Gbotts.com

One step at a time…

After praying every so often that God would guide me concerning my future, and wondering what steps He would have me take in the meantime to get there… I think, last night, God gave me a clear sense of where to direct my efforts in the near future.

Andy (Pastor of Junction 122) was talking about following God, our mission, and how our lives should reflect how we draw closer to Him. I don’t remember exactly what sparked it, but I suddenly got this very strong sense that I needed to go somewhere.

I don’t know where, when, or how, but I do know this: God is asking me to prepare to move. He’s calling me somewhere, and when the time is right, He’ll reveal that to me. It may not be very long or very far… But then, it could be for an extended period of time, and it could be on the other side of the world.

So, how does that translate to action right now? Well, I’ll probably end up working more hours at Alco. Slightly less than what I’ve been doing these two weeks, but more than what has been my usual. It also means praying for the opportunities, and keeping my eyes open. God will guide me. All I need to do is take…

…One step at a time.

Last Friday I gave you a quick recap on my crazy week. I guess you could call this Part 2… It’s certainly the more important side of things. So, let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?

God’s been really pressing hard on my heart this week. He’s been revealing a lot of things to me that I didn’t even know I had problems with. I feel like the second part of that verse in Ecclesiastes: “There’s a time to build, and a time to tear down.” It’s good, but it’s rough.

Just a few things: One of my coworkers is on a trip in Europe now. She left Wednesday. Both Sunday and Mondy, I worked with her, and both time, I had a chance to try and bring up the topic of religion and where she stands (I don’t know where it is, but I’m pretty sure she isn’t Christian). I didn’t. I deeply regret it, and I hope God either brings someone else (braver), or gives me another chance (does He do third chances?).

Tuesday, at Junction, there was a panel discussion based off of a sermon we watched last week by John Piper about serving and following God in the minute details of our lives (“Whether eating or drinking, or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God” [emphasis mine]). At one point, the story of the rich young ruler who struggled with selling all his possessions to give to the poor came up. The question was how that applied to our lives. There were several excellent responses, but the one that stuck in my head was actually a question. If God asked me to give something up for Him, would I? I could sense God asking me the question. The conversation went something like this:

“So, Greg, would you do it?”

“Yeah! Sure I would!”

“Ok… You’ve got five dollars in your wallet. Would you give that up?”

“Sure, yeah, I’d do that…”

“Are you going to drop it in the box on your way out?”

“…Um… Yes?”

I had a brief chance to, but I didn’t. That’s stuck with me, and I can’t believe I didn’t trust Him in that. I didn’t even need to worry about it. But I held on. Why should He trust me with anything if I’m going to be like that?

And that’s the heart of the issue, I think… Trust. All this time, in every situation, God has been asking me to trust Him. Trust the results, the methods, the timing, everything… to Him. And I’ve struggled with that on a deep level. He’s asking me to not worry about what’s going on… Whether the future, the present, things already past, or anything. It’s not necessary for me to worry about it.

Yet I persist.

I guess I need to return to Matthew 6, and take every day…

…One step at a time.

Fairly quiet week for me this time. It’s nice to have that occasionally.

I’m keeping an eye on what’s going on with Israel and Turkey. It looks like Iran’s trying to get involved now, too. It looks pretty volatile… We’ll see what happens. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

One step at a time.

I thought about skipping the blog post this week, but I’ll go ahead and put something up here.

It’s been a confusing week for me. God is trying to teach me something… But I’m not exactly sure what it is. Not yet, anyways. He’s guiding me… I’m just not sure where.

I could use your prayers… First, that I would be open to whatever He’s trying to teach me, and second, that I would follow Him.

One step at a time.

“Trust Me.”

That was God’s message to me last night at Junction. I assume it would be an answer to my prayer, which I won’t go into now… But the connection is a little difficult to understand. Still… “Trust Me.”

I suppose it could be continued into this morning… When we attempted some more work on my car. We got a little ways, and then got stuck on one bolt. One bolt! I must confess, I lost it. Dented my door and everything (oops….). I will be very glad when we’re finally done with this project. We’re so close… But there’s still a few hoops to jump through yet.

In any case, life continues. Music is played, work is worked, fun is enjoyed, food is eaten, and sleep is slept. But where is God leading all of this?

And there you have it.

“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” – Proverbs 16:9

‘nough said.

