"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6
As Anna and I were coming back from her piano lesson a few days ago, we were driving through some heavy rain. We decided to stop for a few minutes and get some gas (I needed some anyway) and let the storm blow over, if it would. By the time I filled up, most of it had gone over us. As we drove on towards home, Anna spotted this huge rainbow to our northeast… right behind the back of the gray wall of the storm. It was moving steadily away from us. This was one of the largest spanning rainbows I have ever seen… reaching for almost the breadth of the great storm. It was an awesome reminder of God’s faithful Presence. As I saw that bow of colors, I thought about His promise to always be with us… even through a terrible storm.
Join me in thanking Him for His love and faithfulness to us. Give Him praise for being the ever-Present One.
Daniel
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
#320.4 – “Leave the Nets”
"As Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers -- Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew -- casting a net into the Sea; for they were fishermen. ‘Come and follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will set you to fish for men.’ The two men left their nets at once and followed him." - Matthew 4:18-20
After the movie was over the other night, we all commented about how it seemed later than it was… and we deduced that the reason it felt that way to us was because we had been together for a lot longer than normal that day. Our lives had slowed down temporarily – even with a trip to Huntsville and back for me and Anna. Things were slow and comfortable… and time had crept by. We had something like seven hours together as a family… at home… with no other agenda… and the rain and the wind keeping us all nestled inside our home. It was nice (I almost wish it would storm like that more often!).
Relationship has as a key component the idea of ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’; we can do something together and never really relate to each other. Such is the case with many of the world’s professional/work relationships; people may work side by side with someone but never really know much about them.
There has even been a shift in our culture regarding how well we know our neighbors. I can remember as a child knowing every neighbor on our entire hill (of course, I was kin to almost half of them!). Now, I only know our next door neighbors somewhat and only a few others in our neighborhood by name.
I want to suggest that the number one reason why that loss of connection has occurred is because of our lives have become so much more busy. We go, go, go… and never slow down to really know anyone. And yet, we are all created with an innate need to be known and to know others… to be ‘connected’ with other people and with our Maker.
And so I come to my point for today: that we are going to have be intentional about pulling the chain on some our ‘busy-ness’ in order to give time both to our relationship with God and also with others.
Daniel
After the movie was over the other night, we all commented about how it seemed later than it was… and we deduced that the reason it felt that way to us was because we had been together for a lot longer than normal that day. Our lives had slowed down temporarily – even with a trip to Huntsville and back for me and Anna. Things were slow and comfortable… and time had crept by. We had something like seven hours together as a family… at home… with no other agenda… and the rain and the wind keeping us all nestled inside our home. It was nice (I almost wish it would storm like that more often!).
Relationship has as a key component the idea of ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’; we can do something together and never really relate to each other. Such is the case with many of the world’s professional/work relationships; people may work side by side with someone but never really know much about them.
There has even been a shift in our culture regarding how well we know our neighbors. I can remember as a child knowing every neighbor on our entire hill (of course, I was kin to almost half of them!). Now, I only know our next door neighbors somewhat and only a few others in our neighborhood by name.
I want to suggest that the number one reason why that loss of connection has occurred is because of our lives have become so much more busy. We go, go, go… and never slow down to really know anyone. And yet, we are all created with an innate need to be known and to know others… to be ‘connected’ with other people and with our Maker.
And so I come to my point for today: that we are going to have be intentional about pulling the chain on some our ‘busy-ness’ in order to give time both to our relationship with God and also with others.
Daniel
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
#320.3 – “He Wants My Time”
"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies-I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow." - Isaiah 1:11-17
With school letting out early yesterday because of inclement weather, the kids had a little extra play time at home. They played video games and read books and watched a movie and just played. Anna and I missed the last two-thirds of the movie, because we had to get her to her piano lesson and tongue therapy session. Once we got home from those, we sat to watch what we had missed. The next thing I knew, Ruthie had come in there and snuggled up next to me and was watching it again with us. When Sarah came in the room, she questioned Ruthie about it, wondering why she was watching again. Her reply was a simple one: “well… they were watching it, so I thought I would come watch it with them.”
For Ruthie, it wasn’t about the show; she just wanted some snuggle time. The experience had value beyond entertainment for her; she was content to just spend time with us.
