Its been said of bikers, "the urge to ride can override reason." Well, that was true of me today.

My bike had been in the shop for almost 10 days, so when I got it back Saturday, I took the long way home. Sunday, after church, I had to meet Lisa & the girls down at the lake for Kelsey's and my niece Tori's family graduation party. They had left earlier in the morning, but I didn't get on the road until almost 1:30pm. I love the ride through the countryside to Lake Oconee, and despite the threat of thunderstorms, I went against sound judgement and took off on my bike.

I was in and out of rain within the first 10 miles. Stopping to get my rain gear on at a gas station, I rode on, storms all around me. The sky was dark, there were thunderheads that looked miles high, and sheets of rain split by lightning, on all sides it seemed. I was honestly a little unnerved, wishing I had taken 4 wheels instead of 2. As I rode, hoping to dodge as many bursts as possible, I was grumbling, complaining, bad words floating around in my head. As I got south of Bostwick, my bike began to sputter & skip, like water was affecting the ignition. I thought, "Oh great, I'll stall out in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service, and no shelter from the driving rain." But the bike kept chugging on, albeit in protest. South of Madison, I finally prayed, "God, why don't you stop the storms from hitting me for awhile??" To which I felt Him reply, "Why don't you learn to praise Me in the storms??" That struck like a lightning bolt to my soul. I rode on, contemplating what He spoke. As I thought about the situation I was in, with all this awesome, fearful wonder on display all around me, I felt very ungrateful, untrusting, and self-centered. The God who had given me life, given me new life, given me all I've ever needed for life, was telling me to enjoy Him, trust Him, praise Him in the storms. Its easy for me to ride and worship when the weather is beautiful- Why can't I ride and worship when the weather is not so beautiful?

Then I thought back on all the times in my life when things have went well for me. Its easy to love, to worship, to trust in God then. But all too often, when adversity hits, when difficulties and trials surround me, I find myself grumbling, complaining, inwardly letting the bad words float around in my head, forgetting the God who gives the good days is also the Lord of the bad days. Like the song by Casting Crowns, I need to learn to "praise You in the storm."

I had to ride back this evening the same way, dodging storms and occasionally getting pelted with heavy rain. But my perspective was different. As I rode toward thunderheads filled with darkness, driving rain, and lightning, I chose this time to follow the example of Paul & Silas in prison in Acts 16:25, and began to sing praises to God. As a storm would loom in front of me, I lifted up a song on the road, and pressed forward.

By the time I arrived home, I had only been in one heavy shower on the return trip, and God had caused me to literally dodge every other one. Amazing. But whether I had been in storms or not, God had gripped me with the need to trust and not fear, to praise and not complain, to focus on Him and not on my plight.

A Heavenly perspective changes everything. He doesn't promise to clear the storms out in front of us, but He does promise to get us through them, and be with us in the midst of them. Ours is to trust and praise.

I was reading this morning in 1 Kings 11, about King Solomon's final years. It was a sobering read, to be truthful. When people typically think of Solomon, they usually recall the following facts about him- his father was King David, the greatest king in Israel's history; he succeeded his father to the throne; Solomon was offered anything his heart would desire by God, and he (wisely) chose wisdom to lead; as a result, God gave him unsurpassed wisdom, but also blessed him with vast wealth, power, and influence across the world. What fantastic potential and promise!
Solomon penned most of the Proverbs, some of the Psalms are attributed to him, and scholars believe he wrote Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs as well. Solomon was given the privilege of constructing the first great Temple, built up Jerusalem up as well as other great projects across the country, built up a vast navy to sail the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and beyond. His wisdom, fame, and wealth were beyond any of his time. All because he started well- he dedicated himself to follow God, to walk humbly before Him, and to lead God's people with wisdom and compassion.
But something happened along the way. By chapter 11, Solomon began to waver and weaken.
His wealth, power and fame began to go to his head, as he accumulated more and more for himself, and began to treat his people as servants rather than God's people, taxing them heavily and pressing them into slave labor. He gathered for himself literally hundreds of wives and concubines, to feed his lusts. And he allowed for the worship of false gods among all his wives, and ultimately among the people, eventually participating himself. He short, rather growing into wise old man, he became an old fool.
The sad final years of his life can be summed up in these verses- "Now the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord,... he did not observe what the Lord had commanded." (v.9-10) In fact, his final recorded act as king was a plot to kill the man God was going to give part of his kingdom to upon his death. He fought against God while near his own death!
His story startled and shook me. I had not looked at Solomon this way before. He did not finish well, but in shame.
I hopped on my bike and rode to work, enjoying the cool, clear morning, but praying that God would protect and preserve my heart, wholly for Him. I never want to make choices that would bring shame upon myself, my family, my people, my church, and ultimately, my God. I want to finish well, finish strong, and leave a legacy of love for God, love for people, and love for life. I want to hear God say, "Well done, welcome home!", not "What were you thinking?!" I know I'll not be perfect, I'll make mistakes sometimes, but may I never destroy God's work in and through me. May my life, overall, bring Him glory and honor.
May my epitaph one day read- "He walked with God, and brought others along."