…

…Oh, ok, I’ll explain.

This is the lesson God has been teaching me for the past few weeks (not to make it seem like He’s done or that I’m finished learning ). Through various circumstances, I’m finding a number of my plans frustrated. I’m not unhappy, anxious, or distraught over any of this, but it’s been happening. With all the crazy stuff going on in the world, we can have a tendency to try and plan all our steps. I do this all the time. That’s not to say that it’s a bad thing, because I think we should have some kind of idea where we’re going. However, when God decides He wants us to go in a different direction, that’s where we can run into some trouble. Keeping in mind this verse helps a lot.

Our plans for Wandering to play at a retreat last weekend fell through, because they ended up canceling the retreat (not enough attendees). My car broke down. We had to drive through the snow, instead of just ahead of it, on our way to Virginia. All problems according to my plans. But, God knows what He’s doing. He caused my car to give me warning signs, which led to us driving a different car to Virginia. I was able to do some other things and get some much needed rest last weekend. I can’t say I can think of a reason for us to drive through the snow on our way to Virginia… but I’m sure there is one.

So, all this to say, God knows what He’s doing, and He’s in control. Trust Him.

And there you have it.

Thanksgiving.

Every blessing we’ve received comes from the hand of God Himself. Even every trial, trouble, and storm is a blessing in disguise… A chance to grow and realize our utter dependance on God. Today we return praise and thanks to Him. For every family member, every friend, every provision, every good and pleasant thing. For the good times, the bad times, and the times when we wonder where God is taking us. For the conveniences and simple pleasures. For every blessing, physical, intangible, financial, spiritual, and relational. Thanks, God. You are worthy of all.

Happy Thanksgiving

This past Tuesday, after Junction, a number of people gathered at Applebee’s afterwards (this being their usual custom). Ethan and I joined them, and we had a great night. The food was decent, and the fellowship was excellent.

We had some great conversations going, including topics like “What is revival?,” how our country is in need of repentence, the importance of Israel as a nation and people, and even discussed the End Times a bit. One guy asked the question, “Is End Times an important subject to be discussing and understand?”

I think it’s an incredibly important subject. Aside from the obvious fact that it was included in the Bible, and all Scripture is God-breathed – and therefore useful – Yeshua even commanded us to be alert and watch for His return. Keeping a watchful eye on current world events, and studying prophecy even more is a big part of that. While we shouldn’t make firm predictions on how events will play out (since ony God knows that), we should be aware of how current events could “fit in,” so to speak.

What are your thoughts? Are the End Times an important subject for discussion and study? Leave a comment!

And there you have it.

To all my Jewish-feast-celebrating friends out there… Hope you had a great Purim!

Since it’s that time, I’ve been reading Esther, and it’s amazing to see God’s hand so clearly throughout the entire story. It’s a masterful tale… And knowing that it actually happened makes it clear that there was someone behind it, weaving the plot together in an incredible way. Even better is knowing that He’s still doing it…

I’ve nailed down my song list and order for our upcoming concert. I’ve decided to stay here through April, and so we’ll be having the concert at the end of April. We’ll see what happens after that, but one thing at a time.

We had a big snowstorm hit us yesterday, accompanied by cold temps. So, now we’re just staying inside with our nice wood fire…

Anyways, have a great Purim, have peace during these coming months, and stay warm.

And there you have it.

With Thanksgiving out of the way, the leftovers finished (we went through them rather quickly…), and November a thing of the past (that was so last week), we now turn our eyes to Christmas.

I must admit, this is probably my favorite time of the year, very close up there with Fall (‘though I’m not sure which is better…). Snow covering the ground, dropping tempuratures, Christmas music… Everything combines to just make it such a great time of the year. That, and Mom making Christmas cookies… (…That one’s mishapen, I’d better dispose of it for you… )

Our preparations for the Christmas concert are coming along well. There’s still a few songs that need work, and everything needs polished, but it’s all coming together. The date is set for December 20th at 7pm, so we should be ready by then. I’m hoping to get it all recorded, and if I do, you can be sure I’ll post a track or two up here.

As we move forward, let’s keep our perspective. Let’s keep in mind that Yeshua is in control, that He is good, and let’s not just focus on how He came to earth over two thousand years ago to redeem us, but also that He is coming again soon to restore us and take His rightful place as the Lord of Heaven and Earth. May it be soon!
And there you have it.