Married to a doctor - mother of one son - stepmother to another - we live in a beautiful home nestled at the foothills - The "boys" enjoy golf - my athletic sport is shopping and we can't forget walking our dog, Polo - however, our most precious times are around the kitchen table having a Bible study.
What is this site about? Well, here is what it is not... It is not to influence you to buy real estate. It is not to pressure you into becoming a Christian. It is not a way to manipulate God within the business industry. Simply, it is about sharing. One overlooked facet about real estate involves the personal stresses that people assume when moving from one home to another, and for many, from relocating from one state to another. That is why our family shares personally with those who are trying to connect with this new community. Purely as an option, you are welcome to comb through my husband's journal entries about faith, and hopefully, his personal insights may provide you with some encouragement.
Excerpts taken from C.R. Stam: A believer, talking with an atheistic evolutionist one day, took out his watch, looked at it and put it back into his pocket, saying: “I have a wonderful watch; it keeps perfect time; never misses a second.” “What make is it?” the atheist asked. “Oh, no make,” answered the Christian. “Well, who manufactured it?” “Oh, nobody; it just put itself together somehow.” “Nonsense,” said the atheist, “A watch can’t just come into existence. Somebody had to design it and somebody had to manufacture it.” “True,” said the Christian, “yet you expect me to believe that this universe, with its billions of stars and planets, all working together in perfect order, just came about by itself; that it had no Designer, no Creator and no one who keeps it running; Isn’t that nonsense?”
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
July 10, 2003
In the spiritual realm, the opposite of ignorance is not knowledge but obedience. I encourage everyone today to get into the Word, allowing it to mature everyone of us in the fullness of His joy and love, leaving behind the extremes of good and evil, and light and darkness. Our need for the Holy Spirit helps us to trust God, giving us a rich and accurate way of thinking and speaking about Him -- to guide and support our life vision and our will.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
July 14, 2003
“I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King” (Isaiah 43:15, NIV). It is my joy to honor you Lord as my King. Thank you for showing us so much mercy, especially when we revert back to our “old” ways of doing things. When you are testing us in the wilderness, may we learn the lessons pertinent for the new commission. May we not compare your new message of the Good News with our circumstances because it simply leads to defeat. By your Holy Spirit, please continue to guide us in your message of grace. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19, NIV). Who else but God can create a river in the desert? Thank you Lord for your divine supply. I pray that those who visit today embrace the Word – accept His challenge – and commit to the change that God has for your life.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
July 21, 2003
Inherently, the soul and spirit of man struggles with the concept that God loves him so unconditionally and infinitely, especially when tempted or deceived by the opposing forces of darkness. The meaning of chapter ten of the Hebrews text gives multiple applications for those Christians, including myself, who strongly desire to overcome in the anticipation of the second coming of Christ. A few salient points of application are mentioned in the next few entries: Fully embrace the sacraments. Christ ordained certain rites, specifically
communion, marriage and water baptism, for those who fully believe in His blood covenant. In a sense, the boldness to participate in these practices are privileges for the Christian, adding further depth of understanding to the soul, creating unity and cleansing for the Body, and at the same time, giving reverence to His holiness during worship. Personally, the message in Hebrews has increased my awareness of the extent of effort that God gave for man, and likewise, the duty I have to live out my privileges in Christ more effectively...Be ministers of the new covenant. Christ is the end of the Law, fulfilling the requirements of righteousness for the believer. From heaven at the right hand throne, Jesus Christ continues to intercede for those who are adopted into the family of God. The priesthood of Christ shines knowledge into my heart about my responsibilities to act accordingly, as a priest over my own home and as an ambassador for the cause to glorify His name. The covenant of the Spirit – which followed the shadow of the Law – appoints men to a higher will, in which man’s will, ideally, becomes God’s will. To me, this interface between God and man defines a significant point of the new covenant.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
July 22, 2003
A few additional points to the chapter ten message of Hebrews that touches the heart of Cherise and me...Stand firm in faith during times of suffering. Part of human suffering is to
embrace the sufferings of Jesus Christ. It is not to participate in any form of apostasy. In essence, suffering becomes our training ground for character, perfecting us in the love of God. The words from the author of Hebrews encouraged me to not walk alone during pain or hardship, isolated from the Body of Christ. Instead, the communion of saints binds the brave brotherhood of Christ together, able to conquer all, including suffering, so the glory of God that follows will be more effectively demonstrated...
