Kelly and I could tell you many stories... examples of how God made a way when we had no solution ourself.  Well, yesterday He did it again! We witnessed a very cool instance of God showing off a little bit :).  In just a few days, we have TWO kids that will have braces put on and one of them having 4 teeth pulled in the process as well. We need a certain amount of funds upfront to begin the process, and if you've ever paid for this type of work before, you know that doing it for two at one time is no small chunk of change. We had been planning and counting on being able to get a "bonus" from my web development business in time to help with this. As the time has come, Kelly and I were discussing just how much we needed to come up with and whether or not I was going to be able to make it happen or not. The last few weeks have been pretty good so I expected to be able to do SOME extra... just didn't know if I could do the larger amount that we really needed.

In my business, besides regular website projects, we develop other applications that people purchase to use in their own website development. That additional element of income for the business has become a real blessing as it generally brings in a fairly steady flow of income daily. I track this pretty seriously so I know how much money those sales generate from a day to day basis, monthly, etc. So, on to the cool part...

After Kelly and I discussed the specifics of our need and that we were pretty much out of time to come up with anything else, I went back to my office to determine what I could do. I prayed a simple prayer and said "God, you know exactly what we need right now and exactly how much. We really need you to help us make this happen." Within a few minutes, I was contacted by someone making an inquiry about our most expensive application package which is not something that is regularly sold. After a couple of emails back and forth, he made the purchase. That purchase, combined with a steady stream of other sales throughout the day/evening, the day closed with the largest amount of sales of our applications that has ever happened in a 24 hour period... in the 4 years of the business' existence! Not only is that cool in itself... but the amount of sales that came in was a little more than the amount of money we had determined that we needed extra this week!!

God knows what we need and He wants to bless us!! I know without a doubt that Kelly and I can always count on God taking care of our family because we have always been faithful in our giving... following the instruction found in the Bible regarding tithes and offerings. Even when our income was much less, we still made sure that we gave God the portion that was His. It was never an option. We didn't have to decide if we could afford to tithe from week to week... because we knew that we could not afford NOT to tithe! How could we ever expect God to bless us if we stole from Him... keeping the tithe that belongs to HIM?? (Malachi 3:8-9)

Now, please don't think I'm patting my own back for tithing... I don't see tithing as something extra that we can do for reward or recognition. It is simply what is expected and instructed of us to do... so we just do it.

Malachi 3:10 (NLT) "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the Lord Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!"

In this blog, I want to accomplish two things:  one, to brag on my God and His continued faithfulness; and two, to testify and encourage you in the fact that as you are faithful to God, He will be faithful to you!  As the Word says above in Malachi 3:10, try it! Let God prove Himself faithful to you!

In the same manner that our bodies can get out of alignment, we can experience the same problems spiritually. God has given us instructions on how we are to live and when we follow His Word, we can live in alignment with the Scripture and in alignment with Him. When we do this, we will experience His blessing and protection to a level that we would NOT see if living a life according to our own desires. We are in a constant struggle to make right decisions, having to CHOOSE daily which way we will go. The apostle Paul talks about this here:

Galations 5: 16-17 (NLT) "So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict."

Just like the body when out of alignment will experience pain, restriction of movement, and other various physical symptoms, Paul goes on to explain the results you will experience when living your life out of alignment with the Spirit:

Galations 5:19-21 (NLT) "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."

Now, while we all have this ongoing struggle of choosing whether we will go to the right or to the left, Paul also explains what we can expect when we choose to live according to God's plan:

Galations 5:22 (NLT) "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law."

We ALL go through struggles in life from time to time, but if you seem to be going from problem to problem, struggle to struggle, have you considered that maybe you have some alignment issues? Examine yourself today and ask God to show you anything in your life that is out of alignment with the plan He has for your life. Picture a large umbrella and imagine that this umbrella symbolizes God. The umbrella provides a covering, a protection. When we stay in alignment with God, we are living underneath that umbrella. There we experience His protection from the attacks of the enemy, His blessing on every aspect of our lives, and His peace that passes all understanding.  On the other side of this, if we choose to NOT live in alignment with Him, we find ourselves outside of the covering of that umbrella. We are then an easy target... open to attack, more prone to fall to tempation, more likely to act in ways and say things we know we should not, and not in a position to receive all that God has in store for us.

Of course we all would prefer to be living under that umbrella, but it's sometimes easier said than done. Every day we make the choice. We all do... and sometimes we make a wrong choice and find ourselves out of alignment. In my situation, the physical therapist has pinpointed specific issues in my body and is working to correct them, then show me things I can do to keep my system in alignment. What about you... what things are keeping you out of alignment spiritually? Spend time in the Word and in prayer... God will show you what those things are and He can help you deal with your alignment issues.