I'm reflecting on Mother's Day yesterday, and all that the mothers in my life have come to mean to me. In our children's church hours, I spoke on Mothers from Proverbs 31:10-31, and since we had invited moms to join us in children's church for what we called "SuperMom Sunday", we had a packed house both hours, both places. It was a wonderful morning, and I hope all the moms who attended had a great time and left encouraged.
I spoke about my own mother, who was the first one in our family to come to Christ. When we moved to Georgia in 1972, my mother attended a women's conference at the invitation of a new friend, and she gave her life to Christ. A year later, my father came to Christ himself, in no small part due to the changed life and verbal witness of my mom. Within a few years, as they grew in their new-found faith, I came to Christ, as did my younger brothers. Truly, salvation came to the Brooks household largely because of my mother. And she has always been the prayer warrior and encourager in the faith that a godly mom is meant to be.
Over the years, I've come to love and appreciate my mother-in-law, Brenda, for her godly character and influence as well. Lisa is the youngest of 3, with an older brother and sister. As the "baby" of her family, Lisa was sheltered and cherished by her mother, and grew up in a loving, godly, secure home. I can truly say, after nearly 23 years of marriage to Lisa, her mother Brenda is like a second mom to me.
I spoke about Lisa, and the tremendous influence she has had in the lives of our 2 girls, Ansley & Kelsey. She has always given of herself, sacrificed without complaint, and loved unconditionally, as we have tried to raise our girls to know, love, and follow Christ. Children will always have to grow up and make their own life choices. But in our home, Lisa's influence with them, in her words of wisdom, how she pushed them to excel, and lived herself what she taught, has hopefully given our girls plenty of ammo to make wise, godly choices in life. I am forever grateful for the godly woman I am privileged to call my wife.
"A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." Proverbs 31:10
I know three- my mom, my mom-in-law, and my own precious wife. All three are priceless.

Today was an exhausting but exhilarating day. I arrived at the church at about 7:45, and began to get everything ready for a morning of RockiTown children's church hours. By 9:20 I hustled over to the main worship center to prepare to baptize a mom and her son who had recently come to Christ. It was an exciting moment, baptizing them together. I got back in time for the rest of our RockiTown worship times, and spoke both hours on "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).
By 12:15pm, I was jumping in the car and racing around 285 to arrive at First Baptist Atlanta for the afternoon baptism celebration for an old high school friend of mine. I have known Aaron since the 9th grade, and though the miles, the years, and the circumstances of life have caused us to pass in and out of each other's lives over the years, over the past couple of years we've begun talking more, and of course riding motorcycles together. Then, back in the fall, Aaron called me one Sunday afternoon, telling me he had trusted Christ at FBC Atlanta! I was thrilled, to say the least. So when he asked me if I'd baptize him, I was honored. His mom was there, as well as Pat & Karen Davis, who have been friends with Aaron since high school as well, and several other family friends. It was a real privilege to help Aaron take this step in his new walk with Christ. I told Him, "We've been friends for many years, and now I'm thrilled to call you my brother as well."
After returning for a brief rest, I prepared for the evening worship service, that I was to preach in. I was excited for the opportunity, as in the 10+ years I've been at Hebron, I've only been given the chance to preach, outside of the children's ministry, on 2 occasions. I spoke on Courage- in our personal lives, our homes, in the world, for our children. My opening text was from 2 Timothy 1:7- "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind." Several told me afterward that it was a message they needed to hear, and were encouraged by it.
In all, it was an exhausting, exhilarating day. I can't think of a better way to spend myself.