The Way

I usually don't get lost. I have a good sense of direction. Usually. But this morning, I made a wrong turn into a residential street and I wasn't sure where I was going. The street I was on turned into a T-intersection, so I turned right (in the direction I wanted to go). Then the street curved a bit. I turned right at the next T-intersection. I knew the general direction I wanted to go, so I eventually headed back that way. We were going to a store we've never been before in a not-so-nice area. Well, South Sacramento is kind of old and run-down. And it's a place you really don't want to get lost in. Thankfully, I found the street I was on and turned left at the next major intersection, to go to where we wanted to go. Eventually we found the place.

Being lost is not fun. But often, that's how we live our lives spiritually. We think we can do things on our own, and think we could find the way to heaven.

"If I do this and that, I will find my way."

"They say to say ten hail Marys and do penance for your sins...."

 "I feel like doing this and feel I need to do that." Boy, if we just rely on how we feel, we would never find the correct path.

So how can we know which way to go?

Jesus answered, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. The only way to the Father is through me."  -- John 14:6 (NCV)

Many of us in church have heard that before. Yeah, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. But have we really surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior? Many times, we just go through the motions of daily life, thinking just believing will save us. No, we have to give up ourselves to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Give our self-control over to Jesus. After all, He said, He is The Way!

No regrets, not this time 

I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind,

Let Your Love make me whole,

I think I'm finally feeling something.

'Cause just okay is not enough,

Help me fight through the nothingness of this life.

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions,

I don't wanna go one more day

Without Your all consuming passion inside of me.

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking

What if I had given everything

Instead of going through the motions?

Take me all the way,

Take me all the way.

The Motions, sung by Matthew West

Just like in the song, The Motions, we cannot get in the way of God's best for us. Often we get in the way of what God is trying to do in our lives. We make wrong turns. We don't quite follow God's directions, and that throws us off-course.

The other song that came to mind (and started this thought for this blog) is the Jeremy Camp song, titled The Way.

We can see the works of Your loving hands

With a hope and peace not made by man,

When You poured out Your grace and Your mercy

And held out Your arms so we could see

You bled for all mankind, and set the captives free.

Shine, bright

Let Your glory fill this land,

Lift high, the King of Kings and Great I Am,

Jesus, You are the Way,

You are the Way.

The Way, sung by Jeremy Camp

Let Jesus light the Way for our lives. He will, if we allow Him to work in our lives. God has given us free will. We have that freedom, yes. But if we are not focused on Jesus, we will always stray away from where He wants us to go.

The perfect illustration of this is Jesus as our Shepherd. Sheep usually go wherever they want. They wander away, just like us. But Jesus as Shepherd of our lives wants us to simply "Follow Him". Once we are focused on our Shepherd, we are on the path that is the safest for us, because He knows what is best for us. 

If you haven't ever decided to follow Jesus, now is the best time. Jesus will show us what is best for our lives. We just need to follow Him.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please forgive me because I have turned away from You. Please help me find the right way to go. Please forgive my sins and make me new. Lead me, Lord, and I will follow You. Thank You for Your awesome love for me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, welcome to the family of God! The next step is to find a good Bible believing and teaching church. After all, the Bible is God's Word and instruction book for life. You cannot live a Holy Christian life on your own. You will need the encouragement of people just like you, going through life. That is what fellowship in the church is all about. And it helps to have people along side of us (along with Jesus) to help keep us on the right path and follow The Way.

Blessings,

Garret

On Star... How Can I Help?

Lately I've been blogging on or around holidays. But something was bugging me this weekend when a guest speaker spoke at church this weekend. For those who go to Bayside (the church I am a member and attend), you'll know who I'm referring to. Otherwise, he will remain nameless.

One of his main points was: The Holy Spirit came to change our life, not fix it. This statement, at first disturbed me. I mean, if our lives can't be fixed, then WHO can fix it? One of my Facebook friends then posted on their wall: Jesus Christ came to change our life, not "fix" it. Then I replied, if He can't fix our lives, then WHO can fix it?

