Beating the Wind

I hope that you enjoy these pictures taken by my friend and brother in law, Dennis Shelton. Feel free to share these with someone who needs encouragement.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

Florida Sunrise photo credit Dennis Shelton

Beautiful Sky photo credit Dennis Shelton

Good morning America photo credit Dennis Shelton

God's artwork photo credit Dennis Shelton

“And be a simple kind of man. And maybe someday you’ll love and understand Baby be a simple kind of man. Won’t you do this for me son, If you can” Lynyrd Skynyrd

I love my life…I truly do. I love to sit in my well worn easy chair early in the morning and reflect on how God has blessed me over my life. In doing this exercise each morning, I must tell you that I am totally blown away when I think about all that I have been given and even more than material things, the life moments that I have been able to experience. I try to live a very simple life. I do not need a lot of things to be happy. I have a friend who lives on a sailboat full time and I have learned somethings from him. He talks about how happy he is in the modest life that he has chosen to live. Even though I am still living on the hard (terra firm-a), I love my simple life. There are certain things that make my life wonderful so this morning I am going to list just a few and I truly hope that you enjoy…

* A well worn Bible
* my wife and daughters near me
* my grand-children’s laughter
* a comfortable and familiar coffee cup
* worn foul weather pants that fit just right
* sunrises and sunsets
* a campfire
* windy days on the water
* a first generation Kindle that I paid way to much for, but have enjoyed every minute
* a pocket knife
* Burt’s Bees lip balm
* a pot of my wife’s chili on a cold day
* Chinese honey’s
* toy’s in my living room
* a broke-in ball cap
* an obedient well trained Labrador (this takes time and lots of work)

What do you need to be happy?

Good morning friends, I wanted to take a moment during our busy after Christmas family week to share with you some of the awesome free applications I use to help make my life run a little smoother. I love technology that saves times so I am always on the look out for things that will help me and busy people like me be more productive. Recently I found two major time saving applications that work on Android, Mac, PC, Iphone and Ipads. The more I use these applications, the more I find that I really love and appreciate how they help make my life better and cannot believe that I got along as well as I did without them.

The first application that I want to spotlight, is Evernote. I cannot even begin to tell you how much time this simple (easy to use) application has saved me over the past six months. Evernote helps organize my thoughts and allows me to write them down. Then the application helps me to recall the thoughts by allowing me to save them and later send the nuggets that I find on the internet to my Evernote inbox. I can also jot down thoughts to save for later or to send thru various email or social media mediums. I find that it works seamlessly between my mac computer and android phone. This was one of the main reason that I started using it in the first place. Up until this point, there were not many applications that allowed my MAC and Droid the synch capability. I can also access my notes from any computer connected to the internet. The sync function insures that I will not lose any of the my work so I can add to those thoughts that I have brewing for use at a later time. There is an application trunk attached to evernote that is chocked full of other helpful tools and apps. I love that if I see a particularly interesting website while net surfing, I can automatically save it into my evernote account and read it later. I read about 40 blogs a day so these nuggets are easily saved so that I can later develop these thoughts later for use in my own blog. Even If I get an idea or see something while walking through the grocery store, I can open evernote on my phone and jot it down or snap the picture so that later, when I sit down at my mac, I can begin to develop the thought. I love Evernote.

I also love Wunderlist. This is a great time saver because it organizes my daily task so that I can make sure to stay on top of things. Like Evernote, I can also access my Wunderlist from any device hooked to the internet. Wunderlist allows me to list the things I am working on. This application also allows me to set a priority to the item that I am working on. Wunderlist allows me to set the due date on any task for anytime in the future. This keeps me up on what I have committed to, the application sends a message to my phone and email reminding me of the task on my list. For busy people, this is a wonderful application.

I enjoy both of these applications.

What applications are you using? How do they help you?

