My Way

 

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is growing up way too fast...he’ll be 15 years old this August and is a rising High Schooler!  As he is growing up, I must admit that he is also very stubborn and strong-willed.  Outside of sweets, he barely eats enough food to sustain life.  Years ago and before Door Dash became a thing, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help Elijah position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie, Linus' delight.  Of course, Elijah refused to eat the taco and started protested dinner because the “taco was broken!” 

The same principle holds true to this day in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

My Way

 

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is growing up way too fast...he’ll be 14 years old this August and is a rising 8th grader!  Along with all of the fun, he is also very stubborn and strong-willed.  Outside of sweets, he barely eats enough food to sustain life.  Years ago before Door Dash became a thing, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help Elijah position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie, Linus' delight.  Of course, Elijah refused to eat the taco and started protested dinner because the “taco was broken!” 

The same principle holds true to this day in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

St. Judy's Comet

 

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8

Both of our sons are masters in prolonging the nightly process of going to bed.   We have heard a litany of reasons over the past couple of years-everything from tummy-aches to bad dreams, Pennywise from the Stephen King novel 'It' (clowns are scary; sorry!) to simply just needing to go to the bathroom for the hundredth time. The other night, around 10:13 PM,  I heard movement coming from the boys' hallway. When I finally went to check on the boys, I caught our youngest son, Elijah still awake and watching YouTube on his iPhone

. 

He was somewhat embarrassed that I caught him sneaking around after we had put him to bed for the night, so I sat down on the edge of his bed and talked with him.  When asked what he was still doing up, He simply replied, “Dad, I am not tired.”  In a calm manner, I suggested that he get back into bed so that Mommy didn't hear him and he finally fell asleep a few moments later.    

Just like children have trouble understanding the importance of a good night’s rest, we too are in constant battle with God for control over our lives.  And being a loving parent, God is always communicating with us and for us to hear what He is trying to tell us, we must seek Him above all else in our lives.

You see, anything we pursue without talking to God about first, will most likely be in vein.  We must allow the Light of His Presence shine on all of our pursuits so that we can receive His help for the plans He has made for us or allow Him to change the desires of our hearts.

If we seek Him first and foremost, the rest of our lives will fall into place!

My Way

 

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is growing up way too fast...he’ll be 13 years old this August and is a rising 7th grader!  Along with all of the fun, he is also very stubborn and strong-willed.  Outside of sweets, he barely eats enough food to sustain life.  The other night, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help him position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie, Linus' delight.  Of course, Elijah refused to eat the taco and started protested dinner because the “taco was broken!” 

The same principle holds true in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

St. Judy's Comet

 

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8

Both of our sons are masters in prolonging the nightly process of going to bed.   We have heard a litany of reasons over the past couple of years-everything from tummy-aches to bad dreams, Pennywise from the Stephen King novel 'It' (clowns are scary; sorry!) to simply just needing to go to the bathroom for the hundredth time. The other night, around 10:13 PM,  I heard movement coming from the boys' hallway. When I finally went to check on the boys, I caught our youngest son, Elijah still awake and watching YouTube on his iPhone

. 

He was somewhat embarrassed that I caught him sneaking around after we had put him to bed for the night, so I sat down on the edge of his bed and talked with him.  When asked what he was still doing up, He simply replied, “Dad, I am not tired.”  In a calm manner, I suggested that he get back into bed so that Mommy didn't hear him and he finally fell asleep a few moments later.    

Just like children have trouble understanding the importance of a good night’s rest, we too are in constant battle with God for control over our lives.  And being a loving parent, God is always communicating with us and for us to hear what He is trying to tell us, we must seek Him above all else in our lives.

You see, anything we pursue without talking to God about first, will most likely be in vein.  We must allow the Light of His Presence shine on all of our pursuits so that we can receive His help for the plans He has made for us or allow Him to change the desires of our hearts.

If we seek Him first and foremost, the rest of our lives will fall into place!

My Way

 

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is growing up way too fast...he’ll be 12 years old this August and starting 6th grade!  Along with all of the fun, he is also very stubborn and strong-willed.  Outside of sweets, he barely eats enough food to sustain life.  The other night, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help him position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie, Linus' delight.  Of course, Elijah refused to eat the taco and started protested dinner because the “taco was broken!” 

