a temporary loss of focus can be brought back. If the foundation is there, anything can be rebuilt.

--Remember, feelings are fleeting. Emotions run dry and then we feel empty, wondering if love was ever there in the first place. Human love is fragile. Only the love of God is perfect and never failing. Only that kind of love will get through those tough times. Only God can give you the love you need to love your spouse wholeheartedly. Trusting Him to provide love, when loves feeling is not there, is true understanding of unconditional love.

The Ballad of Daniel Bray

taken from: "Patriotic Poems of New Jersey,"
compiled by W. C. Armstrong, 1906

 

Background:

Daniel Bray was a captain in the Second regiment of the Hunterdon
county militia. He was born at Baptisttown, Hunterdon county,
N. J., October 12, 1751, and died at Kingwood, in the same county,
December 5, 1809.

Washington abandoned Jersey in the early part of December,
1776, the last man of the rear-guard under Lord Stirling reaching the
Pennsylvania shore on December 8th, about midnight. To prevent the
passage of the British, all boats had been removed from the Jersey shore; but Washington soon had far deeper plans in mind; he wished a little fleet of boats collected so that he and his army might recross the river at will.

Accordingly he summoned Captain Bray and directed him to
gather secretly all the river-craft that could be found on the Delaware
from Phillipsburg downward.

Associated with Capt. Bray in this undertaking were Capt. Jacob
Gearhart and Adj. Thomas Johnes; these three met at Baptisttown, about three miles inland, to make their plans and engage the assistance of others. They worked at night disguised as hunters; and no easy task it was to find the boats hidden away in creeks by their owners, to cut them out of the ice and to keep them from being swamped in the rapids while taking them down the icy current in the darkness.

Capt. Bray and his companions worked at this for ten nights and
succeeded in collecting about twenty-five craft, including fourteen Dur
ham boats, four scows and several rafts for the transportation of cannon; all these they hid behind Malta, a heavily-wooded island opposite Lambertville.

Thus were the boats gathered for Washington s famous crossing.

 

 

 

THE BALLAD OF DANIEL BRAY

December, 1776. 

The Delaware, with stately sweep,

Flows seaward as when armies fought:
But they who struck for freedom sleep

Beneath the soil their valor bought.
At Rosemont, inland, Daniel Bray,

In lonely grave, with rest hard won,
Waits for his country s voice to say:

"He brought the boats to Washington."

At Trenton lay the Hessian host,

Pluming their pride with gay parade;
They thought the freeman s cause was lost

And hoped his last brave stand was made;
But safe on Pennsylvania s shore,

The master patriot aimed the blow
Which thenceforth in the nation s lore

Would mark oppression s overthrow.

To Captain Bray on Kingwood height

A horseman sped by field and brake,
Till on his door, at dead of night,

He knocked, and bade the soldier wake s
A hasty mount, a quick farewell,

And then miles down the frozen track,
Like musket shots the hoof-beats fell,

While Mary slept and dreamed him back.

Down Stony Batter Hill they sped,

Across Duck s Flat; then up the slopes
To Rittenhouse (where sleep the dead)

Their coursers climbed with steadier lopes ;
The ten-mile creek is left behind,

Gilboa s slant is swiftly run;
At Coryell s the inn they find,

And waiting them, great Washington.

That hour Bray heard his general say:

"Seize all the boats from Easton down,
And guard them safe, by night and day,
Until we cross to take the town."


The echoes of a noble voice

Hied with him from that meeting place,
Praise made the soldier s heart rejoice,

And spurred his zeal to quicker pace

Ere gray dawn paled o er Hunterdon,

He ranged a circuit twelve miles wide,
For brave Gearheart of Flemington,

And Johnes of Amwell countryside.
To foil the Tory s cunningness,

With squads in hunter s garb uncouth,
They pierced the Jersey wilderness,

From Ringoes to the Lehigh s mouth.

Then downward on the broader stream,

They drove by night their project bold,
With but the planet s wintry gleam

To cheer them in the bitter cold.
December s slashing wind cut keen

O er ice-cakes massed with frosty grip;
And longside, in the dusky sheen,

They watched the chill black waters slip.

