John G's ramblings

Shameful promotion....(hopefully helps other foster parents out there)

2012-01-10T20:24:00.012-05:00

Well, not really shameful promotion. Tonight I'm taking some time to share a discovery that I hope will benefit others as much as it has us. As foster parents, there are many stringent safety & security requirements that at times can seem overwhelming. One particular safety rule is that all medications (prescription and OTC) are required to be locked at all times. When we were first going

...That Sounds Like the Pits

2011-12-06T17:54:00.005-05:00

Not something that we generally look forward to, or even ask for... Being Uncomfortable.That's exactly where I am these days. In what feels like a constant state of being uncomfortable. Never mind that I ask for it. Never mind that I have willingly open myself to God's promptings, no matter how uncomfortable doing so may make me feel.If that sounds something like an oxymoron

Simple Acts, not so simple….

2010-05-21T13:49:00.004-04:00

I had the opportunity to watch the movie “The Blind Side” again last night. The first time I watched this movie, I knew it was going to be one that had to be seen over & over & over…. Well, you get the idea. There are so many great moments & messages in this movie. I know I learn or catch something new each time I watch it. One thing that hit me hard this time was a

And so it begins.....

2009-10-24T12:41:00.003-04:00

It is Saturday afternoon, the day before the official start of a new church, Axis Christian Church. I was going to begin this by saying the start of "our" new church, but that would not be right. It is God's church... we are simply serving to further expand His church to help do as He said, go out to the ends of the earth spreading the Good News of his love and grace.Yes, there is an air of

In God We Trust..

2009-09-18T11:07:00.002-04:00

In God We Trust.. If I have it all figured out, I don’t need God. I sometimes forget that God wants us to trust Him….. Completely. Ouch, there’s the catch. I have to be brutally frank here… it’s the “completely” part that I sometimes struggle with. Sure, in most areas of my life I tend to think that I have put my trust in God, that He is there with me and will take

I love to plan & be prepared….

2009-08-31T22:11:00.002-04:00

Now, this is just my thinking here, but I really think that God gets a kick out of disrupting my plans. He sees me getting all wrapped up in doing what I think needs or has to be done. I can almost see him shaking his head…”there John goes again, getting all worked up, forgetting who really has control of things.” You may be reading this thinking I have completely

We teach best….

2009-08-25T20:20:00.006-04:00

“we teach best what we need to learn the most” I may not have the quote exactly right, since it has been some time since I read the book. And it may have been said by someone else and quoted in the book. But when I first saw this statement in “Illusions” by Richard Bach many years ago, it was simply a cool sounding quote that I wrote down & kept over the years.

Don't Push Me!

2009-08-23T21:44:00.003-04:00

When you first read the heading here, you probably had images of someone extremely aggravated. Well, there is one word I forgot (ok, so I didn’t really forget) to put at the end. It should read: “don’t push me AWAY!” Or better yet, I should probably rewrite it to “don’t let them push you away.” But the fact is that when people in our lives are blocking us out,

Do It Again!

2009-08-02T20:59:00.003-04:00

In my last blog, I talked about being so busy & feeling overwhelmed. Just like everyone else, it is easy to get caught up in the day to day “stuff”. When that happens, I start cutting down the wrong things in my schedule, like prayer time, reading my bible, or just reading whatever book I am currently working on. I even thought I had a great excuse: I work for the

The Why

2009-07-19T23:44:00.002-04:00

Like a hamster in an exercise wheel, life has lately felt like no matter how hard I worked, I wasn't getting anywhere. Work harder, faster, longer.... the list just kept getting bigger. I'm sure you know what I mean; we all feel that way at least once in a while. For me, the past couple of months have definitely seemed chaotic. I'll admit, there have been times when I have wondered if it

Website

2009-07-18T00:06:00.003-04:00

This has been another crazy, hectic, chaotic week. Finally in our new building at Endeavor Learning Center where we will be holding Sunday worship services, meetings, etc. Deep into search for office space; looking like we have found the ideal situation - in God's hands now. Getting ready for our first major Outreach event. We will have a booth at the Warren County Fair in Lebanon, OH next

So Much

2009-07-02T23:03:00.003-04:00

Wow! Have been at the North American Christian Concert in Louisville, KY since Tuesday. Lots going on, incredible information (almost overload, not quite, but almost), time spent meeting new people & chatting with friends. So many notes to process, I am sure the next couple of weeks will see some posts as I revisit all of this. Tonight was powerful... ending with Casting Crowns concert that

Promote Love..or Hatred?

2009-06-27T23:18:00.015-04:00

I continue working on re-reading "No Perfect People Allowed". One of the statements Burke makes drives to the very core of what spiritual seekers want to know: do we promote hatred, or do we promote love?The essence of this question can be very challenging for most of us christians (yes, I mean me, too). It's easy to look down at (judge) someone whose lives are very different from our own.The

Authenticity

2009-06-27T01:22:00.003-04:00

I am re-reading the book by John Burke called "No Perfect People Allowed". At the moment it is talking about authenticity and being a christian. Specifically, that authenticity starts with me.This is something that lately has been on my heart and mind as we do the work in preparing to plant a new church. A big reason for being involved in the church plant is the deeply felt need to reach out