I tend to have some of my deeper more inspiring moments while on the road travelling.  This past week I had the opportunity to go to the wonderful state of Iowa.  While there, I was struck by how different the state looked during the winter time versus when I was there last year in the Spring and Fall.  I remember last year in the Spring time driving through the country side and seeing all of the corn fields already tilled over and starting to bloom.  The barns appeared to be ablaze during the sunset with their candy apple red paint gleaming.  The smell of bovine lingered in the air, and the thought of how all the cares of the world just melted away at the serene landscape set before me.  There were fields and open road for as far as the eye can see.  Beautiful large farm houses sitting in the middle of these fields.  There were sizable evergreen trees growing all around the home, as if they were that particular homesteads personal guardians against the wind that swept through the Midwest.  The view last year in the Fall was amazing.  I remember flying out of the Quad City Airport and flying over the Mississippi River and seeing just how wonderful and refreshing it looked while snaking through the farm land, on its way down south.  I could see the trees blowing in the wind, and could still remember my pleasant experience stopping by the famous "American Pickers" store in LeClaire.  It was just me and the open road.  You know that Euphoria that you get when the sun is shining; you open up the car windows, crank up the radio, and take off like there is not a care in this world.  This is the same high that you experience when you leave your office at 5:00p.m. on a Friday before leaving for vacation.  LIFE  IS  GOOD!

However...when I landed in Iowa this last week, I was not greeted with the fresh smell of farms, the fields in bloom, the wind blowing gracefully through the evergreen trees, or the sunsets appearing to set afire the landscape.  No, I was smacked in the face with cold frigid weather as soon as I walked out of the airport in Cedar Rapids.  I went to get my car, and immediately got stuck behind a salt truck.  Within 10 miles of leaving the airport, my Black 2014 Nissan Maxima rental car, was now as white as snow.  Dirty snow that is.  Nothing but mud, dirty snow, and ice welcomed me back into the beautiful state that I failed to recognize.  I had to take a double take and evaluate if I had gotten off the plane in the wrong state, but quickly realized that my GPS was telling me that I was indeed on my way to Dubuque, IA.  For as far as the eye could venture, there were muddy fields, as nothing was yet planted.   When I left Iowa yesterday, I was greeted with an airport that wasn't even open yet, the TSA hadn't started working the security gate, and there was no key drop for the unattended AVIS counter.  I looked at the computer monitor and saw that due to rain coming through Iowa and Chicago (my layover destination) there were all kinds of flights cancelled.  Through some kind of providence, I was able to board a plane that wasn't scared of a little weather.  When our wheels left the runway, you could feel the plane moving sideways from the rushing wind.  The turbulence was frightening as we bounced all over the sky while ascending through those miserable gray clouds.  What ugliness they portrayed. 

As soon as we broke through the clouds, it was like we were floating.  The air was not turbulent anymore, and I could see the most beautiful scenery my eyes had ever beheld.  The sun was rising in the East and reflecting off of a large bed of marshmallow looking clouds.  You could almost see every color of the rainbow down below me.  Life was Grand from 30,000 feet up.  I didn't see any of the ugliness of the terrain, or experience any of the turbulence from the dark looming clouds. 

I was instantly reminded of how we tend to lose perspective in life.  We remember things one way, but when they turn out to be different, we get bent out of shape.  Just becuase my experience in Iowa was polar opposite from last year, doesn't mean that I did not have fun along the way.  I met some of the nicest people a person could hope to make acquaintances with.  I ate some of the best food.  To top it off, I had nothing but me and the open road to listen to my audio Bible app for hours on end. 

My friends, life is what you make of it.  I have happiness in life, because I choose not to live in bondage to the things of this world, but to surrender my life daily to Jesus Christ.  I choose not to worry about what is coming around the bend, because I know that His Holy Spirit is directing me.  There are always going to be hardships in life, it is what we make of those.  You can either learn from them and let it mature you, or you can let them shape you into something that is not becoming for the eye to behold.  Wisdom is not just handed to you.  It is attained by walking through the Fire of Life and learning from your mistakes.  Foolishness is ill gotten gain that is merely a puff of happiness for that selfish moment in time. 