Beneath the river s gloomy banks,

And where the friendly ferry plied,
They seized the craft with scanty thanks,

And launched them on the swirling tide:
Through eddies deep, and rapids swift,

They guided sure their precious fleet;
Minding the rock and treacherous rift,

And creeks where angry currents meet.

No hostile shot disturbed the verge,

Where ghostly woods loomed drear and dark
No voice, except the hound s sad dirge,

Or, far away, the wolf s gruff bark;
But sometimes cross the distant slope,

A farmhouse shed its candle ray,
And warmed the wand rer s heart with hope

Of fireside joys and freedom s day.

The river s speech is low and weird,

It bears no tales of deeds long past ;

But Bray, ere morning light appeared,
His boats by Malta Isle made fast;


And on that famous Christmas night,
They bore the heroes o er the tide,

Who broke the spell of Britain s might,
And flung the Hessian mob aside.

The Delaware shall ever flow

Through sacred soil, forever free.

And every free-born child shall know
The tale of Trenton s victory:

And till the stars shall cease to shed
Their light o er hilly Hunterdon,

Of Daniel Bray it shall be said:

"He brought the boats to Washington."

--Joseph Fulford Folsom. 

Hunterdon County NJ Archives Biographies.....Daniel BRAY

Gods Hand of Provision

I honestly do not know where to begin, or where I am going with this particular blog. I just feel the need to write, so I write. I always intend to do more writing, but time never seems to be there. I also know that a person will do what is important to them and will make time for things they hold priority in life. I guess that means that writing has not been much of a priority lately. Recently I have had an abundance of time, but didnt want to write too soon that my emotions of the moment would spill out without thought. A month has passed and now I feel more in control in what I want to say.

Last month I lost my job with Frac Tech. To be perfectly honest it was no ones fault but mine. I am relatively new at driving, but I guess the incident was avoidable. I was driving an empty flat bed back to the yard. Once I got to the yard it was a confusing mess, as usual. There is quite a bit of construction going on and vehicles are all over the yard. Parked in places they are not normally. The regular place I would make a left at was blocked. So I went to another area. When I went to make my turn I noticed a pickup with a couple of guys standing by it talking. I guess I focused on them to much because I did not follow my tail through the turn. I looked to see if it was clear, but when I saw that truck my focus went to them. Just in case the truck did not see me and swung out in front of me. So focusing on that made me lose attention to my follow through. I clipped a Frac Pump that was parked. It did not do much damage at all, just bent the housing for the tail light. The light still worked, it just needed to be bent back. They did not see it as a small incident. Three hours later I was terminated.

The flat bed was not the only incident though. Two weeks before I accepted the blame for a fork lift mishap that happened on location. That with this recent incident led to my dismissal. I thought I was doing good by telling them to put the blame solely on me and away from the two spotters that I had. My spotters were there to prevent me from having any mishaps. But we all missed it. I was behind the wheel, so I felt a little more responsible. They wanted to suspend all three of us. I asked to go easy on them and to only suspend me. And they did. Little did I know that it probably led to my dismissal rather than a stiffer suspension.

The thing that upset me was that I was a model employee. In the year that I worked there I was never late. I only called out sick once when I had severe bronchitis. Whatever they asked, I did. Whatever hours they needed me to work, I did. I never complained openly to anyone. It hurt that I was just kicked to the curb. I did appeal their decision, but even the higher-ups decided the original decision would stand.

The one thing, through this all, I have not lost is my trust in God. I know he has a reason for me leaving Frac Tech. He has a reason for me being out of work this last month. He has another job out there for me. I have complete faith in that. I have complete faith that He will provide my family's needs. And He has. I was given opportunity to work helping friends out. Whether it was installing insulation or running a dump truck, God provided enough money to meet our needs. (and a little angel that left an envelope on our car a few weeks ago at church...THANK YOU who ever you were). That with the little bit of savings we had helped us make it through the month..... I also have to say that tithing has been a big part of our faith. No matter if I was paid $200 or $2000, 10% of it went back to God. After all, He is the one who provided us with the work in the first place. I believe that more than anything is what has allowed the little money that we have had to be stretched so far.

A couple of days ago, I spent another day filling out applications. I went by a place that I have passed dozens of times and never really thought of stopping. That day I did. I filled out an app and was pretty much hired on the spot (pending the usual drug test and pre employment physical). I should start some time next week. The job sill still be somewhat in the oil field, but just a little more on the driving end. Which is what I need to get over this little incident. While it was not an accident that goes on my record, I am thinking that other employers are frowning on it. I needed a break. For someone to give me shot and look past the mishaps.