Why are some people healed instantly and some are not?  Why do some people struggle for months or years before they receive their healing?  Why do some people not ever receive it and eventually pass away?  Why do some people receive their results through the hands of a doctor and some others through a supernatural miracle?  These are questions that you have no doubt asked, thought of or heard others ask at some point in time.  I believe we all have been there.  Here is my answer to all of the above questions... "I do not know".  I don't think any of us can truly answer these.  While some think they can, I believe this is just one of those areas that we can't fully understand.  We are not God.  HE is and His ways are above our ways... His thoughts and understanding are far beyond what our finite brains can reach.  Some people are not satisfied with an answer of "I don't know", but through my life and experiences, I have come to realize that there are MANY things that I do not and can not understand.

When I was a very young boy, my mom suffered with sever migraine headaches for a year. She went to all types of specialists and treatment centers in various places in the country... she was given all sorts of reasons for her symptoms... put on a large amount of medications... put on special diets... but continued to suffer to a point of not being able to function in the manner she wanted and needed to as a pastor's wife and mother.  Were lots of people praying during this entire year? You bet they were!  Did my mom have faith to believe that God could heal her?  Of course she did! After about a year, she WAS healed in a camp service at our Lake Placid district campground. From that evening on, she's been completely healed and not needed any continued medication. God healed her, without a doubt. Why did it take a year? We don't know, but the fact remains that God showed up as her healer.

In 1986, my youngest sister was born was transposition of the great arteries in her heart. She had open-heart surgery as a 9-month old, 9-10 pound baby. She could have died at that early stage of her life, but she did not. Her entire life has been filled with struggles, limitations, medications, treatments, surgeries... and now is on a list for a heart transplant as a 23 year old youth pastor's wife.  God has spared her life many times and that has been very evident... but why has He not healed her heart condition yet? We can't know the answer to that, but God knows what he is doing! I know that God gives us abilities and intelligence and expects us to use them... and I believe that many times God uses the hands of doctors to bring correction and healing to our sicknesses and diseases. God has a purpose and a plan for all of our lives. Have you ever thought that God's plan for some people is that they would be a doctor and use the God-given abilities and insight to bring physical correction to people's problems?  I believe that God could very well be using the hands of man to bring my sister's healing in the form of a heart transplant. Could he supernaturally give her a new heart? Yes He could and who knows... He just might do that.  Or He could choose to work through the doctors that are involved. Either way, I am believing for a miracle.

In 1991, my family was in a major car accident where we all received various injuries. My mom and 5-year old sister were lifelined via helicopter with very serious injuries. My sister (with the heart conditions) almost died 3 times on the way to the hospital with internal injuries.  Later, after the doctors reported to my dad that my sister would be flat on her back and unable to move for many weeks... that they were fighting the internal issues... they left the room and then my sister sat up, started moving around saying "look at me!". Within an hour she was released from the hospital and was healed!  My mom should have not survived the accident, but she did. She's had 12 surgeries since the accident and lives still with some limitations. However, she walks in races after she was told she'd never walk again. She rides a bike... which she was never supposed to do.  She does many things that she is "not supposed" to be able to do.  She is a walking miracle.  Has she received a 100% healing? No. Why?  I don't know.  I do know that doctors were used to fix some things, then God took her even further.

In 1995, my grandfather died from cancer. He had been an Assemblies of God pastor for over 40 years.  He was an awesome man of God with an effective ministry... a man that impacted everyone, everywhere that he went. There are many things in my life that I can attribute to him.  Could God have healed him and kept him with us longer... and kept him doing the work of the ministry longer?  Sure. It's hard to know why he did not receive his healing, but again I trust in God and know that He is in control.  The picture is always bigger than me. There is always more to a situation than just what affects you. There is a bigger picture that I can't always see, but God can and He knows best.

Now as I face my own physical struggle, I was recently reminded of a passage in the Bible that helped me and I trust will help you as well.  When the three Hebrew children refused to bow before the king's image despite the threat of being thrown into the fire, they stood in faith believing completely in their God. They told the king that their God was able to save them from the fire and that He would save them. Then they continued on and said even if He doesn't, we will not worship the image you have set up (Daniel 3:16-18). They believed that God was able to save them, but declared that regardless of how this situation panned out, they would still stand for the God they served and declare who He is even in the face of death.