The same principle holds true in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

St. Judy's Comet

 

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8

Both of our sons are masters in prolonging the nightly process of going to bed.   We have heard a litany of reasons over the past couple of years-everything from tummy-aches to bad dreams, Pennywise from the Stephen King novel 'It' (clowns are scary; sorry!) to simply just needing to go to the bathroom for the hundredth time. The other night, around 10:13 PM,  I heard movement coming from the boys' hallway. When I finally went to check on the boys, I caught our youngest son, Elijah still awake and watching YouTube on his iPad. 

He was somewhat embarrassed that I caught him sneaking around after we had put him to bed for the night, so I sat down on the edge of his bed and talked with him.  When asked what he was still doing up, He simply replied, “Daddy, I am not tired.”  In a calm manner, I suggested that he get back into bed so that Mommy didn't hear him and he finally fell asleep a few moments later.    

Just like children have trouble understanding the importance of a good night’s rest, we too are in constant battle with God for control over our lives.  And being a loving parent, God is always communicating with us and for us to hear what He is trying to tell us, we must seek Him above all else in our lives.

You see, anything we pursue without talking to God about first, will most likely be in vein.  We must allow the Light of His Presence shine on all of our pursuits so that we can receive His help for the plans He has made for us or allow Him to change the desires of our hearts.

If we seek Him first and foremost, the rest of our lives will fall into place!

My Way

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is growing up way too fast...he’ll be 11 years old this August!  Along with all of the fun, he is also very stubborn and strong-willed.  Outside of sweets, he barely eats enough food to sustain life.  The other night, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help him position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie, Linus' delight.  Of course, Elijah refused to eat the taco and started protested dinner because the “taco was broken!” 

The same principle holds true in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

St. Judy's Comet

 

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8

Both of our sons are masters in prolonging the nightly process of going to bed.   We have heard a litany of reasons over the past couple of years-everything from tummy-aches to bad dreams, Pennywise from the Stephen King novel 'It' (clowns are scary; sorry!) to simply just needing to go to the bathroom for the hundredth time. The other night, around 10:13 PM,  I heard movement coming from the boys' hallway. When I finally went to check on the boys, I caught our youngest son, Elijah still awake and watching YouTube on his iPad. 

He was somewhat embarrassed that I caught him sneaking around after we had put him to bed for the night, so I sat down on the edge of his bed and talked with him.  When asked what he was still doing up, He simply replied, “Daddy, I am not tired.”  In a calm manner, I suggested that he get back into bed so that Mommy didn't hear him and he finally fell asleep a few moments later.    

Just like children have trouble understanding the importance of a good night’s rest, we too are in constant battle with God for control over our lives.  And being a loving parent, God is always communicating with us and for us to hear what He is trying to tell us, we must seek Him above all else in our lives.

You see, anything we pursue without talking to God about first, will most likely be in vein.  We must allow the Light of His Presence shine on all of our pursuits so that we can receive His help for the plans He has made for us or allow Him to change the desires of our hearts.

If we seek Him first and foremost, the rest of our lives will fall into place!

St. Judy's Comet

 

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8

Both of our sons are masters in prolonging the nightly process of going to bed.   We have heard a litany of reasons over the past couple of years-everything from tummy-aches to bad dreams, Pennywise from the Stephen King novel 'It' (clowns are scary; sorry!) to simply just needing to go to the bathroom for the hundredth time. The other night, around 10:13 PM,  I heard movement coming from the boys' hallway. When I finally went to check on the boys, I caught our youngest son, Elijah still awake and watching YouTube on his iPad. 

He was somewhat embarrassed that I caught him sneaking around after we had put him to bed for the night, so I sat down on the edge of his bed and talked with him.  When asked what he was still doing up, He simply replied, “Daddy, I am not tired.”  In a calm manner, I suggested that he get back into bed so that Mommy didn't hear him and he finally fell asleep a few moments later.    

