Tag: Luke

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Customizing Your Life

Andrew starts his indoor soccer season tomorrow, and has outgrown his indoor soccer shoes.  A few days ago I told him about the Adidas web site and how you can customize your own shoe on the site and then order it.  So this morning when we mentioned that tonight we would have to run out and get him a new soccer ‘boot’ he responded with “Can I customize my own?”.

And here is is!

SWEET!

It’s so amazing how we have come to a point in our society where we can mass produce customization. We always want to be able to choose the color, or add a little personalization or an initial or something to make it different. As always this reminds me of a bible story! And today its Mary and Martha – the two sister who made their own choices

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10 (New International Version, ©2010)

We have choices, or life customizations, to make all day know. Customize in a way that you choose what is better – what will not be taken away!

Oh, and just so you know, even though Andrew would be the BMOC with those shoes, he will not be allowed to make the choice to order them!

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Magic in the Air Today

Well, don’t I feel like an historian, I forgot ( or I didn’t notice it again), that December 8, yesterday had a very remembrance event take place – the assassination of John Lennon.  Oh well, I still hope that you made a December 8th memory for yourself.  On with the show…

I have found myself singing some good old Muppet’s Christmas Carol songs this morning.  But these mostly lines from “One More Sleep”:

Tis the season to be jolly and joyous
With a burst of pleasure we feel it all right
It’s a season when the Saints can employ us
To spread the news about peace and to keep love alive

However, I usually sing it like this

Tis the season to be jolly and joyous
Tis the season to keep love alive
It’s a season when the Saints can employ us
To spread the news about peace and to keep love alive

Anyway, it is the season to be jolly and joyous because:

11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:11-14 (New International Version, ©2010)

Man, that’s enough to make you joyous any day! So, I hope you are spending some time being jolly and joyous….

After all there’s only one sixteen more sleeps till Christmas

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Take Me As You Find Me

This week has been a perplexing week for me.  I have found my mind preoccupied, but not focused.  I have been bugged by the constant battle between being what I want to be and observing what I let myself be.

Last night while on what turned out to be a great run I was listening to Hillsong’s Mighty to Save.  There is one particular lyric that seemed to call to my spirit.

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Isn’t this were a lot of us find ourselves.  We want to surrender, we want to give our lives to follow what we believe, but yet we sit and look around and see the scars of failures and the waste of fears.  For instance….(start the dream sequence)

Earlier this week, I was driving home and stopped at a traffic light downtown.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone slowly crossing the road.  I was deep in thought and didn’t pay too much attention, until I noticed that standing right in front of my truck was a man, dressed in dirty clothes, standing on crutches staring at me.  Then he reached down and held up a piece of paper that had words written on it in magic marker.  The words said something like “Help me feed my Family”.  I sort of just sat there in disbelief, sort of dumbfounded.  I was thinking things like “what did they just say on Sporttalk(local afternoon radio sports show )?”, “What happens if the light turns green, do I just beep my horn or simply run this dude over?” and finally – “What should I do?”  I was so surprised by the boldness of this guy that I really didn’t know what to do.  There I was stuck at the like, this guy in front on me, staring, his eyes pleading, and I am kind of like ‘Are you looking at me?’  So in sort of a disgusted way, I shook my head.  He looked down disgusted and walked the rest of the way across the street.  What’s interesting is our disgust was the same.  He was disgusted with me; I was disgusted with, well ME.

The rest of the way home I thought about this guy.  I really don’t know what was up.  He could be the number one scam artist in Chattanooga – but probably not.  He was probably just a man in need.  And there I sat with what I think is MY money in MY pocket, driving MY truck going home to MY house to eat MY dinner.  ‘Get out of my way homeless dude, I have MY stuff to do.’  Mine, mine, mine.  But yet, I will sing with all my might,

“Now I surrender”.

Yesterday was evidently National Good Neighbor Day.  And surprisingly this one is actually backed up by a Senate Resolution.  I can’t believe I missed it.  But not to fear, one of your fellow ‘buffeters’ pointed it out to me.   So, I thought back to this guy. And I thought about how easy it has been to make it about me this week.  Not just with dude in the street, but with my boys, with my coworkers, and with my friends.  Interestingly Jesus tells us multiple times that the second greatest commandment in the whole wide world is “Love your neighbor as yourself”. (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:18-20, Matthew 22:38-30, Mark 12:30-32, Luke 10:26-28, Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:13-15, James 2:7-9).  Paul in his Galatian letter said it summed up the ENTIRE law!

