A couple of nights ago I was talking to a friend on the phone.  We believe in the same GOD.  Love our wives and children and see eye to eye on quite a few issues.  In the past we have had the chance to share some pretty personal thoughts and feelings and I for one am positive that the Lord sent this person into my life with Divine intentionality.  When I hung up the phone, I thanked GOD for our relationship and started workin' on getting some football tickets for next season.  The funny thing is I had never actually spoken to this person before that phone call! LOL!

I'll end the suspense.....  Mike n Laura live walking distance from me and Mike and I finally spoke off line.  I consider this a gift from GOD and any of you that know this gentle soldier understand why.  He allowed me the time to express a few ideas and a lot of gratitude about what the Lord is doing in my life right now and I have been lead to share a bit of it with you guys.

THANK YOU!!!

That is really the heart of it.  I thank GOD regularly for all of you, but I wanted to thank you all as well.  You have no idea what this little community has meant to me over the last few months.  Over the last two years, GOD has had me sort of in isolation.  Several relationships were dissolved, certain people removed from my space, and he quarantine me so that I might be forced to deal with no one else but him.  While I'm sure that most of you are eager to hear from the Lord, there are a few, like me, who have been running from the call and attention that he is focusing on your life.  For us, he takes special care to bring us to the end of ourselves so that there is no chance that we will not complete his will for our lives.  To whom much is given, much is required.  It has been immature and selfish of me to reap his blessings and not answer his voice.  So he has been gently breaking me.

I say gently because even in his wrath there is Love.  While there have been brutal prices paid for every sin, they have not been answered with righteous death.  As a matter of fact, for every stitch of pain and suffering that I would claim, it is his Grace and Mercy that prevails and I am never left uncovered.  No more than a controlled spanking from my father to correct my behavior (spare the rod and all that).  Grace to such an extent that even under circumstances that I have seen take others out, we are flourishing.  It seems as though once he decided he had my attention and a few of the lessons were getting through, he slowly added some key people into the mix.  It started with my Discipleship brothers.  The men who have started this three year journey with me have become almost as blood brothers.  There is iron sharpening iron on a regular basis.  I don't know what I would have done without these 7 other men of GOD in my life.  Chris, you are a family member.  My daughters and my wife understand who you are and trust you as my right hand.  I love you.  And then there is MyChurch.

Back in January, I signed up on this sight just to get online information for children's choir.  Our church has been encouraging us to do as much electronically as possible (there are over 8,000 of us).  Just poking around I came across a blog by Mullet Preacher (blue Christmas lights) and was moved to read more of his stuff.  Well, being nosey, I started clicking on his friends pictures and started reading some of the best prayers and messages of hope I had ever seen.  Now I'm not naive enough to believe that all you guys (me included) are as holy as our profiles, but that might just be the point.  At least here you get to display the GOD in you and people can see what GOD has deposited in you and not be distracted by the bits of world we got stuck in our teeth.  Rich livin' 4 Him, was the first to reach out and say hi.  I have documented our first interaction in my earliest blogs but suffice it to say, he showed me a lot about giving.  He invited all his friends to stop by my page and before I knew it I had 15 friends.  Lara, Cheryl, Dana and Ester showed up immediately and made me feel at home.  Through them and the other 40 or so that have joined the ranks since Rich reached out, I have learned what being faithful is about.  I have learned what waiting on GOD really means.  I have read testimonies that have brought more than a tear or two to my eyes and made me love my daughters better.  I have made solid christian friends and I love you all.

To show my appreciation, I have tried to pass forward all of the good humor and encouragement that has been given to me here, but I fear I will never catch up.  Thank you all for being a healthy alternative to destructive time alone.  Thank you for the laughter, the support, the examples and most of all the reminder that it is not about me.  I love you all.

Bhek