One of my favorite quotes is from Oswald Chambers:
"The height of the mountain top is judged by the drab drudgery of the valley, for it is in the valley that you live for the Glory of God!"

Do you need to Change Your Perspective in Life?  Take a close look at the picture attached to this Blog.  What do you see?

While driving down a country road recently, I came across this Stop Sign.  I was so intrigued by the look of it, that I quickly grabbed my phone and snapped a picture.  I had a two hour drive ahead of me after viewing this, but I just could not get the thought out of my head, that this would make a great Blog entry. 

To most, they would probably just see the stop sign and stop.  Then drive on through and not give it a second thought.  Most days that is me, as I am driving along with a million things on my mind.  Not this day however.  I was so paying attention to my surroundings, that I knew there was something different about this particular stop sign. 

First, I found it interesting that this was in the middle of the road, and not on the traditional right side of the road by an Intersection.

Second, I found it odd that this particular sign was one-sided and not double-sided.  The traffic coming towards me did not have to stop, only me going my direction.

Third, it was on wheels, which indicated some form of portability.  Most traffic signs that I have seen, have been permanently affixed by the state or local road departments.

I fully realize that sometimes a stop sign on the side of the road is just a stop sign.  I know that not everything has symbolism or is placed there to teach us a deep theological lesson.  However, I could not shake the feeling that The Lord was trying to whisper a lesson to me in regards to this symbolic road sign that served a purpose on the road that day.

How many of you are going down the road of life, and all of a sudden there is a road sign that is either warning you to Yield (Read my prior Blog) or Stop?  Things tend to blindside us in life.  Some of you might be confronted with issues dealing with your Marriage, Finances, Sickness of Loved Ones, etc...  LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES!  When you are looking for things to be a certain way, and then out of the clear blue your life is turned upside down, then maybe you have had a stop sign placed in your life.  The natural instinct is to panic or fret.  I find comfort in the following verse in the Bible:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for
it is the Lord  your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)

Sometimes it is not just a permanent life altering course that stops us in our tracks when we least expect it, but rather a lesson that we are to learn for that moment.  Parenting and Marriage are very much this way for me.  I have been Married for almost 18 years, and a parent for 15.  Every day, I am finding a temporary stop sign rolled out into the road of my life, prompting me to stop and evaluate how I am treating others around me.  A marriage between a husband and wife, and being a parent to a son or a daughter is the most life shaping event that can occur in a person's life, if they are open to Growth.  If they are not perceptive to growth, then they will selfishly just blow past that temporary stop sign, and disregard it as folly, and that it couldn't apply to them.  Just like that sign was facing in one direction; you might be faced with a challege / learning experience at this stage of your life that others might not be experiencing.  I am careful to lay out blanket personal experiences here, as this varies greatly for each person.  I encounter growing and learning experiences in my family, that others just might not encounter (and vice versa).  Either way, as a Christian, I realize that I have to look more like Christ everyday:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a  new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
II Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Sometimes things are temporarily brought to our attention, when they haven't been there before.  Recently, I have been feeling very overloaded by my Travel Schedule, Church Commitments, Sports Events, etc...  I had a temporary road sign rolled out in my life, that hasn't been there for a while.  Notice I hinted that this road sign has presented itself to me prior.  Several years ago I had the same road sign rolled out into my path, when I was super busy in life.  What I have had to realize is that just because I am feeling that particular way, does not mean that my wife and children are at the same time.  Everybody goes through different phases and stages in their growth in life.  Not everybody learns through wisdom, but many choose the path of foolishness, and therefore do not grow.  Just like that sign was portable; do not shy away from sharing with another pilgrim on this road of life what you learned from your experience along the way.  I ALWAYS recommend sharing about your experience, rather than telling them that this is the way that they have to do something.  Remember, that God may be rolling what appears to be the same stop sign out in their life, but in actuality it has a totally different meaning and interpretation for their life.

