Posted on August 21, 2008 at 6:51am.
I woke up today truely grateful for the gift that each day is. I also wondered why I don’t recognize that every morning I wake up. Perhaps it is the fact that most days I am up, showered, dressed and out the door before I take the time to think let alone be grateful. What is different this morning is that I am on vacation so I’m not rushing to a meeting or an appointment. I can find the time when I am away not to rush but I am not sure how to slow it down when it comes to everyday life. The noise and the chaos of life seem to win the battle most mornings, maybe the time has come to change my strategy.
Posted on August 19, 2008 at 5:44am.
I am sitting this morning at the Billy Graham Training Center - The Cove, in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. We are here on a staff retreat as we prepare our hearts to serve in this coming year. It is such a treat to be here and I am so grateful for the staff I serve with. I am a mountain guy not a beach guy (it is all yours Mark). I love the vastness of the mountain tops. It is here, for me, that I gain a picture of the greatness of God and the firm foundation he provides in my life. King David says it this way in Psalm 18 - “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” I hope you find yourself running to the rock who is our firm foundation.
Posted on August 18, 2008 at 7:42pm.
I had the experience of being judged this past weekend by someone who didn’t even know me. I didn’t like the way it felt. They passed judgement on the basis of an external fact without any consideration of who I am or what is in my heart. In all honesty the initial hurt has given way to anger. Why do we do this to one another? Every time I stop and think about it I steam a little more. But it has also left me thinking about how many times I have been guilty of the same thing, probably way too often. How thankful I am that God doesn’t evaluate me on the basis of externals. Lord, my prayer is that I would see others the way you do.
Posted on August 15, 2008 at 6:53am.
I was encougaged this morning by an event that happened four years ago that I knew nothing about until today - talk about amazing. My encouragement came all because someone used words to convey appreciation about how God used me to impact their life. My hearing about it did nothing to change the event or the reality of what happened in this person’s life - it simpley brought me great joy. Paul tells the Thessalonian believers this simple truth: “Therefore encourage each other with these words.” He was talking about the reality of Jesus’ return but the application is valid. Encouraging each other about Christ’s return wouldn’t change the reality of the event but it would do something for their soul. Your words today, either written or verbal, can make a difference in someone else’s life. It is one of the most overlooked gifts you can give another person.
Posted on August 14, 2008 at 9:04am.
I found myself today reflecting on the awesome reality of what I have in Christ. There are some days and today is one of those that I find it hard to wrap my mind around all the blessings that are mine because of Jesus. My reading this morning came from Romans 8:1-3 - what a great passage.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do… God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.”
Wow! Talk about the pressure being removed, it doesn’t get any better than that. The world talks all the time about self-made people. In the eyes of God there is no such thing and I for one am very grateful.
