Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas to my family and the friends I have met through this blog. I pray you have a wonderful Christmas!

Jack Donovan

Thank you Lord...

Thank you Lord for coming to this world. Thank you Lord for living a difficult life while you were here. Thank you Lord for understanding what I go through because you went through it first. Thank you Lord for living a spotless life and being a great example for me. Thank you Lord most of all for dying for me even though I am not worthy. Thank you Lord for your unfailing grace.

"Merry Christmas"

Winter blues...

There is a disorder (seasonal affective disorder -SAD) that affects people during the winter months. It causes depression and anxiety.

Fall and winter SAD (winter depression) - www.MayoClinic.com

Symptoms of winter-onset seasonal affective disorder include:

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy
• Social withdrawal
• Oversleeping
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Difficulty concentrating and processing information

This post is to offer encouragement to those who suffer during the winter months. In addition to SAD there are those who suffer because of their circumstances and lack of common necessities (things many of us take for granted); they are the homeless. I am asking you to pray for these people that God will send someone their way that will be able to help them.

Here is a Scripture verse for anyone who needs encouragement:
"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Thirty-two years...

Tomorrow, December 4, 2008 I will be married to my lovely wife for thirty-two years. We have had our ups and downs like many couples but I can honestly say I love her more now than I ever have. My wife Carla is the mother to my two wonderful children and now she is the grandmother of my two sweet granddaughters. As I get older I realize just how blessed I am.

Marriage takes commitment and sometimes it can be very hard. I often reflect on the earlier years of my marriage and wish I had been a better husband then; it makes me sad but I can not change the past. I can only do my best in the present and try to create the best possible future for us. I often wish I could provide more for Carla; a larger home, a newer car and trips to places she has dreamed of going to. I believe she deserves anything I can give her and more. But being a public safety employee since 1979 I know I will never be wealthy.

In spite of my desire to provide more I can see we are just where God wants us. Sure I can still do better but as a Christian I am growing and trying to always walk through the doors Christ opens for me. I want to help others.

I do not know how good your marriage is but in order for it to last for 30, 40, 50 or more years you must be committed. You have to learn how to forgive and realize that satan does not want you to be successful in your marriage. Satan is the enemy, it is not your spouse no matter what happens. You will have disagreements but if you try really hard they will make you stronger. Take everything that happens in your marriage as a learning event, be it a good or bad thing. Allow God to honor his promise that all things work to the good for them that love the Lord. Pray for your spouse, ask God to bless them. Ask God to help you to be the husband or wife that is pleasing to him.

May God bless your marriage. I will be praying for you!

What if you offend?

We all make mistakes and we will offend someone. It's not if, it's when and what we do to make amends. The first thing we should do is admit our mistake and ask God for forgiveness. Next apologize to the person we offended. This can be very tough sometimes but we must do it. God will help you. Ask him for wisdom and guidance. Confessing our sins against God and our brothers (and sisters) is the beginning of a transformation of our mind and soul. Confessing will help to bring you peace.

I will be praying for you. I ask you to do the same for me. God bless you as you continue on this journey to be more like Christ.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Psalms 32:5

Happy Thanksgiving...

I would like to wish all the readers of this blog a very happy Thanksgiving. Your comments have encouraged me to keep writing. I pray you enjoy your holiday with your friends and family. Take a moment to thank God for all he has blessed you with. If you are hurting this holiday reach out to the Lord and ask him to help you. He will never leave you.

Happy Birthday Jackie!!!

I would like to wish my daughter a very happy birthday. Her birthday is November 26. I love you Jackie and I'm very proud of you. You are a wonderful daughter...

Jesus washes the feet of the disciples...

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." "For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean." John 13:7-11

Foot washing in church? It's not so common today and a big reason is a change in culture. Let us not look at foot washing but at what Jesus was showing his disciples. He was teaching them how to serve and he said one of the disciples was not clean (spiritually). Serving was the topic today in my church. The pastor did a great job with his sermon but I want to look at it from a different perspective and what I believe the Lord showed me today.

Jesus said: "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." (The one who was not clean was Judas). I believe as Christians we should be clean (our spiritual body) as if we have had a bath that cleans the inside. The only thing that should need cleaning each day are the feet that walk through the dirt (evil) of this earth. Jesus will keep you clean from head to toe if you ask him. We should continuously ask Jesus for forgiveness; to wash away whatever we dealt with today and make us totally clean. The world has dirt (evil) everywhere; we need to avoid allowing what we walk on (through) to make our bodies (spiritual) dirty.

Jesus forgive me and help me walk in righteousness.

Why I blog...

Blogging is a great way to express your opinion, but this is not why I blog. Blogging is a way to polish your writing skills, but this is not why I blog. So why do I blog? For me it's a way to share my faith and try to answer some of life's difficult questions. It's a way for me to try to encourage others and give them hope.

The internet allows for a global outreach of blogging and I want to do something positive with this opportunity. I am amazed and humbled how this simple blog is read by people all over the world.

I pray this blog has touched you in some small way. Many of you who have commented on my posts have really encouraged me to continue writing. Thank you for reading "Storms of Life" and may God bless you in all you do.