Have you ever had to start a campfire? Have you noticed that wood that is the most dry/dead is the best to catch fire? This was a revelation to me this morning. The more I die to my flesh and sinful desires, the more ready I am for the fire of God. But, sometimes even dead and dry wood is hard to burn, that’s why sometimes we may have to add an accelerant. For me the accelerant is the Bible. The more I read and meditate on God’s word, the more I am receptive to the flame of Holy Spirit.

Many times as much as I desire the Word and the Fire, often I am not as dead and ready to burn as I know I can be. I must choose a life of burning. I must choose a life of dying. What a paradox. To burn, I must die. For me the two are so intertwined they are almost one in the same. Burning= dying.

God, I commit once again to live in death. I commit to receiving your burning. Whatever you point out to cut out I will cut away. I choose death to have life.

Caedmon’s Call – Coming Home

You say you want a living sacrifice
Well I am a burnt offering
Crawling off the altar and
Back in to the fire

And with my smoke-filled lungs
I cry out for freedom
While locking and chaining myself
To my rotting desires

And I hate the stench,
But I swallow the key
And with it stuck in my throat
Can you hear me, can you hear me

I’m coming home, I’m coming home
I’m coming home, I’m coming home,
but I’m still a long way off

I am shelled-shocked, and I have walked
Through the trenches full of tears
With the mortars of memory
Exploding in my burning ears

You stripped the trees of Lebanon
And now you’re stripping me
Of the bark of false morality
And the bite of selfish greed
Can you hear me?

Will you run to me?
Will you come to me?
Will you meet me, will you greet me
Will you drag me home ’cause I’m still a long way off

Baby Spring Mix salad.

Brad Stewart went on vacation this week knowing that his iPad was coming in. He is letting me pick it up, sync it, and then bring it to him on our ministry trip this weekend. Here are the photos of the unboxing. **Please pay no attention to the horrible glare in some if the photos. More photos to come.**

We have been at the beach in SC since Saturday (7-3). On the way here we were told we had no cell phone service and no internet access till Tues.

WHAT?!?!?!?!?

Was the first thought that went through my mind. But once we got here the time spent with family was AWESOME. Yes, I did “find” some internet, but not having it readily available was both frustrating and freeing.

I have some friends who go through phases of “loving” to go camping. I like the idea of camping. I like the idea of no technology for a while. Actually not having access to technology, not so much. What not have access to my phone or internet has actually done is bring to light my addiction to technology.

I think I need a monthly time of just “unplugging”.

Are you “addicted” to modern technology? Do you need to unplug?

The sound of pounding metal should never cease from your ears.

Keep the hammer.

Keep the fire.

Do the work.

So, I was going to take a shower this afternoon to get ready for service tonight @theramp, when I stepped into the shower my foot hit the faucet and broke it off! Water was shooting out everywhere! So I loaded up the family and we headed to Tupelo, because Hamilton doesn’t really have any home improvement stores that are open on Sundays. Just now getting back home, waiting on Caleb Culpepper to get here to help.

Now this is what comes with home ownership, I guess.

Look what bloomed in our garden!

At work all I do is stand around building electrical boxes all day. I randomly have songs stuck in my head. It never stops. For about a week it was the “Hannah Montana” theme song. Here lately I have been making up little songs to Jesus to keep a “God-focused” mind and my heart set towards Him. Yesterday, I had a song that Joshua Heath Scott and I wrote several years ago rolling through my mind and I loved it. It made me remember what all God has done in me. Here is the chorus.

The Doubter

Hold me, O, Savior
I want to see
Your nailed scarred hands
and side pierced for me.
Your beautiful feet that brought faith to me,
Hold me, O, Savior. Hold me.

I realize that maintaining a “God-focused” mind is a fight like I’ve never fought. Not that my mind would wander anywhere bad, necessarily, just wander.

What do you do to keep a “God-focused” mind?