As morning dawns, and evening fades.....

Another phenomenal weekend!!
Friday night playing 4 square with Grif, Bailey, Donna, Jon, and Sydney!! Hot sour cream pound cake straight out of the oven (come on now!!). Saturday was an ALL day softball tourney because my team did great again!! First game was at 9am, and the last game ended at 11:30 pm!! 2nd place!! woohoo.
Father's day was incredible!! Bible study finishing our discussion on the 4th commandment!! Wow, good discussion. Worship was wonderful, with an ALL MALE choir of about 50 or 60 men!! What a great expression of worship, and I hope ALL those men come back in August when choir starts back!! Bailey and Grif gave me wonderful presents!! New garden hose, rolling cart to store the hose, desparately needed new socks!!, a shirt, and 2 books that were suggested to us by Shep and Andrea. Wonderful!! Being Bailey and Grif's dad is more special than I can put into words. God has blessed me with those two wonderful kids and an incredible wife, even though I am undeserving!!

S&A recommended these books because of some questions I was asking and seeking answers to. Both are by Jack Deere. And the one I am reading first is Surprised by the power of the Spirit. I couldn't help but start reading it last night, and finally HAD to put it down at midnite!! LOL. (getting up at 6 for the gym this morn wasn't easy!!) I wasn't but in the first chapter before I told Donna, "God meant for me to read this book". First of all S&A knew with the questions that I was asking, this book dealt with THE possible answers. 2nd (and S&A had no idea, but God did!!) the book got personal in a hurry through a church across the street from my office that my largest customer attends. (might seem small to you, but God tapped me on the forehead, and seemed to say, pay attention when reading this!!)
I have never read a book while using a highlighter, but 3 pages in I wanted to be marking it up. Stopping and praying. Talking. Listening. I really think this is going to be and interactive read!! We'll see.
One of the questions I was asking was "Why have I never witnessed something miraculous like we are asking for Caroline?" The bible is full of accounts (not stories) of miracles. Where are they today? When is the last time you saw someone:
1. see for the first time? or
2. walk for the first time? or
3. anything of this nature?
In chapter 1, Jack Deere, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and pastor, had those answers for me in 1985. God didn't talk to us that way anymore. God didn't give gifts of the spirit since the last apostle died. This first chapter hit me pretty hard, in that, Jack Deere was using the same language I was. Asking the same questions.
I'll finish with this; For the first time in my life, God has an open mind and an open heart in me to speak. I don't know what answers, if any, I will have when I finish reading this book.
I can tell you this: in the past, talking about "gifts of the spirit" would have sent me walking in the other direction. I would have been half willing at best to listen to anything about the subject. If God wants to speak to me on this subject, I'm open.
C