Surrender and exposing the lies

So how is life? Are you tired of the rut? Is it just a series of events?  Christian or not, do you ever wander if this is as good as it gets? If you are feeling this way you should know there is another path, an infinitely more amazing path.  I know that I give you glimpses into my life through this blog.  If I wrote everything down, every encounter, every story...you would not believe me and probably think I was out of my mind!  For that matter, I have no desire to boast except to say how AWESOME our God really is.

I can honestly tell you that my daily life is FULL of ADVENTURE, packed with PURPOSE and MEANING and any movie script or novel pales in comparison at this point. Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who He is and what He accomplishes through people like you and me.  Do you crave adventure?  Do you desire purpose, meaning and deep relationship? Of coarse you do, we were designed by God for it!

Starting in December, I am going to teach a Sunday school class at Kingsway on everything that I have come to understand, the things that have brought me to this place.  I want to see EVERYONE out of bondage and living a daily miracle filled life! Yes, it does exist!!!  If you are hurting, emotionally scarred, trapped, depressed, full of anxiety, feeling empty, addicted, afflicted, stuck in coping through life, haven’t figured it all out, stressed, tired, lonely, broken, messed up, want more of life...come.  If you think you have it all figured out (I haven’t), don’t bother, He can’t help you right now.

You have to be in the place where you are willing to SURRENDER. Say I quit, I give up.  I can’t do it my way anymore, my way stinks.  I give it ALL to you Lord!  You have to really want it.  I admit that I am a failure on my own accord.  I screw it up every time I do it MY WAY.  Now that I’ve given up and surrendered, let’s do it your way.  I give you my schedule, my preferences, my time, my talent, my money, my job, my spouse, my kids, my problems, my pains, my everything...my life.  It belongs to you.  It was really yours to begin with, but I’m just now admitting that. I am finally broken of my selfishness, now please Lord, build me into what you wanted me to be.

The question now is, how do I go forward?  I don’t even know what that looks like.  I’ve been doing it my way for so long.  Me too.  We are going to build on surrender in class.  He is going to show you the path, in practical application, of how to live life in full surrender and bring you to a place of joy, peace, adventure and purpose like you never thought possible.

Why didn’t you think it was possible?  Because there is a liar among us.  He is the father of lies and he steals away God’s truth in our hearts and replaces it will lies and half truths.  Satan has been busy lying to you and me, keeping you away from the life God desires and you desire.  He tells you, promises you that you can fill up that pain, that emptiness through stuff, movies, relationships, whatever.  The truth is it just makes it worse.  He is a liar!  Even now you have probably thought that what you are reading can’t be had for you, or “Brian’s really stretching it this time, I don’t deserve what Brian is talking about, my life is ok the way it is, I have time to fix my life later.” I don’t know what he said to you, but he is LYING TO YOU. STOP LISTENING and call him what he is, a liar!

He feeds me lies everyday.  Who are you Brian, to be helping people?  Who are you to write a blog on such subjects?  Who are you to teach Sunday school?  People will turn on you for writing such pointed stuff.  I will tell you who I am, nothing, but Satan...you are missing the point with your lies.  HE, JESUS, my savior is EVERYTHING.  Through HIM alone I can accomplish such things, be empowered to speak the truth, be bold for Him and expose your lies Satan.  You have lost this battle!  YOU LOOSE now go away, flee from me!

Tell Satan you are aware now of his lies he tells you.  You know what they are.  You know what he says to you.  You are not good enough.  Lie! You have to fix your own life, before getting right with God. Lie!  You’ve done too much wrong, too much damage and there is no going back. Lie! Lie! Lie!  You are not someone who can make a difference. Lie!  Your problems are too big to be dealt with.  Lie!  Everything is hopeless. LIE!!!  You don’t have time for church or Sunday school. Lie!  That you are going to "find happiness" by some other means than God Himself.  What a HUGE lie!!! What crap is he feeding you?  Think about it, identify it, then tell him he’s been busted!  You’ve caught a thief stealing away your life.  NO MORE!

