Freedoms forgotten....

On this cold and still morning, I got up early and headed out to the deer woods.  Before I left, just like I do every morning, I was checking Facebook to see the newest posts from my friends.  All over Facebook it was posted about all the veterans and the freedoms they fought tirelessly for.  I thought of my wife's grandfather who fought in the army.  One of the only men in his battalion to make it home alive.  I thought of the tears in his eyes when he talks about doing what needed to be done.  I remembered my step-grandfather Herschel.  He fought in the army as well.  I remember him talking about Korea and the stories he told me as a child.  I wondered how it must of felt to get the draft notice in the mail.  I wondered what it was like to leave their family and go to foreign soil, more than likely to kill someone they didn't even know.  I thought about the sacrifice they gave to their country without reservation.  I thought about the sacrifice their families had to make.  I thought about all the friends they made in the service that came home in a wooden box or were never brought home at all.  

Then it hit me.

We take for granted the simple freedoms we have on a daily basis.  We get to wake up in our own homes.  We get in our vehicles and drive wherever we want to in this country.  We take our kids to the school we want them to go to.  We show up to our jobs that we chose for ourselves.  We can pass by a number of churches with different names on the sign and we can walk into all of them and worship.  We can walk into any super market and pick out the items we want to purchase.  

Tonight, at dinner, we asked our children what freedom was.  They gave the typical answers they have been taught at school.  I asked them to explain their answers and they couldn't.  I began to tell them about their family members who had served and the battles they had been a part of.  I told them about Grandpa Walter being the only one in his group to be alive.  I was able to explain to them how freedom was something we take for granted.  I told them about countries that little girls still don't get to go to school.  I told them about places where you can't read the bible without fear of your life.  They just looked at me like I was crazy.  They don't understand how much their freedoms cost.  They don't think about the life they have as being a freedom.  They don't understand the costs of the men and women who served this country have paid for their freedom.

We have gotten very comfortable in our lives as we know them.  We have forgotten our basic freedoms that were fought for so many years ago. 

Thank you to all the men and women who have fought for me and my family to live in the greatest country on the planet.  Thank you for sacrificing and staying the course for us to be free.  Thank you for teaching us what a unified nation can do.  Thank you for serving that we may be free.

"man, it's windy..."

It was a morning just like several others during deer season.  I woke up early to see if I could stick a deer with my compound bow.  My lovely wife, who acts as my alarm clock, woke me up at 5:15 am.  I rolled around in bed for a few minutes and decided to give it a chance even though the forecast looked glim.  I put on some shorts and shirt and headed out.  When I went outside, I thought to myself, "man it's windy."

As I drove to the property to hunt, I began to play out the process of how I was going to make sure I had every opportunity to slay one of the many big bucks I have been seeing on my trail cam.  Sitting in my truck driving north, I didn't notice how hard the south wind was blowing.  Driving to my parking spot, it seemed like any other morning, until I open my truck door to get my camo on.  When I began to open my door, the wind ripped it out of my hand and I thought to myself, "man, it's windy."

Standing beside my truck getting my scentlok camo on, I began to realize my chances of success were going to be hindered by the wind.  It was only blowing like 25 mph.   I walked my normal trail to my stand.  I could hear the wind ripping through the trees.  I could feel the wind on my face.  I climbed into my stand and began to get settled in.  Then I felt it, the tree began to sway in the wind.  This is a big tree too.  I stayed the course, going to tough it out and get the big one.

I sat there in the dark, holding my bow and then I started thinking, "man, it's windy."  It wasn't the normal breeze.  It was loud and hard, I couldn't hear anything but the wind.  I could see the grass in the field doubled over leaning to the north.  The leaves all around me sounded like thousands of papers being wadded up.  Birds were not chirping or I couldn't hear them.  As the sun came out, the clouds were rolling through the sky as if it were a river of light and smoke.

I realized my plan of success would have to be put on hold. I hate to admit, I was a little upset.  Since I was there, I figured I might as well just deal with it and see what might happen.  Doing what I always do as the sun comes up, God and I started talking.  He listens and I talk most of the time.  I seemed to be stuck on the wind today.  Couldn't get it off my mind.  I asked Him why he needed the wind.  I asked Him to stop it and let me kill a deer.  I asked Him what role the wind played in day to day activity other than bringing in a storm or change in the weather. 

Then I remembered a story in Mark chapter 4.

Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat.  The wind was howling and the disciples were scared.  Real scared.  A major storm was happening.  Then Jesus steps out on the deck and tells the wind to stop and be still.  His disciples looked at each other and asked just exactly who He was.  Who is this guy that the wind and rain listen?

Understanding another lesson from God, I realized He doesn't need the wind.  He controls the wind.  He is in charge of it all.  He calms the storms in real life and in our spiritual lives.  He is the end and the beginning.  He doesn't need me.  I need him.  When we put things in the right order and understand God doesn't need us, the wind doesn't matter anymore.  God doesn't serve us, we serve him.  God doesn't need our worship, He deserves it.  

I didn't see a deer, but I focused on God and he gave me what I needed to hear.  I think many times in life we focus on the wind and storms.  I don't know how the winds of life are affecting you, but just remember, God is in control.  He can tell the wind to stop.  He knows every hair on your head and He knows your thoughts.  I climbed down out of my stand, walked to the truck, took off my camo, and thought to myself, "man, it's windy."


