Where have I been?

John 7:37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

I have been MIA (missing in action) for some time now from this ministry. This OneMinuteMinistry was a gift of God to me, and a way that He transformed my life; he used it to do his work in, and I humbly say through me. He formed the habit of early mornings with Him that is now a bedrock of my life and my testimony. But the last two months I have struggled with getting up early and spending daily time with God. Last week I felt convicted and prayed about a renewed spirit, and this morning God used pain to wake me up. As a result I had an awesome time in prayer and his Word with him before the sun came up. I feel charged to face the day.

Most of you know that I am also full time preaching at a small church. The struggles of bi-vocational ministry are taking their toll on me; I cannot begin to fully open up about that, but it is God’s will for my life for this season. I knew what would be coming when my HVAC business summer season arrived, but it has proven to be even much harder than I anticipated. I have been trying to limit my weeks to the 60hr max, but that leaves little time for anything church, and anything family and my boys. Life has proven to be a struggle of proportions that only a few of my closest friends understand. I have hit bottom a few times, and I have met God there in the pit. He has provided for me at a level that only he and I fully understand. I have come to quote and rest in the scripture that Abraham used when he was about to sacrifice his son, before God gave him the goat instead. Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided.”

My heart lies in encouraging you to draw closer to God; to help you become more than just a Christian, to become his disciple. My heart lies in encouraging you to spend daily time in his Word and prayer, and then understanding that he will make you into the image of his Son. This world we live in is sliding away from God. This world we live needs people like you to stand up for your faith; to go against the flow of society. GK Chesterton said, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” Are you willing to speak out for truth? Are you willing to stand up for your faith in Jesus? If you believe that you are, join me in getting up early and spending daily time with him in prayer and his Word. It is there, and only there that you will find the strength to swim upstream; upstream closer to God.