Preparation before battle
It is always a good feeling when things seem to be going good. When others are struggling, having difficulties, but you are just seeming to cruise through the war zones.  Not that we are any less prone to the attacks or that we are any better than anybody else, but it is almost like we are shielded from the calamities around us."Not only are battles lost before they are fought, battles are also won before they are fought" - TozerWe should be aware that the evil opponent is NOT predictable.  If he was, we would not have such a tough time with him. If the pattern was repeatable and there was specific times and actions that would eliminate the impact

The precious seed
I have been compulsively buying books, reading online, listening to videos and podcasts as well has engaging in many opportunities to here the Word and attempt to learn more every day.  I have been compulsive all my life and there have been many times it has not been healthy, so I had to re-evaluate my behaviors and discern its foundational purpose.By some weird reason, I was lead to read a story by Luke, chapter 8, verses 11-18. In this section of the Bible, it refers to some seeds. Some translations refer to this parable as "The parable of the Sower" (NIV) and others refer to it as The Story of the Seeds (Message).  Isn't it interesting how two different views can be taken

How much more?
We breath each moment, as if it is a right, that it is owed to us.  We don't know any different.  Since we can recall any thoughts of the world around us, the involuntary muscles that we have just seem to "work".  Respiratory, circulatory, digestive and many others, including the immune system, just to get started, and do their own thing.   For many people, these automatic things are

Remember when a job was just a job
As I push through some challenging times at work, I reflect and admire some earlier times in my life. I started my employment life by lying about my age and getting a job as a dishwasher at 12, but my first *real* job was as a cook at McDonald's. I say *real* job, because it was the first time I had to use the social security card and pay taxes, and thirty-four years later I wonder where all the time has gone.I do know that my

Life is a song...
Life is a song, with a rhythm to it and even though many times I might feel out of tune or insignificant, I must realize, it is not a solo!!!We had a great men's breakfast yesterday and learned about a concept where there is a whole lot more going on around us, than just us. The visual was from Rob Bell called Rhythm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtXHHXfrjx4). We had already worked through the questions as a group and had some good dialog.