Hey you!...That's right I'm talking to you!

Are you the type of person that it takes someone knocking you upside the head or standing in your face with a bullhorn to get your attention? I am and was reminded of it in a great conversation the other day with a lady on staff concerning the Holy Spirit.

So often i go through my days thinking about facts and hard logic. i tend to take past history or "common sense" into my decision making and advice that i give to others. Times that i feel leadings outside of these areas i often refer to as my conscience or emotional intelligence.

The thing is, when i chalk it up to my "conscience" its too easy to ignore it because I don't feel accountable to God in it - it's "my" conscience not God's spirit. I am finding that the more i am grounded on the Word daily and resting in moments of prayer my "conscience" begins working overtime!

I had some questions i needed answered to i went to my friend with those and within a few minutes she was handing me a book on the Holy Spirit and encouraging me to acknowledge these promptings as God speaking through His Spirit, not my own mind. I shared my feelings that it's a lot easier to ignore my own self than God's Spirit and how scary it can be to let go and surrender to the Spirit. In response she shared this really beautiful and encouraging thought:

"The Holy Spirit knows you better than you know yourself and He will never prompt you in an area you are not equipped to handle". 

Talk about a freeing statement if you acknowledge its truth! When we are daily in the Word and in open conversation with God we should have confidence in His leading through the Holy Spirit, moving boldly into territories he's already prepared us for.

For me this is still easier said than done but i am choosing to own this Truth as I start each day in hopes that I will acknowledge Him in every prompting and situation. How about you?

Mr. Big Stuff...who do you think you are

Matthew 18

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child and had him stand among them.3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

humbling text this morning - in three different ways Jesus tears you open about how you perceive yourself and others. Wanting to be the greatest, looking down on others and refusing to forgive are all things that i struggle with every day! we are so deceived to think that status in this world even matters a little bit - why do we continue to strive for that? how often do we continue to judge others - even when the Judge has pardoned us?


its awesome that in two of the sections Jesus uses the image of a child. since becoming a dad i have realized (as every parent does) how much your children teach you and how often they bring conviction to your life. i had one of those convicting moments saturday on the the way to soccer. 

charlie often turns his head in the car away from me if he is frustrated or tired but this time was different as he was whispering to himself. i quickly asked what was up and he promptly responded "dad - don't listen to me".  i thought "what is he upset about or dreaming about"? turns out he was nervous about his soccer game and was asking God to help him score in the 'right' goal! at 5 years old the kid knows that when he's nervous about something he needs to talk to God - not his dad!


now i know i can help him with his nerves by being supportive and reminding him he's loved but i am NOTHING compared to God who knows my sons every thoughts and who loves far beyond anything i can ever even fathom! whats even more humbling is that fact that if charlie had told me he was nervous i would have immediately given him pointers on how to better attack the ball or hustle so that he had a better chance at scoring that goal. is that what he needed - no way! he wanted Gods peace - and received it from its only source.


thanks God for being there for us, for using our children to point out who you are and for reminding us that apart from you we are NOTHING.