Merry Christmas!

'He will be called Immanuel.' (Isaiah 7:14) God is with US!

ONE

Bono has a song about it. Marriages fight for it. Churches are confused by it. And Jesus prayed that we would have it. According to Bono, it will leave us if we don’t care about it and the sad reality is that there are a lot of marriages that stopped caring about it a long time ago, and consequently it has left them. A shift from sharing a heart, to sharing a house – from sharing a house to dividing who gets what in the house once the divorce is settled. Then there is the church who might claim to care about it, but at best is utterly confused by it. Some estimate that there are over 30,000 different denominations world-wide with even more independent churches popping up everywhere. What is it? Oneness. Unity.

And then there is Jesus. He prayed that if anyone would be a follower of His, that we would model the type of relationship He had with His Heavenly Father – a relationship that typifies unity and oneness (John 17). Pride, self-centeredness, and independent attitudes are obvious oneness/unity killers, but I wonder if there is something beyond what appears to be obvious. The question that serves as yet another ‘splinter in my mind’ is this question – ‘do I really want to be one and have unity with others?’ If we’re honest – if I’m honest, I’m not sure that’s always the desire of my heart. How about you?

I readily confess that the desires of my heart can often be ‘jacked up’, but I know there is a greater desire within me that says I want to be an answer to Jesus’ prayer. His prayer was an expression of what His heart longed for most – and it would seem that what Jesus longed for in would be followers is that we would be ‘one.’ I see two options before me. Fight like an MMA man to make oneness/unity a reality and be an answer to Jesus’ prayer, or ignore the prayer of God’s Son. I know the road to unity/oneness will be ladened with difficulties and potential disappointments, but a greater disappointment to me would be a refusal to be an answer to my Savior’s prayer.

LOST

Boston is not an easy city to navigate. It’s happened before, and it happened again yesterday – I got LOST! I thought if I just keep going, I would eventually see something familiar that would point me in the right direction. I kept going and going even though I had the reoccurring thought ‘stop and turn around.’ But I could not stop now because of how far I had gone. I kept thinking ‘certainly I will recognize something soon that will put me on the right path or point me in the right direction.’ Yes – I could have stopped to ask for directions, but I wanted to get ‘unlost’ on my own. After about 50 minutes of going in the wrong direction and ending up in a town that I’d never been in, I finally stopped, turned around and retraced my steps. I worked my way back to where I needed to go, but I wasted a lot of gas and time in the process.


It’s one thing to be lost in a car headed in the wrong direction, but what happens when being lost is a summary of your life. Too many people travel down the highways and byways of life never stopping to ask a very simple question – ‘is where I’m headed actually going to lead me to the place I want and need to be?’ Rather than asking that question and pausing long enough to compose an answer, far too many people are content to travel along in life hoping that eventually they will recognize something along the way that will potentially point them in the right direction. What if you never recognized anything along the way – would you just keep going? Ultimately, if you don’t know where you’re going, how would you know when you arrived?


Life is far too valuable a gift to live lost. Jesus once said – “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Admitting lostness and allowing someone other than you find you takes great humility, but there is no greater joy than getting found. Live lost, or get found – which one will you chose?

Think Food!

This picture pretty much sums up the main idea behind fasting. What is it that you think about most? Not all, but a lot of us think about food constantly – what we will eat, where we will eat, and when we will eat it. There is nothing wrong with food – it is a gift from God, but what fasting does for the human heart is to keep in check the gift from becoming a god. It happens easily, quickly and often before we even realize that its taken place.

Its food for some, whereas for others it might be working out constantly in order to get the ‘perfect body.’ Still for others, it might be an obsession with the way they spend their time – TV, internet, movies, video games, or sleeping. Yes, sleeping can be an obsession. Sleeping is a gift from God in order for our bodies to rest and recover, but as stated above, has the gift become a god?

How do we know if the gift has become a god? Simple – what do you think about most? What consumes your thoughts more than anything is often the thing to which we will give ourselves.