Then I noticed the discrepancy. Do you see the difference?

So many times as Christians, we equate the three persons of the Trinity, we often blur each of their unique purpose. Sure, Jesus Christ is equated with God the Father (John 10:30), but from there, their roles become more specific.

Jesus is called The Christ (or The Anointed One, John 5:23); the Bread of Life (John 6:35-40); the Light (John 3:19-21); Savior (John 4:42); the Lamb of God (John 1;29, 36; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:19); the Door (John 10:9); the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14-15); the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6); the True Vine (John 15:1,5); Friend (John 15:15); Master (Luke 17:13); Healer (James 5:15); the Rock (Ps. 18:2, 19:14); along with My Protection (Ps. 31:2-3); and Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13).

Those are the names and functions of Jesus, also my Lord (Acts 2:36, 1 Cor. 8:6, Phil. 2:11, 1 Pet. 3:15). I think you get the idea.

The function and purposes of the Holy Spirit are different. He was sent to us as our helper (John 14:16-17) in-dwelling in believers (Rom. 8:26) and is our guide (John 16:21). The Holy Spirit tells us the Truth about sin, being right with God and judgement (John 16:8). Basically, the Holy Spirit leads us (Gal. 5:18). That is why the Holy Spirit cannot fix us! That's not the purpose of the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit is often misunderstood because we can see the attributes of God the Father and Jesus Christ throughout the Bible. The Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost, in Catholic terms) seems a bit more ominous because He is living today within believers of The Christ.

I know in my circumstances, and I'm sure a lot of other people, we cannot fix our problems on our own. That is why I was confused. If God can't help me, who can? Father God, Creator and Sustainer of Life is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. If Almighty God cannot help me, I'm in deep doo-doo!

The Truth is, we do not have to worry with God in control. But often we do worry. What if the creditor messes up my credit rating? What do I do if (and when) I'm foreclosed? What if that lump is a cancerous tumor?

God is still in control. We cannot change our circumstances. But then I hear stories of miracles happening. That's the "God stories" we need to tell. Like in the speaker's final point, His (the Holy Spirit's) primary purpose is to make GOD look good, not us. Now, that makes sense.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is different from Jesus Christ's ministry, in that we are inhabited with the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as our Holy Savior. Jesus did the saving (His sacrifice). The Holy Spirit guides our lives to live for Him. We cannot mix up their purposes.

Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Until then, you haven't been infused with the sweetness of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Lord, I need you in my life. Forgive me for I have sinned against you. I trust that You will cleanse me from my sins and help me to live my life for You. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit so I can walk with you daily and learn to love You more, and to love Your people more. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


If you just prayed that prayer, welcome into the Family of God! Also ask God to guide you through the Holy Spirit in you. Amen.

Blessings,
Garret

Lost?

This weekend one word comes to mind: overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with my finances. Overwhelmed with fears. Overwhelmed with doubts. But also overwhelmed with emotions. Overwhelmed with God's Amazing love and grace.

As most of you know, yesterday marked the ten year anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history, 9-11, or September Eleventh. There was much talk about retaliatory attacks on the US since al Qaida enjoys their hype. Thankfully, by God's grace, nothing of great proportions like ten years ago occurred yesterday.

But we cannot forget what happened that fateful day. We must remember what happened. Not just to learn from the security mistakes that lead to the catastrophic disasters of the World Trade Center Towers, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon; but to remember the sacrifices given for the freedoms we hold so dear in our great country. Remembering the first responders on the scenes of these horrific acts of terrorism, that gave so much of themselves, some losing their earthly lives. The countless number of workers in the Twin Towers at the time of the attacks, losing their lives, but not ever to be forgotten.

Every soul, God loves. God loves His creation, whether or not we acknowledge Him as Almighty God. God loves.

So here's my story of this weekend: my roommate, David, wants to go to the Bay Area to help his brother pack and leave for Hawaii. Amazing, right? For a guy who is leaving California because he cannot find a job decides to go to Hawaii. I guess if you're unemployed, why not be unemployed in Hawaii? Actually, I hear there are more sales jobs in Hawaii than in the state of California. Talk about making a poor business climate in California worse: people have to leave the state to find a half-decent job! But I digress. I suppose you can tell my frustration with government, nowadays.

