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Hidden Treasures

Last night I was scrambling to finish up all the items on my “spousal” classroom readiness checklist. ( for all of you who are not the spouse of a teacher, this is all the items that you are blessed with the chance to help prepare for the new school year)  I convinced Amy to head out to Lowes with me to pick out exactly what she wanted me to put as a veneer on the back of her new school desk.

Big Mistake.

Don’t you love how your wives “save” you money? So we left with a buggy full, but nothing that was on our list!   But seriously, it was so fun to watch how excited she was getting as she uncovered storage options, area rugs, and little people chairs for her classroom.  Her excitement about “how cute” it was going to make her room turned what was to be a very business like trip to the hardware store into a great memory.  Maybe I need to take her to Lowes with me more often.  It definitely makes it more fun then the normal drudgery.

And of course, I can tied anything to our daily life.  I am already dreading the trip to Lowes(work) that I have to make today – hours of business like discussions.  What we have to be careful to keep in check in walking right past the simple items that make the whole day worthwhile.  They are there.  So don’t be so focused so much on the plain old brown piece of paneling, that you walk right by the watermelon umbrella. (kid sized of course!)

24 This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. Ps 118:24

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Registration Day

Yesterday was school registration day.  What a mad house.  Between all the confusion and chaos and money flying around, there is a small detail that makes me love this day.  There something about seeing the children again after not seeing them for just the short months of summer.  Some of them have different hair cuts.  Some have grown 2 feet.  Some have matured in their faces and in the eight grade some of them have grown beards.

Its just a great measure of physical development and really really fun to witness.  Its a shame in some ways that we reach a maturity level with our physical stature.  The shame is that I think sometimes we apply that same ‘I’m done’ growing approach to our spiritual growth as well.  Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could witness in such a visual way our continued spiritual growth?

So, maybe as school gets starting for another year, we need to assess our spiritual situation and figure out what we need to do to move on the the next level.  Just like those children growth day by day, not all at once over the summer, we can continue to grow in our salvation day by day.  However, you do have to make sure that just like school lunch, you are providing yourself with spiritual fuel to keep that growth going.

So, start today and sign up for continued spiritual growth!

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:14-16 (New International Version)

17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:17-18 (New International Version)

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Add it up

Last night I was given the opportunity to hear Rich Little speak.  No, not that Rich Little, the preacher Rich Little.  He’s heading out to be a professor at Pepperdine and was speaking in town last night.   He was very engaging as he spoke of sharing the grace with have received with other people.  The whole time he was whittling away on stage, I keep thinking to myself, that these ideas seem like they are a little risky, and radical.  He spend most of the night exposing hidden secrets from Matthew 7, part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.  However, it was the place he ended that really started me thinking:

12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.  Matt 7 :12

How simple!  The entirety of the law in 11 words.  “Do to others what you would have them do to you”.  But how complex and how radical.  How many times have your heard this relay in word or action as “Do to others before they do to you?” or “Do to others as they do to you?”   But Jesus, always the radical, says “Treat them how you want to be treated.”  How many times to I tell my boys those exact same words?

But can we really live that way?  I mean, I know that I want the people I work with to bring me ice cream at 3pm every afternoon.  Hm, I wonder maybe if thats what I want then I should bring ice cream to them at 3pm.  Or I should find out what they like and bring that to them.  For many of my co workers that may be a bowl of gajar halwa.

But I guess its more then ice cream.  Its the words we use, its the way we listen.  Its the attention that we give to others.  Its our concern.  It’s a text message of encouragement, a smile, forgiveness and mercy and grace.

Hm, sounds radical and risky.  Maybe its worth some serious prayer and attention.  I know that I would want you to do it for me.

Are you summing it up today?

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More on Risktaking

I have been continuing to think about taking risks and I thought I would share one more thought about this before I jump in my jumpy way to some other topics.  I am sure I will return back to this, as it seems there is something risky about the life of a follower of Christ – although we have made it a place of safety. ( not saying there is not a lot of safety and peace in that life as well).

I was talking about risks with one of my friend Jolly Don, and the thing he mentioned about taking a risk was very simplistic.  He was like – “how about talking with your neighbor”.  Funny isn’t it.  We think risks may be packing up and moving to China for a year, which is an incredible thing  to do, and very important.  But maybe the riskiest place for us is next door, or in the next cube or the person at the market?  I dunno, I am sure I could be debated about this, but it seems to be the place to start.  And when our Savior was asked “what do I need to do to inherit eternal life?”.  He responded indirectly with two things in Luke 10:

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 ESV

Maybe this first risk to take is to love God with everything you have, don’t hold back, and love those you meet as you would love yourself. Simple or tall order? Either way there’s no better day then today to give it a try.

“Do this and you will live” – Jesus Luke 10:28

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Video Link

I think the email feed yesterday did not contain the link to the video.  Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA_uwWPE6lQ