Welcome to Real-ity Based Blogging

Scripture:The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Exodus 12:13)

Observation: The blood of the lambs slaughtered for passover was a foreshadowing of Jesus as the Lamb of God whose blood allows his followers to be exempted from the penalty of death that is the price of sin.

Application: In our psalm it says in v.2 that God has given the king the joy of his heart. While there are many things I could want, the thing that I need to want most is what I have already recieved: pardon for sin and eternal life that was granted by Christ's death on the cross. And from that to be Christ's witness in American Canyon, our larger community, and to the world.(Acts 1:8)

Prayer: Lord help me to keep asking you for the things that are worthy, the things that you want for me and for us. Give me peace in the midst of times that are difficult. Help me to wait on you for deliverance once again. May You be glorified in all that I do with my family today.

AmCan churches make plans for the coming year
By ANNA ABBOTT, Special to the Eagle
Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Local pastors hope to make 2008 an eventful year for their congregations.At Open Door Bible Church, there are new programs including a women's Bible study on Tuesday nights. There will also be new activities for kids according to Open Door's Pastor Alan Brazell."We will have a Boys and Girls Club activity once a month after church with different activities." Some are games, some are outdoor activities, or learning minor electrical or automotive skills," he said.Brazell summed up his church's goals for the year.

"Our desire is to build a loving Christian fellowship where people can grow in the knowledge of the Lord, where there are friendships and people can support one another."Marshall Stevens, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, said his goal for this year is to "do better at what we've been doing." Two revivals are scheduled this year, with one in late January and another in late October."We are going back to basics in spreading the gospel," Stevens said. "Our goal for 2008 is to be what we ought to be, according to Peter's epistle."

At American Canyon Baptist Church, 2008 will be lively according to Pastor Matt Real."The big thing we're doing is the Love Revolution Feb. 8-10. We will show how much we love the American Canyon community. We'll be contacting the mayor and discuss serving the community. We'll send 10 to 12 teams into civic projects."

American Canyon Baptist Church will also host the kick-off for the Relay For Life. Real said that the preschool will partner with the church to do another "Trike For Life," raising money for cancer research.

On Aug. 24, the church plans to hold a worship service in a city park.

Real voiced the church's goals for this year."We're about building relationships for Jesus in 2008. It drives everything we do this year."

Bread of Life Ministries' goals are "helping people get from day-to-day" according to Pastor Stuart Welch."Urgent needs have outpaced general maintenance," Welch said. "There's the economic crunch. Families are facing urgent needs in housing and food. We have to help people make it tomorrow."In February, the church will address a very real problem: real estate."We'll have a mortgage workshop for families in crisis. It's an immediate need," said Welch.The church will be increasing its food distribution to four times a year. It will also be increasing its grocery giveaway in April.Welch also wants to help promote higher education."We're going to institute a college incentive program," he said. We'll encourage people in the congregation to go to the next level. We'll pay for the books and help with the tuition. We'll encourage them to go to Heald College and Napa Valley Junior College."

Scripture:When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. (Exodus 9:34)

Observation: God was speaking powerfully in both sets of scriptures- one through plagues and the other through resurrection. The common theme was that many in both scripture sets could not or would not see that God was working. Once calm had been restored Pharoah snapped back to his previous position. The disciples on the road to Emmaus could not see Jesus walking with them. The disciples He appeared to could not believe it.

Application: Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, God is still in our midst. We need to see what God is doing and saying in order to respond correctly to him. I need to see what God is doing in my family, in my church, and in my world.

Prayer: Lord, help me be sensitive to your ways. Help me to see that my choices, even ones that seem fairly insignificant, effect how I am positioned to respond to you. Give me your vision for the day.

Scripture: Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. (Luke 23:42)

Observation: We want miracles, we want God to perform for us as though he was a magician that we are paying. We can very easily miss what God's message is because we are waiting for an "experience" of God. Pharoah saw miracles and still resisted God. So did the people of Jesus' day. God meets our needs daily and still we are not willing to be obedient to Him.



Application: I need to be conscious of all the ways that God has worked in my life and in the world. It is not my role to ask God to produce miracles upon command, but to be seeking His leading in the world.

Prayer: Lord, give me the courage to keep my eyes on the important things and not to get distracted by anything less. Help me to confront when needed and to love at all times. Thank you for your faithfulness when I am not.