I know the thing that has gotten me through all of this is my faith in God. Without him I would not have handled the situation the way I have. I would not have the peace that I have. We woulnt have had the money to make it through. I wouldnt have the supportive wife who helped keep my head in it when things seemed overwhelming. Together we went through this. When I would get discouraged, she would be there to help me, and me her. God has us together for that reason. She is my soul mate. The person God made for me. And God has always provided exactly what we needed. It was in his timing, not ours.

So no matter how dark it looks. No matter what obstacle you face. As long as you hold tight to your faith in God and His provision, your needs will be met. Remember, the word I am using here is 'need'. Not 'want'. Carolyn and I WANT to get a new car. We WANT to start the process of buying our house. Those wants are not met. They are simply that 'wants'. And if one focuses on what they want, then they will always be disappointed. Talk to God. Remember that He will be there when no one else is. His hand will provide what you need when all seems lost. I pray that our recent experience will help you and show you evidence of Gods provision.

Where the Frac has Jeff been?

Well its been over 9 months since my last post. A lot has happened recently. I'm sure that most of you know this by now, I no longer work for Wal-Mart. I now work for an oil field company called Frac Tech. Man does this job keep me busy. My lack of any real FB activity reflects that. I don't have time to sleep much less post on here. I am on my weekend off and wanted to take a moment to update my friends on whats been going on.

Back in February after another pass over on entering the Management program at Wal-Mart I began searching for something else. I had heard about the oil field boom in the area and decided to go check one of the local companies. I was pretty much hired on the spot, as they were hiring anyone who could breathe. I had to go through two background checks, two physicals, and whats called a "stress test". The background checks and physicals went fine. The stress test however had me....well...stressed. It turned out to be fairly simple. It was a series of physical activities and they monitor your heart rate. The big thing that had me worried was that you had to dead lift 120lbs. I wasn't sure if I could do it. I was able to do it. It took some effort, but I got it done. And in March I was officially hired on as an Equipment Operator.

During the interview I thought I was going to be hired on as a Hot Shot Driver. At least that is what I was told, but they were only hiring current CDL carriers as drivers. The gentleman who was interviewing laid it on the line. "Being an EO is hard work, long hours (80-100 hours a week), and not many can do it". I almost walked away. Almost. He did not explain the details of the job, and I see now why. If he had...I probably would've walked. I thought I should give it a shot so I went through the hiring process, was hired, and was sent to Orientation. After that class in Aledo, TX I was sent to the field.

My schedule is 7/2 7/2 7/3. (days on/off) The three is always Fri, Sat, Sun. That is what I am on now. My weekend off. Those 7 days I am away from home. They put us up in a hotel in Laredo. We move around the area to different well sites. Weve had locations in Catarina, Encinal, Crystal City, Valley Wells, and Tilden,  For the closer jobs, like Tilden, We come home every night. Right now our location is in Artesia Wells.

My day usually begins around 2am. Lobby time. We make a store stop to get breakfast, snacks and ice for the coolers of water. We are on location usually by 4-430am. Turn on equipment and are Frac-ing by 530. Each frac runs about an hour and a half. Separated by a process called Wire Line, which takes about an hour. We do about 4 a day. Usually leave location from 6-7pm and at hotel by 9. Shower, eat dinner and go to bed around 10pm. Then sleep for three and a half hours only to wake up and do it all over again. This process can be interrupted by any number of issues: more than two pumps going down (we use 18 pumps for frac-ing), Wire Line misfire, or other equipment failure. This happens quite a bit. I cant tell you how many times we've gotten back to hotel at 10pm and had a 2am lobby time. I am averaging between 90 - 105 hours a week.

