One thing has changed

I am a sinner. My mind and heart are filled with selfish desires. I lust, I cuss, I have a hard time forgiving others. Its really hard for me to always love my neighbor. I struggle with faith and I am easily knocked off the path for which I am called. I am constantly feeling self righteous and forget to give the good Lord all the glory that is His.

"No one is righteous-not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one."~Romans 3:10-12

But one thing has changed. I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart and soul. Knowing Him has created a desire to live as a son of God, to try and live as Jesus lived. You see, I have always been full of sin and the hardest thing for me to accept is that no matter how hard I desire to be better, I will always fall short of the glory of God. As a human, it is impossible to live a sin free life. However, rather than accepting that fact I desire to be better and to always improve for God.

Today, when I sin, I feel that I have sinned against God who has been so faithful and has blessed me beyond what I could ever imagine. The same sin is still prevalent in my life but God works in my heart and reminds me what is right and wrong. Because the task of living as Jesus is impossible, it makes it easy to give up and just accept that. But rather than accept that fact, I am constantly asking Him to help me to be better.

Before when I sinned, I knew no God. So for me, the sin was not sin but rather my "right". Knowing God has not made me not a sinner, but rather has helped me to understand that I am sinner. Knowing this fact has allowed me to take my burdens and sin to God because His acceptance is all that I need.

We often judge religion based on the people that practice it saying "He/She is such a hypocrit". And we are right, we are all hypocrits. We preach one thing and practice another but that is a reality we all must accept. Rather than me judge you or I, we should praise the great God who loves you and I. What an amazing and loving God that would love someone like me. Jesus died on the cross so that sinners like me could exchange their sin for God's love. But no where in the bible, does it say that I am no longer a sinner because I know God.

Many people that read this blog may know me personally and feel as if this is a front or not who I really am. And again, you are right. I am not what I preach, but I want to be. I desire to be the most faithful servant of God, to not lust and love my neighbor; to never judge and to always remember that all the glory is God's above. The posts that I write, are not me making a claim that I live a certain way but rather are a way for me to share what God is working in my heart with others. Don't judge my God based on me, but rather praise God for accepting me.

Without a doubt, my life is better today than it has ever been and for that I am thankful to God. Walking with God is a very hard call but that hard walk continues to bring blessings into my life. These blessings are not monetary blessings but rather lessons that I am learning about how to live as a Christ follower. The blessings are as simple as realizing right after I sin that I have sinned and feeling guilty to God for that sin.

As I walk in my faith I pray for brothers and sisters to come together and help me walk with God. I need help and assistance in more ways than you can imagine and I hope for God to bring Godly people into my life that will help me get back on tract when I stray. The same as these people help me, I pray that I can have the wisdom and strength through God to return the favor. Its a tough world we live in and the only way to make it is to know God.

I know what I want to be but I also understand what I am. One thing has changed....

-EC

A little reminder

Here is a little reminder as we kick off our weekend!

"Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever"~1 Peter 5:8-10

Have a super awesome Saturday. Don't forget to #praiseGod

~EC

This world needs us...........

This world needs you and I, and failing to understand that responsibility is affecting the world around us. We are called to serve our brothers and sisters not just because, but because we need each other.

I heard this song this morning on the radio about people that want nothing more than to be loved for who they are. This song really hit me because it made me stop and think about people out there that are hurting and are in desperate need. When we make selfish decisions and forget about those around us we are failing to live out our intended purpose. It breaks my heart to even think that people are hurting like this and that every day I could be helping someone who really needs it and give up nothing!



Too often we get caught up in our own issues and forget about the purpose for which we are called. I have no doubt in my mind that if we help our brothers as we are called we too will be taken care of. The bible says that He will take things away from us and bring us adversity so that we may seek Him out. So maybe those "things" happening in your life are on purpose; better yet, with good purpose.