I remember a saying I heard once that has stuck with me since: time is the one resource we cannot renew. Once it is gone… it is gone. That makes it the most valuable resource I know… and it also stirs me to spend as much of it as I can with my family and loved ones as possible, because I know it won’t be long before Ruthie will have someone else to snuggle and I will be missing those times on the couch in front of a good movie.
But more than that, it encourages me to spend time with God every day. He – like Ruthie – wants to spend time with me more than He wants my service or my money or anything else I can bring. He wants my time. He wants to reveal Himself to me. He wants to love on me. He wants to mold me into His likeness, so that I have His heart and His desires. He wants to be with me.
And He wants to be with you…
Let’s all give Him time today.
Daniel
With school letting out early yesterday because of inclement weather, the kids had a little extra play time at home. They played video games and read books and watched a movie and just played. Anna and I missed the last two-thirds of the movie, because we had to get her to her piano lesson and tongue therapy session. Once we got home from those, we sat to watch what we had missed. The next thing I knew, Ruthie had come in there and snuggled up next to me and was watching it again with us. When Sarah came in the room, she questioned Ruthie about it, wondering why she was watching again. Her reply was a simple one: “well… they were watching it, so I thought I would come watch it with them.”
For Ruthie, it wasn’t about the show; she just wanted some snuggle time. The experience had value beyond entertainment for her; she was content to just spend time with us.
I remember a saying I heard once that has stuck with me since: time is the one resource we cannot renew. Once it is gone… it is gone. That makes it the most valuable resource I know… and it also stirs me to spend as much of it as I can with my family and loved ones as possible, because I know it won’t be long before Ruthie will have someone else to snuggle and I will be missing those times on the couch in front of a good movie.
But more than that, it encourages me to spend time with God every day. He – like Ruthie – wants to spend time with me more than He wants my service or my money or anything else I can bring. He wants my time. He wants to reveal Himself to me. He wants to love on me. He wants to mold me into His likeness, so that I have His heart and His desires. He wants to be with me.
And He wants to be with you…
Let’s all give Him time today.
Daniel
Monday, October 25, 2010
#320.2 – “My Boys and the Door to Door”
"Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you." So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk..." - Jonah 3:1-4
We helped go back out this past Sunday afternoon to personally invite the folks from our neighborhood here to join us on the playground for lunch and some fun time playing. This time, I took the boys with me (since they didn’t get to go last week). The Millers went with us; we all walked around and ‘reissued’ our invitation (this time verbally only) to come and join us. The boys didn’t say anything to anybody, but they went. They were there - in the neighborhood with the rest of us.
It was neat to see several of the neighborhood folks acknowledge and remember our coming a few days before. There were a few of what I would call “uh –huh” moments, where they would remember my face… or what we were talking about... or our church’s name. That kind of recognition confirmed one of the things that Phil Joel talked about here during the service Sunday: that a relationship takes time. And if we as a church body are ever going to truly impact our community and lead them to a relationship with Christ, we are going to have to commit to going to them and ‘being where they are’ and loving on them and establishing a trust between them and us that will pave the way for the Holy Spirit to move and do what only He can do.
Daniel
We helped go back out this past Sunday afternoon to personally invite the folks from our neighborhood here to join us on the playground for lunch and some fun time playing. This time, I took the boys with me (since they didn’t get to go last week). The Millers went with us; we all walked around and ‘reissued’ our invitation (this time verbally only) to come and join us. The boys didn’t say anything to anybody, but they went. They were there - in the neighborhood with the rest of us.
It was neat to see several of the neighborhood folks acknowledge and remember our coming a few days before. There were a few of what I would call “uh –huh” moments, where they would remember my face… or what we were talking about... or our church’s name. That kind of recognition confirmed one of the things that Phil Joel talked about here during the service Sunday: that a relationship takes time. And if we as a church body are ever going to truly impact our community and lead them to a relationship with Christ, we are going to have to commit to going to them and ‘being where they are’ and loving on them and establishing a trust between them and us that will pave the way for the Holy Spirit to move and do what only He can do.