Anyway, so after David finishes his work shift Saturday, I pick him up and drive him to the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station, where his brother picks him up. I had decided to go to church Sunday anyway, because I was going to serve on the video team for our church's Sunday evening service for the Week of Waiting on God . We're having special services this week designed for worship, communion and prayer, and teaching from the Bible.

Sunday, I actually worship in the Video Cafe. After church, I go to lunch, then go to a park off of Douglas Blvd. and Barton Road, where I find a nice, shady spot to relax before going in to serve for the evening service. Shortly after I park, a car pulls up next to me on the right.

"Amigo", says the guy in the car next to me. He gets out of his car and approaches me on the driver's side window. He's lost, and he's looking for a street (still on my iPhone maps app), Primrose Lane.
He had a Google maps direction sheet in his hand, but he missed a turn on Sierra College Blvd. I wasn't sure if he really understood me because of his limited use of English, but I tried to clearly explain where to go and show him where to turn; where he missed his turn. I do hope he found the place where he was going, because I noticed on his Google maps directions, he came from San Jose.

I felt good helping my Amigo. Fast forward after the evening service. I was walking to my car when I was approached by an older lady. She asks me where the cross and flags are. For 9-11, Bayside sold American flags commemorating the 3,000 plus lives lost in the attacks. The flags were (still currently there) placed around the perimeter of the church property, the drop-off circle and around the crosses at the courtyard entry. Instead of just telling her where to go, I walked with her back into the courtyard. Apparently, she said this was her first time at Bayside (?)! At a Sunday evening service, which we usually don't have?!

It was neat chatting with her, leading her back to the main parking lot, where she left her car. How cool it was to help those lost, help find their way back on track. And I was filled with joy in helping both the Amigo and the older lady from that lost feeling. I hope I see the lady again because of my kindness in helping her find her way back to her car. That's God's love in action! Overwhelming!

Isn't that what the Christian life is all about? That's what Christian ministry is all about! We are to help the lost find their way... to Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life!

Are you lost? Need to find your way? Ask Jesus into your life, and He will give you a new life in God!

Lord Jesus, please help me because I need You! I am lost without You! Please help me, lead me and show me where You want me to go. I give my life to You, Holy God. I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my heart and guide me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God! For those already in God's family, do not forget what Christ has done for you. Remember, our freedom in Christ is even so much greater than the freedoms we have as Americans (kind of back to my government rant, like earlier!).

Overwhelmed!

Blessings,
Garret

Patched-up Pot-holes

Sometimes it's just nice to drive on freshly paved asphalt. You know what I mean, right? Even though it took the road crew weeks, maybe months to get the job done, driving on it is so smooth. Then there are some streets riddled with pot-holes and some of them patched up with mounds of asphalt, you get jolted going up and over the patch job.

Well, if you know me at all, I am a student of human behavior. I love sociology; how people interact with each other, the cultural dynamics, certain demographics, social class, et cetera. What does that have to do with pot-holes? I will get to the illustration and application in just a bit, but I need to set the setting.

Today at lunch, I went to a popular Asian buffet restaurant. They sat me in the corner of the room, so I had a good panning view of the dining room I was in. After an Asian family had left their table, the restaurant staff sat a huge party of (should I dare say it?) Russians in the next row to my left. I can tell they are Russians. There is a huge population of Russians in the Sacramento area. And they looked like it and spoke it to each other. There were six adults and ten children in a long table and the booth to the left of me.

Yep. After church, it was feeding time! And they all came out to have some Asian buffet. One of the guys had a full heaping plate of crab legs. One of the kids had... pizza! And it was interesting that it was the men who got up and got the food while the women were sitting down at the table with the children, getting more restless by the second.

Enter another slavic-looking family. Not as large of a party, but they also were dressed more casual, in tee-shirts, rather than the button-down shirts the other guys wore. These guys both had goatees, one guy with tattoos on his big arms. Which family (or party) do you think had the better behaved kids?

Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), the children that belonged to the more casually dressed folks were well behaved. I thought that was quite a stark contrast to the other group that wore skirts and dresses, with the guys in long-sleeved button-down shirts (in the summer in the Sacramento Valley). Those kids were screaming, running around the tables with their plates and somewhat disruptive.

That is why I tried to get out of there as soon as I could (for an all-you-can-eat buffet place). I had my plate of hot food, sushi plate, then a plate with prime rib and Chinese veggies, then my dessert plate of fruit and assorted pastry items.

But why would the children of seemingly God-fearing people act like that in a busy, buffet restaurant like that? Hunger, you would say?

Well, what I hadn't mentioned in the earlier description was one of the mothers yelling at her kid to "Listen to me!"

I dunno about you, but why would I listen to you if you can't speak to me so I could actually LISTEN to you? If she were actually more loving and caring, perhaps the kid would actually want to listen to her.

Just my cursory observation, but I think the buttoned-up families are more for the show. Do you know what I mean? The appearance of being all-together in their Sunday-best clothes is the facade they portray to the outside world, when internally they are just as MEssy on the inside! Lord God, I pray for these families that they may take a deeper look in who they really are in You, on the inside. Really.

And don't we all really need to look introspectively?

It's like the beautiful cake from Freeport Bakery. Looks so good from the outside (well, the cake part isn't that bad), but at the edges, there was so much frosting to cover up the imperfections of the layers of cake. I had a plateful of frosting and not much cake in my corner piece.

And just like patching up a pot-hole (back to that illustration), it may look okay from the outside, but still underneath the patch-job is a crack and hole that would jar someone's suspension and shock absorbers. The hole is still there. It's just filled with something that originally didn't belong there.

And that is how it is with our sin-filled lives. Every time we sin, we add another crack, another hole, another misaligned slice and imperfection to our once consecrated life. We try to patch things up on our own, but those things still embody us.

So what do we do? We need to give our lives to God, the Creator and Perfector of the universe to change us radically. Like the freshly repaved road, it takes a painful, painstaking process of digging up all the pieces and building anew the new roadbed. It takes Almighty God to change us in a way that honors Him.

Dear Holy Lord, please forgive me of my sins. I know I have made a mess of my life and I need You to come into my life and restore me. Please fill me up with Your Holy Love and help me to be a person who honors You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If you prayed that for the first time, welcome to the Family of God. If you prayed that for God to renew your life in Him, continually seek God through His Holy Word, the Bible. If you have been out of fellowship, please find a good Bible believing (and preaching) church. And LIVE OUT your faith, not just adorn yourself with a shiny cross signifying you are a believer. What you do with your life is more important than what you want people to think of you.

And forgive me if I misjudged these people. However, I am usually a good judge of character. So behave out there!

Blessings,
Garret

Quest for Freedom

It seems like I'm blogging on the holidays this year (or close to them, I guess). But I had some of my profound thoughts seeing those people sweating out there in the heat selling fireworks. You see them almost every block. Non-profit organizations, school athletics programs, and churches spend their time these past few weeks selling explosives in the summer heat.

I'm glad I go to Bayside Church. Not because it is a large mega-church that doesn't have to sell fireworks  in a wooden shack filled with explosive materials in the Sacramento summer heat. But mostly because of the principle of faithfulness Pastor Ray Johnston has instilled in the church's philosophy of ministry. What would you rather do? Spend your God-given time and resources doing ministry with the community you are reaching out to, or sitting in a booth trying to sponge money out of those people in the community? I know I phrased that purposefully to make the former sound more honorable than the latter. But think about it. Is it just about the money?

A Biblical, God-honoring church shouldn't have to go to lengths and stoop to selling gimmicks to raise money. If the people in the church were faithful and generous givers, they would be able to make the financial needs of their ministries. Sure, we need to be out in the communities we minister to, however we should be giving to the community rather than taking from the community. Does that make sense?

Okay. That was one of my points I wanted to make.