He will give you a million reasons why NOT to come to Sunday school.  Why to even stop reading this blog.  He is squirming in his seat, desperate and will do anything to pull you back into the box where you are controlled, managed. If you aren’t struggling with Satan at all it’s probably because you gave up; you are defeated.  He doesn’t need to bother you.  You have been disabled and taken out of the fight.  WAKE UP CHRISTIAN!!! Know who your enemy is.  Know that he is real, know that he wants to destroy you, your family, your friends, your marriage...everything!

What will you do now?  Satan has no power over you.  What are you waiting for? Take him head on and tell him exactly where to go, back to hell!  Fight for your life in Christ!  Break free from any bondage that his lies have caused, the lies that weigh you down.  This is one HUGE step towards your complete freedom in Christ.  His burden is light for you, I know. I rarely talk about my personal storms directly because they are just noise. It is ALL in His hands and when we focus on him and cast aside the liar everything else fades away.

Will you join me?

I love you more than you know, but He loves you so much more than you can understand!

Brian

P.S. If you can't get to class because you live outside of Indy or whatever, then I will send you a book, but it is only half of the equation for what we will be learning.  Send me an email with your name and address at wheelergroup@gmail.com and I will mail it to you.  If you are coming to class, don't worry, you will have a copy of the book too! :)

P.P.S. If this is your first time on the blog take a look at past entries.  It will shine some light on what's going on.

P.P.P.S. My next post will be on how God is moving through people right now in Avon, Indiana.  Check out our newly established Charity caring for Orphans/Foster kids, families and single moms at dynamisministries.org We are also connected to a sister organization that focuses on broken marriages at riseofthehome.com If you need help, this is the place to start.

"Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)"


Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

The words you may not want to hear

They say that philosophy teaches us and confronts us with what we already know. It brings subconscious knowledge to the conscious level. “Self knowledge is like a lost innocence, however unsettling, it can never be un-thought or unknown.” Michael Sandel, Professor at Harvard University. Simply put, once we become aware of the truths that are deep inside us, in our moral compass given by God, we are confronted with the truth at a conscious level. We can’t go back, once we know, we know. This is my warning to you today before we proceed. If you choose to read on there is no going back. It will force you to confront some difficult truths.

What goes into a decision or choices we make? There are different internal forces that pull at us aren’t there?

Emotions
In one corner we have our emotions: anger, sadness, happiness, excitement, etc. How well do our emotions serve us? When we are angry, for example, and we allow our anger to direct our actions…do we feel good about those actions when we self judge ourselves after the fact? If we were honest we’d have to say usually not.

What about when something “forbidden” comes along and it makes us feel so good, it makes us happy…are our emotions leading us in the right direction? The Bible tells us that “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives.” Jeremiah 17:9 NLT

How many times have we heard or said something along these lines:

“If it makes you happy (or insert feel good)”
“Go and find happiness”
“I feel at peace with my decision”
“I feel like it is the right thing to do if…(or it’s best if...)”

These common statements seem to indicate that if we simply follow our emotions we are in good shape, but the Bible indicates otherwise. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 NASB Where you read the word “flesh” you can plug in the words “desires” or “human nature”…i.e. emotions, feelings or wantings. There are times when it might feel really right and still be so really wrong. Where does that come from? “…even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” 2 Corinthians 11:14 NASB He is the greatest deceiver is he not?

Logic & common knowledge
So if our emotions tend to lead us down the wrong path, then what? Logic, common knowledge…that must be the answer! Statistics are easy to get or hear from someone as to what happens in most circumstances, how people react or feel about any situation; the final outcome. The stats are supposed to indicate “normal” or “common” behaviors in our society; what most people do. They tell us what to expect and therefore we should act accordingly.

This goes right along with “just part of life” arguments that should go down like a spoon full of medicine that makes it all o.k. Have you heard this one, “it’s only natural to…” Fill in the blank. The word natural comes from the word nature, remember, meaning flesh. (see above) Chalk one statement of common knowledge up to being derived directly from our emotions. Brilliant. This is where our logic stems from.

