Only by the grace and mercy of the Lord....

Only by the grace and mercy of the Lord [fill in the blank].

After having an excellent after-hours conversation with my boss, I feel inspired to (finally) write another post on this blog.  I apologize for not updating this blog more frequently; I started a new (awesome) job and a technical training course at the local college and have not had a ton of free time allocated towards blog posts and whatnot.  However, I definitely feel like the Lord wants me to share these thoughts.  I hope and pray that they can be used in some way, shape or form to encourage you.

Basically, my boss and I were discussing how we've gotten where we are today; our relationships with Christ, our wives, families,  jobs, and so on...As he and I shared with each other about our (and our families') history, the recurring thought of, "only by the grace and mercy of the Lord...." sounded in my mind.  Now, I'm not going to share much detail regarding his life, but I am more than happy (and willing) to share a little about mine.

To start, it is only by the grace and mercy of the Lord that I am still alive this very moment, for numerous reasons.  One of the main reasons being that my Dad and I were in a pretty bad head-on-collision accident back in May 1999, on the way to my eighth birthday party.  The young woman in her black Saturn coupe, rushing to turn into her driveway, thought that she could beat my Dad and I traveling at 60mph in our sparkling blue Ford 150; needless to say, it didn't end too well.  I vividly remember reading my Star Wars: Episode 1 book, listening to Fat Joe on the radio, then all-of-a-sudden feeling a sudden jerk and screeching of tires as my dad attempted to swerve and miss the Saturn that just cut across in front of us, then flying down an embankment and striking a telephone poll; I can still smell the radiator fluid and smoke pouring from the engine bay; I can still see all of the hot dog condiments strewn from the backseat all the way up to the dashboard; I can still feel the pain after my head striking the dashboard, so hard that the air condition vent that my forehead struck was completely destroyed; I can still remember crawling over the center console, exiting from the driver side of the truck (my door was jammed shut against the telephone pole), walking up the embankment, seeing the small black Saturn completely, the driver unconscious....only by the grace and mercy of the Lord.

That accident had a tremendous impact on my life; mostly a negative one.  I recall being scared to even ride in a vehicle after that, much less the front seat!  I was always the child that never wanted to wear a seatbelt, saying things like "Yeah, well WE'VE never been in an accident.....why do I need to wear it?"; it was a challenge to convince me to even wear it.  Thank God, I was buckled up on the warm sunny Saturday in May 1999.

I have numerous stories that I could share with you, regarding how it is only by the grace of God that I am typing this very sentence; however, I do not want to bore your head completely off.  Thank you for sticking with me for this long!  Since that accident in May 1999, there have been numerous incidents and accidents that halted me in my tracks, leaving me with thoughts such as , "Wow.....that could have ended MUCH worse; I literally could be dead right now; what was I thinking?".  However, for your sake and my time, I will not go into the details of those occurrences.  However, I can leave you with the encouragement that the Lord has given me on this night: I am here, still living and breathing on this Earth, for a reason.  There have been plenty of times that my life could have ceased altogether, and other moments where I just wanted to give up, but the Lord has been there, faithfully, by my side through the good times and the bad; "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 (NIV).

To whomever happens to come across this blog post, be encouraged....the King of Kings and Lord of Lords know you by name; "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid...." Luke 12:7 (NIV).  I'm not sure what exactly you might be going through right now, but I AM sure that in some way, shape or form, I can to you.  I could have gone through similar struggles, temptations, trials, that you are facing.  I tried overcomin I'm not sure what exactly you might be going through right now, but I AM sure that in some way, shape or form, I can to you.  I could have gone through similar struggles, temptations, trials, that you are facing.  I tried overcoming them by my own might g them by my own might 

Only by the grace and mercy of the Lord....have I lived to the age of 22; married the love of my life; served as a missionary/intern in Haiti for six months; witnessed and testified the Gospel of Jesus Christ to total strangers; prayed the salvation prayer with those strangers; acquired a job that I truly enjoy; have let the past be the past and set my sight on what lies ahead; truly forgiven all the people that have hurt me; gotten out of my 'comfort zone', making responsible decisions; and even typing this very sentence and much, much more....

A man's heart plans his way,

but the LORD directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

Making a living...or a dying?

