Month: April 2011

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Darkness

Last night I was driving back to our powerless dark home last night, I pulled off the interstate onto the road leading to our home, and wow, what an erie feeling.  Alll the street lights were out, several of the business’s lights were off, the traffic lights were off, and the road was in complete darkness minus the headlamps of the vehicles.  You expect that on a country lane, but it was very suprising on a city street.  It was so dark that is was extremely difficult to see the traffic lights where four way stops are now the order of the day.

And then we go home, opened up the garage door by hand and moved into the house in the dark, feeling our way to the flashlights and firing up the candles to see what we could see.

It’s pretty amazing how much different life is without light!

So, you can guess where this is going.  Living light in the darkness is not good.  There is so much power in the light. Make sure you are being light in all the darkness that is around you!

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6, New International Version, ©2011)

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Incredible Power

I am so amazed today at the power I witnessed yesterday.  Yesterday, my area was hammered with 12 hours of “tornadic” activity. ( That’s a new word I learned yesterday).  The shear size and power of these storms was absolutely amazing and awe inspiring.  Forunately, my home was out of direct path of any of these monster super cells, so all that I am dealing with today personally is just a loss of power. ( which explains the tardiness for today).

So just a few things for today.  The area around Chattanooga and in the whole south east US has been hammered this spring with tornados.  Please remember these people in your thoughts and prayers.

And then back to the power in these storms, it was so humbling to stand on the porch and listen to the rumble of these storms.  The constant rumbling, the immensing lighting.  I stood for an half an hour last night watching the storm move across the valley, with the sky flashing on and off from the lightning activity.  It’s so hard to put into words the magesty that is there, especially when we see the damage to people and property that these thing bring with them.

So I am not sure exactly what message I am trying to convey today except that those storms, show the incredible power that existing in our Creator, and just imagine if he created something with that much power and magesty, what  good things he can create!

 8 “You heavens above, rain down my righteousness;
   let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
   let salvation spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
   I, the LORD, have created it. (Isaiah 45:8, New International Version, ©2011)

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Potty Talk

Have you see the this year’s model model?  Automated seats, heated seats, modern lighting, a place for your iPod, ultra quiet and turbo modes, a touch screen remote control and even an built in air freshener!  Sounds like the latest luxury automobile, but no – it’s the latest toilet from Kohler!  No, way you say?  Look for yourself!  A toilet that is evidently so incredible that according to the photographs in the advertisement, it is made for the living room!

I have seen a lot of different “thrones” in my day, from the outhouses in the hill of West Virginia to those holes in the ground in Kiev, but this has got to be the greatest throne of all time!  (ok , really I have can’t recall seeing any outhouses in West Virginia, but I can say I have seen them in Kentucky!)  Can you imagine taking care of business on this thing.  You just might rule the world!

Well, not really, that fancy several thousand dollar throne is probably just going to provide the same thing the others do- I place to take care of , well , you know.

But there is a throne that really is the greatest in the world, and you have the opportunity to seat down right next to it.  You see when it comes to thrones, I think I would rather spend my energy acquiring the one whose foundation is based on  “righteousness and justice”.(Psalm 89:13-15, New International Version, ©2011), the one that is used by the the Christos himself.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:31-32, New International Version, ©2011)

And what is so great about that throne is that there is a promise that you can be near it! and you can sit with the Lord on the greatest throne of all time. One that does not come from Kohler, but from the Creator of the world.

20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:20-22, New International Version, ©2011)

For some reason I bet that throne comes with a few more features then the Numi!

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The Ever Changing Schedule

Well, I thought today was a work from home focus on work sort of day, but with a quick 15 minute phone call, an examination of my calendar and a sleepy teenager, my day has completely taken a new direction. I even had a great idea for a post today which the changing direction of the day pushed off to later.

It’s days like this when I can tell my patience and ability to listen to God are tested. I start thinking about me and “all the stuff I have to do” and how inconvenient these changes are etc. It’s so easy to get into a position where the world revolves around you and then “boom” the hammer drops and you are in a the place that you didn’t want to be. Maybe its a little road rage, maybe it’s a quick hurtful word to a co worker, maybe it’s just not thinking about others correctly.

It’s days like this I go back to an old favorite in my mind.

    25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

   28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34, New International Version, ©2011)

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The Day After

I wonder what Monday morning felt like in Jerusalem?  Friday had been an incredibly odd day.  The death of a man who claimed to be God.  Then there were incredible storms, damage to the temple, reports of dead people rejoined with their families.  Then there was this report that the man who was beaten and drugged through the city was alive and seen by many? Can you imagine what it would have been like to get up and watch the morning news?  Can you imagine the statuses on Facebook and the twittering on twitter?

And so it is with us.  Today we leave the Golgotha, we leave the tomb – knowing the man Jesus died and was raised again.  We know that death was defeated.  We know that he is victorious.  And what will you do with that today, the day after?

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22, New International Version, ©2011)