How often do you find yourself looking back at years gone by, and questioning or regretting the decisions you made in the past. If you are anything like me, you probably do this on a fairly frequent basis. The cliche of "hindsight is 20/20 is very true, and many times in our lives we get caught up in looking back, at our mistakes, failures, better times, the good old days, and we fail to look to the future. Today, I want us to take a few minutes and look at the future.
Last night I was watching Dave Ramsey's Internet broadcast called "The Town Hall for Hope" and my hope is that all of you were able to witness this event. If not you missed a wonderful event packed with information and a strong Christian Worldview of the times that we are living in. While listening to the message that Dave was bringing I found myself looking back at the past, as I do often. I began to wonder why it is that I didn't listen to the wisdom of those that were in my past, and why didn't I focus on the future. Obviously I didn't come up with an answer to that question. I have never been able to answer the question of "why" when it comes to matters of the past, the only answer I can come up with is "because... I don't know, I guess I was young and stupid". Be that as it may, Dave brought up a wonderful point last night, and it is my desire to share it with you today. This will be the Beach Bum version of what I got from Dave Ramsey, so please, if you witnessed the program, understand, this is me, not Dave Ramsey speaking.
Why do you we look at the past with regret? There is nothing that we can do that can change the course of the past. Yes, I have made some bad decisions, I have failed, fallen flat on my face, been picked up, and fallen again. That is what we call growing. Think of your children, when they begin to walk, they fall, many times, but they get back up and continue to try to walk. Eventually that child will walk without falling, however there may be a stumble every now and then. Over time the stumbles will become non existent. It is the same with us, as we live our lives. We all will fall at some point, or have fallen. Some of us more then others, because some people learn from their mistakes quicker then others. We may wonder if we will ever get it right, and the answer is, if we are willing to look back on our mistakes, not with regret, but with an attitude prepared to learn from the mistake, then yes at some point we will get it right. You see failure breeds success. Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, and many others were viewed as failures during their life, because they had failed numerous times before learning from their mistakes. Edison created many, many failed light bulbs before creating one that worked successfully. Abraham Lincoln had failed law practices before becoming one of the greatest if not the greatest president in United States history.
So the question I have for you today, and I am asking myself also. What are you going to do with your failures? Are you going to continue looking back at them and regret all of your past decisions, or are you going to move forward determined not to make the same mistake twice? This applies to every aspect of your life. Finances, relationships, work, child raising, and how abut this, our relationship with God. You see in Romans 3:23 we are told "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". That means just what it says, yes we have all sinned, but what are you going to do with that sin. Are you going to lay around in that sin and continue to find yourself falling short of the mark of God, or are you going to learn from that sin, and repent from your sinful ways, and strive to meet the mark of God. I pray that we all choose to learn from our failures, dust ourselves off and move forward.
As I close I would like to share a little story with you, from my childhood. My Dad taught me how to play baseball. We could often times be found in the backyard playing catch or swinging a bat. Now any of you who have played baseball or softball know that at some point you are going to be hit by the ball, and lets be honest, the ball hurts. Now Daddy would tell me get in front of the ball, however I was scared, cause I knew that if the ball hit me, it was gonna hurt. Well low and behold I got hit by the ball, and being a young kid, I cried. Now Dad would look at me, and ask me some simple questions, "are you bleeding?, is it broke?" those sorts of questions, and then when I had calmed down enough to be rational he would embark his wisdom on me by saying "rub a little dirt on it and go on". Now this may not be the most hygienic remedy to our problems, however there is a lot of truth to his statement. When you fall down, get hit, make a mistake, whatever the case may be, don't let it stop you, instead rub the spot long enough that you will remember it is there, mark the spot with a little bit of dirt, then get up and keep going.
I hope you have found this post to be helpful. It is my desire to share what I am going through with you in hopes that you will grow in your walk with the Lord each day. Continue to look for opportunities to share your faith with others, and find your way this weekend to a local Church where you can fellowship and worship with other believers.
