Its hard to believe that Josh is a month away from 18 years old and 2 months from graduation.  He has become a handsome and great young man.  He makes me proud!

Here is some pictures of Josh on his Florida spring break trip.

Tomorrow Sonya celebrates her 40th (oops, I wasn’t supposed to tell which one it was)birthday.  I thought about just taking her to church for her birthday, but since we have a busy day tomorrow, we spent the day out today.  On such a beautiful afternoon, we decided to drive to Roaring River State Park.  This is one of our favorite places to go.  We had a great time!

Happy Birthday, My Love!  I’m glad you were born just for me.

Growth is an amazing thing! If you water the grass it grows, if you put money in savings it grows and if you put a bottle in a baby’s mouth, the baby grows.

It is hard to believe that Hannah is already five years old. As I look back over the last five quick years I am amazed at God’s creation. I am in awe that this little child could be nourished and growing in so many ways at one time.

When you watch a baby you see them develop in so many different areas in a short period of time. You cannot help but know that there is a God. Growth and development are a healthy part of bringing up children. If they did not grow, something would be wrong. If they did not learn things, we would worry.

In spiritual things, are we amazed at our growth in God or worried because we are lacking? Just as a baby develops different traits and learns at a rapid pace, so should it be in the believer’s life. We should be growing in the things of God.

II Peter 3:18, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Are you growing in grace and knowledge? Our spiritual walk ought to be a journey of forward progress. The longer we are a Christian the more like Christ we ought to become.

Josh is going to turn 18 un April and he is three inches taller than me. He wears a size thirteen shoe and looks like a man. In 17  years he has grown from a little baby to a young man.

So it should be with our walk with God. Our knowledge of the Word should be more today than it was last year. Our prayer life should be more consistent than it was five years ago. We should all be serving in ministry somewhere if we are growing in grace.

I challenge you to make sure that you are continuing to grow in grace and knowledge. Evaluate your life and see where you might need to make some adjustments so that you might grow in your life with God.

God’s Word always has some interesting paradoxes that seem to conflict with the way that we often feel about life and its events.  As a part of my devotional reading, I am working my way through the book of Job.  In chapter 5 there is one of these interesting paradoxes…happiness and chastening. Those two words don’t belong in the same sentence.  Yet, the Scripture says, “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.”

How can we be happy when we know that the Lord is correcting us or chastening us?  This happiness is birthed out of the relationship that we have with God.  The Word of God reminds us in another verse that the Lord chastens those He loves.  If He loves us, He will correct us.  Though chastening is never pleasant, it is a sign of God’s working in our lives.  In fact, it is a reminder of His involvement in us and through us.

His correction brings hope because we know that He loves us enough to shape us.  Though He bruises us, He still binds us up.  When we are wounded, He has hands to heal.  This loving correction is coupled with His compassionate desire to mold us into what He desires us to be.  He sees what we can become.  He sees us for the good and desires to work things “out” of our lives rather than allowing us to hold on to things that do us no good.

To find happiness in chastening means that we must have a right heart even when we are bruised.  His correction is meant to nudge us back to the right path.  When we tend to wander off, He allows things in our life to push us back to the good way.  This is where our heart must be open to His guidance and leading.  Our prayer should be, “Lord, what are you trying to show me through these things?  Where have I strayed and how can I get back to Your perfect plan?  Search my heart and see if there is any wicked way in me.”

Happiness is attainable in chastening as you learn to walk with God and follow His heart for your life.  Instead of becoming upset that you have to endure hardship, rejoice that you are loved enough to be corrected.  Thank Him for loving you enough to not let you stay the same.

Happy New Year to you all!  I feel blessed to have you in my life and I am thankful for the new year and what God has on the horizon for RFA.

I shared this post last year, as we entered a week of fasting for the New Year.  These are timeless principles that will help us focus during this week of fasting.

