It is after midnight and I have had quite a busy day. However, I simply can't go to bed yet. For starters, I haven't blogged, and secondly, the season 2 finale for Sons of Anarchy is on. You so know I must see this. It is like only the third or fourth time I have seen this episode. True, it is quite graphic, but I do so love that show. I won't have a lengthy post tonight, as I am about brain-dead. I will see all of you here tomorrow night. Oh, and by the way, if you are in the Ozark area on Tuesday, September 7, we WILL be having a SOA Season 3 Episode one party....contact us if you plan to attend.....
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As David, Mike & I ran errands today, a song by Matthew West came on the radio. While I know the song well and have listened to it many times, Today was different. The lyrics state, 'I don't wanna go through the motions. I don't wanna go one more day without Your all consuming passion inside of me.
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?"' I began to think a lot about these lines and how sad it is that so many times, so many people go through the motions day after day and especially on Sundays. Have you ever thought about it? About how many people go to church because it is what they are supposed to do, like they are trying to convince God they are 'ok' and serving Him. Truth be know, many people are and actually have no 'all consuming passion' for the Lord or for reaching anyone around them. It goes back to that ritualistic/legalistic idea I have mentioned in previous posts. People try to convince themselves, others around them,and even God that they are 'glory-halli-gush-gush-get down-get back up for Jesus-marching through hell with a water pistol' kind of living. However, they are so entrenched in the ritual of 'being a Christian' that they are missing the mark. I don't want to be like that. I truly want to and strive to be a person who gives everything instead of just going through the motions. If we just go through the motions, we will one day give an account of all of the empty words and good intentions. Going though the motions often satisfies one's conscience and leads others around one to believe that one is uber spiritual, but will not be worth much when the trumpet sounds. Don't you want what you do to remain after the fire which tests our works/deeds? (1Corinthians 3:13) I want to be able to enter heaven with more than my salvation. I don't want to simply go through the motions, pleasing myself and my critics, but I want to please my Lord by reaching as many as possible. This means I must go into the highways and hedges, be compassionate, and real. Won't you do the same? It's Thursday night and I still haven't caught up on rest from the weekend. However, we are looking at a very busy weekend as we begin to move. The good thing is that this is my normal long weekend off, so I am hopeful that it will be a productive weekend. I am even hopeful that we will be able to fit in a short ride with friends.
As I mentioned, I am tired. So much so, that when I left work this evening, I had gotten several miles up the road when the wind began to blow my hair into my eyes pretty badly. I instinctively reached up with my left hand to brush the hair away, when what to my surprise...I had NO doo-rag or helmet on! Yes, you read that correctly. I had left the office, ridden around the circle, past Westgate Tennis Center/Park, to John D. Odom Road and was a ways up Murphy Mill Road when I realized this. So, I wheeled around in the road and began to make my way back to the office. Let me just say that if for any reason I had been behind on my prayer time, I pretty much got caught up on the way back to the office. Remember, we live in Bama, not Florida, which means we DO have helmet laws. I could just see myself getting pulled over. I can only imagine how this might have gone. Her I am, no helmet, two heaters and can't afford a ticket right now! I found myself, in between praying for no po-po to be anywhere nearby, thinking that if I get stopped, I might just have to start crying and pleading for mercy, or blaming it on the boss because I am stressed at work. In any case, I did make it back to the office without getting stopped, Praise the Lord. The whole episode was quite humorous when it was all over, but stressful as it was playing out. I plan to continue to do nightly updates during the move. However, if I skip a night, it will likely be due to exhaustion or lack of time. Hopefully, it won't be because I am in the slammer for not wearing my helmet ;) Tonight marked the second week of House Church/Bible Study at the Bates' house. It was another good night with great people. It is so refreshing to be in the midst of a group of people who are real. There is nothing fake about this group of people. Just a group of people meeting together to pray, share burdens and praises, learn from each other and to grow closer to the Lord. Too often, people meet together in the name of the Lord to be seen or to be heard. This is, in my humble opinion, an abomination. People who meet together for personal gain, puff out their chests, and act as if they are superior to others are in no way the Christians they call themselves. Really, think about it. Most of us have been to churches where these people are. It must simply be stench in the very nostrils of the Lord. You know the type, those who feel that they have some special clout because they have been at a particular church longer than anyone else, give more money than any one else, or are constantly boasting of all they know about the Word of God. Instead of boasting and feeling as if one is anything superior, which totally disqualifies one, because the Word plainly states that the first will be last and the last will be first, one should seek to humbly serve without recognition or accolades. This is the very thing that Jesus taught AND practiced. While He was worthy of servants, He came and served. So much so that he washed His disciple's feet. Don't you think it is time the 'church' got the priorities straight and began to be 'Christians' instead of claiming to be? We encounter people everyday who say that they are not going to church because of all of the hypocrites. You know what? Sadly, the 'world' has a better grip on the truth than much of the 'church'. So how will this ever change? It will only change when people rise up and say, 'Enough is enough.' As long as people continue to enable the hypocrites in churches, they will continue to trash the very name of Jesus with their hypocritical actions and arrogant behavior. It is time to be real and stand on the Word of the Lord, not on the principles of what people say church is supposed to be. Too often 'church' is about what man says is right and very little about what God's Word says. I challenge you to stand on the Word and stop blindly following hypocritical leadership.
