Tag: examples

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Attitude Friday

Well, its Friday, Football’s here and Fall is in the air.  It’s about to be the best time of the year!  wOOT wOOT!   That just something to get pumped about!

However, my mind it still hanging back in Philippians, so this is a weak post today for such an awesome day. However in twitterland its Follow Friday, so lets use this day to remember who we should be following:

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Philippians 2:1-5

And he choose to give up being equal to God for you!.  Be Humble, and impact those around you today by follow the example of the Christ.

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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!

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Stuffing T-Shirts

Earlier this week I carried some clean t-shirts to my chest of drawers and stuffed them into the drawer grunting as I struggled to close the drawer, and thinking to myself, how can it be that I have no room for the shirts that I wear?  Whats in this drawer?

It had been a few days before that I had been stumbling around Matthew and I read this exchange between Jesus and potential follower.  Its sort of goes like this.

57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Luke 9:57-59 (New International Version)

I have been thinking a lot about this exchange, and my t-shirts and the whole idea that Jesus calls us to live a radical crazy life that is different from the frustrations of this world.  Yesterday, I mentioned that my mind is trying to work out a few thoughts, and I think that they will come out over the next few days.
So with all of that in mind, Monday night, I stumbled on this BBC article about a guy who has created a Cult of Less.  Essentially, this guy has sold almost everything except a bare amount of clothing and his electronics and lives with his “digital possessions”.  The sub title of the article is “living out of a hard drive”.  He is not the first person to try this of course, but what I think is interesting is how he describes the freedom he has with minimal material things.
hm, this sounds awful familiar.  Almost like some bible stories I have heard since I was an infant.  Things like

20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-22 (New International Version)

and this

33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:33-35 (New International Version)

I don’t know this guys motivation, nor will I question it.  But I do know that as a follower of the Christ, I have been provided with a motivation, or maybe a command, er, non optional requirement, er strong suggestion?

So today, I am not completely suggesting that you sell everything and live out of a hard drive.  I think there is some certain amount of reasonableness that needs to be checked.  However, this is the beginning of at least a personal challenge to take a look at my view on material things.  Why do I have them? why do I need them?  What things should I be letting go?  And what real attachment should I even have to any of it?  And that might just be the key.  Not the having, but the have to have or the attachment.  Comments?

Use your stuff today as a tool to express where your treasure really is.

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Battle with the Worms

Sorry this is so late today.  Busy morning after the great radio show last night.

Those big nasty horn-worms have invaded my tomato plants.  Yes, the eat everything in sight.  I have already purged 7 or 8 and found the evidence of another one this morning.  So I will be spending the next few days tracking this guy down.

This is so much like our spiritual lives. Sometimes we get those bad habits, or continual sins eat away at our ability to produce fruit.  We need to continually use the power of the spirit to remove those sins from our lives – to remove those big nasty worms that disguise themselves as an important part of our lives, but led to destruction if we leave them alone.

So take a look today at your lives and see if you you need to cut off and destroy some worms.

 13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (New International Version)

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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)