"When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we don't see the one that has opened for us."
Alexander Graham Bell
We’ve probably all used this example sometime in our life (open door closed door) as to whether God is directing us or not. I’m so thankful for having learned (mind you the hard way) about coming into agreement with my wife and God, over ANY decision we have ever had to make. We’ve had people question us about what if a decision has to be made, or you can’t come into agreement, then what do you do.
We had an old Pastor of ours say to us when we asked him that same question … he said “we don’t do anything until we do come into agreement, no matter what the circumstance.” We asked him about those times when the husband as the head of the house needs to just step up and do whatever, because it’s his responsibility….his question was, “can you name just one example, so I know what you’re talking about?”
We couldn’t and walked away from that conversation over 30 years ago, trying to live out that truth, we learned from him and the Lord that day. (The only exception we’ve been able to think about since then, is one where there is an immediate emergency…. (Now be careful here, what you call an emergency.)
We have had times, that we wondered (sometimes with regret) did we do the right thing by closing a door…but you know we’re convinced that if our hearts were right, God will lead us to the right door. We heard a visiting pastor to our church say once, “when one door closes and we’re waiting for the next one to open…its Hell in the Hallway.” We’ve been through that a number of times…my prayer and hope is, that we won’t (any of us) go back, to the closed door He closed and that we must trust God for the next door to open. It is amazing what He will show us in that hallway. IE: Trust, Faith, Grace, Truth, and perseverance, just to name a few.
These kinds of things are faith building adventures that we should never regret having experienced, because they have made us stronger and more trusting in the Lord. So while you’re hanging out in the hallway, look for the Lord, He is there, you’ll see.
U2R1 4 a reason
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
"Life is a Grindstone"
"Life is a grindstone. But whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us. "
L. Thomas Holdcraft
Wow!!!! As this applies to our lives we might sometimes wonder, what are you doing Lord….I thought this life lived in you was going to be a bed of roses, all downhill, always a mountain top experience. Well sometimes it is, but I can remember more times that it is not. How about you, can you relate?
Many of us have believed a lie. Did someone said to you, come to Jesus and you’re life will be easy. It’s not and wasn’t intended to be, folks. We do a huge disservice telling someone something like that.
For a couple of weeks or months, after your born again experience, it feels like heaven on earth but after a while, He gets the old grindstone out, not to hurt you but to polish you, if you will let Him.
Just like any fine diamond, we have to be polished up, to have the qualities the Lord wants so He can use us. Most times, I find these are areas of character issues He is working on.
So if you’re experiencing that grinding feeling in your life count it all joy, and receive it as from the Lord. If it’s grinding you down, can we suggest that you’re not yielding to what the Lord wants to change in you? But if it feels like you’re being polished then enjoy, because your heart is in the right place. It’s a process that will take all our natural life, but as we yield to His heavenly sandpaper or grindstone, we move from a rough cut diamond to a multi-faceted quality gemstone, worth more than all the silver or gold in this world.
We’ve heard it said that, “God loves us just the way we are, but too much just to let us stay that way.”
We hope you can thank Him every day, as He polishes the rough edges off. Especially as it has to do with our "One-Flesh". If sparks fly from time to time in your relationship, you are in the process of becoming a fine gemstone, for Him and His use, if you will allow it to change you.
What’s the Lord working on in you right now, are you willing to share it with us? Do so in the comments section.
U2R1 4 a reason
L. Thomas Holdcraft
Wow!!!! As this applies to our lives we might sometimes wonder, what are you doing Lord….I thought this life lived in you was going to be a bed of roses, all downhill, always a mountain top experience. Well sometimes it is, but I can remember more times that it is not. How about you, can you relate?
Many of us have believed a lie. Did someone said to you, come to Jesus and you’re life will be easy. It’s not and wasn’t intended to be, folks. We do a huge disservice telling someone something like that.
For a couple of weeks or months, after your born again experience, it feels like heaven on earth but after a while, He gets the old grindstone out, not to hurt you but to polish you, if you will let Him.
Just like any fine diamond, we have to be polished up, to have the qualities the Lord wants so He can use us. Most times, I find these are areas of character issues He is working on.
So if you’re experiencing that grinding feeling in your life count it all joy, and receive it as from the Lord. If it’s grinding you down, can we suggest that you’re not yielding to what the Lord wants to change in you? But if it feels like you’re being polished then enjoy, because your heart is in the right place. It’s a process that will take all our natural life, but as we yield to His heavenly sandpaper or grindstone, we move from a rough cut diamond to a multi-faceted quality gemstone, worth more than all the silver or gold in this world.
We’ve heard it said that, “God loves us just the way we are, but too much just to let us stay that way.”
We hope you can thank Him every day, as He polishes the rough edges off. Especially as it has to do with our "One-Flesh". If sparks fly from time to time in your relationship, you are in the process of becoming a fine gemstone, for Him and His use, if you will allow it to change you.
What’s the Lord working on in you right now, are you willing to share it with us? Do so in the comments section.
U2R1 4 a reason
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
"Greatness and Mediocrity"
"The difference between "Greatness and Mediocrity" is often how an individual views a mistake."
Nelson Boswell
Mistakes, I thought we were supposed to hide them, and not bring them into the light. That seems like what the church has been preaching for many years, until of late, that is.
Kathy and I just happen to go to a church that has a senior pastor that puts his pants on one leg at a time like we all do. He doesn’t try to hide the fact that he is not perfect. He’s very transparent with us, and that makes Him (the Lord) real, for us.