There is a double standard for us adults isn’t there? We tell it to our children like this, “Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right” or “if everyone jumps off a bridge does that mean you should?” Perhaps this is one of the reasons Jesus tells us to be like children. We’re just too grown up for our own good; can’t even make out simple black and white truth. We try to complicate it, justify our ways and make it NOT apply to us somehow.

So where does this leave us then? What is left to help us make good, intelligible decisions that are in our best interest? The kind of decisions that see past our own short sightedness; the tough ones that are good for us in the long run. Turn not to our emotions or our faulty logic, turn instead to spiritual truth. It is timeless, perfect in all matters of the heart, unfailing to steer us in the right direction AND it always has our best interest in mind.

Spiritual Truth
The more we read and learn spiritual truth from the Bible, the easier it is to apply in our lives cutting through the clutter of opinion, emotion and dangerous statistics that are only heading us toward the cliff. I’m frankly tired of being told the “odds” of things going a certain way or how things “most likely” turn out usually so as to influence my decisions and behavior. Listening to such nonsense only leads to my own destruction. Destruction of hope, destruction of my faith, destruction of my resolve in Christ and in character, destruction of ministry, destruction of opportunities to let God show me His plan and watch it carried out. That is a lot of bad stuff! I feel sorry for the ones who speak in such terms because I know they have already been defeated, surrendered, given up.

I have yet to run into a scenario that I can’t find an answer to in scripture and I don’t expect I will.  It was right in front of me all along! All my life I’ve been told that the Bible is an “instruction” manual for life, but just like any manual for a complex project to assemble; it’s no good, useless actually, if we don’t read it and the result is a messed up, half way assembled something or other. In this case our very lives; mine, yours and all the people we love. So I stopped trying to “assemble” (read-solve problems, find answers, make important decisions) on my own and started to dig in. The results are staggering!

The Harmony of the three
Emotions and logic do serve good purposes. Emotions, for example, are a good early warning system in danger and troubles just for starters. There are also times when the Bible says we can have “righteous anger.” Logic and common knowledge help us to use our God given brains. All of these come from God to work in harmony together. The problem arises when our emotions and knowledge are void of spiritual and scriptural guidance as the foundation for their employment.

Now we have brought to the conscious level what may have been suppressed or hidden in our hearts. I remember that day for myself. A little unsettling isn’t it, to face such stark truth? The question is what to do with it. When we self judge ourselves for our decisions, made in full understanding of the truth, what will our judgment be? You’re in the driver’s seat. Hopefully the answer is that we make better decisions rooted in spiritual truth, which will yield great things for us in our lives. It is a breath of fresh air to refocus our compass and head straight for the narrow gate.

Feel like you're climbing an impossible mountain at times?

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me -watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

How many times have you wanted to give up on something? Sometimes it seems the mountain is too high, the task too big, the trouble to great. There is too much history against you. A mounting pile of “evidence and logic” that speaks against your deep heart felt convictions. You know what is right, what is Holy, but it feels hopeless. Other times it even feels impossible, as if there is a great opposition against you. The world and all the people in it tell you that it can’t be done; the statistics are not in your favor. You know what I mean, you’ve been there. What do you do in those times?

When faced with problems, conflict or difficulty we have the urge to cower in fear, to throw up our hands in surrender. Sometimes we seek to build our own consensus of people to side with us; which only leaves us feeling justified perhaps, but very angry and frustrated. So we may talk about it all the time, at an obsessive level…still no resolution. Maybe we just try to forget about it, ignore it…guess what, it keeps coming back. Triggered by words, a song, a picture; it’s fresh again isn’t it? Like a wound that won’t go away; especially if what we’re dealing with includes physical and/or emotional injury.

