Sick of Being Sick

Man, I am sick of being sick! Both me and Bonnie have been sick since before Christmas! We are a little better the past two days. But one thing has been good and that is all of the thoughts and musings in blog world. Like over at Creech World checkout the 12-26-03 entry or over at bechurch the 12-30-03 entry or checkout my new friend Paul at SteelerDirtFreak 12-30-03 entry.

It seems that the Lord is working mightily to stir up people and awaken them that He is doing an old thing. Something so old that it is NEW! We will see more and more in the coming year as the trickle turns into a tiny stream. The Exodus has begun how big or wide spread it will be is not of our concern. Mine is but to follow the cloud by day and the fire by night. it will at times be lonely but He is with us!
Starting next week we will share some of what we see in the year ahead. Until then HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Non Repayable Christmas

Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We were talking last night and the subject of being saved by grace and not works came up. As we discussed it the Lord showed me that we at this time of year feel that if someone gives us a card or a gift then must return the favor or else people will think us to be rude or Cretans. Why is it we feel that we MUST reciprocate? Is it not because we feel we are not worthy of the gift? So we feel we must give back something. I mean how many times has someone given you a gift at Christmas and you had nothing for them in return? But then you ran to the drugstore and bought them some trinket gift that you gave them after Christmas along with some explanation that you had misplaced it! Come on be honest! I thought so, I have to. But no more! I have learned that if people give in expectation of return it is no gift at all. Jesus expected nothing from man because he knew what was in man. But still he gave his life not asking or demanding anything in return. So this is for those of you who have been given a gift this year and you felt you needed to give a gift in return, well you can’t! And if you feel you are not worthy of the gift you were given your right you aren’t! That’s why it’s called a gift! So relax and accept freely the gifts this season. Because a true giver does not expect a return. Jesus didn’t and now neither do I. For it is by grace you have been given THE GIFT! Enjoy it this season and be free!

Much Love
Geo

Coming or Here?

AMOS 8:11 "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD,
"when I will send a famine through the land--
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.

AMOS 8:12 Men will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the LORD,
but they will not find it.

Are these days to come or have they arrived?

Much Love
Geo

The Accident & The Hospital

After driving 15 minutes I get a call on my cell phone. It is my son, “Dad, where are you at”? I am almost in Pittsburgh why? To which he responds, “I have just been rear ended on Interstate 79! Are you okay!? I think so but my car is totaled, he replies. He asks, “Can you come help me”? Of course but it will take me 15 minutes to get there. So I arrive on the scene my sons car is facing the opposite direction of the traffic flow with the rear end tore off. The man that hit him is in his van both air bags deployed. Over the next 2 hours we sit and wait first for the ambulance, then the police, then the wreckers to tow both vehicles away. During this time I felt a sense of calm I have never felt before. If you look at the Myers-Briggs Tests results below you will understand I am an emotional person. I express my feelings and sometimes in inappropriate ways. But this day was different it was as though God had prepared me earlier in the day as I was reading “Ruthless Trust” remember from yesterday it was the book I had just bought earlier in the day? Well I have to confess the trust that overwhelmed me was not my own. It was the very trust of Jesus that worked in me at that accident scene. You see if I had relied on my trust I would have been cussing all involved in the accident because it seemed to me that people were not listening at all. It seemed as though no one cared about my first born and his minor injuries. But because of the ruthless trust of Jesus that worked in me I was able to be calm and caring to all involved. So finally the scene is cleared and I leave to go and see my son in the hospital. Long story short he is fine. And you know what this day has been a TOTAL BLESSING from our Father! I can only imagine the love Father has for us. As I write this I am in tears thinking about my two wonderful sons I love them more than my very life. And as much as I love them it is NOTHING in comparison to how our Heavenly Father loves us. If you are blessed of God to have children pick them up tonight and hold them tight. And if you are childless pickup a friends child. When you do listen closely and you will hear the voice of our Father as he says to you “you are my son/daughter in whom I am well pleased”! Be Blessed, I Am!