What do you need to focus on?  
What is God needing to talk to you about?


justinprelsey1977@gmail.com

Good Morning.....

I know many of us stayed up late watching the election results.  If you were like me, you tried to find the channel that was as unbiased as possible to figure out who would win.  So many people on mainstream media help guide out thoughts.  No wonder we worry about everything from the election to how am I going to pay for daycare.  It kind of hit me this morning when I went into my little girls room as she cried for her daddy.  I picked her up as usual and she latched on my neck and hugged me and smiled.  She was just happy to be in her daddy's arms.  She thinks I am a safe place.  She knows I will take care of her.  She is standing beside me watching me type this right now holding her blankie.  

Last night, Emma, didn't worry about the election.  She didn't worry about her money.  She worried about if she had her bedtime snack and juice.  She worried about having her boppy in her mouth.  She worried about making sure she had her blankie with her to go to sleep.  She knew her mom and dad would lay her in bed and continue to take care of her the next morning. 


And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."          
Matthew 18

I read in my quiet time before my run about having childlike faith.  I read about how I need to trust God like a baby trusts his or her parents.  

Then during my run this morning, I felt cold as I got out of my truck in the darkness.  I was even cold as I started to run as the cold damp air hit my nostrils and face.  My breath was short and quick.  My knees were aching from the bitter cold.  I remember thinking this is crazy.  Why am I out here running?

Then I felt it.  The sun broke through the clouds and the cold went away.  The cold damp air became less hard to breath.  I told my running partner how amazing it was that we warmed up so fast when the sun shines on us and we are running.   The warmth gave me the strength to continue running.  It helped me feel like I could continue to the finish.  

When I picked up Emma this morning I realized what God was saying to me all day since 5:45 am.

1. Don't worry about it, I am still in control.
2. Latch onto me the way Emma does to her father.
3. As long as I run in the light, I will be fine.
4. Just like Emma believes her father will care for her, SO DO I......

I hope each of you have a good day and its only bad if you allow it.....your choice....

justinpresley1977@gmail.com

your Mask...after Halloween thoughts...

As I sat last night watching the hundreds of kids walk up to my mothers front door, I was amazed at all the disguises that were adorned by these kiddos.  I saw a Nerd Mummy that was absolutely hilarious.  I was fortunate enough to witness several acts of valor by spiderman, superman, and the green power ranger.  I saw some of the cutest little girls ever dressed up as Minnie Mouse, Princesses, and even a Colt's Cheerleader.  I cracked up when the Turtle Man and his Hillbilly buddy came to the party.  Several times during the night we were given our own private belly dance routine by a very beautiful little belly dancer.  I found it interesting how you could tell which kids had just went and bought a costume with their parents and by some of the makeup jobs and flamboyant hair, mom and dad were living vicariously through their child...

It was astonishing how these young kids could adapt themselves into these characters they were portraying.  Whether it was the way they walked or the way they talked or didn't talk.  Maybe their character had a special talent or movement.  I had no idea our children could so easily adopt traits from characters they had chosen to be.  

So as my crazy mind started working, I started watching all of the adults as they came up with their children.  I started watching how we reacted to one another.  Without fail, we put on masks every time we thought we needed too.  If someone who was a friend from church came to visit, we grabbed our church mask.  Someone from our children's school, we put on the school mask.  If it was from work, we put on the work mask.  I started catching myself reaching in my won bag of masks when certain people came to say hello.  I was blown away at how we would treat some people and then how we may not even speak to others.  

I guess as adults, we just have halloween everyday.....

I know some behaviors are learned and some are just in us.  My poor kids don't have a chance.  I see some of the things they do and I see me right there.  Good and bad.  Just the other day I noticed my oldest son was picking on his 3 younger siblings more than usual.  He was on his scooter acting like he was going to run over them as they sat at the end of the concrete playing with rocks.  He would get right to them and then turn real quick.  They of course would act scared and he would then laugh.  I told him to stop scaring them.  (I saw his daddy's mask....)

We then went inside to get ready for dinner and my oldest son still continued to just be completely out of character.  There was a spray bottle in the floor, which I am sure the babies were playing with, and he just walked over and kicked it.  I looked at him and asked, Why would you kick that, knowing it may break?  He looked at me and said I don't know?  (I saw his daddy's mask...)

I told him I didn't understand why he was acting the way he was.  It was out of character for him to just be mean to his siblings on purpose and then to just break something to break it.  I told him his actions were not justified and were hurting others.  He removed the mask and my son looked at me and said, your right...sorry dad...

In Hebrews 4, the word of God is speaking of the Sabbath as a day of rest and the people are not doing this.  The word tells us in Hebrews 4 how powerful the bible is and it is sharper than a two edged sword.  Then in verse 13 says:

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

I think we feel we need to put on a mask to cover up the fact that we might not be what people think we are.  We may be scared, we may be insecure, and we may be living a lie.  It doesn't matter, Hebrews 4:13 tells us nothing is hidden from God's sight.  

I can fool man and man can fool me, but God is never fooled...No matter what we do or say, he knows our hearts....

I am on a journey and so are you.  I want to take my masks off and be who God has created me to be.  It is a process....

I heard a guy speak this week and he made a great point...We are in process...the process of being who we are supposed to be in God's eyes...Once we die and see him face to face...we are product....


Challenge:

Think about your masks and if you can take them off and be who God has created you to be....