In our travels we have seen this same kind of men and women in the pulpits across America. It’s really refreshing and a real move of the Lord, in our opinion.
They like us, view our mistakes as a school, and the Lord is the headmaster. He will change us into a vessel useful for His work, if we will allow Him to make the adjustments in our lives.
I’ve heard it called the “Wilderness School of the Bible”. We’ve all been there, but our mistakes don’t have to mean our defeat. In fact the Lord has other ideas for them and it will save others some of the trials they could get into, by sharing with them in a transparent way our defeats and victories. He wants us to do that so that they can have the same kind of victories.
God is calling us to greatness in Him, not mediocrity. If we will grab hold of that truth, God will move you into places you would have never of dreamed of before. As a leader in the body of Christ, this is what He is asking of you. Will you allow Me to use the mistakes, to help others get through theirs, or maybe not make them at all because they learned how not to, by watching and hearing your testimony?
Jack Welsh the former CEO of General Electric, only hires leaders that have had at least 3 failures in their lives. Some of them have gone on, to lead some of the largest companies in the world. I like that. God sees mistakes as stepping stones to greatness. So step out there and make a difference.
U2R1 4 a reason
Nelson Boswell
Mistakes, I thought we were supposed to hide them, and not bring them into the light. That seems like what the church has been preaching for many years, until of late, that is.
Kathy and I just happen to go to a church that has a senior pastor that puts his pants on one leg at a time like we all do. He doesn’t try to hide the fact that he is not perfect. He’s very transparent with us, and that makes Him (the Lord) real, for us.
In our travels we have seen this same kind of men and women in the pulpits across America. It’s really refreshing and a real move of the Lord, in our opinion.
They like us, view our mistakes as a school, and the Lord is the headmaster. He will change us into a vessel useful for His work, if we will allow Him to make the adjustments in our lives.
I’ve heard it called the “Wilderness School of the Bible”. We’ve all been there, but our mistakes don’t have to mean our defeat. In fact the Lord has other ideas for them and it will save others some of the trials they could get into, by sharing with them in a transparent way our defeats and victories. He wants us to do that so that they can have the same kind of victories.
God is calling us to greatness in Him, not mediocrity. If we will grab hold of that truth, God will move you into places you would have never of dreamed of before. As a leader in the body of Christ, this is what He is asking of you. Will you allow Me to use the mistakes, to help others get through theirs, or maybe not make them at all because they learned how not to, by watching and hearing your testimony?
Jack Welsh the former CEO of General Electric, only hires leaders that have had at least 3 failures in their lives. Some of them have gone on, to lead some of the largest companies in the world. I like that. God sees mistakes as stepping stones to greatness. So step out there and make a difference.
U2R1 4 a reason
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
“Life in-Between”
"There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between."
Pat Riley
Most of us have heard the story of the chicken arguing with the pig on commitment; it wasn’t the chicken that was fully committed, (at the breakfast table) the pig has to give his all. There is no in-between.
We know that same thing holds for us in Christ, we have to be all in, or we’re not in at all.
Life in-Between is a lousy way to live, work, or minister. A sold out person for the Lord, is the only way to live.
We know that when the Lord called us to minister with 2=1 in 1995 (then MMI), we prayed, counted the cost, and said to the Lord, we’ll go until you say no. Since that time, we had the most amazing opportunities to minister and have been all over the world and spent 4 months on the road in 2009, doing so.
We know we don’t have all the answers….but we sure know the One who does. Our intercessor team has helped us, hear from the Lord on a number of occasions. They were given insight, which helped us win a battle in spiritual warfare in another country. We would have been in big trouble if we hadn’t been committed to prayer, and had committed intercessors.
With prayer there isn’t any, “Life in-Between” we need to be all in. We’ve all had times when we were remiss in this part of our lives, could we encourage you, get back to the discipline, He’s waiting for you, His commitment has never ceased, to be there. He misses us when we don’t keep our commitments, you see He only has one option and that is a full commitment to you, and there isn’t any Life in-Between for Him.
Do you have examples you could share with all of us, about your victories in this area?
U2R1 4 a reason
Pat Riley
Most of us have heard the story of the chicken arguing with the pig on commitment; it wasn’t the chicken that was fully committed, (at the breakfast table) the pig has to give his all. There is no in-between.
We know that same thing holds for us in Christ, we have to be all in, or we’re not in at all.
Life in-Between is a lousy way to live, work, or minister. A sold out person for the Lord, is the only way to live.
We know that when the Lord called us to minister with 2=1 in 1995 (then MMI), we prayed, counted the cost, and said to the Lord, we’ll go until you say no. Since that time, we had the most amazing opportunities to minister and have been all over the world and spent 4 months on the road in 2009, doing so.
We know we don’t have all the answers….but we sure know the One who does. Our intercessor team has helped us, hear from the Lord on a number of occasions. They were given insight, which helped us win a battle in spiritual warfare in another country. We would have been in big trouble if we hadn’t been committed to prayer, and had committed intercessors.
With prayer there isn’t any, “Life in-Between” we need to be all in. We’ve all had times when we were remiss in this part of our lives, could we encourage you, get back to the discipline, He’s waiting for you, His commitment has never ceased, to be there. He misses us when we don’t keep our commitments, you see He only has one option and that is a full commitment to you, and there isn’t any Life in-Between for Him.
Do you have examples you could share with all of us, about your victories in this area?
U2R1 4 a reason
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