The ups and downs of life!

another few days have passed and can i say, "What just happened?" it seemed like if something happened, it went bad. i know in my last blog post that i was showing praise of my new ministry opportunities. not even the next night, satan was coming for me. he was trying all his tricks he has to tear me apart. i can honestly say, i was getting a little frustrated. i know i had all my faith in Christ, but man i was starting to buckle. ive been through plenty of heartache in my past and i know without a doubt there is more in the future. i know that my struggles these last few days arent the worst. well, my car broke down after work one night. i stalled out in the drive-thru at arby's. tons of fun that was. the night before that, i saw a message on facebook that a family member posted. it didnt name any names but it was meant for me. it hurts to know that family was disappointed in me. i know that i havent been a great son to my parents. not a great sibling for that matter. ive been working two jobs, newborn to take care of, church, ministry start-ups, supporting my family. i cant say that im not trying to be around. i havent had time. but its time to make some more changes. i love my family so much. i wish they could see all the "good" changes and moves i have made to become a better christian. and to top those two things, Working through augusta during the masters. haha. what a joke. i sat in stopped traffic for nearly an hour just to try to go two miles. turning my route into an all day mess. trying to play catch-up isnt fun.
   but throughout all this craziness, i gave all my struggles to God. i really didnt know how to deal with all of them, but i know who does. He gives me all the power in the world to get through anything.

O taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8

     i can put it to you this way, as i put ALL my faith in Christ and do exactly as He tells us, im will win this game called life. but its not about the win, its about the after-party. i cant wait to see streets of gold. let me take that back. i really dont care about all the gold. i cant wait to see my God and worship Him for eternity. 
   so it turns out like always, God takes my struggles into blessings. my car in fact was really broken. i ran out of gas. the gauge was saying i had a full tank. its under warranty so its gonna get fixed for FREE. Thank you God. he is putting people in my past to witness to and im not gonna back down from doing it. 

    i wanted to share Luke 9: 57-62 with you guys. There is definitely a cost for being a follower of Christ. The world is a rough place. you need to fix your gaze upon Christ and follow him. nothing should get in your way of God. He is everything you need to get through absolutely anything. i thank Him daily for giving me the strength to endure this corrupt world. 
off to bed now....night!

comment or message me what thoughts you have on this! thanks

Starting of My Ministries

Well, here i am again with some new stuff. some good stuff. I have a good friend named Clay who i treat like my little brother. We have had a lot of talks over the months about Christ. Throughout our conversations, we came up with some ideas of growing the kingdom. With this idea, alot of prayer, and many emotional times later, our mission is on its way to start. our new ministry is called, "In God we trust" There is about 6 of us total in it so far. our plan is to meet up at least twice a month and bring 10 or 20 dollars a piece. then we will venture out somewhere in the community and spend the money on someone while sharing the love of Christ with them. Nothing better than meeting someone else's needs while teaching them about God and what is in store for them. If its taking homeless people to a restaurant or buying someones groceries, we are willing to do whatever it takes to just have an opportunity to witness. We dont know what this ministry will look like a year from now but all i know that regardless what obstacles we face, OUR GOD will protect us and give us the plan and insight of the coming engagements. This is one of the most exciting times for me as a young believer. We want to impact the world. This is a small way to do so and possibly could turn into something huge.

       And the other ministry that i am part of is called "Celebrate Recovery" more info at celebraterecovery.com CR is a Christ-centered program to help with hurts, habits, and hang-ups. It includes anything from alcohol, drugs, addictions to food, grieving of loss, pornography, enabling, codependency, control issues, and many many more. i know we arent going to "cure" every issue, but are walking beside you through getting better control of the issue. Its amazing to see life change throughout the community of believers. Me and few others from our church went to a one-day seminar last weekend for CR. Man oh man. how touching this program is. during the seminar, a couple that is a part of the the National CR program, came up on stage and gave their testimony. It moved the crowd. it makes me want to do more and more. here is a video that shows what we are about:
http://youtu.be/6Vhyk81ho2o

  I feel like im becoming closer and closer to God everyday. before, i couldnt remember scripture even if i wanted to, now im getting better at spouting off verses at an instance. Im reading more and as always im still listening to sermons every chance i get. one scripture has been standing out a lot lately is John 3:30. "He must increase, but I must decrease." its very simple but a lot of powerful meaning behind it. i thank God daily for the new life He has given me. Easter is this Sunday. One of my favorite days. I cant wait to see what Pastor Bobby has in store for us. See you very soon with more awesome things up the road.