Daniel
#320.1 – “My Girls and the Door to Door”
"But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm." - Jonah 4:1-2
With our church family’s new playground being dedicated yesterday, my girls and I went out to the neighborhood this past Thursday to invite folks to come join us. I was proud of them as they both took turns walking up to doors to which they had never been and talking to people with which they never talked (although there were a few they knew from school) and inviting them to come play with us Sunday. Most of the time I let them do the talking, in order to give them some experience in that. It was an honor (and humbling) to watch them be so genuine and real in the way they spoke to everyone. They were doing this because they wanted to do this.
In our reaching out to the world around us, the first thing that must be in place is a ‘want-to’; we simply have to have that desire to see our fellow man, woman, boy, or girls come to know our Savior. It must be genuine. It must be real.
Daniel
With our church family’s new playground being dedicated yesterday, my girls and I went out to the neighborhood this past Thursday to invite folks to come join us. I was proud of them as they both took turns walking up to doors to which they had never been and talking to people with which they never talked (although there were a few they knew from school) and inviting them to come play with us Sunday. Most of the time I let them do the talking, in order to give them some experience in that. It was an honor (and humbling) to watch them be so genuine and real in the way they spoke to everyone. They were doing this because they wanted to do this.
In our reaching out to the world around us, the first thing that must be in place is a ‘want-to’; we simply have to have that desire to see our fellow man, woman, boy, or girls come to know our Savior. It must be genuine. It must be real.
Daniel
Thursday, October 21, 2010
#319.4 – “The Dog Ate It”
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." - Galatians 2:16
Ruthie worked on her homework while here in my office yesterday afternoon and evening. She needed to print a bit of research that she had done for science. She attempted to get that done while I was in staff meeting (so I was unavailable to help). When I came out, she informed me that she could not get it to print. I tried several times and ways, all to no avail. It had gotten backed-logged with files to print and would not budge. I tried deleting those files and starting over, with no progress. So I decided to go the old-fashioned route and handwrite her work on a piece of paper for her (since it was after 9pm, and we were all tired, and I write faster than her). I sent that handwritten copy with her to school this morning, in hopes that her teacher will accept it.
I wonder if a printer jamming is anything like the well-known dog that eats homework? Can we get away with that and claim ignorance on behalf of the printer? Is that a valid excuse?
Admittedly, it would be frustrating if any of our children did work and didn’t get credit for it. But, then again, our goal as Christians is not about being seen for the work we do, but rather doing our best… for Christ’s glory… knowing that our God sees all.
Do I do things to be seen or recognized? Do I feel the need to be justified or proven right? Or is my passion to love and worship God and not worry about what I cannot control?
Daniel
Ruthie worked on her homework while here in my office yesterday afternoon and evening. She needed to print a bit of research that she had done for science. She attempted to get that done while I was in staff meeting (so I was unavailable to help). When I came out, she informed me that she could not get it to print. I tried several times and ways, all to no avail. It had gotten backed-logged with files to print and would not budge. I tried deleting those files and starting over, with no progress. So I decided to go the old-fashioned route and handwrite her work on a piece of paper for her (since it was after 9pm, and we were all tired, and I write faster than her). I sent that handwritten copy with her to school this morning, in hopes that her teacher will accept it.
I wonder if a printer jamming is anything like the well-known dog that eats homework? Can we get away with that and claim ignorance on behalf of the printer? Is that a valid excuse?
Admittedly, it would be frustrating if any of our children did work and didn’t get credit for it. But, then again, our goal as Christians is not about being seen for the work we do, but rather doing our best… for Christ’s glory… knowing that our God sees all.
Do I do things to be seen or recognized? Do I feel the need to be justified or proven right? Or is my passion to love and worship God and not worry about what I cannot control?
Daniel
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
#319.3 – “Finishing Strong”
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom..." - Psalm 90:12
Grant was supposed to have his last fall baseball game last night. Just as they were getting ready to start, it began to rain. At first, the rain was light, and looked like it would blow over us soon. Next, it increased in strength and wind speed and all the onlookers took for cover under the concession stand. Soon thereafter, all the players and coaches had joined us. We stood under the awnings like a bunch of sardines – all huddled there together - trying to stay dry and relatively warm. After fifteen to twenty minutes of downpours, they decided to play again Thursday night.
The team Grant played has not lost a game throughout the season, including the few we played them. But since we got to bat first last night… and it rained us out before they could bat… we were up 3 or 4 to nothing. One of the dads suggested we just call the game and declare ourselves the winners (he’s been taking tips from Joshua)! But the reality is we are going to have to go out there and play them again tomorrow night. We are going to have to finish what we started.
