Marriage: we have missed the mark

You do not have to look around for very long to see marriages failing everywhere. I am not just talking about outside the "Church" either, divorce rates are exploding everywhere. That does not even include the thousands and thousands of marriages that are dead, but remain together because of loyalty, a noble trait, but a dead marriage none-  the-less. So where have we went wrong? Where did we drop the

Where did we go wrong? To be honest there are so many places I could never cover them all so I/am not even going to try but there are several that burden my heart.  To start off marriage is a covenant not a contract. Marriage has to be more then a formal agreement, or just the next step in the scheme of life. This is happening all around us, it is destined for failure because it has a selfish mindset. A contract can be terminated if things arent going the way you planned, or if you are not happy or if you are not satisfied. Marriage is an oath it fights until it is absolutely beyond repair, which many say is the case. God hates divorce he makes no mistake about it in the bible. In fact there are only a few things where he says it is acceptable and even in these places he does not want us to give up without a fight. Sexual immorality or adultery I with my whole heart believe if yo u can fix it fix it, but if they wont change the lifestyle they made the choice, then that is whwn we are free there. So many of us say we fell out of love, we dont feel the connection, this just is not working. Corinthians 13 tells us love always perseveres and Love never fails, so are we truly Loving. We so easily get snared in the trap of selfishness and look at ourselves and how we could be happier. If only they did this, or that, or would help here, see the problem with that is it will never be enough.

My marriage is far from perfect. I can tell you one thing about my marriage, after being married nearly six years today it is stronger then ever. Everyday we battle. We make the choice we are going to fight for each other. We decided we no longer want to strive for a good marriage, we want a Godly marriage, one that leads by example. So it started with small practical steps become better friends, do things friends do, make sacrifices and do things they enjoy that you dont. Invest in the things that make them happy. Personally I made the decision to become Greater for her, so I can be the best husband I can be. Quit asking for a better spouse become the better spouse. Take the eyes off yourself. The thing about marriage you never get a day off, you cannot afford it. To much is at stake to much is on the line to get lazy. See marriage it is an oath. That day on the alter an oath was made to fight, in sickness and health for better or for worse. Especially in the worse battle fight, exhaust every option, then try again and again and again..... You get the drift?  When things are going well use the forward momentum run with go go go go. Go above and beyond its your time to get ahead of the curve. Put the effort in daily no no no hourly do what it takes. Pour out your heart love unconditionally, serve unconditionally, pray unconditionally, it cannot be ignored. Ya we have missed the mark, but it is not to late.

Battle tested.

There is no doubtEvery man desires an adventure. I have found mine and it is not going away. That is the true beauty of it, every day I can engage in this adventure. That means my life will never be BORING again. I am not going to lie it is so easy to step away, get lazy ad not put in the neccesary effort needed. If it were easy it would not be woth fighting for and it would not be an adventure worth stepping into. I made Jesus my ruler and my savior I accepted him into my heart. That is when my true adventure began.

This week for me personally was one of the greatest weeks I have ever experiencd amd also one of the tougest. Sure does not seem to make sense does it? I promise you it makes perfect sense. It was such a great week for me personally because I stepped into places "Spiritually" that I have never been. My eyes were opened to a new kind of love, a new burdens for his people, a new hunger for obedience, amd a new reverant awe for our Lord. So how could it be one of the toughest? Have you ever heard of the phrase "Mo money Mo problems"? As we get bigger as we learn more we have more responsibilties so naturally it gets tougher, but wait there is more. The moment we start to become a threat to the evil of the world the more we get attacked. The more the world and the flesh try to lie and manipulate us into going back to our old ways and patterns. They want to destroy us everywhere tear us down. That my friends is the battle. Once you step into a life of being Christ like you enter a battle an Adventure.

I am battled tested. I survived and I am strong because of it. we must stand in the truth that God prômises to never give us more then we can handle. God also says that in Mathew 5:10 says blessed are those who are persecuted because of rightousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven". I can stand in the truth that as I battle as I am facing that opression, harrasment and distress; I will inherit the kingdom of heaven. ya I am battle tested and I am ready for the next round. My Story is simpky to give Glory to God's story

We have all played the part of Judas

This is the first blog where I have done anything like this. I am not going to lie I am super excited. It will be contraversial, but my goal is to make you think and ask what if? So when reading this keep that in mind.