But, it's the Fourth of July, Independence Day. We give much gratitude to the forefathers of this great country we live in for the freedom they demanded from the Mother country, England. And more importantly, we thank America's armed forces that are constantly keeping the freedoms of this country free. Really, freedom is not free. There is a price to pay for freedom.

And that is also true for our Christian liberties. We talk about dependence upon God. And we should always rely on God for strength, wisdom and His ultimate love upon us. But having that spiritual freedom we have been given, Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus died for all of our sins. Just like the soldiers sacrificing their only life for the freedoms of our country, Jesus paid the ultimate price of every body's sins with His precious blood. Only, Jesus is alive!

How can that be? Jesus, being fully man and fully God, was able to be resurrected from the dead to give us eternal life! If we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then God will forgive us of all of our sins... past, present and future. That is how we can have freedom in Christ!

Through You the blind will see 

Through You the mute will sing 

Through You the dead will rise 

Through You all hearts will praise 

Through You the darkness flees 

Through You my heart screams, I am free! 

I am free to run 

(I am free to run) 

I am free to dance 

(I am free to dance) 

I am free to live for you 

(I am free to live for you) 

I am free 

(I am free) 

~I Am Free (by the Newsboys)

Okay, the Newsboys aren't really American (they originated from Australia). But because of their freedom in Christ, they understand what spiritual freedom is (or we also call it Christian liberties) and where it comes from. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. (Philippians 4:13)

So, do you have that freedom God has given us through His Holy Son, Jesus Christ? If not, and you would like to experience God's love and freedom, you can say a simple prayer like this: "Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me of my sins. I ask for a new life in You and freedom to live my life for You. Thank You for Your love for me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Once you have experienced God's love and faithfulness, then You can trust and rely on Him to provide for all of your needs (like my previous point). God may be invisible, but He is always faithful. I may not be the wealthiest person and I am struggling in this economy, like most of us, right now. But I am trusting in God and He does provide for my needs. Perhaps not as much as I would like, but I am making due, in God's timing.

Blessings,

Garret

Keep Pedaling

This weekend we celebrate Father's Day. Although my father has already passed on, it still is a day to honor and remember. I don't have to buy a Father's Day card, but in my silence and meditation, I remember my father with warm thoughts.

Perhaps I didn't have the best relationship with my father, but what I do remember, they were good memories, for the most part. When I was younger, he was a hard-working dad. And when he was selling life insurance, he was away from home a lot. When he was selling automobiles, he always had transportation for the family, especially when we took our family trips. I remember those trips to Hollywood, Disneyland and San Diego.

When I was in college, we had a personalized fortune cookie business, mostly providing advertisement fortune cookies for restaurants in the Bay Area (we also did personalized messages for mail order). I remember driving around delivering fortune cookies with him. That was time spent with him.

When he was stricken with his cerebellar degenerative ataxia (a fancy medical term for him falling down and eventually losing motor function), I had to take care of him. So in the later years, I was able to spend more time with him. And at those times were frustrating because of his disease. I was already changing his diapers before I had (or have to) change baby diapers.

But this week, K-Love radio was talking about what your dad taught you, growing up. I suppose I could say he taught me how to eat. That was one of our common interests, eating out. He taught me to use paper towel to open the restroom door after washing your hands. In this germ-infested culture, that one's good. But I guess the most profound lesson he taught me was how to ride a bike: keep pedaling! That was one of my fondest memories of my dad, when he taught me how to ride a bike. I will never forget it.

And as a life lesson, it is a good reminder to keep pedaling. We run into obstacles, hit hills and valleys, gets stalled by others along our path. We cannot let these things stop us from getting on towards our destination, wherever God leads us.

And oftentimes, we do not know where God is leading us. We have to be in tune with our Heavenly Father, who will guide us and give us direction, through the Holy Spirit.

I may not have my biological father here with me anymore, but my Heavenly Father is always with me. I may stray away from Him, but He is always with me. He is our ultimate Father.