Finishing strong applies to so many aspects of life, whether you’re talking about finishing out an individual life… or finishing out your day… or finishing a task. All of these can be related to the runner who wants to finish the race strong and do their best in order to know they have done all they could. For us as Christians, we know that the element of time is important in our understanding here. We are awakened to the importance of us serving Christ with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength when we recall the truth that one Day time will be no more and many of our opportunities (particularly to evangelize) will be gone. We must therefore take the days we have been given and make the most of them for Christ and for His Kingdom.
Daniel
Grant was supposed to have his last fall baseball game last night. Just as they were getting ready to start, it began to rain. At first, the rain was light, and looked like it would blow over us soon. Next, it increased in strength and wind speed and all the onlookers took for cover under the concession stand. Soon thereafter, all the players and coaches had joined us. We stood under the awnings like a bunch of sardines – all huddled there together - trying to stay dry and relatively warm. After fifteen to twenty minutes of downpours, they decided to play again Thursday night.
The team Grant played has not lost a game throughout the season, including the few we played them. But since we got to bat first last night… and it rained us out before they could bat… we were up 3 or 4 to nothing. One of the dads suggested we just call the game and declare ourselves the winners (he’s been taking tips from Joshua)! But the reality is we are going to have to go out there and play them again tomorrow night. We are going to have to finish what we started.
Finishing strong applies to so many aspects of life, whether you’re talking about finishing out an individual life… or finishing out your day… or finishing a task. All of these can be related to the runner who wants to finish the race strong and do their best in order to know they have done all they could. For us as Christians, we know that the element of time is important in our understanding here. We are awakened to the importance of us serving Christ with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength when we recall the truth that one Day time will be no more and many of our opportunities (particularly to evangelize) will be gone. We must therefore take the days we have been given and make the most of them for Christ and for His Kingdom.
Daniel
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
#319.2 – “Change, Change, Change”
"Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God..." - Jeremiah 26:13
Sarah and I took Anna to her first tongue therapy session yesterday (she is being treated for tongue thrust as a preliminary action to getting braces). She did very well; she listened to the doctor explain what she wanted her to do and mimicked the things she saw the doctor demonstrate (Sarah did well at that too... in fact, there was a point in the therapy session in which the doctor asked Anna to look over at the door knob - so she could get a side view of what was going on in Anna’s throat when she swallows - and Sarah just turned her head right with Anna and looked at that doorknob as pretty as you please!).
There were some things that Anna ‘took to’ immediately and some that required a little more concentration on her part. She had to adapt from some habits that had been formed over a lifetime in order to do what the doctor asked. Some of it felt weird to her. Some of it felt ‘wrong’. But she did as the doctor requested, because she understood that it was going to ultimately help her.
If I am ever going to change a bad habit in order to be more Christ-like, I am going to have to have/do a few things: I am going to have to ‘buy-in’, meaning I am going to need to come to the point where I believe that Christ’s way is best and my way is not; I am also going to have to be committed to surrendering my will to His, even if it ‘hurts’ or doesn’t always make sense; I am going to need to do the things He tells me to do… not just once but with practice that develops into a lifestyle; and I am going to need to leave the results up to Him and His grace and trust that, if I simply allow Him to work in my heart and life and I do my part obeying His commands, that Godly results will come.
Lord, help me be diligent in constantly evaluating my life, in order to see what areas are there that need your grace to change them… and grant me the grace needed to make those changes, so that I may be more like You.
Daniel
Sarah and I took Anna to her first tongue therapy session yesterday (she is being treated for tongue thrust as a preliminary action to getting braces). She did very well; she listened to the doctor explain what she wanted her to do and mimicked the things she saw the doctor demonstrate (Sarah did well at that too... in fact, there was a point in the therapy session in which the doctor asked Anna to look over at the door knob - so she could get a side view of what was going on in Anna’s throat when she swallows - and Sarah just turned her head right with Anna and looked at that doorknob as pretty as you please!).
There were some things that Anna ‘took to’ immediately and some that required a little more concentration on her part. She had to adapt from some habits that had been formed over a lifetime in order to do what the doctor asked. Some of it felt weird to her. Some of it felt ‘wrong’. But she did as the doctor requested, because she understood that it was going to ultimately help her.