Mathew 26:14 says, "Then one of the twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot-- went to the chief priests and asked, what are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you? So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.From then on Judas watch for a chance to hand him over." Most of us read this text and think evil evil man, which is probably true but what if it is not that simple. What if it was a man that let where his heart was invested get out of control. It is easy to say money because he received the silver and is known as being the treasurer and was crooked at that. What if it is not that simple. It is debated why he is called Judas Iscarriot there are several debates here. I am going to just touch on one.it is well documented that through the scriptures there are zealots' which more or less, were a political activist group. A group that hated Roman control and wanted to drive them out of Judea. Why is this relevant? Some believe Judas was a sacarii which was a more violent group. So what if Judas being driven by hatred for the Romans thought he could kill to birds with one stone get money and start a riot a political revolution. See Judas npknew Jesus would be put on trial but the Jewish council did not have the power to really do anything. He knew only the Romans had that power. So what if he thought this would finally cause that revolt he so badly desired. Just a thought regardless the bottom line is his hearts desire drove him to evil.

To tell ourselves that we are any different that we are above that is foolish. The reality is we have all played the part of Judas. We have all forsake our Lord for a worldly desire. Our acts of selfishness and greed are just as guilty of nailing Jesus to the cross as Judas.Our hearts are often invested in the wrong places and we forsake obedience to satisfy our flesh. Is that really any different?

If I don't know then how do I go

We have all been at that place where we feel lost, confused or better yet stuck. We have no idea where to even begin. We desire for change and we want to break free. It is so easy to get wrapped up in yourself and look inward. Nothing good can come from this state of mind, infact the only real impact it does have is magnifying the problem.So what can we do? Dueteronomy 4:29 says ”but if from there you seek the Lord your God,you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Many of us desire for change so we cry out, we pray, we pray harder and we beg.I wonder if what God desires from us at that point is action some sort of effort forward. To truly dive into God not only in that area but everywhere.To truly seek him, to be obedient, to educate ourselves in obedience. To be honest with ourselves to come clean in our story. Then to seek God and what it looks like to conquer that area. To admit that you want and desire that change but don't know how, but to be truly burdened by the desire to obey. So that we may glorify him. Not so we feel better or so we can get it off our mind. So we can bring him the glory. To grind, battle and fight. To give it all that we have and do all that we know. Exhaust all your options. I can promise you one thing if you are seeking the Lord with all your heart and soul you will find him. When you find the Lord he will reveal himself to you and you will hear the promptings of the Spirit. When that happens you have two choices set yourself free or remain captive. The dictionary says when you seek you fight to obtain it. Will you fight?

Oh this is what it looks like

So this past weekend I was able to experience Godly community in a real way. I always thought it was so simple friends that know God, Godly community. Wrong! It is not a noun, it is a verb an action. It is something that needs to be intentional. It is something that does not always flow naturally., we have to teach ourselves. I believe there are different levels the outer rings, the rings then the core. The true core of community is so countercultural.It is never content, it pushes but in a loving way. It lifts others up, it affirms, strengthens, corrects and sometimes carries. It is also something that is mindfuland purposeful. It is headed somewhere it has a direction. It is safe, it comforts it fights for others. It burdens and carries burdens. It is a neccesity one cannot survive without it. Yes I have found my community and we will thrive. We will latch on to each other and move forward hand in hand to where God leads us. See our journeys are all different but it all ends at the same Stories. Yes I experience what it means to live life with others.

perfect driven passion

Im on lunch break and today I have been all sorts of fired up. I know God is working in my heart big time things are coming together. I am just blown away by the thought of obedience and how it coincides woth Love. The thing we must understabd is that obedience is not a to do list, obedience is our guidlines, our instructuons to the Father. Before we can totally understand taht we must Fear the Lord, we must have that reverant Awe. God is in total control and he created ne!!! He designed us so obedience is just doing what we are created for. Before we can love fully and jump into other peoples story, we must obey. God is Love and God says we cant love him outside of obedience. So to fully love others we must obey its clear and simple. That gets me excited because now every day there is something new, something to conqueor. There is always an oppurtunitu to show Love and glorify our Lord. When this perspective hits you the mundane no longer exists. So i now have my perdect driven passion. Love of obedience and obedience out of Love.

