An Expensive Decision

OK, so I know this is a crazy post but I couldn't help but find humor in this this past week. I was down in New Orleans working a job at a funeral home of all places, needless to say I had some awkward feelings about it on the way there. But as we got to the site and walked into the room we were going to be working in and it was full of casket's. Wow, what a great feeling I'm in a room full of happy smiling faces all looking forward to the big football game party we are about to throw, not hardly. I'm in a room full of final check in hotels for the next 8 hours. And to top it off, we had to wait an hour because they had a service in session once we got there, also awkward. But as the day went on I started to walk around and look at all the caskets and I was pretty shocked at what I saw, $5,000 for a box this must be a scam. Ok, a little aggressive on the scam comment but I could not reason with myself that much for a box you wont even see, much less that is going in the ground 6 ft under. And then it hit me, that is the story of all the people in the world that don't have a relationship with Christ. Spend your whole life building temporary wealth and searching for all these temporary things to give a temporary peace when in the end all your doing is investing your whole life into a dead end that cost you a whole lot, (An eternity). It's pretty cool to think about our bodies being a tent, and when we pass on God will give us our glorified bodies. Why, because we gave our lives to Christ and he gave us an eternal purpose to spend our lives on. $5,ooo for this old boy, not quite, how about a couple of pieces of ply wood and some 2 by 4's to hold it together. It was a pretty serious environment but a funny thought that I work for a company with the name Ultimate Storage and I had to do a job at a funeral home. IRONIC. Anyways, just some thoughts about investment's. Or better yet, some expensive temporary yet eternal decisions.

Amped UP

Starting it off right. Crazy Worship, throwing down the Word, and Host Homes with a bunch of hungry boys, haha and alot of smelly stuff. This is Amplified

Dr. Tweez throwing some announcements.

Worship

My Boy Jordan doing Bible Study.

My Boy Dylan singing it. With Jordans butt in his face.

This Weekend( IS AMPLIFIED)

Student Ministries: AMPLIFIED
A discipleship weekend packed with incredible worship, life changing messages, community outreach, and a legendary dodge ball tournament! You don't want to miss!!


(Amplified, one weekend,no sleep, tons of Worship, serving our hearts out, Amazing encounter with God, crazy Kids everywhere, All For JESUS).
Why I Love this weekend, b/c it's is one of the wildest most kingdom minded investments we do at HPC for the students. Teaching them all about Serving, becoming Disciples, and living a life sold out for Christ. Stay tuned I'll post pics and hopefully soon I'll be able to post Video updates as well.

Just Obedience

So I have one quick thought from a really close friend this week. All through morning prayer God has really been challenging me to seek him with all that I am, I mean everything, in all areas of my life. This past Week Adam Braud and me were talking about God's will for our lives and Adam told me this so simple but powerful truth. " God is not looking for the next person that wants to witness to a million people at a crusade, nor the next person that wants to Pastor a big mega Church, or the next person that wants to have a huge crowd they can lead into worship, God is looking for ONE person that just wants to be OBEDIENT.Weather that means your riding on the back of a garbage truck, or the janitor at a school for the next 20 yrs of your life, he wants someone that will be faithful to wherever he has placed them so that others may come to Christ". That was a powerful word for me, just obedience so that others may come to Christ. All those things in the beginning are great but it's really all about whatever the need , the service, the sacrifice are we willing to be Obedient to Christ. Where does he have you placed that you know there are those around you that need Jesus, trust him and stay the coarse, when they finally come to you to know Christ it will be so worth it.

New Art, 21 days countdown, What God is Doing

So for this 21 days of Prayer my heart has been geared towards Africa and the Orphans that Children's Cup is reaching out to. It has been a big challenge for me because I usually find myself ok with my words being able to communicate pretty well whats on my heart, but this season is different, this Season I have struggled praying. But the funny thing in that is God has me writing prayers more and Expressing my heart towards him in Art. It has been really neat to see a new work and a new language being expressed towards God. I grew up not knowing much about prayer except that you just talk with God, share your heart,dreams,passions,fears, and desire to live for him and he will talk back. Well he definitely talks back and speaks to me in such awesome ways, mostly in that still small voice. But with this new direction he has nudged me into for the past few days it has been a totally eye opening experience. Talk to you through Art, or through writing, I don't really understand but I'm definitely willing. In this, God has shown me so many things that I have never seen. As I write it writing my prayer like Psalms, as I draw it's like putting myself in the shoes of those Children through each expression of the pencil and brush, reminding me and reawakening me to there need and there hearts. Prayer is so powerful and such a great tool that God has given us to stay on track with what he wants to do in our lives. Pray , Fast, and Seek it's his hearts desire to be close to us, these little things will help us get close to him, just make it a heart thing and not a ritual or religion. It's all about the heart.

The little boy we called RED BOOTS, he has had such an amazing influence in my life for Orphans and taking care of them. He is also the inspiration behind the book I'm writing. This art piece is only about a 1/4 of the way done.