Frac-ing is the process of preparing a pre drilled well for extraction. Injecting the well with sand and chemicals and then using a charge to fracture the walls of the well to release the deposits. There are many positions involved. Lineboss, Blender Tender, Hydration, Chemicals, Sand King/ Dual Belt Operators and Greasers. I started off as a Greaser. Which means I filled reservoirs on each pump with grease and maintained them. I did that for two months. Then I moved over to a Dual Belt operator. The Dual Belt is a conveyor belt that takes the sand from the Sand King to the Blenders. After learning that I moved to a Sand King operator, which is where I am now. Greasing was pretty easy. I liked working the Dual Belt. The Sand King is pretty simple. Requires a lot of head work, but easy. The hardest part of it is strapping. (looking in container and determining how much is left). I am still learning to strap, other than that I have got the hang of it.

All in all the job is fairly simple. Like the interviewer said, long hours, but most of the hours are spent waiting. During a Frac job, there is only really six hours of work. Unless you are helping to fix a pump, lining out chemicals, or cleaning up site during the Wire Line. If nothing needs done, then we cab up and sleep or eat. That is one thing I learned with this job. You sleep when you can and you eat when you can. They have no issue with us taking naps. But if we are rigging up or rigging down, the work is constant. The worst part of the job....well then there is the heat.

The weather plays a big part in how much we get done. Not necessarily we stop work, quite the opposite. We work no matter how hot it is or how wet it gets. Day before yesterday we had rain, and some of you may have seen my post "Frac-ing in the rain." The only thing that could stop us would be lightning. Or perhaps a very heavy rain. The heat is the worst. When its 95 in Pleasanton its easily 10 degrees warmer where we are at. Then you factor in the humidity and it becomes almost unbearable. I drink 10-12 bottled waters a day, 2 Powerades, and one or two electrolyte drinks. You don't hydrate, it can mess you up.

In addition to the weather the process can hurt. We work with over 9000 pounds of pressure. If an iron line ruptures the sand that is being pushed though can do some lethal damage. Many dangers loom. Slips, Trips, and Falls are dangers in themselves. One fall almost critically injured one of my crew members. He fell off the back of a pump and deeply cut his thigh. 2 inches from his femoral artery. 2 inches and he would not have made it to the hospital. Another guy lost the tip of his finger when two pieces of iron pinched it. Dangerous stuff. I've never prayed so much for safety.

This job is a like/hate type of job. There are days when I just want to give up and go home, others I can tolerate it, and almost like it. What keeps me going is the goals Carolyn and I laid out: Get out of debt, start the process to buy our house, get a new car, and start saving for college for the kids. Ive learned that this job is not forever. If you don't have a plan getting in, you wont make it. Nearly every guy on my crew has a plan on what they do with their pay. My goals get me out of bed in the morning.

After three months in this job I have grown almost used to it. Which is what I was told when I started. "Give it three months and you'll be used to it". There were days when I wanted to quit so bad that I almost gave up. In fact I think I did give up a time or two. Then I heard a song by Matthew West. "Strong Enough" gets me through my weak days. Philippians 4:13 has always been a staple in my life. No matter what the odds I can get through it with Gods help. When Matthew West came out with that song it reminded me of that. I first heard that song on KLOVE on my way to Praise Wave..where in fact Matthew West was performing that night. He sang that song and it made me cry. ...."Maybe that's the point, to reach the point of giving up. Cause when I'm finally at rock bottom, that's when I start looking up, and reaching out". I was trying to do this job on my own strength. Now I remind myself that it is God who gives me the endurance I need to make it.

I don't know how long I will be doing this. Two years is my target. I would like to eventually learn all the positions. I know I do NOT want to be a Supervisor. I see their job and responsibilities...I don't want them. To much of a headache and to little pay. (they are salary). I thank God for this opportunity. Its a weird, yet good, feeling not to live paycheck to paycheck anymore. And Carolyn gets to stay home with the kids. She has gotten used to the idea of being a stay at home mom. Shes good at it!! Keep us in your prayers. Its not easy me being a way a week at a time. I miss my family. God has us here for a reason. I know he will get us through it. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. And I know I don't have to be strong enough for the both God and myself.

The Devil Made Me Do It

In Sunday School this last Sunday morning one of the gentleman in our class make a comment that I found very profound. I don't know if he really understood how deep and profound it was. He said, "Don't give the devil too much credit". It made me think. How many times do we blame the devil for the bad things we do. "The devil made me do it." we say. Passing the blame for our sinful nature to the father of lies.

Is it really the devils fault? Who committed the sin in the first place?

