We Can't Always Get What We Want

Philippians 4:19 (NKJV) "And my God shall supply all my your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Have you ever found yourself saying "I would rather do things myself than ask for help because I know it will get done my way?" As I have been mulling this over another question came to mind. Am I willing to accept help from others knowing that I may not get what I want but knowing I will get what I need? As I have been pondering that question I had to look at what Philippians 4:19 said..."My God shall supply all my needs." It didn't say all of my wants or desires it said needs. Being a business owner two things I had to learn hard and fast. The first is I can't do everything so I needed to hire someone. The second was whoever I hired will not do everything I desired as they are human an did not catch my vision. As a parent you want to see your child develop faster than they are. If they can crawl you want them to walk. If they can say one word you want them to hold a conversation. Then the teenage years come along and it is them who are wanting and all you find yourself saying is "I wish they could pick up their clothes and clean their room." When my kids were young we used to teach them to cook. The idea was to give them a skill, allow them to take pride in what they did and if their came a time they did not like what was served the opportunity to make themselves something they would eat. What I found as a result was sometimes those things which they may not normally eat they were eating as a result of the pride they had in making it. When we are in the trenches and are in need, yes it may be easier to just do things our way but it may result in us not getting that which we need. Someone may not do things exactly how we want, but God truly knows what we need. When we stop and think about the concept of what our needs are we find out that not always do our needs match our wants. God allow our desires reflect the needs you provide for our lives. Allow us not to be frustrated when things don't go exactly the way we desire, but allow our desires match the plans you have for our lives. In Jesus name amen.

A Change of Perspective

1 Corinthians 13:12-13 The Message (MSG)  12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!  13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. For a living I design houses and buildings. I enjoy the challenge required to accomplish a good product. There are many days that require you to have a different perspective to make things work so you don't repeat mistakes and find yourself going down the same road. Architecture requires one to be open to options and different perspectives. Let me explain. In order to build something you must have a design and the design requires much thinking, research, creativity and one more thing; taking in to consideration the rules and laws. Some challenges architects face can be anything from terrain to heights, lot sizes and restrictions. Maybe like in Florida a high water table or in Tennessee or California the mountains that seem impassable. Our journey in life is much the same. We can opt to be the builder who goes without plans or hire the architect of our lives; God our Father. He is the author and finisher of our faith. About five years ago I had a dream of my maternal grandmother only followed up by a vision that God gave me. The dream went a little like this. I saw my grandmother praying for salvation of others, but her prayer was for salvation not just for herself or her children but for the generations she never met or saw. Understand my grandmother was the last one of my surviving grandparents and passed away when I was only 9 months old. Shortly after the dream I heard God tell me "Change your perspective." my response was obvious; "change my perspective? What are you talking about?"  Upon the question came the vision. Too often we find ourselves walking through a thick dense forest fumbling and stumbling even wanting to give up in the journey. Then I stopped to realize that God's perspective was not horizontal as mine rather vertical and He sees me as He has assessed the terrain even if I have not looked up. As I sit and think about it I am brought back to a conversation I had with my oldest son about his maternal grandparents. You see they both passed away within six weeks of each other this past fall. My son assumed I would be negative about his grandparents so he did not talk to me about the situation of their passing for about 3 or 4 months yet it was eating at him nonetheless. So when I went to visit in January he asked with nervous apprehension. "Dad," he said, "how did you feel when grandma and grandpa, you know Mom's parents, passed away?" I responded, "K, there is much about your grandparents. There were days we had good times and other times we just didn't see eye to eye, but I choose to remember the good things about them as I miss them." I went on to tell him some things I remembered about them which gave way to the painful sigh yet gratitude for the time of getting to know them. As my son sat there he was at a loss because the response he received was far different than what he expected. He said "Dad I never knew you felt that way about them." As I sat thinking about his response it got me to think that this journey God put us on is not about surviving the pitfalls. No it is about being victorious in the journey for generations to come. Too often we are caught in the here-and-now only to realize that God's plans far surpass us and can be used for future generations. It is so easy to accept the final product and dismiss the process to get there. Just like a house, it takes an architect to put together a plan taking into account ALL things to push out the most beautiful product. Likewise God is much the same taking into account the terrain of our lives, the water levels and restrictions of our lives to bring forth a final product. It is not until we change our perspective and have faith that God can handle our future then we will see the beauty of His final plan for our lives. CAL