Scripture: 13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." (Exodus 4:13)

Observation: Moses, Jesus, and Peter did not want to follow through. Moses was reprimended, Peter denied Christ, but Jesus said, not my will, but yours. Often in life we have to do things that we don't want to do. But the mission of Christ must be more important than our fears or discomfort.

Application: I need to be more relationally and emotionally willing to do God's work when it would be easier just to let things lie. Tomorrow I need to make two phone calls that I don't want to make.

Prayer: Lord, help me to make these phone calls, help me to be willing to uncomfortable to accomplish that which I don't want to do. Give me the courage and the willingness to persever when its easier just to capitulate.

Scripture: "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36)

Observation: Death is one of the themes in these verses. A subject we like talking about even less than money. How we live in the shadow of death makes a great deal of difference. We must trust in Jesus both for our life and in our deaths. In trusting in Jesus we have faith that allows us to live unafraid in life.

Application: I need to remember that I have a limited number of days to live. Whether it is my death or Christ's return, the time is short. I will do well to live remembering that Christ will return and sharing that Good News with others.

Prayer: Lord, help me to not be afraid. Strengthen my ability to make hard decisions, give me the ability to trust in you in times when it will be difficult. Lord I thank you for the hope that I have.

Scripture:But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? (Genesis 50:10)

Observation: Joseph refused to vengence for what his brothers had done to him. The psalm reminds us of it. And the teachers of the law put themselves in the place of it. All of these things are God's place as the center of the universe. God is the one to avenge, God is worthy of our praise, God is the one who creates the rules for how we are to live.

Application:Remembering my place in God's created order. God is the one who has created the rules. He is the one who will see that justice is done. He is the one worthy of worship and praise.

Prayer: Lord I praise you for all that you have done. I praise you for you love, your faithfulness, you boundries, your holiness. Help me to walk in the boundries you set, help me to trust that you will take care of me and my family. Help me to see your work around me.

Scripture:For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10

Observation: Salvation comes in unlikely places. The people of egypt experienced temporal salvation by selling themselves, their land, and their possession into slavery- yet because they did that they were saved. Zaccheus experienced salvation by his giving up much of his wealth to follow Jesus. Perhaps we need to have are hands empty to experience salvation that Jesus desires us to have.

Application: I get swept up, like most, in to what's mine is mine. I need to have open hands to give to God's service my possessions, my time, my money. While I do this well at times, I need to be willing to trust God more fully.

Prayer:Lord, help me to place everything I have and am into Your hands. Help me be willing to give up everything to follow you. Help me to trust you with the things most precious; keep them safe and well.

Scripture: Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!" Genesis 45:24

Observation: Joseph's attitude was not about fairness. God's plan or not, he had much to be angry at his brothers for. Also, the story of the persistent widow is not fair at all. How to enter the Kingdom of God seems unfair as well. The phrase that comes to mind is that God is generous in ways we don't like and also that God never promised that the world would be fair. Grace is better than fair, but sometimes its hard to give up our "rights".

Application: Often I feel as though I get tasked with things that aren't particularly fair. I need to remember that I was never promised fair. I also need to give not 50% in my family but 100%. I need to not insist on my rights, but be willing to serve.

Prayer: Lord, help me be willing to keep going even when it feels unfair. Help me to rely on your grace and not on my "rights". Let me see you in front of me in each person that I serve.

Scripture: Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." -Luke 17:17-19

Observation: Several people found themselves in need in these passages. David needed God to hear his prayer. The brothers needed grain from Egypt. The ten lepers needed to be healed. It is hard to ask others and hard to recieve from others. But our response is very telling about our hearts. Nine lepers did not return, one foreigner did. Perhaps what we do after we have been helped expresses how pure our motivation is.

Application: I need to allow people to help me. I need to be not just take for granted those who have helped. I need to show gratitude toward those who have helped me.

Prayer: Lord help me to recieve with open hands. Help me to express gratitude toward those who have blessed my life. Help me to live a life of gratitude, particularly to You.

Scripture: ...and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"

But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:7-9)

Observation: Fidelity to God means fidelity to others. Joseph rejected Potipher’s wife and interpreted visions faithfully, even when it could have gotten him into more trouble. The parable of the rich man also underscores this point. The counter example of the shrewd manager still underscores the importance of securing our eternal inheritance that comes from Jesus.

Application: I need to be “steadfast, true, and faithful” in my relationship, in my commitments and in my time with God.

Prayer: Father God, I do not have the strength to do this. Help me Lord, give me the strength to continue in faithfulness even when I am overwhelmed. Thank you for renewing my spirit.

