"Hill Country Thoughts:Walking Daily With The Lord -Thoughts, Hopes,and Living in the Real World" "Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult {and} thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.
Over the last week and a half I have been in the process of refocusing, of sitting things in order in my life. Over the last couple of weeks I found it very hard to focus but yet it is something I needed to really do.
Hill Country Thoughts is not about me, though I am part of it. It is about the Lord, about what He has done in my life, as well as in the lives of others.
It is the Lord, His word and the Spirit that gives us the knowledge, the understanding of what it means to be a servant, a father, a grandfather. It is the Lord that shows us the awesomeness of who He is.
That we begin to see people as the Lord sees them. Not with an eye of judgement, though that comes into effect sometimes. He sees us with the eyes of compassion, with love, with the heart of a father.
Over the last week and a half I became so focus on my pain and lack of medication, that my focus became blurred. I could not see clearly and because of that, I backed away from the pen, saying why write and then the Lord reminded me why I am writing and for whom I am writing.
So here I am at 02:30 in the morning sharing my Fathers heart and love. He loves me so much that He woke me up to remind me how blessed I am.
I am blessed to have three great children, Gloria, Joshua and Elise, who love me and their mother very much. I am thankful to be here with my daughters. I am thankful for my son Joshua, who always encourages me to write.
I am blessed to have three great grand children, Rebekah, Jordan and Keian, who love their papa very much, who with that twinkle in their eyes, bring a joy to my heart.
I have been blessed to have had Jodie as part of my life for nearly thirty years. Our children, grand children are a testimony of the Lord’s blessing to us. I know that the Lord will bless her. His plans for her are good plans.
I can look back now and see how blessed I have been to have Mom and Dad Shelley in my life, for the love they have for all of us. They were super in-laws.
I am blessed to have friends such as Pastor Scott, Lewis, Bob and Diana, Robin, Von, David and Marc and many others who have been there in prayer, in encouragement, for that I am very thankful!
I am thankful to the Lord for Hill Country Thoughts, that the Lord is allowing me to be a pen in His hand and I am thankful my friends for you, for taking the time to drop by, to read, and to encourage me. You all have touched my heart and have given me a purpose to press on. To share the simple things that the Lord puts on my heart.
I am thankful for Crossmap and for the team there. That they chose me to be one of their writers and they have encouraged me often. Thanks Roy, Jessica and the rest of the Crossmap team.
I am saying all this my friends to let you know that I am truly blessed. That the last three years have drawn me closer to the Lord. What the enemy meant to use to destroy me, did not work, it has pushed me closer to the Lord.
Now I am here in Kennesaw, Georgia with many new things happening in my life. New friends, new relationships, doors of opportunity. The Lord has even given me a Starbucks nearby where I have made a lot of new friends.
I have not disappeared, I just had to refocus and remember what Hill Country Thoughts was about. It is about the Lord. About the great things He has done and how blessed I am to know that He is the Lord of my life. That He has chose me to be a pen in His hands.
We are indeed a blessed people when we realize that we serve the creator of heaven and earth and that His plans for us are good plans. That He will fulfill His word to us.
He has called us. It is up to us to follow, even in the midst of the battles, during the storms, let us follow and walk with Him. Let us stay focused on Him!!
The word Gethsemane means “oil press.” It represents those places of deep, pressing pain and mental agony!
I recently read an article in the Pentecostal Evangel by the title of “Hard Times” By Charles R. Swindoll, on page 18, February 20, 2005 issue and the following really stood out:
“There is no place more alone than one’s own Gethsemane.”
“But there are personal Gethsemanes you must walk through completely alone. You’ll always feel a deep loneliness while you’re getting through the tough stuff of pain. That’s when Christ will be there. Your best friends may fail you. Some will try to understand, but often they can’t. A few frankly, will forget you. Some may turn against you. In the agony of your need for relational support, you’ll have all you need with Christ.”
“You will find Him at those times closer than a brother. I know. He has met me in my own Gethsemanes, and He will do so again and again and yet again."
As I read this article there was much I could identify with. I can truly say that in the Gethsemanes of my life over the last three years that the Lord has been that friend that has indeed been closer than a brother. He has carried me through every battle, every struggle, every defeat. He has been there without fail, to bring me through. Even when I could not see with the natural eye, He was there.
To know that He will be with us through the hard times gives us a peace that transcends anything of this world. It is indeed in the Gethsemanes of life that we truly learn to know our Father, our Lord. To become intimate in His word, in His presence and in His Spirit.
I want to encourage you my friends to remember that as you are in those times of “Gethsemane” to remember that you have a friend, that He is with you as walk through these hard times and that He will, not might, bring you through, even as He has brought me through the times of pressing in my life.
We are a people of hope, of faith and we have an advocate with our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ who will bring us through as we lay hold of Him with all that we are and to know that He will be with us in the “Gethsemanes of life.”
Till later,
Paul
Hill Country Thoughts Paul E. Dawn Jr.
Kennesaw, Georgia
Think on This:
“As we spend that time with the Lord, as we ponder His word, it will bring forth fruit in due season, and it will be life to others as we share those things that the Lord has made real in our lives as we walk with Him, as we go through the trials of life, the dealings, as we mature little by little, we will be able to share with others that which has been made real in our life, not theory but the life changing power of the word" - Paul
Words Aloft
Let my words soar on the
rising currents of your spirit
Let my words be powered by the
heart of your inspiration
Let my words lead others on the
incredible journey to your heart
Let my words reflect the vastness
of your Mercy, new every morning!
