I have been listening to a replay of the 9-11 events this morning on Fox News this morning.  It is amazing how I can remember that day like it was yesterday.  Jennifer & I were in a rehearsal for an upcoming CD recording session in Forest, Va.  We stopped and the events of the day  changed to be all about the tragedies of that attack.

I remember  Steven Curtis Chapman released a single that day early because of the events that were unrolling.  The Song…God is God.

As I listened to the events unfold again this morning, emotions began to well up within me.  Some of them were feelings of anger. Actually most of them were.  Some of my feelings were for the victims and for their families.  I remember seeing bumper-stickers that read “9-11…Never Forget”.

It’s good to have reminders.  Reminders of where we have been, events that have happened, and prices that have been paid.  When you think of 9-11 what do you think about?  What feelings coming rushing in?  Where were you? Take time to Remember.

COME JOIN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AS WE HEAR FROM SOME OF THE MOST DYNAMIC LEADERS AND SPEAKERS OF OUR DAY! CLICK HERE TO GO LIVE NOW

Here are some highlights of the schedule.  I don’t have room to list every one of the speakers here, but here is a sampling of what you can expect:  All times are CENTRAL:

9AM — Troy Gramling, Mark Beeson, Anne Jackson, Dave Ferguson, Scott Hodge

10AM — Perry Noble, Stacy Spencer

11AM — Dino Rizzo, Nancy Beach, Steven Furtick, Reggie McNeal

12PM — Craig Groeschel, Leonard Sweet, Greg Surratt, Jon Tyson

1PM — Margaret Feinberg, Larry Osborne, Matt Carter, Pete Wilson

2PM — Neil Cole, Reggie Joiner, JD Greear

3PM — Mark Batterson, Dan Kimball, Mark DeYmaz

4PM — Jud Wilhite, Brian McLaren, Bob Roberts, Rick McKinley, John Ortberg

5PM — Alan Hirsch, John Bishop, Toby Slough, Ed Stetzer

6PM — Mark Driscoll, Darrin Patrick, Brad Powell

7PM — Darrin Whitehead, Brian Bloye

8PM — Eric Bryant, Nancy Ortberg, Rick Warren

Bright Orange Halloween Cast

Hope your week is off to a good start. Mine started out this morning by taking Hudson to get his cast on at the The Children’s Hospital. He did great!

Thanks to Facebook & Twitter it seems the world knows what happened to my son.  In case you haven’t heard the story here you go:

I took Mason (4) and Hudson (15months) to Linvilla Orchard on Friday. We had a great time until we were getting ready to go. Mason was running out in front of me and Hudson was on my shoulders.  I was holding both of his hands as were were walking to go see the ducks. While I was walking I stepped into a huge hole and Hudson summersalted right over me. I was still holding his right arm as he fell off. It was enough that it broke the two bones in his forearm.

He cried at first but stopped.  I thought he must have just been scared pretty bad.  We went home, ate lunch and then he went down for his nap. After dinner he had his nightly bath and then Jennifer went to put him in his jammies. As she lifted his arm to put it into his sleeve he began to cry pretty good. We immediately knew that something was wrong so we headed to the E.R. where x-rays showed that his arm was broken.

He was given a temporary cast/splint that night to secure his arm until his appointment this morning. I was so proud of him today. He didn’t cry or anything. He giggled and smiled and at times watched intently at what they were doing to him.

I am not sure there is anything that breaks my heart more than seeing my boys hurt. My mind immediately thinks of my Heavenly Father watching his one and only son endure the torture of the cross. I can’t even image the pain that He felt.

Have you ever thanked him for sacrificing His son for us?

Events in life like this make me look up and say “Thank You!”

I want to challenge you today as I am being challenged by God’s Word.  It is not something that should be kept on the shelf or in the car or even pulled out once in a while.  It is the road map for our lives.  It gives us direction.  It shows us how to live a life that is blessed by God.  Obedience always brings blessings and disobedience always brings consequences.  I want to challenge you to read these few verses and see if you are convicted about the way you live.

Psalm 119 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 119

¹ Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD!
²Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
³who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
⁴You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
⁵Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
⁶ Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
⁷I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
⁸I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

Questions to ask ourselves:

• Do I keep his testimonies?
• Do I seek Him with all of my heart?
• Do I walk in His ways?
• Do I diligently try to keep His precepts (laws)
• Are my eyes fixed on His commandments?
• Do I praise God with an upright heart?  You can’t praise Him from an upright heart if you are not living in obedience to His Word
• Do I keep His statutes?  (Spiritual laws He has set up for us in order to live uprightly)

Although we are not about works or religion, we are about living uprightly before God.  He has called us to a higher standard than the world.  Do you live it?  Do you seek it?  Lots to think about!

We had a great weekend at Fellowship Church. We had a great turn out for our community wide yard sale.  It was so cool to see so many great items donated by FC folks.  This was no ordinary yard sale.  We gave away things like patio furniture, bedroom suites, tv’s, gps units, clothes, bicycles, etc.  Our community was blown away that we were giving it away for free.  We really took a big step this weekend towards building a bridge with those around us in Delaware County.  God really used this event!  I want to say thanks to everyone who donated or came and helped Saturday.  Because of you it was a success!  Way to be Jesus to our community!  So proud of you all!

Yesterday I enjoyed my day off with my two boys.  I got up and made a pancake breakfast for them.  Then we loaded into the mini-van and headed over to look at a rental house that is available here in Glen Mills.

Jenn and I are convinced that God wants us to sell our house so it is officially on the market.   We have no idea where we will be living but we are stepping out in faith knowing that God will bless our obedience.  Did I mention obedience is not always easy or fun?  We really are needing to get out of the bondage of debt and this will help us do that.  Dave Ramsey would be be so proud!

With so much going on in our lives it seems that I have been wanting God to be more present in my life.  Why does it always happen like that?  Why does it always take something to bring us to a place of needing Him more?

This morning I was reading from the devotional book entitled Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby.  The first sentence blew me away.

“Our response to God greatly determines His presence in our lives. If we seek God with all of our hearts, then we will find Him”(Jer. 29:13–14).

Do you ever struggle to find God?  Do you ever wrestle with walking with him every day?  Do you try to find Him but feel that you can’t? If that’s you like it is me at times, be encouraged by these verses and continue to seek Him with everything that You are!

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  — Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. — James 4:8

³ Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. — Jeremiah 33:3

¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, declares the LORD, –Jeremiah 29:12-14