Month: January 2017

When I stop and think about how much love the creator of the world has for us, I am absolutely amazed.

I’m pretty certain it because I know what I have done in my life, the amount of bad and the tiny amount of good, and how fortunate I am that my performance doesn’t dictate the amount of love I receive from the Father.

Wow.  Why?  How?

Why and how does the Father do it?

It’s amazing.

His love doesn’t leave you alone.  It isn’t based on what you do or do not do.  He just loves you. It’s so freeing and it’s so joyful. It’s liberating!  It let you run free and light and climb as high of a mountain that may sit in front of you.

And above all of that, it’s free.  Wow!

It just doesn’t make sense.

And today I am glad I to start today knowing that I have the love of the Father.

Then I compare it to the way I treat others and how I base the amount of love I give out on performance. Sigh. Today, I will try to attempt to reflect that love to those I interact with.  Why would I not?

Friends are pretty awesome.

I love it when I haven’t seen a friend for months or even years and I can pick up where I left off without missing a beat.  Even though our lives have been in different places, such a strong bond exists and the commitment to each other is so strong that things just pick right back up like the last time we saw each other was yesterday.  There maybe a little bit of background needed to set some context of what’s going on in life, but the trust and the openness and the love for each other still exists.

It reminds of Jonathan and David

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 1 Samuel 18:1

Sometimes that happens over tacos, sometimes that happens in a text message, sometimes a stop on a long trip and sometimes with a planned time together.  Wherever and whenever it happens.  And it’s incredible!

And then there are those friends that stick with you, no matter what is going on.  Those friends are referenced in the Proverbs

A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

…but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

2017!

I can hardly believe that’s the year.

It seems like last week I was avoiding working on Y2K problems, and here we are so many years removed.   On the other hand, that time seems so far away, in a world that was completely different than today.

Either way, in so many ways, it’s unsettling how time goes by. It can be such a thief.

I’ve written about time a lot in the past and about redeeming the time (here, here, here , here and more if you look back!).  I’ve come to realize that time is my biggest enemy and largest fear.   Maybe it’s because my sport is all about racing the clock. Maybe it’s because part of my job is to make things faster (both in the product and in the time it takes to construct!).   Maybe it’s because I am so aware of how little of it that I actually have.  Or maybe because it has no reusable attributes to it.

I don’t know, but as I go into 2017, I will be acutely aware of how I am spending each little drop.

So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

And I am still working on the one word for this year.  I think I post it later this week.  How about you? What’s your focus?  How will you redeem your time?

Happy New Year!

It’s  a new year and a new start.  Another time to line up at the starting line and make it different!

In that vein, I have had this simple thought on my mind this weekend. It seems like a good verse to get the year started:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 ESV

It comes from one of the best chapters in the bible and is a good reminder of where we are when we have put on Christ!

Also, I am still working on my word of the year. I have three possibilities in mind and may decide on one of those by the end of the year!

Let’s make this year a great one.