The Power and the Glory.

Last night we had a very bad storm come through our area. I love sleeping to the sound of rain but this was rain, wind and lightening. The lightening was hitting so close that it shook the windows and I could see the flash even through my closed eyelids. It was very intense for about an hour. But the good news is we made it through the storm ok.

A storm like that makes you aware of the amazing power in the universe and how small we really are compared to the world around us. If you don’t feel humble after witnessing something like that then you need to wake up and smell the roses. With all that power around us we could be gone in a split second. That dividing line between life and death is just a thin hair so I am grateful for yet another day on earth. There is so much I still want to do.

Many changes are happening in my life now. The phrase “Letting Go” keeps popping up here and there and that is what I am doing. Not letting go of life but letting go of the reigns. I am still moving and at a good pace but I am no longer trying to control things. And in doing so, my life is becoming much simpler and less complicated. I no longer struggle and I no longer feel responsible when things around me don’t go my way. I am confident that God is in control of my life and He will lead me where I need to go.

I see new things ahead of me now and I no longer dwell in the past. The future is much brighter than it has ever been. I know that the world may be crashing down around me but I can stay on course and make it to my final destination if I continue to give glory to God.

 

Have a wonderful day,

Greg

Prayer 101

When I was young, my prayers were simple; “God please help me”. That was enough. I felt that He was listening and that He knew what I needed and that He would give me what I needed and He did. When I became older however my life became more complicated. There were adult problems and as an adult I knew the solutions, but I still needed help from God to make my solutions work.

So my prayers became more specific. I actually prayed more often but for some reason I felt that he no longer answered me. I thought maybe I am not good enough, maybe God is angry with me and that is why He isn’t answering. I talked with others about my feelings and there was one answer that most of my friends gave me; God doesn’t always answer our prayers. Hmmm I though. What kind of God is He that He doesn’t answer my prayers?

So I went for many years feeling disconnected from God. Oh I tried to reconnect from time to time but I kind of felt like hey if He doesn’t take the time to talk to me, why should I talk to Him? Wow was I ever wrong and so were all those people that told me that God doesn’t always answer our prayers. He does. My God answers all my prayers. The problem for me was that His answers weren’t always what I wanted to hear so I just ignored them. The problem was that I asked God to help me with my plan instead of asking God what his plan for me was. So simple that it evaded me.

And I started thinking about all those times when I prayed for help with major problems in my life and about the outcomes in those situations. And in each and every case, something happened that lead me from the troubled spot that I was in at the time. And even thought it wasn’t the escape route that I had hoped for it was in fact an escape route and it brought me to a better place. So I truly believe that my prayers have always been answered but I was just too busy looking for MY answer to see God’s answer.

So I decided to get back to basics. I no longer pray for God to help me with my plan, I now pray for God’s will to be done. In this day and time of evil all around us I simply pray that God be in control in my life. And He is. I pray that God be in control in your life too.

Blessings,

Greg

In the beginning.

In the beginning…..

The book of Genesis starts out with those words. And since this is the beginning of this blog, I want to start out with the same words. This isn’t the first time I have blogged but this time I want to keep it moving forward. That being said, I want to briefly touch on the past. I have recently come to terms with the fact that the past is what it is. Nothing you do now can ever change what has happened. You can make amends for your mistakes, you can try to counter wrongs with rights but you can never go back and change what has been done.

You can however accept the past without embracing it. You can go forward with your head high and start a new life. Every second is a new beginning. And at each beginning we have the option of taking one path or another. Most of us know in our hearts which path is right and which is wrong. It is up to us to make the right choice. We must choose and we must choose correctly in order to free our minds and bodies from the burdens of life and the universe. What I write here will be my feelings and views on my life and life in general. It may not always be pleasant or liked by everyone but it will be the truth as I see it.

My beginning started in a little town in Florida back in the middle 50’s. I would like to say that I came from a good home but the truth is that it was only that way some of the time. We had some great times but we also had some really bad times. They say when faced with a bad situation we have three options; fright, fight or flight. I chose Flight. And that set my tone for my life up to my middle years. Whenever a situation arose that I didn’t like, I simply walked away.

During my childhood I needed a place free from arguing and fighting. I found that place in a little one square block garden in the middle of town called the Ormond War Memorial Gardens. It was a place dedicated to the men and women that served in the military that were from that town and there was an art gallery and also a lush garden filled with tropical plants and small ponds. I spent many hours there as a child hiding from the evil that lived outside. It was there that I first talked to God and felt that He truly was listening. It was my escape from the reality of life.

As I grew older I because caught in the speed lane of life and my trips to that little garden became less and less and eventually I moved away. But that garden still holds a special place in my heart and I return there to pray whenever I am in town. And God listens and answers my prayers. Maybe that is why I enjoy gardening so much today. When I am in my garden, I feel at home.

Peace,

Greg