New in Christ

For so many years I stressed, I hurt, I held grudges, I lived in shame and thought I would never be good enough for anyone and I am free.  In Christ, I am a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.  There is so much power in those words for me.  I feel free.  Free at last.  The biggest thing for me will be leaving it in the past.  God has delivered me and yet I still want to go back and pick it all up.  Why?  It is time to leave it were it in the past.  

This Sunday I am preaching at Clifton Christian Church on these verses.  I am pretty excited about the opportunity.  I am hopeful that God will use me and my gift of gab to actually be productive for his Kingdom.  Let the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you God. I will have to post after I preach to update you all on how things went.  Until be praying for God to use me this weekend as I teach.

Sunday

I continue to realize how awesome it is to be teaching kids about Jesus and see the light come on.  I never realized how much culture had effected us.  The idea of being a good person is enough to go to heaven.  Heaven is a real place and part of the journey of getting to heaven takes us accepting Christ.  To confess our sins, acknowledge Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, Be immersed in Baptism, and live a new life in Christ.  Just like I blogged about the other day.  After accepting Christ we are new creations, and the old is gone and the new is here.
As Easter approaches it makes me thing more and more about the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross us.  No one but Christ has died for me.  No one has sacrificed for me like Christ has... No one loves me like Christ. I am his and he is mine.

Beautiful

Today was beautiful and I really enjoyed the rich blessings of being able to ride my bike, and go out to eat with my beautiful wife.  Today was great because I was able to just get out and exercise, relax and clear my mind.  This year long blogging is going to be harder than I thought.  It is only day 2!  Wow!

Spoken words

Words are so powerful.  The words that people speak can be so inflating or so deflating... or maybe just blah... I can't tell you how many times I have let a little comment completely tear me apart and ruin my day.  I also can't tell you how many times a little complement has inflated my head so big that my neon yellow shirt with flashing letters that said I"M HUMBLE has been worn.  I struggled with words for so many years growing up.  People often called me names and after so long you start to believe those lies.  Peoples words from middle school  have carried through into my adult life and at times have been the source of some of my biggest struggles in life.  I am writing this because I realizing the importance of the truth.  What could we all be like if the truth was spoken over us?  You are able, You are Beautiful, You are loved and the list could go on for days. We could have less doubt, less fear and more confidence.  This is all sparked from a discipleship training I am apart of and as our pastor was teaching he read a verse that I am pretty sure I need to hear everyday of my life. It is from 2 Corinthians 5:17 and it says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."  

The old is gone... I don't have to live the lies, believe the lies or be apart of the OLD because it is gone.  I am the one who keeps bringing it back up no one else.  LET GO of the past and move to the present (the new has come).  The here and know!! 

Whenever I hear this verse it makes me think of how the days of struggle are the past because I am a new creation in Christ and he is my strength and refuge in times of trouble.  God is comfort in times of sorrow.  He is my sustaining, provider, deliver, friend... He has to be my everything so I can embrace my newness... 

Discipline

Can I blog for 1 year?  Once a day sit down and just write out what is on my heart and mine.  This is my attempt.  We will see how I do.  I hope you all enjoy my thoughts, rambles, and my heart.  Talk to you soon!