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Happy V-Day

Its Valentines Day, and so I think its appropriate for a little romantic poem:

Rose are Red
Violets are blue
I like to blog
but I stink at Haiku!

Many moons ago on this very day, Amy and I enjoyed our first date together – Dinner at Dalt’s and movie. Yeah, I know – pretty cheesy right – first date on Valentines, but let me tell that night quickly pushed my previous best Valentines memory to the background – the memory of being in the fourth grade and it finally being my turn to have one of my drawings copied of the old mimeograph machine. I still remember drawing old Snoopy and Woodstock on that blue paper, with the words Happy V-Day in the talking bubble. Anyway, the very best part of that first date with Amy, besides being lucky enough to be allowed to spend the evening with her, was that there was another one the very next day, and they haven’t stopped since!

So, it’s the day we remember and recognize our love for others. I hope you take a moment to confirm that to those around you whether it be with flowers, chocolate or a simple note or word. It’s important for us to hear and to tell those around us how we feel.

Also take a moment to remember where love comes from. Enjoy the Day!

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:7-11 (New International Version, ©2010)

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Out of Pattern

It’s so amazing how easy it is to get distracted.  This morning in my hotel room, as I woke I laid out a schedule of the things I needed to do before heading over to the office.  It was the perfect schedule, and one that included study and this daily post.

Also, when I travel sometimes I over estimate the personal work I can accomplish in my hotel room at night.  This trip was no exception, however, I found my nights dominated by my work more then my personal work.  So this morning I had several things still to get down before I headed out.

So much that as I was walking out the room door I realized I had not taking any time to study and to write this post.  I had become so caught up in the simple tasks that I was trying to accomplish that I bypassed one of hte most important for getting my day going.  Wow!  How easy it is to be caught up in things and completely miss and forget the important stuff.  So this morning is quite a lesson to me on how important staying close to study really is and how easy it is to get out of practice and out of pattern.  That’s why this blog is named what it is.  Everyday we must buffet our bodies, (including our minds), and make our bodies and our minds our slaves, versus the other way around.

So, I hope that my about face in the doorway, and this post keep you in a pattern of study today, and that it’s a subtle reminder of the importance of staying close to him.

4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (New International Version)

15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. Psalm 119:15

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Portable Thoughts

Last night while I was at the Third Day concert at the Chattanooga Riverbend Festival, the conversation of some of the folks I was with turned to how advanced port-a-potties are these days.  That’s right!  The comments where even a little uplifting as they discussed how much better those smelly contraption are then the places they may get to utilize on some of the summer mission trips they will be leading over the next few weeks.  So for some reason that was stuck in my mind this morning, and I was sitting here thinking how much I love the Johns.

No, not the port-o-let version, the Johns – John, 1 2 and 3 John.  I actually remembered last nights conversation while I was reading a little bit of 1 John this morning looking for some motivation and realizing that I don’t have the same energy that I used to have.  Getting starting this morning after a “school night” concert is proving to be a little more to overcome than I anticipated.  But anyway, back to the John, well, back to 1 John.

5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:5

I found this to be motivational today.  Realizing that the victory that overcomes the world is simply our faith! When its boiled down to that it becomes so simple, and yet so motivating.

So, I apologize for the bathroom humor today, I think I am still stuck on Man Day! However,  I hope you can look past that, and find motivation to tackle the day from the awareness of the victory that lies before you!  Also take a look at the whole of 1 John 4 and 5 and see where the leads you today!

57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 15:57

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Immutable

As you know I work in the world of geekdom.  This week I was on a call where the attendees keep using the word “immutable” over and over again.. Its almost as fun as idempotent.  So I decided to instant message my neighbor and said:

Butcher, Jason T [11:46 AM]:I’m Immutable

But then, I started thinking about that word and what it means.

not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature

For lots of things in life immutability is a great thing, but for a follower of Christ this good be a bad thing. Do I really want to be immutable?  Do I want to not be subject to change in nature?  Do I want to be unalterable?  This is an interesting thought, because for many things in life, yes you do want to be constant, fixed and enduring.  Like this:

24See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us—even eternal life. (1 John 2:24-25)

But in other situations being immovable, unalterable, unchangeable and changeless is a terrible place to be.   I think as followers of the Christ, we also need to be looking for places that we are not immutable, because God’s promise is immutable.  I want to be able to say I “used to walk in these ways, in the life I once lived”, but I have changed because of the unchanging, unwavering, immutable love of God!

3-4Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

5-8And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

9-11Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Colossians 3:3-10 (The Message)

I think today I will tell him

Butcher, Jason T [11:46 AM]:I’m Immutable because I have changed

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An Anxious Weekend

Wow, what a weekend.  I am not sure what caused more anxiety for folks – watching some of these last minute bracket busting March Madness games or watching the house work until late at night passing this Health Insurance Reform Bill.  I had some other things in mind today, but on my morning run, I decided I  should probably touch on this rather historic bill, especially since after checking Facebook, it seems to be on everyone’s mind.

No matter how you look at this, America as a country will never be the same.  I have really not spent much time reading the details of the bill, and really who knows since it was passed in such an seemingly unconventional way last night.  I really don’t know whats in or out, and so its hard for me to judge the impact at this point.  I am sure some will be helped, and other will be harmed with the passing of this bill.  Time will tell us the real impact to America.  Some will offer praise today, some will ask for guidance and express concern.  Personally,  I am not overly excited about the deal.

If you are expressing joy today for this change in America – do so with a kind spirit.  If this bill was not to your liking, educate yourself, protest peacefully and lovingly and work for change.  But either way, the thing we can point to today, is something that is bigger than this bill.  Something that I hope will keep you striving today to impact the world immediately around you and to make a impact in peoples lives.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39 (New International Version)

17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17 (New International Version))

Whether your team lost this weekend, or you think the country is going down the tubes, keep striving to impact your neighbor, and keeping doing the will of God – which is to love your neighbor!