If you are a follower of Jesus, then following Him should consume all of us. When Jesus said ‘love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength’ – He wasn’t kidding. How can I become more like Christ? How can I think more like Christ? Behave like Christ? These are all questions that we allow to permeate our minds through out the day in order that we might live out the answers.

When fasting, we communicate to God that ‘I Love you more than ______! (you fill in the blank) In fasting we tell God that I desire you more than __________! (fill in the blank) In fasting we tell God that He and not __________ (fill in the blank) is of supreme importance to us.

Fasting allows us to reorient and align our hearts, minds and bodies towards God, and not the things that often play the role of god in our lives.

One final warning from Jesus – “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:16-18

Fasting is not ‘extra credit.’ It might be impressive to others, but we cannot impress God with empty religious rituals. Don’t fast to get something from God – fast in order to express your love to God. The reward that Jesus talks about is not ‘an answer to prayer’, but the reward is God Himself – He is always the reward.

Practically speaking, when fasting from food, you are making the conscious decision not only to not eat food for an extended period of time, but to replace the time you would have had both in thought and time spent eating food, to connect with God in a significant and meaningful way. That’s why praying and fasting go hand in hand. When we fast from something, we are committing to direct the thoughts and time usually spent on something else towards praying about a specific request, or expressing gratitude to God for something.

For those who will be fasting and praying with the GENESIS community on Thursday, August 28th – please specifically be praying for God’s clear leading, provision and blessing on GENESIS becoming a church plant. Then, gather with the GENESIS community on Thursday evening in order to worship and pray together, and then declare the fast over by celebrating communion as a community.

Fasting is a way to draw the totality of your being towards God – so as you fast know that you’re not seeking to get something from God, except God Himself. Like the Psalmist declared: “Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” Psalm 73:25-26 (NLT)

WORDS

WORDS - everyday all around us words are being exchanged. Some helpful, others hurtful while others are just meaningless banter. If you were to examine some of the conversations that you have been part of say over the past week, how many were meaningful? Meaningful being defined as conversations that left a lasting impact and brought about some semblance of change. If that's the case, then I'm guessing that a better contingent of us are lacking in the department of meaningful conversations. I guess the question that one must wrestle with is this - are WE talking about meaningful and significant things to those around us, or are we just hoping that someone else will say something meaningful?

This past week, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of some 'meaningful' conversations. But what made the conversation meaningful was not anything insightful or intrinsically intelligent that I had to offer, but what made the difference was the Gospel. If I did not believe in Jesus, I really wouldn't have much to offer. The reality is we all have something to offer, but is what we're offering humanity actually helpful, meaningful and significant? Outside of Jesus, I have nothing to say when it comes to purpose, meaning, significance, value and worth. Outside of Jesus, I have nothing to offer when it comes time to wrestle with some of life’s toughest questions. I have a lot to say about a lot of different things, but what really struck me this past weekend is that without Jesus in the conversation, ALL of my (self) perceived wisdom is not really all that wise. When talking with an agnostic, some Muslims and some people who were at best indifferent to spiritual things this past week, the only meaningful things that I had to say were because of Jesus.

People around you and I are dying for someone to stand up and say something meaningful. If you know Jesus – start talking. If you don’t know what to say, quote Jesus – His words always seemed to get a reaction out of people, and His words seem to have a had a meaningful impact on people over the past 2,000 years. They have on me at least!

thinking man

Do you ever have those ‘splinter in your mind moments?’ That one thought or question that just seems to stick, and the harder you try to get it ‘unstuck’ from your mind, it actually only drives the splinter deeper in. Well here’s my ‘splinter’. Does God have a purpose? Now before you answer that question, you must realize how I and ‘Webster’ are defining purpose. Purpose answers the question of ‘why do I exist?’ This word can be used in a few different ways, but for the purpose of this splinter, I am being single-minded in defining purpose in its most pure form – ‘the reason for which something exists.'

