Month: April 2013

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every minute

I wasn’t at Boston this year, but I am reminded of the of the crowning jewel of marathons each day. Above my desk hangs a pencil drawing of myself and my marathon partner, Clay Nicks crossing the half way point at the 100th Boston in 1996.  On my bulletin board is a clipping from a Boston magazine Qualifyadvertisement from years ago that simply says “Qualify”; something that I have striven for year to accomplish, yet have been consistently unsuccessful for one reason or another.  In some ways I feel like a part of my life was attacked yesterday, and that’s severely disappointing.  I am sure many of you feel that way today as well, so one reason or another.

But what shall we do?  Shall we sit and retreat in fear?  Shall we yield to this attack on our freedom? I say no.

Yesterday also began the second stage of my ankle’s ligament recovery as I moved out of the air cast boot and into an ankle brace.  I feel even more motivated to get back on the road and exercise my freedoms –  running around this great country of ours.

I also was reminded of this pretty neat quote yesterday morning, and I planed to share it today. It seems even more fitting now.

“Be in love with your life. Every minute of it.” -Jack Kerouac

Fitting because of the way life can change instantly of course.  But even more fitting because of this small nugget of truth from the Christ – the son of God!

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:39

He says the second greatest commandment in the whole universe is to love your neighbor as yourself! If you are in love with your life, then correspondingly you are to be in love with the life of others as well!  Loving them as you love yourself! And that’s how we fight this craziness in our age.  Yes, there will be justice doled out by the government, and rightly so.  But we on the ground, we can start by making sure we take care of those people that we connect with every day – the neighbors around us.

every minute, every mile!

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Tax Day

Oh Tax day!

Sometimes I wish this little exchange would have occurred differently:

13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him. Mark 12 NIV

I wish he would have said something like, “These governments can get their own money, as for me and my house, we are keeping ours!”

But, he didn’t.

So today we render unto the U.S. Government was is the U.S. Government.

And I hope we render to God, what is God’s!

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Big Stuff

I was sitting my front porch watching those big storms roll in last night. It was quite impressive with the changes in the wind, and the loud rumbling thunder and the cracking of the lightning.  I usually find the front edge of a storm like that always the most impressive.  But as I was sitting there, letting my mind wander through the clouds, an even more impressive thought came to my head.  I realized that the creator of the world, could have totally made that storm stop if he wanted to.  I mean he’s done it before!

That’s Big Stuff!

And just imagine, if he can do that, just imagine what he can do with whatever storms might be in your life.

That’s Big Stuff!

12 Power that made the earth, wisdom that orders nature, foresight that spread out the heavens! 13 At the sound of his voice, what mustering of the waters overhead! He summons up the cloud-wrack from the world’s end, turns the lightning into a rain-storm, brings the winds out of his store-house; Jeremiah 10:12 (Knox)

 

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Mercy versus Judgement

Last week, I referenced a thought from the book of James. While I was studying those exhortations, my eyes caught these words “Mercy triumphs over judgement.”.  I have found that my mind keeps coming back to those 4 words over and over as the week progresses.  That’s funny, as I am sure I have read those words many times, but I think I have lived a life that is opposite of that many times.  What I find fascinating is how liberating that thought pattern is.  And well I guess that is actually backed up by the whole thought; let’s  back up and look.

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! James 2:12-13 (NIV)

Live today according to the laws of freedom and let mercy reign.

 

 

 

 

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Best Touchdown Ever

I am sure you have all seen this video of little Jack Hoffman scoring a touching in the Nebraska spring game.  If you haven’t, take a moment to watch, and if you have, watch it again.  Look at all of the encouragement and the way all the players are behind and supporting the little guy!

What an awesome thing!  Tough football players reaching out and lifting up others in their need!  What a super example of how we are to be. Always looking for ways to make others better, looking for ways to use of positions for the building up of others!

Good Job Huskers!

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” Hebrews 3:13