In the same manner, I choose to have faith and believe that God is able to heal me... that God will heal me (through His hand or a physician's)... but even if He doesn't, that does not change the fact that God IS the Healer. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Even when I do not understand the timing or the end result, God is still God... and I am not.  I know this is a long post, but I hope it helps you as you read it.  Keep the things of your life in perspective and remember that God is on your side. He will never leave you. Trust and believe in Him today and don't forget to keep praising Him even in the midst of your trial!

Kelly and I just married off our daughter, Brittany, and it was a wonderful celebration with her and her new husband.  However, during the process of planning the wedding, there were some stressful times... most of which were due to a lapse in communication.  This lead to individuals ASSUMING that certain things were done and taken care of.  It also lead to frustration that was unnecessary... had simple things been communicated, everyone would have been on the same page, not wondering... not assuming... not incorrectly perceiving...  This was something that we had to address and make sure everyone involved dealt with to make sure that the rest of the planning was less stressful :)

Another great example comes from my business.  Often times I get so busy with my work that I will forget to return a phone call... forget to return an email.  It could be something that would only take minutes, but if I'm not careful, I can let this slide.  This of course is very bad as if I do not communicate with my clients, they will not remain my client for very long.  They will ASSUME that I am not interested in providing services to them, then go and find another company that is.  Unfortunately, I know this from experience.  I have learned (the hard way) how important this is.  Even if I have to tell the client that I am unable to provide the service in the timeframe that they would like, they are usually okay with that as long as they KNOW that I am aware and doing what I can to get the job done.

The same applies to our ministry at Church52.  As part of the leadership team, Pastor Perry expects me to regularly communicate with him so he knows what I am doing, when certain tasks will be taken care of, what is going on with the people that I directly work with and lead in the music ministry, etc.  If I do not do this, he will ASSUME that I am not getting the job done... that I am not handling the ministry roles that he expects me to be on top of.

I heard someone say before "love me, hate me, but don't ignore me."  I think that speaks to this issue very well!  Communication is something that I know I need to constantly be working on and trying to improve.  It is obviously very key in my marriage, my relationship with my kids, my church and my friends.

Now, where is this MOST important??  ...in my relationship with God.  I need to daily communicate with God to maintain a solid relationship with Him.  How?  I need to do this through prayer, worship and reading God's Word.  Do I always do this to the level that I need to?  No I do not.  As with every Christian, this is the part of Christianity that we have to continually work at.  You have to MAKE time to communicate with God.  You have to make it a priority over the things in life that so easily consume our time and attention.  If you do not do this, the results are the same as in my previous examples.  God will assume that you don't have time for Him... that you are more interested in other THINGS in your life than Him... that you love your work, your hobbies, your time-suckers more than you love spending time with Him.  Just in the same way a married couple will drift apart when time is not spent together, you and God will drift apart.

The quote above "love me, hate me, but don't ignore me" reminds me of the scripture that says God would rather you be hot or cold, not lukewarm.  If you are lukewarm, he will spit you out of his mouth.  God is saying to you today... "love me, hate me, but don't ignore me."  He wants to spend time with you.  He wants to hear you calling out His name in prayer and worship.  He wants to speak into your life but He can't if you are not listening.  Make time for Him today for He said that if you will draw near to Him, He will draw near to you.

The reason this person is a hero to me is because:

"He died on the cross for me and took away my sin."

The three words that best describe this person:

1. Holy
2. Glorious (although spelled "Glorios")
3. Perfect

I was almost surprised as I read this paper as my son is VERY big into what most people recognize as heros.  He loves Spiderman, X-Men and the usual stuff that young boys like... but for him to put Jesus in the category of hero and above the others was pretty cool.

Now, why am I telling you this?  To brag on my son?  Maybe a little :) but this certainly made me and hopefully you think a little bit.  Who is YOUR hero?  What characteristics would qualify someone as a hero to you?  Is it the ability to out run a speeding bullet?  ...to leap tall buildings in a single bound? ...to swing through downtown on spider web ropes that shoot out of your wrist?  ...or is it maybe someone that willingly gives up His own life to die in YOUR place?

Jesus never fought the Green Goblin or Lex Luther, but He did defeat death, hell and the grave.

Jesus never got weak and fell to the power of Kryponite, but neither did He give in to the devil's temptations after 40 days of fasting in the wilderness.

Jesus is undefeated, sinless, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere at all times, the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

So, who is your hero?  Hopefully you can take a moment today and realize that there is no one else like Jesus.  Be sure to take time to give Him thanks and praise today for all that He is!