The Ways of the Heart - 645

  My friends, how desperately do we need to be loved and to love.  When Christ said that man does not live by bread along, he spoke of a hunger.  This hunger was not the hunger of the body.  It was not the hunger for bread.  He spoke of a hunger that begins deep down in the very depths of our being.  He spoke of a need as vital as breath.  He spoke of our hunger for love.
  Love is something you and i must have.  We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it.  We must have it because without it we become weak and faint.  Without love our self-esteem weakens.  Without it our courage fails.  Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world.  We turn inward and begin to feed upon our own personalities, and little by little we destroy ourselves.
  With it we are creative.  With it we march tirelessly.  With it, and with it alone, we are able to sacrifice for others.

     Chief Dan George

Burma and my Other Grandmas - 625

  Wilma had been praying for several years that God would help the elderly that were confined to their houses due to physical limitations or other health issues.  She would say, "Lord, please comfort the shut-ins."  Sometime last year God had been coming through on her prayer and i was part of that answer, well for a few of my grandmas so far.  i didn't see it coming, i was just looking for more lawn jobs and several elderly women needed help at a reasonable price.  The Lord told me, "Don't worry about the money.", and that has been my approach to work all year.  He didn't tell me that i would get cookies and coffee, or iced mocha's and good conversation. 

i was blessed with three grandmas who i just hang out with each week, whether it be for a breakfast biscuit and coffee before yard work, or watching church on Sunday's before i make an omelet for us.  There have been more blessings in the relationships i have with these women than money could ever fulfill.  Today Burma and i watched service and then i surprised her with a tomato, garlic and pasta frittata with fresh herbs.
  Burma is a blessing for certain, as are Ava, and Peggy.  i pick up with Wilma's prayer and pray that other elders out there are cared for by someone, family, or in my case, just an adopted grandson.  Blessings to the elders as there is the wisdom of our past and lessons worth listening to.  Better company than an old book because you get to relive their history and learn their wisdom.

Love and Blessings in Jesus,

~ antbrother

My All-Star Son - 624

My youngest son and his local coach-pitch baseball team were undefeated this season and are part of an all-star tournament.  He's got some talent and a lot of heart.  Sam also had his first chance at playing catcher for this second game in the series.  After a close loss the night before the team re-focused and really played a great game and had a strong win.  Such a blessing to watch, win or lose, there is heart in these kids and coaches. Another benefit is that we get to play catch in between batting rotations.  :)

Amory heads to a state tournament this month and we're looking forward to that.

Baseball anyone?

The New Man - 623

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that i think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

  Over the last seven years God has been remaking me into something different, someone He can use for His purpose.  Back in Atlanta in the year 2000, i began praying earestly for God's Will to be done in my life, not knowing what that would entail.  His process has taken a bit of time, but like the potter that is remaking a vessel, there can be no rushing this process.  The old vessel must be destroyed first, pulverized to a powder and remixed with His special ingredients before it can be thrown again on the Potters wheel and made into the vessel that He intended us to be.  i am now seeing, in hindsight, all the things that He has done with me over these years and i humbly say, "Thank You Fathe r."
  One of the most precious things that is done when God begins His work in you, to remake you, is the softening of the heart and turning to the heart from the focus on self to the focus on God and others.  He cannot put us to work unless we are equipped and made right for His will and purpose.  Call it re-wiring, re-creation, or scripturally reborn in His image, but this new creature has to be made in order to walk the paths of good works that He has established for us.  Part of that purpose for me has been to become a farmer, gardener, and grounds keeper - to keep and defend His Garden.
  i used to jokingly say to friends in the past that when i grow up i want to be a farmer.  Well, this light hearted comment has actually manifested in the new man that God has created out of the old.  Words are inadequate to describe the intensity of this transformation and the beauty of the result of God's work, but if you could feel what i feel inside, you would instantly understand...  and smile.  God has grown me into something new while He has used me to grow His Garden in a place where one should not be.  Another good work that God has placed before me is prison ministry.  To be able to walk into a cell and share the joy of the Lord is another way that He allows me to plant seeds in others hearts - seeds of love, joy, hope and humility.  Prison ministry work extends past the bars and cells out to the places where people have created their own internal jails.
  This independence day, i urge you to seek God and pray for the completion of His work in you.  Release the bonds and chains that keep us locked in the prison of self, the prison of the mind, and allow Jesus to free you from this world and  its bondage.  The time is Now!

What do you want to be when you grow up in Him?

Love and Blessings,

~ antbrother