Our Father-A Tribute to Dad

As I sit on an airplane headed to Chicago I can not put aside the thought of how important our fathers are. I know you probably are too now thinking of your dad and what fond memories you have of him. Being a father myself, I cannot describe the joy it is being a dad. You see dads are much different than moms. They are the ones with drive, strength, or as mine put it tenacity.

Hmmm....tenacity, what a great word for dad. It is that lead by example, I refuse to give up and I will keep working toward the goal all rolled up in one word to describe a father. In contrast mom has the nurturing heart. Unfortunately most assume that dads don't nurture or in fact don't even care. It wasn't until I went through my divorce that I realized fathers most certainly care, but in a far different way.

Let me tell you what I mean. Throughout my separation and divorce my heart was shattered by the events that I went through. My two greatest desires and goals in life were not anything to do with money but everything to do with relationships; being a good husband and a loving father. Men let events define how they are rather than mould who they can be. When I went through the separation and divorce it robbed me of the two most important things that defined who I was and left me feeling like I had absolutely nothing left in life.

During the long debilitating process one man stood by my side, sometimes kicking and screaming as I dragged him in. Some days he acted with godly wisdom while others just humanistic contempt. A little more about him? Well he too is a father of seven children, the first six were boys than a daughter. He worked hard taking care of his family and making sacrifices that sometimes he shouldn't have had to make. He was the youngest of nine and had to fight for who he would become. He was both smart and driven and yes like me full of tenacity.

Most look at him maybe as too driven, hard and maybe one who has a hard time with people. Some of it may be true, but unless you got to know him you would not know the truth of who he is.

As I have gone through this 30 plus month journey I realize I couldn't have done it without him. He has bailed me out financially. It was he that when I said I wanted to give up he told me to keep holding on to God's promises. It was he who has heard about my repeated court cases giving me advise along the way. And yes it was he who has been watching me as I trust God throughout the process only to say, "Son I am proud of you."

Yes if you have not realized who I am talking about it is my dad. All I can say is dad, thank you and know I love you!

Our fathers are but a small reflection of who our Heavenly Father is. God is our strength, provider, support and there all the time and then some.  So if your going through a hard time and your waining and want to give up know this, God is always there. He has said that He will never leave you. He will bring you to the other side of your Jordan. Thank you God for being my refuge and strength a very present help in trouble times.

CAL

I Know That He Loves Me

Love can can be termed in so many ways. Maybe you have an Agape Love for a person (a deep care). Maybe you have a passionate love for a spouse or loved one. The world even has it's definitions of love which are far from what God has meant for your life as it is superficial or self gratifying. Take a look at our children and see what they are exposed to. Time and again God's word shows us His love for us. He says He loved us while we were still sinners. Wow, still in the process of sin and making bad decisions. Can you love someone enough through a process knowing they are sinning? Maybe they have lied to you, broke your trust or cheated on you. I'm not saying love them by ignoring their sin. In contrast I'm saying loving someone enough to make the hard decisions by putting them into God's hands so they can be won back to Him. Over the past four years I have seen God's love in such ways that it has humbled me. Here I am a man raised with the mentality work hard, be strong, be independent and God will bless you for your diligence. Going through divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, health issues, custody battles, unemployment twice, family deaths and so much more you find that your perspective and dependency changes. Loosing everything (and I mean everything) there are only two options. You either give up or you press in to God. The prophet Jeremiah puts it correct. Here is, as he puts it, a young man who had no self worth in an area where his people were held captive, lost everything and all hope was lost. He says that I can't do it, but God said "I knew you before you were born" (Jeremiah 1). He said to God that all hope was lost as he sat in prison, but God responded "I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not for harm" (Jeremiah 29). As a result Jeremiah caught the vision and became the encourager stirring up the people who needed hope. Look at what he said as he becomes the flag bearer blazing a trail. Jeremiah 33:3 "Call on me and I will show you great and mighty things which you don't know yet." Jeremiah had to go through a lot to get to that point. He went from being the one who doubted to the one who caught the vision. He was also the one who went through adversity yet never wavered. So as a sit on a plane back to Chicago for round whatever, I started listening to my music and came across a song that I haven't listened to in a while, "I Know That You Love Me" by Martha Munizzi. In her song she says "You never leave me, You forsake me and I will never be alone...So I hold onto nothing. I know that you have me in unending mercy cause that's what You promise me, great is Your faithfulness." As I sit on the plane I can't help but reflect on God's goodness, and understand He loves me. Here is an example of His love. I have friends who have helped me get to court by giving me airline tickets, helping out with rentals and giving me a place to stay. The most recent was when a group of friends came together to collect money just so I could buy something for my son's birthday. Understand the hospitality requires that of humility. The things that happened are things that blew my mind and shook my very core as felt independence is my calling and as a result missing out on what God could do if I took on His vision in the situation and understood that He truly loves me. CAL

