Major life decision made easy

A few years ago, Sarah and I were looking to buy a house. We found one that we really liked, and we decided to put an offer on it. The process of buying a home ended up being far more difficult than we had expected. We ended up waiting a couple weeks just to find out that our offer wasn't accepted. It was tough because we really wanted the house and we had already started envisioning ourselves in the house. But we continued to look for houses, still feeling a little upset about the one we lost.  We went and looked at a house that had just recently popped up on the market. Sarah immediately loved the house. I remember leaving the house and hearing Sarah say let's put an offer on it. Wow that was quick! Obviously this was a vey big life decision, so I definitely wanted to make sure we were making the right decision. Turns out we didn't have long to decide though because there were two other offers already on the house! If we wanted the house we had to put an offer early the next day, and even then it wasn't a guarantee that our offer would be accepted. So I woke up that morning still not knowing what to do.  The past few weeks I had been going through the psalms and that morning I read psalm 27. I started the psalm and stopped after the fourth verse. Here is what I read: " One thing I ask of the Lord,this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." Then I thought to myself wait a minute what is the address of the house we really like? 2704 Ethel!! Psalm 27:4 for 2704 Ethel! Could God be more clear!!! Of all the books, of all the chapters, of all the verses, God had a very special and specific word for me that morning. I knew that Gods plan was for us to have this house. Even after we put an offer on the house we had lots more troubles getting the house but I knew all along this was what God had for us. I love the way God speaks to us when we need to know how to make big decisions. He is interested in all of our decisions. We just have to ask, and He loves to give His input!

Penny Hardaway Basketball Camp

If you know me well, you know that I love basketball.  Well, when I was younger, I loved basketball even more than I do now.  I attended many different summer camps. I played on a lot of different summer teams.  I lived and breathed basketball.  One summer, I was attending Penny Hardaway Basketball Camp in Memphis.  I had a blast at this camp.  I remember playing horse with Penny Hardaway.  I remember seeing many NBA stars.  My fondest memory; however, was one morning when I had a terrible stomach bug.  It was the last day of the camp, and the most important because all of the big competitions were taking place.  One specific competition that I had qualified for the finals was the hot shots competition.  You could shoot from different places on the court and get a certain amount of points for each spot.  Well, I woke up that morning feeling terrible, barely able to stand up.  My mom helped me get into the car and we drove to the colliseum where the camp was being held.  I remember very vividly praying and asking God to heal my stomach.  I was 10 years old, and I knew God, but honestly I had never really experienced relationship with Him.  After praying, I remember very soon after yelling at my mom to pull over and let me out of the car.  I got out and threw up in the parking lot.  It had never felt so good to throw up! My stomach was healed, I barely made it to the competition on time and I did great, finishing in one of the top spots! As a 10 year old, I encountered intimacy with The Living God!  I understood more that day than any other day that God cared for me and He was living with me. Psalm 139:17-18 says "How precious are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand."  I love how God thinks about me and thinks about the things that I am interested in. This one experience changed my perspective on God. I understood first hand what it meant to have relationship with Him.

30 dollar off coupon from God

Yet again, I reflect on my day today and know without a shadow of doubt that God knows me and that He loves me. Today, I decided to sell a bunch of books to a local bookstore. I was hoping to get enough money to buy some new shoes that I have been looking at for awhile.  Well, I didn’t sell as much as I wanted, but we decided to go to the mall anyways.  I was hoping that the shoes might be on sale.  On the way to the mall, Sarah prayed and asked God for the shoes to be on sale.  Well, we get to the shop, and the shoes are marked full price.  I also asked the sales associate if there was any way to get a discount.  He said no.  I was somewhat bummed, but I decided to checkout anyways and use some extra money I had planned on using elsewhere.  The cashier scans the shoes, and who would have known, the shoes rang up 30 dollars off!!  I had been looking for these shoes for months, and I had never seen any discount on them online or at a store. The final total ended up being nearly the exact amount that I had gotten from selling the books. The guy looks down in astonishment, “I guess these shoes were on sale.”  I love the little reminders that God gives to let me know that I am on His mind!

The boiling shorts story

The other day at the mall, I bought some nice golf shorts for a really good deal.  I tried them on at the store, and they didn't fit great, but I figured since they were such a good deal, I would make them work.  Well I got home, and I knew that these shorts were not going to be very comfortable because they were way too big. I asked Sarah if they would shrink at all, and she said that since they were 100% polyester, they wouldn’t shrink.  So, here's the deal, I know God cares about me so much because He could tell that this was really bothering me.  So, I prayed and asked God to help shrink my shorts.  I know this is silly, but I know when I get this feeling of being bummed or overwhelmed or thinking about something too long, that God wants me to bring him the concerns.  Jesus tells us to ask God for anything in His name, and He will give it.  Lately, I have been encouraged more than ever to simply ask God for things, no matter how silly it is. Well, after I prayed, I looked online for ways to shrink polyester shorts.  I found one way that had me boil my shorts on the stove for 30 minutes and then iron them dry.  So I did all that, and guess what! Perfect fitting shorts! Whether God shrunk my shorts, the boiling water, or a combination of both, I knew that God was present and active in my life that day.  I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God cared about what was on my mind that day, and He helped me through it. 

God, are you really going to give me some chocolate?

I love how God is so interested in me! He loves everything I like, dislike, and everything I think about!  So one night, Sarah and I were about to go to a church event.  I had just gotten home, eaten a quick dinner, and I found a mini chocolate candy in the house.  Well that piece of chocolate must have had a profound impact on me because as we were driving to the church, I had an overwhelming desire for more!  Then out of nowhere, I felt like God was going to give me some chocolate at our church rally.  I remember telling Sarah, "God is going to give me some chocolate!”  I knew in my heart that God was going to give me some chocolate.  Well, we get to the church, and sure enough in the foyer was two huge baskets full of chocolate candy! Yay God!

The best coke I've ever had

One morning at work, I was really dragging.  Lunch didn't come early enough, and when it did, I really wanted a coke.  Unfortunately, the coke machine recently went up from $1.00 to $1.25, and I only had $1.00.  So, I was kinda disappointed, but I thought no big deal.  So I go in to sit down, and the urge to get a coke intensifies.  I could not stop thinking about how much I wanted one.  As I sat there, I looked over at the machine, and I think to myself, “I wonder if there is a quarter under the machine.”  I debated in my head for about 5 minutes on whether or not I would stoop down on the ground in front of my coworkers and look for a quarter under the coke machine.  I decided that the risk was worth it.  I would do anything to get a coke! So I stooped down and to my astonishment, there was a quarter under the machine.  I truly believe that God blessed me with a coke that day.  It was the best coke I've ever had! 

Always On His Mind

I'm starting this blog because I am deeply moved by the fact that God loves me in a very unique way.  God is not a God somewhere out there in the sky.  He lives and moves in my life, and I am 100 percent sure He knows and loves me.  A very popular question in the evangelical Christian circles is "Do you have a relationship with Jesus?' Many Christians use this as a go-to question when sharing the gospel.  But why does it leave so many people perplexed?  What does it truly mean to have an actual relationship with Jesus?  At one point in my life, I remember thinking about sharing the gospel and not really having a good understanding myself of what it means to have a relationship with Jesus.   In this blog, I want to share some personal encounters I have had with God which have impacted my faith.  I believe that God created all of us so that we could have relationship with Him.  The best way I can describe it is this way: Think of all of the relationships you have on earth (husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, friend, etc.) Think about how you feel loved by each one of these people…Put all of that love together, and there you have your Father in Heaven!  I am always on His mind and so are you!