Cling to the absolute nature of God. In our attempt to fashion the eternal materials of God into our lives, one condition must be met – the finished works of Jesus Christ must abound. Like those Jewish Christians who wavered in their faith, we must stay clear of any misunderstanding about the nature of our Creator for, He does not bargain and pay, but freely gives. He is the God of grace, exact in His truth, infinitely precise in His Word, holy in His measure, and in Christ, we have the assurance of His boundless and irrevocable generosity...Possess your faith. If religion influences one to act separately from the grace of God, then it serves no purpose. The love of God never fails to connect the lowliest man with the Most Holy One. Everywhere in the tenth chapter of Hebrews, the application of faith equates to the possession of it, not limited to the sharp-witted Jew or the clear-minded Gentile of today, but of the truehearted and loyal follower of Jesus Christ...Place your hope in the second coming of Christ. Too many times I tend to plant my seeds of patience into a heart filled with materialism and pride, still nursing the unconquerable hope of this world. The mighty hope that makes man rely upon the revealed character of God fortifies his will. To me, that is what I want to aspire – not a man of spineless conviction or cowardice faith, but rather a man of heroic virtue. The words of Hebrews, obviously God-breathed, inspires my walk to be more obedient, whether busy with the labor of the Lord, or quiet in the wait for the return of Jesus Christ.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
August 2, 2003
I can’t believe that eleven days have already passed. Our family schedule has been hectic beyond belief, but our love and prayers for those who visit does not wane. The Lord keeps His divine persistence over our lives despite our times of sloppiness in our walk of faith. We pray that God continues to renew our minds with sharp-focused love to endure the obstacles in front of us, both seen and unseen. We continue to thank Jesus for, knowing that we will ultimately fail in obedience, He still sandwiched grace into our lives from the cross so that we could walk in obedience toward His throne. I had lunch with a friend of mine who described his earlier years of being born-again as one who saw the cross as a dotted representation of the truth, which changed into the solid reality of love when he fully gave his heart to God. The manifest love of the Father for mankind blows away my comprehension of grace in the midst of holiness. Thank you God… During this season of multiple soul conversions, I pray that many actually walk as disciples, not demanding answers to human problems, but remain content on the dependence of the Father in heaven who truly cares and takes the extra steps to intercede for our lives today.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
August 5, 2003
Excerpts from Soper regarding ‘Desire’: “When the soul shares the purpose of God, not coldly, but with eager desire, then there is a new fact in the spiritual world. A new way is opened whereby the Lord can enter into the heart of man.” I pray, “Heavenly Father – may the words that come off my lips be devoid of mixed motive and praise your name most nobly. Continue to enlarge yourself in our hearts and disclose the love into those who are not enlightened by the blood covenant of Christ. In the name of Jesus, I desire that your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. I pray for your mercy and patience while you mature and complete us in the likeness of your Son…”
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
August 6, 2003
Presently, I am taking an OT survey class and truly respect the man who is teaching it. I find that his superior intellectual wit could easily overwhelm the masses, but he never ostracizes one from inclusive dialogue and instead, he freely shares and receives generously with those who labor in the Word. As we continue to mature as Christians, why do we tend to create an arms-distance between those who are seemingly more Christian versus those who are weak in faith? I know that I tend to react that way on some occasions, given various socio-economic and background determinants. I love the way Paul encourages the Christian to seek the Spirit of wisdom and to help those who are weaker. Ultimately, the Body of Christ is measured on its weakest link in the chain of life. “Heavenly Father – thank you that you mingled among mankind to work your power of love among the weak to make them strong. I praise you for your redemptive blood and all that it symbolizes. God, in the name of Jesus, continue to give us your insight to humility and long-suffering and grant us your kindness and mercy. Wherever we are in our walk of faith, please continue to guide us and lead us from our own presumptions of inadequacy. I praise you that we may contemplatively meditate upon your Word, feeding our desires of love and peace for the soul. Thank you for reconciling all things in Christ. Amen…” Four words to always remember: “Love God. Love People.”