Just like children have trouble understanding the importance of a good night’s rest, we too are in constant battle with God for control over our lives.  And being a loving parent, God is always communicating with us and for us to hear what He is trying to tell us, we must seek Him above all else in our lives.

You see, anything we pursue without talking to God about first, will most likely be in vein.  We must allow the Light of His Presence shine on all of our pursuits so that we can receive His help for the plans He has made for us or allow Him to change the desires of our hearts.

If we seek Him first and foremost, the rest of our lives will fall into place!

My Way

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is growing up way too fast...he’ll be ten years old this August!  Along with all of the fun, he is also very stubborn and strong-willed.  Outside of sweets, he barely eats enough food to sustain life.  The other night, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help him position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie, Linus' delight.  Of course, Elijah refused to eat the taco and started protested dinner because the “taco was broken!” 

The same principle holds true in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

St. Judy's Comet

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8

Both of our sons are masters in prolonging the nightly process of going to bed.   We have heard a litany of reasons over the past couple of years-everything from tummy-aches to bad dreams, Pennywise from the Stephen King novel 'It' (clowns are scary; sorry!) to simply just needing to go to the bathroom for the hundredth time. The other night, around 10:13 PM,  I heard movement coming from the boys' hallway. When I finally went to check on the boys, I caught our youngest son, Elijah still awake and watching YouTube on his iPad.  He was somewhat embarrassed that I caught him sneaking around after we had put him to bed for the night, so I sat down on the edge of his bed and talked with him.  When asked what he was still doing up, He simply replied, “Daddy, I am not tired.”  In a calm manner, I suggested that he get back into bed so that Mommy didn't hear him and he finally fell asleep a few moments later.    

Just like children have trouble understanding the importance of a good night’s rest, we too are in constant battle with God for control over our lives.  And being a loving parent, God is always communicating with us and for us to hear what He is trying to tell us, we must seek Him above all else in our lives.

You see, anything we pursue without talking to God about first, will most likely be in vein.  We must allow the Light of His Presence shine on all of our pursuits so that we can receive His help for the plans He has made for us or allow Him to change the desires of our hearts.

If we seek Him first and foremost, the rest of our lives will fall into place!

My Way

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is growing up way too fast (he’ll be nine years old this August) but along with all of the fun, he is very stubborn and strong-willed.  Outside of sweets, he eats enough food to sustain life.  The other night, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help him position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie, Linus' delight.  Of course, Elijah refused to eat the taco and started protested dinner because the “taco was broken!” 

The same principle holds true in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

Fishing

Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen  

Ephesians 3:20-21

Several years ago,the boys gave me a fishing pole for Father’s Day and I recalled taking Elliott and Elijah down to the creek in our neighborhood to try out my new gift.  Fishing is one of those sports that requires a good bit of patience and just sitting on the bank of the creek with my sons, provided me with some great father/sons bonding as well as another analogy about the control we try to maintain in our lives.

We used a frozen biscuit as bait and I honestly didn't expect to catch anything on our first fishing expedition together. Of course, with it being Father's Day, I certainly wanted to catch a fish and punch my "man-card."  We found a pretty deep spot in the neighborhood creek and could visibly see fish swimming.  To my surprise, I felt the fishing line tighten and actually caught a fish on my fourth attempt.  It was pretty cool, and the boys were pleased that we caught a fish, but it got me to thinking about how different the afternoon would have been if we never got a bite.

Our lives are much the same and often times we stress over things in which we have absolutely no control over.  We must learn to spend more of our precious time glorifying and enjoying our loving Father rather than trying to maintain the structure of our daily lives. 

When we keep our focus on God and allow him to prepare each day for us, we begin to enjoy living in the peace of His presence.  Thanks be to God!

St. Judy's Comet

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8

Both of our sons are masters in prolonging the nightly process of going to bed.   We have heard a litany of reasons over the past couple of years-everything from tummy-aches to bad dreams, Pennywise from the Stephen King novel 'It' (he watched the trailer for the movie) to simply just needing to go to the bathroom for the hundredth time. The other night, around 10 PM,  I heard footsteps in the upstairs hallway. When I finally went to check on the boys, I caught our youngest son, Elijah sitting down on the stairwell playing with some action figures.  He was somewhat embarrassed that I caught him sneaking around after we had put him to bed for the night, so I sat down on the stairwell and just talked with him.  When asked what he was still doing up, He simply replied, “Daddy, I am not tired.”  In a calm manner, I suggested that he get back into bed so that Mommy didn't hear him and he finally fell asleep a few moments later.    