If I am ever going to change a bad habit in order to be more Christ-like, I am going to have to have/do a few things: I am going to have to ‘buy-in’, meaning I am going to need to come to the point where I believe that Christ’s way is best and my way is not; I am also going to have to be committed to surrendering my will to His, even if it ‘hurts’ or doesn’t always make sense; I am going to need to do the things He tells me to do… not just once but with practice that develops into a lifestyle; and I am going to need to leave the results up to Him and His grace and trust that, if I simply allow Him to work in my heart and life and I do my part obeying His commands, that Godly results will come.
Lord, help me be diligent in constantly evaluating my life, in order to see what areas are there that need your grace to change them… and grant me the grace needed to make those changes, so that I may be more like You.
Daniel
Monday, October 18, 2010
#319.1 – “Just as Long as He Wins”
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." - John 10:10
We had gone out to the airport to see Gail Overman fly in Friday evening, and afterwards, I was ‘about to hungry to death’ as Paw Paw Miles would say. So we went out to get a bite to eat. The restaurant had kids coloring pages for them to play with until we got our food. Joshua played his mommy in tic-tac-toe on one of the sheets. Anytime it looked like she was getting ahead of him, he would just cross her ‘o’ out and put his ‘x’ in that spot… taking over that territory in the name of Joshua as it were!
Joshua didn’t care how he won… just as long as he won.
There’s another someone who doesn’t care about the rules or how he is supposed to behave, as long as he wins. The devil isn’t interested in playing fair; he only seeks to kill and destroy at all costs. Yes, it is true that he ultimately loses the war… but he wins plenty of battles anytime he can deceive us or cause us to fall in any way. The only way to win against someone like that is not to play them. Rather than concentrate our energy on defeating satan, we need to put our focus on loving God and serving others and let nothing sway us from moving in that direction.
Daniel
We had gone out to the airport to see Gail Overman fly in Friday evening, and afterwards, I was ‘about to hungry to death’ as Paw Paw Miles would say. So we went out to get a bite to eat. The restaurant had kids coloring pages for them to play with until we got our food. Joshua played his mommy in tic-tac-toe on one of the sheets. Anytime it looked like she was getting ahead of him, he would just cross her ‘o’ out and put his ‘x’ in that spot… taking over that territory in the name of Joshua as it were!
Joshua didn’t care how he won… just as long as he won.
There’s another someone who doesn’t care about the rules or how he is supposed to behave, as long as he wins. The devil isn’t interested in playing fair; he only seeks to kill and destroy at all costs. Yes, it is true that he ultimately loses the war… but he wins plenty of battles anytime he can deceive us or cause us to fall in any way. The only way to win against someone like that is not to play them. Rather than concentrate our energy on defeating satan, we need to put our focus on loving God and serving others and let nothing sway us from moving in that direction.
Daniel
Thursday, October 14, 2010
#318.2 – “Much for Which to Be Thankful”
"Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." - James 1:2-4
So Joshua had the bug all day Friday. Sarah and I both got it Sunday (me that morning and her that night). Her mom took it in the wee hours Monday morning. And we left the beach to come back home Tuesday at lunch. That gave us Saturday and Tuesday morning as a family to do some fun things together. The rest of the time we had Sarah’s parents and Rob and Debra (her brother and sister-in-law) taking turns watching our kids for us while we stayed in the bed like half-dead folk. On the one hand, it was discouraging to spend over half of the vacation flat of our backs. On the other hand, we were grateful that our kids all stayed well once at the beach (Joshua felt okay come Saturday, so he got all the playing time that any of the others did), and that we were in a place and situation where we had baby-sitters who could take them to the beach or the pool or wherever else they wanted to go and who could play with them and help them enjoy their time there. Also, we were grateful for our momentary haven of cable television, because we certainly didn’t feel like doing much of anything else for about two days. And most important, we were glad that our sister-in-law Debra (who is several months pregnant) did not catch the nasty virus.
And so we have much for which to be thankful. When people ask me how our trip was, I tell them it was good… and it was. While we passed around a stomach bug during our time there, it was an ideal situation in which to have one. And I am thankful for our family for their help and for Debra not getting it.