So here’s where the splinter begins to dig in a little deeper. God has no beginning or end – meaning, there is no starting point for God. He’s always existed. There was never a point in time when God was not. So if God has always been and always will be, how could He have a purpose? Who would define His purpose? The only reason you and I have purpose is because our Creator has made clear what our purpose is. God does not have a Creator – so who defines His purpose? Does He define his own purpose, i.e. why He exists? But, how does God who knows nothing of not existing answer the question, this is why I exist?'

My purpose (why I exist) is clear – to know my Creator. To be in right relationship with Him, both now and for eternity? Jesus, God’s son made that possible. But God does not exist to be in relationship with me. He is completely satisfied and complete within Himself (the Trinity).

Scripture makes clear on numerous occasions that God has a ‘purpose’, that is He has plans, or a Will to be carried out, but again, I am not speaking of purpose in terms of plans, or a will. The splinter of this ‘thinking man’ is why does God exist? He was not created, so how does one answer that question, and how is it possible that the created being could say of its Creator – ‘this is why our Creator exists?’ Any thoughts on this particular splinter?

Luggage

As I sit in the Philadelphia airport headed back to Boston, fresh in my mind is the question ‘do people know that God cares?’ Care about what you may wonder? The plight of humanity is what I had in mind. Like most, when I travel I enjoy doing one of three things – zoning out to my music, reading a book or sleeping. But today was different. As I sat down in my seat, I noticed the person I was sitting next to was crying – not uncontrollably or anything, but certainly enough for me to notice. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for me to hear God say ‘Michael, I want you to let this person know that I care.’

What God wanted me to do got me thinking – ‘do people know that God cares?’ Everyone would answer this question differently, but for me, I would say that a majority of the people I’ve encountered along the way believe that God is aloof to their story. I wonder how this could be, but an answer came to mind as I spent the better part of the day in the airport.

Every where I look, I see people carrying some form of luggage. Some luggage is carried on people’s backs, while others is pulled behind them. No shock to see this at an airport, but the reality is that people carry all sorts of luggage even outside the confines of an airport. People can be found with all sorts of luggage. Guilt. Fear. Shame. Doubts. Worry. Brokenness. The list could go on and on, but I wonder if we pack so much into our suitcases because we do not know that there is One who has invited us to cast the contents of of our suitcases on Him. The one verse that I shared with the individual sitting next to me on the plane is one of my favorite in all of the New Testament.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) This one short, but powerful verse reminded me of a transformational reality – God cares! Life can be lived one of two ways. We can carry our own luggage, and in one lifetime we can accumulate a lot, or we can allow the God who created us, knows us and loves us to carry that luggage for us. Peter gives only one reason for why we should cast our anxieties on God - because He cares! That’s it. Not because we can’t handle it (which if were honest we often can’t), but because He cares. A lot of people don’t know of this invitation. A lot of people don’t know that we were not meant to carry the anxieties, worries, doubts and fears that come with being human. At the end of the day, a lot of people do not know that God invites you and I to cast our ‘anxieties’ upon Him for one reason – because HE CARES!

It was a good plane ride today. Partly because of a conversation that took place between me and a new friend, but mostly because I was reminded that God cares. I can either give Him my anxieties, or I can go on carrying my own luggage. After a long day at three different airports, my shoulders are tired from carrying around my luggage. I am thankful that God has invited you and I to drop our luggage, however big or small it may be, and trust Him to carry these things for us because He cares for us!

Run FREE

Great questions have a way of flooring you. That happened to me today. “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.” Galatians 5:7-8

As I pondered this question, it occurred to me that we spend a better part our lives running somewhere, but what often happens is that we get ourselves running so fast, we never stop to consider if we are running in the right direction. It happens to me more often that I’d like to admit – running real fast, but not always in the right direction. To Paul’s question – he recognizes that the Galatian community had been running a good race, but something or someone ‘cut in’ on the race they were running. They were at one point running a ‘good race’, but something happened that got them off track. And when we get off track, we don’t stop running, we just start running in another direction. For the Galatian community, they began running towards a works based faith – but Paul loved them enough to ask them a tough question ‘who cut in on you?’

