On a day full of snow and cold I am reminded to slow down! As most everybody can and does in the world today, we get as much done as we can in our time. It is like I live by the slogan “Life is short, do as much as possible as quickly as possible.” I do this and forget to enjoy the now! So I appreciate days like today that I can enjoy the season God has me in right now!

Today I am remembering how bad my feelings are as leader. It was only 4 months ago I was loving where God had us in our life. We just bought a beautiful home, my family was happy and having fun, and I was enjoying my spiritual surroundings with a great Church family and an amzing job working for Jesus full time. In short my life was going great! If there was something lacking it was my one on one time with Sarah. Not that we were having any problems at all. I do believe you are either moving closer or further apart and that there is no in between. My connection with my wife was diminishing at a slow and gradual pace and we knew it was over that last few years. There were some roadblocks in spending that time together dreaming and pursuing each other. We always have been big on dreaming together with the Lord. We had yet to do that over the last few years and this created a disconnect between us. The Lord’s ways are always better than ours! As soon as we saw this and asked the Lord to help things fell in place for us to go to the mountains in Colorado. The very moment we were alone the dreaming started to take place. It was as if we both had dreams but hadn’t shared them yet. Then as soon as the ice was broken the water (dreams) gushed out. At this moment I knew the Lord was telling us about a change coming, but my feelings were saying no it is not. I was happy where I was and with what I was doing. I (my feelings) did not like this new change the Lord was speaking. I do know that my feelings are not a good leader of the decisions I make. I learned that a long time ago. As a young youth pastor in my college years I was once told by a leader that peace is what helps lead your decisions. As you FEEL peace on something go for it. Needless to say, for the next 5 years of my life my feelings led me down a path I would rather not have gone. I felt peace about making money over going to school. I felt peace about a lot of things I knew was not in my value system. This value system or standard should have held my feelings in check and kept me going the path the Lord set for me. In the scenerio of this summer my standard is my marriage is the single most important earthly ministry I have on this earth (besides to the Lord). If I would have been led by peace I would still be in Kansas City today. Instead I was led by His voice and the standards He has helped me to set in my life. So what about the peace? After my experience in following His voice I know that I know my feelings will soon catch up with my standards and letting Him lead. It is a little over 2 months in Texas and my feelings are starting to catch up. I am receiving revelation as to what it is He is doing and why we are here for this season. There are things that are happening that we would not be able to be a part of. We are needed in each of these situations. He has blessed us with a great place to worship that has a little bit of each part of our DNA (spiritual makeup) over the course of our journey. He has blessed Sarah and I with the opportunity to dream on a weekly basis for now. So today I thank You for being a good leader. I thank You for teaching me that I do not have to feel like doing what you say. I thank You that You are a good Father, Shepherd, and Leader and that I can trust You fully with my life and my families life. In this season of thankfullness I am extremely thankful for You and that I feel so safe because of Your leadership.

What have I been doing on my snow day? Watching home videos from the 1980’s. Life has sure changed a lot from that time. Things are so much faster today than then. Media can rule our life and has shaped our time in so many ways. I know I feel like I have to fill the “empty time” so I don’t miss out. I need days like today to remember the testimony of my life in God. I need to be reminded to slow down in this fast megabyte world I live in and to enjoy the now. I know this is “the most busyest time of the year,” but take time to slow down. In between one of the segments of vhs video a show had been recorded over, but the gap showed a commercial. I am not a big fan of McDonalds food, but a McDonalds commerical from 80’s was in this gap. A snow man was built by a child. Ronald then shows up and says “great job but you are missing something.” The little girls looks a bit funny at him and he blows some Ronald magic dust and appears another snowman. The voice over comes on and says,”this Christmas season, do not forget what is most important, RELATIONSHIPS!” I do not know where McDonalds stance is on Jesus, but that message was much of the message I see Jesus spreading to all in His time walking on the earth. The greatest commandment is to love God and others. Relationship is the value or standard this Man spread to all the earth. He came as a world changer. He spoke to all saying it is not about upholding this law but about upholding relationship. Love each other. Yes, the standard or value system He gave us to change the world is that of love. In my studies this time of year is one depression and anxiety is most prominent. Could that be because of hurt in relationships? I think it is a root cause. We sometimes so hold the standards of our beliefs that we forget about the people we are called to love. I am by no means saying to drop your values or standards, but do want to encourage everybody to value the relationships you have over the standards you uphold. The standards are what you live by. You stay strong in those, but do not forget to love. In a season that Christ is placed in stores, streets, and homes all over, we have to remember how He changed the world. Forgiveness can often be an almost forgot about subject within the church. I encourage you now, if you need to forgive somebody do it now. Reach out to them. Let the world changer inside of you come out and love others. I want to encourage everybody to not get caught up in all the hassle of doing things just perfect for the holidays, but to remember that which is of most importance. As in the words of the McDonalds commercial, “do not forget what is most important this Christmas season, relationships.”