First Steps

   

      I think at least in my own imaginative mind, I have not taken the time to open my eyes to the visuals of the Bible. My reasons for it are pretty simple. It's a history book some days and other days it's a love story, an thriller, a horror movie, a grand mix of shock and awe and abounding Glory. But, on those days that I have to shake myself out of reading it like a college textbook I catch myself missing these incredible landscapes of scenes of Jesus' life and the miraculous acts of divinity that make not just the Gospels, but the entire text the greatest literary creation of our existence.

     You must be wondering where this is going. Good question. I am not sure exactly where this will be going either. I began a blog like this a couple years ago when I was living in San Marcos and attending Crosswalk Christian Church under Pastor Pete Santos, but since then, I have moved back to Dallas where I started a new job and a new chapter of my life. So, let me enlighten you on where I am currently in my molding and where this "Walking On Ice Is A Good Start" blog is going.

    I have been living in Dallas since the 4th of July of 2012 and I have been working for an Internet Marketing firm in the Plano area. I moved away from a wonderful church, a group of great friends, I was growing in my faith and seeing people changed by the Holy Spirit and I was having audible and visual conversations with God. Why would I want to leave? Another good question. I still have times when I wonder if it was such a good idea to come back home to Dallas. At this moment, I am listening to the very song that I believe God wanted me to hear a week after I was offered employment back in Dallas: "Where I Began" by Caedmon's Call.


The Lyrics go like this-
The grass looked greener on the other side So I tried to, 
snatch myself from your hand Caught a boat to anywhere but Nineveh
And, well you know, I got spit back on dry land.

Here I am again, back where I began
Try as I may I can't get away from you
And all of these roads lead me to roam,
Bring me back home.
Here I am again, back where I began.

      Referring to the Book of Jonah, at the time I felt God saying that a life in Him was anything but easy and fancy free. If I was happy and content, I probably was not living a life that was glorifying to Him. Not saying, that God doesn't want us to be happy, but He also wants us encountering our struggles, sharpening us and walking out on the crashing waves. If God meant for us to just sit out on the beach, then what purpose would faith serve that we would be saved?

     God desires us to jump into the boat, to climb the mountain, to explore the unknown to hear his voice. So where am I?

     When I got to Dallas, it took me close to a year to find the Holy Spirit as thick and tangible as it was at Gateway Church. Now, i'm not saying that it took me a year to find a church I liked. If I was looking for a church I liked, then it would've taken me an eternity to find what I was looking for #problemswithbeingpicky. Trouble was, I wasn't looking for the right things. I was making mistakes along the way from the day I moved back to Dallas to when I was sitting in the pew of the twentieth church I had visited. I had wandered away from the God that I had grown to know so well. When I walked into Gateway Church the difference wasn't the worship, the sermons or the congregation, the difference was the Spirit. I could feel it again. I could raise my hands and touch it. Now, after a year of wandering, I have found my feet, walking right next to His.


Now if you want to turn to the Gospel of Matthew in Chapter 14, verse 22-23:


      “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

     If you can close your eyes and just imagine the sight. If you also look in the Gospel of Luke in Chapter 4 verse 37, the scene is described in a little more detail.

    "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boar, so that it was nearly swamped." This verse does not depict the same scene of Jesus walking on water, but I am just referencing it so you have an idea what kind of weather was seen from the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is only 200 feet deep and because it is so shallow, the wind can whip up the water more rapidly than deep water. Jesus was not walking out on some shallow pond that had a few ripples in it. I think not!

    This may be an over-exaggeration, but if you have ever seen, the movie, The Perfect Storm, I try and imagine Jesus walking over those monstrous waves. Now here is the miraculous part of it. Jesus is not the first one to invite the disciples into the water. Peter calls out to Jesus and asks Him to let him come out on the water. Jesus agrees and says "Come". We all want to come out to meet with Jesus before we know what to expect from the walk. Although we know that if we can keep our eyes on Jesus, we can succeed, but if we are overcome by fear, we will fall. Now why would anyone want to attempt something like this? Why would we ever want to climb the mountain or to swim the current in search of Jesus?


t is so if we begin to sink. If we so happen to fall in search for Jesus, He will be there to take our hands.


    My walk with God has not been an easy one so far. After a year of searching, I still feel like I have not found my footing on the crashing waves, but am walking on solid ice as it begins to crack. I have been re-introduced to Jesus and with every new step, another crack appears and I am one step closer to walking on waves with the one who allowed me to leave the boat.