Ever heard the word "stratigraphy?" There is a diagram to the right that gives an example of stratigraphy. It is the study of the many layers of earth deep below our feet. In one article I read stratigraphy was described as "learning from the portals from the past." The DEEPER you DIG down into the earth, the more layers are uncovered. Each layer uncovered helps geologists and archaeologist understand more about the make up of the earth below us as well as the history of that specific area. 

This message is about the stratigraphy of our lives. In the movie "Shrek," Shrek tries to let Donkey know that Ogres are like onions. They have many layers. The more layers you work through the more you understand about Ogres. Shrek was right. We all have many layers, and the DEEPER we DIG in our lives the more we understand about our ourselves and history. Each layer we work through as individuals and families gets us one step closer to the "bedrock" of our lives. That bedrock is Jesus Christ! When we build our  lives on him and His Truth, we are able to stand firm when all around us may be shake and fall. 

How many of us have attempted to build lives without a strong foundation. We must first DIG DEEP through the layers of  time, so that our feet and families are firmly planted on the ROCK, Jesus Christ. Hope this message blesses, encourages, and challenges you today! I was  challenged by all that the Holy Spirit spoke to me. 

Donna and I love and appreciate you so much! We pray you have a blessed day, and If you are blessed by what you read and hear, we'd love to hear from you. Leave us a comment or note. We also appreciate your prayers and financial support. Your support allows us to continue to build weDIGit into all that God desires for it to be! You can click the links to the right to connect and contribute! 

Our youngest son, Jordan, just turned 12 years old! He is a great kid! He's respectful, kind, has the sweetest Spirit, loves the Lord, and loves life. He is VERY serious about playing. When he gets home from school in the afternoon, he wants to get everything done so that he can go outside and play until dark. If he has a lot of homework or there is something else planned that will take him away from being able to play with the neighborhood kids, he gets more than a little frustrated.   
It isn't unusual to see 10-20 boys playing outside our home on any afternoon. It doesn't matter if it is 100 or 32 degrees outside...They play. Kickball, Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Wiffle Ball, Hide and Seek, Bike Riding , and any other game they can come up with on the fly...they play! The rules? They are made up as they go of course! By the way, there is nothing like the smell of 10-20 sweaty pre-teen boys on a hot Texas afternoon! 

For Jordan's 12th B-Day party we asked him what he wanted to do. His answer? " Dad I just want to play!" He asked to have the neighborhood kids over for a sleep over on a Friday and play all afternoon, put lights up in the backyard after dark and play some more, and then keep playing until they all passed out wherever they fell. So that's what we did. We had the neighborhood kids over, ate hot dogs and a Cookie Cake, and they played all night long.
It was awesome!!  

Isn't it funny how we make things more complicated and stressful than they need to be. Take Christmas for instance. Kids are given all kinds of toys and stuff, and then we find them playing with the empty boxes more than the toys. For Birthdays and special occasions, we get bounce houses, go to Chuck E. Cheese, and throw Big Parties, and while there is nothing wrong with that, I'm afraid we miss it. Looking back on all the Birthday parties with our kids, the greatest ones were when we just played! 

I remember wishing I had more money to do the  "bigger things," but now looking back I'm grateful. We just played!  A city park and a wiffle ball, sleepovers, skateboarding, and camp outs in the back yard were awesome! This past year Megan wanted to have a fashion show at home with her friends. They dressed up in Donna's clothes and shoes, had a run way, and I played music as they modeled. It was a blast. The simple things in life made those parties more fun and memorable. We found ourselves enjoying each other more than worrying about what we could give or buy for each other. We PLAYED! 

 Here are some interesting verses I think relate...

"For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me." Matthew 18:2

"When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all thechildren running and shouting through the Temple, "Hosanna to David's Son!" they were up in arms and took him to task. "Do you hear what these children are saying?"Jesus said, "Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, 'From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?" Matthew 21:15

"The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these childrenaway. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them." 
Mark 10:13 

I think Jesus was serious about playing too! He told the people that unless they believed and had the faith of a child they wouldn't make it. In fact, Jesus said that all we have to do is believe with the "simplicity of a child" and we will be saved. Interesting! The only way to find eternal life, love, joy, and peace in the complicated messes we create is to think like a child. PLAY! LAUGH! BELIEVE! CREATE! ENJOY! LOVE! How? Like a child! 

I hope this gives you hope today. Maybe you just feel like your world is caving in all around you. You can take a minute right now, and with the faith of a child surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Check out Romans 10:9-10; & 13 too. They'll help you know exactly what you need to do next.   

I would like to thank Jordan, Megan, all my kids, and my beautiful wife Donna, for reminding me about what is most important in life. I think we need to tell our Heavenly Father what Jordan said to me. "Dad, I just want to play!" I am ready for an eternal playtime in a new heaven and earth. You? 

Thanks for reading! Thanks also for your prayers & support as Donna and I continue to walk this journey together! We would love and appreciate you very much. If these blogs and videos have blessed you, and you feel compelled to support us financially too, just click the donate button to the right. BE BLESSED! 

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In I Peter 1:3-7, Peter spoke to a group of people that he loved very much. He told them, "What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole. I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory." 

We can be confident today! When we make the choice to love God "most" He will heal us, and we can experience "abundant life" as a believer. Our faith MUST be refined and purified. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to "DIG" deeper and deeper into our lives. The process will be difficult. We will experience pressure, heat from fiery trials, and pain through the process of refinement. But the result will be a beautiful life. Like Gold...Like a "DIAMOND!" 

In this message, Donna and I share together some steps that are necessary for us to make the decision to love God most! The Result is BEAUTIFUL! We pray that this message encourages, challenges, and blesses your life today. Thank you for your support! Check out the links to the right of this article. We'd love for you to follow us on Twitter & Facebook, or support us financially if you feel led today. 

This is Worship and the 2nd Message in the "DIG" series at First Baptist in Livingston, Texas. The message is based out of I Corinthians 2. It was an anointed time of worship and teaching with the awesome folks at First Baptist. I hope this message blesses, encourages and challenges you, as it did me, to DIG DEEPER. As Paul said in I Corinthians 2:10, "The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along!" 
Thanks for your prayers & support for Donna and I, as well as our family, as we continue to walk out our journey as the Holy Spirit leads us toward what God has planned for us "all along." 

We have been given the opportunity to do a 5 week series with the amazing people at First Baptist Church in Livingston, Texas. The series is entitled, "DIG." This video  has worship and the message from the first week, and I wanted to post it to our website. Hope it blesses, encourages, and challenges you today. Keep DIGgin!