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
August 13, 2003
Personal Note: I guess none of us really feels prepared when our children grow up so quickly. My son, Jake, turned 15 years of age last week. It was both exciting, and for me, kind of sad, knowing that the one-on-one years that are left for parenting and mentorship are few and far between. Jake and I are good friends. I love him very much. Yet, I pray that his love for Christ will catch up with his own personal accomplishments. I wager that many Christians feel the same way with their children at one time or another. I thank God that whenever Jesus Christ presented the Gospel to a human soul, it was always on the premise, “Are you willing?” During this season, I pray for the strength to submit more and further in my search for His full disclosure of love. This prayer may apply to you as well…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
August 19, 2003
Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness and failure are, but it does not know the godliness of men. And so it also does not know that man is destroyed only by his sin and can be healed only by forgiveness.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
August 21, 2003
Christ is coming!! Christ is coming!! These three words are the hope in which we hold firm, yet we often forget the reality of His return against the backdrop of the business of life. I know that our family is guilty of leading lives that are too busy, especially since the new school year has begun. Within our own little ecosystems, where we think we have control, God is still present, bringing us closer through our personal trials, inevitably, wanting to commune in a love relationship with us. If you have a few moments, stop!!! Listen to the sounds around you. Don’t say anything, not one single word. Turn off every electronic device that is near you. Then listen deeper. Continue this process, until you sense it is time to pray and read His love letter to you from the pages of the Bible. Expect the words to jump off the pages into your mind, transforming your thoughts and cleansing your soul with truth. The tears that you experience are symbols of washing and cleansing and release. The need to let go of everything and to give it all to Him is a big desire that He wants to do for you. He will answer your questions. He will comfort you. He will also listen to you. He will love you unbelievably. Try it. Bask in the revelation and wonder of salvation. Thank you Jesus that you make this all possible through your blood covenant. I realize that I cannot endure either the glory of God or the darkness of this world without Your grace. Thank you that You renew me so wonderfully. Thank you for salvation…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
August 25, 2003
What makes a person a Christian? It seems like many today casually use the term “Christian” as their mode of spirituality, yet have no idea what it means to be a Christian. It exceeds the intellectual phase of accepting the fact that God is real, and He will simply provide blessings and protect you from troubles if you declare that you are a Christian. Also, it is more than wearing a cross around your neck or trying to fit into Christian circles by attempting to act and dress the part of morality. Personal responsibility cannot replace a personal response to God. Being a Christian goes much further. It is about pure monotheism – possessing the Holy Spirit within your heart and fully participating in a life for God. When you accept Him as your Savior from sin and death, in essence, you are willing to forfeit the citizenship of this world for the ambassador position in Christ for heaven. You cross the line. You become a new creation in God. You develop the love for God, knowing that He chose you first. Your life is no longer yours. It is His…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
August 28, 2003
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1, NIV). When writing these diary entries, it often feels lonely because I do not actually see the faces with whom I correspond. The chance to take credit for positive changes or the opportunity to see the joy in someone who accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior is virtually nonexistent. By the way, that is fine by me because I give God all the credit and want to simply glorify His name more effectively. And that usually means that I must stay out of the spotlight, diminishing the possibility of manipulating my own prayers with persuasive words and offering partial good deeds to God. The deeper I grow in the Spirit of Jesus, the more impoverished I become…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
September 6, 2003
During this last week God has spoken into my spirit about grace. How often do we feel like we have to work our way into His favor? This feeling of having to do more to gain God's favor even creeps into our prayer life with Him. When we enter into fellowship with Him, all we have to do is to ask for help, and knowingly, He will answer. The blood covenant gives us this authority and our faith can move mountains because of the Holy Spirit who indwells within us. I am well aware of the proverbial, "Faith without works is dead." And I try to live by this Scripture that was written by James. But I just caution that our lives, as forms of worship, should be done in a Spirit of truth, rather than done with ulterior motives of approval. His grace is sufficient for us, punctuating the fact that He was willing to combine Deity with Dust just because He loves us first and unconditionally.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
September 14, 2003
During this season, the content of material in which I write about is also going to focus on our family and how the Word of God impacts our daily lives. The Holy Spirit communicates in an unambiguous explicitness about what the Father says. And the communication with our souls is not simply arbitrary. To communicate with you about our personal side requires forthright courage and honesty when we hold ourselves vulnerable to an active internet audience. Yet, I sense that God wants us to share our struggles with you so that any words of comfort may glorify His name…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
September 15, 2003
Like you, we often struggle with a lack of time to enjoy some of the wonderful things about this world. Although we crave the things of heaven, sometimes we need time to recreate or to enter into His rest. Last night we went to the movies and saw a movie that was highly promoted as something of value to watch. It turned out that the movie was filled with a fragmented plot that was substituted by scenes of violence, followed by other scenes of violence. When we were walking out of the movie, my spirit literally grieved. I was not necessarily feeling guilty about watching the movie, but more accurately, the righteousness within expressed sorrow about the wickedness that tried to cloud my mind and heart. It felt like I feasted upon rotten food, instead of digesting spiritual food for the soul. It reminded me of the importance to continue to walk in a pleasing manner for God, sandwiched by grace and always running the race toward His holiness…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
