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I posted a Myspace bulletin about my children moving into adulthood and referenced one of the books read to both of them as children:  "All by Myself" by Mercer Mayer.  This book is a delightful read as it tells the story of Little Critter as he insists on doing everything by himself (I highly recommend it for all ages ). 

This particular story came to mind last night as I was doing my bible study as I was reading all of John 15.  This morning I was reminded of this story again as I was reading Matthew 26:25-34.

The Holy Spirit is convicting my heart today to say this:  Don't rely on the strengths of self when tackling this big ol world.  Let GOD help handle your day-to-day struggles.  This can be done triumphantly (yep, I do mean triumphantly) when we have Jesus and our heart as our LORD and savior.  GOD does not promise that our life will be without toils or burdens.  BUT he does tell us in his word that he will be by our side if we humble ourselves to the point of fullfilling his will in our lives. 

Jesus tells us in his own words that GOD will tend to those who cling to Jesus in their heart (Read John 15).  Jesus tells us that GOD will tend and provide for us to meet our needs (Read Matthew 6:25:34).

Let the Holy Spirit talk to you today and hear the truth of GOD.... don't be a Little Critter and insist that you can do things "All by Myself".... let Jesus take your yoke of burden and lighten the load.

Pray with me....

*smiling* Dear GOD,  thank you for today.  thank you for your blessings.  We are so unworthy of your presence.... we are born of the flesh and are sinners in your eyes.  GOD, we lay before you our "stuff"... everything that is present in our heart and our lives.  Of course you already know all that is churning inside us... you know us better than anything on this earth.

GOD, we lay before you our sins and leave them at your feet and ask for your forgiveness.  We claim the blood of your son Jesus to wash and make us whole.

Jesus, please fill my heart with your presence today.  Let my face shine your light to all who look at me today.  Let my words speak of your glory.  May my actions reflect your teachings. 

Holy Spirit, speak to me today and share with me the truth of GOD's will.  We do not understand all of GOD's ways at times, but we ask that you light a path showing us the road that is of GOD's will.  Grant us strength today to let our hearts trust in the LORD that he is in our presence. 

GOD, again thank you for the blessings in our lives.  We lift your name on high and praise you for all the magnificant things you do!  Let us make this a day about you... for it is given from you!
AMEN!

Tags: Life

(repost from my myspace ministry orginally published in 2007)

I love a slow dance!!! There is something timeless about being in the arms of my wife while we sway to a beat and look into each others eyes. AWESOME!!!! It is an experience I truly hate to see end each time we dance.

To me, life should be lived like a slow dance... take the time to enjoy the simple things around you. Watch a child laugh. Hold hands with someone. Smile at a stranger. Help a neighbor. Tell someone you love them. The simple stuff.

I know that we get wrapped up in the daily fast pace hustle of our lives. It seems like there is never enough time, money, or patience to survive in the world today.

But GOD tells us about slow dancing in life. Listen to the words from Jesus:

Matthew 6:25-34

Therefore, I tell you, don't be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing? See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?
"Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won't he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
"Therefore don't be anxious, saying, 'What will we eat?', 'What will we drink?' or, 'With what will we be clothed?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient.

Yep... put it in GOD's hands and let him guide you through this thing called life! GOD is timeless! GOD is faithful! GOD is there for you.

I hope today you are blessed by GOD and that you take time to do your own slow dance.

Blessings to you my friend!
Your brother in Christ,
TROY


Slow Dance
by David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids
on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain
slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Do you run through each day on the fly
When you ask "How are you?"
do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time
to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away...

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

(repost from my myspace ministry orginally published in 2006)

Dear GOD,
I praise you for all that you will in this world!  I praise you for what you bring together in your eyes!
AMEN!

OK gang.... It has been a while since I have commented on marriage and it is on my mind tonight!  I have been married for twenty-five years and I will be honest to say there have been hign notes and low points BUT it has all been one great journey this far.  Kathy and I went out to meet our 16-year-old son for dinner.  I happened to glance over at my wife while we were eating and I thought to myself "WOW, I am so blessed to have this beautiful woman in my life!"

This got me thinking about the past 26 years we have known each other and some of the things I have learned from my relationship (and the observation of others).  The LORD has weighed heavy in my heart to share these things..... 

