Adventure Dads

Going into the outdoors should help boys grow not only physically and mentally, but morally. Our relationship with God is the foundation of morality… and the highest instinct in man is a personal relationship with God.

We have fabricated our own artificial world in the city, but, as someone once said, “God made the country.” Everything that the city boy comes in contact with is ‘man-made’.

“Even the ground is covered with buildings and paving blocks; the trees are set in rows like telegraph poles; the sunlight is diluted with smoke from the factory chimneys, the moon and stars are blotted out by the glare of the electric light; and even the so-called lake in the park is a scooped-out basin filled by pumps. Little wonder that a boy who grows up under these conditions has little reverence for a God whose handi­work he has not seen.“ ~Walter M. Wood in Association Boys, June. 1907.

It seems to me that a boy needs to go into the woods at some point in his life to meet God… to see His creation in all it’s splendor… What better person to take him on this adventure than his dad.

James
Be. Do. Live.

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There are no guarantees in life, and that goes double for fatherhood. No matter how hard we try things don’t always (rarely) go the way we plan or hope. We can’t say for sure how/who our kids will be when they grow up. All we can do is be the best example we can and head them in a direction. But, which direction? Of all the books and “experts” out there only one guarantees real proven results: the Bible. It has been the rule for over two thousand years. Though it is not an end in and of its self it is a a guide post, a map, a compass; if you will, to guide and point us in the right direction. Towards living the adventure of following Jesus the Christ.
Enjoy Jimmy’s devotional,
James
Be.Do.Live.

STEPPING OUT ON FAITH

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7

I never have enjoyed putting puzzles together. And yet, from time to time, I find myself doing just that. Somehow I get talked into sorting through all of the pieces and finding their proper places within the puzzle.

And, it’s usually one of those 5,000 piece puzzles! )

Now, for me, the FIRST thing I do when trying to work on a puzzle is to look at the box cover. Yep, I check to see what the end result is supposed to look like. If I know what it is supposed to look like, then I feel more comfortable jumping in and getting on with it. If I know the end result, then I know what logical steps to take next in order to achieve that end result.

And not only do I look at the end result at the beginning of my puzzle adventure, but I also refer to that box cover throughout the entire journey. I can easily see if I’m still on track. There are mile markers and guideposts to keep me headed in the right direction. From time to time when a piece doesn’t seem to fit right, I just look at the picture and can determine what needs to go where.

You know, God’s will is kind of like a puzzle with its various parts. Only with God, He does things a bit differently, doesn’t He?

For starters, He seldom shows us the finished product. He doesn’t give us a photograph of how everything fits together and says, “Here put it together this way.” Instead, He hands us one piece at a time, and then tells us where to put it. Rarely do we ever see how things are going to turn out before we begin, but rather are required to step out on faith and allow God to bring us to the completion point.

God doesn’t use the mile markers of a box cover to keep us headed in the right direction, but rather uses the guideposts of the Holy Spirit and His Word to lead us throughout the journey.

You know, we are such logical creatures that we want all the pieces to fit. We think if we can put all the pieces together, then we’ll be able to see. We say, “Show me God and I’ll do it.” God says, “Do it and I’ll show you.”

God didn’t hand Abraham a roadmap and put an X where He wanted him to arrive. He said, “Go and I’ll let you know when you get there.” God requires that we step out on faith and trust Him.

Christian, what has God laid upon YOUR heart to do today, or this week or with your life? Does it seem puzzling to you? Things just don’t seem to logically fit into place? Maybe it’s time you stopped trying to find a box cover to look at and simply step out on faith to take one piece at a time from the Hand of God.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7

Have a “Wonderful DAY in Christ,”
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!
living4jesus.com

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Here is another great word of encouragement from Jimmy.
enjoy,
James
Be. Do. Live.

……………………………………………………………………………………….
NO TRESPASSING!

“But this thing commanded I them, saying,
Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall
be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have
commanded you, that it may be well unto you.”
- Jeremiah 7:23

We’ve all seen them at one time or another.

