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.
I am so sorry about some technological difficulties that we have encountered. As a result, most of my diary entries somehow got deleted for the 1st quarter of 2005. But isn’t that typical when someone tries to share the fruits of the Gospel with others? Spiritual warfare is inevitable…I was able to retrieve this particular entry that will begin the 2nd quarter of this year. It seems like the more we pray, the more our own selfish desires bow down to something more spiritual, something above and beyond ourselves. This takes faith. And the faith in Jesus Christ unlocks the door between God and man. When we enter through the door, our concerns are not primarily about how our needs are met or about how our troubles get straightened out. On the contrary, the realization that our rewards are based upon salvation – the assurance of having an eternal relationship with the perfect God of love – punctuates the purpose of our existence…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
April 19, 2005
During this past month Cherise and I have undergone tremendous resistance. We have endured changes in office staff, false accusations, physical ailments, total fatigue, emotional hardships – the list is long. I am sure that this is not strange for those who are trying to walk out their faith in Jesus with a deeper level of conviction. During this season, it seems like the further we walk, the more difficult life becomes. Simple things now appear more complicated. Our ears are not hearing the answers to prayer as readily. Sound familiar…Cherise and I do not want to remain in the desert – that is why we are pressing forward, calling upon the name of Jesus for His wisdom. Could we solve our problems with our own intellect? Sure. But that is not trusting in Him. Since Jesus displayed unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him, we need to reciprocate that same level of patience and not exclusively lean on our own understanding. God’s activity and man’s responsibility are equally important in the construct of salvation. Feel free to offer prayers…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
April 21, 2005
In essence, the Enlightenment was a time of deliberate criticism about Christianity, in which the critics openly slandered any interpretations regarding absolute standards from a biblical perspective and questioned the historical accounts of Jesus Christ. This celebrated time of reason helped to usher in a number of different theological doctrines and cultural movements that advocate “liberal” theology, such as Romanticism, Marxism, Liberal Protestantism, Modernism, Neo-orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Feminism, Liberation theology, Black theology, Postliberalism, Evangelicalism, Pentecostalism and Postmodernism. The focus has turned inwardly, in which man considers his or her ideas as enough reason to judge the rationality of Christian beliefs. Disturbingly, each of the above-mentioned creates just enough wiggle-room between God and man that the reality of love and eternal living is separated from the heart and soul of mankind. The progression from modernism to postmodernism is rapidly occurring today, in which the Christian mindset is challenged by the postmodern view that there is no objective purpose for humankind. Morality is subject to personal interpretation, whereby reason and experience usurp any foundations of the Christian faith. According to Long (1997), “The church today is at a critical juncture in regard to two major cultural changes…The first cultural change is the transition from the baby-boom generation to Generation X. The second change is a philosophical shift that is occurring in Western society as the culture moves from the Enlightenment to the postmodern era (p. 18).” Where is the church headed next? “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord” (Proverbs 21:30, NIV).
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
April 25, 2005
Truth does not change. It changes the things around it. “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV).
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
April 28, 2005
My salvation experience: “In 1981, it was around eight in the evening when I hopped into the shower. I was preoccupied for a good half an hour while the hot water flowed against my backside. I had a lot on my mind. I was depressed over a broken engagement, very worried about money and stressed about my sixth quarter at Life Chiropractic College. Nothing was making sense. I was tired of trying to live a life based solely upon good works. Ahead of me that evening I had at least five hours of study for a final exam in Gross Anatomy the next day. Far from ready, I had reached a point where I no longer cared about grades or studying, or for that fact, about school. I was sick of being a student. I had been in college since I was seventeen and college education had worn me down. It was a perfect time to study yet procrastination pleaded with my better senses. Instead of digging right in, I decided to go to bed and hopefully wake up a few hours later to cram the necessary information into my head at the very last moment. Normally I had the ability to fall asleep instantly. This night was different. Unable to get comfortable, my mind wandered toward the window. The lights were off, but the moonlight crept through making it possible to see an outline of my furniture. I carefully listened to the sound of rain droplets as they trickled through the screen. Unfazed and apathetic, I remained in bed and watched, not caring one way or the other. The distinct smell of the hot road had filled the air trying to motivate me to do something, but again to no avail. As the outside wind blew more furiously, the cheap, white metal blinds clamored rhythmically, forgetting to stop a huge gush of cool air that poured effortlessly into my room. All of a sudden, and most uncharacteristic of me, I felt afraid. The hairs on my forearm