September 17, 2003
Today’s topic involves communication, specifically related to the term genderlect—which simply refers to the masculine and feminine styles of discourse in communication. Neither style is superior over the other, in other words, what Cherise communicates is of equal importance to what I have to say, but both ways of communication have two distinct cultural dialects. An example of genderlect difference occurred between my wife and myself after Cherise had gone shopping at Ann Taylor. I truly believe that Cherise considers clothes shopping as her favorite athletic sport. After spending about three hours at Ann Taylor, she left the shop, then walked briskly across the parking lot to Champ’s Restaurant where Jake and I were located, eating dinner and watching an NFL football game. After dinner we went home. Cherise asked Jake to help carry her bags to the bedroom. “Honey, would you please come upstairs to the bedroom?” The test of whether I understood her sensitivity to style and beauty was about to begin. “Do I really have to go upstairs? Honey, I think you are beautiful and I am sure that everything you bought looks great!” Cherise replied, “But you have not even seen what I have purchased.” Griffin (2003) states, “According to Tannen, who is an effective communication researcher, ‘women don’t want advice; they’re looking for the gift of understanding’” (p. 471). As much as I tried to communicate that my opinion offered no evidence of having fashion superiority over that of my wife’s, Cherise insisted that I watch her as she modeled her new clothes. Cherise changed into her new digs in the closet as I laid on our Queen-sized bed. The closet door opened and Cherise stepped out. “How do I look?” I thought to myself, “What a loaded question.” I paused, then Cherise prompted again, “Well…how do I look?” She was wearing a black pleated skirt that matched her black sweater. I looked intently, “You look great Cherise.” Her brow furrowed and she asked, “Why do you think that this outfit does not look very good?” Tannen (as cited in Griffin, 2003) describes the communication between adult men and women, “’different words from different worlds,’ and even when they use the same terms, they are ‘tuned to different frequencies’” (p. 464). “Honey, the outfit looks great. What else do you want me to say?” The rest of the evening was filled with large gaps of confusion in verbal communication about the definitions of beauty, perception and truth. I thank Jesus Christ that he brings a central meaning to our communication, especially noted when we pray together…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
September 19, 2003
Jesus chose the common bread and wine to show us that the evidence of the discipline of fellowship takes place in the common elements and events of life. Forgiveness is not the denial of facts, or condoning an activity, nor agreement, nor friendship; forgiveness is about a clean heart and trusting God. I have found that relational sin runs ramped in the church, requiring the character of Jesus and the truth from the Holy Spirit to lead us into His forgiveness. The long painful history of the church is that people choose power over love, control over the cross, being a leader over being led. Today, let’s lift ourselves in worship to God, interceding on behalf of the bride of Christ. We are like wheat in the field, and we cannot predict how the wind (Holy Spirit) is going to blow. Some strands of wheat bend one-way, others bend another. So it is with our style of worship and the way in which the Holy Spirit leads, yet perfect order and purpose are preserved because the Holy Spirit only follows the truthful instruction of the Father. Thank you Lord that the Spirit joins all believers to the Body of Christ and the reality of forgiveness comes into fruition because of the blood covenant through Jesus Christ. We praise you today for your awesome demonstration of love…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
September 22, 2003
Knowing God’s heart means consistently, radically, and very concretely to announce and reveal God is love and only love, and that every time fear, isolation, or despair begins to invade the human soul – this is not something that comes from God. This is a lesson that I regularly encourage for my children, especially when they face difficult times as young teenagers. I also encourage them to participate in self-disclosure, in order to fully purge themselves from sin and to begin to experience the knowledge of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit that lives within each of them.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
September 25, 2003
Edmund Clowney states, “it was the woman and the offspring of the woman who were made the enemy of Satan through the generations of conflict that were to follow. Not Adam but the future offspring of Adam would be the Enemy of Satan…The supreme irony of Calvary is that Satan’s apparent victory was his defeat.” Thank you Jesus for your death atoned for our sin, meeting the claims of the law, and therefore, bringing salvation to all of mankind who had fallen under sin.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
September 29, 2003
Lukewarm Faith. The story of Jonah offers a glimpse about the sickened sight of the complacent, self-serving nature of the church, specifically in reference to each individual who comprises the Body of Christ. Jonah never really gets it right. Instead of having a full surrender and resolve in the Lord, Jonah fled from the journey of Nineveh to go to Tarshish, a port city that offered top-service comfort. On the other hand, Nineveh was an undesirable place to visit for, idolatrous worship and POW cruelty were standard institutions of life. When God spoke to Jonah about going to Nineveh to evangelize to the enemies of Israel, he fled. In essence, Jonah twisted the command of the Lord to avoid the presence of the Lord. Instead, his journey was chartered on the premise of disobedience, all the while; Jonah underwent horrific trials of spiritual discipline in order to be used by God, ironically in Nineveh, to carry out a larger plan – to bring salvation to 120,000 people. The walk of obedience is not just fulfilling duties and obligations for God. It entails the delight and joy to do so in full worship of Him. His sovereign plans of wisdom dwarf the foolish thinking of man. As with Jonah, the modern man often disobeys because he does not love. The church often forsakes its first love. “So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16, NIV)…In conclusion, the plethora of sin and its characteristics provide a path of death and destruction for those who choose to travel it. This paradigm is observed throughout history, dating back to the birth of original sin between the first couple of mankind. For purposes of the Old Testament narrative, God always offers redemption to his fallen people, even though they often disobediently stray into evil associations. “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 3:6-7, NIV).