Peace
Geo

Applebee’s, Accidents & Hospitals

The phone rang Tuesday it was my eldest son asking if I could bring him his bath towels he had left and a pair of shoes that had been delivered to our house. He asked if I could drop them off at his workplace Thursday around noon and then we could have lunch together. Great idea! I would do anything to get to spend time with him plus I could get some shopping done before we went to lunch. So off I went yesterday morning first to Family Bookstores to get The Matthew video for our counselor/mentors Bruce & Judy Fowler and to get other CD’s books and various things. Well this was to be no ordinary day. First the video that we were getting our friends cost $70.00 which I knew before hand. So I continued to shop I bought a CD an IWorship DVD and two books by Brennan Manning one of which was “Ruthless Trust” When I get to the checkout I am expecting the total to be about $130.00 I look up and the total is only $80.00! WHAT! As I look at the receipt it tells me the video was reduced from $70.00 to $20.00! YES! God is so good! So I go to meet my son for lunch. I had 30 minutes to wait so I begin to read the ‘Ruthless Trust” book I just bought. My son comes out we go have a great lunch at Applebee’s I take him back to work and head for home. As I am driving home I thought to myself life is so good I am so blessed and then 15 minutes into my ride home everything changes when the cell phone rings………….. Tomorrow: the Accident & the Hospital

Much Love
Geo

Was Paul a Blogger?

I was thinking about online fellowship and questioning was it in fact true fellowship? I mean what takes place when we fellowship? What are the interactions that go on when we enter into this thing called fellowship? Is it possible for me and you to have true fellowship with each other when we have never met face 2 face? To me the answer is YES! Those of you who have left comments here I daily check your blogs and lots of other blogs also. By doing so I begin to get a feel for who you are. In a lot of ways blogger fellowship is more open and real than face 2 face fellowship. So then I began to think would the Apostle Paul have been a blogger? And my conclusion is YES! I mean as you read his letters he is always telling the recipients to pass the letters to other fellowships for them to read. Although I am not good at putting my thoughts into words as some of you are I never the less feel that I should. As I believe you should also. For some on this journey out of the previous into the unknown future you bloggers are the only regular fellowship they can count on at this time. So blog away, your brothers and sisters are waiting to be blessed and challenged by your unique views and revelations.

Much Love
Geo

Peace or War?

The following dialog is from Braveheart. A movie that is rich with analogies. It is for all of you who are caught between what used to be and what will be. As you read let the Holy Spirit lead you to the true meaning of your own situation. May He give you Peace and a sense of purpose to carry on.

Hamish: You do know it's a trap. Tell him.

Stephen: I think if the Bruce wanted to kill you he'd have done it
already at Falkirk.

William: Aye.

Stephen: I know, I saw.

Hamish: leaving him aside. What about the others? The nest of

scheming bastards couldn't agree on the color of shite. It's a trap, are

you blind?

William: We've got to try. We can't do this alone. Joining the nobles is
the only hope for our people. You know what happens if we don't
take that chance?

Hamish: What?

William: Nothing.

Hamish: I don't want to be a martyr.

William: Nor I. I want to live. I want a home, and children, and peace.

Hamish: Do ya?

William: Aye, I do. I've asked God for these things. It's all for nothing
if you don't have freedom.

Hamish: That's all a dream, William.

William: A dream? Just a.....? Ha! What we've been doing all this time;
we've lived that dream.

Living the Dream
Geo

Personality Test
My friend Alexander had this test on his site today so here is my results from the test.

Geo

Conscious self	Overall self

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

You Turd!

In "The Ragamuffin Gospel" Brennan Manning tells a story about a woman that comes to him and asks, “Please teach me to pray”! After which he starts into a haughty condescending cross examination of the woman as to her current prayer life. Then later that night with self-approval Brennan goes before the Lord in prayer. He is full of his own self righteousness as he begins to pray the Lord says to him, “You ungrateful TURD! Even the desire to say grace is itself My Gift!”

