god first priority 247 purpose

God First. Is He Truly My Priority?

Around five o’clock am, I woke up with one eye open and fumbled for my iPhone strategically located on my night stand. I blinked a few times to remove the blur cautiously scanning my inbox for emails to alert me of any system issues. The morning inbox determined how hectic my morning would be and set the pace for the day. After a long day of back-to-back meetings, it was time to recheck the inbox which might take a few hours to catch up. If systems were stable, I jumped in the car for an hour commute home with a typical ETA of eight o’clock pm. Wake up the next morning, rinse and repeat.... read more

new Christian 247 purpose

I’m a New Christian! Now what?

I recall being a new Christian. It was exciting, awkward, intimidating, uncertain, and thrilling all at the same time. Unfortunately, my development as a newly baptized Christian delayed for many years because of a gap in answering the question, “now what?” Even though I attended church from my earliest years of childhood, my defining moment of becoming a new Christian was at age sixteen when I chose to be water baptized and made God a priority in my life. I never felt such peace and confidence knowing that I was on the right track. However, those emotions quickly faded into what seemed like a first-time visitor driving through New York City without a road... read more

Best God's Reflection

Relationships are God’s Reflections

I recall a time in my life when the majority of my relationships being strained. Not necessarily broken but carrying a level of contention on a recurring basis as I interacted with those closest to me. Outward examples included: sarcasm, overreacting, quick to judge or even hostility. Many times the other person had no idea that I felt this internal struggle or uneasiness about our interaction but indeed conflicted on the inside. Many times I didn’t understand why I felt this angst, it was just there. Many times, the other person didn’t do “the thing” that justified the way I interpreted and exaggerated which resulted in unnecessary turmoil for myself and perhaps them as well. I didn’t realize at the time that this was a direct reflection of... read more

Light of Christ

Capture the Light

Be brave and capture the Light, the Light of Christ.  He hears our sorrow and our pain and lifts us high above the seas.  He carries our imaginary moments that are not real and shatters them across the waters.  He releases the pain to a place of surrender, solitude, and everlasting joy. Do not fear the satisfaction that awaits and be strong in the Lord, the Lord of hope and joy. “I’ve suffered many great tragedies in my life. Most of them never happened. – Mark Twain (1835-1910).  This quote is one of my favorites because it so clearly articulates the “mind drama” that we’ve all experienced at times.  If only we had the wasted and serious time back... read more

Where Are We Going?

Do you ever ask yourself this question to God, Where are we going?  Do you ever ponder the mystery of His vision and think about what this all means?  I certainly have at times. Sometimes I wonder if He knows what we carry around on our backs and I wonder if He knows that we’re going in circles at times just trying our best to get through another day.  I sit in my favorite spot and think about His great majesty, and I hope for a moment that He is watching my actions. Then I quickly remind myself that He knows everything about us, all of us. Therein lies the great mystery of faith. According to Wikipedia, Faith... read more

Carry Us Over

By God’s grace, He saves us from ourselves.  By the will of God, He carries us to a place of refuge. By the anchor of our salvation, we relive the glory of His resurrected power.  By the washing of His blood, we are born into a relationship with the Almighty God of love, peace and eternal life. By our soul’s sanctification, we receive a new meaning of life so powerful that it transcends all human understanding. Through adversity, we find our weakest weaknesses, and in that brokenness, we can find the precise area to give up control and allow His love and power to rule over the situation vs. emotion.  Falling in love with His authority and masterful orchestration is a... read more

Learn How to Follow Jesus

God, How do I Follow Jesus?

God, Give Me Wisdom

So many mornings I pray for guidance, answers, and direction. Then I’m reminded that I simply pray for wisdom.  His wisdom is all that we need to pursue the character of God within us.  We make it complicated and sorrowful sometimes, and it weakens our ability to see the Light right there before us guiding and sheltering through the storms of chaos. Surely we see the coming of the Lord upon us in the distant future. Surely He will come for us and see His Glory stretched out across a land of mercy.  Purely are the flocks that follow in His presence and righteousness yearning to see the distant shelter that He built for us to dwell and occupy... read more

God’s Calling? Mystery Revealed

I’ve been grappling with the words to express what I’ve learned about the topic of finding our calling and our purpose in this life. I spent many years searching for it out there in far off lands, non-profit organizations and the like.  What God revealed to me spending 40 days of service and solitude in Rwanda was that we are to follow Jesus and put Him first in our lives – that is our true calling.  Not just on Sunday, at church or other Holy place but home, work and play. Our actions matter 24×7 – 365 days each year. Will He call us to provide individual acts of kindness, do appropriate actions and change... read more

How did I learn to follow Jesus?

I didn’t learn how to follow Jesus the conventional way.  In fact, I’m not sure what the “conventional way” means.  Well, I went to church as a child and summer bible school, and I memorized some beautiful songs and learned the most popular Bible stories, but I didn’t learn how to follow Jesus there. I was baptized as a teenager, joined the youth group, and attended some cool conferences, listened to some talented speakers and gained more knowledge about Jesus but I didn’t learn how to follow Jesus there.  Over the course of fifteen years, I met with multiple religious leaders including Catholic, Protestant, and even new age spiritualists but I did not learn how to follow... read more