I love to run – metaphorically speaking. But this morning at 8:56 AM I was floored with a question. God gently but firmly reminded me that I was not only created to run, but to run free. As I look at this picture, I see a little man who is running free indeed. His head is looking forward, not to the right or to the left, and certainly not behind. Maybe he sees his father in the distance and he is running towards him? I pray that that little boy will continue to run free, and I pray that this little boy now grown up will continue to run the good race which Jesus invited him to do - in FREEDOM!

Feast in the House of Levi

The story behind this painting is told by Philip Yancey in his book 'What's So Amazing About Grace.' 'Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) got in trouble with the Inquisition because of this piece. As you can see, the painting depicts Jesus as a banquet with his disciples, complete with Roman soldiers playing in one corner, a man with a bloody nose on the other side, stray dogs roaming around, a few drunks, and also midgets, blackamoors, and anachronistic Huns. Called before the Inquisition to explain these irreverence's, Veronese defended his painting by showing from the Gospels that these were the very kinds of people Jesus mingled with. Scandalized, the Inquisitors made him change the title of the painting and make the scene secular rather than religious. In doing so, of course, the Inquisitors replicated the attitude of the Pharisees in Jesus' day. They too were scandalized by the tax collectors, half-breeds, foreigners, and women of ill repute who hung out with Jesus. They too had a hard time swallowing the notion that these are the people that God loves.'

Thank you Jesus for having a heart for me – a sinner that once was lost, but got found, was dead but had life breathed back into my soul. Thank you!

The Prodigal Son

'The Return of the Prodigal' by Rembrandt. A painting that has moved many to tears throughout the centuries including me. Its a story that speaks to the human condition, and this painting beautifully depicts what humanity longs for most. If you live in Boston, join the GENESIS community beginning this Sunday (7.06) as we walk through this powerful story... md4jc



Another great image of the prodigal was a piece created by artist Charlie Mackesy entitled 'The Prodigal Son'

Extension Cords

I was ‘weed wacking’ recently and had a bit of an epiphany. I had three extension cords connected, giving me roughly about a 100 feet of cord to work with. It didn’t take long for the cords to become entangled, knotted up getting stuck on anything and everything along the way. As frustration was kicking in for having to continually detangle the cords and get them ‘unstuck’, God brought a verse to mind. Hebrews 12:2-3 “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”



As I thought about this verse, it occurred to me that much of life tends to be like that of an extension cord. We so easily get tangled up in things that slow us down from living the life that God invites us to live. Might this be why the author of Hebrews issues the command to ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run…’ Its hard to run when we are entangled. It felt like the extension cord had a mind of its own – meaning it seemed like it was looking for things to entangle itself on. I wonder how many of us look for things to ‘entangle ourselves on.’ Why would we do that? Because its what we know and have grown familiar with. I’ve learned over the years that what we grow familiar with is what we grow comfortable with, and when one grows comfortable, the thought of something different (change), is at best to unsettling.



‘So easily entangles’ – it doesn’t take much for us to get tripped up. What ever it is that is tripping you up – remove that from your path. If I would have disconnected two of the cords and just worked with one, it would have made my ‘weed-wacking’ so much easier. Lose the excess cords so that you can run – and when your running, remember to keep your eyes fixed on person… JESUS!

Mother Teresa & Bill Clinton

Former President Bill Clinton had a lot to say while in the Oval Office. What was the most meaningful thing he said while serving as our President? I would love to hear your thoughts on that question, but since this is my blog, I get to go first. Some context to help you understand the power of Clinton’s words.

Mother Teresa was invited to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994. All speakers at these bi-partisan events are instructed to avoid making any comments that might cause shall we say ‘controversy.’ Well, Mother Teresa did not get that memo. The following are some excerpts from her speech delivered on February 3rd, 1994. As you read, please keep in mind her audience which included all of the heavy hitters in Washington, including the Clinton family alongside Al Gore and his wife.

