Father, Forgive Us..........

Its been a while since Ive posted on here. Been so busy with the day to day of life. But I had to put a few things "on paper", if you will. I was at work when I heard the news about the evil that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School today. I had to take a few minutes to myself to reflect on what I had heard, say a prayer for those poor babies and their families, and thank God that my 2 beautiful girls were ok. I thought about the last time I saw my girls..... I rushed out the door for work this morning, quickly hugging them and telling them I had to run because I was going to be late for work. I nearly broke down as I thought, "What if that was the last time I saw my girls?" My heart was instantly broken. It is such a sad sad and sickening day for us as Americans. I pray for the families of these poor children. An evil monster, taking out whatever his problems are, on the only truly innocent members of the human race, children. Makes me absolutely sick. And to top it off, many people are using this to talk politics and gun control. When are people going to realize, that no matter how hard we try, WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL!!!!! We push God aside, push Him out of our schools, dont want to "offend" anyone. I'll never understand why we as Christians, lay down and allow people to dictate to us when and where we can worship God. We push God out of our government, out of our schools, out of our work place, because "He doesnt belong their", and "We need to separate these things", yet we ask Him, "Where was He?" when bad things happen, or when things dont happen the way we planned, or we dont like how "Our Plans" are playing out. Me personally, I just pray that God doesnt turn His back on our nation they we have turned ours on Him!! I hope and pray that the families of these victims know of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I dont see how its possible for a person to deal with something this tragic, without knowing of His love and promise to us. I also KNOW that no person who knows Jesus Christ, and lives with Him in their hearts, could unleash this kind of Evil on another human being. I challenge every single one of you, for the sake of you, me, our children, and our nation, tell everyone you know about Jesus. Share His love, share His story. Get Him down off the shelf youve been keeping Him on while you live your lives, and start carrying Him on your shoulder, for everyone to see! Stop hiding Him, because you are afraid of offending someone! We HAVE to share the Gospel, get more people living and striving to walk the path that Jesus Christ layed for us. We have got to stop trying to control everything. Their arent enough laws of men, warning labels, safeties, shields, and bubble wrap to keep us safe from each other! We must submit to the Almighty God, and start living His plan! TELL SOMEONE ABOUT JESUS! INVITE THEM TO CHURCH, AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!! And pray. Pray pray pray. When youre done praying, pray some more. Get in your Bible. It is the Word of God, it is His breath. The answers to ALL your questions are in there!
     Grab your children. Hold them tight. Pray for them. And ask yourself, "Am I doing everything I can to make sure that I have helped do my part to fill the world with as many followers of Christ as I can, to surround my children as they grow up in this cruel world?" This is OUR responsibility. Again, I pray for the victims, the victims families, my friends and family, and our country. "Father, forgive us."

