Touch a Life

We need to have a "Boldness" about this amazing gift from God. I received a note this month that told me "Get out of the boat", Walk on Water, trust in the power you been given. Everyday a further understanding of an amazing realism. This gift given, the Spirit inside me, is the same powerful Holy Spirit that was inside Jesus which he received after being baptized by John. How Jesus must have felt hearing the Father saying how "pleased" he was with his Son...I need to tell my son how proud and excellent he is everyday.

This month it is not my ability but availability that He is using. The Spirits renewing of my mind has been a constant process of God speaking to me through events around me, reading the word, conversations with guys at First Baptist Jensen Beach and my dearest Friends. The Holy Spirit is on the inside doing a major remodeling...but trusting the guidance isn't easy. What did you say "walk on water?, get out of the boat?"...you will not always be led into comfortable situations. Our human frailty is often effected by FEAR, False Evidence Appearing Real. Trusting in His strength, knowing the testing is part of our maturing, it is this proving that make us most real in Christ.

The ability to share Jesus and the gift I have been given is becoming a daily occurrence. Opportunities to "Touch a Life" by sharing is exciting. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to see the Passion of Christ acted out at St Martins. I prayed, "Please Father, let me hear your words tonight"...Wow 2 seconds later the pianist read the same scripture I was meditating on and had written in the earlier blog entry..."through my weakness...", the next hour I was a sloppy mess, thank you Kim for the tisues...I needed a box full...God was speaking to me.

Later that week I had took a truck load of surf groms, Dom, Cole and Hunter to Cocoa Beach. We surfed for the next 48 hours, well they did I carted them around. OK that night, Good Friday, on a 30ft big screen at the beach, under the stars with the waves crashing in the background we watch "Walking on Water" http://www.walkingonwater.com/. a movie about young groms that come to understand Christ on a surf trip around the world..The next day one of my boys pickup a "Surf Bible" from the Christian Surfers stand at the beach, (it's a God thing, how is all this Jesus stuff at Cocoa Beach???),..I told him.."you know thats a really good book, if you have an questions let me know"...when I dropped them off at home that night he was searching for it...Get this he wanted to read the Bible...AWESOME...I was walking on water and jumping out of the boat the rest of the weekend Jesus is Arisen it's Sunday morn!!!

Thank you all for keeping Jeff and I in your prayers. We will be Kingston, Jamaica in 30 days doing Gods work, serving all that we can present the opportunity. Can't wait to see what is next in this Life Change...

Thank you all and God Bless,

Al

Walk by faith - How do you know?

How do you know?

Wouldn't it be nice if life had road signs like this? A mapped plan, open door, notes, food, the basics like Leslie had for us at 3 am Thanksgiving day after a long journey north.

Well, God has been putting up major Post-it notes for me this week. It started with that thank you letter from Kim, "FAITH" was engraved on a medal with a feather (think its from an Albatross not a Phoenix...more later). Next was Curtis, a tattoo ladened biker dude from the mens group on Tuesday, he talked about his life change. Change was recent for him as well, he spoke of the before and after man he was, changes he could not explain. Curtis told us about how the Word, the Bible, how it became a daily part of his life, he said "the Bible got smaller after he accepted Jesus". WOW, I could so totally relate, I can't get enough of the Word!

Next was the early morning radio station on the alarm clock. The radio preacher began with "How do you know?", let's look in 1 John for some direction, guidance, to better understand if we have been saved. Is the Holy Spirit really inside me? I grabbed my Bible and journal, started taking notes...he start with 1 John 1 Desire, seek, read the Bible - OK that is me these days..."seek fellowship with other believers" 1 John 1:7 - check #2 lately I have been going to three different churches looking to engage in many different children development or outreach opportunities, then the mens Bible study Tuesdays, Wednesday Grace Place, FBJB, or TC3, Sunday teach 3-4Th graders (they are teaching me more) cool....check #3

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" 1 John 1:8, I sin and if asked God forgives, but lately I have a greater sense of my sin, something inside telling me, now more than ever, not only my sin but others around me, I feel sadden by what I see... especially the affects on the children..."we have come to know him if we obey his commands"..."if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him" 1 John 1:5...this is the peace that Curtis spoke of, he told how life's craziness was now gone. This is how I felt, through this past years painful ripping apart of our marriage, our family...I felt an unexplainable peace inside me, not anger....

How do you know? - "Do not love the world or anything in the world" 1 John 2:15, WOW now my understanding is God is not telling me not to love people or His creation but the worldly stuff, money, power trips, casual sex, Jack Daniels...Everyday I change more, it's my choices, feeling that this world is not my home any longer, just a gLife training ground. My human spirit has been replaced by the Holy Spirit, causing an inner passion to grow by Faith in Him who made me ,through His Word.

Everyday I am blown away by the fact that Jesus died for me....who am I?...all so I can call God, the Big Guy who created all things, Father, he picked me...I am child of God...communicating with Him, a daily relationship...MAN this is AWESOME!!!

Pastor Paul, FBJB, has been talking about a Strange People..who we are, those that know me can relate, and how we feel in this world...more road signs...

So....This is how I know, and therefore..."Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" 1 John 2:6...WOW big shoes or sandals to fill..Hope this note might help others that have questions like Curtis and I....and now you know.

Keep you posting on the gLife journey and God's road signs. Make it Real !!!