Until next time,
Clear Skies, High Surf, and Sandy Feet!!!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Gulf Coast Fishing 101
Today I ventured out on my first Gulf Coast fishing expedition since our move. I'm not what you would call a real "angler", however I do enjoy casting a line and waiting to pull in an empty hook on occasion. What I really look forward to on my fishing adventures is the nature that I get to see, and the time I get with the people I go fishing with.
Today was just like any other fishing expedition, I loaded up my rods, all tangled up and dirty from my last trip, grabbed my tackle box which had not been opened in over a year, and head out to meet some new friends at the pier where I was to meet them. Shortly after my arrival at the pier, I was met by two friends and their boat, and we headed out to with all intentions of catching a large mess of white trout. Of course they were optimistic as to the bounty we would receive today. I on the other hand was less then optimistic, knowing that I have never brought home a "mess" of fish, I'm lucky to bring home even one fish.
Anyway... The expedition was showing no signs of being a plentiful trip, when all of a sudden I felt a tug on my line. Being that I'm not used to actually catching fish, I get a little excited when the line tugs. My hands begin to sweat a little, my heart begins to race, a huge smiles comes on my face, and before you know it, I'm reeling in my line just as fast as I can. All of sudden I don't feel the tug anymore. Well I have been here more times then not, and figure I have lost the fish. However, this was different, the line was still tight, and it seemed as if I was pulling in something, but what. There was obviously not a fish on my line, it didn't move, tug, slither, shake, or fight, there was just dead weight on my line. So I did what any good fisherman would do, and continued to reel in the infamous boot. However, when the end of the line became visible under the water I saw that there was something on the line, not a boot, not a toilet seat, not seaweed, or driftwood, any of those things would not have surprised me in the least bit. Instead what I found holding on to my little piece of bait with all its might was a blue crab. A CRAB!!!
With all that said, the crab was the only thing that came home with me today. We fished for another hour or so, and didn't catch a thing. So it really turned out to be a typical fishing trip for this beach bum. However the rest of the day still had some great surprises in store.
I just had to show the kids my catch of the day. They were all very excited to see the crab, Sea Breeze was scared of course, Pu Ca Shell was asking all sorts of questions like "Dad, how was the crab going to eat the bait you had on your hook, it doesn't even have a mouth?" and Surfer Boy just had to get his hands on it, and play with it, like I had brought him a new toy home. Of course I didn't let him play with the crab, but I did find it humorous that he was not scared of it, even in the least little bit.
Well after dinner, baths, and bed time it was time for my trip to the store. I tend to go out in the evenings and do the grocery shopping for the family, I may not go out every night, but most nights you can find me at the local Wal-Mart. After completing my shopping, and loading the groceries in my car, I went to drive off, when a man stopped me. He explained that He was in need of gas to get to his home a few miles away, and was wondering if I could help him pay for some gas. Until recently I would have come up with some excuse as to why I couldn't help the man, however God has really been working on me with this sort of thing, so I changed course, just slightly and went with the man to the pumps across the parking lot. While pumping the gas in the mans truck, we struck up a conversation, and I learned a lot about his situation. The economy is hurting this man, just like so many others. He is out of work, broke, and searching for the light at the end of the tunnel with no luck. We continued to speak, and I asked him if I could pray with him and his companion before they drove off into the night. He quickly agreed, and allowed me to pray a short prayer with them. After this, we parted ways, and I prayed as I drove off that this would not be the last time I would get to speak with this man. You see, we all need to find hope. Many people are looking for hope in their finances, properties, and jobs. Others are finding their hope in a bottle, pipe, needle, or companion. However, we will never truly find hope in any of these things. The only hope we have is in Jesus Christ and the debt he paid for our sin. God in all His mercy paid the price for me and for you by sacrificing His only son in order that when all that we know in this world is gone, we will have an eternity with Him in heaven.
