Do You Hear What I Hear

This past Sunday I was blessed with the opportunity to talk to the middle and high school group about listening to God’s voice. As I did some studying and reading on God talking to people in the Bible I couldn’t help but think about how God talks to people today. After I had found tons of examples in the Bible I decided to look online and also to have my good friend John look as well. As we looked he came across a story that was pretty interesting. At first I didn’t really think much about it other then it being pretty crazy, but as I told the story on Sunday I started to feel something else. Here is the story first, then I will tell you how I feel.

A guy was sitting at Church one night listening to the pastor talk about hearing God’s voice and answering it. After the service the man got into his car and said a prayer. He prayed ” God if you still speak to people, speak to me, I will listen, and I will do my best to obey.” As he started to drive home he felt something urging him to stop and buy a gallon of milk. His first response was to ask “God is this you, are you telling me to do this?” So the guy decided to stop and buy milk, having no idea why. As he got back into the car and headed home he started to feel another urge. This time it was to turn down a random street he had never been on. Again he followed his urge and turned down the road. As he drove down the road he came across a house that he felt he had to stop at. So he stopped and as he walked up to this house he started wondering what was going to happen. Would the people inside be asleep or even home. He rang the doorbell and a few short seconds later he heard a man say “Who is it? What do you want?” As the door opened he could see a married couple and a young child. He handed the milk to them and the wife started to cry. He had no idea what was going on. The wife said that her and her husband had just finished praying that God would somehow bless them with the opportunity to get milk. You see they had very little money and couldn’t pay the bills and their baby was in need of milk. The guy at the door pulled out some money and gave both the milk and money to them. As he walked away the lady asked “Are you an angel?” The guy just kept walking and got into his car and drove home.

As I told this story to the youth kids I had to fight off the emotions and keep going. As I told this story I felt this unbelievable feeling deep in my heart. This guy had felt an urge to stop and buy milk to give to a stranger. He could have just kept going and said forget it. But he didn’t. He answered that call in his heart to do more then just drive home. God was talking to him and he heard Him loud and clear. And he was faithful enough to carry out God’s calling.

I can’t help but think how many times I have felt an urge, or a call to do something and passed it by. I put it off as nonsense and went on about my business. WHAT COULD I HAVE MISSED!! I could have missed the opportunity to be a witness to God. Something that I pray that I can do on a daily basis. And I missed it. What was I thinking? Was I even thinking?

So as I talked Sunday I couldn’t help but want to make myself available to God. One of the final things I said that day was to close our ears and open our hearts. It may seem like a silly example to hear God’s word, but I know it is true. Their is a song by Ten Shekel Shirt called Unashamed Love. The first part of the song says everything.. “Your calling me to lay aside the worries of my day, to quite down my busy mind and find a hiding place.” It seems so easy to do, but the sad part is that few of us do. Few of us stop to listen to the beautiful words He is telling us. We get so wrapped up in our problems, our plans, our social world, and everything that is not of Him. We got so caught up in this fallen world that we don’t stop to listen. To shut off the world and hear what He has to say. And He is worthy of us doing this. Honestly He is beyond worthy. God of this universe, creator of EVERYTHING wants to talk to you. How can we turn that opportunity down?

I just pray that when we hear God speaking to us that we answer that call. No matter if that is the call to go across the seas to spread His word, to serve a meal to the homeless, or even the urge to stop and buy milk for a stranger. I pray that our hearts be open and we find that quite place and slow down our busy minds. Because in the end it is worth it. In the end this world wont matter, but what you do while your here will.

New Year!!!

I’m back!!!!!! It has been a while since I have posted anything and I figured it was about time to start again. I figured I would start with a pretty easy topic and one that almost all of us know something about, resolutions. In the past I have set resolutions and of course it usually had something to do with getting in better shape. And of course I would usually fall short of that within the first months. Don’t get me wrong, I joined a gym and tried to eat better, but I am just not a fan of all that. I like my food and I enjoy not working out with a bunch of strangers. So this year I decided to try something new. I decided that I will accomplish my resolution and not let anything stop me. What’s my resolution you may be asking? Well it is to get in better shape of course!!