Greetings! I hope and pray that each of you have had a wonderful Christmas holiday with your family and friends. My Christmas will go on record as was one of the best ever. And what is really wonderful, is that it is not over yet. As a matter of fact, this afternoon my youngest grandson “Sweet Baby James” (and his parents) will be joining me to continue our Christmas week celebration. I love spending time with my children and grandchildren. I am truly a blessed man and for all of these blessings I am thankful. I love to get up early and reflect on life. I like to think about what the new year holds for me. Over the past couple of months I have been doing some careful planning for 2012, so this morning I have decided to take some time to share my reflections on the new year with you.

In 2012, I am going to…

* Read the Bible through again-I love renewing my mind. Reading the word of God is supernatural and it changes me, I’m super stoked and look forward to sharing God’s word in the new year.

* Be better at meeting and planning-“Failing to plan, is planning to fail” (Alan Lakein) I am going to make the most of every meeting and be diligent in the work before me. I want to get real and get it done!

* Spend more time on relationships-I am going to do a better job at getting to know people that God has placed in my life. I want stronger relationships with friends, I want to know them and want them to really know that I care.

* Build more memories with my grandchildren-When it is all said and done, I want my grandchildren to know that I loved Jesus with all of my heart, mind and soul. I also want each of them to remember the time spent with each of them was special. I want to build memories and this will take planning and looking for things that will make a lasting impact on the people that they will become. I plan on sharing these ideas with other parents and grandparents in 2012

* Sail more-Life is to0 short, sailing helps me to stay near the edge. This is truly one of my passions in life. I love the challenge, the adventure and the solitude. I feel close to my creator when I am on a boat under sail.

* Camp more-I love spending time in the beauty of God’s creation. I am going to become more of an activist in 2012 do my part at making sure that the great outdoors is protected so that future generations will be able to enjoy the beauty of God’s world. Camping allows you to get away from the technology that sometimes has a way of bogging you down.

* Communicate better-I am going to be clearer in my expectations of others. I am also going to make sure that I know exactly what is expected of me. This can only happen through better communication and I want to do a better job doing this in the new year.

* Study more-I am going to spend more time in God’s word and also reading books that will help me to communicate the gospel better. This is what I was created to do. So in 2012 I am going to look for books and authors who will challenge me and help me to communicate the gospel in real and relevant ways.

* Disciple more-This is truly one of my favorite things, I love pouring into the lives of young men. I am going to spend quality time with some specific young men. I want to spend time praying with these guys and help shape, guide and prepare them to become the men that God wants them to be.

* Love more-I am going to ensure everyone that God places in my path knows how much I love them. We are here to love. We can love, because Christ loved us first. I want my life to be a mirror reflection of Jesus so I am planning to love more. I realize the only way that I can accomplish this is through God’s grace and prayers of people. Please pray for me.

* Listen more-The biggest part of communication is listening. I am going to spend more time really listening to what people are actually saying. I want to know what they are saying and feel that by listening, I will be better able to minister and understand.

* Invest more-I am going to spend more time investing in people. There are some young leaders in my life that can benefit by my life experiences. I want to spend time helping them to explore the unique gifts that God has for each of them.

* Give more-God has totally blessed me, He really has and I have decided that I am going to be a blessing to others by giving more. Time, money, resources. I want to give more because He has given me so much.

* Focus more-This may be my toughest challenge. But I am going to focus on…

I will be praying for each of you as you take some time this week to ponder the year ahead. God has big plans for each of you and I will be praying for you as the year develops.

What are some of the things that you plan on accomplishing in 2012?