Jesus told his disciples to "follow me and I will make you fishers of men". That thought has really rang true with me today. Here I had a fairly unsuccessful fishing expedition on the waters of the gulf coast, and yet, I still was able to bait the hook one last time and minister to a man. How cool is that! I want shout from the rooftops, across the sea, and off the highest mountain "Our God Reigns, He is in Control, and the only way to find Hope is to set all of your Hope and Trust in the one who makes regular fishermen into fishers of men!"
Until next time: Clear Skies, High Surf and Sandy Feet!!
Today was just like any other fishing expedition, I loaded up my rods, all tangled up and dirty from my last trip, grabbed my tackle box which had not been opened in over a year, and head out to meet some new friends at the pier where I was to meet them. Shortly after my arrival at the pier, I was met by two friends and their boat, and we headed out to with all intentions of catching a large mess of white trout. Of course they were optimistic as to the bounty we would receive today. I on the other hand was less then optimistic, knowing that I have never brought home a "mess" of fish, I'm lucky to bring home even one fish.
Anyway... The expedition was showing no signs of being a plentiful trip, when all of a sudden I felt a tug on my line. Being that I'm not used to actually catching fish, I get a little excited when the line tugs. My hands begin to sweat a little, my heart begins to race, a huge smiles comes on my face, and before you know it, I'm reeling in my line just as fast as I can. All of sudden I don't feel the tug anymore. Well I have been here more times then not, and figure I have lost the fish. However, this was different, the line was still tight, and it seemed as if I was pulling in something, but what. There was obviously not a fish on my line, it didn't move, tug, slither, shake, or fight, there was just dead weight on my line. So I did what any good fisherman would do, and continued to reel in the infamous boot. However, when the end of the line became visible under the water I saw that there was something on the line, not a boot, not a toilet seat, not seaweed, or driftwood, any of those things would not have surprised me in the least bit. Instead what I found holding on to my little piece of bait with all its might was a blue crab. A CRAB!!!
With all that said, the crab was the only thing that came home with me today. We fished for another hour or so, and didn't catch a thing. So it really turned out to be a typical fishing trip for this beach bum. However the rest of the day still had some great surprises in store.
I just had to show the kids my catch of the day. They were all very excited to see the crab, Sea Breeze was scared of course, Pu Ca Shell was asking all sorts of questions like "Dad, how was the crab going to eat the bait you had on your hook, it doesn't even have a mouth?" and Surfer Boy just had to get his hands on it, and play with it, like I had brought him a new toy home. Of course I didn't let him play with the crab, but I did find it humorous that he was not scared of it, even in the least little bit.
Well after dinner, baths, and bed time it was time for my trip to the store. I tend to go out in the evenings and do the grocery shopping for the family, I may not go out every night, but most nights you can find me at the local Wal-Mart. After completing my shopping, and loading the groceries in my car, I went to drive off, when a man stopped me. He explained that He was in need of gas to get to his home a few miles away, and was wondering if I could help him pay for some gas. Until recently I would have come up with some excuse as to why I couldn't help the man, however God has really been working on me with this sort of thing, so I changed course, just slightly and went with the man to the pumps across the parking lot. While pumping the gas in the mans truck, we struck up a conversation, and I learned a lot about his situation. The economy is hurting this man, just like so many others. He is out of work, broke, and searching for the light at the end of the tunnel with no luck. We continued to speak, and I asked him if I could pray with him and his companion before they drove off into the night. He quickly agreed, and allowed me to pray a short prayer with them. After this, we parted ways, and I prayed as I drove off that this would not be the last time I would get to speak with this man. You see, we all need to find hope. Many people are looking for hope in their finances, properties, and jobs. Others are finding their hope in a bottle, pipe, needle, or companion. However, we will never truly find hope in any of these things. The only hope we have is in Jesus Christ and the debt he paid for our sin. God in all His mercy paid the price for me and for you by sacrificing His only son in order that when all that we know in this world is gone, we will have an eternity with Him in heaven.