~ Love is about patience and understanding
~ Relationships are based on a foundation of  trust and appreciation.  HERE ME OUT GUYS:  Break the foundation and kiss it all goodbye!!!
~ Women like to laugh and be silly at times. 
~ Look at her like you see her for the first time!
~ No matter what she says, things do matter to her when you have to choose between spending time with her or going out with the guys
~ One spoken word in anger can kill a lifetime of love
~ Boredom in a relationship can be found by looking in a mirror
~ Honesty is a must, but there is a time when "everything out in the open" can hurt more than help.
~ Love is like a garden.  Tend to it and it flourishes and grows.  Neglect it and it will wither and die.
~ Don't go to bed angry. 
~ It is ok to tell the one you love "I am not happy" if you follow it with an explination.
~ Silence will kill love
~ Date night, date night, date night!!!!!!
~ You don't suddenly realize you don't know the other person starring at you.  It is a choice that is made by both parties!!!
~ Hold hands

Nothing earth shattering here.  More common sense than anything else.

One last thing I want to mention:

DANCE!!!!

  

Couples ~ I personally believe there is nothing more intimate in this world than two people connecting as one in a dance.  GUYS HERE ME:  I am talking about geniune slow dancing ~ respectful, insightful, and sincere!!! 

There are two scriptures when I think about each time I go spend time with my wife whether it be at home or in public:

Genesis 2:24
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Proverbs 5:18
Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth

Blessings to you my friend!

 

As I mentioned in an earlier blog this week, we are having vacation bible school at Church. I have been providing the services of story teller this week. I have been blessed by the help of three super-wonderful-fantastic-awesome people ~ Cody, Nathan, and Nina. Last night we performed a little skit telling of the good shepherd, Jesus Christ (it was pretty good if I do say so myself)! The skit had us doing a little impromptu acting for the kids while using stuffed animals for props. The weird thing I just now realized (18 hours later) I had a life changing moment last night. At the end of our skit for the grade school kids (grades 1-3) we tell the kids that they are Gods little sheep and that Jesus is our shepherd (this excited the 5 of them very much!) and ask them to pray with us. One of the little boys said he wanted to pray ~ so I said "OK, you may pray". He turned red and said he couldn't do it. At that time a little blonde hair girl raised her hand and said "I want to pray, please let me pray!". Again, I smiled and said "OK, you lead us in prayer". The smiled real big and then paniced. She shouted out "But I don't know how to pray! I want to pray to God but I don't know how!" while all the others were giggling. I asked her if she ever prayed before and she shook her head no with over exhagerated shakes. I told her that it would be ok and she shot her hand up in the air and shouted "Can you teach me to pray to God?"... WOW!!! She then said "You can teach me how to tell Jesus I love him, will you show me how?"... WOW WOW!!! I said "Sure" while all the time I thought... I never really taught anyone how to pray to God! I started thinking too much and paniced myself because I did not feel worthy of such a request. At that time I felt a warm fuzzy feeling inside and became very bold. I told the little girl that I would be glad to help teach her to pray. I asked the other four kids in their group who would like to learn to pray. All four raised their hand! We gaithered in a circle and I told them to bow their heads, fold their hands, and repeat after me: "Dear God, thank you for loving me. Dear God, thank you for being there for me. God, thank you for giving me my parents who guide me and thank you for giving me your son as my shepherd. God, I know that I am never alone because you are with me all the time. Thank you for letting Jesus come into my heart. Thank you for sending your son to die on the cross for my sins. God, thank you for loving me. Amen" I have never seen a child so happy! It really warmed my heart that I could help a child of God communicate with our Father in heaven!!!! Too cool! Matthew 25:24-40 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 We started VBS this week at our church. I can be honest and tell you that it is a struggle just to be involved at times. The thing is this.... I would have missed out on the biggest blessings of my life if I decided not to get involved because I was too busy! I would have missed out on the following: - 19 of God's children telling me how much they love me - Seeing the face of children light up when you try to teach them something about God. - Seeing the faces of my awesome three assistants (ages 14, 15, and 17) as they watched the younger ones pay attention to their teaching. - Feeling the satisfaction of knowing that I am making a difference in the kingdom because I took time to share God with a kid. and it is only Tuesday! I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me! I know many of you think I am full of bunk and that is ok. BUT.... I challenge you to get involved with doing God's work - especially when this ol world tells you there is not enough time! God has a special blessing for you! I promise. I challenge you to get involved with doing God's work - especially when it forces you out of your comfort zone! God has a special blessing for you! I promise. I challenge you to get involved with doing God's work - especially if you think you are not worthy to do his work! My friend, God has a blessing in store for you! I promise. Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven

I have opened an eStore for Gortag. I would like to know which design do you prefer for this particular shirt? Design one: OR Design two: I really would like to know what you think!!! Thanks! Psalm 32 - Read it! Believe it! Live it!