Scripture: About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant."
Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" (Genesis 38:24)

Observation: After having slept with a prostitute (who happened to be Tamar) he had the temerity to call for Tamar to be burned to death! I know that women were viewed as property, but the hypocrisy is startling.

Yet, one of the biggest complaints against follower of Jesus is that we, too, are hypocrites. Some of this is just because in our society if you stand for any sort of higher moral ground, other feel the need to attack. But part of it is that we do often project ourselves as smug holder and do-ers of the truth. Humility is a much better witness!

Application: I would do well to stay away from the judgmental nature that occurs when I am tired and frustrated. I need to remember that those who are far from God are precious to Him. Help me to be one who seeks the lost rather than disdains them for being lost.

Prayer: Father God, you have saved me. Help me to be one who points others to your grace, not one who erects barriers from grace. Help me to accept grace, even though it means I don’t have to be better than others to deserve it. Give me a sense of peace in the midst of trying times and be grateful for what is rather than be frustrated with what is not yet.

Scripture: "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. (Luke 14:23)

Observation: Jesus tells a parable about sending his servants out to make the banquet full. The good people will not come, so he invites the poor, the disenfranchised, everyone. And yet there is still more room.

God invites us to take him seriously, and to take ourselves less seriously. We very often find our identity in the company we keep- we are not very keen on associating with the down and out in our world. Yet these are the ones who respond to the master’s invitation. We need to know that our preferences are not of paramount importance in the kingdom of God. We must be willing to count the cost of what it will mean to follow Jesus.

Application: I took Josiah out to the playground today and saw a truly out of control kid. Maybe eight years old, swearing and threatening other children, threatening to kill with a gun. My first protective instinct was to take Josiah away. Probably the right thing to do. But is God calling me to invite him to the banquet, to a new way of life?

Prayer: Lord, help me to understand the cost of being a disciple. Help me be willing to love the unlovable, to be willing to reach out to those who are difficult. Help me to see that you have the power to change lives and change destinies. Thank you for changing me,

Scripture: Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."(Genesis 32:28)

Observation: Jacob had an army chase him when he left, an army waiting for him where he was going, and in the middle had to wrestle an angel! The journey will be filled with conflict if we are to go toward what God calls us to. I greatly admire Jacob wrestling with God and refusing to leave until he is blessed.

Application: I want to wrestle with God until I wrest every bit of blessing that He has for my life, whether it is in circumstances or prayer. I want to not be afraid of the conflict coming or going, but to be intent on going where God has for me.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being the One who is willing to wrestle with me until I come to the place where I need to be. Help me to be willing to go where you call me. I pray that I would not be like the religious leader who puts restrictions on the people, but rather one like Jesus who sets people free.

Scripture: So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. (Genesis 29:20)

Observation: Love is an incredibly powerful experience. It is in action in itself, but it evokes powerful emotion. The darker side is what we will do to be loved and/or accepted. Jacob loved Rachel so much that in essence he was willing to work fourteen years to marry her. On the other side you see the hurt and pain of Rachel and Leah who were desperate for the love, affection, and importance from Jacob. In a sense, much of the conflict Jesus reminds us in the Luke passage that if we count on the love that God has for us we will be taken care of well.

Application: I do well when I remember that I am loved and accepted by God. When I get into places of fear or jealousy I can think and do remarkably dumb things. I more than Rachel or Leah have been bought at a great price; Jesus himself paid the price so that I could be His.

Prayer: Dear God, help me to seek your blessing in my life, in my family and in your church. Help me to wait for your blessing. Help me to not compare, but be satisfied with either the blessing of Jacob or Esau.

Scripture: Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God. Genesis 28:20-21

Observation: The theme here is seeking blessing. Jacob sought Isaac’s blessings. So did Esau. Jacob in his dream choose to seek God’s blessing (note: It was Isaac’s God that he refer to until the dream). We seek God’s blessing when we choose where our eyes look, when we choose to be diligent in prayer. When we seek God’s blessings He shows himself to be real and to have power.

Application: It is not wrong, in fact it is right, to seek God’s blessing. When I place my complete trust in God I will experience the blessings that God wants to give me. I do not need to compare them to others.

Prayer: Dear God, help me to seek your blessing in my life, in my family and in your church. Help me to wait for your blessing.

Scripture: But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' (Luke 10:10-11)

Observation: When we follow through on what God plans for us to do, it does not mean that it will be easy. How many times in these chapters was Isaac forced to move? Sometimes we think that we will know God’s will by the sign of it being the easiest path. I do not think that is true.

