Month: October 2010

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Happy Halloween

It’s seems like it was just Easter, but here is it Halloween.  ( we know who is coming right around the bend!)

The amazing thing about Halloween to me is the growth of adult costumes.  I remember trickertreatin’ ( that’s is one word correct?) when I was a young lad and remember just one home where the adults would be in costume.  Now it seems that is so much the norm.  A few weeks back we received the costume advertisement with the Sunday paper and I was amazed that there was like 2 pages of children’s costumes and 4 pages of adult costumes.    I guess we do like to dress up and pretend to be something else.

So in the spirit of putting on costumes, I thought it might be good to remember to continually dress up your own spirit and not let it pretend to be (or become) something else.  There’s a verse in Ephesians that talks about putting on the costume of a Roman soldier ( spiritually of course).  That’s a good one to consider as we approach the dress up and eat lots of candy holiday.

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:13-18 (New International Version)

Get out your orange and black, celebrate another year of bountiful harvest, give and get as much candy as you possibly can and make sure you have your toothbrush handy to keep those teethers from decay!  And most importantly “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”

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Out of Pattern

It’s so amazing how easy it is to get distracted.  This morning in my hotel room, as I woke I laid out a schedule of the things I needed to do before heading over to the office.  It was the perfect schedule, and one that included study and this daily post.

Also, when I travel sometimes I over estimate the personal work I can accomplish in my hotel room at night.  This trip was no exception, however, I found my nights dominated by my work more then my personal work.  So this morning I had several things still to get down before I headed out.

So much that as I was walking out the room door I realized I had not taking any time to study and to write this post.  I had become so caught up in the simple tasks that I was trying to accomplish that I bypassed one of hte most important for getting my day going.  Wow!  How easy it is to be caught up in things and completely miss and forget the important stuff.  So this morning is quite a lesson to me on how important staying close to study really is and how easy it is to get out of practice and out of pattern.  That’s why this blog is named what it is.  Everyday we must buffet our bodies, (including our minds), and make our bodies and our minds our slaves, versus the other way around.

So, I hope that my about face in the doorway, and this post keep you in a pattern of study today, and that it’s a subtle reminder of the importance of staying close to him.

4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (New International Version)

15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. Psalm 119:15

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Stormy Stormy

With all the crazy weather going on all over the U.S. this week, I can’t help but mention something about storms.  It’s pretty amazing that the weather watchers can predict this odd type of behavior and the approaching storms with relative accuracy.  They told us on Sunday that Tuesday would be an incredible day.  That’s really an impressive thing, and a blessing as it allows us to prepare as much as we can, for whatever weather is sending our way.

Wouldn’t it be nice it the storms of life were predicable like that.  What if you had “the Life Weather Channel”, where two people would tell you that an angry co worker was heading your way, or that the car was going to break down on Thursday, or that whatever day altering event was on the horizon.  But alas, we have not.

What we do have are promises from God to help us prepare and endure the unpredictable.  Check it from Isaiah

10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (New International Version)

and 2 Corinthians

 My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, The Message)

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Plenty of Power

Let me start by apologizing for yesterday. We awoke to a a tremendous storm that was blowing stuff all over the place, and knocked out our electrical power. This made it a fun morning getting reading in the dark, but made it a difficult morning for constructing a blog entry. I then had to proceed off to a day full of activities that also made it difficult to construct a blog entry.
So my post yesterday said that I had no power. That was only partially correct. Yes, its correct that I did my home did not have any electrical power, but actually I shown the real power that I am able to tap into.  I was reminded of the song that we were singing just on Sunday, a hymn called Every Time by Philip Organ,  in which there is this verse:

Everytime I watch a storm I know the awesome power of my Lord

but then it goes on to say

I don’t know why so many things seem to get in the way of seeing my God’s glory
But I try everyday to see and thank Him for all the things He’s given me

Yep, it was a frantic and frustrating morning yesterday at the ol’ homestead, but what we missed in that was that God laid his glory and power right out in front of us.  After some time considering the morning, I see how wrong my post’s title from yesterday was.  I sure do have power – plenty of power!

 11 One thing God has spoken,
       two things have I heard:
       that you, O God, are strong,

 12 and that you, O Lord, are loving.
       Surely you will reward each person
       according to what he has done. Psalm 62:11-12 NIV

Now, we can choose to live our lives in the dark, like we were yesterday, fumbling and bumbling around, or we can plug into the spiritual power that exists and live in a way that is supercharged!  Be strengthened by the power of God. Step out of the darkness and into its light.  It’s enough to keep you going in the right direction!  It’s all you need to keep focused.

10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:10-14 (New International Version)

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No Power

no power, so the post will be late… Keep getting you power from him!