JUST BE....................

Be still and know that I am God



Be still and know that I Am



Be still and know



Be still



BE



Can you just "be" and know that God knows whats better for you than you do? What has God done for you to just be? He's saved you, sanctified you, loves you unconditionally, washed your sins away, forgave you and forgets your sins, wonderfully made you, formed you in your mother's womb, knows how many hairs or no hairs that you have on your head, faithful to you even when you are not, has plans for you, watches you, disciplines you because He loves you and wants you to Himself, He died for you in the from of His only Son, Jesus...can you just be right now in this moment and trust in God that He has a plan for you...just be and let God be God because you are not and that's a good place to be. JUST BE!
-gravyjmm

TRUST

This is what the LORD says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives. "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.
-Jeremiah 17:5 – 8

Yes, just rock out and trust in God...it works

by the way, just in case you don't understand what Mike Sweet is singing, here are the words:

It's been said money talks If so what does it say? Four simple words we see every day
The rich, the poorHeaven is for those who choose Don't put your trust in money You'll lose (again and again)In God we trust In Him we must believe (He is the only way) In God we trust His Son we must receive (Tomorrow's too late, accept Him today)

-gravyjmm

Love Ya!

Hey...sometimes it's good to be reminded! There is only one God and only one faith and only one way to Him and that is Jesus. Maybe you need a reminder of just ho much God loves you! Remember just as He gave and gives to you...turn around and give it away.

-gravyjmm

"Fine & Dandy"...

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
–Philippians 4:4 - 8

It seems so easy to experience peace when everything is “find and dandy” but this is life and life is painful. God is always great, even when you or I want to question that statement…but how can you grow in the Lord if your life is “find and dandy”…answer; you can’t! In fact pain is good because God uses pain, struggles, and trials to bring you closer to Him and to grow you spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically while in the valley…if life were always so comfortable for you that would mean that you are lost in the world. If I am too busy with concerns of how to be comfortable here than I am not too concerned for what God loves and His agenda for me or this life. Choices Jerry Lee, choices! If you are going through some tough times right now, praise God. It is those times when we don’t feel like worshiping or praising God that it is precisely the best time to give God praise and worship because He is preparing you for whatever He has planned for you and God does not bring us to where He wants us to just drop us, trust and obey like the song says. God wants to grow you, love on you, give to you, take from you, bless you but He can’t if you are too busy with this life and its pleasures. God is a jealous God, He wants you but are you willing to be available for Him? Want peace? God is waiting for you to trust only in Him and not your wisdom or power…you are powerless, just admit it, it’s okay because you have limits, God does not.

-gravyjmm

It’s all about honesty as I am really writing this because I need to get out of my mind and into complete surrender to God in this moment. In 2000 when I arrived here at the ministry that God gave me, I was in full swing of my addiction and in complete denial of who I really was because I didn’t want to deal with my issues. I snowed every leader in this church and every member as well and I can’t understand how God would allow an addict, selfish, religious spirit church player as I was to be a minister in His church. Fast Forward 7 years! I have come through about everything imaginable and God has knocked me out of my denial and my addictions and has been moving out of religion into a relationship. I am still a work in progress and as I write this I am in the valley, where I seem to be staying as of late. Which isn’t bad because that means God is working on me and growing me for His purpose and if I wasn’t in the valley that would probably mean that I am comfortable and totally engulfed in the world. As I write this I believe that God is moving me and my family out of the ministry here in PSL and into another ministry. So here is where I am at…I am in a place that I have served for 7 years and I am thankful to God for what He done here through me and for me and for some reason I don’t feel wanted here anymore. On the other hand I have sent resumes galore, made tons of phone calls and e-mails, prayed without ceasing, made myself available, done everything that God laid on my heart to do and I am not receiving any response from any other church…none. Now I have been having communion with God quite a bit in these last few weeks and in fact, I have talked, shared, cried, shouted, questioned, asked, wrestled, done everything with God more in these last few weeks with than I have in 29 years of life. God has taken away everything around me that I would normally try to use to control my situation, my feelings, or the like and even my cell phone is shut off…in other words…GOD HAS MY ATTENTION. I haven’t tried to numb my feelings; I have just gone to God. I have taken things back 20 times but surrendered them over again 21 times. I have prayed openly with Him and I have said that I will do whatever He wants from and I will be available for His will and I won’t question, I will just do. See I want to know the outcome of my life and God wants me to just trust in Him and that He knows what is better for me than I do. Surrender and Submission is where I am at right now as I right this…I have asked God for signs and He is not showing me anything so I will stay surrendered and submit to whatever He wants. I feel right now that God is distant but His Word says that “never will I leave you or will I forsake you”…so I believe that I am just being tested because He is preparing me for something and that He has a purpose for me but I will learn that in His timing and not mine. It seems that I take things back from God 20 times a day but I surrender them right over 21 times. I am constantly asking to change the focus of my thoughts and keep me out of my stinking thinking and He is…praise God. Actually now as I type this, I am thankful that I am where I am at because I am okay right now in this moment and I am thankful for the valley because it is helping me to grow…God uses the opposite of what I think could help me grow to grow me. Imagine that! Dear God, I have tried to do it all by myself on my own power, and I have failed. Today I want to turn my life over to You. I ask You to be my Lord and my Savior. You are the One and only Higher Power! I ask that You help me think less about me and my will. I want to daily turn my will over to You, to daily seek Your direction and wisdom for my life. Please continue to help me overcome my hurts, hang-ups, and habits, that victory over them may help others as they see Your power at work in changing my life. Help me to do Your will always. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen…thanks for letting me share.

-gravyjmm

ROCK OUT IN THE NAME OF THE LORD

I love "Old School" bands that are Christians that rocked out to the Lord like this. Whatever happened to this kind a music?

-gravyjmm

always something here to remind me

As I sit here in my office and do what I do, I take a gander at my shelf and begin to look at some of my notebooks from back in the day at college. I particularly (Viva Dr. Bob) take a look at my Western Civilianization note book and I began to gaze over my notes and some papers that I wrote. WOW! As I look at what I wrote, I wander why I took that class. I took that class when I was 20 and I didn’t seem too interested in doing anything productive expect doodling and writing B.S. In fact as I think about if in the late 1990’s they gave award for greatest BS’er and “biggest waste of college loan money”… I would have received that award. I really wish I could go back in time and kick the junk out of myself, just an old fashioned butt whooping when I was 18, 19, 20, 21, years old…what a joke I was and man who did I think I was. I am so glad God kicked my tail and grew me up some. To quote my son “I growed up”, well I am not entirely there but I am certainly now living an honest unmasked life. Sometimes it’s good to have a reminder of what you were once; it certainly keeps me humble and reminds me of what my life is in my own hands instead of God’s hands. Most importantly it keeps me from pride and reminds me that I’m sick and I am nothing without Jesus. To quote a band that has naked eyes, "Always something here to remind me"...Thanks for the reminder!
-gravyjmm