Another one of these folksy songs from DNC that just sticks in your head is a song called “Good Day Every Day”. Of course when you get that thought in your head, it’s always going to be just that!
So check it out here, and sing along today as we have a good day, every day!
24 The LORD has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad. Psalm 118:24 New International Version (NIV)
Since, I was in college I have always enjoyed the music of Drivin’ ‘N Cryin’. After listening to their stuff again a few weeks ago, I decided I would have DNC week on the DB. However, it seems that will actually just be DNC 3 days. So over the next three days, it will be simple observations from some of good ol’ Kevn Kinney’s lyrics.
I thought I would start off with the song Scarred But Smarter. I like this particular part of this song:
There’s always a chance to get restarted to a new world, new life, Scarred by Smarter!
It’s such a story of redemption and forgiveness. It’s screams the idea of learning from the past, leaving it behind and moving forward. It’s something we all can think about as we start each day anew.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:12
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Colossians 3
Over the last month there has been huge talk about this Occupy Wall Street movement and the whole 99 percent/1 percent thing. As you know I usually don’t right about politics, because I usually don’t know what I am talking about enough to make any written statement (oops, I guess I just did). And then there’s always the chance that I decide one day to become a politician, I wouldn’t want any blog post from the early part of the century coming back and ruining me. 🙂
Anyway, foolishness aside, I have done some research and study of this whole OWS thing, and I discover this website call the Global Rich List. You can enter you salary and it will tell you where you are on the ‘wealthy scale’ through the entire world. I find this site to be quite fascinated and very very humbling. Try it for yourself.
I assume that many of you are way near the right hand side of this scale. I probably don’t need to point out what that means.
So while you are thinking about how to rationalize all of that I think it’s a good time to read the 112th Psalm
1Praise the LORD.
Blessed are those who fear the LORD,
who find great delight in his commands.2 Their children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice.6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn will be lifted high in honor.10 The wicked will see and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
As you end this work week and head into another great weekend. Consider your blessings, your generosity and how freely your gifts are being scattered!
Well, just so you know I probably should have stuck with Tacos yesterday. The golf game was pretty poor and I think I donated 18 balls to the Canyon Ridge Country Club. ( I wonder if I can claim those on my taxes?) But I had a great time with some guys and enjoyed a fantastic crystal clear October day up on the mountain. The clubs however, may need to head back down into the basement, then may have more value to the spiders then to me!
But overall, I am glad I took the risk, I am happy with my reactions to what could have been really really frustratingly bad golf, and I hope that the guys I played with had a great time, despite having only 3 balls to choose from on each play!
Overall that’s a pretty small risk, but it’s these little things like that then when we build on them we can really transform our lives. I hope you find some bit of motivation from my bad golf ( which is actually motivated by my friend Randy’s risk to do the same thing) and that you are intentional in your interactions today!
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 New International Version (NIV)
I saw this phrase on a Google article a few months ago. It was stuck in the middle of an announcement from Google labs about a change in their direction. To describe their change they said they were”putting more wood behind fewer arrows.” I have spent time since then trying to figure out what that really means. I think it means something about placing more time and energy on less things, but I am still looking for someone you can fully explain this metaphor to me!
But anyway, today I will roll with it, as I roll through a very significant milestone age wise and post the Buffet’s 500th post. And today, I am thinking that I want(need) to put more wood behind fewer arrows and really really focus in on the important things in life.
As you now, there is one certain thing about birthdays – they keep coming, until they don’t. And there is no going back – only going forward. I sorta of sit in the middle of life today, strengthened by my past, but faced with the heavy realization that I don’t have as many days to waste as I had when I was 15. I have referenced these few verses many times in the last few months, but they seem best to help describe the arrows that I (we) should put my(our) wood behind. Not those of career advancement, not those of accumulation, not those of entertainment, but these.
8But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously. Micah 6:8 The Message (MSG)
and then this one about number our days
12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well!
Teach us to live wisely and well!
Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
Surprise us with love at daybreak;
then we’ll skip and dance all the day long.
Make up for the bad times with some good times;
we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
Let your servants see what you’re best at—
the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
confirming the work that we do.
Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do! Psalm 90:12 The Message (MSG)
It’s very similar to what my father use to say to his sports teams – “Go out, have fun, do the right things and winning will take care of itself.” If we focus on love, mercy and humility, those other things will take care of themselves.Those are the arrows I want to focus my self on.
So today I am putting more wood behind fewer arrows, I am numbering these days, and I am looking forward to what life as a mature person actually is.!!!!! 🙂
And as Coach Gundy says “I’m a man, I’m 40!”