touch of heaven

Wow what a night. Simply amazing God blew any expectations I had out of the water. First of all I was so tired that i did not think i was going to physically be able to worship. Ya laugh it up but if you saw me worship this weekend or if you know me then it makes sense. I felt a tug on my heart and I decided to march on down there. Not only did Goe draw me closer then ever I felt a energy come on me that nakes no sense. I was pumped up and fired up beyond belief. During one of the songs i was still quiet abd clear. Just in awe then it it hit me. At that moment was a tatse of heaven. I was able to worship with no worries, doubts, fears, shame or guilt. I didnt have to impress i was just face to face with my Lord. I kmow it wont even compare to what eternity will be like. But for tonight I got a taste of heaven

oh what a night

Holy cow what a night. Everything about it was wonderful. The worship was outstanding, the message was great and the atmosphere was out of this world. I think what I am most excited about is our guys opening up afterwords at the hotel. It was so great even if just for half hour they were real and vulnerable. So what now? I can already see that God is moving and will continue to move. So how do we cultivate the hearts? When we get back home and step back into reality and the everyday grind how do we keep their passions going. How do we continue to stir and awaken their hearts. My cry? God show me the way. Give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in this area. Burdens our hearts so we cannot deny the truth and where you want us to be. Give us a clear cut vision. Thank you Jesus!!! Oh what a night!!

addict: aren't we all.

My name is Jeremy Wiemann I am an addict. I am not talking about drugs or alchohol or any sort of substance for that matter. I think if we are honest with ourselves we all have an addiction. We all have something that when the going gets tough and we lose sight of things above we turn to that. It might not even be a harmful act or a bad thing in itself. It is the heart behind it, it is the fact that we turn to it for a distraction to numb the pain. We all are fighting our flesh, so addictions as i call them will manifest itself in different areas, some people it is sports, shopping, lifting, television, chatting and whatever else. I thought it was something that i could conqueor something I could just get rid of, but once an addict your always an addict. I am not saying that you cannot become free, God can akways deliver us. What I am saying is we are still fleshly beings. We still will sin and turn to the flesh at times. Almost always we turn to the same place. So what do we do about it? First be honest with yourself where do you turn to? Second guard it protect it. I used to think it is in the weakest times of your life is when you needed to protect those things the most. I am starting to realize that is not the case. When we are doing well, when we are strong that is when that place is most vulnerable. To be honest it is also the time we can experience growth and move forward. We all have chinks in our armor. So naturally that is where satan will attack us to bring us down to make us fall. When we are strong it is so easy to get lax and to relax in those places. Stand firm identify it protect it. Let God heal you in those places. What do we turn to for comfort? Where do we go to numb the pain? What do we go to when we want to snap ourselves out of a funk? Have we elevated some of those things to a place they should not be? I am Jeremy Wieman and I am an ad

ATF

It has been awhile since I have written at all, i am just crazy busy. I know i know what a horrible excuse, I agree but I am here now. I am actually sitting on a bus on my way to Kansas city. We are heading to aquire the fire; a youth conference. Already the atmosphere is awesome, the kids are alive and excited. So many broken hearts and lives or on the other side boredom. You can see it in the eyes like a caged tiger. They long fir more they desire life and hope. I am excited for the kids more then anything i long for a spark, a small ah

a momentwhere they get a glimpse of the truth and the hope that awaits those who choose to step into it. You ask why not more why not just be so pumped for God that they do a complete 180. Maybe for some kids that happens but i just want a
a start. Some sort of movement to get the ball rolling. Then it is our job the job of the leaders to cultivate that spark. It is our job to empower them and turn it into a wildfire. To let God move and start something epic, a revolution. Where normal is not enough! Ya im excited so pumped to be here. To worship with thousands and thousands of people fist pumping getting crunk for christ. There is something about the freedom this age of kids have to just totally cut loose. Normal is not enough here we go!!

strength in weakness

This morning I cracked open my bible and I found myself at Psalm 40, little did I know my eyes were about to be opened in a new way. I do not know why this caught me off guard because in reality every time I intentionally enter the presence of the Lord my heart should always be moved, but that's a whole different topic in itself. So I found myself in the Psalms and I was okay with that, I always thought David(most likely the writer of Psalms) had it figured out. I never could identify what truly set him apart, after all God himself calls him a man after his own heart. Isn't that what we all truly desire to truly seek God's heart in a Holy way. Psalm 40 starts out " I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet om a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Right away I was drawn in, I love the realism and the raw truth that David shares from his heart. David never shied away from his weaknesses this is something I so admire.  I continued to read on verse 17 says "But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; You are my God, do not delay." Boom it hit me. 