I know what you maybe thinking, “did he really just say get in shape after saying how it didn’t work before?” You heard right, I said get in shape. But I am not talking about the kind that involves going to the gym or running a marathon, granted I am sure I will decided to go to the gym sometime this year. The kind shape I am talking about getting in is the kind that deals with Christianity. Now I know this may sound a bit strange, but trust me I will gladly explain this perfectly for you.

Christianity is something that I have noticed people seem to take lightly. A lot of people seem to think being a Christian just takes going to church on Sunday, maybe listening to some Christian music here and there, and maybe owning a Bible. Sadly it seems that we are a little off. It seems that society has made being a Christian something easy. Now granted it can be easy, but it also takes a lifelong commitment. I think it is this commitment that causes people to only live out their faith on Sundays. People hear stories of people who suffer to share the Gospel with the world, or people who give up everything they have to travel to a foreign country to show God’s love. So many people hear stories like this and think that being “that” Christian isn’t meant for them. The truth is that we can’t decide which Christian we are. There is middle ground.

This brings me to my resolution. Like I said earlier I am going to get in shape and in shape I will get. I am blessed to call myself a Christian. Now I wouldn’t go as far as saying I am the best Christian and that I know it all, but I also wouldn’t say that I am living my life falsely. I believe that my faith shows 99.9% of the time, and that is the problem As a Christian my faith should be showing at all times. I can’t just talk the talk I must also walk the walk. I can just tell people about God, I have to show people. While my words may do a great job at drawing in people for Christ, if I don’t live out what I say I am just another person caught in the middle ground.

This year I plan to stop talking and start doing. I will let my actions show the world who God is, and if necessary I will use words. I want to be the kind of Christian, who when asked to give up everything, will gladly say yes. I want to be like Abram when he is told to gather his belongings and travel to a new land. He could have easily questioned God and said no, yet he had such a strong faith in God that he gladly followed his words. I want to strive to never question what God puts in front of me and where He calls me to go. For if I am hesitant to do His work, how can I really call myself a man of God.

Laziness Remover

When I was younger I watched my parents and grandparents work hard from morning till night. My grandfather would break his back to work hard not only in his career field, but in any and all he did. To be honest he still is like that today. He still works harder than almost anybody I have ever seen. My granny is the same way. For years she worked hard to raise her brothers and sisters when she was just a little girl herself. This drive carried over into raising her family and working hard in a school cafeteria. Even today she continues to work hard around her house and do all she can. This work ethic that my grandparents have spilled over into my father’s life. He, by far, the most hard-working and driven man on this planet. He gets up before the sun to drive to work at a power plant where we pours his sweat out pushing coal and working in HOT HOT conditions. Then he leaves that job to drive all the way across town to coach girls softball. After practice he drives back home where usually he is working on something. His hard work of course isn’t alone in their house. My mom is one hard-working lady herself. For years she would go to work, come home and clean or cook dinner, do laundry and whatever else the house needed, all while raising 2 kids. Raising 2 kids like me and my sister is hard work all by itself but add in all the house work and you have your hands full. Day in and day out I watched as my parents worked hard to not only provide for their family but because it is the right thing to do. What’s the point of doing anything if you aren’t going to give it your all?

Now as for myself I am a little more laid back, however I do have this hard work mentally inside me as well. For example, I am not really one who likes to get outside and work on the yard, mainly because it kills my allergies and I can’t stop sneezing, however once I get going you should watch out. I can recall a time last fall when my wife and I were working in the yard. I was determined to make sure every leaf that was on the ground was picked up. My wife thought I was a bit nuts but this is how my dad and grandfather kept their yard so you better believe I would be too. Once I start working on something, I have no problem putting everything I have into it making sure I get the best possible outcome. This is even true in my current job. To give you a bit of information I am an Inventory Supply Tech. at St. Mary’s. Pretty much I am responsible for making sure any supplies needed and used in the ER is charged out to the patient. I make sure all supply carts are stocked and ready to go at anytime. To be honest it is one, if not the, easiest job I can think of. However there are a few people who seem to think otherwise.

