I've been meditating a great deal lately on what I find to be extremely valuable in my life, and as I have done so, God has been pointing out some things, and reminding me of how He has answered some very memorable prayers in my life.
Back in 2004, I remember crying out to God in the lat night hours of December 25th, at 11:53pm to be exact, I cried out while in the throes of my addictions, and begged God for a family. I confessed that I didn't want to live the way I was living, and that I didn't want to be alone.
I cried out to Him to lift me out of the pit that I was in, and to forgive me for running from Him into a life of sin, which had led me down the darkest paths a person could ever imagine, and I was miserable with my life. I needed Jesus.
Now I'll save the details of all that He has done to answer that prayer throughout some of my future posts, but for now, the one that I want to focus on, is how He heard my cry for Him to bring others into my life that would be a family to me.
Obviously, He gave me the gift of my wife, Christy, and her family has become my own, but in recent times, that is in the last year, especially, He has been working in that area of my life to bring some amazing people along who have become my dearest friends, and mean so much to me.
I hope they don't mind too much, and if they do, I'll come back and change the names, (Pretty sure there are very few readers anyway) but as I have been meditating on the topic of treasure, and asking God to search my heart and show me what is truly valuable in my life, He has reminded me again and again of Jeb & Kathy, who, along with their family of 5 children, have taken their place in my heart as family.
Ironically enough, Jeb and I both played roles for several years in the ministry of a local church here in the community, Jeb in the children's ministry, and myself as the worship pastor, yet, due to the busyness of those roles, we never got to know each other, and I am so glad now that God has brought our lives together in such a way.
Jeb and I ran into each other last year in downtown Wilmington while I was working the streets with the N.O.T.T.T. Foundation, and he even spent some time with me in that capacity, but little did I know that God was at work, bringing us closer together, even in those dark alleys and streets.
Being that we live in the same community (Southport/Oak Island), we eventually began to hang out more, and eventually Jeb and Kathy began coming to our house for a small group gathering that got together to study and discuss the Bible.
It's become apparent over time that Jeb and I are cut out of the same piece of cloth, and we have many, many things in common, and I find it beautiful that Jeb and I share so many similarities, yet he has character qualities that God uses to minister to me in ways that I have not been very good at affirming.
You don't have to be around these two long to realize that they love Jesus with every fiber of their being, and that they are carriers of the Holy Spirit in ways that bring out the very best in people, including their children.
There are way too many facets to these guys to share here, and just like beautifully cut gemstones, they shine and reflect light in the most beautiful ways, and they are EXTREMELY valuable in my life, and I pray that God will use us in some way to make them feel the love and joy that they bring to our lives.
Hopefully you'll get to meet them sometime, and if you do, you'll see that I haven't exaggerated one bit, and I am sure that you'll find them to be one of God greatest treasures in more ways than they may ever know.
So. In closing this post, I just want to say that I love you Jeb & Kathy, and you are greatly appreciated, valued, and we look forward to seeing how our stories will unfold in this beautiful work of God's perfect plan!
Back in 2004, I remember crying out to God in the lat night hours of December 25th, at 11:53pm to be exact, I cried out while in the throes of my addictions, and begged God for a family. I confessed that I didn't want to live the way I was living, and that I didn't want to be alone.
I cried out to Him to lift me out of the pit that I was in, and to forgive me for running from Him into a life of sin, which had led me down the darkest paths a person could ever imagine, and I was miserable with my life. I needed Jesus.
Now I'll save the details of all that He has done to answer that prayer throughout some of my future posts, but for now, the one that I want to focus on, is how He heard my cry for Him to bring others into my life that would be a family to me.
Obviously, He gave me the gift of my wife, Christy, and her family has become my own, but in recent times, that is in the last year, especially, He has been working in that area of my life to bring some amazing people along who have become my dearest friends, and mean so much to me.
I hope they don't mind too much, and if they do, I'll come back and change the names, (Pretty sure there are very few readers anyway) but as I have been meditating on the topic of treasure, and asking God to search my heart and show me what is truly valuable in my life, He has reminded me again and again of Jeb & Kathy, who, along with their family of 5 children, have taken their place in my heart as family.
Ironically enough, Jeb and I both played roles for several years in the ministry of a local church here in the community, Jeb in the children's ministry, and myself as the worship pastor, yet, due to the busyness of those roles, we never got to know each other, and I am so glad now that God has brought our lives together in such a way.
Jeb and I ran into each other last year in downtown Wilmington while I was working the streets with the N.O.T.T.T. Foundation, and he even spent some time with me in that capacity, but little did I know that God was at work, bringing us closer together, even in those dark alleys and streets.
Being that we live in the same community (Southport/Oak Island), we eventually began to hang out more, and eventually Jeb and Kathy began coming to our house for a small group gathering that got together to study and discuss the Bible.
It's become apparent over time that Jeb and I are cut out of the same piece of cloth, and we have many, many things in common, and I find it beautiful that Jeb and I share so many similarities, yet he has character qualities that God uses to minister to me in ways that I have not been very good at affirming.
You don't have to be around these two long to realize that they love Jesus with every fiber of their being, and that they are carriers of the Holy Spirit in ways that bring out the very best in people, including their children.
There are way too many facets to these guys to share here, and just like beautifully cut gemstones, they shine and reflect light in the most beautiful ways, and they are EXTREMELY valuable in my life, and I pray that God will use us in some way to make them feel the love and joy that they bring to our lives.
Hopefully you'll get to meet them sometime, and if you do, you'll see that I haven't exaggerated one bit, and I am sure that you'll find them to be one of God greatest treasures in more ways than they may ever know.
So. In closing this post, I just want to say that I love you Jeb & Kathy, and you are greatly appreciated, valued, and we look forward to seeing how our stories will unfold in this beautiful work of God's perfect plan!
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