Something started grabbing my heart. The wheels were starting to turn and the light was coming on. David got it! Not only was David real and intimate with heart, he was intentional about vocalizing and being real with God. He desired a true friendship with God and he always dwelled in his presence even when he was struggling, no especially when he was struggling. David did not shy away from his brokenness and weaknesses. He understood that he was broken and he was weak.  He truly understood that a place of brokenness and dependability on God is not weakness, but rather ultimate humility and true strength. I wonder how often we try to run lives ourselves and then when its not doable we play the God card. Here you go God fix my life. Only when we realize outside of God nothing is possible can we truly experience life.  . True power is found when you realize and dive into the concept of dependability. When we step into this place there are no walls or barriers that you have put up, you are your own worst enemy. Once you realize you are broken and weak then you must rely on God to get you anywhere. It is in that place when you find true intimacy with our Lord, strength in weakness.

We must not get it

Sometimes I wonder if we truly even get it! Get what you ask our faith, Jesus, the Bible and the Holy Spirit. Because if we did we would be alive! If we did we would not be reserved we would believe stronger and bigger dreams. We would believe in ourselves and the ones around us. We might believe in a God we might understand some of it but we can't totally be getting it. Because we have become a dry dull generation. There is so much fire and passion in everything GOD!!!!! Ephesians 1:3 praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Are you reading this are you getting this? Every spiritual blessing! Ephesians1;19-21 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. We have the spirit that rose Jesus from the dead!!!! The question becomes not what can we do what is there that we cannot do!!! step up step out. I am saying is it is not a suggestion, I am saying this is what you were created for!

Baffled by his Glory

I am sitting in the coffee shop studying the word preparing for a message. I am blown away by by his presence. I am starting to find out that if you are intentional about not only getting into the word but studying it and truly trying to let God speak, you will hear. It is not about something we were told to do, or a list of rules we need to follow to be complete. It is about our God the author of our faith investing in our life.He created us he knows our every need and desire, when he wrote the book it was directed at us. I just get this picture in my head of him thinking about you and me when God through the works of others put the bible together. It is personal, it is intimate, it is our LOVE letter from our Father. He knows how we work, how we function. So he gave us guidelines so we can live life in him and with him. Only till we experience these things can we truly do this. I feel that I am starting to get a glimpse of his Glory. A small insight of what he desires in our lives and the intimacy he longs for with us. As we enter into those things his voice almost becomes audible and you can almost sense his touch. I find myself writing notes and seeing things that I have never before experienced. It is like a light flipped on and all the sudden you can see. It gives you chills gives ya goosebumps, other times you feel as if you could jump out of your skin.  When we seek his Spirit and we desire true wisdom and revelation,so we can grow closer to him we align with his Spirit. For this moment for that second I got it. I experienced a flash of his glory, a small taste of the life he desires for us to live. So wont you today enter into his presence?

No Community No life

I have been a person that always has built my life around friendships and intimate relationships. The last couple months even more so then normal, but there is one small difference. My mindset has changed, it has flipped from inward to outward. Not that I was living a selfish life, I was just not living a life consumed by servant hood.I have always believed that no one can truly flourish outside their "community". Of course I need a community who else would pick me up, push me and help me grow? I am in a season of my life right now that God is changing my perspective.With all my heart I believe a life outside the community is not experiencing true life. I feel that God has enlightened the eyes of my heart and has given me a glimpse of what his community looks like. I have been able to take my eyes off myself and truly love. I need community in my life so that I have someone to share the LOVE of Christ with. There is NO joy in a life that is not pouring out. God is love, we are created in his image, we are created to love. Community was created for "US" not for me. We are one, with ONE common goal, Love wins so Love well.

Love wins so love well. What does that look like in our community? I do not think I have all the answers, but I do think there are some things we should all be doing. If you get the opportunity carry the burdens of your community. Trust me there is so much joy in this. Pray, Pray Hard. It is amazing what happens in your heart when you take your mind off yourself and lift up others in prayer throughout the entire day. Take interest, take part of their lives. The smallest thing when you are intentional in your purposes can go a long way. Serve, serve them and serve others with them. Love is a verb. Love takes action. God is love, so what it comes down to is LOVE WINS SO LOVE WELL.

