carry me home

hey everybody.

wow.
that's really all that i can say.

sunday night, i finally got to preach a sermon that's been on my heart for quite some time. it was titled "Jesus said NO". while it didn't go quite the way that i had imagined it, it went exactly how God needed it to. and i am very thankful for that.

after the sermon, i was happy to see both my nephew and my dad at the alter, among several others who had responded to the word of God. also there were teens from Evangel that made recommitments to Christ. and much to my joy, there were broken people that were set free. and one certain person in particular.

you see, while i didn't know who it was, i new that God was sending me to minister there, on that night, for a specific reason. for a specific person. and i am thankful that they were open to the word of God.

i struggled during my sermon with whether or not to share a personal battle that i had faced several years ago. but God kept pressing me that it was something that would touch someone. finally, i told of a time when i had "lost" myself in my christian life. and the cause of it, and the pain and hopelessness that i had felt at that time. and i told of how God brought me through it.

during alter service, a woman came to the front, in tears, and told me that she was going through the exact same battle, and that i had described her feelings of despair like i had read her mind. i knew where she was. because i had been there and survived to tell of it. i was able to pray with her. and pray over her. and offer her hope. peace. joy. and the heart of Christ.

one of my favorite poems is the "footprints" poem. the one where, at the end, Jesus says "my precious child. i love you, and would never leave you. in the times when you saw only one set of prints, it was then that i carried you."

i can offer no better offer of hope than that. if you are tired. if you are broken. if you are lost. if you feel forgotten. if you feel hopeless. if you don't know how to stand anymore. you are not alone. it is in those moments that we realize the truth of the scripture that says "My strength is made perfect in weakness." because it is then. at that moment, that He can show us how much He loves us. by picking us up. cradling us in his arms. and carrying us home.

so if you are there. look up to heaven, and say Lord, i'm tired. i'm hurting. i'm sad. please, i have no strength left to stand. will you carry me home? and see if He doesn't cradle you, and carry you home.

much love.
theoldmusicbox

it's my life, i'm not hurting anyone, just leave me alone!

ok, how many times have you heard that one? it has to be the number one response that people give when they're feeling convicted over their lifestyle choices.

they say things like, "hey, it's my life, i'm not hurting anyone, and if i want to do this, it's only affecting me." yeah. right.

have you ever read the book of jonah? if not, you should check it out. you see, God wanted jonah to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh. jonah didn't like them. (if you read it, you'll see that he ran from God's call because he knew that God would be merciful to them if they repented, and he wanted them to be destroyed)

so jonah ran from God's call. he boarded a ship destined for (what they believed at the time) the end of the earth. while off to sea, they found themselves in a furious storm that threatened to sink the ship. they unloaded the cargo into the sea. they all cried out to their god's. they woke jonah up and told him to ask God for help. that's when they found out that jonah was the cause for the storm.

they asked what could be done and jonah said "throw me off the ship". they wouldn't do it at first. they tried and tried to row the boat to shore but at last gave up and threw him into the sea.

now, let me ask you something. did jonah's disobedience to God only affect him? no. it affected not only jonah, but everyone around him. AND the people who were waiting for the cargo that had to be thrown overboard. AND the people of Nineveh.

NOW, let me ask you something else. who does your disobedience affect? sure, it affects you. but it also affects everyone around you. things that you shouldn't be involved in affect all of those involved. people that you may never know or meet can be affected because you "just checked it out". not to mention those whose lives could have been changed if you had only been obedient to God's voice.

i realize that we all suffer from O.D.D. (obedience deficit disorder) at times. and need a good shot of spiritual ritalin to get us back in line. well, here it is. if our disobedience can have such a negative affect on everyone around us, then that means in turn that our OBEDIENCE must also have a positive affect on those around us.

when jonah finally got out of the fishes belly, he ran to Nineveh and preached the revival of a lifetime and the entire city got saved!!!!! wow. just imagine that. because of one man's obedience, and ENTIRE city was saved!

so hey, after all, it's your life. now, what are you going to do with it?

much love
theoldmusicbox