From time to time I will come to work and NOTHING will be done. Nothing is stocked up and the person working in the room is either sitting reading a book or surfing the Internet. Now granted I do the same, but I will not do this unless I am 110% sure that everything is done. When I walk in they tell me everything is good and they leave which means I am stuck with filling everything up and getting ready. This may sound a bit petty but when you work in the ER where at any moment it can get busy and your stock of supplies starts to dwindle you get a little nervous. It is the person’s job who is working in the room before the change of shift to fully stock everything so the next person is set to go. Sounds pretty easy right? Granted of all the people who work in the supply room, only 2 or 3 actually do this (this counts me). And it has slowly been driving me nuts.

Today was no exception of this either. Today when I arrived there was a lady who doesn’t work back here all the time. When she does usually nothing is done. Today I walk back to the room to hear Christian music, this made me think it was going to be a good day at work. I come around the corner to see nothing stocked and almost all the supplies were empty. I couldn’t believe it. I feel like it was a slap in the face. I know this woman is a Christian and goes to church and seems to be doing right, but this was a shock.  This issue has caused me to look to the word of God and see what it says.

I actually found many verses on this issue and want to share them with you. They are:

Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Proverbs 10:26 “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.” (I like this one)

So with this I believe that as a Christian I am called to not just work, but to work hard and thank God for the opportunity and the outcome of this work. In the end when we just sit back and be lazy we are only really hurting ourselves. It seems to me that hard work really does pay off.

I know that this post sounds like I am frustrated and upset with some of the people I work with, the truth is that I am not really upset at them. I am upset that people seem to take work and life so lightly. We can not go through this world as if it doesn’t matter. What we do here and how we live here has a huge impact on how we live eternally. If I want to have an eternal life with God the Father then I should do all I can to honor Him now. Even it means I work my fingers to the bone and give life my all. Because the truth of the matter is that this life is just a pit stop in the journey to Heaven.

The last thing I will leave you with is a quote I found that really drives home how I feel. It is by Doug Firebaugh, he said “Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.’

Sycamore-Fig Tree

I love the life I have and the life I live, however I have been feeling a bit stuck lately. I usually only feel this way while at work, which isn’t a good thing. I have a great job that I do enjoy, however something about my current occupation seems empty. That seems crazy  when you realize that my work is pretty easy. I have friends here, I get to read, I can do my homework or of course surf around on Facebook. However over the past few weeks something seems to be missing. I have thought long and hard about this and to be honest it has frustrated me at times. I just feel like I am in the wrong place or doing the wrong thing. Or maybe I am in the right place and I just haven’t opened my eyes enough to see it. I will try to explain…

I know I don’t do this enough, however when I help somebody in need I feel a sense of joy and a feeling that is out of this world. I love to reach out and help those who are in need. At times I have been hesitant to do so, however once I do I feel so much better about myself. I could easily sit at home or drive past people, but once I decided to reach out I find something inside me that shouts for joy. I feel like I am doing something I was meant to do. Like I was meant to show people love, support, care, and everything else. Then I get to work and that feeling fades out. I for some reason believe that I can’t find lost and helpless people here. So I my eyes become shut and I don’t see the need to help.

I get the thought in my head that the only place I can find people in need or “lost” people is where I want them to be, at my spot. I think that lost people are only outside of work and in the areas I want them to be. Lost people can’t be in the same place I am working, they can’t be in a hospital that is founded on religious values, they can’t be here, can they? As much as my mind at times wants to tell me no, I know that their are many people around me who are lost and in need of help. I just have to open my eyes and look for them. I need to do exactly what Jesus did in Luke 19.

