Month: June 2013

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A Song for Friday

I have had this song cycling in my head yesterday and this morning.

That’s a catchy little tune to keep you focus on the right things.

Be strong and courageous each and every day.

“‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.'” Deuteronomy 31:6-8

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Chariots and Horses

Many of you know that I write this every morning mostly to encourage myself.  I tend to believe that we are all fairly the same, and if I am dealing with something, someone else out there is probably dealing with something very similar.  I am on the verge of making a pretty major change in my daily life, and I find myself everyday in a battle between keeping the faith and freaking out. It seems that I get myself in a great place and then five minutes later I have created another worst case scenario in my head, and back to pacing and freaking out.  ARGH!

Am I alone is this ridiculous pattern?

I have a lot of confidence in believing I am not.  That’s pretty comforting to know that I am not alone, but it doesn’t remove the frustration that I experience in this crazed loop-t-loop.  Overcoming the immobilizing fears that we create feels like a major step in this whole “turn it all over to God” thing that followers of the Christ profess.  The Christ himself knew that difficulty. The writer of Psalmsunderstood it as well.  And of course the Proverbs echoed it as well.

4 If you do this, both God and people will be pleased with you.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. 6 Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way. 7 Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the Lord and refuse to do wrong.  Proverbs 3:4-7 Good News Translation (GNT)

So, today, I cast my trust away from chariots and on to the Lord.

Here goes!

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Lessons from Butter

This whole Paula Dean thing has bugged me this morning.  It’s really so amazing how sensitive our nation is on some things/people and yet how tolerant it is on other things/people.  If you spend a lot of time dwelling on this inconsistency it can destroy you.  But that’s not really what I want to dig into today.  I see two lessons from this situation that we all can apply to each day.

First, always remember that everything you do and say is a witness to others about what you profess.  We need to make sure that we discipline ourselves and control our actions, especially our words, so that we do not distract others from gaining the prize we all covet.

25 Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. 26 That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. 27 I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.  1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (GNT)

Second, lets not forget that we all make mistakes and fail to live up to what we profess.  We must find ourselves willing to give mercy and forgiveness when appropriate.   If we expect others to never stumble, wow, our fall will be very large!

14 “If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you Matthew 6:14  (GNT)

 

 

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Smells

One of the great things about Summertime are the many smells that fill the air.  For instance, I love the smell of my tomato plants as I survey my garden. Or the smell of blooming flowers.  Or maybe the smell the beach air on your vacation.  So I found it interesting this morning when I read these words of Paul

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.   2 Corinthians 2:14-15  (NIV)

He is referring to his group of travelers in this section of Corinthians, however, I think he is laying down a pattern for followers of the Christ.  we are to be the aroma of Christ among the world.  Wow.  I guess the real question today is this – what sort of smell are you producing as you interact with those around you?

Let’s produce the fragrance of life.

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High Wire

I forgot about the big tight rope walk last night and turn on the Discovery channel just after the dude had finished and was talking with the morning show crew.  However, I thought I should write about it, since it was so popular last night!  It’s pretty impressive that someone can focus so intently and ignore all the distractions to do something like that – something that seems impossible.  I think that’s very inspirational and should help you work towards the goals that are in front of you.  Interestingly enough, he credits his faultless concentration to the Creator, and in the interview last night he mentioned this verse when he asked about how peaceful he was on the wire.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 King James Version (KJV)

That’s great advice for us as we walk the high wire of our lives – keep the peace of God with you and you can do anything!