A little bit "D"~

A few weeks back a couple friends of mine from church blogged about a letter - giving words that begin with their letter and I have been thinking over that a little since yesterday. So here is my take on "A little bit D" and in no particular order.

Delighted ~ I am delighted to be living a life that brings honor and praise to our heavenly Father. My life of old is nothing compared to what it is now and I am delighted that I have taken a step in faith to trust my life in the hands of God. I don't have all the answers nor do I do everything right and I am delighted to know God loves me any way and forgives me when I mess up. Those moments where I know God is smiling for something I have done, said or served someone - is such a delightful experience. Job well done! Those are sweet words.......

Devoted ~ I spoke last week with our Rock Group family how we need to be Devoted to each other in order to take our relationships and our understanding of our Faith in Jesus to the next level. In order to grow we have to be Devoted to each other as well as to Gods teaching. No matter what we go through in life and struggle with - we have to be devoted to one another - to help one another and to pray for one another. That also means that in times of strife or conflict - we have to devoted to make things right with each other. Leaving things hanging and not dealing with hurt feelings or whatever the case, will build a wedge between those relationships and even hurt our relationship with our Heavenly Father. If our relationships are not right with those around us - it directly affects our relationship with God. Take your children for example ... if they are fighting and not getting along - it puts strain on the relationship with the parent. I do believe God is no different with that. Be devoted to those around you and those whom you love. Let nothing come between you and serve each other before yourself.

Dangerous ~ Following Gods word is dangerous in parts of the world but it can also be dangerous right here in our daily walk in life. The holy word of God is being pushed out of our government, our schools and even in our places of work. Many times speaking out for our Lord and taking a stand for him is almost like being in the underground. We have to hide our faith in order not to get in trouble or looked/treated differently in our places of work. There is nothing better than to be having lunch with one of "MyKids" and they grab my arm and ask me to bow my head and I get to listen to them pray and thank God for their lunch and for me coming to visit them ~ in the school. I feel so incredibly proud during those moments but I also feel as though there will come a time when someone questions me on this.... but it is who I am and won't stray from who God made me. We can also feel this at our places of work. We may be passed over on a promotion or even fired for sharing Jesus with a coworker. People preach tolerance until they actually have to show it - then its another ball game.

Defense ~ They say the best offense is a great defense. So often we are attacked by non-religious people because of our faith. We have to take a stand for our faith and defend it. We also when asking our friends, relatives, neighbors and coworkers to church, many times they want to know more about being a Christian. They often times have negative thoughts and feelings towards the church. Some may have a real reason to feel this way. We have to be able to defend the Gospel and share with them the truth of who Jesus is. The Bible is not a set of rules and God is not this big guy just ready to smash us when we mess up. The Bible paints a wonderful picture of WHO Jesus really is. We have to share our relationship with Him to others by what we do, what we say and how we live. Most often we fall short of the level God wants us to be but even then, He loves us and forgives us. Defending Gods word does not have to be in your face and harsh - it must be defended lovingly, kindly and in soft warm ways so that others may see the gentleness and kindness of Jesus.

Deep - Our walk with the Lord has its seasons. There is a season of learning when everything we are doing God is providing the way. He is teaching us things left and right and through every situation, relationship and teachable moments. There are also other times when our faith seems to have fallen off a little. Its this season we are being tested. God often times tests us with what He has given us so that we can prove to Him that we are ready for more. This deepens our faith and our Trust in God... our level of understanding deepens so that we may reach further for doing Gods work.

Daughter ~ Wow this is an emotional one. I have a wonderful son. I look at him sometimes and smile because I know God has wonderful plans for his life. I wonder the direction he will take as he follows Jesus and how his life will be spring boarded so much further than my own. As a dad ... I really believe all dads want to have a daughter. There is something special about a Father/Daughter relationship. God has not blessed me with a daughter but He has blessed me with many who I love like a daughter. So in many ways deep in my heart and in my soul, I have many daughters. I thank God for them and their trusting parents for letting me be a part of their lives. I continue to pray for our relationship and that they may see Jesus inside of me above all else. I look at them and smile - the journey they will take in life because they have Jesus. I am honored to be doing life with them and their families. This all comes with great responsibility and one that I don't take lightly. To my daughters: I love you!

Desperate ~ Often times we feel desperate in our lives. We have something big that is taking place in our life and we lift that to God. We pray about it and pray about it. God where are you? I need an answer by Friday!!! Friday comes and we take it back...... then do what we need to do with it. Then it blows up in our face, a relationship falls apart, you go further into debt ... what ever it is - often times we don't wait long enough for God to answer us. We don't really trust Him with what we give Him because we are desperate. My question is - How big is YOUR GOD? If something is that important to you, you need to pray about it and pray often. We can't expect the Lord to answer us when we just ask Him once. Just like our children - they often ask for something today and then 2 days from now... its something else and that original thing is forgotten. It was not that important in the first place. Maybe that thing you are waiting on is NOT really what God thinks is best. Hey, He knows best. He has something better! So He does not answer your prayers and gives you what you are asking because He has something better and in doing so He is teaching you something. Patience, resilience, and determination.(Just naming a few) Proverbs 3:5 tells us perfectly - 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Let God pass those blessings along in your life through your prayers and lining them up according to His will and not yours.

Darling ~ Its a word that is not used much these days - unless your an older generation like me. My wife is my darling and she is way over my head. She is my life partner and perfectly matched for me. We make a great team serving the Lord, raising a family, serving those around us and enjoying the things in life. I wonder if we will be married in heaven? I hope so .... I love you Carol. You will always be my darling.......

Deception ~ Often times we hide from things, from other people and even ourselves. Many of us don't even like ourselves. We deceive the very people in our lives and keep them at a distance. We pretend to be something we are not. We pretend to be bigger than we really are. The world is full of people just trying to make a statement - to stand out from the crowd - to draw attention to themselves. We are often times ashamed of where we have been and what we have done. God our Father knows all and there is no deceiving Him. Often times Jesus hid from people so that He could pray in private. Our personal time with Jesus is in prayer and is not for show or for others to see us. God knows your true heart and what bothers you. He knows what you're struggling with right now. Deception is for people - God knows the real you.... You know you have "real/true" friendships when the real/true you starts to come out. This is the place where healing begins, recovery starts to happen, your faith deepens and you know you are not walking alone because you have others with you to shoulder the weight that this life brings. Deception has no real place in real/true relationships.

Decision ~ Life is full of decisions. They can be good ones and bad ones. Often times they are big enough to change the course of your life and even the lives of those around you. I often tell "MyKids" - "good decisions" when I am leaving the schools. One of our biggest decisions in life will be to follow Jesus or not. Another would be who we would marry. Decisions should be prayed about before acting upon! There are so many paths in life and many as Jesus told us lead to destruction. I pray hard for our children and the things they face today. Raising a child takes a village - a Rock Group - a church family and parents. As parents our decisions will reflect on our children. If we are making bad choices, they will learn those bad choices. The good road is hard to find and is narrow...... make good decisions! Proverbs 3:6 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Dunkin Donuts ~ Well I am thankful the Lord gave us coffee! And put a great donut with it and its heavenly. There is not a DD that is close to the house so when we do find a DD, my family and I often times don't really care what time it is ... we stop! They have the best coffee going.... sorry Starbucks. I will drink your coffee if it was free or someone else is buying :) - I think DD will be in heaven......

Love you all -
Lonnie~