Hey, it been awhile, Jack!! :) I hope this writing finds you well and at peace in your walk with God. There is no better place to be than in the palm of His hands. If your not there, get there!
Recently I've been reading Phil Robertson's book "HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY" and I've been enjoying it very much. I have not quite finished it yet, but out of everything I have read there was a paragraph in the prologue that will always remain with me when Phil says,
"Where do I go from here? The time is near when the dust will return to the earth and the spirit to God who gave it. I'm ready for that, but not quite yet. I have a lot of speeches to give, a lot of blinds to build, a lot of Duck Dynasty episodes to make, and who knows how many more duck seasons to hunt. Maybe the greatest thing is that I've been able to live life the way I wanted. Following Jesus is a blast. The Lord has blessed me mightily. It is what makes me happy, happy, happy."
Last weekend my son, Andrew was married to a beautiful woman who captured his heart. The setting for the wedding was unlike any that I've seen before. It was on the farm where Sarah grew up. It's a beautiful place in the country and during rehearsal and then the day of the wedding I kept finding God's peace. Before the wedding I just sat down on the porch and began to ponder the passing of time in my life. We were blessed as our other three children were there for the wedding. As I watched and thought about each one of them, and pondered the many memories of Andrew growing up, I remember thinking, "How did I ever get to this place of time in my life?" And I remembered that part that I just shared from Phil Roberton's book and smiled.
What a great season of life to be in. To be so content with your life that you are ok should you cross into eternity today, but yet at the same time you are eager to acccomplish much more on this earth. I find myself right at that point. Somedays I think about what it will be like to be in the presence of the Almighty, and I am ready for that, but yet there is more work to be done and until that day happens I need to be about my Father's business.
"FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST, AND TO DIE IS GAIN." (Philippians 1:21)
Several years ago I decided to get really serious about my walk with Jesus. Instead of like a walk in the park, it became to me the walk for daily living. Somedays I walk much better than others, but during that time I became a much better man, a much better husband and a much better dad. I say this with humility for I know that without Jesus that wouldn't be possible. I often tell people when I get a compliment about something that anything good from me is a result of God and He gets the credit. Anything bad is on me.
I love watching my youngest son become a man and I would love to see my grandchildren graduate. I want to keep doing my part in bringing a lot more of heaven to this place called (as Phil Robertson would say) planet earth. In other words I am a place of complete peace with whatever happens this day.
Have you found this peace, this place in life yet? If your answer is yes, then good for you! Stay in love with Jesus and your time will keep getting even more sweet. If your answer is no let me tell you that it begins today; right now, as long as one condition is met. That you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. If you aren't ready to do that, then at least start thinking about it! I find myself praying for you right now. God makes it clear: Follow Him and you will be blessed. Now the devil is a liar and may try to trip you up along the way. For some that has caused you to lose your way and become confused. Please undertstand where that confusion, even desperation is coming from and know that our life giving God has unique and special plans in mind just for you.
I keep wanting to close this writing, but God won't let me. I keep hearing that there is a spirit of suicide on someone reading and it needs to be broken. HE WANTS TO BREAK IT. God is reaching for you now, or you wouldn't be reading this. I am going to go now into a time of prayer for you. If you need, I am here for you. All you have to do is let me know and together through prayer we will touch God's heart and get this thing all turned around.
This peace, this season in time is destined for you!
With a whole lot of love,
Mark S.
Recently I've been reading Phil Robertson's book "HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY" and I've been enjoying it very much. I have not quite finished it yet, but out of everything I have read there was a paragraph in the prologue that will always remain with me when Phil says,
"Where do I go from here? The time is near when the dust will return to the earth and the spirit to God who gave it. I'm ready for that, but not quite yet. I have a lot of speeches to give, a lot of blinds to build, a lot of Duck Dynasty episodes to make, and who knows how many more duck seasons to hunt. Maybe the greatest thing is that I've been able to live life the way I wanted. Following Jesus is a blast. The Lord has blessed me mightily. It is what makes me happy, happy, happy."
Last weekend my son, Andrew was married to a beautiful woman who captured his heart. The setting for the wedding was unlike any that I've seen before. It was on the farm where Sarah grew up. It's a beautiful place in the country and during rehearsal and then the day of the wedding I kept finding God's peace. Before the wedding I just sat down on the porch and began to ponder the passing of time in my life. We were blessed as our other three children were there for the wedding. As I watched and thought about each one of them, and pondered the many memories of Andrew growing up, I remember thinking, "How did I ever get to this place of time in my life?" And I remembered that part that I just shared from Phil Roberton's book and smiled.
What a great season of life to be in. To be so content with your life that you are ok should you cross into eternity today, but yet at the same time you are eager to acccomplish much more on this earth. I find myself right at that point. Somedays I think about what it will be like to be in the presence of the Almighty, and I am ready for that, but yet there is more work to be done and until that day happens I need to be about my Father's business.
"FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST, AND TO DIE IS GAIN." (Philippians 1:21)
Several years ago I decided to get really serious about my walk with Jesus. Instead of like a walk in the park, it became to me the walk for daily living. Somedays I walk much better than others, but during that time I became a much better man, a much better husband and a much better dad. I say this with humility for I know that without Jesus that wouldn't be possible. I often tell people when I get a compliment about something that anything good from me is a result of God and He gets the credit. Anything bad is on me.
I love watching my youngest son become a man and I would love to see my grandchildren graduate. I want to keep doing my part in bringing a lot more of heaven to this place called (as Phil Robertson would say) planet earth. In other words I am a place of complete peace with whatever happens this day.
Have you found this peace, this place in life yet? If your answer is yes, then good for you! Stay in love with Jesus and your time will keep getting even more sweet. If your answer is no let me tell you that it begins today; right now, as long as one condition is met. That you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. If you aren't ready to do that, then at least start thinking about it! I find myself praying for you right now. God makes it clear: Follow Him and you will be blessed. Now the devil is a liar and may try to trip you up along the way. For some that has caused you to lose your way and become confused. Please undertstand where that confusion, even desperation is coming from and know that our life giving God has unique and special plans in mind just for you.
I keep wanting to close this writing, but God won't let me. I keep hearing that there is a spirit of suicide on someone reading and it needs to be broken. HE WANTS TO BREAK IT. God is reaching for you now, or you wouldn't be reading this. I am going to go now into a time of prayer for you. If you need, I am here for you. All you have to do is let me know and together through prayer we will touch God's heart and get this thing all turned around.
This peace, this season in time is destined for you!
With a whole lot of love,
Mark S.
