Happy Easter

After our church left this afternoon, I was cleaning dishes and warming up leftovers for dinner, and Beau came up to me and gave me a hug.  He told me that he sees that I'm different from other dads, and he really appreciates me.  

That means so much to me.

Father, I want to be like you.  I love you.

Intimacy with the Father essential to walking as Jesus modeled

I had lunch at UTEP with Steve on Wednesday.  We had a great conversation, getting to know each other and sharing our current questions in our pursuit of Christ.

The conversation concluded with an awareness of the need to spend unstructured time in conversation with the Father, as well as a resolve to develop an intimacy with the Father through consistently meeting Him in the mornings.  I want to two to the point where I can call Him "Daddy" (similar to "Abba") without it feeling forced or awkward.  And I want to be close enough in my relationship with Him that I can talk about my deep wounds/issues openly and unashamedly with Him, open to His direct ministry and healing in my soul.

Observation: my chronic overcommitment and stress get in the way of me spending time with the Father.

Father, thank you for always being available to meet.  Jesus, thank you for your example of spending time with the Father.  Holy Spirit, please guide me into closeness with the Father, and lead me to healing from feeling like I need to be busy all of the time.  I love you.

morning Bible study with Beau and Jude

A few weeks ago, I began meeting with Beau and Jude (sometimes individually, sometimes together) in the morning before school to study the Scriptures.  Beau chose to start in the Gospel of Luke, and Jude chose to start in John.  We are using the SOAP framework: scripture, observation, application, and prayer.  Two guiding questions for observation (from the discovery style) are: (1) What do we learn about God? and (2) What do we learn about humans?  And a guiding question for application is, how can I respond in faith and obedience.  It has been very encouraging to me to share this time with them in the Word and answer their spiritual questions. 

Father, thank you for the opportunity to help guide Beau and Jude in their spiritual growth.  Holy Spirit, please bless these meetings, and continue to increase their hunger and thirst for you.  I love you.