"We will spend well in excess of 100,000 hours of our lives working at our choice of vocation. The sheer math of a per-hour rate makes this decision very important. You must plan your work and then work your plan. Happy and effective people have found a vocation for which they have a natural aptitude and have committed themselves to excellence in that vocation. These are the people who have a vacation for a vocation.  Everyone has some natural talent or aptitude in one or more areas.  If you can identify those areas you not only will be happier and perform more successfully in that role, but you will also become better paid for that...When you have a natural talent or aptitude, coupled with desire and experience, the result is productivity plus." -Dave Ramsey. 

"The secret of success is focus of purpose." -Thomas Edison

So true. How many people do you know, or maybe even yourself, that wake up every work-week morning, absolutely dreading the job that they are headed to? Is this truly making a living, or as a one of my favorite personal finance books, Your Money or Your Life, states, "Where’s all the life we supposedly made at work? For many of us, isn’t the truth closer to ‘making a dying’? Aren’t we killing ourselves — our health, our relationships, our sense of joy and wonder — for our jobs? We are sacrificing our lives for money — but it’s happening so slowly we barely notice."

Ok, so what do I do now?  I can relate to many of you who aren't truly satisfied with your field of work.  You know, without a shadow of a doubt, that your current job is not one that you want to do until retirement, or one that you even look forward to going to.  My personal suggestions would be to: 1) PRAY: Seek God's will for your life. 2) Be proactive; do everything you can to go from where you are, to where you truly want to be. 3) Seek counsel from your pastor, family members and friends, especially those who are currently involved in the industry/field you seek to enter. 4) Don't choose an occupation simply for the money. 5) DON'T quit your current job without figuring out where you will be earning an income!  You know what your passion is and you know that you want to do it for the rest of your life...but the fact is, you've got to figure out how you are going to earn income doing that.  Don't make a rash decision, digging yourself into a deeper hole!  As Dave Ramsey states, "Do not quit your job today!  Do not get all excited and destroy your monthly budget by making a rash decision.  You can begin the process of discovery and transformation today."  

The bottom line-no pun intended, is that forty years from now, I do not want to look back on my life in disappointment, thinking, "I've spent this much of my life, doing THAT?  What was I thinking?".  Seek true fulfillment! 

Welcome to my new blog!

A Steadfast Light is a "spinoff" of the blog that I created for my six month mission trip/internship with Nehemiah Vision Ministries in Haiti; Jordan's Haiti Ministry.  Since I started the blog a couple months prior to me flying down to Haiti on January 16, 2012, it has accumulated almost 6,000 hits, with visitors from the United States (4,855), Haiti (268), Russia (120), German (84), China (82), Israel (62), Ukraine (32), Latvia (30), Canada (28), and last but not least, the United Kingdom (26).  I have no clue how people from those countries ventured unto my blog, but I thank God that they did.

I pray that God will give me the words to say in these blog posts, through this new blog, that can truly reach and speak to the people that visit this site.  I also pray and believe that He can use this blog in a multitude of ways, all for the glory of His Kingdom!

Please feel free to visit Jordan's Haiti Ministry!  I will occasionally update that blog with only Haiti-related posts.  I imported all of the blog posts from that site to this blog, A Steadfast Light.  I enjoy writing, although I'm definitely not the best at it.  Hopefully you will enjoy my new blog!  Please keep me in your prayers as I seek to utilize avery avenue possible to reach people for Jesus!

This blog is still a work-in-progress!  I haven't figured out exactly how I want it to look, but this will do for now.  Bear with me as I tweak, add, delete, re-add, and tweak more things on the blog!  Also, I want to reiterate that all of the blog posts leading up to this "introductory" post were imported directly from my other blog, Jordan's Haiti Ministry.

"Produces perseverance..."

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  James 1:2-4 (NIV)

Amen.  The book of James is one of my favorite books in the Bible (not saying that ALL the books of the Bible aren't great..).  The verses posted above have definitely resonated in my heart this week, as I've been battling some sort of sickness for the past 4+ days, causing me to miss work, get a shot of antibiotics in my gluteus maximus, painfully swallow Amoxicillin, but being taken care of by my amazing wife...what a blessing she is!  Sickness in combination with financial aid difficulties with school and a few other small issues could have given me the 1-2 punch combo to knock me flat on my spiritual back.  However, not by my own strength, but by the glory of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit, I didn't let these issues affect my relationship with God (also thanks to everyone who has been praying for me this week...you are awesome!)  In fact, it drew me even closer to Him.  You might be wondering, "What in the world is up with this guy?"...and I'll say refer back to the verses posted above.  

