Author: Jason

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Joyful Noises

I have decided to take a new take with waking up my teenager – singing.  Yes there’s something about a song in the morning.  Its not as incredible as Amy singing “Good Morning, Good Morning,its time to start the day”.  Which is usually akin to a song bird.  No, for my eldest it was more of a rendition that would quickly get 3 X’s on America’s Got Talent.  There’s nothing like a verse of “This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, the the Lord had made” coming from your father at 6:30 to get your stumbling out of bed.

Anyway, that turned into a musical morning today, (and a reduction in the grouchy voices!)  From Andrew playing some new chords on his guitar to Alex hopping from the piano to his keyboard as he maneuvered through the house there was song all across the home today.

Music is a mood changer, so how about all of using a little praise today to keep your mind focus and attune to the way your should hit the day.

1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Psalm 100:1-5, King James Version)

Be Glad!

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Best Laid Plans

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, Jeremiah 29:11-14 (New International Version)

I have been frustrated lately by plans.  The ineffectiveness of my plans, the impact of other people’s plans on me and the seemingly lack of control that I might have in the goings on around me.  The toll of daily life can distract you from the fact that God does have a plan for you and he will use you.

Over this past weekend, while I continued to be in a stupor about my plans,  I received an email from a good friend from work.  I had been wondering why he was not on line Friday, as we had some items were where debating and I was searching for him via instant message.  Well, turns out he had had a heart attack on Thursday afternoon, and subsequently underwent major heart surgery on Monday. And then there’s Monday.  On Monday morning, I awoke to the news about a teenager who had a diving accident over the weekend and was potentially paralyzed.  A few hours later I would discover that I knew this family.

WOW, so as this week has continued, I thought about how immediately and urgently their plans had been changed.  Then there’s a third friend in her thirties who had a heart attack last month.  (Ok, it does seem that I am getting old – so and so is sick, so and so broke a hip, etc., I promise this blog will not turn into the gore report)

But seriously, these events were not in their plans – BELIEVE ME!  So how do we rationalize the verse in Jeremiah in fewer than 400 words?  Well, this week I have been trying to realize that God’s plan for us may not be as clear as “Go here and to this for 2 days and then go here and do that for 2 weeks, and then spend a year in this city”.  I think God’s plan for us is worked out in the mundane, normal, drama filled life.  God’s plan for the dude I mentioned yesterday is not nearly what he thought it might be.  God’s plan for the three individual’s above may be a little cloudy at the moment.  The same may go for you and me.  But the cool thing is there is a promise,  if you seek me, I will be found.

Today, let God work in your life, instead of working God into your life.  Give him your heart.

(That’s just less than 500 words, what do you think?)

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Spread Hope

I love Facebook.  Now its not because I want to see what people had for dinner last night.  It’s because in between in the “I’m Bored” and the “I just had the best vacation in the world, eat it sucker!” posts, you can find the heart of people.  Last night, one of my college friends posted a link to a video, that I highly recommend that you watch:

This guy Nick Vujicic was born with no arms and no legs, but yet has a love for life that’s absolutely incredible.  I found myself last night and this morning watching his talks on You Tube in amazement.  How could someone with that bad of life get back up?  Well, as he tells in his video’s and on his website, it wasn’t easy.  But once we realized that God had a plan for him and that God was going to use his brokenness to reach people for Him, his life turned around.

God is using his brokenness to reach others that are broken and to turn them around, and to provide hope.  What’s amazing is that’s how He seems to work.  He brings messages of hope and peace from the lowliest places.

Mr Vujicic sells a shirt on his site with this quote from St. Francis of Assisi

“Let me sow LOVE where there is HATRED.”
“Let me be HOPE where there is DESPAIR.”

So today, let this man with a broken body inspire you.  Let him remind you that God will use you, when you let him.  Let him take your brokenness and turn it into a mighty work!  Reach out and impact those around you today.

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37

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Continue To Make It Known

Hey, I think this is the 2ooth daily post today.  That’s pretty incredible!  I hope you are still finding as much encouragement reading this, as I am writing it.  Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts and encouraging words back to me!

To get this week started off correctly maybe we should remember that our Savior and leader, the Son of God, Jesus Christ prayed for us before he left this world.  And he didn’t just say I’ll pray for you, or “Lord, remember them”.  He was very explicit in his words and they show his love for us and the desire of this hearts for us.

20-23I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me. (John 17, MSG)

And what is so cool is that earlier in the prayer as he is prayer for his disciples,  he added this:

Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life…

and this

I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.

and this

I’m not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;

Wow,   What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31 (New International Version)) Live boldly for him today, and let others experience the love that you have experienced.

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Finally Friday

“finally Friday, free again, got my motor running  for a wild weekend”.  Nothing like starting off the morning with a little George Jones, and yes it Friday!  The rest of the song does leave a little to be desired!  But yes its Friday, the end of the week, and for a lot of people, a seemingly lighter work load. ( not me – con calls 8-4 straight!)

Since its Friday, and since my mind is still sort of stuck in Philippians 3–today is garbage day at my house, so I have been thinking about the whole concept of a spiritual garbage day, and what needs to go go go!  (Man that sentence got away from me).  Anyway, since its Friday, here is a little lighter thought, from just a page over in Philippians to help set your mind up as you head off in the weekend ( by the may, if Saturday is the end of the week, and Sunday is the start of the week, why is it not called the weekends, like bookends.) And to represent the two days of the weekend here are two versions

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.Philippians 4:8 (New International Version)

8-9Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Philippians 4:8, The Message)

Think on those things, and see how that changes your day!