Last Ride

The ring master asked everyone to, "stand and remove cover." A cowgirl, dressed in all denim, rode her stallion through the gate opening and into the arena. She rode close to the railing following its circular pattern and held the American Flag strongly in her right hand. There was no chance it would touch the ground. Her horse in a fierce and steady gallop dusted the sky with dirt. As she rounded out the third lap "The Star Spangled Banner" hit a final chord and she came to a halt in the center. She bowed her head and the announcer prayed...

"...Lord please give these cowboys and cowgirls the strength to ride as if it were their last ride..." These words played on loop in mind the rest of the night, "last ride...last ride...last ride..." I thought about my death. I thought about the death of Jesus. Some people are unaware that Jesus made a "death-bed" promise a few days prior to his death and resurrection. He promised that the Spirit of God would comfort, dwell in, teach, remind, testify, convict, and speak though his disciples (John 14-16 & Matthew 10) Powerful Huh?

When the announcer asked for strength for the riders of the night, I deemed it an appropriate prayer. Most would think about the physical strength...the mental strength...the emotional strength. Those are the thoughts I had. But I had one more...the Spiritual strength. I wondered how many riders, workers, on-lookers prayed for Spiritual strength. Who asked for the comfort? Or the reminder? Who asked to be taught? Or to be used as a vessel? Who asked for real strength on their "final ride?" These questions led me to this decision:

I will not only thank God everyday for the blessing of another day to fulfill his work, but now I also will ask for strength to make it all happen.

Everyday is a step closer to our final destination. We are on that final ride. Everyday people ask for frivolous things in life when we should be asking for strength of the Spirit of God. The power of the Spirit of God will guide you safely to the end that awaits...But what is that end? You have to know where you are going in order to appreciate the ride of your life.

Heaven Awaits...

To those that believe. (John 3:36)

I'm so excited...

Lock and Key

Church let out around 8:45 last evening and the Spirit of the Lord was heavy in my soul. I did the normal, "Hey! How's it going? Good to see ya," shin-dig with some fellow peers in Christ and got in my car. All day I had been torn on what this first blog was going to discuss. An idea would come, however, faster than I could write it down the idea was gone. I kept hearing, "No." Driving home (it's a twenty minute haul) I was praying to God because I knew that the Spirit was speaking to me. When I have that feeling I have to stop and pray; I find that sometimes, when I don't stop and pray, I get lost in my mind and hear the message incorrectly. It came out...Lord, I'm so afraid that I will not find you in common places...God please show me the way. Over and over I prayed and prayed...Please show me the way God. It was strange because all of the surrounding noise began to hush...the exhaust, XM channel 63, air funneling trough the windows...it all quieted. Thinking about it now, I feel as though this is how the disciples must have felt on the boat with Jesus when the waters subsided to His command. In the silence I knew God was there and I was being told, "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:25).

My eyes began to see things clearer. I was now on my street and was noticing the life around me in a new perspective. Things I had seen so many times before were in such a vibrant life. Trees, my neighbors yard, the glow from the streetlight in front of my home was all...alive. Now it was as if I had TOO MANY examples of where God was in common places. I got out of my door and thought to my self how much enjoyment that final part of the ride brought me. And I noticed this...

This is the building to the right of my home. All I ever thought about it was, "Someone needs to paint that...it's such an eye sore...glad that's not my responsibility." But last night I saw it differently. As I looked at it (the neighbors probably thought I was odd staring at and snapping photos of this building), the lock pulled me closer. At one point it was in my hand. I wanted to free this open doorway from it's binds. I could see that this building had so much potential. The grain was carefully crafted by God in the tree from whence it was cut. The building now after years had been locked up and is breaking down. The weeds and vines are now sucking it into a wrap of darkness and separating it from it's cause. I thought, "Well I could paint it...I could cut the grass, and I could tear down the vines." But what good would that really do? The building would then look pretty and useful, but it would have no substance. I only wish I had the key to unlock it's purpose...

I leave you with this today...

Q: Are you locked up Spiritually?

A: We all have the key... Revelation 3:20.

listen...