The devil is glad when we sin, sin causes a separation between us and God. I think that even uttering the phrase "the devil made me do it" makes the devil feel proud. His main goal is to keep sinners from the forgiveness and grace of God. His main goal is to keep Christians in their past sins, reminding them that they are not good enough for his love and attention.

When we do sin what is our natural reaction? Our pastor spoke of this a couple of weeks ago. We feel ashamed and hide, and then we look to someone else to take the blame. Just as Adam and Eve blamed someone else for their actions? Eve, the originator of this pass the buck comment, blamed the devil. Adam blamed Eve and even blamed God for putting Eve with him.

I am going to go one step further. The devil has no power over us that the Lord did not give him. So to suggest that he caused us to do something is giving him way to much credit. We are essentially saying that the devil came into our physical bodies, possessed us and caused us to sin and then immediately left our bodies. How ridiculous is that.

We sin of our own will. We give in to our temptations. It is in our human nature. The devil may tempt us. He may lie to us and get us to believe that its okay to sin, but he does not cause us to sin. That is completely on you and me. We shouldn't blame the devil for our sin, its not his fault. Some go to the extent to even blame God for the temptations we face. (e.g. Adams response to his sin)

James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full‑grown, gives birth to death.

It is our own evil desires. Not the devil, not God, not the woman you put here with me, not your friends, not your parents, not your children...OUR own evil desires. We are born into a sinful world. And we have sinned, we sin , and be sure we will sin again. Again, its in our human nature.

So what are we to do about it? Give up and give in? Throw our hands in the air and surrender to our sinful nature? Before you answer, look at this:

1 Cor. 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Did you catch that?

NO temptation except what is common to man. What you and I go through is common. Everyone out there goes through sin. There are others out there facing the same temptations you are. And better still, GOD IS FAITHFUL!! He only allows as much as you can handle. No matter what the sin or the temptation to sin you are facing, our evil desires are great, but God is greater. If we could not bear it, then God would not allow the temptation to be put in our way.



Job 11:12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord .

and

Job 2:4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life.5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”



The power that Satan had was given to him by God, and he was given limits on what he could do. God did not cause the temptation on Job, he allowed it. He knew that Job could stand up under it. And he did. He lost everything, and did not blame God once. He had friends on every side trying to convince him to curse God and die.

Jobs response was an emphatic:

“Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”

More over, God will provide a way out of our temptation. He knows how much we can handle. Even when we are at wits end and feel overwhelmed, its not too much for us to bear. Whatever our sin may be. That little hint or reminder that you get, or that small obstacle in your way from getting to that sin, is placed there by God to give us that way out. We need to recognize that way and take it. Stop placing the blame, when we give in to sin, on the devil. The devil did not make you do it. He couldn't make you do it even if he wanted to. God would not allow it.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double‑minded.9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Strong and the Weak

The fountain flows, and the river dries,
You can see the peoples sorrows, and hear the childrens cries.

They were warned and they knew,
In their defense nothing to say, nothing to do.

Following the twisted trails, on toward the evergreens,
Searching for the higher ground, for those places never seen.

Having all but given up they fall, one by one by the wayside,
Only few will eventually endure, faces set toward the final goal.

Those who cannot measure up will point and laugh,
Making excuses on why they've fallen short.

Confused at what all this,
Means a lack of tenacity at this race,

or is it a game,

or maybe a crazy dream,
Yet all in all it seems real at that.

So, our final focus is on the reward,
On the reasons for this higher place,
On the grounds of pure insanity.

Call me crazy, or call me dumb, but eternity is worth a few years.
Too many don't even bother to try, and wonder why its difficult.

Complacency kills and idleness infects,
But taking on the challenge is a great thing:

The adventure of all adventures and the reward of rewards.

The cost requires complete affirmation,
And a will that belongs within One.

Still, the fountain will flow, and the river will dry
But we can live without the sorrow of the people
And the cries of the children,

Because we were warned and we all know,
What the spiritually idle can do to a soul.



(C)1997 Jeff Bray

As Much As Necessary

Questions....

How are we to deal with repetitive sin? What are we to do with that one sin we keep committing? Are we to just sum it up as human nature and give into it every time, or is there a way to finally overcome it and get on with life free of the pressures?

"Oh, come on!!" you may say, "Ive dealt with this my whole life and I cant do it!! You have no idea what it is like. You dont deal with the things I do!"

