The Rush About Christmas

With Christmas coming up so fast. With all the people trying to get last minute gifts, life is crazy. All the memories. Some awesome like drinking egg nog around the fire with you and your closest friends and family. Hanging ornaments on a tree, going on a hay ride and looking at beautiful lights. These are absolutely great memories. But look at the other side of the spectrum. Christmas isnt great at all for some. Something like looking at that empty chair where a loved one once sat. It takes a toll on Christmas for them. I know some people that want nothing to do with Christmas since losing their loved one. What about the people out there rushing to get presents with money that they dont have for people they dont necessarily like. But since they might be at your house over the holidays, you feel obligated to get them something. Through all these examples, I see it from a different light. Some of the poorest people have a great Christmas without spending a dime. I understand that we have taken Christmas away from the true roots of what its all about. Nowadays, its about the expensive gifts, people fighting over anything on Black Friday, wrapping presents, and tinsel EVERYWHERE!! Take a second and realize the true meaning of the holiday "Christmas."

Its all about love. The joyous gift God laid upon the land. He gave us his son, Jesus (Christ Child). What a blessing. Without this piece of history, Christmas wouldnt be here. God love His creation SO MUCH, he provided a way to eternity. He gave us a huge blessing, named Jesus Christ, to take the punishment of our sins. What an amazing Father.

Thats my outlook on it all. Take it or leave it. Leave a Comment, and if you like it, share it with others.

What do you wear?

Today has been such an awesome day. i was listening to podcast from years ago from my pastor and it spoke volumes to my heart. i would love to share. Its about staples of our faith. and the thought of this sermon was what type of christian are you? look in your closet and find something to wear for church.
you see the 7 piece suit: flashy flambouant. ALL ABOUT THE BIG SHOW. the looks and the light shining on you. but there is no substance on the inside. you would be actually trying to "pimp" Jesus out. trying to get gains from Him. yeah, it looks awesome but there is nothing on the inside.

then you see the camo jacket. hiding, nobody knows you know Jesus Christ. so you could go to a bar and hang with negative people and they wont know the difference if you were a christian or not. you can blend in and you can do that "one" thing where no one can see it.

looking even further in the closet and you see the plain blue blazer....you can wear with anything, brown shoes black shoes..green shirt or yellow shirt. nothing to it. you wont take a risk for your faith. if you had the opportunity to witness to someone, you would probably walk away. plain jane christian

then all the way in the back you find a poncho...something you probably wouldnt wear to church. but look at what it does. during some of the biggest storms out there, it protects you from getting wet. God wants us to wear Him as protection. Galatians 3:27 says: Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe-Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise. With Him nothing can overtake you. you arent pimping Jesus, nor hiding. Your light shines to others and if you live life Christ, im can assure you, people will notice.

i know its hard this day and age, but honestly read Revelation 21. about New Jerusalem. Do you see whats in store for us? i couldnt use my wildest imagination to see something so beautiful. I WILL WALK ON STREETS OF GOLD. nothing can better than living with The Master. His lights will illuminate our world. if that isnt icing on the cake right there. i want to be like Christ every second of the day because i know whats in store for me in eternity.


well there will be more later. im going to bed. nite

WHAT A DAY!!!

  So, my day started as normal as any other. i got up and went to work. loaded my truck up and was on my way to Aiken. As i ride to my first location, i have a conversation with God. i thank Him for given me another breath to a brand new day. i give Him all the praise in my life and thanking Him for forgiving me of my sins. after my prayer with the Most High, i feel like the chip is off my shoulder and the monkey is off my back. my day is ready to begin. but today started a little rough. if you dont know much about me, i work in the vending machine business. i havent been giving my all lately. i feel like i can honestly say i havent been proud of my performance the last week and the beginning of this one. now dont get me wrong, ive still been working hard. i have just been missing a few things here and there. like im giving 90% and the 10% is catching up. it takes a toll on me because i strive to be the best and i havent. i have never really had an issue with depression but today i have had my dose of it. the only way to get it off my mind is giving it over to Christ. letting Him know first before trying to figure it out on my own. Pastor Bobby spoke about that this past weekend. let me tell you first hand how true that is. i was letting my problems get the best of me all day. i let God know my issues and about thirty minutes later, i was back to the happy-go-lucky guy that i usually am. i have a talk with my bosses and it was some constructive criticism. nothing i cant take. i told them that will take care of my issues. so after work, my wife and i ate a quick dinner. then it was off to our church's first ever basketball game. actually, my first coaching gig too. a little nervous but confident. we started a bit rough. after ten minutes into the game we were winning 7-2. high scoring game right??? lol. we finished the game by a comfortable margin of 56-25. so proud of my guys. well my day is winding down and i have to be at work in a few hours. gotta give God all my love before laying my head down. thanks for reading.
GOD BLESS!

WHERE DID THE TIME GO???

Wow!!! Time has flown.... We gave birth to our son last month, Jordan Daniel Maddox.... One of the best days ive ever had. its awesome knowing the Jesus Christ believed in me enough to give me responsibility of another human being. Being a father has changed me even more. It gives me more to think about as well. Think about it, God gave His only son to DIE for us. if i was in that position, could i do that? it sounded easy until i held my precious child in my arms for the first time. i MELTED. i would die for him. my daughters are protecting him from heaven. man i miss those girls. i cant thank them enough for the impact they have put on me. they never met their daddy (me) but are sitting with their Father. God took their life to give me life abundant. i probably wouldnt have gave my life back to Christ if it wasnt for my daughters.