Trusting God, Letting Go, and Living Free

For as long as i can remember, I have tried to stay in control of every aspect of my life. I've always been a bit of a control freak, with some OCD tendencies, and still to this day feel very strongly that I am "in the right" most of the time. And being in control definately has its pros, Im not gonna lie. Knowing, or atleast thinking you know, whats going on all the time, being able to plan your life day to day, week to week, month to month, etc. The problem with being in control is, atleast the biggest problem, is when things dont go according to your plan. And lets face it, you cant make a plan for ANYTHING without something going wrong!! And when you're the one in control, you carry all the burden of fixing the plan, adjusting what your doing, and still trying to get to the outcome that you've planned out. Do this day in and day out, fixing adjusting planning fixing adjusting planning, this becomes a vicious cycle that leads to an extraordinary amount of stress, frustration, and feelings of failure when you just can get your plans to work out the way you want them too. When you live like this, you tend to walk through life the way I did for years. Constantly upset and frustrated because things arent going how YOU want, saying things like, "why is this happening to me?" Constantly worrying about making your plans work out, and in doing so, missing out on all the lessons and blessings that are happening all around you! Imagine for a moment what it would be like to wake up, go through your day, and know that everything is going to be ok, you dont have to worry with every little detail, just enjoy all your blessings, and live your live free of the kind of stress that can just destroy your life, physically, mentally and emotionally. Sounds impossible, but this is exactly how my life has been for a little while now. Ive been slowly getting there since accepting Jesus into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Because when I did this, I accepted the fact the God had a plan for me, and I am in His hands. I was on a journey to this point as I learned and accepted more from the Bible, but it really hit high gear and has become my way of living during a sermon from our preacher, Barry Yates, a while back. Before we get to that, let me give you a little backstory about my journey. I was raised in a Christian home with a solid Christian family. In fact, I would put money on my Ma-Maw against pretty much anyone in a challenge about anything and everything related to Christianity and the Bible. The woman reads her bible cover to cover every single year! But back on track, I have always believed in God, I knew he was real, I knew about Jesus, but I wasnt living my life for Jesus. I believed, but didnt have time for Him. Was too busy living MY life, working MY plans. And my mom had been asking me forever, come to church with me son. And I always just brushed her off. I might step into church around Christmas, or Easter, you know, the "important" Sundays. And to this day, I remember having a conversation with my mother asking me one Saturday to come to church Sunday. My response, "Mom, I dont have time for church! Im busy, Ive got work, softball, kids, etc. How am I supposed to squeeze church time in there?" She said to me, "Son, you need to make time for Him, or He will slow you down." Yeah yeah yeah, ok. Monday night I tore my biceps tendon from my elbow playing softball. Surgery, 5-6 months recovery, out of work until then, "Why God, why have you done this to me!!" Sound familiar? Needless to say, after a month or so of moping around the house with my arm in a cast, mom asked again, wanna come to church with me? Why not, what else am I gonna do! Needless to say, I became hooked you can say. Fell in love with Jesus, accepted him, have missed very few Sundays since. And I began to accept that Im NOT in control. God is always in control. And he has a plan for all of us. Now Im certainly not saying that if you dont believe in God, or dont answer His call, that he's going to tear your biceps, thats just what was necessary in my case to get my attention. It was in His plan. And I have looked at many events in my life looking back over the years and "seen the Light" that God had a plan for me all along. And I began to accept that I cant control everything. But as I stated earlier, this thought process and way of living really hit high gear a while back, when Preacher Barry talked to us about the difference between believing in God, and Trusting God. The analogy he used, and Im gonna steal from him, was if you have a good friend who tells you, "I can walk a tightrope while carrying someone on my back." Say you've known them a long time, theyve always been honest, you have always believed them and they never let you down, so if he says he can do it, I believe him, I believe he could do it. This is how many people tend to view God and Jesus. They believe in Him, they believe he did all the things that are said he did. But do you TRUST him. Say your friend who you BELIEVE can walk a tightrope, suddenly needs to carry YOU across a tightrope! You believe he can do it, but do you trust him to do it? See, to get from believe to trust, you must give up control! You can believe all you want and remain in control of your life, but to trust, you mush give up control and put it in someone elses hands. See, when you TRUST God, no matter what kinks get thrown into your life, you can simply say, "Ok God, what are you trying to show me here? What do you want me to do?" No longer are you the one with the burden of fixing, or getting back to your plan! Simply let go, accept that God has a plan for you, and ask that question when plans change!, "God, what do you want me to do? What are you trying to show me?" If you do this, you release the stranglehold that stress has over your life! Because youre not in control! You are a pawn in God's plan, just be available for what he wants you to do, and you will always be exactly where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing! Im trying to help my wife get to his point, because she is a bit of a worrier. And Im constantly telling her, "Honey, just pray about it, and be available for whatever God has planned for you." She is getting there, and you can to. Just let go, ask God "What do you want me to do here?" And when you feel something you cant explain tugging on your heart and mind, maybe something as simple as the thought crossing your mind, "I should give my friend Stephanie a call", dont just brush it off, be available to what God wants, and you will find that you are doing exactly what God wants you to be doing! You will find crazy things happening, like calling someone just when they really needed it, or tearing your biceps tendon and later finding out that it was exactly what you needed, or missing a trip somewhere, then getting to help someone out who needed it. Happens all the time, and its no coincidence! Its all in His divine plan! So try letting go, be available, and experience what "Living Free" can be when you truly TRUST GOD!

Loving God, Loving your Wife.