The story in Luke 19:1-10 says “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

I don’t know if Zacchaeus was a Christian or was just like so many of us who just want to get a glimpse of somebody famous, the Bible doesn’t really say. He easily could have heard Jesus was coming and wanted to see him in person. I mean who wouldn’t want to see the most famous person of their time walking down the road. What we do see from this passage is that even though Zacchaeus was short he managed to climb and tree and see over the crowd to see Jesus. Then Jesus says to him “Zacchaeus come down immediately, I must stay at your house today.” This verse has hit me pretty hard these past few weeks. Especially when it comes to finding lost people.

Like I said earlier, I tend to think that lost people are only where I want them to be, that they come to me at my spot. After reading this verse I have come to a much better understand. Jesus say Zacchaeus right where he was. Jesus didn’t wait for Zacchaeus to come to where He was, Jesus had open eyes and looked for the lost right where they are. The lost are all around us, we just have to open our eyes and see them where they are. When I open my eyes I could see that lost people could be working right next to me and I have been blind to this. Thanks to Jesus and the story in Luke 19 I see that I have to open my eyes and see that lost people are everywhere, not where I want them to be.

I believe that God has put me in this spot, in this job for a reason. It may have taken me some time to figure out that purpose, but deep down inside I knew that purpose the entire time. My purpose as a Christian is so much more then just believing in God, believing that Jesus died for me, and following his word and commands. As A Christian I am called to live a life like Christ, spread his word, and make disciples of other nations. Those nations are a lot closer then I wanted to see. I just thank God for opening my eyes to see where He has me.

So my challenge is for all of us to open our eyes and look up. Our Zacchaeus could be right in front of us.

Forward to 10 friends

Over the years I have received countless e-mails talking about a range of things. Most of these e-mails deal with God’s love or having faith in Jesus. You all know the ones I am talking about, the ones that have 10 religious pictures and is a mile long, and of course at the ends says that if you don’t forward it to 10 friends you don’t believe in God. The e-mails that you feel guilty deleting and not passing along. We all know these e-mails and probably have one in our inbox right now.

I was recently some of these messages which caused me to do some research. I opened my Bible and started looking for where either God or Jesus said we were supposed to do this. I re-read the 10 commandments looking to see if I missed one, looked at the Sermon on the mount, and all over the place. After looking and looking I discovered something awesome, that it isn’t in there.

Forwarding e-mails about God and Jesus to 10 friends doesn’t prove I have faith. Granted it shows that I want to share my joy in them by sharing their awesomeness with others, but if I don’t send it, it doesn’t mean anything. I am 100% sure that my family and friends know that I have faith and love for my God. If I have to send an e-mail to people to prove to them that I do then something is VERY wrong with me.

The Bible talks about living out your faith and going out into the world to spread God’s word. I can reach others at anytime in anyplace without using the Internet. I can show my faith by showing love and compassion to others, caring for those in need, and by just living the life I am meant to live. God has granted me the ability to be able to go out into this world and reach others for Him. Why would I sit at home and hope that my e-mails show my faith. Anybody can read something, it is when they see your faith in action that they can really believe.

If you receive these e-mails and forward them I am not against that. I just find it silly that people believe that if they don’t forward it people wont believe their belief. If you send me one don’t expect a return from me. If you want to see my belief and faith then I encourage you to come and hang out with me. I can promise you that I will not let you down.

Chasing Curiosity

Recently I have been doing a lot of thinking about the popularity of people in the Christianity spot light. I am sure you can figure out who these people are so I won’t name any names. If you need help figuring out who these people are you can email me. Anyways, I have been thinking about some of these people and how they have impacted the Religious world. I don’t think any of them are bad or that you should stop listening to them, I just think they are getting taken overboard.