knowledge is power

The start of the new year is upon us and I could not be more thrilled. What God has taught me in the last three or for months has been nothing short of amazing. The beauty of it all is I know I am only scratching the surface. I used to hate the term knowledge is power, i associated it with corruption, greed and politics.The last year I have started to understand just how true this is, but I am talking about a spiritual supernatural power. There are just things and places you cannot tap into if you do not know they exist. There are blessings you cannot grab ahold of if you do not know they are there. Ephesians 1 says we are blessd in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in christ Jesus." With knowledge comes wisdom and understanding. Once you are able to learn and come across these things and comprehend them you are able to activate. Once we learn how to do that and equip ourselves we bring so much POWER in our lives through Christ. The beauty of it is we have the ultimate study guide in the Bible, that is our workbook. Hod speaks to is tjroigh the bible we have the power at our fingertips. We must be willing to put in the time to read, meditate and study. When we do this true intimacy will come and we will align ourselves up with the Holy Spirit. Once we align ourselves with the Spirit we have the ability to tap into a endless Power. It no doubt also takes a certain supernatural revelation.I am so excited about what I have laerned and eben more excited for what i have yet to come across.I am not going to lie it also scares me to death because with that knowledge comes a whole new level of responsibility. Through the help and Grace of God i know i have nothing to fear. Knowledge is POWER but will you put in the time and effort to truly understand what God has for you?

one word resolution

I am sitting hear pondering my new years resolution and what i want for my heart in 2012 to be. First off I apologize for the rawness of this one I am writing it from my phone. Those of you that have seen my texting skills know this could get ugly. Back to the point. I kept thinking I want the attitude of my heart of my life to be "radical" i thought well there ya have it that is the resolution. I kept pondering and thinking and imagining what that looks like. There was something still unsettling. Being radical is great and and it is out of a pure desire but it does not sum it all up for me. I can be radical but where does that come from, how do i get it, what does it look like? Then it hit me. LOVE! Yup that sums it all up LOVE that one word if i could truly do that it would all come together. 2012 would truly be great. So much comes from that word when you Love well you carry the lords burdens, you take the eyes off yourself and put them onto others. In doing so you become great. When i LOVE well i am obedient, I am walking the path the Lord has written out for me and I am in tune with the Spirit. Again on the way I become great. God is Love God calls us to LOVE. So ya that sums it up for me LOVE. Change the world, the ones around you,your community. One step at a time. It is hard, it will be messy but I promise you it will be worth it, it will be beautiful. LOVE WINS so LOVE WELL.

Dig in and hold on

The last several months has been a whirl wind of learning, sometimes by getting it right and other times by my failures. One thing that I am starting to figure out is when something great in your life happens dig in. I'm not talking about receiving a new gift, that promotion, job, or when life just seems like smooth sailing. What i really am talking about is when you step up, step out, reach new heights and truly are a part of something great Kingdom advancement. Dig in, strap yourself down, hold on tight because the storm is coming. How we handle that kind of pressure, adversity and attack is really what will define what kind of threat we will be . Hunker down lean into God like never before. Every time we step out and experience God's desire for our heart in a new way, we expose ourselves to a whole nether level of threats to our spiritual life. your perspective will be rocked, those places you turn for comfort and stability will be shaken. You must stand firm in what you know is true and that is the word of God, that alone is your Truth, everything else can be stripped away. When we face these kinds of storms we should be honored and overjoyed. If that seems crazy to you that is because it is. The reality is that is the life we were chosen for, this is the life we accepted and signed up for. No one ever said it would be easy in fact throughout the scriptures we see it is extremely hard sometimes to the extent of literal death. We must make that decision to die to our self, our selfish desires, in order to have true life that God desires for us to experience.  With that comes true sacrifice your normal life is gone. Those places of flesh you used to find comfort in our stripped away. Sometimes you may feel alone overwhelmed  and outmatched but God never allows anything to come before us that we cannot handle through him. So board up your windows, strap down your belongings and hunker down because that storm is just around the corner. When it comes be joyful because you are living a life that is a threat to the evil in this world.

