One great thing about having kids is watching them enjoy holidays. Christmas is just around the corner, and my little Micah has been practicing the song the little kids are going to sing at our Christmas service. Here is a sneak peek into how practice is going.

Sometimes I forget where He lives. And for that matter what He does. Not actually forgetting, but not acting like I know the truth. According to Psalms 115:3 “He is in heaven and does what He pleases.” This short verse says so much about the nature, character and sovereignty of God it’s mind-blowing.

First of all God lives in heaven. He is above and over nature. Though he created all we see in nature. He is not completely defined nor confined by it. In truth even heaven cannot contain all of God. Much less the idles we create with our hands.

Second of all. He does as He pleases. He is not bound nor obligated to man whatsoever. He is sovereign. He makes up His mind and does things. Creates man. Loves man. Lives with man. Dies for man. Raises from the dead for man. And gives man the freedom to be like Him, or not. In fact this truth about God is reflected in man by what we call freewill.

Freewill means we choose who we love, hate, live for and die for. It’s our choice. Just like no one can tell God what to do. We all have freewill to do what we please.

But when we realize that God is above all. Created all. Knows all and still decided to love us. Our response should change from doing as we please, to doing as He pleases.

Yesterday was crazy fun. Church was a lot of fun, I led worship @ both services. Then on to a “welcome new baby home from the hospital” party with some new friends. Then a dual birthday party. Then snuggling on the couch with my little ones. Then snuggling/watching a movie with my wifey. All in all good times.

But when Mondays roll around there is something so special. I wake up with they boys, today that meant 6:09. I make breakfast and we watch cartoons together. 

Mondays usually include cleaning, washing, getting ready for the week, traveling and the like. But what Mondays always include is a lot of laughter. I usually can be found chasing them from room to room as they scream to get away from the tickle monster. Hearing my boys laugh is such amazing medicine. When I hear their laughter it’s like any burdens I have just melt away. And when we are done they usually chase me around the house pretending to be little tickle monsters too. And I laugh pretty good as they make weird grunting sounds as I’m being chased.

Proverbs 17:22 says “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” What do you have built into your life that brings you joy ? When was the last time you laughed so hard you almost cried.

I love the ocean. I am not sure if it is the fact that I have spent so much time close to it (I lived in Redondo Beach for 14 years, Ventura for 3 years and Oxnard for 1.5 years). Or the fact that there are so many amazingly beautiful creatures within it. I just love the ocean. There is something that clicks within my soul and makes me feel close to Jesus when I am near it. When I look out at the vast expanse of the ocean it helps me to understand how big God is.

If we are honest with ourselves, most of the things we struggle with in life are in direct proportion to how big we think God is and how small we see ourselves as. When we think too much of ourselves and to little of God we become selfish, self-centered and prideful. When we realize how small we are in the universe, and how our lives are just a blip on the time-line of history. We are better able to understand just how small we are and how big God is.

One of my favorite mentions of the ocean in the Word is in Job 38. For the previous chapters Job and his friends are dealing with what has happened to Job and what he did or didn’t do to upset God. And then God answers Job with these words.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,
when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb,
when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band,
and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said,
‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? -Job 38:4-11

I am glad I am not God. I think I would have just destroyed Job and called it a day. But God can always handle our questions. However I think that before Job could see who God really was, God needed to set Job straight on who he was talking to. The fact that God was even willing to answer Job amazes me. I mean He is God. He created Job, his friends and everything Job had ever seen, heard, tasted or touched. But God answers. And basically reminds Job of how big God is, and how small Job is. And Job Finally gets it and says,

“I spoke once, but I have no answer–twice, but I will say no more.” – Job 40:1

and then a little bit later Job says,

“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” – Job 42:5-6

When we take into account all of who God is. His love, His grace, His forgiveness, His kindness, His creativity, His power, His foreknowledge. We too are forced into the realization that we are small and God is big. And just like Job did we realize that God’s kindness tells our proud waves where to stop. And we repent.

What proud waves in your heart need to hear God say, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther,and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

I had to take my blog down for a few weeks in order to do some “maintenance” (I had to change servers). Which gave me a great opportunity to recreate the Anivus blog. I love fresh starts… they can be so invigorating… and sometimes scary. What I love about this past year is that God gave my family a fresh start in many ways. We moved from Austin to Gilroy – that was a fresh start. We got to make new friends, and family – another fresh start. But moving all that way, trusting that Jesus was leading us, was at times scary. We had no friends or family in Nor Cal, and we had no way of knowing how the church would accept us. But we have been here a little over and year, and it has all worked out amazingly. So here is to fresh starts both in life, and in blogs. My hope is that this fresh start results in fresh fruit in both.