Most of the people I am talking about have some amazing messages about Christianity, God, Jesus, faith, and just living a righteous life. They deliver an awesome message that can have a huge impact on our lives. They truly have a gift to inspire others to learn more about God. I just think a lot of these people are looked at like icons. People look towards these people to tell them how to live there best life and how to be an all around true follower of God.  (you should know one person now)

Before I go and make anybody mad I want to make sure that everybody who reads this understands that I am not bashing or talking bad about any of these people. I think they are great at spreading God’s word, I just think some people take them to far. People seem to want to follow these public figures more then they want to follow God. They are making these people icons and placing them before God and if we read the Bible we can see that this has never been a good idea.

I am going to end here because I don’t want to say something that gets taken the wrong way. I actually have a lot more on my mind about this and if you really want to discuss it with me than I am more then I am more then happy. I just don’t want to offend anybody or have somebody taking my words the wrong way. And in case you did get a bad impression from this post I am sorry.

Fighting Fear..

Over the past few months I have noticed a man walking down Green River road while I am heading home from work. I get off work at 11 and by 11:30pm I am driving down the road I see this guy carrying his bag and walking down the road. I always wondered where he was going and how far of a walk he has. I kept feeling the desire or urge to stop and talk to him but kept fighting that feeling. I kept telling myself I had to get home, or that what if something bad happens, or any other excuse I could make up.

On Wednesday September 15, 2010 I saw this man again walking. I felt as if God wanted me to stop, but again I fought Him off and kept driving. As I got farther away I decided to pray about it. I asked God that if He wanted me to stop and see if I can help this man to have him be walking again the next night. So the next day I was heading home for work and there was the guy once again. I start to slow down to talk to him, however part of me was still trying to fight off God. I finally said alright God I will do this. I turned around, pulled over and got out of my car. I walked up this gentleman and asked him where he was going and how far he walks. I told him I see him almost every night walking and asked if he would like a ride. At this point I was pretty scared, I won’t lie. The guy was one of the nicest people ever. He thanked me for caring and stopping to help him. He told me he was just walking to the bus stop which was only about a few blocks away in front of the mall. I asked him again if he wanted a ride just to make sure and he politely said no. We shook hands and both went on our way.

As I drove home I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to help somebody and step out of my comfort zone. It felt so amazing to extend a helping hand to somebody. Even though I had fought God for so long, He never stopped giving me the chance to do His work. I feel so blessed that God didn’t give up on me. He could have easily said, “Allen I kept trying to get you to follow me and show my love to others, but you kept fighting me.” I am so glad that God loves me enough to not forget me when I fall short. And trust me I have had my days of falling short. I am not always walking the best walk I can, but God is still always there.

Having had this experience makes me want to keep helping and reaching out to others. I know that not every experience will be as good or even as easy as this one. I will face adversity, but I know that with God on my side all will work out. And for that I no longer feel scared to step out and help those in need.

Chris Tomlin

I 100%, with out a doubt, love Christian music. I especially love to listen to Chris Tomlin. Something about hearing his songs makes me want to crank up my radio and give every once of praise to God I can. I can recall sitting at work and just playing his songs over and over and not getting tired of them. I will be driving home at night and have my windows down just jamming out to his songs. He has such an amazing talent for worship, its unbelievable. He recently released a song called “I Will Follow”. The song hits me in ways not many songs can. The song describes giving your life fully to God and following Him wherever He may go. I know that sounds pretty easy, but so many fall short.

Anybody can say they follow God, that’s one of the easiest things to do. It is following Him fully that many people fall short on. In the song, Chris Tomlin says “Where you go I’ll go, Where you stay I’ll stay, When you move I’ll move, I will follow you.” God is EVERYWHERE and makes himself available to anybody at anytime. Following him requires the same thing. How can we fully follow God if we aren’t going to the people who are in need, the sick, the poor; or as Christ says “the least of these”. Christ is in us all and yet so many us stay in our comfort bubble. We share the word with those we feel comfortable with, the ones in our small groups and maybe family members.