Ok... my son is going to kill me for sharing, but that is alright! That's what we parents do! I want to talk about character and how it molds us into what we are "about" in life. My youngest son asked a couple weeks ago if he could enter a tennis tournament held at Catawba college. His tennis coach suggested he may want to participate in some events to play other opponents to help improve his play. So, my son decided that this particular tournament would be a good starting point. My son had approx. 7 days to prepare for this tournament. SOOO he practiced really hard. He started hanging out and practicing with a couple of other seasoned tennis players. My son was psyched about playing in this tournament. My son had been originally slated to play in the second round of play (he got a first round by in the picking order), but that changed after bad weather came through this last Friday. The tournament officials had to re-schedule everyone and they re-drew for matches. My son ended up playing first thing Saturday morning - against a guy ranked 32nd in the state of North Carolina! Remember this is my son's first tournament. On Saturday morning we arrived at the tournament. The opponents name was Drew. Very nice young man and a very seasoned tennis player. Both of Drew's parents coached high school tennis. We watched Drew warm-up before the match ~ I have never seen anyone in person serve as hard as he did! You could see a slight look of "OMG" in my son's eyes during their warm-up. Their match only lasted for approx. 15 minutes. My son was no match for this kid. Drew's serves overpowered my son! Drew's backhand was a stinger! My wife and I sat with Drew's parents and explained to them that our son had only been playing for little over a year and he was still "growing". Our son proceeded to the second round of the tournament in the consolation round. He was slated to play against the #1 seed in North Carolina (based on rankings within the organization sponsoring the tournament)! The #1 seed had lost to Drew earlier that day. It was time for my son and the #1 seed to play. Again, I have never seen someone serve like this young man ~ his serve was stronger than Drew's. And he added a professional "AAAArrrrrrgggggggg" grunt each time he would slam the ball across the fence. Their match lasted about 15 minutes. My son did win a couple of games in this match ~ but he did loose this game also. By this time you are wondering where I am going with all this?? Well, I want to tell you what I saw when I watched my son get clobbered by these seasoned players - I saw character! My son never made one excuse about his games on Saturday. My son never whined about how little experience he had. My sone never lowered his head in shame for getting his butt kicked. My son shook the hands of these young men (and their parents) and thanked them for the "opportunity" they provided him that day. I saw many young men out there who threw rackets when they lost a point. I saw young men weening (yes, I said weening) like a little kid when their serve was "off. I saw a few young men who lacked character. He took mental notes about every move he made so he could share them with his coach and work to improve. I saw my son counter these goliath players and actually stand up to them in the heat of play. You could see him start to build confidence out on the court and begin to counter their advances. Even though he was loosing in the game HE NEVER, NEVER, NEVER QUIT PLAYING. WOW! What a testimony for life! After all was said and done Saturday, on our way home, my son was in the back of the car and asked a question out of the blue "Do you think I did ok today, even though I lost?". I told my son I could never have been prouder of him! My son was too focused on the day to remember the repeated times we told him how proud were of him. He was now still and reflecting the events of the day and wondering were he stood. We again told him he was awesome and that the day was a good learning experience for building his tennis skills. My son is a man of character! He showed a small part of the world today that there are greater rewards in life than just winning. He reminded me that we may struggle sometimes in life, but we can make it through life if we do it with character. Jesus tells us about the very same thing in the scriptures. Matthew 5:1-12 1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Father, thank you for this day. Lord, we yield to you our burdens. We know that you are bigger than anything that we encounter in life. We ask that your spirit fills us with "character" and that we reflect your kingdom in action and word as we journey through life. Thank you God for all your gifts and blessings. Amen. (Also posted at www.gortag.com)

I love my kids! As I get older, I am finding that I get a warm fuzzy inside when my kids call me and say "Dad, I need you". It always comes with a humble approach and a side of embarrassment. The sad thing is my kids did not always call on me. My wife raised our kids becuase I was a corporate social climber, but now it is my turn! I had money, I had a high profile job, I had respect in the community ~ I had it all - except my family. The were learning to live without me. The Holy Spirit laid it heavy on my heart about 5 years ago and made me realize my priorities were all out of wack! My boys are 23 and 16 and I love to here "Dad, I need you". I know you are dedicated to the Lord if you are reading this blog ~ but remember our heavenly father wants us to call to him "Dad, I need you".

www.gortag.com This site currently redirects to a myspace account. I hope to have a new webpage online by mid-july. Blessings to all of you! GORTAG Glorious Omin-present Righteous Timeless Awesome God

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