Walk Up the Road - what's behind the name

Life really is about the journey. Every day, we all find ourselves at a unique point on our path in life. Every day has its own ups and downs, victories and defeats, opportunities and challenges. What do you do with those, and where are you headed? Are you learning and growing, or stumbling and trying to get up off the ground? That's what is behind the name of this blog.

Now to be completely fair, it took a few tries to land on this. Here is the naming progression as I best remember it:

The road of life
Walking down the road
Walk down the road
Walking up the road
Walk up the road

Thank goodness some of those URL's were all ready taken!

God is teaching me that he has a road for me. And this life isn't a stroll down that road, but rather a hike up it. But its my road, and what I choose to do in life will determine where my road leads. Hopefully my road leads to a place within God's sovereign will. One of my professors challenged us recently to "live within our design". If we don't live within our design, there will be unreached potential.

Now, it may have been by luck that I landed on Walk "up" the road, but it is certainly appropriate. Colossians 1:24 says "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His body, the Church." Rejoicing in sufferings, doesn't that just sound like a difficult but progressive struggle up the road of life?!?! I don't think Paul was meandering down the road as he penned these words.

So there it is, that's where the name came from. Our spot on the path changes all the time. We move ourselves in different directions with every choice we make. Praise God for his abundant grace and love, because without Him this road is dark and depressing.

Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path". Jesus, may I walk in your will, and stay within the light you cast on my path. Praise God!

Ice Storm 09

Well, the past week has been quite an adventure. The ice storm that ripped through NWArkansas has been a wild ride that we will not soon forget. The storm has unfortunately left a mark on our town that will not soon be hidden either. The damage caused by the accumulation of ice is a small glimpse at the power of God! Here is a run down of our power situation:

Tuesday - power comes and goes two times during the day, we are without power for a total of 4 hours before it comes back on at 5:30.

After dinner and a movie (and getting to see a transformer explode), the power went off at 11:30 as Louise and I were falling asleep. We drug the mattress to the living room in front of the fire and slept comfortably there all night.

Wednesday - The severity and damage of this storm became apparent. My sense of excitement seemed to be replaced by the weight of our situation and what others were dealing with. I became very thankful for the things God has provided Louise and I (a gas fireplace and therefore a warm home, Praise God!). Power came back on in the early afternoon.

Thursday - we thought we were in the clear, until I put lunch on the stove at noon and the power promptly went out (great timing). Three hours later we were back up, this time for good!

Friday - as of this morning, 20,000 people in Fayetteville alone still don't have power. This storm is officially the worst ice storm every recorded in NWArkansas.

I found this Psalm (77)this morning as I look to the scriptures on the Power of God.

13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?

14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.

15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

God's power was certainly on display this week. I also found this verse in Job 27 that caught my eye.

10 Will he find delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?

11 "I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.

I will strive to be a man that God can answer those two questions in verse 10 with a "yes", and a man that never conceals the ways of the Almighty.

Hopefully the Power is back on for me in more ways than one, after a potent reminder of the power and sovereign nature of our Lord this week.

Amazing Grace, Just the Black Notes

I absolutely love this video. Amazing Grace is a classic song with a great history.



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Conflict and Understanding

I am now one week away from starting Grad School. Working for my Masters in Counseling will surely be an emotional roller coaster as I process through the experiences and family history of others and myself in an attempt to comprehend why we do what we do, why we think what we think, and why we feel what we feel. At this particular spot on my path God has chosen to teach me about 2 different yet incredibly intertwined relational ideas: conflict and the desire to understand others. Fellowship and its speakers should forgive me for quoting and misquoting them, but the following is how God has embedded conflict and understanding in my heart.

Conflict - I have never liked that word. The animosity and tense nature associated with the word alone are enough to make me cringe. Conflict is a driver of arguments, fights, divorce, hate, and war. Conflict is also a driver for, get this, personal growth. Healthy conflict leads to personal growth, not sometimes, all the time. Most conflict is steeply rooted in pride or being right, rather than what is actually the issue at hand. You see it in your marriage, at work, etc. Conflict arises over a specific issue or occurrence but quickly becomes about something much different, many times much bigger.

Healthy conflict must forfeit pride at the door. Healthy conflict is a tool that can be used to increase perspective, humility, care, and compassion, among other things. But the root of healthy conflict is an act so foreign to our human nature that it takes a constant, conscious effort to achieve it. To succeed in healthy conflict, we must have an ongoing desire to understand others point of view.