Have you gotten to know your Heavenly Father? If not, He is just a prayer away: "Heavenly Father, I ask You to come into my life. Please show me Your glory, and lead me where You want me to be. Forgive me for my past sins, cleanse me from those sins, and show me what You want me to do. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Once you've accepted God into your life, don't stop. Get into a good Bible believing church, have regular fellowship with other believers and life-journeyers. And keep pedaling!

Blessings,
Garret

Remembering and Reflecting

Today is Memorial Day, to remember the fallen men and women who sacrificially served in the United States Military Armed Services. Whether or not we agree with war, these brave men and women gave their lives to protect and to serve these borders of the United States of America. This is a day to reflect and to remember their courage and determination in battle. Those who have survived through wars with wounds and irreparable damage, we also honor on Veteran's Day (but that's later in October, 10/10).

My dad served in the Army during the Korean War. Being Chinese, and fighting the North Koreans and Chinese, he told his fellow American comrades he was "Hawaiian" to avoid any animosity just because of race. Well, that was not long ago when America interred Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II.

I once heard a story when his tour of duty ended, he was detained because of some paperwork snafu. Had he taken the flight back home with many of the brothers he served along with, he would have been killed along with them in the plane crash. I had never heard that story before. When I did, it sent chills down my back. You see, if he wasn't left behind, he wouldn't have married my mom and had my sister and me.

God's will? God's ultimate plan for his life?

Perhaps, but it is sobering to think about the legacy of all serving military. Each and every one of them have stories to tell about their survival, their time in serving this great country of ours. And many of them serve out of dedication to their country.

My dad really didn't have to serve in the Korean War. He was already in college. He wasn't drafted, but he sacrificially went to serve in the Army for the United States of America. He was the platoon cook, but that's important to nourish and care for the fighting infantrymen. His contribution to our country was honorable and to be recognized.

And you know, Jesus didn't have to go to the cross to die for our sins, but He did. For you and me, Jesus Christ was (and still is) the Son of God. He was the sinless sacrifice, nailed to the cross by our heinous sinful lives. He bore all of that pain for our sakes, because of His love for us. God's love was revealed at Calvary. God's Will.

Remember me

When the color of the sunset fills the sky

Remember me

When you pray and tears of joy 

Fall from your eyes

And age to age

And heart to heart

Bound by grace and peace

Child of Wonder, Child of God

I'll remember you

Remember Me

"Remember Me", written and sung by Mark Schultz

Jesus remembers our hurts and pain. Let us remember His love for us. Have you accepted God's love in your life as He sacrificially gave it all for us?

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for I am a sinner. Please come into my life because I need Your love and forgiveness. Please help me to never forget what You have done on the cross for me. Thank You for saving me. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to God's Kingdom! Now you are a child of God. Never forget where you came from and what God has done in your life. Remember your loved ones, those who love you, and those you may not know but have given their lives sacrificially as Christ loved the Church.

Blessings,

Garret

Pause || Chill...!

I know in my last post I was saying I need to get back into blogging. Sure. Good. That's great. But sometimes life can get a little hectic. And life usually does roar back on like a lion. And often it's hard to relax and just chill.

Well, this weekend is Memorial Day weekend and I wanted to do something fun. In the past I've gone to the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee festival. And sometimes I've done a long weekend trek to Disneyland (that's when I had an Annual Pass... and gas was much cheaper, too). But with my finances the way they are, a stay-cation is in order.

"Aww, c'mon", I thought, "A stay-cation sounds boring!"

Well, it can be. And it can be just as fun. Today I went to our Folsom church campus (satellite church venue) and had some fun at their carnival for the community. Bayside Folsom is relatively new, as today was their fifth "grand opening" service, and is establishing itself in the community. There were bounce houses, a huge inflatable slide, football tossing station, face painting and (I've never seen this before) two water balloon cannon stations shooting at each other! Yep, I got wet just standing near one side!

It's great to reach out to the community, do community building projects and things like that. But when I just got home, I thought, "Well, what now?"

Quiet time.

Boring! No, actually we need times of quiet and solace. In fact, God tells us to be quiet in order to listen for His still, small voice. No, perhaps not really audibly. But some people claim they actually "hear an audible voice".