That may be so, but this will work in all situations that deal with whatever sin you may give in to.

Read: II Kings 13:14-19

¹⁴ Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. "My father! My father!" he cried. "The chariots and horsemen of Israel!"

¹⁵ Elisha said, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did so. ¹⁶ "Take the bow in your hands," he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.

¹⁷ "Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek."

¹⁸ Then he said, "Take the arrows," and the king took them. Elisha told him, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times and stopped. ¹⁹ The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times."

Elisha was a prophet of the Lord. He had succeeded Elijah and was the "prophet in Israel". God used him to perform many miracles and to help Israel keep close to the Lord. Kings sought his counsel, especially in time of war, or when war was approaching. Elisha was nearing the end of his life as we enter II Kings 13. On his death bed he still was giving instructions and help to Jehoash.

Jehoash is concened about his enemies. Now that Elisha was dieing, his fears of not having him around are becoming evident. Elisha gets up the strength to give his king one final instruction. Telling him to get a bow and arrow and fire a shot out the window. Signifying Gods sure and true victory in that battle at Aphek.


Okay, lets understand something about shooting a bow and arrow. When an archer shoots an arrow, as he pulls back the string, he must aim at his target. He marks the spot he wants to hit, completely focuses on it, never take his eyes off of it, and then releases his arrow. If he loses focus he may miss the target. And complete focus hits his mark, and victory.

Elishas next instruction was not to fire an arrow but to strike the ground with the arrow. I suppose in his confusion, or perhaps his haste he only hits the ground three times. Elisha points this out and tells Jehoash that he should have hit the ground five or six times. Thus only giving him partial victory against Aram.

First we need to identify what the battle is. In Jehoash's case it was the Arameans. Constant battles with one enemy. Aphek was just one of them. But he identified his enemy as Aram. He grabbed the bow and arrow and fired out the window to the east. Jehoash identified his problem. As we must do. We must identify the problem and focus on it. If you do not concentrate on the issue you do not want in your life, your heart will not be in it completely. And if you attempt to try and defeat it without total focus, you will not succeed. Isnt it ironic that sinning in its original form means missing the mark.

Once we identify our sin, which is the easy part, we must then figure out what needs to be done to battle it. Jehoash did not understand. Thus he did not strike the ground wholeheartedly. If he had, then he would have hit the ground more than the three times he did. When we identify our sin, we then need to strike the ground to give us victory over it. We may need to strike it more than once, more than three times. We may need to even strike it down five or six times. Deal with it till its defeated. To do what is needed as much as necessary.

Remember, satan wants us to fail. He wants us to stay where we are at. He wants us to put up with that sin and to allow it to remain in our life. Its his way of keeping that control over us, by giving himself a foothold into your subconscious with the guilt and shame. Telling you, "You will never be good enough. You will never overcome your sin. Who are you anyway, you worthless sinner. God could never love you, he could never help you. Your stuck. Just live with it. Remember Paul, he had a tormentor, God allowed it. How are you better than Paul?" His idea is for us to take our eyes off of the target by distracting us with his lies. He wants to knock us down and keep us down. Wallowing in self pity and regret.

Toby Mac has an awesome song out right now. "Get Back Up". Thats what we need to do. Get back up. No matter what, no matter how many times. Pick yourself up off the floor, dust yourself off, and continue on. Strike the ground as many times and we need to. Dont go about it half halfheartedly. You may be need to defeat it once, it may take more than that...twice, three times, maybe five or six....maybe ten or twelve. Point is ...do what you need to do as many times as you need to.

The best part is we can do it!! God has given us the strength to deal with it.

Read I Corinthians 10:13

13.No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

When you are tempted to commit that sin, there is a way out. Each sin has its own out. Each person has their own out. God places the way there for you to take. Its your job to recognize it and use it. See the way out, take it, and resist the devils temptations. Know that it is not impossible for your to resist.

Read James 4:7

7.Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

It does not say he may flee, or he could consider fleeing...HE WILL FLEE!!

Keep in mind that this is not a one time thing. It is a process. And God will be there every step of the way. To keep you standing, or to help you up again if you do give in. Every time.

9.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Just as we need to keep on striking it down, God is there for us when do give in. He loves us an will forgive us. Just keep on going and keep on striking it down .