These options eventually make us bitter, resentful, defeated people. We might strike out and attack in our pride, in our hurt, in our anger or in our bitterness. What becomes of this…more injury…more retaliation. Not resolution and far removed from our original intent that was good, that was righteous, full of grace and mercy; Holy. So how then, how do we proceed? Is there a way to overcome, to climb the mountain, resolve the conflict, make the impossible possible? “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 This is the beginning of finding resolution, the first building block. Gently confronting the issue is the only way.

Choose to persevere, stand alone if we must. “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” Romans 5:3-5 Did you catch that? Perseverance causes a chain reaction that leads to HOPE! Who would have thought? And what… hope does not disappoint us!

Yes, we will stand alone at times “as aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Peter 2:11) but we are not truly alone as we face the mountain before us. Go back to Matthew 11:28-30 and get away with Jesus. Rest in Him, walk with Him and learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Keep company with Him and we’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

Believe.
"…with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
“…everything is possible for him who believes.” Mark 9:23
“I can do all things through Christ who give me strength” Philippians 4:13

Do we really, really believe or is it just a warm fuzzy thought? Something to put on the wall that sounds too good to be true. Believe in Him, believe in His promises. Keep them in our hearts. Stand up and climb the mountain with Him at our side.

Have I oversimplified the picture or could it possibly be this simple? Maybe not easy, requires a lot of work…giving up seems a heck of a lot easier. To just give in to the crowd, go quietly in the night. Allow our emotions and passions to rule over us. To become numb inside as we cower in our circumstance. I say no! What are we made of? I’ll tell you what…we’re made by a loving creator, in His image with His Spirit living in us! Stand for what is right and good, what is in the best interest of others instead of self.
Persevere. Hope. Believe.

Please read the lyrics today or listen to the song. Let's stop doubting and listening to the lies. Believe…fully.

Jimmy Needham - Dearly Loved

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3IdRkylxaI


Please lay down your arrows
For they're sure to pierce the skin
And water from a broken well
Will make you thirst again
When all things you've acquired
Are tested by the flames
And you can see them melting
Then will you call his name

It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin

Did you know that you are dearly loved

To the slaughter you are being led
Being told that it's a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you're not hearing
Is that he died for you

No greater joy
No greater peace
No greater love than this

It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin

Did you know that you are dearly loved

Are you drowning? Need some air?

Have you ever felt like you were drowning? Like life seems to hand you one upset after another, you know “when it rains, it pours.” It can be an awful retched sensation full of despair and worry. Your nerves get the best of you and perhaps you have the added feeling of being punched in the stomach. There is one solution that seems to melt it all away in one fail swoop! Imagine going from the sensation of drowning in one moment to breathing a deep sigh of relief.

It works so well and never seems to fail. What is it you ask? It’s like the air we breathe. Once you begin to breathe air as a newborn you simply can’t do without it. The living words written in the Bible are like the air and to put them aside is like trying to hold our breath, which you can only do for so long! “Hold tightly to the word of life” says Philippians 2:16. “Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.” Colossians 3:16 and in Hebrews 4:12 it says “For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires.”

In Ephesians chapter 6 we read about the whole armor of God “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.” The word of God is referred to as the sword of the Spirit going on the offense against thoughts that tear us down and give us the drowning sensation.

The Word is so full of God’s provision for our lives and promises that never fail. For example God tells us that He will never give us more troubles than we can handle. I was recently discussing this with my son. He was becoming gloomy and despondent with the thoughts that mommy may never come home for us to be a family again. I understand his concern and it pained me to see him being held captive to these thoughts and emotions.

We talked about how God provides for us, has our best interest at heart and makes the sun to shine again after the storm. I asked him a fundamental question that we all have to ask ourselves from time to time. If we know God will take care of us and everything will be great in the end because of His promise…if we already know how the story ends, do we need to worry about what happens in the middle? My son understood this, it’s like watching a movie and someone’s already given us the spoiler. We know everything turns out roses for the hero and the damsel in distress so we don’t have to “sit on edge” when he’s hanging on for dear life wondering if he’s going to make it or not. We already know the truth; we can rest assuredly in it. Some might say, the truth will set you free! That’s John 8:32 by the way.