"Be still, and know that I am God...." --Psalm 46:10

I know just being still and sitting silently doesn't sound quite right, especially if we're on this Journey we call life. (That's the metaphor of this blog site and I'm stickin' to it!) In this high-paced, technological society we're in, it sounds ridiculous to just sit still in silence.

I even have what a USA Today article (from June 12, 2007) claims is phantom vibration syndrome or vibranxiety. I usually keep my cell phone in silent-vibration mode, so I occasionally get these little vibration spasms on my right hip, where I usually wear my cell phone. I even get it when I'm not even wearing the cell phone... because it's in my hands! So I know that phantom vibration syndrome is a reality for me.

But I digress. And oftentimes a creative mind like mine does digress and gets sidetracked, following a rabbit hole to somewhere we shouldn't go. Ha! Another reason to just... chill!

So what have I learned on the show tonight, Craig? (A reference to the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson... another reason to just chill.) Have quiet times.

In fact, some people call devotion time with God "quiet times". That's when we can just relax, chill, reboot, recharge, and be refreshed by the Giver and Creator of Life itself.

If you have never personally met Jesus, my Lord, my Savior, my God and my King, then there's always a new chance to find rest in God the Father, Master, Creator, and Lord of Life, Lord of All Creation! All you need to do is to say a simple prayer like this: "Dear Heavenly Father, I just want to thank You for today. You have given life to all of your Creation and you sustain life in the palm of Your Hands. Almighty God, please renew me with Your Holy Love. Forgive me, for I am a sinner, forever lost in eternity without You. I believe Jesus is the Risen Lord who has given us life for all eternity. God, please come into my life. Let me learn to love You, worship You, and praise You for all that You have done. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen."

If you have just accepted Jesus into your life, be refreshed. Be renewed. Pause... chill!

Blessings,
Garret

Back On Track

Sometimes we get side-tracked, distracted, interrupted, or totally thrown off-course. That was my case. If you hadn't noticed (and I guess you haven't because I don't have many followers here, yet) I got away from blogging for a while. I could have blamed the holidays (because they were distractions), but I hadn't given myself much time to devote to blogging. At that time it wasn't of greatest importance.


Life has its own distractions. And today, Easter Day, is a good chance to renew my blogging experience.
You see, for the most-part, people may miss the significance of Easter Day and what it really means. 


I was recently in a Target store shopping. I overheard a lady say to her husband (or guy friend she was with) say nonchalantly "Easter isn't that big a holiday".


When I heard that, I was puzzled. No, for Christians, Easter means everything! I wanted to say to her "Come to church and see the real meaning of Easter!" But, one, I wasn't sure which lady said it. And, two, I didn't have my Easter invitation cards (some excuse, right?).


Without the Resurrection of Jesus (not the Easter bunny), there is no real basis of our faith if Jesus hadn't overcome death. We would be just worshipping someone or some thing that has died. And is still dead.


Think about it. Mary Baker Eddy is still in her grave. L. Ron Hubbard is still in his grave. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are still in their graves. Muhammed is still entombed. But Jesus Christ is alive!
Then where is He? Jesus, through the Holy Spirit is living in each and every Christ follower. He is sitting at the right hand at the throne of God guiding us, teaching us, leading us, healing us.


When we talk about the Easter story, we are thankful that Jesus Christ sacrificially died on the cross with a crown of thorns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Without His precious blood that was shed, we would still be lost in our sins. But Jesus paid the cost for all of us with His all-encompassing LOVE.


Yes, thank You Lord Jesus for Your LOVE for us, dying on the cross for our sins for eternity's sake.
But that's only part of the story. He didn't just die and lay dead, He rose again to bring New Life... a changed life. A life to bring glory and honor to the One who gave it all.


Have you given your heart to Jesus and trusted Him to change your life? Without Jesus, our lives are off-track. What we think is important may not be the most important things to dwell on. When we give our lives to Jesus, the power of the Risen Savior God can inhabit your life. And give you a new, fresh start.