Seeing With a New Vision

Do we take the time to look beyond the outer and look at the inner. Or do we simply go by first impressions or first glances. How fair is that to a person, situation or idea? Let me ask you a few questions...


What is your first thought when you see:

someone panhandling?

A teenager pregnant?

A dirty grungy person sitting in the back pew of church?



Or even worse,

A Mexican,

A black person,

A white person?

---

What do you think when someone tells you about a new way of doing things?

What if its contrary or even complete opposite of what you are used to?

And if their idea is somewhat far fetched do we blow them out if the water?

---

What if God told you to move across the country or to another country?

Would you be like Jonah and run and hide?

Or be like Isaiah and say "Here am I Lord, send me?"

Are you afraid of a new challenge?

Afraid to step out in faith that where his hand guides, his hand provides?

---

Here is the truth:


Not every panhandler is going to buy booze with that money? Even if he did, what business is it of ours if the giving was from the heart?

Arms of love need to be extended to that mother and unborn child, not finger wagging of ridicule and judgment. How will she know about the true love of God? She is confused enough. She is broken-hearted enough. How can we preach love if we cannot show love?

Since when does a persons outward appearance and/or smell dictate his passion to get to know the Living God? Did Jesus not call simple, stinky fishermen to follow him?

---

How can we judge a person by the color of their skin?

Not every Mexican is an illegal drunken wife-beater.

Not every black man is going to rob someone blind.

Not every white guy is going to be judgmental or trick one out of their inheritance.

---

Did we ever stop to think that there are more than one way of doing things? Have you considered that a change in paradigm is taking place? No one is a carbon copy of you. If every one was like you, how boring would things be? What works for one person may not work for another. What saves one person may not save the next.


God works in new and exciting ways. His ways may never change, but the means by which he goes about doing them are ever changing. Who are we to say that God would not work in that fashion? When it is scriptural of course. I'm not talking about cult rituals or the like. But genuine works of God that line up with his word.

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If you put your life in Gods hands, where do we have the right to say in were we are to live? If God calls you to go to San Antonio...go. If he calls you to Walla Walla, WA...go. Or to Bangor, ME...go. Or to South America, Africa, Mexico, or even China...GO!!!



Gods challenges are him trusting you with the blessings he wants to give you. Remember God will not give us more than he can bear. He is always there supporting and guiding us along the way. And if we are in need? Either it will automatically be provided, or we may be tested in our faith to pray for it so we can receive it. Either way it will be given to us.

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God does not want us to be cookie cutter Christians. Everyone is different and brings different perspectives and ideas to the game. He uses each one of us according to our abilities, which he gave us in the first place. They were meant to be used for his service. He chose you to have and use that gift and ability. Because there are people out there that only you can reach. God put you in that job, God put you in that church, God put you in line with that cashier, God gave you that friend. Gods hand works in all situations, with all ideas, and with all people.

Even if your are a half black half Mexican, pregnant, dirty grungy teen who sits in the back row who was just called to go to China to teach ESL by using the Bible as your textbook.

A Gentle Reminder

Have you in your walk ever feel like God was somewhere else?

Sometimes we may be perfectly in Gods will and yet feel forgotten. We begin to doubt and wonder where the problem could be. We look around with a sense of fear that we did something wrong. We allow our human understandings to creep in and view God as human, there one minute and gone the next.

Gods hand is always there. He will never let you go. Even though we may not feel it. This is where we must have faith and trust. Could this be God giving us a reminder to keep looking to him? Perhaps we are giving in to routine? Maybe he is preparing us for an upcoming challenge?

Troubles can come upon us even if we are in the will of the Lord. Our challenge is to remain focused and not be swayed. This will build character and deepen our roots. Much like a tree will deepen its roots looking for the water and oxygen to sustain itself. If its current depth seems to be drying up it grows its roots to search for the nutrients it seeks.

A tree has its main roots called perennial roots, these sustain the tree. Trees also have what are called feeder roots. These are smaller roots that spring off of the perennial root. While perennial roots are large and stabilize the tree and anchor it, the feeder roots are much smaller and tend to die off and are replaced by new feeder roots on a regular basis. The job of a feeder root is to gather the water and oxygen the tree needs to live.

