A great day

I am sitting looking out into the backyard. It's very pretty! The pool is extra blue with the sun shining down on it. The sky is also blue but with wisps of white clouds up high. I am glad I'm inside though because it's about 45 degrees out there. I just finished eating a peanut butter cookie someone blessed us with for Christmas and it tasted pretty dang good!

I was thinking about how amazing my life is today. You know, eight years ago I was single and kind of aimless. I was going to church but I wasn't really satisfied. Then I took a chance, I signed up to go on a mission trip to Mexico for 10 days. I was going to get out of myself and try to give something to others. For me it was kinda bold because I had a pretty comfortable existence just doing my own thing with minimal responsibility and little accountability. Well the trip was awesome. I spent time with a bunch of new people doing things that I was totally uncomfortable doing. But I was busting loose.

I should mention that it was on this trip that I got to know Susan. Though I had met her before and even chatted with her a little, we really spent some quality time hanging out and talking. I left Mexico with a major crush on her but was not optimistic about my chances with her.

When I got back to Modesto I was changed by this mission experience. I wanted more of what God had for my life. Somebody suggested I read the book, The Prayer of Jabez. I'm not a big reader but when I found out it was 92 pages long I was good to go. Back then I had a pool in my back yard, too. It was one of those peanut shaped, three-tier, blow-up jobs but it worked great when it was 105 degrees in the summer. So I laid in that little pool and read that little book.

1 Chronicles 4:10, "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, and Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!' So God granted him what he requested."

In the book the author suggested that you take this prayer as your own. The encouragement and the challenge was to pray Jabez's prayer from your heart for thirty days and watch and see how God works. Now I have faith in God but I also trip out on those guys on TV who tell you to send them $100 and watch God multiply your finances. God, as I understand Him, ain't no bell boy so I struggle with formulas like this. But I as I thought more about it and seeing that the prayer really reflected where I was at in my heart and knowing Philippians 4:6 says " . . . let your requests be made known to God," I went for it.

Is God able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think?

As I look back over the last eight years of my life the answer is ABSOLUTELY! My life is blessed in so many ways. I am learning a contentment I have never known before. I am married to an amazing woman (Susan) and have gone from 3 great kids to 6 of them plus 2 awesome daughters-in-law. And there are grandkids popping out all over the place.

Am I perfect? We all know the answer to that don't we? But it's about progress not perfection. So I keep on movin on, learning to enjoy life today.

I am into quotes/sayings - Depending on how you live it, the sole purpose of your life may be to serve as a warning to others. (let's hope not!!)

Hold fast

Mike