            Something funny happened right after Jordan was born. he is like his daddy..GASSY!!! lol. i have acid reflux and semi lactose intolerant. the first night coming back from the hospital was an absolute nightmare!! he wouldnt sleep or stop crying. we were on our wits end. finally after HOURS and HOURS of this, he finally slept. everyday seems like the last. nap, feed him, change him, and cry and cry and cry. i was holding him and told him that i could take his pain away i would. well well well.....oh did that come true. i was at work on a tuesday and i felt some stomach pain. i thought it was gas so i thought i can just fight through it. lets say i didnt win the battle. i got off work and took some meds and attempted to nap. needless to say, i woke up super sweaty and in more pain. i made the bold move of going to the hospital. they run some tests and found out i will be having an emergency appendectomy. i got Jordans pain alright. out of work for a week and 12 staples in my stomach. ill sacrifice any pain for my boy not to feel any.

      just a few last things. i was talking with a buddy at church. we got on the subject of how bad hell really will be. he told me to read a book called "23 Minutes in Hell" i looked up some of it and i will tell you it is a must read. Freaked me out. im glad i wont ever find out.

       This past Sunday a year ago, i gave my life to Christ. man what a day that was. Bobby preached about how we are all a bunch of screw ups and still God loved us and wanted us to have happiness and joy. man i needed that message. im so happy im part of a church who believes the bible front to back.  a family who gives more hugs and smiles than disney land. willing to help anyone at anytime. THE PERFECT CHURCH FOR IMPERFECT PEOPLE!!



HAVE AN AWESOME DAY AND BE BLESSED!!!!

Confused

o.k. i need to get this off my chest. i have some unchurched friends who i have tried telling them about Christ. some people grow up not ever knowing who Jesus is. some deny Him. i just dont get it. sometimes i feel like just shaking them and screaming, "Dont you understand what you are doing" Jesus DIED for YOU. he wants you to have a never-ending joy. some say its too hard or there isnt enough hard proof showing He is real. like i heard before... you see a leaf blowing. you know the wind is doing it. but you cant see wind. but you know its there. Its the same concept with God. you might not see Him or audibly hear Him, but He is everywhere. I was radically changed. 180 degree turnaround. The undying love i have for Christ will never change. i cant wait to hear, "Well done good and faithful servant" i get the Holy Ghost goosebumps thinking about it. Man........oh that day will come. i just hope that i can get some close friends to catch on sooner rather than later. i dont want to push them away or bog them down with listening to me talk about my awesome  FATHER. all i ask whoever reads this. pray for them
thanks so much
God Bless

Time Flies

I cant believe its been six months since i wrote something. so im going to try make this a regular thing. My life has been flipped all around since last time i wrote. ive been going to the most amazing church, Journey Community Church. i serve there as a host/offering. it's so weird how that happened. while im working, i listen to podcasts from Bobby Smith, Francis Chan, Rick Coram, and T.D. Jakes. I was listening to a sermon about how much Jesus served and did it front of very few. i was moved by it so much i called the church. i talked to Jennifer and David about needing to do something at the church, i needed to serve and as quick as possible. they set me up that weekend. man, if feels good to help others. softball started at the church and i joined. we played in the "beer league" it felt great to reach out to the other teams and had a prayer after every game. a few weeks ago, i was baptized. what an amazing day!!!! my wife dunked me under. it was such an awesome time to have the love of my life help with my baptism. this past weekend, i gave my testimony at church. i thought i would be so nervous and that i would probably stutter the whole time. God gave me the ability to be calm and speak perfectly. i prayed for him to give me the words to reach out to someone who might by struggling. im dont want people to pity me because the hurts in my past. i want to help His kingdom grow. thats all!!!

Starting Point

ok ok....my first ever attempt to blog! My name is Daniel Maddox and im 25 years old. im married to my loving wife, Jamie. She has a blog called: jamie-perfectlyimperfect.blogspot.com
            November 30, 2010, my heart was crushed. Jamie and i were expecting twins when the unthinkable happened. she started to have complications and was put on bed rest. One night after we woke from a nap, we had to rush to the hospital due to bleeding. we spent two weeks in the hospital. we lost our twin girls, Ava and Mackenzie, that night. the only  thing that could go through my mind was, "Why US????" what did i do to deserve this? i dont think i can get into too much details because i dont think i can express myself correctly at this point in my life. if you want the whole situation in depth, you can go to her blog noted above. if it doesnt kill me, it can only make me stronger, right???
       
            With the loss of our children, how could i be so strong??? Ive held back tears over and over. I think of them constantly. They have made me the man i am today. Family is now closer. i literally sit back and just breathe. Just taking in the breath i wish my girls could take. These two girls were not here long, but what an impact they have made. Man, i remember holding them and feeling the bond only a father and daughter can have. its only by the grace of God that this happen. There has to be a good reason for this. And i think i found a reason.

           My walk with God has been a bumpy road. Ive been going to church my whole life. but, i feel like i was always just going through the motions. dont get me wrong, i BELIEVE. Just not acting on it nor showing it. Jamie started going to Journey Community Church in August. I can say i havent gone to church for months. After the passing of our precious girls, i took a shot and went. In only ONE hour, i felt the spirit running through me like crazy. i cried and boo-hooed all service. ive never been so spiritually fed in my life. since that day, i havent missed a service and i wont. when Sunday service comes and goes, all i want for next Sunday to get here. Without my girls i would still be a lost soul. There is one blessing in disguise.

        I could sit here and type all night, but ill give you guys a rest and ill get back to ya soon.

THANKS AND GOD BLESS!!!!