Drawing Closer

      Balancing life doesn't mean equal time in every area.  The older I get, the more I realize there is no such thing as work-life-balance. I mean, if I am really honest, I spend over sixty plus hours working in a week's time.  Somewhere between travel and work, I try to spend as much time as I can with Becca and the boys.  I play softball once a week, we have been hosting neighborhood game night on Friday evenings the last four years, occasionally, we host our small group on Mondays, we are working on adoption paperwork, and this list goes on.  This doesn't even touch on the passions and desires of our hearts. 

      So what do I need to be taking in and absorbing into my life that will draw me closer to God and help me to more fully understand God's holiness?  Currently, I am reading from the book of Leviticus. Alright, I know what you are thinking.  "Leviticus?  Really?"  The thing with Leviticus is it that it teaches the purity, the sacrificial atonement, the forgiveness, and the presence of God.  This is where God's holiness can be seen.  As I read chapter one, I am beginning to get a grip on how God interacted with His people and what were the offering requirements of that day.  How did life look during that time?  

      The reason I am starting here is really simple. It is interesting to me how clearly God lays out the path for us and how quickly and easily we tend to muddy the waters.  Our pride, our ambitions, our emotions, and everyday living so readily gets in the way of us drawing closer to God.  We use those obstacles as excuses and reasons for who we are, why we are that way, and why we are entitled to remain on that path.  However, once we begin to understand the holiness of God, we will begin to have God's perspective on life and who we have been created to be in His plan.  Only then will we begin to grasp all the goodness God truly has for our lives.

Day 1, Life Wide Open

      Do you ever wonder how life is supposed to look? Do you have regrets regarding past mistakes, questions about what the future holds, or concerns pertaining to present circumstances? These are things I think about all the time. As I live life with the throttle wide open, as it were, these are things I want to understand better in order to become a better husband, father, brother, son, and a better friend.

      There are questions I frequently ponder. What are my life choices producing?  Is my speech reaping "life" into my family and others who step in and out of my daily life? Will God say, "Well done, My son" at the end of the day? What is it that draws me closer to God, my wife, and my children? Am I speaking words of truth and life into their lives? Are the results and consequences of my choices reflective of God's Person and His glory? Or at the end of the day, is it all about me?

      I am a technology junkie. At any moment, whether I am at work or at home, I receive phone calls, texts, emails, and breaking news flashes on mulitple devices.  Combine that with a short attention span, staying focussed is like trying to drive uphill on black ice in an ice storm. So how does this father slow down every day to hear God's voice? How do I adjust my life to grow closer to my wife? How do I slow my pace to enjoy, teach, and learn from my children?  Since technology is such a draw for me, I have decided to use it to help slow me down so I may better share my struggles and successes with you.  

       Life often seems to move at breakneck speed.  I invite you to join me on this journey learning to lean on God for His wisdom and strength in order to glorify Him daily.