Imagine if 30 minutes of your time could change someones life forever. Do you have anything in your life that is more important than helping a lost soul? Imagine a small act that gives that person at rock bottom a sliver of hope. The tiniest acts can have the biggest impact and too often we lose sight of that. This world needs us to go out and be the hands and feet of God so that more people can understand and see His beauty and grace. When we make selfish decisions we are not only hurting ourselves but we are hurting others around us. You never know when you will encounter someone that needs you. Failing to understand that responsibility is detrimental to others. We need to know that we have a purpose and other people's lives are affected by that purpose. We are called, by God, to help others around us.

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."~Peter 4;10

You remember when God met you right where you were and helped you out in a time of need? The world needs us to love and serve our brothers and sisters just as we are loved by God.

Steppin'.My.Game.Up. #ushould2
-EC

Want it like you want air...

I shared this video a few weeks ago on Facebook and I wanted to share again because I think it is so awesome and applicable. I really believe this not only applies to success but also love for the Lord! Nothing in this world comes easy. We all want things but it is so much harder to actually obtain them. If you want something bad enough we will do everything we can to achieve it. That means we must persevere through the the things that knock us off course. We must be willing to do whatever it takes and often times this is a hard call.

You can have or be whatever it is that you want as long as you want it bad enough. For example, when I am tired and distracted at church it is no fun; I get very little out of it. However when God is a priority in my life I plan my life around Him. I go to bed early so that I can be fresh and ready for whatever He is trying to tell me. I make church a priority so that I can arrive early and do not feel as if I have other things I should be doing. Those are the times I get the most out of it. The same holds true for prayer and bible study. The days I try and squeeze time in for God I usually try and do it at night, before bed, when I am tired. Typically I fall asleep first, #fail. But if God, or success is a priority it becomes the first thing I do, before anything else. Everything I do is done with that goal in mind.

You see, our most valuable resource is our time which requires us to pick and choose the things that are most important. Sometimes we have to give up fun things or things that we feel are important in order to make time for the things that are really important. As a small business owner, I struggle with this because it is so easy to get caught up in the 17 million things I have to do each day and more times than not I forget to make time for the things that are most important.

Success at anything takes drive and determination. It takes will power and a desire to succeed! It takes making that "thing" a priority in our lives. It means we must give up those things that are keeping us from that goal.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run, with perseverance the race marked out for us" ~Hebrews 12:1

Be sure to watch the entire video, I know its long but worth it!

How Bad Do You Want It from Greyskale Multimedia LLC on Vimeo.

Eyes on the Prize
-EC

This song fires me up #awesomesong

Here is another song that I love! Every time I hear it, I get the chills cause I can feel the presence of God in Austin, Texas! Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.....




Praise God
-EC

#AwesomeSong

Thought I would share this great version of this song by "Owl City". This was shown to me by my friend Andrea Moore and I could not help but pass it along. Happy Hump Day! Enjoy

#LoveYourNeighbor

The other day I was sitting at Mozart's on Lake Austin enjoying some coffee by the lake. There were three women sitting in front of me and a young gentleman at his own table to my right. These ladies were gossiping about their neighbors and how they were sure they were at least separated but likely getting a divorce. They were discussing the last time they saw their car in the drive way and how they could hear them screaming at each other while arguing.

The young gentleman next to me kindly walked up to their table, knelt down and in a very quiet voice said "Ladies I don't mean to get in your business but I think you should pray for your neighbors." These ladies were so shocked and speechless. This young man could not have said it any nicer and with more respect. He was not trying to butt into their conversation and was definitely not being rude. He genuinely felt convicted to ask them to pray for their neighbor. The three ladies immediately pretended as if it was time to leave and they quietly got up and left.

As I sat there and watched this all take place I could not help but smiling over the fact that this young guy stepped up and took a chance to spread God's word. He took a negative situation and offered the most valuable advice one could give. It's so sad when you think about how we always want to make ourselves feel better by bringing up what other people are doing wrong. Wouldn't it be nice if we just loved our neighbor? How about loving our neighbor so much that we would spend our time with God asking Him to help out someone else besides ourselves? How about loving our neighbor so much that we would desire for things in their life to improve rather than being entertained by their struggles?