My son now tries to rest on this promise. He believes, as I do, that in the end it will all be better than ok. We now look forward with sweet anticipation for that time. That’s a great place to be, full of peace and comfort. It comes from daily living in the words spoken by our Savior and we stay near to it. As if it were the very air we breathe.


Today’s song appropriately - Breathe by Michael W. Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oad8ov10AjY&feature=fvw

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm lost without you

Just for you

I am aware there are people reading this blog who are in a similar situation to my own and there will be more who will come. Your spouse has left or perhaps you are the one who left. You feel lost and confused, hurt deeply and you don’t know how to go on or what is to come. This entry is for you. There is hope. Some of you who have found your way here are hurting from some other injury or trial in your life. There is peace, comfort, forgiveness and rest for you.

God wants to take you on a journey to draw you close to him. This is my experience. You can see it in my words, start at the beginning. It was all about me and my troubles. Somewhere along the road God transformed my heart and made it all about him. You may not even understand this from where you sit now, but he can and will bring you to this place as well, if you let him. This is a place of overwhelming peace and joy regardless of the storm. I hope I may be able to help guide you in some way, to encourage you, to be a resource. Let’s start by getting you on solid ground.

You have a decision to make. Will you choose to love (or continue to love) or will you not? This decision, I believe, is paramount to your future. Yes, the Bible says there are a few exceptions when divorce is acceptable, but Jesus had something to say about that. In Mark chapter 10 the Pharisees where testing Jesus and said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” Jesus replied, “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote this law, but at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Then we could refer to 1st Corinthians chapter 13 on how we are to love (a passage I cling to daily.) I recommend reading the whole chapter, but verse seven sums it up nicely. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. The choice is yours to make, but I think it’s pretty clear the path that God honors.

Dear friend I am presuming one thing first, that you know Jesus as your savior. If you do not, this is where you start. You must desire a relationship with him; make him the Lord of your life. After that, we are working to deepen our relationship with him and understand his truth. Many will claim to know his name; few will have him written on their hearts.

Now you must decide to commune with him. Spend time in his word, in prayer and in worship. This is an area that I am now painfully aware that I was lacking in for a long time. You have today, the past is the past and God tells us not to worry about tomorrow. Pick up your bible, it may seem silly at first, but pick it up daily. Perhaps even multiple times a day; make relationship with him your top concern over all else. If you are already familiar with the gospel accounts of Jesus I highly recommend you start with the book of James in the New Testament and keep working your way forward. If not start with Matthew, come to know your savior for who he is.

Next, stay in his will, follow his direction; stay pure. When you are in darkness, you can not also be in the light at the same time. If you are struggling to draw close to him, ask yourself where you are selfish in your life, where you willingly sin and continue to. Stop and turn from the sin, repent of it, ask for forgiveness. You will find further help on this subject in another entry of this blog as you read through it.

Find ways to keep your focus on him throughout your day. I find and listen to a lot of Christian music all day to be in constant worship and keep his message and truth close to my heart. I not only read the Bible, but I read several other books on marriage, separation, divorce, love and other subject that help me to understand how God wants me to live. I will post my favorite reads at the bottom of this post for your reference.

Be careful and mindful of what you let into your heart through your eyes and ears. What you take in becomes you over time. For me that meant turning away from certain movies that I wanted to watch or some secular music that did not have a wholesome message. That may seem over the top to you now, but you will find this to be another truth directly from the Bible. You can choose your way with all of its self serving purposes or you can choose the way to an abundant life that Jesus laid out for us. You see, he ALWAYS has our best interest at heart. The Bible is not meant to weigh us down it brings about true freedom!

Pray, talk with God constantly. Tell him your thoughts, hurts, feelings, fears…cry out to him and ask of him what you need. He understands completely and wants healing for you to a level that you can’t even comprehend at the moment. If you seek, you will find him. He loves you more than you can ever imagine. You are his precious creation. Let him repair you from what may seem to be a shattered life and make you whole again.