Going Through the Fire

Going Through the Fire There is nothing better then a warm crackling fire after the first snow. Sitting there listening to the oak popping and the cherry woods sweet smelling aroma. Life is the same way. A good fire in our lives is extremely painful yet extremely necessary. Don't get me wrong I hate the firefights that some call trials. Believe me I have more than my share. Name it, I probably have gone through it. God allows the firefights to happen in your life to burn away the dross of life. Just like a forest has the grasses that grow up choking out flowers, new growth and yes concealing the dead things (stumps, animals, stagnant water), we too have similar things in our lives. Maybe it is simply the crazy business of life or hidden sin which is rotting our spirit or maybe simply forgetting God's promises. In Group 1 Crew's song "He Said" they put the focus on God's promise and how our mind set must be in these trying times. Here is a sample for there song with probably my favorite part. He Said- (Group 1 Crew & Chris August) So your life feels like it don’t make sense And you think to yourself, “I’m a good person So why do these things keep happening Why you gotta deal with them You may be knocked down now But don’t forget what he said What he said He said “I won’t give you more More than you can take in I might let you bend But I won’t let you break You know oh I’ll never ever let you go” Don’t you forget what He said Don’t forget what He said He said Who you are and what you’re going throughn (yeah) So don’t let it get the best of you Cuz God knows everything you need So you ain’t gotta worry You may be knocked down now But just believe what He said He said My favorite line has to be "who you are is not what you are going through." Too often we find ourselves in the thick of things only to think it is our life, identity or "the cards that were dealt to us." God's best is not a card game nor are we the pawn in His chess game. Far better, we were made in His likeness. Just like Him to joy in His best for you. Do you remember His promises? Have you forgotten what He said about you? If so I listed a few of His promises for you. I encourage you to search for more in order to be encouraged during the hard times. Ps. 94:14-15    God will never walk away from his people, never desert his precious people. Rest assured that justice is on its way and every good heart put right. Josh. 1:5 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Deut. 31:6 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Ps. 91:14-16  14-16 "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God,        "I'll get you out of any trouble.     I'll give you the best of care        if you'll only get to know and trust me.     Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times;        I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.     I'll give you a long life,        give you a long drink of salvation!" Ps. 37:25 25 I was young and now I am old,     yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. Regardless the trial God knows the best way to bring things back into balance. Believe me it can be the most difficult thing to go through. Remember this though God will never leave you or forsake you. Wait for His healing because His plan is for your best. CAL

Eye Surgery

Eye Surgery

Hebrews 12:2- "Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

After having almost 30 years of wearing glasses and contacts I never knew technology would come to the point of fixing someone's blind eyes. At the age of 34 I went in to have LASIK surgery done.

Growing up I hated wearing glasses as it made me insecure as here I was with a handicap relying on a pair of glasses to allow me to see. I heard the comments and dealt with having to 'put on' something to see.