What’s also interesting is that Jesus teaches us how we are to treat those who are in opposition. We are never to back off from the statement that the Kingdom of God is coming (and is here), but we also must act with great compassion. The Good Samaritan reminds us of what it means to be a neighbor, even to those who oppose us.

Application: I need to remember that opposition and struggle is part of the path that we take when we follow Jesus. That things will not always be easy and smooth; that we won’t always go from strength to strength. And that in the midst of opposition not to give in to frustration with the way that things are going.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help me to be patient. Help me to love and forgive and serve, even when I want to move people and things faster than they are capable of going. Give me a sense of your peace and a knowledge that you are working to build your kingdom in my life and in the world.

Scripture: Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Luke 9:58)

Observation: The first thing that caught my attention was the nose ring given to Rebekah. May no be proper in some churches today, but that was a pre-engagement gift to one of the mothers of Jesus. But what I was really struck was the theme of journeys. Sarah’s death and the negotiation for a burial plot for her and her descendents, the servants journey to find Rebekah, the journey out of the disciples to do missions work, the journey of years that led to Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, Jesus statement that he had no home. There was an anthem that I sang in a choir many years ago, “The Journey is Our Home”. We may want to settle down, but I think that the following Christ is more of a journey than a homestead.

Application: If the journey is my home, am I getting too comfortable, to self-satisfied? There was a time when I would have gone anywhere at a moments notice. I need to be willing to go, not foolishly, but with abandon as the Lord leads. I suspect that the biggest need is not for external movement, but a will that’s willing to be led more into conformity to Christ’s will.

Prayer: Lord, there are ways in which I want to stop growing. I want to direct others to grow closer to you and at the same time stay lazy. Help me to be willing to follow you in the journey ahead. You are gracious and have allowed me to say no in the past and still loved me. Lord I want to become who you want me to be; help me to be willing to walk another path with you that will lead to deeper discipleship.

Scripture:
Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

Observation: God desires us to be fully committed to Him. In these passages we see that real faith, faith that puts God first, will take us up to the edge of what we think we can do (Abraham and the woman) but it will be greatly rewarded. God is faithful, but it doesn’t mean that we will not have to go into uncomfortable/fearful places.

Application: I need to remember that being a follower of Jesus does not always mean following the converntional, safe path. I need to see that Christ may call me to take what seem to be risks but are really opportunities for faith to take firm hold of my heart.

Prayer: Lord, help me in the places where I am afraid. Help me be willing to allow you to have my son, to trust you with everything. Lord, establish that faith in my heart and actions.

Scripture: Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. (Genesis 19:17)

Observation: We see in these passages that God is both merciful and forgiving, but also judging. We see Jesus commending the centurion for his faith and healing of widow’s son. But we see Jesus warning the people of judgment because they can not or will not see God’s will being acted out in front of them. And then the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God is powerful and there is definitely doing and believing right that he rewards and failing to do right and not believing that risk punishment. One of the keys seems to the outright or implicit arrogance of those who have lined themselves up for God's judgment.

Application: It’s important to be on the right side of God. It's not that He's capricious, but God is just and their will be punishment for evil. God is incredibly gracious to those who seek him, those who seek his protection, and listen to His truth. I need to be one who comes before Jesus to have him change my heart rather than get hard-hearted like the people of Sodom, those of Gomorrah, those who rejected John the Baptist, and those who rejected Jesus. I think the key is a seeking heart that desires to do God’s will.

Prayer: Lord, help me from becoming hard hearted. Help me to change the parts of my life that are in rebellion to your perfect will. Father, help me to see that you do not desire to punish, but that you desire to correct. Help me to turn rather than experience disaster. Thank you for rescuing me.

Scripture: He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." (Genesis 15:7)

Observation: Abraham was doubting God’s promise and providence and began complaining. God reminds him of where he began, and how much God has done for him. By looking at what God has done, and more important being made new by the Spirit, we can then live the life that Jesus explains in the sermon on the plain. If we had had to fend for ourselves this new way of life might be impossible, but we, like Abraham, are looking forward to a destiny and an eternity that is more important than our current wants.

Application: I need to remember from where God called me, from where God has called my church, and yet to keep looking forward to the promises that God has. It helps to remember how God has rescued me to believe that God is going to do even greater things in the future.