As we enter our week of fasting, remember that fasting is a time of discovery. Some might ask, “A time of discovery?” Any period of fasting allows us to discover the things we are dependent on and even addicted to. Just a half day into any fast reveals what you have become dependent on.

Our bodies begin to scream for food or caffeine, while others might be having withdrawals from TV or computer. When we begin to lay down our fleshly cravings and desires, we become ready to hear from God more clearly. Granted, for the first few days of a fast, many will not hear a lot because they are still going through the withdrawals, but the longer we fast the more prepared we are to hear from God. His Word becomes alive to us, His presence seems real and we sense His nearness.

I encourage you to press in and hang on. It will get better!

While we are fasting, it is a good time to search our hearts. Some questions that I use for a Spiritual Health Test may help you as well:

• Am I being honest with God and myself?
• Do I love God’s Word?
• Am I Praying Faithfully?
• Am I looking for opportunities to share Jesus’ love with others?
• Do I hate sin?
• Am I obeying the greatest commandment, to love the Lord with all my heart, soul and mind?
• Am I looking for Christ’s return?

These questions will help you know where to start in changing your life this new year.

A couple of years ago I read an article from Family Life Ministries. It was on how to start family traditions. During this Christmas season, my prayer is that we all focus on the right things throughout this time. This article will help you focus on the right things and how to engage in these as a family.

Starting Family Traditions by Sabrina Beasley

It may sound strange, but Christmas traditions don’t have to be … well … traditional. You can start new activities that bring meaning to your holidays and build a legacy for your family. Perhaps you came from a family of non-believers, and you have never celebrated traditions that were based on Christ. Or perhaps you have found that your current traditions have no meaning for your family. This year, we have compiled 10 ideas for new traditions, some from FamilyLife and some from our readers.

1. What Does God Want for Christmas? The Christmas holiday is really just a part of the gospel story—God came as man in the flesh to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. His birth signifies God’s grace and love for His people. FamilyLife has developed an interactive nativity set that not only tells the story of the birth of Christ, but it also presents the gospel to children.

This resource, What God Wants for Christmas, can be used in your own family, in Sunday school classes, or as an outreach for neighborhood Christmas parties.

2. Use decorations to tell about the entire life of Christ. Christmas is a time that usually emphasizes the birth of Jesus, but decorations can also celebrate the remainder of His life on earth. In addition to the basic nativity set, angels, and stars, include crosses, verses that talk about the life of Jesus, and statuettes of Him while He was on earth.

3. Fast a meal. In America, Christmas includes a large focus on food. This year, during the week before Christmas, sacrifice a meal and pray during that time for the poor, hungry, and spiritually lost in the world.

4. Watch a movie that remembers the life of Christ. There are several good films that focus on the birth, death, and life of Christ. We recommend “Jesus of Nazareth,” the film, “Jesus,” or for mature audiences, “The Passion of the Christ.” Or for a change of pace, try “Ben Hur,” a movie that begins with Jesus’ birth and ends with His death, and tells the story of a man who was transformed by His love and forgiveness.

By watching movies that focus on other aspects of the life of Jesus, the Christmas celebration of His birth is put into proper perspective. This can be an excellent opportunity to talk to your children about why Christ had to come in the form of a child.

5. Share stories about how God has worked in your life. Have you ever told your children the story of your salvation? How about your spouse? While the family is together during the holidays, use the time to share your personal stories about faith, redemption, and life change. Also, reflect on the previous year and talk about how you have grown in your faith individually and as a family.

Click here for the rest of the article

You know its gonna be a good day when you go to Sonic to redeem your free Route 44 coupon and they give you another coupon for a free one.  Its like it was double free this morning.  For a man that’s addicted to Sonic’s Iced Tea, this was a confirmation that there is nothing wrong with my addiction 

In fact, I left Sonic this morning feeling like I had been blessed.  Thanks Lord for even the “small” blessings.  Its going to be a good day.