The next morning I was participating in wonderful ministry called "Feed My People" and an older man walked up to me to have me serve him coffee and said, "You know how much it means to me that you looked at me in line and smiled? Such a small thing can really make a difference." I honestly did not even remember smiling at the man. Have you ever stopped and thought about how such small actions can have such a huge affect on people?

Loving your neighbor is really about caring for others more than you care about yourself. Its about understanding your role in God's kingdom and knowing that your job is to reflect His greatness in every way possible. Jesus was a man that smiled at people. Jesus was a man that was always lending a helping hand to a lost sole. He pursues everyone including the person that no one else will pursue.

Loving your neighbor could be a simple smile or a fist pump of encouragement on the trail. It could be a small donation to a family in need or a phone call to the person that wronged you. Loving your neighbor is about throwing your own personal feelings or comforts aside for someone else. Loving your neighbor is what we are called to do.

Your neighbor is not only the person that lives next to you. Its the city of Bastrop that neighbors Austin. Its your co-worker, its the people that live in your community and the communities all around. Loving your neighbor is also loving your enemy or the person you despise the most. Loving your neighbor is about loving God and being the hands and feet of God in our community.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven"~ Mathew 5: 14-16

Have any neighbors that could use some love?

Strugglin' with you
-EC

The Wrath of God....

Let me start off by making it very clear that I, in no way, would ever try and claim that I know what God is trying to do in our world or know His reasoning for allowing things to happen. And while it is very hard for me to really wrap my head around the idea of "the wrath of God" it is impossible for me to ignore the fact that bad things are happening in our world all around us. As you know I am typically a very positive person but this has really been heavy on my heart and I felt convicted to share.

Today in central Texas there are uncontrollable fires taking over neighborhoods and completely destroying homes. We have earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes affecting areas that are rarely, if ever, in danger of this type of catastrophic disaster. Our national economy is seeing more negativity and volatility than it has ever seen. Our lands are being dried up and without rain, killing crops and cattle.

Has it ever crossed your mind that "the wrath of God" could be upon us? Could it be that God is fed up with us as a people and is tired of giving us everything we need and watching us consistently turn from Him. As I see it, we as a people are farther away from God than we have ever been in the history of the world. We are full of selfishness and sexual immorality, our hearts desire for false Gods and material things, we lie, cheat and steal; we do not help our neighbor like we are called. We are so connected via media and the web and that connectedness is polluted with everything but God. We are ungrateful of the beauty God has created in our world and we have no respect for nature. We poison our bodies with bad things because we feel obligated to live however we please.

As these thoughts have heavily weighed on my heart I decided to go back and read the story of Noah's Ark in Genesis, chapters 6-9. I recalled how God became so frustrated and upset with the people of the world and their sinful nature that he flooded the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, killing off everything except that which was inside of the ark built by Noah.

"God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, " I am going to put an end to all the people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth."~Genesis 6:13

We see in Romans chapter 1 that God is angry at sinful people because we have made up lies about God in order to justify our own self centered lifestyles. God makes it clear that we have no excuse because God has made his grace and power blatantly obvious.

"The wrath of God is being revealed from Heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."~ Romans 1:18-20

Now this idea could be really far off and out there but it could also be very real. Lets just say that God is allowing this to happen in our world (or we created these problems for ourselves through sin) and He is angry. What can we do? How shall we respond?

I believe it is through repentance that we can be saved from this destruction. Through repentance we show our faith to the God above, the Creator. And maybe, just maybe He will spare us a break. I think there are many that could really use it right now; I know I can. I pray that we as a people turn to God in these hard times and get right with Him. I pray that with God's help and grace we as brothers and sister can turn from our wicked ways and began to live more like children of God. I need encouragement from others to help me with my sin, and I could use some leaders by example to show me the way. I pray that through repentance God will lift his finger and restore the world if it is His will. Jesus died for our sin but that does not give us a free pass to live as we please. The great exchange gives us the opportunity to know Him and be saved through repentance and faith.

It would really be a shame if we never accepted the greatest gift ever given!

Blogging from my heart!
-EC