I swear, it just has mastery over me.
I’ve been working on this for weeks.
Every night, I discipline myself.
I eliminate distractions.  I focus.
I even exercise my body in this all out effort to overcome.
I asked some of you for advice.

I have toiled.

I admit defeat.

The four click fast forward on the DVR wins…

Okay, scenario for you:  Suppose there was a person who had never been to church.  Now, suppose that person was a longtime and avid reader of the Bible.  Let’s get nuts and even suppose they were a Christian.  And since you’re playing along here, let’s suppose they read Acts 2 and were fascinated by the church presented there… and decided to go to church, your church, this Sunday.  Cool?

Would what they read in Acts 2 match up to what they experienced when they showed up at your church? 

The preaching.  The fellowship.  The awe.  The sharing.  The worship.  The Lord at work in the midst.

Should it?  Should church be like it is in the Bible? (Read that last sentence again if it didn’t strike you as totally odd.)

I’ve been reading about the people of the Bible lately.  Who were they?  What were they doing when they met Jesus?  What were they doing before they met Him?  What did they do when they met Him?  And what did they do after He left the building?

It knocked me as odd that some of these people just dropped what they were doing and went His way.  They changed, almost as if in an instant.  Matthew quit tax collecting.  Simon quit zealotting.  Peter quit fishinging.  Massive change in moment.  Why?  How? 

And should change be allowed to happen that quickly?  Shouldn’t someone in authority dictate how long you have to know and be changing before you are changed?  Answer: Apparently not. 

And then it dawned on me: The heart knows.  Their hearts knew.  They knew they were not doing what they were meant to do.  Jesus came along and confirmed what they already knew.  Without a thought, they changed from who they weren’t to who they were.  When they followed Jesus, they followed their hearts.

For some of us, we know.  We just need Jesus to speak to us, however He does that.  And… we change.  We follow our hearts (the very hearts He gave us)… and life truly begins.  Massive change happens from one sentence to the next, between the period and the next capital letter.  And it’s real, true, honest, pure, … spiritual.

Ever had one of those moments?  I have.  It took a lot to get me there (for some reason)… and then it happened… almost from one heartbeat to the next.  And I will never be the same again… never.

The heart knows. 

Do me a favor: Talk to your heart today.  Talk to Him.

It’s a new format for the blog.  No real reason.  It’s like moving furniture around in the living room…

As for something of some value to say: Did you know that Peter was married?  I wonder what his wife was like.  I thought about it a little today, looking at guys who seemed to be like Peter was, and then who they married.  Peter was a leader, an open mouth/insert both feet guy, impulsive, aggressive, … teachable, committed, man of integrity. 

Let’s see.  Would Bart, Guy, Mike, or Brett fit that mold?  Would Cindy, Kathy, Shanna, or Libby marry someone like Peter?

Would one of those girls go the distance with Peter (to be crucified) like Peter’s wife did?  She did.  She was martyred just before he was… right in front of him.  Dude…