As we rode down the road this weekend, people were passing and cutting traffic everywhere. I thought to myself, why are people in such a hurry? Sure, some of them might have been late for work, some of them might have been headed somewhere due to emergency, but I doubt all of them were. As we started out of Carnesville headed to Commerce, one vehicle pulled out in front of us and went less than a quarter of a mile to turn into another driveway..no lie. Like they were in such a hurry to get so far. I am pretty sure they could have walked faster and and positive they would have gotten there in no more time had they just waited on us to pass, but NO, they had to get to where they were going. Later, in the outskirts of Atlanta, a lady on a phone cut two lanes in front of us to make a left turn. She was so all-fired hurried that she couldn't do the safe or wise thing and fall in behind us to make her lane changes. She had to speed up and cut lanes? Really? I try to pay very careful attention to other drivers, but also attempt to make wise moves myself. This is true of when I am on a bike or in a car. Perfect, I am not. Want to be in an accident, I do not. I wonder where people are going and why they are in such a hurry that they are willing to put themselves and others in danger. Have you ever wondered that? I often wish I was a law officer and could stop people. However, I am sure my patience would wear incredibly thin with people and the excuses given. Guess that is why I am not a law officer. Also, I suppose it further makes sense that I am not God. Of course, I realize that He is and I am not, but often wonder if He thinks similar things. You know, like, "Why are people so busy and hurried, yet drag their feet when it comes to a relationship with Me (Him)." People are often busy and strive to be successful, yet they are often lax about seeking the Lord. However, no amount of lane cutting and pulling out in front of people will get you to heaven in the end. You might even make choices that bring you to the gates of Heaven more quickly, but no farther. One must know the Lord. Romans 10:9-10 state that we must believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, for with the heart one believes and with the mouth one makes that known. If this has not taken place in your life, you will only get to the gate. If it has, you will be allowed to enter in. It is my prayer that you believe in your heart and confess with you mouth. Otherwise, you may be in a hurry to get somewhere you really don't want to end up.
Coming out of a weekend whose bookends were the 300+ mile motorcycle trip to our hometown and back, I find myself still exhausted. Yet, I got up and went to work today, then went to visit a friend's daughter in the hospital. We spent the weekend with a lot of the people we love. However, we also missed a lot of the people we love who were down in LA.
It seemed to be a never-ending line of questions back in Georgia about what we planned 'to do' now. Simple, we are going to keep on doing what we are doing. Every day of our lives is an opportunity for ministry. This is true for anyone and everyone. The opportunities are there, but will you take advantage of them? Some people have the misconception that to minister, one must be staff on the payroll of some church. This could not be farther from the truth. We are ALL called to go make disciples, to go into the highways and hedges to compel people to come. Every time we encounter someone, we have the opportunity to impact them positively or negatively. Do we have to 'take them down the Roman Road'? Of course not, but we do have the opportunity to allow them to see something in us that is different. Different in a way that makes them want to know what or WHO it is that makes a difference in our lives. I am a firm believer, and many have heard me say this for years, 'People don't want or need us to play Rambo the Prophet'. In essence, they don't need us to beat them over the head with a Bible or shove Jesus down their throats. What they need is to know we care and are real. In our daily lives, Chas and I attempt to be real in all that we say and do. We are ever-mindful of the opportunities we have. Do we succeed? Yes, often. Do we fail? Yes, often. Do we strive to be consistent? Yes, operative word there, is STRIVE. We live each day of opportunities and strive to make a positive impact on the lives of those we encounter. We are, however, only human and that very fact alone means we will not always succeed. We will keep on traveling down this road, taking each day we are given, attempting to make a positive impact on the lives of those whose paths we cross. My challenge to you is simply this: Live each day letting people know that you care and being real that you might make positive impacts on the lives of those you encounter. We are back in LA. Were on the road about eleven hours (stops included), so, will comment more on the trip tomorrow...very tired at the moment.