Upon getting surgery I found I was able to see immediately. What I did not realize, until talking to the doctor, I was the most extreme case he ever did. My eyesight before surgery was 680/20 with a number 4 stigmatism (5 is the most extreme). After surgery my eyesight improved to better than 20/20 with a stigmatism of less than 1.

Our walk in life is like being blind with an extreme case. When we become a Christian we rely on what I would call 'spiritual glasses.' 

We find ourselves waking up to sin only to put on our glasses to see more clearly, but God has something better for us. God wants to give us 'spiritual LASIK' so we can see through His eyes.

As I was sitting in a support class, Hebrews 12:2 was mentioned. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. The reality is only through Jesus can our eyes be restored to see from God's perspective. When we can do that we can avoid the pitfalls of sin.

If though we water down our faith by occasionally going to church or reading the Bible on occasion we are doing nothing better than putting on spiritual glasses. Just like wearing glasses and going to play physical sports, it is likely that those spiritual glasses get knocked off or worse yet become broken when we are hit or knocked down. (Broken-turning your back on your faith/ Knocked off-failing to sin and struggling to forgive yourself to the point of getting back up).

God desires to give us Spiritual LASIK so that when the hard times and hits and times of being knocked down we can quickly bounce back without the distraction of not being able to see again. When we fix our eyes on Jesus it is like fixing our eyes on the prize.

John 10:10 Christ says I came to give you life and do so in abundance. How can we expect that if we are not fixing our eyes on Him in order to see?

Turn your eyes on Him! You will never know how much you have missed until you have allowed God's LASIK to happen to you. You will see in a different light and avoid the hits of sin and when the trials come see the prize set out for you; Jesus finishing your faith like a priceless piece of furniture.

CAL

Mi Tiamo

Titus 2:1-5
1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

Sometimes you don't realize the impact someone has on your life until they are gone.

As I sit here on the eve of the fifth year of the passing of one of the greatest women I ever knew I think about the impact and things I have learned from her life and how she loved with an unconditional heart. As my former wife and I awoke to that dreaded call at 3:00AM that Nona did not have much time left to live a flood of both memories and emotions hit.

Here was a woman who lived life up to almost exactly 100 and a half years to the day, gone. It was a difficult time as there were many unanswered questions.

Prior to moving to Florida, Nona lived with us full time for three years and part time for the five years prior. I never had a grandmother so having her in my home was an experience I would not trade for the world.

Here was a woman who through her pain would pray for everyone through her part time English part time Italian speech. Oh the stories she would tell but better yet the example she would live.

I would eat it up as she and I would sit at the kitchen table for three or four hours talking about God and life. Looking back she may not had understood all I was saying, but all she spoke without saying one word spoke volumes. She believed in honoring the man of the home as the leader and emulated it in a way I had never seen.

Grace, she was full of it. I remember when she would see her grand daughter and I get in arguments she would say "Christo forgive Anna regardless. Make peace with her for it is not good for your health." Then there were the times people would treat her like dirt, which would make me very upset, and she would just sit there, show grace and hold her tongue.

The thing I remember the most about Nona was her passion for God. Even though she did not understand having a relationship with Him all her life she loved Jesus none the less.

I remember talking to her many times about heaven (Paradisio to her). I would ask "Nona are you going to go to Paradisio when you die?" Her response was always the same, "I don't know if I am good enough."

With that response it was difficult to leave her and go to Florida as we felt we were called. Her grand daughter was so stressed about the salvation of her grandmother and the only comfort I could bring was that God would do something miraculous in that relationship.

Upon her 100th birthday we found out from a family member that something happened while she had a stint in the hospital. During the visit with that family member they mentioned that Nona had a visitation from Jesus all in Italian. As Nona laid in that bed she entered into a relationship with Christ that only God could do.

Prior to her passing 5 years ago she told Ann that she was going to heaven as she walked with Jesus.

Yes the older are to teach the younger about temperance, patience and even life, but it it takes a special person who is willing to live like Christ.

Nona, Mi Tiamo (I love you). Thank you for being there.

Christo