The Craziness of the World

When I first heard about the Virginia Tech shootings, I thought it was a very sad thing that hap pend and that it was very crazy that someone would do something like this but I wasn't really hurt or saddened too much. That is until I read an account of some of the wounded students who had lived through this horrible ordeal. One of the students told how scared he was when they saw the gunman come in the room with both guns raised and knowing that there was no where to run or nothing to do other than pray. The young man said he just laid on the floor while he was shot 3 times, and wondered if he would die slowly, if it would hurt to die, what his parents would think and thinking about his fellow classmates.
Reading that article really brought me into that room with those kids. I felt such a surge of sadness and grief for those kids and their parents. It's such a scary thing moving throughout the world and knowing in all actuality you are not safe. There are people in this world who don't value their own lives so of course can't possibly have regard for anyone else. No one every wants to think of the negative things that could happen even on a daily basis which to me makes it even more necessary to be in touch with God. God is happiness, everything good and knowing that makes it a little easier to cope with horrible things like this.

Quote for the Day

"Let go of the noise, And when you let go there's only God." Russel Simmons

When I read this it really resignated with me. It seems lately that everything I see, hear, or read is dealing with getting closer to that wonderful source that is God. I feel like I have a good relationship with that source already but I know it's not to a point when I can easily recognize it all the time. I'm still working on my HOW, but I can feel that energy of God pointing me in the right direction; I just need to let go of the noise.

The Zone

I recently joined my church's softball team or softball ministry as they like to call it. We practice on just about every week at a batting cage not far from my house. At one of the practices there was a woman on the team who asked me to help her learn how to hit like I do. She asked me to explain the mechanics of how I hit the ball so hard and how to get the correct timing; in short she wanted to know how I hit the ball. I look at her and told her I didn't really know. I tried to think about what goes through my mind right before I hit the ball so that I could try to explain the feeling but I couldn't. The more I thought about it the more I realized that my mind is in a state of elevation where everything just feels right so I don't have to think. Most people who are good at something can recall being "in the zone" and not really having to think about anything but the feeling is so right that nothing goes wrong. It's God given talent whether it's playing a sport, doing someones taxes, writing, or even being a parent; you know in those moments that it's nothing that you are doing but something that is already inside that you couldn't have created even if you tried.
I want to feel that with my prayers and in listening to God's voice.

Something I Needed

I recieved a book that I couldn't put down when I first got it called the "Purpose Driven Life". This book captivated me but at the time I was also reading 2 other books and put the book down thinking I would pick it back up after I finished the other two. I didn't pick the book back up until last night and the chapter that I read had the answer to a question that I have been asking a lot lately. I feel like I know the solution now but I still need to figure out the correct steps to get there. My question is this: What am I here for? What is my purpose? What do you want me to do? I'm sure just about everyone at some point in their lives has asked this question because I think as human beings we all are in search of the WHY of our lives.

So when I read the following quote from CS Lewis I knew God had directed me to open that book and read that chapter: "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become-because He made us. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality that I first begin to have a real personality of my own." I also read this quote which struck me: "You can not fulfill God's purpose for your life while focusing on your own plans"

It all makes so much sense to me but I'm still praying on the HOW. The chapter said you just have to submit yourself to God's will but I'm still wondering HOW. In all things, there is nothing more frustrating to me that to know that there is something that needs to be done, to even know what the end product needs to be but not know how to get it done. I'm praying on it and I'm praying for others as well because I know I'm not the only one wondering How to move in the way that God want us to move. I really feel like it should be an easy thing, a natural thing but I can't quite find the switch to get me out of the dark.

Wisdom Comes From Everywhere

Instead of trying to summarize and repeat this increadible thought, I figured it would be much better to have a guest writer and use his own words. So I hope this inspires someone:

I was given this message from one of my classmates last week after he told me the story of how his wife was killed (shot for no reason while driving on 295). The story was heart breaking but the message was chilling and uplifting (words directly from the Lord). The message was three simple words that will get you through any situation.

Belief -- Determines -- Behavior

I have the message displayed on my desk to remind me everyday that the Lord is there for me and if I just have faith in Him everything will work out in the end.

Ricky B. Cooksey Jr.

A thought for today

"For me, a miracle is seeing the world with light in your eyes. It's knowing there's always hope and possibility where none seems to exist."
—Oprah