Crying THANKSGIVING

Psalm 30:4
All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God! Thank him to his face! He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter. 

So as my body decided sleep was to come and we were only 1.5hrs into the drive I decided to engage in a full on worship ride for 5 hrs.   As the songs began to play the spirit man became ALIVE, so much so the physical man submitted fully and after praying and crying out in thankfulness to what GOD has blessed me with......I went from crying out, to boo hooooing.   WHY?  Because if each of us are really serious.....and set aside the thoughts of I WISH I HAD, or if I had, and just reflect off the the relationships GOD has richly entrusted you with, and the many other blessings He's given you.....and you put that in perspective of THANKSGIVING...there is only one response.....crying in thanksgiving before HIM.  Even though we ALL fall short......His love for us is shown with & in every day we live.

Here's my challenge to each of you....take 10 minutes get away from everyone...seriously go to the car, in the garage, the bathroom where ever you need to go...GO.  Spend time in prayerful thanksgiving, think about those in Joplin who today will be missing someone at the table.   Think about the persons in the hospital that lives are in the balances and can't enjoy the fellowship of family.  Think about those in far off lands who are dreaming of a meal that they won't have.   As you poise your palates to enjoy the days delicacies....pause long enough to give serious thanks.  Have kleenex in your pocket, because if you lose yourself in the state of gratuitousness...joy filled tears will be the out pour.  I love you all, thanks for following this blog, and as MUCH AS GOD HAS already blessed me with relationships with each of you.....I can't help but want to cry again, because He has so many more surprises for me yet to be discovered.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  LGLP



BE THANKFUL (That's IT.....BE THANKFUL)

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

Yesterday after completing a days work, I recieved a text message from one of my barbers informing me that a childhood friend of mine (same age as I -37) and his, and suddenly passed.  After being shocked, I immediately thought of his little brother, the same age as mine....so I called him, and what transpired was GOD-breathed.   His voice was trembling, his words were few, he was understandably still shell-shocked as this had happened today.  No he wasn't sick, there were no signs other than he awaken that morning complaining of leg pain that had never happened before.    As I sought to console and pray:  the Spirit reminded me to remind him to be thankful!  THANKFUL really now, he just lost his only sibling, best friend in life.   But, he didn't suffer long.   But they had a beautiful brotherly relationship.   But .............what more could one ask?   Ronnie loved his little brother, and his little brother loved him.   Ronnie is no longer afflicted with the worries of this world.   He's now in PERFECT PEACE.   

I don't know what you will be forced to remember on tomorrow, but whatever it is.....I pray you can be moved to THANKFULNESS as the scripture says...no matter the circumstances.  BE THANKFUL I SAY, BE THANKFUL!   R.I.P. Ronnie Wilson, Jr.   LGLP

BEing WATCHFUL & PRAYERFUL

Colossians 4:2-3   Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

So Paul is in prison again, writing to the people of Colossae, giving them more instructions regarding what they should be doing; being watchful & prayerful.   As this relates to our BEing, we are good at one, and the other well, we need to become more spiritually disciplined to do.   We by nature love to watch, and sometimes our watching results in being nosey.  But like the typical fan at any sporting event, we are forced to take the stance of BEing watchful cause there has never been in time, where a fan was called out from the stance into an actual professional game to participate, but in fact they are to REMAIN WATCHFUL and HOPEFUL (prayerful) regarding what's going on, on the field of play. 

So what about you?  As you are looking at this game of life, I know each of you are watchful (regarding other's live, the development of your children, of you IRAs, what goes on in Washington, your neighbors, etc.....) but what about the being prayerful part?  Do you really try to take action before really committing to the BEing prayerful regarding whatever situation you were watching?   BEing prayerful allows one to have a conversation with GOD, and GOD with the prayeful individual, after all prayer was meant to be a dialogue, not a monolgue; scripture shows this clearly through the prayerful conversation of one with GOD, and He in response.

WHAT IS IT TODAY, that GOD wants you to BE watchful and prayerful in regards?  Or do you think HE wants you running out on the field during the game and disrupting the whole flow because you want to be seen & heard?  I, am assuming a posture of BEing watchful (cause you just might see GOD @ work) and prayerful (because this is a discipline and I need to know and hear what GOD is saying to me).  I pray someone joins me.......LGLP

Thankful for Peace (the Umpire)

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

Have you ever been to a sporting event?  It doesn't really matter which event, because no matter what event you attended there is always a referee, umpire, or field judge...etc.  But really why are they there?  No game can start and end without one.  They are there to judge the game, settle disputes, and make sure that the rules of the game are adhered to.   Just think without them, who would determine whether a pitch was a strike or a ball?  Who'd determine whether a runner was safe or out?  We would?  The people in the stands or bleachers?  We are (no matter how close you are sitting) to far to see the smallest details to why the call was what it was.    SO as a former ball player...I'm thankful for the umpires.

But what about PEACE?   Umpires and peace share the desire to promote harmony in the major game.  There will be conflicts because WE are invovled, but Paul suggested that we allow the PEACE of CHRIST rule in our hearts (settling our disputes; often those regarding our flesh against GOD's will) that we may continue to live harmoniously as GOD desires His children to live.   Nobody comes to games to watch the umpires, they don't have major endorsement deals, or trading cards you probably can't even name 2 professional umps/refs/field judges....but without them games wouldn't be enjoyable.
  

The bottom line is that Paul told us the reason for quarrels and misunderstandings (James 4:1) is because WE want our way, but let's THANK GOD that HIS WAYS are not OUR WAYS, He's JUST and HE's perfect, so let's look to HIM and be THANKFUL for HIS PEACE, that is able to comfort us no matter what HIS call is regarding the the game of LIFE as it relates to us.  NOW LET US FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCTIONS AND FOCUS ON LIVING (BEING) PEACEABLY with ONE ANOTHER.  LGLP