The Seeking, Strengthening God

In the years that I have been a follower of Jesus Christ I have read through the Bible more than once. I read it, whether briefly or at great length, on a daily basis. I, however, continue to stumble upon verses or passages of Scripture that capture my attention. It’s like finding a gold nugget on a familiar path.

This afternoon I was reading and was struck by the following words:

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. – 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)

The thought that God is looking for people to strengthen encourages me. When you read the Bible it does not take long to see that God is primarily focused on Himself; not us. His primary objective is to display His own glory. He created us for His purpose. He set forward the work of redemption to secure worshipers for Himself. He will bring all things to an end in order to fulfill His glory.

Yet… He is seeking people to strengthen. He is looking for people in which to pour His power and divine resources. He longs to single out people to build up, encourage, and empower.

And what kind of people is He looking for?      …”those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” He is not looking for the best dressed, best educated, or even the best behaved. He is looking for those who have set their hearts on Him; those who are passionate about Him.

In other words, God seeks to bless those who are passionately pursuing the same thing He is… His glory. As I meditate on this text, I am reminded that if I set my heart to seek His gifts I will miss His gifts and may altogether miss Him. However, if I set my heart to seek His glory, I will find His gifts but more importantly I will find Him.

Kickoff Saturday

Hello. My name is Brett and I am a footballaholic. I am addicted to football in all forms. From high school games to NFL. In a pinch I will even watch games from the Canadian Football League. Yes, it is that bad.

The NFL preseason started a couple weeks ago. College football began just a couple days ago. We sat in the stands last night as Lake Placid played Sebring.

But it really starts tonight. At 7:00pm tonight there is the kickoff to by drug of choice. The Gators of the University of Florida officially begin their 2009/2010 football season. I say 2010 because their season won’t be over until they win the BCS National Championship game in January.

I write this post in order to help prepare those of you who live in Lake Placid. When you hear loud noises coming from the Morey house tonight do not be startled. Everything is OK. We’re just rockin’ with the Gators.

Home from Atlanta

I got home last night from my whirlwind trip to Atlanta. I spent two days working in our house to prep it to sell. I can hand the keys over to my real estate agent and feel good about how the house looks.

While I was there I paid a visit to Westridge Church. The church is about five miles from our house there and I have been fond of the church for a long time. Westridge is about 12 years old and averages 4,000 in worship. I have been blessed to know some of their staff. God has built an amazing church there.

I went to worship as well as observe how they do certain things. I wanted to learn more specifically about how they do two different things:

1. How they handle guest services.
2. How they handle lighting, sound, and other environment issues during their services.

Their guest services are exceptional. I expected it it to be such. They are a church that truly exists to bring people to Jesus. From the layout of the building to the volunteers, I always feel like special guest when I attend.

Their worship service was great. The music was the same as our contemporary service (although I prefer our worship leaders). I did, however, learn from how they handled their lighting and sound. I was impressed with some of what they did.

It was a profitable trip. I feel good about our house. I learned from a great church.

By the way, my father-in-law is still in ICU in Lake Placid but is feeling much better. Thanks for all of the prayers.

Heading North

Tomorrow morning I will be on the road to Atlanta. I haven’t been back since we moved. I still have a house there for sale and I have to do some work on it. I’m looking forward to the cooler temperatures that I have been hearing about.

Coincidentally, as I am heading out of town, my inlaws are coming into town. They are going to spend some time with my wife and kids. No, I didn’t plan it this way. In fact. I really enjoy the time I get to spend with Mandy’s parents. I have been blessed to have a great relationship with them.

Pray for me as I drive. I had the opportunity to fly for free but in the words of my wife, “How are you going to bring things back from the old house if you fly?” Oh well, so much for the short flight.

However, I do get to stop by the Holy Land (Gainesville) on the way. I could use a little Bono’s BBQ and a glimpse of the Swamp.

Fresh Start

Prior to coming to Lake Placid I maintained a blog and posted to it fairly often. I moved to this great church and hit the ground running. I would post a few articles here and there but, for the most part, I have been too caught up in ministry to write to a blog.

I don’t think that my pace has very changed much but I have have hit a comfortable stride. I have thought about it a good bit over the last few days and have decided to blog again. This time I want to start fresh. So this is post #1.