Just like children have trouble understanding the importance of a good night’s rest, we too are in constant battle with God for control over our lives.  And being a loving parent, God is always communicating with us and for us to hear what He is trying to tell us, we must seek Him above all else in our lives.

You see, anything we pursue without talking to God about first, will most likely be in vein.  We must allow the Light of His Presence shine on all of our pursuits so that we can receive His help for the plans He has made for us or allow Him to change the desires of our hearts.

If we seek Him first and foremost, the rest of our lives will fall into place!

My Way

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is growing up way too fast (he’ll be eight in August) but along with all of the fun, he is very stubborn and strong-willed.  Outside of sweets, he eats enough food to sustain life.  The other night, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help him position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie, Linus' delight.  Of course, Elijah refused to eat the taco and started protested dinner because the “taco was broken!” 

The same principle holds true in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

Fishing

Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen  

Ephesians 3:20-21

Several years ago,the boys gave me a fishing pole for Father’s Day and I recalled taking Elliott and Elijah down to the creek in our neighborhood to try out my new gift.  Fishing is one of those sports that requires a good bit of patience and just sitting on the bank of the creek with my sons, provided me with some great father/sons bonding as well as another analogy about the control we try to maintain in our lives.

We used a frozen biscuit as bait and I honestly didn't expect to catch anything on our first fishing expedition together. Of course, with it being Father's Day, I certainly wanted to catch a fish and punch my "man-card."  We found a pretty deep spot in the neighborhood creek and could visibly see fish swimming.  To my surprise, I felt the fishing line tighten and actually caught a fish on my fourth attempt.  It was pretty cool, and the boys were pleased that we caught a fish, but it got me to thinking about how different the afternoon would have been if we never got a bite.

Our lives are much the same and often times we stress over things in which we have absolutely no control over.  We must learn to spend more of our precious time glorifying and enjoying our loving Father rather than trying to maintain the structure of our daily lives. 

When we keep our focus on God and allow him to prepare each day for us, we begin to enjoy living in the peace of His presence.  Thanks be to God!

My Way

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our youngest son, Elijah, is at a fun age (he’ll be seven in August) but along with all of the fun, he can also throw his share of temper tantrums, as well. I feel like a ‘broken record’ at times, lovingly correcting him or showing him the proper way to do things.  The other night, we enjoyed 'Taco Tuesday' together as a family.  While trying to help him position taco so he could eat it without making too much of a mess, the hard taco shell started to break apart and all of the taco ended up on the floor, much to our Dorkie's delight. Elijah refused to eat the taco and started to become upset because the “taco was broken!”

The same principle holds true in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

Fishing

Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen  Ephesians 3:20-21

Several years ago,the boys gave me a fishing pole for Father’s Day and I recalled taking Elliott and Elijah down to the creek in our neighborhood to try out my new gift.  Fishing is one of those sports that requires a good bit of patience and just sitting on the bank of the creek with my sons, provided me with some great father/sons bonding as well as another analogy about the control we try to maintain in our lives.

We used a frozen biscuit as bait and I honestly didn't expect to catch anything on our first fishing expedition together. Of course, with it being Father's Day, I certainly wanted to catch a fish and punch my "man-card."  We found a pretty deep spot in the neighborhood creek and could visibly see fish swimming.  To my surprise, I felt the fishing line tighten and actually caught a fish on my fourth attempt.  It was pretty cool, and the boys were pleased that we caught a fish, but it got me to thinking about how different the afternoon would have been if we never got a bite.

Our lives are much the same and often times we stress over things in which we have absolutely no control over.  We must learn to spend more of our precious time glorifying and enjoying our loving Father rather than trying to maintain the structure of our daily lives. 

When we keep our focus on God and allow him to prepare each day for us, we begin to enjoy living in the peace of His presence.  Thanks be to God!