Whether it was attached to a barbed wire fence at the edge of the deer woods, or posted in someone’s yard, or displayed prominently on a warehouse, we’ve all seen “No trespassing” signs.

Now, a “No trespassing” sign can mean a couple of things. It can mean (a) You aren’t supposed to be there, and / or (b) Someone doesn’t want you there. These kinds of signs mean “Leave immediately…and don’t come back!” They aren’t suggestions or recommendations, they are the expressed will of the owner.

Quite simply, you aren’t supposed to step one foot onto a place where a “No trespassing” sign is posted. Just stay away.

You know, the Lord also has “No trespassing” signs posted. Yep. He’s got them posted in a variety of places…

DOUBT – “No Trespassing.”
FEAR – You aren’t supposed to be there.
WORRY – Someone doesn’t want you there.
DISCOURAGEMENT – Don’t step one foot onto it.
INDIFFERENCE / NEGLECT – Just stay away.
SIN – “Leave immediately…and don’t come back!”

You see, Jesus has many, many places that He simply doesn’t want us to go. Things like doubt, fear, worry, discouragement, indifference, sin, complacency, selfishness, and pride – these are areas that are clearly marked, “No Trespassing.”

Anytime in the Word of God that you read, “Thou shalt not” or “be ye not” or “do not” – these are all ways that the Lord says to us, “No Trespassing.” Whether it’s attached to a barbed wife fence at the edge of depression, or posted in the yard of gossip, or displayed prominently on a warehouse of greed, the Lord has these warning signs in place for you and I to obey. And they aren’t just suggestions or recommendations, they are His expressed will for our lives.

Christian, what are you facing today? Is there some sin that just keeps nagging at your life? Are you troubled with fear and anxiety over some situation that seems out of control? Perhaps there is a bit of doubt creeping into your prayer life. My friend, if you find yourself doubtful or fearful or anxious or in sin, the Lord would say to you this morning…

…”No trespassing.”

Leave immediately. And don’t come back.

Have a “Wonderful DAY in Christ,”
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!
http://www.living4jesus.com

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So many times as a parent things can be tough. Some times you just want to toss in the towel, to give up, or give in. But we can’t; we have a battle to fight and a race to run for the hearts and minds of our children. Most of the world is against us, however the God who created the world is for and with us. I had a coach in high school who would say ” You only truly loose when you quit”. (Our football team lost a lot). It wasn’t until years later that I realized he was not talking about sports, but, about life and faith. We do not have to win, God’s already done that we just have to finish.
Here is another great devotional by jimmy.
Enjoy,
James

FINISHING THE COURSE

“I have fought a good fight,
I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE,
I have kept the faith: ”
– 2 Timothy 4:7

I have always enjoyed participating in various sports activities.

Knowing that, it’s not surprising that one of my favorite classes at school during my younger days was P.E. (Physical Education)

During the P.E. class, we went through a wide variety of sports and physical fitness drills to improve our agility, endurance and overall physical health. And one of those drills was the obstacle course.

The obstacle course was exactly what is sounds like: a course that was designed with numerous obstacles in the path of the finish line. Some of these obstacles had to be crawled under, while others were designed with a need to be climbed over. Still other obstacles had to be gone around. And there were even hindrances that the only way around was to put our heads down and plow right into them.

Now, these obstacle courses were never impossible. There was always a way to make it to the finish line. Sometimes it was difficult to even see the finish line, but nonetheless it was there.

Of course, these obstacles had varying degrees of difficulty. Some posed very little challenge and were more nuisances than hindrances. Others, however, tested every bit of strength and agility we had in order to be able to overcome them.

The instructor was always waiting at the finish line to hand out “congratulations” for making it through the course. In fact, throughout the course, if you listened, you could actually hear him encouraging you along the way…

…”Great job. Keep going, you’re getting there!”
…”A tough one is coming up, be careful!”
…”The only way around this next obstacle is _____”
…”Don’t get discouraged, keep going, you can do it!”

He was always right. It wasn’t always easy, but I did always make it to the finish line.