Today started with an incredibly huge amount of rain. We slept in, visited with my parents, and then mounted up to go to the reunion. We had a great time of reconnecting with several who braved the rainy weather to come out (I will post pics later). We then went back to the house to get in the car with the kids and to go to see Roy and my papa. My cousin, Heather, met us in Colbert and visited with us while we were at the nursing home. We then went to Royston to see Papa Riley. After that, we went back to Michael & Stacy's to visit with the family and eat dinner. It is currently midnight thirty and we have just finished going through old pics. I must wake Chas up and head to the house. We will be heading to LA. I will comment more about the trip when we get back to LA. Please pray for safe travels for us tomorrow....until we meet again...
The morning started out fairly according to plan...that is, until we got almost to Eufaula, AL. Just prior to getting to Eufaula, Chas pulled over to tell me that he had a road noise. We could see no major problems, but the sound/noise persisted. We then stopped in Eufaula to find that maybe the tread on the back tire of the Mistress looked a little odd. Odd in that the inside tread was protruding out and we felt it best to figure out what to do. So, with a couple of phone calls, we had a place to park the Mistress and we were headed to Bob & Angie's to pick up another bike. We had already planned to get the bike from Bob and Angie in a few weeks. However, according to Bob, the Lord desired to have us pick it up on this trip that he might not have to bring it down...Of course, we were so incredibly humbled to begin with with the whole idea of gaining this bike from Bob and Angie and at such a great deal....(believe me, we have been incredibly blessed and pray that the Lord blesses Bob and Angie in return). We visited with Bob & Angie just long enough for the kids to fall in love with one of their dogs, Grizzly. He stole Angela's heart and now he is her dog. The kids left out headed on to Carnesville because David wanted to surprise his grandparents, aunt, uncle & cousins because Angela had come up. We then left headed to Commerce to meet up with Herman and Susan. In Commerce, we ate dinner and then, in true HBW fashion, went to the Waffle House for further fellowship. We had a great time today visiting with and catching up with old friends/HBW Royalty. It is now near midnight back home and near one o'clock here. The kids have been up to Commerce to meet back up with us and are now headed to my grandmother's house, where we will be staying, and Chas and I have said our good-byes, gotten our hugs and watched our friends ride away. We now sit in Denny's (using the free wi-fi to post tonight's blog), and reflect on the day. We were blessed with safe travels thus far, and have had great fellowship with people we love very much. Now, we must pack up and travel about 20 or so miles tonight before we are able to call it a night. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow....hope to see you all back here tomorrow night. Until then........
We are up late tonight packing for the road trip this weekend. We worked a full day today and need to finish packing, so the post tonight will not be very long. We spent a little time this evening with a hurting friend and are now trying to finish the packing and make it light. We plan to leave in the morning around 7:30 or so, but you know, I will be late to my own funeral, so who knows exactly when we will leave. We are hoping to be able to leave relatively early and to be able to travel at our leisure. I also hope to be able to blog and post pictures while we are gone, that is, if time permits. We will miss our friends and family in LA, but are looking forward to the time we will be able to spend with friends and family in those hills from which we hail. We are also hopeful that we will have safe uneventful travels. Hopefully, you will hear from us sometime tomorrow evening....until then.......
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AuthorMy name is Sonja. I am known as Road Rash, for obvious reasons. I have been a member of His Blood Warriors since 1996 I served as Secretary of LAHBW since the charter began in February 2002. In October, I became International Secretary and currently serve in that position. Archives
June 2012
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