In most any situation I have ever been in, there are things for which thanks can be given. Sometimes, that is more difficult than others, but then again… giving thanks when it is ‘easy’ is not much, is it? It is in those most challenging situations – when our faith is thinly stretched – that giving thanks can feel almost like thorns in the brow, but it is also then when we truly grow in the knowledge of what real thanksgiving is.
Daniel
So Joshua had the bug all day Friday. Sarah and I both got it Sunday (me that morning and her that night). Her mom took it in the wee hours Monday morning. And we left the beach to come back home Tuesday at lunch. That gave us Saturday and Tuesday morning as a family to do some fun things together. The rest of the time we had Sarah’s parents and Rob and Debra (her brother and sister-in-law) taking turns watching our kids for us while we stayed in the bed like half-dead folk. On the one hand, it was discouraging to spend over half of the vacation flat of our backs. On the other hand, we were grateful that our kids all stayed well once at the beach (Joshua felt okay come Saturday, so he got all the playing time that any of the others did), and that we were in a place and situation where we had baby-sitters who could take them to the beach or the pool or wherever else they wanted to go and who could play with them and help them enjoy their time there. Also, we were grateful for our momentary haven of cable television, because we certainly didn’t feel like doing much of anything else for about two days. And most important, we were glad that our sister-in-law Debra (who is several months pregnant) did not catch the nasty virus.
And so we have much for which to be thankful. When people ask me how our trip was, I tell them it was good… and it was. While we passed around a stomach bug during our time there, it was an ideal situation in which to have one. And I am thankful for our family for their help and for Debra not getting it.
In most any situation I have ever been in, there are things for which thanks can be given. Sometimes, that is more difficult than others, but then again… giving thanks when it is ‘easy’ is not much, is it? It is in those most challenging situations – when our faith is thinly stretched – that giving thanks can feel almost like thorns in the brow, but it is also then when we truly grow in the knowledge of what real thanksgiving is.
Daniel
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
#318.1 – “Whose Judgment?”
"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me!" - Psalms 81:8
We were leaving Friday after lunch to go on our beach trip, so we got the kids ready for school that morning with the encouragement that even though we knew they were tired and ready to go on right then to the beach, if they could just hold out another half a day, we’d be leaving. It was with that mindset that I sent Joshua (who was complaining that morning of a stomach ache) on to school.
He first told me he wasn’t feeling good as soon as we all got up. Before we left the house, I checked his temperature. He had no fever, so I told him to go ahead and get ready like normal. He didn’t want any breakfast. I didn’t force him to eat, fearing that would only make him feel worse. As we loaded up in the van, he once again complained about how bad he felt. This was not like Joshua… and I knew that. I believed that he felt bad. However, I thought that since he did not have a fever… and that he would only need to go to school a half a day that day… that he could make it just fine (and that he should not make anyone else sick).
Thirty minutes after I dropped him off, I got the call from school saying he had thrown up.
Since then, the bug has gone through three of our immediate family plus Sarah’s mother. I wish now that I had paid attention to Joshua’s appeal that morning. I wish I had listened to his judgment over mine.
So often, our obedience as Christians comes down to the matter of to whose judgment we listen. Am I going to do what I think is best, or am I going to listen to my Father (who always knows best)? Am I going to take His word on the situation, or am I going to make my own judgments and assume I know better than Him?
Lord, help me call this experience to memory the next time I am faced with an obedience issue that involves a choice of to whose judgment I am going to listen.
Daniel
We were leaving Friday after lunch to go on our beach trip, so we got the kids ready for school that morning with the encouragement that even though we knew they were tired and ready to go on right then to the beach, if they could just hold out another half a day, we’d be leaving. It was with that mindset that I sent Joshua (who was complaining that morning of a stomach ache) on to school.
He first told me he wasn’t feeling good as soon as we all got up. Before we left the house, I checked his temperature. He had no fever, so I told him to go ahead and get ready like normal. He didn’t want any breakfast. I didn’t force him to eat, fearing that would only make him feel worse. As we loaded up in the van, he once again complained about how bad he felt. This was not like Joshua… and I knew that. I believed that he felt bad. However, I thought that since he did not have a fever… and that he would only need to go to school a half a day that day… that he could make it just fine (and that he should not make anyone else sick).
Thirty minutes after I dropped him off, I got the call from school saying he had thrown up.