Desire to Understand Others - Simply put, the desire to understand others is the lynch pin to success in healthy conflict. Only through truly having a heart to understand others can we grow through conflict. If we do not care where others are coming from we will not understand them and we will not have anything other than harmful conflict with them. Let me make this very clear, understanding should never prevail at the cost of sacrificing truth. This is very important when looking at social hot button issues. We can be understanding without sacrificing truth.

To understand a person, you must understand their heart. What makes them tick? What do they really care about? If you listen, they will tell you.

God has been really working on me in this area this year, at times when I did not even realize it. It really came together for me in church recently when a speaker talked about this very subject. God has shown me so much about my amazing wife this year. The world fills our heads with ideas about how husbands, wives, couples should be. What they should do and how they should act. God has replaced my worldly mindset with a heart and love for the unique and amazing things about Louise. When I look at her, I don't think about what she isn't, I see what she is. I see the pure and perfect way that God created her. I see the woman that God has a big plan for. God knew exactly how to wire Louise and I so that we would have a successful marriage. As a desire to understand her has grown in my heart this year, our conflicts have become much more productive.

Praise God for a heart to understand others, goodness knows that is not my natural disposition!

Proverbs Chapter 3

13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,

14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.

Christ at Christmas, Front and Center

Luke 2:1-7

"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with Child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

A trusting woman
A faithful man
A sovereign God
A virgin birth

God fully human, came to Earth with purpose.

John 3:16-17

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be SAVED."

Christmas is an interesting intersection of emotions. In our world, in our lives, we tend to make it a very, very stressful time. We are worried about presents, traveling, relatives and anything else we can occupy our minds with. It can also be a very emotional time, as we find ourselves missing those who aren't with us, or being reminded of what we do and do not have. Maybe we should just slow down, be still, be quiet, and listen for God.

Psalm 62:5-8

"My soul wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation, and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."


Many times we push back the one thing this holiday is supposed to be about. Celebration of the birth of our Savior. What will we do to keep Christ front and center this Christmas? How will we honor our Savior on his Birthday? Spending some time in a quiet, still place with Him will be a good start.

Merry Christmas to you all.

My spot on the path - Graduate School

Three years ago, I would have told you that I was going to work at the Cashion Company for the rest of my life. I would have told you that Louise and I would always live in Little Rock. I had a plan on a steady, safe path and it included family, money, and security. But it lacked one thing. I had never sought out God's purpose for me, or looked at how and why he designed me like he did.

God took me out of The Cashion Company so He could show me where He wanted me to go, where He had built me to go. God knew that He had to take me from there and the distractions that were consuming me. Let me be clear, this was a me problem. I wasn't seeking God, I was allowing myself to be focused on the wrong things. Mostly, it was a money thing. I could not stop thinking about the money I knew I would be leaving on the table if I left The Cashion Company. God finally granted me the strength to make a leap of faith that I knew I had to take. I knew I would never be fulfilled at The Cashion Company b/c that is not what God designed me to do. So I ended up through a crazy coarse of events at The Harvest Group. God opened this door and closed others. It was only here that I was able to "shift focus and feed on truth". My focus shifted to God and I fed on His Truth. I realized that what really motivated me, what really gave me passion was relationships and growth. The Harvest Group provided a place where I could grow personally in my walk and professionally. My time here has been a major blessing to me.

So there I was, sitting on these two thoughts: relationships and growth. The Holy Spirit kept bringing me to one thought; counseling. I am a passionate, emotional, truth seeking person. I have always cared more about people than anything else: work, sports, knowledge, etc. People are my passion! So that is where I am on the path. Today I am 28 days away from my first day of class in graduate school. I couldn't be more excited and ready to get going.

God continues to reveal over and over to me again that this is the spot on the path He wants me to be at. I have been less than impressed with myself b/c God has to continue to motivate me daily towards this career change. The following isn't an easy thought: I am 25 and have a wife and mortgage, and I am about to be full time student/part time employee and be in school (expensive tuition!) for three years! But I know God will provide. He always has and He always will, as long as we seek Him.

Galatians 2:20,"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"

Three years ago, I was focused on what I thought I wanted/needed. Today, I realize that my life is for God's use and His purposes. And only if I seek and discover His use and purposes for me will I ever find true joy and peace in life.

Branson!

Louise and I made a one night trip to Branson this weekend. It was a blast. We stayed at a great little hotel just off the strip called Grand Oaks Hotel. We spent Saturday afternoon at the Tanger Outlet mall (I owed Louise some Christmas shopping time) and then spent the evening at the Branson Landing (which is awesome). We ate great food and saw some cool stuff.

It was so wonderful to be away with just Louise for the night. Branson makes for a perfect one night get away for those of us in NWArkansas.