Dear God,

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you today. Thanks for giving me a brand new life. Thanks for this brand new day. I love you so much, and I want my heart to draw ever so near to you.

Awhile back, I received this email from my friend, Lisa H.:

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"

After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God...If you still speak to people speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."

It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down that street." This is crazy he thought and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street.

At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will". He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street."

The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid."

Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep.

"What is it?"

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that God still answers prayers.

Dear God,

Good morning, Lord! I want to thank you for this brand new day. I am very grateful that I can call you my Lord and Savior. You know all about me; you know what goes on deep within. I praise you for your power and your might. I praise you for you are a just and loving God. You give me what I need, and you are molding me and shaping me, transforming me into the image of Jesus.

It does not feel very good to go through adversity. I guess I struggle with my pride. I want to be in control of things, or at least to know what's going to happen. I have a hard time trusting. I don't always believe that you have my best interest in mind. I would rather have things be great all the time - my circumstances, I mean. I struggle with being joyful in hard circumstances. I realize that this is not something I can do by myself. That is why I need you.

I pray for my Mom as she's traveling to our house today. You know all about her, too. She really needs your help, as she is alone in her car, coming from Houston, Texas to Dayton, Ohio. Yet I know that she's not alone, for you are always watching over her, too. We really look forward to her being with us, that we all may be encouraged in seeing her again. I know Keisha is very excited, too.

Lord, this medicine I've been taking has been making me feel so drowsy all the time. I know that it is designed to help with the depression and OCD behavior, but I also pray that this and the other negative side effects would go away, and soon. I also pray to pace myself - not to plan more and try to do more than I really am able, and also not to just be lazy. Help me stick to the plan which will keep me healthy. These last few days - the weekend - it's not been the same as like throughout the week. Up so late. I guess it's no wonder I feel so drained.

Help me to love you more, O God. Help me to love myself and others, too. I pray that you will bless us so that we have nothing to worry about - give me peace of mind. I pray that I never waver in my faith. Help me to lead my family - to step up and be a mighty man of God.

Love, your son,
Danny

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for your sacrifice for me. I want to constantly be in touch with the magnitude of it. I see a big need to just focus on the cross. You - and you crucified. I can get out of touch so much when I'm not thinking about it. I can enjoy all the blessings without remembering the tremendous price that was paid. Help me, dear Lord, to have you in my heart. I am sincere. Help me to consider your opinions more that those of others. What you think is more important than what others think.

I love you.

Love, your slave, friend, and brother,
Dan

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Blogger had troubles with the old one (Server 503 errors), so I'm working on the template. Right now it looks terrible. 5:49 PM EDT Update: There. That looks much better.

Y - You Alone

You alone are worthy -
worthy of honor and praise.

You alone are holy -
our ways are not like your ways.

You alone are perfect -
placing everything in its place.

You are God Almighty -
with your redeeming grace.

You alone are blameless -
the righteous will seek your face.

Dear God,

Hi. It's a little bit strange for me to write these words because I know you know what I'm going to write before I write it anyway. You are familiar with the adversity that is in my life. You know my struggle with depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsiveness. You know my tendencies toward sinning in this way. You also know about our financial circumstances and everything else.

God, I want the circumstances to be different.

Also, I've had this toothache in the back of my mouth behind my left jaw, since last Thursday. In one sense, living like this 'quickens my pulse' and is keeping me alert, but I've also been so distracted from my job search and the mission you've given me.

I pray that you will renew my heart and my desire for you. God, I want things to be different between us.

I look forward to memorizing your word, storing it in my heart.

I know that whatever happens, you will bring about your deliverance, even if I have to wait until we meet in heaven.

I love you. Thank you for your sacrifice, Jesus! Help me to be in touch with that more and more.

Your son,
Danny