Since then, the bug has gone through three of our immediate family plus Sarah’s mother. I wish now that I had paid attention to Joshua’s appeal that morning. I wish I had listened to his judgment over mine.
So often, our obedience as Christians comes down to the matter of to whose judgment we listen. Am I going to do what I think is best, or am I going to listen to my Father (who always knows best)? Am I going to take His word on the situation, or am I going to make my own judgments and assume I know better than Him?
Lord, help me call this experience to memory the next time I am faced with an obedience issue that involves a choice of to whose judgment I am going to listen.
Daniel
Thursday, October 7, 2010
#317.3 – “A Lilt in the Step”
"So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." - Hebrews 9:28
The fact that we are going to be on vacation soon has gotten me excited. Even the air seems lighter today, just knowing that we will soon be on the beach. Our annual trip is always highly anticipated by all of us, but never more than this year. We still have several tasks to be done before we leave, but they all seem minute. It is a day and a half away before we leave, but I am as eager as if it were five minutes from now. This weather have given us just a foretaste of the beauty we hope to enjoy while there on the sand and in the water. The trip (which of course, we have not yet made) has entirely affected our today.
Though we as believers in Jesus have not yet experienced the perfectly intimate Presence of our Savior linked with heaven, the knowledge that one Day we will get to do so affects our walk today. It puts a lilt in the step and a joy that gives strength in the midst of our day to day trials here. Our today is affected by our great Tomorrow.
Father, may my steps today reflect the reality of one who is moving steadily towards You.
Daniel
The fact that we are going to be on vacation soon has gotten me excited. Even the air seems lighter today, just knowing that we will soon be on the beach. Our annual trip is always highly anticipated by all of us, but never more than this year. We still have several tasks to be done before we leave, but they all seem minute. It is a day and a half away before we leave, but I am as eager as if it were five minutes from now. This weather have given us just a foretaste of the beauty we hope to enjoy while there on the sand and in the water. The trip (which of course, we have not yet made) has entirely affected our today.
Though we as believers in Jesus have not yet experienced the perfectly intimate Presence of our Savior linked with heaven, the knowledge that one Day we will get to do so affects our walk today. It puts a lilt in the step and a joy that gives strength in the midst of our day to day trials here. Our today is affected by our great Tomorrow.
Father, may my steps today reflect the reality of one who is moving steadily towards You.
Daniel
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
#317.2 – “One Who Understands”
"For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." - Hebrews 4:15
Yesterday both Ruthie and I had some kind of bug that left us with bad stomach cramps and a major headache. We both felt pretty bad, yet neither of us ran a fever. There were no other symptoms, and we both are fine today (whatever it was, I’m glad it’s gone… and I hope it never comes back!). She had felt bad the night before, but mine didn’t show until the next morning. I knew that Ruthie wasn’t faking her illness, but until I got it myself… well, I just didn’t realize how bad it was! Although I hated for her to be sick, it made me feel better knowing that I wasn’t the only one going through it.
Unless we experience the same things someone else does, we cannot fully appreciate what they feel or think about it. Sympathy can only turn to empathy once we have walked in their shoes. I am grateful that our Savior walked on the earth some thirty plus years and experienced life so that I can be comforted in knowing that I am not alone in the things I feel, but have One who understands and cares.
Daniel
Yesterday both Ruthie and I had some kind of bug that left us with bad stomach cramps and a major headache. We both felt pretty bad, yet neither of us ran a fever. There were no other symptoms, and we both are fine today (whatever it was, I’m glad it’s gone… and I hope it never comes back!). She had felt bad the night before, but mine didn’t show until the next morning. I knew that Ruthie wasn’t faking her illness, but until I got it myself… well, I just didn’t realize how bad it was! Although I hated for her to be sick, it made me feel better knowing that I wasn’t the only one going through it.
Unless we experience the same things someone else does, we cannot fully appreciate what they feel or think about it. Sympathy can only turn to empathy once we have walked in their shoes. I am grateful that our Savior walked on the earth some thirty plus years and experienced life so that I can be comforted in knowing that I am not alone in the things I feel, but have One who understands and cares.