stood up and my body tingled giving me goose bumps from head to toe. Negative and sour thoughts raced through my mind, or perhaps I was allowing my imagination to get out of hand. No, it was much more than that. My soul sensed danger lurking very near. Faking a sound sleep I slowly and hesitantly peeked over the white, cotton bed sheets to see if anyone was there. Nothing physical came into my view. Fear continued to gain momentum though I fully understood that the wind blowing from the storm outside was probably causing my panic. Slow down . . . wait a minute . . . get a hold of yourself, I thought, trying to regain some composure. Try as I might, logic could not explain the evil heaviness I sensed around me. I knew it was something more than just self-perpetuated fear or an irrational response to stress. It felt real even though I could not see anything. Definitely, it delighted in darkness and trickery. Without waiting a second longer I sat up and began praying to God for help. Not really knowing what to say, I trembled. The words from my mouth stuttered and my mind frantically searched for a vocabulary that would arouse God’s attention. I was a grown man who had barely spoken with God since birth. Alone and speechless, my heart pounded loudly, I turned on the light next to my bed, grabbed my Bible and put on my eyeglasses. When I opened God’s Holy Word, the gilding cracked, pages still stuck together. Clearly it had never been opened before. The first page I “happened” to turn; I read the following: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8, NIV). As I read the entire third chapter of John, God revealed that I could become born-again in the Spirit. Immediately I asked Jesus Christ for forgiveness of my sins, then I gave my heart to him – fully believing that he had died on a cross for my sins, and then arose on the third day, a victorious resurrection from hell, thereupon establishing an eternal inheritance for all who believe in him as their Savior. Suddenly the raging wind stopped. A sense of peace entered the room. God had outstretched his everlasting arms into my soul, telling me that I should no longer experience fear, shame, and discontent. I realized my life had forever been transformed – to what shape or design – I had no clear indications (Selley, 2000, pp. 14-17).”
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
May 1, 2005
When the Holy Spirit prompts us to pray, we must do so. Last night around 9:30 pm as I was about to use the restroom, I was awestruck with the sense that my son, Jake, was in some type of danger. Immediately, I faithfully interceded for him through prayer. I had prayed for ministering angels to protect my son from any harm. Approximately twenty minutes later, Jake called me from his cell phone to tell me that he was almost in a car accident with a drunk driver. Apparently the inebriated driver had just missed impacting my son’s vehicle as he ran into a light pole off of I-25. Jake was spared from tragedy. More often than not, I find that God is trying to get my attention to take more authority as a spiritual leader. I just need to respond accordingly in obedience, without hesitation…
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
May 4, 2005
In order to consider it pure joy when undergoing many trials, we must realize to what end that God is working in our lives. Cherise and I realize that our trials are not about the wrongs of other people. Rather, the perseverance of such trials is about us, being molded each day more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. The only mode of character building for man that God endorses in His Word centers on the concept of persevering through trials. This also applied for Jesus Christ, as His love was perfected through suffering. We cannot pray for better character. We cannot pretend to have better character. God will not miraculously perfect our character. Success will not birth better character within us. So Cherise and I stand together in our trials, praising God and declaring it joy to be molded by the Potter’s hand… “The full course of the love of God is full joy.”
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
May 8, 2005
One does not need a “covenant” to live an unrighteous life; instead, the “covenant” was given to those who chose to live a righteous life.
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
May 14, 2005
I praise God for the people He sends into our lives. Recently, we sold a home to a Messianic Jew who moved here from Orlando, Florida. Being around him has been quite refreshing because it has opened my eyes to the fact that many of my own interpretations about Christianity are based narrowly upon an Americanized, Gentile perspective. His knowledge of the Old Testament and its direct relationship with Our Savior has deepened my appreciation for the totality of character of Jesus Christ. I am also reminded that the Jewish people play a vital role in the second coming of Christ. The Church must embrace the heritage of God’s chosen people!
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
May 19, 2005
Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice within us that calls us “The Beloved.” Henri Nouwen
POSTED BY GORDON SELLEY
Date:
May 24, 2005
Today marks our ninth wedding anniversary. As the years have passed, so have some of our foolish tendencies. Although we are not immune from sin, we seem to have grown in Christ because of the accountability of our marriage. Sure there are days when we engage in heated arguments against each other, then there are other days when everything appears bliss. But more importantly, we understand that God has a definite purpose for our lives, one that will only be realized when we obediently act upon His word and faithfully abide in His love. Lord, thank you for my wife. Thank you for your pardon of our sins through Your Son. For Cherise, thank you for being my wife. And thank you for extending both love and mercy to me during times when I am most unlovable…