Jesus told his disciples to "follow me and I will make you fishers of men". That thought has really rang true with me today. Here I had a fairly unsuccessful fishing expedition on the waters of the gulf coast, and yet, I still was able to bait the hook one last time and minister to a man. How cool is that! I want shout from the rooftops, across the sea, and off the highest mountain "Our God Reigns, He is in Control, and the only way to find Hope is to set all of your Hope and Trust in the one who makes regular fishermen into fishers of men!"
Until next time: Clear Skies, High Surf and Sandy Feet!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Setting the Course
Now that we have set sail, it is time to set the course. Any of you that are reading this, and have experience with sailing and such, please feel free to correct me on my use of nautical language, being that I have absolutely no experience with this kind of thing. Be that as it may, it is time to set the course. Oddly enough the message brought by our pastor this morning was on this very subject.
Where are you headed? I am asking myself the same question. Am I heading in the direction of personal satisfaction through material things, wealth, prestige, pride, and glory, or am I headed toward finding my satisfaction in Jesus Christ and the future that I have in Him. Anything short of the latter is hypocrisy. Are the works that I perform works founded in the love of Christ, or are they works that I hope will benefit me? I must constantly ask myself these questions in order to stay on the course that has been set.
Today I pray that we will all be mindful of the course. As we look out onto the horizon, and the sun begins to set, we see a lighthouse. The lighthouse is the goal, Jesus Christ reflecting from our lives, as we work our way through our travels on this earth. Set the course for the lighthouse, do not let the boat drift off course, and find our boat smashing into the rocks of hypocrisy. Instead we find the channel, and ultimately finish the journey in the safe harbor of Jesus.
Is there a more wonderful and productive way to worship our Lord then to live a life that is on course? Allow God to have full control of the boat, be obedient in the commands that He gives, and find the greatest joy that anyone can have by finishing the journey in the hands of God.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Setting Sail!
So here goes nothing!! It's time to set sail on the latest adventure of the Beach Bum Family. Three months ago we moved to the beach, the one place that I really could live without. You see, I have a real problem with sand, it is not a little problem either. I really hate the stuff, it gets everywhere, is a pain to clean up, irritates every part of skin it touches, and did I mention it gets everywhere! However, recently I have began to find that the beach is a wonderful place. The sound of the waves, the laughter of children, the beauty of a coast lined sunset, crabs scurrying across the sand, all of these are a wonderful part of God's beautiful creation. How could I have allowed a little sand to get in the way of me seeing God's gift to us.
For those of you reading this that don't know me, I will share a little about myself and my family, in order that you may understand my family a little more.
Nine years ago I was given the gift of a wonderful wife. Jennifer, who I will be referring to as (beach beauty) and I have had great times together, and like most couples, some not so great times.
The one thing about us, is that over the years God has always taken care of us. Seven years ago He blessed us with our first daughter who we will call (Pu ca Shell). 
Just over a year later He gave us our second daughter (Sea Breeze).
We thought after that, that we would be done having kids for a while, and waited several years. Then, while I was finishing up my bachelors degree in Church Music, here came our son (Surfer Boy)
.
Shortly after Surfer Boy was born, I graduated from college and took my first full time music ministry position in Montgomery Alabama. We stayed there for a year, a year that I am very thankful for, and very glad to be done with. Over that year, I found out a lot about myself, and my relationship with Jesus Christ, and I learned a lot about worshipping God. We were given the opportunity to take a position in the panhandle of Florida after being in Alabama for one year. God truly opened up the door for this experience, and we jumped in with all ten feet.
Since we moved we have really began to grow as a family, and in our individual relationships with God. My hope is to share with you the things that are going on with our family, as they relate to our ministry. I also would like to share with you the new things that God shares with me through my bible study, prayer, and worship experiences. I have found that I am really able to be alone with God on the beach, as I study, pray, and meditate. God is really using the beach to create a beach bum out of man who hates sand.
I hope you will find my blog useful, educational, and entertaining! Please continue to come back and check as I will try to post several times a week.
Until then,
Clear skies, High surf, and Sandy feet!
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