Argh…

“all my fears and failures…”

I am so glad that we live in the age of Grace ( can I hear an Amen – or just add it to the comments!)  I am so thankful that I don’t have to earn the love of Christ.  That the love of God is freely given.  That forgiveness is freely given and that it’s really not at all about me.

And that’s what is so perplexing.  I got it for free, but yet I find it so hard to share.  It’s not mine, I am just blessed to live in the light of his glory, and to have it light my way.

Anyway, today’s a new day, filled with new chances, new opportunities and new moments – and he does “take us as he finds us”.  It seems to me that everyday should be Good Neighbor Day.

As some of my coworkers say “Do the Needful”

“Shine Your light and let the whole world see”

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The Return of Captain Zoom

Do you know that chances are if you know someone, that person is born in September.  That’s right, more birthdays in September then any other month!  And since you know me, you know someone else with a September birthday!

When I was a little guy, I guess lower elementary school age, my big sister bought me a flexible record with a personalized birthday message from Captain Zoom.  It went something like this “Hey Jason, it’s your birthday…” etc.  I played that think every birthday until I think I left for college, or until I got rid of my record player (last year… no not really!)

When I was in high school, two teachers in the school shared my birthday.  During my freshman year, just a few weeks in to the school year, these two teacher came bursting into one of my classes, with a large cake in hand, singing and dancing.  And right then and there, we had a birthday party.  Little shy freshman Jason, was a little bit unsure of how to handle that situation.  This continued each of my 4 years of high school, some time during the day in one of my classes the door would burst open and well, party time!  I think this is one of those simple little events that help move me from little shy Jason to someone with some confidence – odd I know.

This may seem like a narcissistic post, or just a way to get some attention, but actually there is a point here.  These birthdays gone by have taught me several things about birthdays.  First, it showed me that I really really liked the attention on my birthday 🙂 – even though it goes against some of my basic principles.  But more than that,(and here is the real point of all of this mess) I think it has taught me that people, no matter who they are, like to be made to feel special and loved – no matter if it is their birthday or not.

So, today is my birthday, thankfully, my Facebook wall is going nuts, I have found the birthday song as an MP3, and I am taking the day off from the mill.  This morning, in a birthday text message exchange with my sister-n-law, after I told her I was trying to figure out how to spend the day, she replied “WWJD”.    Instantly, I replied “Go to the synagogues and teach, or retreat to the mountains and pray”.   And there you have it.  What would Jesus do on his birthday.  He would spend the day reaching out to others, or spend the day drawing closer to his heavenly father.

And that sort of my message today.  Birthdays are great, and with this day I am reminded how important it is to reach out to others, to lift others up, and to encourage people, if it’s there birthday or not.  And mostly I am reminded “to do unto others as I would have them do to me” (Luke 6:31)- birthday or not.

Eat some cake!

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.  Philippians 2:3-4 (New International Version)

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Go and Do Likewise

Last night on the way home, I asked Andrew what he studied in his “Sunday School” classes.  He replied they had a skit about the good Samaritan.  I then questioned him about his part, was he the guy that beat up that poor man.  He said, no I was the Samaritian, and his little 5 year old friend Sammy was the guy who beat him up. I think he did have a few bruises last night!

So, this morning, I decided to take a peek at that story again in Luke.  It’s quite a simple story, and one that most of you know.  In response to the question “who is my neighbor?”, Jesus tells a story of a man who is beat up, left for dead, past by and finally aided by a man who had no business doing it, for several reasons.

The part that always gets me about this story, beside that fact that the Samaritan had to overcome such prejudice to provide assistance, is Jesus’ last statement

37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke  10:37

Go and do likewise.  Go and do.  That’s a command.  This is more then just a story for elementary children to act out.  It’s a life lesson that we should be “acting out”  everyday.

Today, go and do!  Show Mercy, Love you neighbor, and make a difference!

Go and Do Likewise!