So, if asked the question, "Do you love your wife?", most men would give you a puzzled look, followed by, "Of course! What kind of question is that?" But since accepting Jesus into my heart, I look at this question differently. Of course you love your wife. You wouldnt have married her if you didnt. But do you love your wife the way God intended you too? Do you love her the way Jesus loved you? How about the way you love your kids? See, I used to believe that "Love" was supposed to be perfect, or just right. Like I feel way too many people think, that if your relationship with your wife is hard, or difficult, or if you're having to work hard, that you're not in the right situation. I can tell you that this type of thinking nearly cost me my wife and family. And I believe its the reason that the divorce rate is at an all time high. I know in my heart that at one time, my wife no longer believed we were meant to be together. And this was completely my fault, because I had taken her for granted. I did not treat her with the respect she deserves, I did not give her the credit for doing all the things she does as a wife and mother. Since accepting Jesus into my heart, and reading the "Owner's Manual", or the Bible for those of you who dont have the pleasure of listening to Barry preach, I have found a much truer, deeper love for my wife. Because, Jesus was the ultimate example of love, and as Christians we should all strive to be as close to Him as we can! I have learned that true love, Godly love, isn't supposed to be some "fairytale". You've never talked to a couple whos been married for 50, 60, 70 years and heard them talk about how perfect its all been. They speak about "working at it, working together, and loving each other through the difficult times." My definition of true love now is, loving someone with all of your heart, soul, body, and mind, loving them when its easy, as well as when times are hard, loving someone so much that you are willing to fight through adversity with them, not quit and run to find someone else more perfect, or "easier to deal with." There has only been one perfect person to walk the face of this Earth ever, so I'd say your chances of finding a perfect spouse are pretty slim, dont you think?!? To truly love your wife, I feel that even though you love them different than you love your children, you should love her with the same conviction and effort that you love your children. If your children are difficult to live with at times, or aggravate you at times, or do things that you dont approve of, or make mistakes, or just get to a point as teenagers (which im nowhere near ready for!) that they dont like or agree with how you are raising them, you dont just throw in the towel, and say, "Thats it, I cant do this anymore! Im going to find some different kids who are easier to live with!" I know, that sounds ridiculous and proposterous! But people do it to their spouses every single day! What if Jesus had decided, "You know what, you people just wont listen, your too difficult, Im tired of trying this hard for you all!" Where would we be if He didnt love us unconditionally the way he did! Not somewhere I'd want to be! I believe if we spent more time reading and learning the Bible, and a little less time with Walt Disney, we might realize that their is no perfect fairytale life, and God expects you to have enough respect for you wife, to work at your relationship, and to fight to keep her. The way Jesus loved us, worked for us, fought for us, and eventually died to save us! This is our ultimate example of true love! It wasnt easy, or perfect, or trouble free. Far from it! I can tell you I have several great examples in my family of true love. I could tell you about my Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa, or Gramma and Grampa Fosdick, or Robbie and Judy Carroll, or, well, I could name many. But my biggest influences, easily my Mother and Father. Now I know what youre probably thinking, "Rick, they got divorced 25 years ago! This is your example?!?!" Wow, I feel old after typing that last sentence, ouch. Ok, back on topic!! Yes, my Mom and Dad, because they have told me forever, the biggest mistake they made in their marriage was that they didnt fight for each other. They are both remarried now, living their lives in true Christian relationships, while always keeping God in the center of their marriages. See, they have not only shown me what not to do, but how to do it the right way as well! I will be the first person to tell you, that there are times when no person on this earth could drive me as batty as my wife can! But she is my wife, the mother of my children, and my partner for life. I love her with all of my being. As I said earlier, there has only ever been one perfect person to walk this Earth, and it certainly wasnt me! I still argue with my wife over silly things, and we certainly dont get along all the time, or agree all the time. But I know that she is who I will be with for the rest of my life. I know that when she is gone, i feel empty. She truly was designed by God to complete me, and I am so thankful everyday that the Lord opened my eyes to allow me to see it. I vow to respect her enough as the woman God made for me, to fight for her, to love her unconditionally, to never give up on her, or walk out on her. I believe people who have been around us long enough, can see a difference in the way Sutherland and I live together, talk to each other, and work together to raise our girls in a Christian home. Of course, I constantly have to remind myself to calm down, respect her, fight for her, etc., because the Devil will always try to take your joy from you. He does this by trying to get you to love yourself more than others. But remember, God will always win! Keep him centered in your relationship, and the Devil can do nothing to destroy what God has his hands on!! So, if you can take all this into consideration, think about our ultimate example of love, Jesus Christ, and all he did for us, and ask youself this question again, "Do you love your wife?" See the question a little differently now? I hope this gives some of you different perspective, or a whole new outlook on love, or maybe just piques your interest enough to open your Bible and learn more about God's expectations of you. In any case, thank you for reading this, and go tell your wife you love her, fight FOR HER, not WITH HER! Love you guys. Thanks for your time.

I LOVE YOU SUTHERLAND!
           -Rick
P.S. - I suppose any of you wives reading this could change "wife" to "husband", but Im no preacher, and cant give all perspectives. All I know how to speak on is my perspective, which is to speak about loving my wife.

Have you made a difference for God today?