In our spiritual walk our core beliefs are Jesus' death and resurrection, Jesus appearing to his disciples and ascension into Heaven, and Jesus' eventual return to take all believers to Heaven. These are our perennial roots. They are always there. Big and strong stabilizing us. Even though you cannot see these roots, for they lie under ground, they are always there.

As for our feeder roots. These are our experiences in our Christian walk. From the day we are saved, to the day we are baptized, our blessings from God, our answers to prayer, every verse we read, every sermon we hear, every time we are inspired from God, all of these things give nutrients to our spiritual man. They come and they go. Many different experiences throughout our lifetime. The issue is that we don't always feel excited about our walk. The feelings die and the mountain top experience fades. We need to continue in our walk and continue to have our experiences. Growing new feeder roots as the others die out. When we lose the feeling and nutrients from one, we need to have another to get the Living Water we need.

When we may be becoming blah in our relationship with God he gives us that empty feeling. Its His gentle nudge so we can spend the needed time with him. His reminder that its time to grow a new feeder root.

If we maintain our roots, what others see; our trunk, branches, leaves, and best of all, our fruit can be used to help others in their walk. Seeing us flourish can be a feeder root for fellow Christians.

Maintain your roots. Continue to grow feeder roots. Read your Bible, have a healthy prayer life, listen to uplifting music, get involved in a local church, use your God-given gifts to minister to others, and do whatever is needed to grow your relationship with Jesus. The more time you spend with Him the fewer the empty moments you'll have.



John 10:27-29


²⁷My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

²⁸And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

²⁹My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Why we suffer: Finally answered

God is patient. Not wanting anyone to perish. (II Peter 3:9)

That is the fact. He wants everyone to be saved.

Since everyone is different and the circumstances are different that would lead some people to come to God, then certain things, even negative, may need to happen for some to ultimately turn to Christ.

For instance, a death in the family due to an unhealed cancer. If the individual who has cancer is unsaved, it may bring the person who has cancer to repentance. If he is saved, then it may draw someone closer to God through missing the loved one or how that person handled himself during his suffering. So the death of a Child of God could lead to another being saved. And perhaps only that death could bring that one person to Christ. If it was the only thing that could've turned that person, then it was worth it.

This is why the good may die sometimes. To help bring that one person, who would have otherwise not turned to Christ, turn to Christ.

Remember. When a saved individual dies, he is with Christ in Heaven. If this is so, then why are we sometimes angered that Christians die? God is taking home his child. We should rejoice!!

Now as for the bad dieing. God doesn't strike someone dead just to please his fancy. That person would have been given several chances to be saved. If that person is so set against God, then before he can cause another one to remain unsaved, he is taken. Thus using a death of an unsaved to save another.

God is Omniscient. This means he knows all. He knows on the last day who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell. So if someone he knows today is ultimately going to hell, and he can use that death to bring someone else to Him, then couldn't that death be justified because that non-christian could deceive or drag down those who have been on the fence spiritually?


We wonder why mass destruction happens? This can be a little more complicated, but the same philosophy applies. Take an earthquake that takes tens of thousands. Or a tornado that wipes a whole town off the map. Or even 9-11 for that matter. Why do these things happen? Why do good people suffer? We dont ever ask why bad people suffer, just the good. Natural disasters do not discriminate. They happen when they happen. The good and bad suffer and die.

God is Omnipotent, this means he is all powerful. He has the power to stop an earthquake. He has the strength to thwart a tornado. He had the power to flick those planes away from those buildings with a finger. But he doesnt, he didnt.

Using natural disasters effect a great number of people. Its putting the personal level on an exponential level. Instead of one or two coming to repentance through a close friend or relative, its saving people on a mass scale effecting hundreds if not thousands of non believers.

The Father would leave the 99 to save the one. ( taken from Matthew 18:12)

This verse in itself explains why the good suffer. The Father does not want anyone to be lost. The 99 are safe. The one is lost. If something happened to one, or all, of the 99, they are saved, so their home will be in Heaven. The one lost is the Lords main concern.

Everyones days are numbered. From your birth day, your death day was set. How and where you are going to pass is set. How we use that life totally depends on how we choose to live it. Accept Jesus, or reject Jesus.

God is patient. Not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Inspired while reading Ps 114-117

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