Prayer: Lord, when I get frustrated or overwhelmed, help me to see all that you have already done for me and all that you are going to do. Help me to believe that you are in the process of transforming me to become who you created me to be.

Scripture: Then Melchizedek king of Salembrought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. (Genesis 14:18)

Observation: Blessing always begins with God. God moves and is active in the world, and we need to be cognizant of Him and His ways. All the stories of Jesus’ healing in Luke require the person to respond to God’s gracious offer of blessing. But they had the choice to receive it or not.

Application: Would I be willing to face ridicule for trusting God to do the miraculous or would I rather wait for God to the just above ordinary? Would I be content as a paraplegic to just trust God for enough food and not really trust Him for complete healing? I need to willing to trust God to do miracles big and small, and also trust Him to answer no, as He decides. I guess I just need to be willing to step out and follow God in whatever road He chooses to point me in.
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Prayer: Lord, help me to trust you with the big things and the little things and in the time when it doesn’t seem that you are working. Thank you for bringing me this far; please don’t let me miss your blessing because I am unwilling to totally trust in you. Thank you Jesus.

Scripture: Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4)

Observation: The people of Babel exhibited arrogance in their great building project. Pride was a major player in their destruction. At the same time our Savior rejected the shortcut of having all of the kingdoms of the world worship him by bowing to Satan. This is the destiny of all men, and Jesus could have had it without the agony of the cross. But instead he overcame the temptations of pride and refused

Application: I long for success, for accomplishments. Would I have been one of the building planners at Babel? I would like to believe I would have been able to turn down the offer of all the kingdoms of the world, but sometimes I have trouble even turning down another piece of cake. This enemy, pride, is very dangerous to me and I must ask Christ to give me victory over it.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please give me the strength to reject all the world in order to follow you. I pray that you would keep me from temptation, but that you might also give me the power to overcome the temptations that do come my way. Help me to believe always that your way is better and that shortcuts never really are shorter. .

Scripture: John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. (Luke 3:7-8)

Observation: God is incredibly patient, more patient than we can imagine. But there comes a sure point where God decides that he must allow what is to be destroyed in order for something new to come about. Whether it was God restarting humanity with Noah’s family or John announcing that we must repent, the time comes when we must either choose to be faithful or watch calamity occur in our lives. And I also see that the Jewish people expected God to be lenient with them because they were “Children of Abraham” that they special and expected special treatment

Application: I wonder if I as a Christian don’t take living a holy life as seriously as I ought to because I think I can claim special dispensation like these Children of Abraham. I have been given God’s empowering Spirit, not as a license to sin, but as the power to break sin in my life.

Prayer: Father God, forgive me when I think that the price you paid to forgive my sin gives me license to continue in that sin. Help me to see that I may not see a flood or prophet warning me if I choose the path of sin, but that I will experience less of your transforming grace if I do. Help me to want your kingdom and righteousness more than anything else.

Scripture: If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7)

Observation: Shaw once said that things that were bad for him never tempted him- basically he had given into every sort of temptation and embraced gluttony as a way of live. Some times this seems easier. Temptation can be subtle. Or overt. Often I invite it in. Rick Warren says that every time we give in to temptation its because we believe that it’s a belief; that I believe that cheating, etc., will benefit me.

Application: I need to understand that temptation is common to all (even Jesus!) and that it (or the enemy) seeks to break the fellowship that God wants to have with me by being distracted and distanced from God as I pursue it.

Prayer: Lord help me to believe that your ways are the best ways. That I do not have to try to cut corners or give in to what’s easy or comfortable. Thank you for loving me even through failure and forgiving me when I fall. Help me to want to do right. Help me to trust you as my strength and comforter. Thank you for the birth of Jesus!

Scripture: Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. (Luke 1:1-2)

Observation: It’s the beginning of the year- and we are beginning at the beginning- like Julie Andrews taught us- a very good place to start. In both passages we see that God is showing his incredible love for us, creating the universe, breathing life into man, giving him a job, creating woman, sending John the Baptist, and most centrally, preparing the way for Jesus to be born.

Application: God has put us first in His creation and action. This year as I go about living, working, and serving- whether it be my self, my family, my church, community- I need to place God in first place.

Prayer: Thank you God for loving us so much that you gave me life, gave me meaningful work, gave me a family, gave me a savior. Lord help me to place you first and trust you to work out the protection, strengthening, and future of those things with which you have blessed me.

We are using the Life Journal from New Hope Fellowship. I hope to record my journal directly here to help any who are struggling with it.