Month: April 2012

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No So With You

It’s Monday and well.. what else can be said? 🙂

I am thinking about something the Christ said to his close knit group of followers when they ask him about granting them positions of power and authority.

He responded to them this way.

25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 New International Version (NIV)

hm, that’s seems so wrong to our culture.  So backwards?  Become a servant?  Keep that in mind as you deal with the many people ( or not so many when it comes to me) that you come in contact with today.( and every day!)  May this be said about you: “Not so with you!”

 

 

 

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Friday the 13th

Hey all you Paraskevidekatriaphobics out there.  I suppose most of you will be staying home today, locked inside for security.  Yep, Friday the 13th is upon is! But really, whats the deal with Friday the 13th and why are we taught from a young age that this is a day to fear?

Well it seems that this is the convergence of two traditional unlucky things!

UNLUCKY FRIDAY + UNLUCKY 13 = UNLUCKIER FRIDAY

I guess we have always heard that 13 is an unlucky number for some reason.  But I didn’t realize Friday was given that same name.  But check out this story I discovered while doing a little bit of research

Legend has it: Never change your bed on Friday; it will bring bad dreams. If you cut your nails on Friday, you cut them for sorrow. Don’t start a trip on Friday or you will encounter misfortune. Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck, as in the tale of H.M.S. Friday. One hundred years ago, the British government sought to quell the longstanding superstition among seamen that setting sail on Fridays was unlucky. A special ship was commissioned and given the name “H.M.S. Friday.” They laid her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday, and hired a man named Jim Friday to be her captain. To top it off, H.M.S. Friday embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday — and was never seen or heard from again From : http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th_3.htm

So fun! ( well I guess not for those on the Friday!)

As I was reading some history, it seemed that a lot of this talk about Friday and 13 have a long history in humanity, and that when Christianity spread it change them even more.  It seems to me however, that the presence of the Christ would not have demonized these things, but set people free from the fear of them!

The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid?  Ps 27:1

or what about this bit of truth

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8

Seriously, if God if for us, can a day of the week and a number conspire against us?

Enjoy the great day! ( and leave the salt at home!)

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Wretched

I wrote this post a few weeks ago, but didn’t post it.  But for various and sundry reasons, I keep coming back to it.  I am sure you can relate.

It’s starting to be one of those days when I can relate to Paul.  I am sure that lots of you feel this way as well

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

Drives me NUTS.

And it drove Paul nuts

 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am!

I hate feeling like the wretched man.

Luckily, as like Paul, we all have one form of deliverance and hope.

Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7

Stay the course, and keep fighting the battle inside your mind today.  The victory is worth it.

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Free Queso Day

Seriously!! Queso for FREE!!!

Only today at Qdoba. That’s pretty cool, I may have to load up at lunch. I mean who doesn’t like Queso and who doesn’t like free!

Speaking of great free stuff check this out

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Corinthians 2:12 NIV)

That’s probably a better free combo then even Queso!

And then don’t forget these words from the book of Matthew:

Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:18 KJV

Today give out what you received for free! No, I am not talking about Queso, but feel free to share that as well. Give what people love in you and give it for free! (plus a side of mercy and grace)

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Midnight Counting

I woke up in the middle of the night last night and thought to myself, “Wow, I just spent a whole day and only talked to 2 people (besides the three others in my family)!”  I just about sat straight up in bed.

But instead, I decided to slow down and think about how many people I did actually talk with. It wasn’t much better.  When I calculated in all the people I spoke with even briefly, I could only come up with 13 people ( and only 12 face to face.)  That’s sort of sad, is it not?

Of course, I did communicate with several others via email and text messages, but it sort of made me feel lonely there in the big house, knowing that out of 7 billion people I only interacted with 13!

However, in reality, that’s how things go most of the time.  We have interactions with small groups of people, but those interacts can have large impacts – and that’s really the key.  Is it better to interact with 100 people with a very light touch, or with a small number but to make a deep impact. ( not saying I make a deep impact with the waitress at lunch, or the coffee bar girl, but I had to count them in the number!!!)

All of this to say, make sure you are making your interactions with other count today – not to create a large tally of interactions, but to make a large impact!

13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.   Hebrews 3:13 New International Version (NIV)