jon mark

i got a book for Christmas this year called “the coffeehouse gospel” by matthew paul turner. i am not the fastest reader in the world and don’t really get into too many books. it’s hard for me to sit still and read for long periods of time. but this book had me fixated!!! one, i love coffee…two, the author and i seem to have a lot in common (from reading it)…and c or three or however that goes, i had just finished my personal evangelism and missions classes last fall.

the more i read the more i was challenged with the idea of being willing to listen to people. just listen, not pre-judge what is going to come out of their mouths due to what they have on or how they talk. to be patient enough to hear what they have to say, and more so to hear what they are telling me behind what they are saying…confused yet? i am.

so often i am in too big of a hurry to listen, i just have too many important things to get done? plus i tend to get annoyed quickly at story tellers…you know, the ones who want to sit and tell me every detail to their story in the last five months, which seems to take another five months. i just want the facts that i need to know and i’m good…that’s horrible, i know…just being honest.

so this book and thoughts of my course work are really hammering away at me. so i have been trying to do a better job at hearing people out and being patient about my listening. but there’s a lot of work to be done yet, let me tell ya! and this morning i check a blog and see where one of the top seven things to avoid in communicating…not listening.

of course i’m caused to remember james 1:19…Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (NLT)

so yeah, God is working away on this work or art. it’s funny because now i get annoyed at myself if i don’t listen to someone and even more so if someone doesn’t listen to me.

my thanks go out to matthew paul turner and i hope to e-mail him soon and possibly share life stories. and hopefully i will get a better handle on this listening thing. that way i can better know how to talk with them about God and what He has done in my life. not to mention what He wants to do in their life!

so here we are, at the beginning of yet another year. it’s scarry to think of how fast the last twelve months have gone and of what all God has done. this morning i have looked back to see all of the answered prayers and those that i am still trusting God to answer. i see how God can create and give us this little tiny girl, who is now 8 months old and rolling all over the house. i can see how God has taken some of His dear children home and how that has affected their family and friends. but in looking back at everything, i see how God is in control, no matter how i see things or how i think they should go!

we just celebrated the birth of our Savior. in reading over and over the accounts in scripture, it doesn’t exactly make sense to me. the King, the real King and not elvis, being born into this world as a baby to ordinary parents, in the middle of no where, in a horse trough? makes sense to me? but all the while God was in complete control and was working out His will.

i have a few “resolutions” for this year, which i don’t normally like to do, but over all i would say that this year i want to trust God more and remember that He is in complete control. i want to bring Him honor and glory as He does what He does and allows me to be a part of it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!