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Jan 12, at 6:00 in the Morning starts a season that I Love at the Church. Prayer and Fasting, it brings a closeness and a fresh reminder to the Church body and to me that what it's all about is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I Love starting my day off in prayer, I have to admit I havent been the best at it sense I've been out of Healing Place School of Ministry. But this 21 days each year really allows me to just give God all of me with other believers. When I used to here that we were as a church going to do 21 days of prayer I used to think man I've got 21 days to pray about so much stuff, that will never be enough time to talk to God about all that is going on, where do I begin. God the world is really messed up, help me to fix it. That's where I started a time or to, thank goodness i've grown a little and God has helped me with this. My heart this year has really been pressed for the Orphans in Africa, Guidance for 2009, and a big Move on the Horizion for Heather and Me. But more than any of that I want God's will to be done, and for others to come to know and have a personal relationship with Christ. thats most important. I have also set out to write and finish a book that has been on my heart for awhile, it's only going to be 33 pages long but I believe that it will speak to the hearts of people about one of Gods greatest Loves. The book is going to be about the Orphans in Africa. 21 DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING, it's a great way to really plug into God's heart and know what he wants for you and what he wants you to do for him. Really it's all about centering him in your life and giving up some of those things that come and go like the wind, giving up the temporary to gain the eternal. And nothing better than putting Jesus first in every area of our life.

PRAYER POINTS
1. If you have a new years resolution to get in shape pray and walk at the same time, you would be amazed at how many laps in the church you will make. And it helps you stay awake for early mornings.( Although if your super spiritual you dont get tired your always Glowing in Glory, J/K ).

2. Morning prayer is not about catching up with your One year Bible reading, I know I was in Bible school and God really convicted me about this. But you can read your bible. God speaks to me alot through scriptures for my day.

3. Try prayer without music, music is completly ok. For me though I have found that I start singing and get distracted when I play music, but other times Music helps me get focused. But it's a really good way to hear God's voice uninterrupted when the rest of the day your employee's will be playing beasty boys or some really family friendly 4 letter lyrics that soothe your soul.

4. Just be transparent and real with God he already knows you, and what you need any way so just go to him like a child. He Loves you and wants the best for you.

5. Really believe that he wants to talk to you, if pinnocho a puppet, could believe a cricket, we God's children should trust our Creator.

6. What is always on your Heart, he wants to hear about it and give you direction.

7. Finally thank him for how Good he is, the Bible says when we thank him and praise him then he gives us peace. Peace that only comes for the father. Give him thanks, weather it is a good season or a bad season, he still is God and has great things planned for you.

8 POINT DOWN

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE



So this is definitely the biggest Buck I've killed to this date,8point, 15in spread, 215Pd's, and a really cool story to go with it. Sense the beginning of this hunting season I have been really excited about this year's opportunity to get a big one. It's funny you always hear guys talking about this year is gonna be the big one I can just feel it, well I did not have a clue what this year had in store but I could feel that it was gonna be a good season. This past weekend Major and Me went up to Mississippi to do a little hunting,and for the past month and a half I've been going up to the camp to hunt every weekend and have not pulled the trigger once. Well after I got off work Friday I came home and decided I was going to stay home but Heather made sure that left that weekend to for all the times I've come home frustrated not seeing a big one. So Major and me set out, this time we were going to the camp on the river, it was raining, completely calm, and a cold front coming in. I brought my Journal, My Bible, some snacks, my portable DVD player and my Dog, it was definitely a mans weekend. But at the same time it was such a relaxing weekend, Major and me sat out by the fire late at night and the turned the ac real low and crawled up in the sleeping bag to do some reading and journal. 5:00 came real early the next morning, I got up, got dressed, and let Major sleep in. After a morning of now bucks just one doe I got back to the camp just before the rain came in heavy. 3:30, time to head out again, I had a grunt call in my pocket and my rifle in my hands, I was feeling pretty good because usually after a big rain deer come out to reclaim the places that were washed away by the water. After I got to my spot I started to make some calls while the fog started settling in, after about 10 min a doe came out and started trotting my way, then immediately a buck came out chasing her, well those two were sprinting all the way across the field then another buck came chasing them. They came in and out of the woods so fast I did not have time to get a shot. 5:10 I make a couple of grunts and then I herd him, errr, errr. He called back I could feel my heart start to race, ok Barton stay calm, breathe, and get ready, a few more calls, the he called back again, errr, errr. I could hear him running through the water behind me. Finally he started calling me, 5:20 I hear him grunt in the woods directly to my right I give one final call the there he was, running out into the field about sixty yrds in front of me. I saw him then made a grunt to get him to stop, he looked over at me then paused, I got my scope on him then he began to trot across the field. It's now or never, line the cross hairs up, squeeze, boom, I waited the smoke cleared, I looked back through my scope and there he was 135 yrds down right were he stood, 5:25 on the dot. I was so excited, this hunt is definitely all because of how good God is. He blessed me with more than I deserved. I felt so wild after that hunt, like a man that was surviving off of the wild, it was a really great awesome hunt. That night ended finally at 12:15pm with
dirty hands, tired eyes, a sleepy dog, but a clean deer. Jesus you are so awesome all glory to you. Hopefully there will be more this year, but hopefully next time it will be Heather and not me.