Godly Companions

Jon Acuff (@jonacuff) tweeted a couple of weeks ago, “Being aware of the story God is unfolding as he unfolds it, instead of realizing what was happening years later, is a gift.”

I believe this statement sums up my feelings after going through the “Living Parables” sermon series in February.  To know that God is in control, that he is faithful, that he is the Almighty God are a few of the facts that I am most guilty of overlooking.  There have been many times in my life that I have grown frustrated with myself and with God.  When prayers seem to go unanswered, when life’s trials seem to outnumber the victories, when struggles with sin seem to get stronger are all times when I am most prone to doubt God’s power.  Without a doubt after looking pack on the past and seeing where I am today I know that God has most definitely been in control orchestrating the tiniest of details to bring me to this point in my life.  Just as Ruth had Naomi as a companion God has placed some amazing people in my life.  Godly men and women that God has placed in my life at just the right moment have helped me through the many seasons of life.

The blessing that my family has been to me all throughout my life is truly amazing.  My parents are the ultimate example of how a follower of Christ should live.  It was from my family that I first learned about living a God honoring life.  An extension to my family is my first church family at Cullendale First Baptist Church in Camden, AR.  It was from the great men and women at this church that I heard the Gospel story and learned from bible stories in sunday school and worship time.  My youth minister here took a lot of time to teach me and a handful of other youth about leadership and that to be a leader you must be a humble servant.  After graduation I moved to a town I knew very little about.  I moved not knowing anyone at the college and spent my first weeks away from home wondering if I would be able to make a connection with people.  By the end of the second week at UAM I knew I had found my connection.  It was through the ministries of the local Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship (MBSF).  My time with the MBSF was definitely God ordained.  It was here that I learned how to love people with everything I had. I learned about giving and caring about people’s needs across the world.  I also met the wonderful people of Pauline Baptist Church through the MBSF and quickly found a home inside the walls at Pauline.  Pauline is an awesome church family and being a part of this church has given me the opportunity to serve and grow spiritually.  Also, while at UAM through a series of meetings and opportunities (which is another story in itself) I started working part time for a company which 5 ½ years later I am still with.  It was through this job that I had the most important meeting of my life, I met my beautiful wife!  Now three years later we are married (1 ½ years) and are expecting our first child, a daughter, any time.

I truly believe that God has been at work in my life since day one and has placed people in my path to direct my steps to where he wants me to be.    Although at times I have questioned particular steps and why some have been more difficult or painful than others I know that each have played a vital role in my physical and spiritual growth. I know that God is faithful to his promises and that he will never leave or forsake us.  I know that he is almighty and is in control guiding me each and everyday!

Spring Has Arrived

Had the opportunity to go for a walk this past Saturday afternoon.  The cold/rainy weather Saturday did not feel like Spring but the blooming pear trees were definitely a beautiful indication that Spring is here!

How Did I Get Here??

We recently completed a series called "Living Parables" at Pauline.  During this sermon series our staff of ministers made application from where they are in their lives to go along with teaching from the book of Ruth.  This series really made me look back at my life and review where I came from to where I am now.  Everytime I go through this process of reviewing the past it always causes me to sit in awe at how divine God is.  To see how he is working out the seemingly insignificant details of my life for a greater purpose is truly amazing! During the upcoming days and weeks I am going to work back through this sermon series for my personal study and will try to comment here with regards to what I learn.

Introduction

I guess there is always a first for everything.  I have been thinking about trying this out for some time now and have even created  a couple of blogsites but have ultimately deleted it before ever making the first post.  I have struggled with the fact of what will I write that someone may find interesting.  I have come to the realization that I am not writing this blog for others (although I hope some find it interesting) but for myself. During my educational and now professional career the one thing that has always helped me to learn, remember, and solidify is to come to the point where I can describe to someone else a concept, story, or thought.  I now want to apply this fact to all aspects of my life so that I may first and foremost grow spiritually all the while provide for my family, develop my professional career, and try to enjoy more of God's great outdoors.

I am part of an awesome church family, I love the great people that make up Pauline Baptist Church here in Monticello.  My faith did not start here at Pauline however, I was first introduced to my heavenly father by my awesome family and church family in Camden, AR.  I will try to share more about that later.  As I continue to seek God's will while serving and learning at Pauline I will use this blog as a way to help me workout thoughts from sermons, bible studies, worship and bible reading.

God has blessed me with an awesome family.  My family has played a huge role in my life and the path that I have traveled to get to where I am now.  I have a beautiful wife, we have been married almost a year and a half (since Septemeber 5, 2009).  We are expecting our first child, a daughter, next month.  I am sure that she will be the topic of many discussions between myself and God in the very near future as she already has!

It is amazing to look back and see how individual choices and activities have led me to the point that I am at in my career.  I have a B.S. in Spatial Information Systems with an emphasis in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.  To put that long title in simpler terms I am a map maker.  I currently work for a digital aerial photography and GIS services company here in Monticello.  My day to day responsibilities are to process the digital aerial imagery our pilots capture.  Other projects give me the opportunity to work with data from sources such as GPS, surveyors, or other remote sensing platforms to create maps and perform analysis to help managers make informed decisions.  I believe that maps are one of the oldest ways of telling stories, recording history, and are a great tool when making decisions.  I will try to combine my background in GIS or cartography to help illustrate topics.

And lastly my love of the outdoors.  I really cannot remember a time when I have not spent time either hunting or fishing.  When I look back to how I spent my time outdoors when I was young to how I spend time today I am really amazed at how my idea of enjoyment has changed.  This past winter I spent more time going to see new places and just enjoying the time than I actually did hunting.  Most days I would only carry a camera, GPS, and a map and would walk for miles mostly along Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) trails.  I hope that in the upcoming year I will have opportunites to do more of the same and be able to share some of these trips here.

Thanks for reading,

Michael