You know, our lives are kind of like that obstacle course from P.E. class. God has put a finish line in front of us, the plan and purpose for our lives, and satan tosses obstacles all throughout our path, trying to trip us up and keep us from reaching God’s will for each of us.

Seems like we’re always crawling or climbing or walking around, doesn’t it? Sometimes it seems like the only way through one of these stumbling blocks is to simply put our head down (in prayer!) and plow right into the thing.

Know this my friend, none of these obstacles are impossible with God’s help. He always enables us and empowers us to make it past those hindrances and reach the finish line of His will for our lives. Sometimes it is easy and more of a nuisance than a challenge. But other times it takes exercising every bit of faith we have in order to overcome them.

And all the while, that Heavenly Instructor waits at the finish line ready to say, “Congratulations” and shouting encouragement along our way.

Are you facing an obstacle this morning that is hindering you from God’s will? Then listen closely my friend and I believe you’ll hear that Heavenly Instructor speaking to you…

…”Great job. Keep going, you’re getting there!”
…”A tough one is coming up, be careful!”
…”The only way around this next obstacle is _____”
…”Don’t get discouraged, keep going, you can do it!”

And He’s always right.

You WILL get there.

Let us echo the words of Paul today, “I have fought a good fight, I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE, I have kept the faith:”

Have a “Wonderful DAY in Christ,”
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!
www.living4jesus.com

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** Guest Article **

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
- James 1:17

A good friend of mine told me about an incident that seemed to strike a chord with me.

He related to me how he and his children went into a store, a dollar store I think, and his little boy found some toy that he wanted. He asked my friend, his daddy, if he could get it. My friend agreed.

The next thing the little boy said was, “You’re a good daddy. I love you.”

My friend and I went on to talk about how our children call us “good” and express their love towards us when we do things they want us to do. But, it’s amazing how their attitude changes when we don’t grant their wishes.

You see, when we say, “No. You can’t have that or you can’t do that,” what happens? They often become angry and bitter. They sometimes pout and cry and whine. Occassionally they’ll even say hurtful things like, “I hate you.”

Why? Because, at least for the moment, our goodness or badness is rated based solely upon our response to their request. Think about it, how many times have you ever told your child “no” and they responded with a smile on their face, “I know I didn’t get my way, but I also realize you know what is best. You’re a good daddy. I love you.”

Does not giving in to their request make us any less “good”? Does saying, “no” make us bad? Of course not.

Try to explain that to your child the next time you decline their request or don’t do things exactly the way they want.

And then try to explain this to me. Why do we do the same thing?

You see, we do the *exact* same thing with our heavenly Father. When life is rosey and He is doing all the things we ask of Him, we beam up at Him with a grin on our face and say, “You’re a good daddy. I love you.”

But, when He doesn’t grant our requests or He doesn’t do things the way that we think He ought to or He just outright says, “No,” what happens? We sometimes become like children and we become angry and bitter. Perhaps we pout and cry and whine. Occassionally we might even say hurtful things like, “I hate you.”

And, through it all, did God change? Is He one bit less “good” because He didn’t do what we wanted? Is He suddenly a “bad” daddy because He said, “No”? Of course not.

So, why do we treat Him like He is?

Christian, regardless of what you are going through today, God is still the same God. He is still the same God of grace and mercy and love and peace. He is still the same God who sent His Son to die on the Cross to pay your price for eternal salvation. Regardless of the circumstances you are facing, God hasn’t changed.

He remains, a “good daddy.”

Sometimes He says, “No.” Other times, He says “Wait.” Sometimes He doesn’t calm the storm, but instead wants to calm you. Always, always, always He pours out His all-sufficient grace upon those who trust Him. We couldn’t last a day with Him.

How will you respond to the Lord today? Will you wait until He gives you that toy from the store to tell Him you love Him? Will you only call Him “good” when things are going well and turn against Him when your circumstances aren’t what you want?

Or, will you at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, smile within your heart and say to the Father…

…”You’re a good daddy. I love you.”

Have a “Wonderful DAY in Christ,”
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!
www.living4jesus.com

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