Ok, so the first REAL blog...hello world...anyone out there?

Ok, so I decided to actually make a go of it with this blog stuff. As is evident by the pictures from my recent trip to Colorado, I've seen some incredible things. But what's more incredible is what's happening beneath the surface in me....

The entire trip was life changing for me. I returned to Houston a transformed man. God took me up into the high places, revealed His truth to me, broke my heart of the things in my life that NEEDED to be shaved off, showed me His glory, and then sent me back down so that I could weather the storms. I spent the last few hours of my last full day in Colorado making plans to get back to Houston before Ike hit. Three flight changes and a few hours of being on hold with the airlines, I was ready to go.

What shocks me, or maybe I should say what caught my attention, is that (as it is with our spiritual struggles) I was heading directly from the high places into a storm. God does not intend for us to spend our lives in the "high places." No, His intention is for us to go up on the mountain top, revel in His glory, and take what we've learned and head directly into the storms or valleys in our lives. Wow, not only was God teaching me a spiritual lesson, but He also was showing me, physically showing me what it means to go from the mountain top experience to the storms of life. As Ike hit us in Houston, I sat and was at peace. I knew that NO wind that would come against me would destory me. It might spread chaos around me, but I was standing firm upon the rock!

I recently read "The Silence of Adam" and much of it focused on how God created man (men) to speak into the darkness, into the chaos. I believe its those close encounters with God that enable us to do so. Adam walked and talked with God...you can't get much more intimate than that.

So, I pray that you take from this an understanding that we are not meant to stay on that mountain (but its ok to live in the mountains :o) ) we are meant to take that experience and let the joy of the Lord overflow into all areas of our lives. We are meant to speak into the chaos. When the wind is crashing against you or you feel lost in the valley, remember your mountain top experience. Cling to the cross!