Have you made a difference for God today? A simple 8 word question, yet when it is really looked at, can completely change your outlook on how you're living your life. Our Preacher at Carolina's Cornerstone Baptist Church gave us this question, and told us to ask this of ourselves before we lay our heads down to sleep each night. How you answer it makes all the difference in our Creator's eyes. In the grand scheme of things, which is to say in God's plan, not our laughable plans for what we should be doing, the only things you can do each day of your life that have any significant meaning are things that will outlast you when you are gone. Earning extra money to buy earthly possessions, or playing softball games, or anything you do for fun, entertainment, etc. are ultimately meaningless if you are not doing them to glorify God and make disciples out of nonbelievers. If you are not living your life to glorify God in everything you do, then you are not living the way the Bible tells us we are supposed to be. In everything we do as Christians, we should be striving to show the people around us that there is something different about us, and so they may open the door to ask, "Why do you live this way? Why do you have such joy in your life? How do you deal with problems that arise with such calmness and confidence?" Questions such as these give us the opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They give us the opportunity to tell others about how we were saved, why we know and believe everything will be ok because it is all a part of a true Loving God's plan. But if we live like hypocrites, by going to church on Sunday, and saying the right things, and praising God, and assuming that that is enough, and then putting God away in his box we keep him in Monday-Saturday, then we are robbing the people around us of the greatest gift a human being can ever recieve- Grace! The Bible says that we as Christians are responsible for the non-believers that we come in contact with every single day. And one day we will be asked why we didnt help the people around us, why we didnt spread the Gospel, why we didnt do as we were commanded to do. Now, I know you may be thinking, "Im not the right person for that. There are better people for that job, who will know what to say, how to say it, or are more qualified than I am." But God never calls on qualified people to do a job. He calls upon the unqualified, and qualifies them! I went on a mission trip with 101 other people from our church to Savannah, Ga. a few weeks ago. I wanted to go because my Mother and Stepdad told me i was going, and talked about it for months afterwards. I decided pretty quickly I was going, because they seemed to really help people fix up their homes and such, and Ive always been a hard worker, and figured I could do some good down there with them. I didn't plan on doing and of the "God" stuff. I was going to work hard, fix some stuff in houses, and let other more "qualified" people take care of the "God" stuff. But I learned what Preacher Barry has been  telling us for a while, which is you just have to be available when God calls, invest time in people's lives, and God will take care of the "God" stuff! He's the only one who can! He will give you the words when you need them, he will show you the open door to step into, and when you listen, it becomes so simple, and feels so easy that you forget all about those silly thoughts you had about "Someone else doing it." The other thing I learned was more of a decision at a crossroad. During our devotions one night, Barry gave us all a rock. He asked us to bow our heads, close our eyes, and ask ourselves, "What is holding you back, and keeping you from being the Christian you are supposed to be?" He then said "This rock in your hands represents whatever it is holding you back, if you feel moved to do so, I call you to bring your rock forward, put whatever is holding you back in that rock, and drop it in this washtub, and free yourself to be the Christian God designed you to be!" For me it was very simple. Pride! I am always too proud to stand up and speak for the Lord, or in the name of the Lord. I didnt want people to look at me like one of those "weird Godly people" or something. Typing this now, it seems so silly. But I dropped my rock in that bucket. A little while later our 13 person Mission Team was meeting, and I felt moved to say what I had learned in the last few days, and thank them for allowing me to be a part. Before, I would have just let other people talk, because i do not like talking in front of people at all! A step in the right direction I thought! The next day we were doing devotionals again, and Barry left a microphone in front of the church for people to tell what the trip meant to them so far. A hundred people? No way Im talking to that many people! But I felt moved to tell them what I had learned, and I had just told God I wasnt going to be too proud to speak about him, so nervously, I walked in front of all those people, and spoke my peace. And felt amazing afterwards! Another stepping stone came on Sunday, when Preacher Barry called me in front of the entire church congregation to say what I said on that day in Savannah. I was looking around, surely he's talking to a different Rick, right? But one more time, I put my pride down, walked to the front, and spoke. And the latest step on my journey is starting this blog. Ive always got things on my mind that Id like to share, but never do. This blog is going to be just one more way for me to try to tell my stories, talk about what our Lord Jesus has done for me and my family. My hope is, that someone will hear or read what Ive had to say, and think to themselves, maybe I need to look at my relationship with God. Maybe I need to make some changes in my life as well. Maybe Im not living my life the way God has commanded me to. Or the big one, I dont know Jesus, but I want to know him! And if they make a decision to make a change in their life, then they will be able to lay their head down on their pillow to rest that day, as I am able to do now, and proclaim, "Yes, I did make a difference for God today!"
-Rick