Footprints

"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

I remember the first time I saw the Footprints poem in a picture frame on a wall, I thought back on some times in my life when I felt blue and alone. It is so true that He is carrying us through the toughest of times.

I just wanted to share another video with lyrics that should stick with you as well... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX2uM0L3Y1A

Ever have one of those days, or maybe even a season, where you encounter some form of self doubt? Past choices, present situations, future repercussions.

Just know God loves us, even when we mess up, and has his angels surrounding us. I had to share this video because it cover so many different venues of what we struggle with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF5CjtrIl_c&feature=related

HHPP

"Dave, all my sisters had to get married, don't let me down." I still hear my dad telling me this when I was a teen. It seemed everytime I went out with someone; I heard this in my head. It did the job and there are no fatherless kids running around, and I married the girl of my dreams by choice.

It was funny to hear one of the pastors say the same thing last week only in a more shocking way. HHPP!

Be Humble, be Holy, and keep your Pecker in your Pants! I think if the Pastor had said that in the church I grew up in, half the congregation would have fainted, and the other half would have held a meeting to vote him out! Maybe one of the reasons I like Eastlake Church is that they don't major on the minor issues in the Bible; no legalism there. No sharks there.

But then this he week, he crossed the line, when talking about the first 3 chapters in Genesis about the creation of a perfect world, then ruining it by creating....cats. As a cat lover, I must say he's gone too far ;)

If you have a hole in your heart and you have no life, God can fill the hole and make you whole so you can Know life!

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish

Steve Jobs dead at the age of 56.

An excerpt of his famous Stanford speech..."Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary...Stay hungry, stay foolish"

Your inner voice...What determines yours?

Promises

I love going through promises the Bible gives us when we go through what could be anxious times; one of my favorites is in Isaiah 41:10-

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

It's just amazing just how many people are going through some tremendous stress in there lives. I hear story after story, but there is some good news.

I grew up to the sounds of my dad magically touching the ivory's of an 1800's finely tuned Steinway Grand piano. To get to the point where it sounds it's best requires a good 11 tons of pressure and stress in order to get it to it's sweetest sound. The stress causes the wood to mold and transform to the makers desire for it.

For us it's the same. Our Maker looks at each of us as a fine-tuned Steinway Grand. All of us begin as rough wood that He desires to transform and tune. Many times, these experiences stretch our faith, our families, our frame. Many times it may feel like we just can't handle the stress, and that's when the anxiety sets in...just know it's part of the process and dwell on the promises we've been given.