The rest of the chorus says this “Who you love, I’ll love, How you serve, I’ll serve, If this life I lose, I will follow you.” When Jesus walked this Earth he served to all. He didn’t care if you were the richest man in the town or the sickest and poorest man on the street, he was there to show you love. Jesus LOVES every single person and yet we who “follow” Him hold grudges and have people that we want nothing to do with. How can anybody say they follow Christ when they aren’t willing to reach out to those in need of Him the most.

As I type this I feel convicted to make myself available to those who are in need. God has called us to do a whole lot more. We can’t sit around anymore while people all across the world suffer and long for somebody to just show them love and compassion. We must follow Christ into places out of our comfort zone, if not we are nothing more then just a spectator. Now is the time, for tomorrow maybe to late.

youth group guys

It has come to my attention that I very much enjoy hanging out with the guys from youth group. I have fun doing a lot of things, but nothing compares to hanging out with a group of guys burping and farting.(I’m sure you all wanted to know this) Something about hanging out with these young men make life all the more fun. I guess that is because I myself am still very much a young guy who enjoys having fun. Then again it could be even more.

For the past few months I have been running a guys Bible study at my house. We meet once a week and do things like pray, eat, discuss God, study the Bible, watch t.v., play cornhole, and whatever else we feel like doing. It is so much fun to not only joke around with them or support them during school activities, but also to see their devotion to studying the word. When it comes time to get serious and dive into the study, they all are ready to read and answer questions. They not only give deep, thoughtful answers, but they also have very deep and hard hitting questions.

Knowing that the guys are eager to come to study and will even miss practice to show up is amazing to me. I have never seen a group of guys be so excited to come and study the word. It truly inspires me to want to study and learn all I can so I can better myself as a leader. Knowing that these guys maybe looking up to me to help guide them on their journey is the best feeling ever. I truly wish that I could have our study every night.

Finally I just want to let John Ohmberger, Taylor Judd, Caleb Heiman, Zach Wade, and Colin Welte know that they are a huge motivation to me. They keep me on fire for God and excited to share His word. Also I want them all and the rest of the youth group to know that I am always available for them whenever needed. I know that life and the journey in Christ isn’t always easy and it helps to have people there to keep you strong.

did I miss something…

Is it just me or has television become almost a waste of time? It seems that nothing good or decent is ever on. I have noticed this a lot over the years, but it seems like last night it hit me even more.

After work last night I came home, kissed my sleeping wife, grabbed some food, and sat down to watch some t.v. I knew that the MTV Video Music Awards were on so I decided to check it out. After hearing multiple cuss words and a numerous amount of sexual jokes I decided to turn the channel. I just don’t understand why so many people see the need to talk this way, especially on a t.v. show that tons of people are watching. So I decided to turn the channel and watch something else. Later I came back to the show putting my previous thoughts behind me. Once again that language kept going, but I also noticed something else. Most of these people on award shows who use poor language are the ones to thank God for the award. It seems pointless to thank God while most of your speech included more cuss words than I knew were invented.

T.V. isn’t even the worst when it comes to this issue. Julie and I got the movie Funny People from Netflix a while back and we decided to watch it one night. After 15 minutes or so we decided to stop the movie and send it back. The intense use of offensive language was to much to imagine. I don’t see what dropping the “f” bomb 20 times in 15 minutes has to do with being funny. I know tons of people who are as funny as they come without using a single cuss word or acting inappropriate.

The sad thing about all this is that many kids today are looking up to these people as role models. People see movie stars and singers and wish to be like them. It just blows my mind. Maybe I am alone in these, but I highly doubt that. I guess as a future parent myself I am starting to see that this world needs something better. I just thank God that He is there for me and I pray that He helps me to become a great role model to my child like my parents are to me.

Lastly I just want to thank my parents and my family for raising me the right way. I believe they did a great job and are very proud of the adults both me and my sister have become. Thank you for all the love, support, and encouragement you give to us.  And as far as society goes, I guess I will place my trust in a great F word…faith.