Defense wins championships

So many of us have the desire to become great. We work so hard at stepping forward and running with our strengths, but how many of us think about our weaknesses? Isn't it true that when your attacked it is usually at your weakest point? Maybe that is the real question? How many of us think that we are in a war daily? There is no question about it, Good vs Evil, The dominion of hell vs heaven, it is as real as you and me.  Many of us agree there is a heaven so naturally wouldn't there be a hell. Throughout the bible it talks about how God is fighting for us and saving us, but from what. When you step into what God has planned for your life and you make the personal commitment to follow Christ, you just signed up to be a member of the greatest battle in history. The battle for souls. Why is any of this important you ask? Well if there is a battle, shouldn't we be prepared? John 10:10 tells us that "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy...". That thief is Satan. His objective, to keep as many souls as he can from entering heaven. How does that affect us? Well isn't that our main goal, to bring people to see the Glory of God through his son Jesus Christ? If the answer to that question is yes then we must be prepared, we must know where Satan will attack us. Just like any fortress he will attack at our weaknesses.  He will use four main tools to do so deception, darkness, destruction, and division. Satan will find those places that we have been hurt the most, where we are emotionally vulnerable and he will lie to us, attack us and try to take away our worth. He will try to deceive you and twist the Truth in your life so you walk away from the power that God has for you in every situation. He will try to twist those situations in our lives where we face persecution and trials into a dark, dark places so we give up in those times. Then he will attack all those places in our lives where we turn to our other soldiers, our friends, our warriors in Christ and he will create division.  The bottom line is anything that is good, holy, true and pure, evil is coming after it and hard. We must know our weaknesses. We must know where we struggle and we must protect those places. How do we do that? First we must protect ourselves with truth through scripture truth about who God says that we are in HIM. Then we must continue to grow in those places and be intentional about strengthening and protecting the places in our lives, in our hearts that we are most vulnerable.  Have you ever heard the saying "You are only as strong as your weakest link"? I think that applies in our spiritual life as well. The beauty of it all is that God can still use those areas of weaknesses in our lives and turn it to greatness. It would be naive and foolish though to not step forward and protect our lives, protect what God wants to do through us.. Our goal is to win hearts and to win souls, but we can only do that if we are prepared and Ready.  Where are your weaknesses?

Love is a Verb

Lately  I have been trying to redefine what love looks like in my life. I still have a long way to go but I have came to one conclusion Love takes action. I 100 percent believe that you cannot love and be passive, if something burdens you, true love takes action. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (John 4:8) God is love therefore we will carry his burdens and what burdens his heart if we are in tune with the spirit, will burden our heart. God also tells us that one of the greatest commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself. (Mathew 22:39) What does that look like? That is up for debate I think every situation is different, but i know it takes action. It may be as simple as praying for them and their burdens. IT could be that you provide them with some sort of service that they are in need of. What if it was as simple as just coming along side them and letting them know you are there with them when they are walking out life. Maybe today is the day you fight for them, stand up for them in places they are not able to at the moment. So as I redefine love in my life and want to love the Lord my God with all my heart, I have discovered to do that I must take action. We cannot Love our Lord and be obedient without fighting for those things. We do not get o pick and choose what of his burdens we want to fight for one way or another we are all responsible to provide in those areas. Will you LOVE?

Blinded by the light

The other day I sat on the roof of a house in midst of below thirty degrees and was just engulfed by sunshine. I heard a song by Manfred Mann's Earth band, Blinded by the light, the lyrics go something like this Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night Blinded by the light. The lyrics and the sunshine turned the wheel of thought for me. In the coldest of times sunshine makes the world of difference. I also realized that at some point in time we all come across the light. A special occurrence happens a define event. "We just get it" the "ahha" moment whatever you would like to call it. For some of us it happened years after "knowing" God. For others it may have been their first and only encounter with the thought or idea of God. Regardless wherever you are at in the process in the Story. that moment must occur for all us. For Paul who was known as Saul it happened after years of being religious. Not only was he religious he was one of the most educated in the law, in religion at that present time. He was so engulfed in  his "religion" that he was responsible for the first murder or martyr of a "Christ follower:". But then something happened there was an encounter with God. He was on a path and God spoke to him and the bible goes on to say he was blinded by the light. Something happened after that although he was blind he finally could see. He got it he understood its not about religion its not about doctrine its about God, The Great I am. The one that sent his son to die on the cross to bare our sins, so that three days later he would  rise again and conquer the gates of hell. So that we may have eternal life. Everyday some of us see the light whether its in the way that others live. You see it you know they have something different, they just "get it". You desire to have what they have. Move towards the light step forward. Take a step Seek those people out find what their light is. Jesus is the way Jesus is the answer. Not knowledge but belief faith. Knowing their is a God and believing there is a God is so close but so different. Belief changes you once you cross the line you are never the same again. Your heart will guide you to those things and knowledge will come with that. Take the first step beleive accept it. You are lost and you can be found. For some of us we are like Paul we have stepped into church our entire lives. We may even read the bible Do all the right things say all the right things but somewhere along the way we forgot to make it personal. We did not make God the ruler of our story the author of our faith. It is something intimate something real something alive that never stops growing. So I ask you have you been blinded by the light? So that you walk by faith not by sight?