“I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given to drugs. And I tried to find out why. Why is it like that, when those in the West have so many more things than those in the East? And the answer was: "Because there is no one in the family to receive them." Our children depend on us for everything - their health, their nutrition, their security, their coming to know and love God. For all of this, they look to us with trust, hope and expectation. But often father and mother are so busy they have no time for their children, or perhaps they are not even married or have given up on their marriage. So the children go to the streets and get involved in drugs or other things. We are talking of love of the child which is where love and peace must begin. These are the things that break peace…

But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself…

And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts…

By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems...
And, by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion...

Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion…

I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption - by care of the mother and adoption for her baby. We have saved thousands of lives. We have sent word to the clinics, to the hospitals and police stations: "Please don't destroy the child; we will take the child." So we always have someone tell the mothers in trouble: "Come, we will take care of you, we will get a home for your child." And we have a tremendous demand from couples who cannot have a child - but I never give a child to a couple who have done something not to have a child. Jesus said. "Anyone who receives a child in my name, receives me." By adopting a child, these couples receive Jesus but, by aborting a child, a couple refuses to receive Jesus…

It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish…

Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child…

From our children's home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3000 children from abortion. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents and have grown up so full of love and joy…

From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak - the unborn child - must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!”

How did Bill Clinton respond to Mother Teresa’s speech? When asked by a reporter how he felt about what Mother Teresa had to say on abortion, Bill Clinton said the following: “How can anyone argue with a life so well-lived?”

There you have it! Bill Clinton’s most memorable words. How true they are. Might that be said of all who have read thus far. Might we live our lives in such a way, that people regardless of differing backgrounds (social, economic, political, ethnic and spiritual) would be able to speak those words over our lives as well. Let us love Jesus and humanity in such a way (i.e. Mother Teresa), that people would be challenged and encouraged to follow suit – to live ‘A Life Well Lived.’

I'm Not That Old!

I might be getting old, but I can still jump out of trees 30 ft. in the air into 55 degree water. Not bad for an old man! I might not be as brave as David King who did a back flip, but I can still hang with the young guys.

Grabbing or Giving?

You might think that one person can’t change the world, well maybe God is not looking for you to change the world, but might He be looking for you to change your world! Who are you becoming with the wealth you have? Generous or greedy? Charitable, or corrupt? A Life Well Lived is not one of Grabbing, but Giving? How does one do that? Some thoughts on how to work towards making that a reality...

1. Ask yourself how you can use what God has given you to give back to Him and His mission for the world. Its learning to live ‘open-handed.’ Example – we dedicate children to the Lord, why not dedicate everything we have to the Lord.
2. Don’t be impressed with earthly wealth – it is temporal and it will fade. Do not set your heart on something that will not last! Psalm 62:10 – “… though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.”
3. IF gold has become your god – REPENT – stop trusting the gold to do for you what only God can do!
4. SIMPLIFY – use your abundance to alleviate the suffering of God’s poor. Don’t ignore those in need around you.
5. If your struggling with greed, materialism and hoarding wealth – start writing big checks! The cure for greed is generosity.
6. Ask for your Daily Bread – neither poverty, nor riches. Read Proverbs 30:7-9
7. Be thankful for what you have (and don’t have) – an attitude of gratitude!

