The real question we have to ask ourselves, is what is our relationship with Jesus like. It is about loving God with all your heart. Yesterday afternoon, I called a friend of mine because I was bored and lonely. We started reading devotionals to each other, when we came across a story about a lady who was really worried about some things, so she swam laps in her pool. She swam 26 laps (one for each letter of the alphabet) and for each letter she simply prayed praises to God. She would pray: Awesome, Almight, Amazing, Above-all, til the next lap and start Benevolent, Bewildering, Best, Beautiful, etc. At the end of the 26 laps she realized that God had renewed her. She didn’t feel any of those worries and in fact she had energy for 26 more laps. Hearing this story we sat on the phone for almost 2 hours thinking of words to describe God.

At the end of this conversation, we felt closer to eachother as Christians. We felt closer to God. We felt the amazing peace of God. That night, other friends I haven’t heard from in a while started calling me and the attack of loneliness that Satan had for me was utterly vanquished by focusing on, and loving God. It seems to have overflowed into today as well. Just going about my daily errands today, I ran into more people that I knew that I usuaully do. Strangers on the street asked me questions that I could help them with. After praising God, it seems I have become more a part of His plan.

As Christians we should know that God works out the tiniest details of our lives. He works out the tiny details of the lives of others too. How many times have you gotten lost going somewhere new and somebody genuinely nice and helpful directs you back to your path. GOD DID THAT. So it is such an amazing blessing for me to even be asked by a stranger on the street when the next bus is coming. If I can help ANYBODY with ANYTHING, I have glorified God. It is such a blessing to know that God has put me in the path of His other children to bless them and love them just like He loves me.

My friends, this is what Christianity looks like. Not how nice of shirt you wear on Sunday. Not how much you dropped in the collection plate. It is about your relationship with the world, and His children (John 13:34-35 NKJV). Jesus told us that HIS DISCIPLES WOULD BE KNOWN BY THEIR LOVE FOR THE WORLD!!

What does this love look like? I thank God that the Bible talks a lot about what His love looks like.

View full post on The Christian Chat Network

We all understand that sheep have a strong inclination to follow, to go along with what other sheep in the flock are doing. I once read that, if a shepherd is herding his flock into a pen, and he places a bar a foot or so off the ground across the gate so that the first sheep has to jump over it to get in, then he removes the bar, the following sheep will continue jumping as they pass through the gate based on what the leading sheep did!

Years ago, my wife and I owned a small flock of lambs in partnership with our neighbor. They escaped from our pasture one Sabbath morning by "worrying" a fence until they were able to push out through the hole. Once one lamb went through, the others followed. We did not know they were gone until a neighbor about a half-mile away called to let us know our sheep were on her property. They had followed a railroad track cut into the side of a steep embankment until the land leveled off in a wooded area. They were scattered in the wooded area.

As I approached, I began to speak to them. They turned and began walking toward our pasture. Soon, they had regrouped and begun following me. Although I was certainly concerned that a train might come along, my major worry was how I was going to get them up that steep ten-foot-high embankment, back through that narrow opening, and into the pasture.

When I arrived at that point, they were too timid to follow my voice and me up the embankment. The only thing I could do was wrestle and drag the sheep up and shove them through the opening. I thought I was going to have to repeat that same procedure with all of them, but to my delighted surprise, once I shoved the first one through the hole and into the pasture, the rest came on their own! What I feared actually turned out to be easy because of this strong instinct to follow.

Human beings tend to share this proclivity. We even call it the "sheep instinct" or "running with the herd." This influence moves people to buy and wear the same clothing because "everybody" is wearing whatever happens to be popular. It also motivates "keeping up with the Joneses." We are nervous about standing out from the crowd and perhaps becoming the objects of scorn and derision.

However, this proclivity works against us as Christians because it can easily influence us into going the way of this world. In this case, it takes a strong willingness not to conform to what everybody around us is thinking, doing, and perhaps even wearing. Such a circumstance will reveal who we really fear.