So my friends evaluate your life.  Is there a temporary stop sign that has been rolled out in your life that seems to be halting you to a lesson to be learned?  If so, please take heed and evaluate what the lesson is to be learned, and apply it to your life.  Wisdom is so much stronger than foolishness.  How can you grow today?

As always, I welcome your comment to this Blog entry...

STOP!  YIELD!  These are commands that we most closely associate with traffic signals.  When there are two entrances on a ramp to the interstate, I am greeted with a Yield sign.  If it is meant for me, then I had better yield in order to avoid a collision with a fellow car also entering the ramp.  If I have the ride of way, you can be sure that I am still cautious and alert, as to whether the other person is going to yield.  Lately, the Lord has been speaking to my heart the importance of yielding to His Holy Spirit in my life. 

A friend of mine e-mailed me this quote today from Winkey Pratney:
"Meekness is basically a yielded will towards God. It is the key response of man
to the claims of Christ. When we truly surrender to God, our lives should show
the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Our human response to God's shared love, joy and
peace will be marked by faith, meekness and self-control. God never used a man  until his life showed development on these three human responses. They are the foundations of human spiritual development in Christ...This determines the extent of our faith and self-control; the more our wills are yielded, the
greater our faith and discipline. These three responses combine with love, joy
and peace to give Christian actions in reply to the three basic areas of human
rebellion against God and His people."

When you evaluate the Christian walk, it all boils down to yielding. 
Justification
(The act of Regeneration and God declaring us blameless in His sight, because His son Jesus bore all our sin on the cross at Calvary) This in and of itself is an act of yielding to the Holy Spirit.  Without the convicting power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we would continue on in our sin, without giving a second thought as to the wretch that we are without Christ and the need of forgiveness for our sins. 
Sanctification
(The act of progressively making us more into the image of Christ every day that we live) This in and of itself is also an act of yielding to the Holy Spirit.  Without yielding to the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, then our flesh takes over and the pride of life rears its ugly head.  I don't know about you, but when this happens I can be a pretty prideful individual that is more concerned about what is best for satisfying Greg Jacobs' needs, then the needs of others. 

So how do we put off selfish ambition and pride?  First, you must surrender your life to Jesus Christ.  You must confess your sin and know that He is faithful and just to forgive you of all of your sins (Past, Present, and Future).  There is nothing that you can ever do to earn your salvation and freedom in Christ.  He freely gives us freedom from the grip of sin and death.  Because of this I have Peace in my life that goes beyond understanding.  If you are already a Believer in Christ, then you must walk with him daily.  This is easier on some days than others.  However, consistency is the key.  It is usually the people that tell you that it is not about the amount of time that you spend in devotion with God, but the quality of time, that are the shallow people that never grow roots.  I couldn't disagree more with this notion that the world puts out.  The more time that I spend on my knees in prayer, and the more time that I dedicate to knowing Him more through reading the Bible, the more He speaks to me, and I build a relationship with Him.  It is kind of like just having a Facebook friend.  If all you do is read each other's post and occasionally private message each other, you will never get to know that person.  However, if you spend time at lunch with that person, and doing activities of like kind, then you will develop a relationship with that person.  The misnomer is that our relationship with Jesus is like what I referred to as a "Facebook Only Friend."  They think that the extent of Bible reading is just checking out a "post" sporadically in the Bible, and on certain occasions (mainly in times of crisis) they will utter a prayer to God.  My friends, Jesus Christ is ALIVE.  I have a personal relationship with Him, and you can to.  He is not some religion or ritual that I practice, but rather what I Live for. 

So how can we establish who has a relationship with Christ, and who does not?  Galatians 5:22-26 says it best:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

Have you yielded to Jesus Christ and accepted His free gift of Salvation?  If not, I would love to introduce you to Him (Please send me a message through this Blog).  If you have yielded to Jesus Christ, are you continuing to yield daily and get out of the way, so as to let Him have control of your life?  You see if we do not STOP & YiIELD the right-of-way in our lives, then the end result promises to be disastrous.