Some quotes to consider...
“Sometimes I think, ‘If I die, I won’t have to see my children suffering as they are.’ Sometimes I even think of killing myself. So I often see them crying, hungry; and there I am, without a cent to buy them some bread. I think ‘My God, I can’t face it! I’ll end my life. I don’t want to look anymore.’” Iracenema da Silva – A Resident of a slum in Brazil


“It is arguable that materialism is the single biggest competitor with authentic Christianity for the hearts and souls of millions in our world today, including many in the visible church.” Craig Blomberg from ‘Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions’

“Tell me what you think about money, and I will tell you what you think about God.”
Billy Graham

"All I ask is for the chance to prove that money can't make me happy." Spike Milligan


“I used to think, when I was a child, that Christ might have been exaggerating when he warned about the dangers of wealth. Today I know better. I know how hard it is to be rich and still keep the milk of human kindness. Money has a dangerous way of putting scales on one’s eyes, a dangerous way of freezing people’s hands, eyes, lips, and hearts.” Dom Camara – Revolution through Peace

Scriptures to wrestle with...
James 5:1-6
Matthew 6:24
Proverbs 23:4
Psalm 49:16-17
Matthew 6:19-24
1 Timothy 6:6-10

Recommended Reads –
‘Rich Christians In An Age Of Hunger – Moving from Affluence to Generosity.’ Ronald J. Sider
‘Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions.’ Craig Blomberg
‘Simplify.’ Paul Borthwick

Father's Day!

What a great joy it is being a dad! I highly recomend to all. Here's some AWESOME pictures taken by the world's greatest photographer! Thanks for the pics Krista!

A New Friend

I met a knew friend today. He seems real genuine which is something I value maybe more than anything when it comes to relationships. OK – loyalty is pretty important as well, but when you find someone who can be authentic with you, you’ve found something good. Good friends are rare – at-least they have been in my life. If there were a moral to this story (which I’m not sure if there really is), it might be this: pay attention to the people that God allows you to cross paths with. I wonder how many people I may have missed in my travels that I might have made a ‘soul connection’ with all because I was not paying attention. I don’t know if I will have a ‘soul connection’ with my new friend, but I can say that I am thankful that God has allowed our paths to cross. So keep your eyes open and your heart positioned to embrace those that might cross your path in the days to come, you never know who might walk by.

Questions

I had lunch with a friend today and we spent a lot of time talking about knowledge and wisdom. If you want to know if a person is wise and has knowledge, look at two things: first, observe their choices, decisions, actions and reactions, attitudes and behaviors. Wisdom and knowledge is not so much what lives in ones head, but how one moves his/her feet. Godly wisdom and knowledge is seen in the ability to live a godly life. Secondly, listen to the questions they ask. Asking questions is an art form, and those who have mastered the art of asking questions are those who are demonstrating that they not only have information about a given subject, but that they have wisdom and knowledge about that subject. Jesus was a master at asking questions. His questions had the ability to not only draw people out, but draw people in (introspection). Thinking about questions got me thinking about something Rob Bell said in his controversial book ‘Velvet Elvis’ –

“When the rabbi would ask a student a question, he would seldom give an answer. Have you noticed how rarely Jesus answers questions, but how often he responds with another question? Rabbi's had no interest in having the student spit back information just for information sake. They wanted to know if the student understood it, if he had wrestled with it. This notion is difficult for the modern mind to grasp because we generally think of education as the transmission of information. The better the student is, the better she is able to produce the right information at the right time. In the world of Rabbinic education, the focus was on questions, which demonstrated that the student not only understood the information but could then take the subject a step further."

The point is simple – questions reveal the wisdom and knowledge we have. When we know something, it will show up not in regurgitating information, but true knowledge will be seen in the questions we ask.

What kind of questions do you hear being asked? What should I wear? Should I purchase this or that? Was that movie any good? The questions we ask (or don’t ask) are very revealing of who we are. Questions are an art form and for me, I pray that I will master that art of asking thoughtful and thought provoking questions.

bereshit

What is 'bereshit?' This is the Hebrew word for Genesis which means beginnings, or to begin? I've thought about it, even tried it once before and have had a lot of people talk to me about it, but now its time to begin! Welcome to the 'bereshit' of my blogging life. I'm not sure what all will transpire on this blog, but I look forward to having a place to put written words to what's happening in my head and heart. There will be many dreams, ideas, plans, prayers, confessions posted in the days to come, but more than anything, this will be a place where this raggamuffin can sort through the highs, lows and everything in-between of walking with God.