It's so easy to let trials and difficulties get the best of us, causing us to lose contact and even distance us from our Almighty Lord....whom we should be calling upon and crying out to during these times. Sadly, I don't  always recall these verses during trials and issues; sometimes my flesh likes to take control and think that I can handle it all on my own....but the reality is, I can't.  Not without God.

"But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."  James 1:6-8 (NIV)

Whomever my come across this blog and are now reading this post, let these verses encourage you.  Seek the Lord, cry unto God during your trials and praise Him during times of blessing!  

"Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered.  You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."  James 5: 10-11 (NIV)

In Loving Memory of Grandma; Lector Mae (Bailey) Piper

I love this photo of my grandmother, Lector. This beautiful Wednesday morning, my lovely wife Nikki and I attended her funeral in Creedmoor, NC. I heard individuals share hilarious memories of my grandma, knowing that she was smiling down at us from Heaven. Although we heard stories that made us laugh, the stories that truly resonated with me this morning, were those told by an elderly cousin of mine, whom preached the ceremony, stating how he could recall as far back as 60 years ago, my grandma diligently serving in the church and community for the Lord. The pastor spoke of how Mrs. Lector Mae (Bailey) Piper was always willing to serve the Kingdom, and how even to this day she would run into him, asking "Are you still a'preaching?" 

Throughout the service at the church, I felt my grandmothers presence; I knew that she was watching and listening to every word. I was able to speak at the gravesite for the final ceremony. I shared with family members and friends how, growing up, Grandma Piper was constantly talking about the Lord...but as a rebellious child and adolescent, it went through one ear and out the other.. But that didn't stop her from praying for each and every one of us; how I know that those prayers have helped me become the man that I am today; that after hearing countless testimonies of how my grandmother was a genuine follower of Christ, a true servant, I truly realized that her faith in Christ truly reflected through her life....that Christ came to this Earth to serve the people and my Grandmother did the same for us.

I closed the ceremony with these verses:

"I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."

2 Timothy 1: 3-5

Grandma, thank you for the prayers. Thank you for never giving up on me.

Humble Inspiration; "Twelve Ordinary Men".

I have recently started reading a book titled Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur.  The back cover of this book states the following description:

"When you take a fresh look at the disciples, you'll be faced with a stunning fact: The men the Savior chose were ordinary.  Hopelessly human.  Remarkably unremarkable.  But they were available and obedient to the Master's call.

And, under Jesus' teaching and touch, they became a force that forever changed the world...The message of Twelve Ordinary Men is clear.  If Christ can accomplish His purposes through the lives of common men like these, imagine what He has in store for you!"

I have only read about twenty or so pages of this book....and those twenty or so pages are packed with  lines that I literally scribbled 'Amen!' beside.  Here is an excerpt from Twelve Ordinary Men that reminded me of these verses:

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.  Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were noble of birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.  It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written: "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Excerpt:

"So there are no intrinsically qualified people. God Himself must save sinners, sanctify them, and then transform them from unqualified into instruments He can use. The Twelve (apostles) were like the rest of us; they were selected from the unworthy and the unqualified. They were, like Elijah, men "with a nature like ours" (James 5:17). They did not rise to the highest usefulness because they were somehow different from us. Their transformations into vessels of honor was so\>lely the work of the Potter.

Many Christians become discouraged and disheartened when their spiritual life and witness suffer because of sin or failure. We tend to think we're worthless nobodies-left to ourselves, that would be true! But worthless nobodies are just the kind of people God uses...

Satan may even attempt to convince us that our shortcomings render us useless to God and to His church. But Christ's choice of the apostles testifies to the fact that God can use the unworthy and the unqualified...They turned the world upside down, these twelve (Acts 17:6). It was not because they had extraordinary talents, unusual intellectual abilities, powerful political influence, or some special social status. They turned the world upside down because God worked in them to do it.

God chooses the humble, the lowly, the meek, and the weak so that there's never any question about the source of power when their lives change the world.  It's not the man: it's the truth of God and the power of God in the Man. (We need to remind some preachers toady of this. It's not their cleverness or their personality. The power is in the Word-the truth that we preach-not in us.)" 
-John MacArthur, "Twelve Ordinary Men".

When Two Become One: Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Piper

A great man of our church, evangelist Pastor Craig Maclaughlin, surprised my beautiful wife and I with this video of our wedding day.  This thirty-six minute video will give you a mere glimpse of our beautiful wedding day on November 3, 2013; a day filled with countless tears of happiness, laughs, smiles, hugs, kisses, and memories that will never be forgotten...a day that two people, became one.