Heavenly Father, forgive me for I have been selfishly living my life on my own, I can't do it on my own any more. Please come into my life and renew my life. Jesus, please help me live my life for You and Your purposes. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.


If you prayed that prayer, you have just entered the Kingdom of God and a new, fresh start.


Blessings,
Garret

Relentless Pursuit

Sometimes in life, we feel pressure to do good things and do our good works. It makes us feel better and productive, perhaps. But whatever we do, we do for the glory of God anyway, right? On our way to working or doing busy activities, we think we are a contributing person to society. We get involved in things that touch our heart, that drives us. Our passion.


Well, lately I've been on the road to pursuing those passions. With our new sermon series at church, Pastor Ray asked for volunteers to start and open up new small group Bible studies. At Bayside, we are going through a series based on Craig Groeschel's book, the Christian Atheist. And the subtitle is: Believing in God but Living as If He Doesn't Exist. It is a great book and challenges us to really live our faith in Him.


Anyway, I signed up to be a small group leader. Actually, at the time there were only options for leading a group or attending a group. There was no escape clause. No opting out.


I've led Bible studies before. It was part of my internship for my B.S. in Christian Leadership from San Jose Christian College (now William Jessup University in Rocklin, CA) in my church at the time, Pathway Community Church. And it was something I put aside because I just needed to be ministered to for a while, when I moved out to Sacramento. Well, now that I jumped back into it, God is stirring something in me. Yes, God called me to be a Christian leader (hence my major). As Christ followers, we are all called to serve in ministry. But with everybody serving, there need to be leadership.


And as this group is getting started (with strangers... people I have never met before), I'm actually getting excited. Yeah, me. Once socially inept me. Introvert by nature, grown up nerd, me! Well, not because most of those that signed up for my group are women (when I was younger, that would probably cripple me like Raj Kuthrapali on the TV show the Big Bang Theory... he can't talk to women), but God is going to work something amazing through me.


Not only is this leadership role emerging, I am getting an itch to do more writing (yes, in this blog and I'm thinking some Christian inspiration book). I will probably springboard from this blog into more of a book format. Who knows? Maybe the writings in this blog can translate well into book-form?


But I don't want to just write for writing's sake. I ultimately want to be an inspirational speaker. What? Once socially inept me? Introvert by nature, nerdy me! Don't you see, God wants people He can use to exemplify God's Glory and Grace!


God used Moses... stuttering Moses, to lead his people out of Egypt to the borders of the Promised Land. God used David, who was an adulterer and murderer, to become King and become God's beloved.
God used Peter, who was impulsive and abrasive, to become the Rock of the church of Christ. And God used Paul, once named Saul, who persecuted Christians, into one of the greatest Apostles and who wrote most of the New Testament as Christian doctrine. God uses anyone He chooses to.


That's God's relentless pursuit of someone's life; to grab ahold of someone wherever they are. And then change them into a beautiful testimony of God's grace, mercy and love. God's relentless pursuit of me began long ago and it's still transforming my life, my mind, and who I'm becoming. In Christ.


God is pursuing you. Relentlessly. Whether you want Him to or not, God is actively pursuing your life, relentlessly. And don't think you can ever hide from God.


Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. --Psalm 139:7, 8


God loves you so much. Jesus Christ was that example of God's ultimate love, dying on the cross for all of our sins. But that's not the end of the story. Jesus Christ rose again from the dead and overcame death, so we can overcome all of the obstacles in our life. We just need to relentlessly pursue Christ in our lives. See how that continual pursuit goes?


If you have never pursued the love of Christ, come before Him and ask Him for forgiveness and ask Him into your life to receive the blessings of Jesus Christ reigning in your life!


Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins. I know I have turned away from You. Lord God, please forgive me and fill me with Your love, grace and mercy. I need you in my life as much as you pursue my life, I pursue You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my heart, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.


If you prayed that prayer, welcome to a life of relentless pursuit. We pursue God as He is continually pursuing us to be transformed daily in out walk with the Holy and Living God!


Blessings,
Garret