Posted on May 30, 2008 at 11:34am.
We had a letter hanging on our mailbox from the The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities informing us that next Wednesday the water will be off while they do some water main work. What I found amusing was the line that said “thank you for your cooperation” - like I have any choice. The truth is I wish the Holy Spirit would operate like the utility department. He would send me a letter and say: “I am informing you that I am taking over for the day.” However unlike the utility department God gives me a choice. I can operate in my own strength or I can choose to yield to his Spirit’s control. Most days that is a hard choice. You would think by now with all the times I screw it up I would have learned but no I still like to be in control. My prayer is that today over and over again I will surrender my control and invite the Spirit to live out his power in me.
Posted on May 29, 2008 at 7:33am.
I just finished reading a novel, The Shack. If you haven’t read it you should. Eugene Peterson says it has the potential to do for our generation what Pilgrim’s Progress did for Bunyan’s. That is pretty high praise. It is a story of one man’s unspeakable tragedy coming face to face with God’s unfailing goodness. I won’t give any more of the book away but there was one line in particular that has stirred me. It is a sentence spoken by God (yes, this book will stretch you) in which he says: “When all you can see is your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?”Wow! How many times in my life does the unfairness of life, the heartache of life cause me not to see God himself let alone his goodness. It is easy to sing that God is good all the time, it is another thing to live it out. The book is definitely worth the read and I promise you it will spark great conversation.
Posted on May 28, 2008 at 3:47am.
I am up early this morning for an appointment. Everything outside is still and quiet but not in my mind. I find myself racing with thoughts and one seems to run into another. The Psalmist says, “Be still and know that I am God.” I am finding out that it takes much more than just the time of day to accomplish that reality.
Posted on May 27, 2008 at 8:37pm.
“Different strokes for different folks” - I don’t know where the phrase originated but it really holds true. Some of you are great fixers of things, a broken engine, a leaky pipe, a bad breaker and all those “handy-man” items. I list all of those cause those are not my “strokes”. In fact they aren’t even in the ballpark. We are all different and that is alright. Each of us can bring our unique talents to bear on life, some of us are just still searching for what they might be. Yet with all the differences there are some things God expects of each of us who are his followers. We cannot opt out just because they might be diificult. I can take my car to a mechanic - but I need to demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit. I can call a plumber to fix the pipe - but I need to treat others as more important than my own needs. An electrician can come and replace a bad breaker - but it is up to me to live thereality of the Gospel.
Posted on May 25, 2008 at 6:13am.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a day to remember the lives of men and women who sacrificed to give us freedom as a nation. Mark will preach on freedom and what it means to him. Whenever I think of freedom and the Bible there is one set of verses that jumps into my mind. It stirred my heart 17 years ago, when I read it for what felt like the first time, and it still stirs it today. They are “my” freedom verses and the reminder of what Christ has done for me.
“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Stop trying so hard and enjoy what Christ has done for you - enjoy your freedom.
