I often start my prayers with "O Lord, I come to You..."  It is indeed wonderful to be able to "come boldly to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16)!  However, there is a subtle temptation to believe that I initiate prayer and then God answers.  However, grace is all about God coming to us!  Oh may we never forget this glorious truth through Jesus Christ!!

 

God is the initiator of every good thing.  This is the heart of grace!  It may seem like we initiate prayer, but we're actually responding to God who speaks to us through the Spirit of Christ!  He gives us the desire and ability to hear Him, and then to receive His love for us, His affirmation of us, and His hope through us.

 

The life of every Christian is actually one continuous prayer, responding to, and communing with, the precious life of the indwelling Christ! 

 

We indeed live 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing." 

 

These Rest Stops are not my opinions of what I believe is right.  Opinions initiated by man offer no hope and no joy.

 

So why do I write these Rest Stops?

 

As I write, I believe I experience God the Father nurturing me as I seek words that represent the thoughts He is gracious speaking deep into my heart.  This is akin to God the Son who, as the Word of God, is the exact representation of God the Father (Hebrews 1:2)!   Jesus the Word perfectly expresses God the Father!

 

God the Spirit takes the words He gives me and breathes them through me to you through Rest Stops!  God has given me His desire to share with you and to lift you up in Christ!  This miracle of communication is in you, too.

 

I spend hours seeking words that best express my heart.  I am tempted to believe these are wasted hours, but I know they are hours when I experience a sweet fellowship with God.

 

I also love to verbally speak my heart.  As you might can tell through these Rest Stops, my written words are the same as my spoken words.  I write how I speak.  I also write out my words whenever I can before any speaking engagement.  So I also speak how I write.  It is all about being nurtured by God.

 

I am excited to share with you a 4-minute video trailer of a speaking service by me and 5 of my friends, including Bobby Richardson, New York Yankees 2nd baseman from 1955 to 1966. 

 

This trailer is an excerpt from a 1 hour 20 minute service on October 21, 2010 that helped launch me into full-time ministry with Journey in Christ.  I also have a 16-minute DVD with more highlights from the service that the 4-minute trailer introduces.

 

Click the following link:

 

 

Oh how God loves us with an everlasting and unconditional love!  And "we love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

 

I am a missionary with

a non-profit,

non-denominational

discipleship counseling

and training ministry.

 

Our goal is to

minister Christ

through proclaiming

the message of the cross

with passion,

clarity, and care.

 

The message of the cross

is the death, burial,

resurrection, ascension,

and seating of Christ 

and

our being united with Christ

in His death, burial,

resurrection, ascension,

and seating!

 

The message of the cross is

the heart of the Father,

the theme of the Bible,

the story of a loved Son,

the promise of the Spirit,

the message of eternity,

the climax of history,

the hope of the gospel,

the purpose of life,

and the power to surrender all

for the glory of Christ!

 

 

 

 

 

The High Calling of Discipleship

Testimonies by

Gregg and friends

and Bobby Richardson