It’s early morning…I am sitting in my living room with my Christmas tree all aglow. I am all alone. The television is on and very low as Ralphie extols his true need for a genuine Daisy Red Rider BB gun. I love the Christmas Story, and like always, it airs for a full 24 hours…Wrapping paper is strewn everywhere…my living room looks well lived in, and for all of this I am very thankful. We celebrated Christmas last night with two of our daughters, a son in law and a boy friend. There were also three wonderful grandchildren. What a great night of celebration and gift giving with people that I love. I am excited that more of my family (another daughter, son in law and grandchild) are traveling, they will be on the road this afternoon and others will travel later in the week. But for now, I am enjoying the stillness of the morning, I am enjoying a great hot cup of coffee thinking about a very special young lady that delivered the awesome gift of coffee beans to my house last night…I am thinking about my Church family, knowing that many of them are celebrating with their children as I write this blog. Gifts…tis the season of gifts. Jesus, He is the ultimate gift. The gift given on Calvary’s cross is like no other gift, it is gift of promise, life, hope and a future…I am thinking about the promise of the coming year. I am thankful for many things on this warm cloudy Florida Christmas morning, but the thing that I am most thankful for is Jesus…My what a Savior, He loves me in spite of me. He has a plan…and I have a place in His plan, I have purpose. “For unto us a child is born…” He was born, but not in a normal way, it was supernatural. His birth split history in half, shepherds and kings bowed before Him, Angelic host joined in the worship of Bethlehem’s baby. Jesus…wrapped in swaddling clothes, placed in a manger came because God so loved the world…and He gave…He gave His one and only Son…Because He gave…I have hope and the promise of a future. I want to encourage you this morning to be still…take in the sights, sounds and smells of the season but be still…our world is constantly in motion and the things about us are always moving. On the docks just this morning I watched as a gentle breeze moved the boats and rigging. Ripples moved effortlessly across the top of the water, gulls soared aimlessly through the morning sky. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Think about the greatest gift this morning…and every morning. Think about sharing the ultimate gift. Enjoy your family and friends, enjoy the season…but most of all…Enjoy Jesus and be still.I love you all! Merry Christmas <><

A beautiful sunrise in Northeast Florida. I took this photo with my Samsung Epic phone. I hope that you enjoy.

Dream dream dream…I love the old Everly Brothers song about dreaming. I too am a happy dreamer. I love to dream about places and people, I even find my self dreaming about certain events. Dreaming is great way of realizing things that may otherwise be impossible. In my dreams I can fly without a plane, or travel at the speed of sound unassisted. Dreaming allows me to dive the depths of the oceans or to Captain a tall sailing ship and visit many exotic ports of call. Dreams allow me to mysteriously appear in places for no logical reason. I love to dream. Now according to this old song, it seems that all the Everly brothers had to do, was dream. This sounds like a great thing, but this process can be dangerous if you get stuck in a dream world. In life, I have learned that there is a great difference between dreamers and achievers. I am a dreamer…but there comes a time when my dreams have to be realized or not. The Bible teaches that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. As a dreamer, I have learned that I have to be able to turn my dreams into achievements. This sometimes is not easy…I have to think about the desires of my heart. What do I want, but more importantly, what does God want from me? I love reading about people who have achieved and made great accomplishments. I am currently reading the autobiography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Jobs ability to dream and achieve is simply amazing. He knew how to dream big dreams, and then motivate people to help him accomplish those dreams. People like reading about achievers, not dreamers. At the dawn of a new year, what are your dreams? What will you achieve in 2012? I am making my list now…I am asking God to guide, and I am ready for what ever challenge that He has for me. God bless you all. <><

The planet earth is a very complex place and many times what we see and experience tends to be somewhat skewed. In our culture, It is hard to know what is real and what is not. Over time, belief systems have been challenged and often changed as society struggles and many Churches have become dull and ineffective at providing ministry for people who are truly searching.

It is almost as if well intentioned churches have failed to understand the real needs of the people they are ministering to. This in turn leads to frustration for the one who realizes their need for something different. These people quickly realize that that the church does not know how to provide what is truly needed. The church tends to look at people through the lenses of the world. The danger in doing this is that we try and apply a worldly fix for the problems only God can fix. These temporary fixes may work for a little while and provide some relief, but in many cases experience shows us that before long, the body will be dealing with the same problem again and it may even be more complicated at this point, because of the worldly fix we tried to apply in the first place.

Many times it is easy to get so caught up in details and processes and totally miss the obvious. We often wonder why we can’t see the forest…its because of all those trees, they are getting in the way and keeping us from seeing the big picture. When we have this complex picture of our world and become overly concerned with the details, we tend to miss what may be truly important. We must never forget that the most important aspect to the church…is the gospel.

