I’ve been away for a while. It’s good to be back. Thank you for your encouragement, patience and prayers while I was away.
I’d like to be able to say that I came back just for you … that writing blessings is a pure and unselfish gift … that these words flow out of a deep and abundant inner strength … and that if you leave here encouraged, that’s all that matters. But that wouldn’t be true.
My soul requires a continual inflow and outflow of spiritual nourishment. Writing what I’m learning helps me process and better understand what I read daily in God’s Word. It encourages me to express my faith to our Father and to you with honesty and clarity. It makes me slow down and live. It makes me be still and know … that He is God, and that gives me great peace.
I do pray that what you find here will strengthen your heart … fortify your faith … lighten your load. I know it gets heavy sometimes … and that’s why I’m also back for me. I’ve been living real life for the past three years while this site rested quietly. Real life can be beautiful and brutal … stimulating and stressful … exhilarating and exhausting. The life you live is probably very similar to the life I live … crazy busy, rewarding, frustrating, fast. It reminds us who we are. It reminds us Whose we are.
Jesus … I’ve never had a friend like Him … and I’ve got some stellar friends. But He is everything I’ve ever wanted in a friend, and He is everything I want to be. Trying to become like Him is the most rewarding and challenging thing I’ve ever done. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, and my goal is to become the best friend He has ever had. I’ve got a long way to go in that pursuit, and I am very grateful that He gives us a lifetime for that journey.
So there it is. I’m back for you … and for me … and for Jesus. And if it is His will, somewhere in the blessings and the prayers, the comments and the exchange of knowledge, the Bible study and the quiet, still listening … spiritual formation will occur. Together, we will draw closer to Jesus and be formed more perfectly in His image. Together, we will become friends to Him just like He is a friend to us. And to me, that makes coming back a great joy. Thank you for joining me.
May you become the best friend Jesus has ever had.
~s
Tags: best friend, it's good to be back, real life
Steve
The newly designed site looks great – congratulations! I look forward to reading your posts and seeing what the future will bring here at Steve to Earth.
Craig, thank you for your friendship, for recommending Gary and for making it possible for me to focus on ministry rather than site maintenance.
Without your help, this new site design would still be on the drawing board. May your kindness return to you one hundred fold.
~s
Hi Steve! Your new site is beautiful. Thank you for the invitation to join you in adoring our “lovely Source of true delight.”
Thank you, Kris! “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” ~Proverbs 27:17 (NLT). Thank you for being iron in my life.
Ever since we first met, in both word and deed, you have continually encouraged me in my journey with Jesus. There is no greater gift.
Our “lovely Source of true delight” … that truth is gently casting out the lies that I’ve believed for so long. Thank you for helping me see Him and His truth clearly.
~s
What joy it was to receive the email that Steve to Earth is back! I have been looking forward to this for quite some time. I continue to pray for you and for this, your ministry to the masses. Your encouragement has seen me through many a times, good and bad. Keep it up and upward!
Jake, thank you, sir! You’re one of the most gifted spiritual encouragers that I know. You continually teach me how to be more like Jesus through your words and your example. I am very grateful.
I apologize for the delay in getting your comment released. I just returned home from the Pepperdine Lectures in Malibu. What a great opportunity to get my spiritual bucket filled. I plan to share what I learned soon in upcoming posts.
Thank you for encouraging me in my walk with Jesus!
~s