Daniel
Monday, October 4, 2010
#317.1 – “Co-Existing”
"And then, two of them, on that very day, were going to a little town named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking together about all those things which had taken place. And while they were talking and questioning together, Jesus himself came near and went with them. But their eyes were not open that they might have knowledge of him." - Luke 24:13-16
Sarah had a few errands to run yesterday afternoon, so I took the kids home after church to get them all down for a nap. Well, I also fell asleep (without really even trying). Three hours later, I woke up in just enough time to get ready to come back to the church building for Praise Adventure.
That night, I was not tired at all… while Sarah was completely given out. She went right to bed after we got back home, and I got all the kids tucked in. Then I stayed awake for the longest time.
This morning, she got up feeling ready to work out and I was still asleep.
Lately, it feels like we are just co-existing - passing one another in the hallways of life… staying focused on the tasks of the day-to-day… while hardly having any time together to just talk to one another.
Oftentimes, my relationship with God can be the same way. I go from day to day, taking for granted that He’ll always be there. I rush from one task to another… all the while letting our relationship rest on the shelf, until I ‘have time for it’. So dangerous is such a place, and so easy in which to get.
Father, thank You that You use every experience of our lives to draw us nearer to You… even the ones that remind us that we have drifted apart. May I seek You afresh and anew today. Open my eyes, that I may see You and talk with You as I go along life’s path today.
Daniel
Sarah had a few errands to run yesterday afternoon, so I took the kids home after church to get them all down for a nap. Well, I also fell asleep (without really even trying). Three hours later, I woke up in just enough time to get ready to come back to the church building for Praise Adventure.
That night, I was not tired at all… while Sarah was completely given out. She went right to bed after we got back home, and I got all the kids tucked in. Then I stayed awake for the longest time.
This morning, she got up feeling ready to work out and I was still asleep.
Lately, it feels like we are just co-existing - passing one another in the hallways of life… staying focused on the tasks of the day-to-day… while hardly having any time together to just talk to one another.
Oftentimes, my relationship with God can be the same way. I go from day to day, taking for granted that He’ll always be there. I rush from one task to another… all the while letting our relationship rest on the shelf, until I ‘have time for it’. So dangerous is such a place, and so easy in which to get.
Father, thank You that You use every experience of our lives to draw us nearer to You… even the ones that remind us that we have drifted apart. May I seek You afresh and anew today. Open my eyes, that I may see You and talk with You as I go along life’s path today.
Daniel
Friday, October 1, 2010
#316.3 – “Van… Don’t Fail Me Now!!!”
"These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God." - Revelation 3:14
The past two mornings were those kinds of mornings when you are running behind no matter what you do. Sarah has been sick for three days now, which means that I have been the chauffeur, the cook, the laundry doer (and I think you all know how much I hate doing laundry), the homework checker, etc. Well it seems that no matter how early I get up to get things going around the house, I cannot get us all ready and out the door on time. We were either late or awfully close to being late to the intermediate school both days. The van (which seems to have made a miraculous recovery and is no longer demon-possessed) has sure had a workout the past couple of mornings, as I have literally jumped in and taken off, with our kids in tow. I remember thinking to myself when we were on two wheels (exaggeration) coming out of the driveway yesterday: ‘Van, don’t fail me now!’
Dependability is a quality that our God exemplifies. He is always ‘there for us’. When He says He is going to do something, He does it. No exceptions. He never fails to fulfill His promises. He never fails to be true to His character. He never fails. He is totally dependable. And His example encourages me to want to be dependable too.
Daniel
The past two mornings were those kinds of mornings when you are running behind no matter what you do. Sarah has been sick for three days now, which means that I have been the chauffeur, the cook, the laundry doer (and I think you all know how much I hate doing laundry), the homework checker, etc. Well it seems that no matter how early I get up to get things going around the house, I cannot get us all ready and out the door on time. We were either late or awfully close to being late to the intermediate school both days. The van (which seems to have made a miraculous recovery and is no longer demon-possessed) has sure had a workout the past couple of mornings, as I have literally jumped in and taken off, with our kids in tow. I remember thinking to myself when we were on two wheels (exaggeration) coming out of the driveway yesterday: ‘Van, don’t fail me now!’
Dependability is a quality that our God exemplifies. He is always ‘there for us’. When He says He is going to do something, He does it. No exceptions. He never fails to fulfill His promises. He never fails to be true to His character. He never fails. He is totally dependable. And His example encourages me to want to be dependable too.
Daniel
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