That thought has hit me a lot lately as I consider this trip into the unknown that we are on. I mean sometimes I am so self-righteous when it comes to what we believe the Lord has shown as it pertains to BodyLife. What makes me think that I had anything to do with the knowledge we have been given! The awakening we have been involved in over the past two years has nothing to do with my knowledge or expertise. We have been given this freedom by the GRACE of God! We did not earn it but yet sometimes we act as though we did. What I mean is sometimes we think that all of the heartache and pain of this journey is like a price we paid to be free. That is a lie from hell! The heartache has come from our desire to “be somebody”! When in reality we are turds. We are redeemed turds but turds just the same. And the only reason we do not smell like turds is because of the sweet fragrance of the Crucified Christ covers us. So the next time someone tells you that you think your shit does not stink, SMILE! Because it no longer does!

Much Love
Geo

Crushed But Not Destroyed

The Mighty have fallen!

WARNING 2 for you Post-Modern City Dwellers:
This entry is NOT pretty it is about REAL life in
Yinzburgh, Pennsylvania


Killing the Lamb

My friend Al would have been a Levitical Priest had he lived in Old Testament times. He loves to kill things, for food of course. I mean he loves the whole process from shooting or knifing to a hammer in the head to the skinning and preparation of the meat for dinner he loves it all! His motto is:
“If God didn’t want us to eat animals he would not have made them out of meat”! We have slaughtered pigs and lambs together. The difference between how a pig dies and how a lamb dies is truly a biblical lesson. A few years back we went to the farmer to pick out a pig to slaughter. Well first a pig acts like a pig. You have to beat it to get it to go into the stall where you then shoot it in the head. After which you quickly drag it out and cut its throat to bleed it. During the whole process the pig is fighting all the way. Everything about the process is piggly!

But when we went to get the lamb for a lamb roast we were having the whole scene was different. The lamb did not fight for its life. Al cornered it picked it up gently in his arms took it out of the barn then laid it on its side holding it down with his knee. He turned its head to the side and plunged a sharp knife into its jugular! The whole time the lamb remained silent not fighting or struggling and demanding its life but it was totally given over to its mission of supplying life to those who would eat of its flesh. It seemed as though it knew why it was created. It quietly gave the ultimate sacrifice. Man seeing that made me truly understand what the scriptures mean when it calls Jesus the Lamb of God! Who freely gave of His flesh that we might eat from eternity. The next time you see a lamb in a field remember The Lamb knew that his purpose was and is to supply life to others AND HE DID IT WILLINGLY!
Will you and I do the same?
When it comes to dying to this world I have to admit that most of the time I am like the pig! In my mind I want to be like the Lamb but my flesh cries out to be piggly! In the end of things both animals die. But one dies an ugly hopeless death and the other dies a death that screams quietly of hope, freedom and redemption!

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!
Hope, Freedom & Redemption!

Much Love
Geo

It’s In The Water!

WARNING for you Post-Modern City Dwellers:
The next two entries are NOT pretty they are about REAL life in
Yinzburgh, Pennsylvania


Stuffing Sausage & Killing the Lamb

I went to church today at my friend Al’s house. So what did we learn? What did we study? What deep things of God were discussed there? Well we stuffed deer meat and sausage into intestine casings to make kielbasa! Now I have just one question: Who is the Einstein who first decided to stuff meat into an intestine casing? I mean do you realize what was in that intestine casing before your sausage or kielbasa? I will spare you the details because I think you can figure it out. But someone had to clean that thing out in order for you to have your sausage link this morning. Think about that the next time you eat a sausage link or a kielbasa! Anyway back to what did me and Al learn? Well I cannot speak for him but I learned that stuffing intestine casings with deer meat and sausage is a spiritual experience. That experience is a shared life in the simple fellowship of daily activities. Some would say that this is not church but to me it is what Jesus was all about. Shared life with friends and family this is CHURCH! As for Killing the Lamb I will tell about that tomorrow.

Much Love
Geo

It’s In The Water!