EYES OF TRUTH

View full post on The Christian Chat Network

View full post on The Christian Chat Network

I was sent this by someone and really enjoyed it so I thought I would share it with you all.
YouTube – InspirationalViews’s Channel

View full post on The Christian Chat Network

View full post on The Christian Chat Network

I’m a fraud

Last night we did something I had hoped to postpone for another six months or so — or even a year.

We traded in my 2001 Silverado for a new “family vehicle.”

We were thinking before the twins arrived that my extended cab truck would give us plenty of room — at least until the boys were a bit bigger and their car seats would be turned around and facing forward.

We sadly realized last week — our time was much more limited.

After loading the family into my truck, My Life and I each had to push our seats so far forward that we were essentially sitting with our knees in our chests. While I can deal with the discomfort, the idea of safety comes into play when you realize you have a little more trouble driving with your legs crammed in under you.

So with that in mind — we began our search for a new family vehicle.

We arrived at a local dealership yesterday afternoon with one used vehicle in mind — and left owning a brand new 2010 Ford Explorer.

I felt like a fraud.

I felt like I had been duped.

Anything I’d ever said about owning an SUV, or cutting back on consumption had simply gone out the window in a few short hours.

I even had thoughts cross my mind as to whether or not I should continue this site.

How can I write about living simply when I’m driving a brand new SUV?

I look at folks like Leo Babauta, Tammy Stroble and Everett Bogue and think, “they have it so much easier living their car free lives — I’m inspired by their approach to minimalism.”

It’s hard not to be inspired by folks who are completely sold out to an idea and cause.

And on the flip side, it’s hard not to get down on yourself and feel like a fraud when you don’t live up to the high ideals you’ve set before yourself.

But then I remember the words of Joshua Becker (another suburban dad, with two kids) who writes about his simple life (or “rational minimalism”) as…

…if we were going to become minimalist, it would have to be a style of minimalism specific to us. It would require us to ask questions, to give-and-take, to identify what we most value and be humble enough to change course when necessary.

And for me, right now my family is what I value most. Their safety and comfort are key.

• Could we have lived with my truck and only used it to get me back and forth from work? – Sure. But all our family trips would have been left to My Life’s vehicle and added additional wear and tear on it.
• Could we been just as happy with the used vehicle as the new? – Sure. But when my trade in was considered and we looked at the final figures it just made more sense in the long run to us to go with the new vehicle that had additional seating and should last us several years longer.
• Could we have opted for something fancier and with more features? – You bet! They had us sitting in a decked out Explorer at one point that (at the time) would have only cost us $2 more a month than the one we purchased. But both vehicles were still priced higher than we wanted to pay.
• Could we have opted for something with better gas mileage? – Sure. But we were confronted with saving $300 or so a year (max) and paying $5-$10,000 more for something smaller or getting something with the size we really needed — and gas mileage that was still better than my truck.

Personally, I don’t doubt for a second that Joshua Becker is any less “sold out” than anyone else for following his rational minimalist route. And I don’t believe for a second that I’m any less “sold out” because I now own an SUV.

We all have to find what works for us, our families and our priorities.

Miss Minimalist writes, that minimalism is NOT selling everything and living a life of poverty. Minimalism is simply figuring out what matters most to you and getting rid of the rest.

And that’s the route I choose.

This site isn’t going to be about selling all your stuff so you can live in an empty apartment with a futon and 100 things or less — although I totally applaud those who do and continue to find ways to work their practices into my own life (and I can point you to some other amazing websites that will inspire you to do just that if you’re interested.)

But this site IS going to be about walking the journey towards a simpler life — finding the things that matter most and getting rid of the rest — finding ways to give back to those around us — and encouraging one another along the way…

And it will continue to be facilitated by me — a guy who lives in “suburbia” with his wife, two twin boys and an SUV — and is trying his best to get over his certainty.

Order the latest book from Kevin Hendricks, “Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness” — available now from Amazon.com Proceeds from the book go directly to supporting the work of Mark Horvath and Invisiblepeople.tv.

Some days you feel like a fraud

We’re powered by HostGator. Use coupon code: GREEN at checkout to save 20% on your initial order.

You may also enjoy reading ::

• Simple Manifesto #35 – Consider a smaller car
• Less is better – finding your negative space
• Get outside and play
• Decluttering sentimental items

View full post on we live simply