The gospel is a life change…it is truth and hope…the gospel offers comfort and peace. It is a genuine relationship with the one and only creator of the universe. It is knowing God, the one who made you and ordained the steps of your life. The gospel is the purpose and plan for the places you will go and the people that you tell. We live in a fallen world…what seems familiar…may not be right. We must see the familiar, in unfamiliar ways. We need to see our lives as a reflection of Jesus. So many on the planet are searching for truth. We must acknowledge and realize that the methods that we used to reach people in the past…may not work today. We need to think differently…look outside the norm. Take the gospel to the people who are searching because in so many circumstances, they are not looking at the Church building. Lost people are not coming to the church…because they have been. And unfortunately for so many they did not get the gospel…the only way that we can change this problems is by taking the gospel to world. I want to encourage you to get real in 2012. Let us champion the value of people…all people, we have a message, and it is the most important message for those who are searching. I love you all<><

spoken word from Marcus Hayes, High School pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church, in Texas

Very cool!

Do we live in a time of unreal expectations?

Do you know what truly is expected of you?

We all go through life with an understanding that certain expectations are to be adhered to. Because of this, our lives sometimes seems to run better when everyone follows the expectations that are stated and even the unstated ones seem to bring order. Is this true…?

It amazes me at how I have allowed my self to become such a creature of habit. I find myself getting frustrated when standing in the line at my local starbucks as new people come into the store and do not know what they are supposed to do. They are unclear of the unstated expectations that regular patrons like myself have developed and established over time. I have visited many Starbucks stores and each of them tend to have some definitive unstated expectations and the regular customers will glare or become visibly irritated when you step out of line and do the unthinkable.

First timers or non regular customers do not know about the unstated expectations, so they don’t know where to stand, or how the lines work. Many times they do not know how to speak starbucksease and this in itself is frustrating for me because it throws the timing off costing me valuable minutes. I have taken time to learn the unstated expectations and when I play by the rules, things work. Yes…as much as I hate to admit it I am a rank and file coffee addict who has learned the unstated expectations of my local coffee shop. Is this right…have I caved in and conformed to the patterns of the mundane?

These are real questions that I am asking my self, because if the truth be told, I like to consider my self a rebel, a revolutionary, a dreamer…I feel that I am a drummer that marches to my own beat. How have I let the patterns of the mundane creep into my being…what can I do? I feel that Something drastic is required…

I have decided that I am going to press the envelope and live a little reckless. Tomorrow morning I am going reclaim my inner wild man. I am going to go into the store at a different time than I normally do, I am going to form my own line. Instead of getting a Venti Bold with no room, I am going to order a extra large strong and black. Instead of paying with my phone or gold card, I am going old school and I am going to actually take 9 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel and one penny to pay…I am going to live on the edge…I am going to rewrite the expectations and yes I will let you know how well this works.

We all live by expectations, when I think of my God, I think of His expectations. He expects me to love Him with all of my heart, with all of my mind and soul. He expects me to love my neighbor as my self. When you think about it, these expectations do not seem so difficult.

Enter man…I, like everyone else have a propensity to be selfish. I want what I want and I want it when I want it. If I live by God’s expectations my life should be different. I will readily tell you that I love God…and I do…but sometimes my selfish depraved nature does not reflect the love that I have for Him. I can also tell you that I love my neighbors, but the truth is that I really don’t know my neighbors. I know them superficially, they know that I am a minister but that is about it.

You may be wondering where this is going…I am making a commitment to God, to my neighbors…to you the readers of my blog to be different.

I am no longer going to conform to the patterns of the mundane. I am going throw out the stated and unstated expectations and live large for God. I am going to completely live by and for His expectations. I am going to love God and people! I am going to minister to people where they are…not where I think they should be. I know what you may be thinking, you might think that this is kind of reckless also…and again…I will let you know how it goes.

Peace<><