The Heretic

The freedom we know have in Christ is GREAT! The freer in Jesus I become the more Institutional People think me a heretic. There is a line in the movie "Braveheart" where right after William Wallace has been knighted the nobles start to argue over what clan has the legitimate claim to the throne of Scotland. In the scene Wallace in the middle of the nobles wrangling for position starts to walk out. Not one notices at first but then as Wallace climbs the stairs to leave they notice and ask him this question,
"Craig: Gentlemen! Please, Gentlemen! Wait! Sir William, where are you going?
William: We have beaten the English, but they'll come back because
you won't stand together.
Craig: Well what will you do?
William: I will invade England and defeat the English on their own
ground.
Craig: Invade? That's impossible.

William: Why? Why is that impossible? You're so concerned with
squabbling for the scraps from Longshank's table that you've missed
your God-given right to something better. There is a difference
between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you
with position. I think your position exists to provide those people
with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it.”!

That line is what I want my life to be about as it relates to setting people free from cold dead lifeless non-relational Christianity! People say you can’t invade the mighty powers that be. I say the hell you can’t!

Geo

It's In The Water!

New Blog Links
Checkout the new blog links
Blue's Blogs and Noonege T. Zitman
pronounced - noon gee.

The Author of Shit Faced

As me and my wife were reading this morning from Malachi we came across this passage:
Mal 2:3 Behold, I am rebuking your seed; and I will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your appointed feasts. And one shall lift you up to it.

To which my bride responds “God is the author of man being Shit Faced”! I almost fell off of the sofa laughing. We then talked about how our Father has a real sense of humor. How He must has almost fell off of His heavenly throne laughing at her statement and observation. So lighten up today and laugh a little after all someday soon you to may be “Shit Faced”!

It's In The Water!

Geo

Last night I had dinner with my friends Bruce and Judy of Peace Ministries. They are biblical counselors by day and great intercessors by day and night to countless hurting people of which I and my wife were and sometimes still are. These are two of the most giving and Godly people that I know. I love them like a father and mother.

But it was not always like that. You see it was only a few short years ago that we met. The reason was I had left my wife and filed for a divorce. And we were in counseling to at that time I thought help my soon to be ex-wife “get on with her life”. Man was I in for a surprise! We had only been to one counseling session when at the second session Bruce made me so mad I walked out. I hated him he had a different agenda than I did. I wanted to help I thought my soon to be ex-wife feel better about me leaving her. He thought I was there to repair and restore my marriage. He said things like, “God is a covenant God, and your marriage is a covenant, it will only be over when God breaks His covenants”.
Well to me he was saying my marriage was not over till God says so! I was not there to hear that! Then he proceeds to tell my wife that scripture says “if you have an unbelieving husband that wants to leave let him leave”. To which I responded, “I AM NOT AN UNBELIEVER” at that he repeated again the same thing; scripture says “if you have an unbelieving husband that wants to leave let him leave”. At that I stormed out of the office to which I heard Bruce say, “Well at least that is something”.
In the weeks following that session I quit my job, moved out of state and filed for divorce. For 5 months me and my wife had no contact at all. I was getting on with my life or so I thought. I pursued my relationship with God but to no avail. There was no joy of fellowship with Him there was no blessings to be found in this new life I had made for myself. I wanted more of God but He would not allow me to until one day when I called my wife asking for reconciliation. Yes of course she said.
You see the reason she could say yes of course to reconciliation after all that I had done to hurt her was because of God and His use of Bruce and Judy as counselors in the life of my wife for the 5 months I was gone. For 5 months they had given her Godly Biblical Counseling. So we began the process of reconciliation which was about another year in which we both saw Bruce and Judy in counseling. A funny thing happened on the way to our marriage being restored as God intended, we made two new friends. You see the people who had started out as counselors became our friends.

Its amazing that the man I hated who made me so mad that I left a counseling session with is now a man that I look for opportunities to be with!
Well I guess you could say Bruce has come a long way in the last 3 ½ years. Ha!
I say that tongue in-cheek. It is I who by the grace of The Father have had to walk a long road back. But my friends have been there and for them I am thankful.
So thank you my friends Bruce and Judy!
You were just counselors at one time but now
I CALL YOU FRIENDS!

I Love You Guys!!!
P.S. They paid for the meal!!

It’s In The Water!!

Much Love
Geo