Finally, there will be many opinions and people who offer you advice. Most of them will be full of anger behind their words, full of revenge or judgement. If you choose love, you will stand alone at times. It is not a popular path, not even an accepted path by many I am sorry to say. So in the midst of your storm you will also face great adversity from the naysayers who may even have good intentions. You must persevere!

Rely on his strength to get you through and not your own. Listen to his voice and shut out those that would extinguish your hope. Seek out those who will support you whole heartedly in your cause. Do not give up and try to see the bigger picture! Live out 1st Corinthians 13 with everything in you and everything from the Lord! I hope the words that were written on this blog bring you encouragement and understanding.

My heart aches with you, yet I rejoice for what he has in store for you!
Jesus is very fond of you and so am I,
Brian

Favorite Christian Music Groups
Hillsong (lots and lots of Hillsong!)
Mercy Me
Casting Crowns
Chris Tomlin
(Most of the songs that speak to my heart are posted after a blog entry)

Non-fiction Books
Hope for the Separated – Dr. Gary Chapman (my favorite)
How to Save Your Marriage Alone – Ed Wheat (short read and VERY useful)
Yes, Your Marriage Can Be Saved – Joe & Michelle Williams
From Anger to Intimacy – Dr. Gary Smalley
I Do, Again – Cheryl & Jeff Scruggs (incredible true story)
The Love Dare – Kendrick
The Five Love Languages – Gary Chapman
Brave Hearts – Sharon Hersh

Fiction books with great spiritual messages
The Shack – WM. Paul Young (One of my favorites of all times, a MUST read)
The Ultimate Gift – Jim Stovall
The Ultimate Life – Jim Stovall
Showdown – Ted Dekker
The Saint- Ted Dekker

Movies
Joshua
Amazing Grace
End of the Spear

Encouragement to you May 24,2009

Dear Church,
I hesitated sending this message to you in concern that it might be taken the wrong way. After today’s sermon I am certain this message was placed on my heart to share with you. So I must ask of you, are we not the body of Christ? For whatever we do for the least of these do we not do it for Him. Many are angered and have high emotions by the experience my family is enduring. It is ok to be angry and upset, but it is easy to let that anger turn into bitterness, malice and yes, forms of hatred.

Many of you have asked me what you can do for us outside of prayer, how you can help. I thank you for that outpouring of love and affection, I really do. The question then is this, are you doing the same for my bride? Is she experiencing an outpouring of love, care and concern? Are we not to love the sinner, but hate the sin? How many times does the church get accused of being full of hypocrites sitting around in idle gossip. Yes, we are hypocrites at times just as we too are sinners. It is the easy route to get caught up in our anger and emotions and justify our one sided behavior favored towards the person that appears innocent. What would Jesus have done? Not condoned the behavior I am sure nor enabled the person to continue in their sin, but at the same time shown great compassion and love.

It is not my intention to scold or chastise anyone and I hope you do not take this message in that manner. I want to encourage you to reach beyond your initial emotions, surrender them to God, lay them at His feet and replace those feelings with the fruit of the Spirit. I am not some “holier than though” good guy that has this all figured out. Daily I struggle with these emotions. Daily I have to give them to God and cry out His name. Daily I weep over my wife, our children and my marriage. I just believe that in being the body of Christ for Jessica you will find healing for yourself if you need it. I know I have. I also believe it will bring her one step closer to living in His presence one again. What a marvelous way for our Creator to design us, that by helping others, broken sinful people, we too are made whole. It truly is AMAZING grace!

If you are in a position of response to this in Jessica’s life, her friend, a church mate, fellow mother who she occasions to hang with, whatever the case may be…if you would normally reach out to her in a trial she is facing, please do. She needs you now more than ever. I know it may feel like a lot to ask and perhaps even a bitter pill to swallow depending on your current state of emotions. Remember one thing for me, I am not the one asking really, but you already knew that deep down didn’t you.
With Sincere Love,
Brian

P.S. Her voice mail is not set up on her cell, but she does receive text messages. :)