Monday, August 31, 2009

This Old House


Do not store up for yourselves wealth here on earth....Matt 6.19

On the road to Billings Tunnel outside Salida Colorado, there is ghost town. This is a picture of the 1880's general store that was in the center of a bussling, thriving mining community. It was new, flashy (by 1880s' standards because everyone else lived in tents) and even had two cellars to store goods (now just large holes in the ground). Now it is 14 logs stacked on top of each other and a few sheets of tin scattered around. That's it. In fact, of all the remains of 23 cabins and businesses, this is the one in the best condition.

It's hard to believe that very little will remain of our "empires" 100 years after we are gone. A few sticks or rocks on top of each other and that's it. That's all. Kind of sad, isn't it? But if we invest in the spiritual kingdom, if we spread the gospel by living right and loving others, that investment never dies. It continues to grow, build and thrive in the hearts of others, passing in on and on and on.

Most of the churches, businesses and homes that exist now, will not even be a memory in 100 years....but the Word of the Lord keeps going and going and going. Invest in loving people, talking up Jesus and serving the Lord and watch that investment grow for centuries to come.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sunday Pics

Here are some pictures I took recently in Colorado.







Sometimes I like to photograph the small things around instead of huge panoramic pics. Sometimes there is beauty in the small things, the things that go unnoticed (unless you are looking for them).

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Wrestling with God


When I was in junior high and high school, I wrestled on the Paonia (Colo.) wrestling team. My sons laugh when they hear I was a wrestler because they imagine I was a WWF wrestler, in a ring, jumping off the top ropes doing a flying toe hold or hitting someone over the head with a wooden chair. But being on the wrestling team was great. Practices were grueling but they built me up and gave me endurance. Travelling to other cities was cool because you got to hang out with friends on four- to ten-hour bus trips. The physicality of wrestling is like no other sport.

I was reading about Jacob wrestling with the angel...the story facsinates me. Being that close to a spiritual being boggles my mind. It certainly represents nicely the number of things I have wrestled with God in my life, my flesh and heart constantly coming up against my spiritual and moral beliefs.

I am constantly wrestling with God about something. But you know something, I think God likes it when I wrestle with Him. God doesn't want to be detached and distant in my life, He wants to be in there, close, touching me, working me out. He doesn't want to be an intellectual concept or a religious icon. The nature of wrestling is close, physical and God loves it... because you can't wrestle with someone who is far away. They have to be close to you. It's a very intimate, personal activity.

I like it when God manhandles me. No matter what move I make, He holds on to me and counters each move. I want to be lovingly mauled by my Father just like my sons like it when I wrestle with them. I hold them down and maul them and they smile the entire time, knowing I am not going to hurt them but they know they are not powerful enough to take me...yet. We both enjoy the physical time together and it creates a bond, a loving bond, with each other.

I want God that close. I want him on top of me matching me move for move. I want Him close enough to feel His breath and know His strength. When my flesh has an issue with Him and I walk onto the mat, like Jacob wrestling, I don't think He is angry nor do I think He wants to crush me. I think He is happy, because I am close....I am at least willing to walk onto the mat with Him. Wrestling with God doesn't mean He has given up on me or is slapping me around; it is His way of showing how close He really is and that he loves me....and He always wins.

What has your experience of wrestling been?

Friday, August 28, 2009

Persecution

How blessed you are whenever people hate you and ostracize you and insult you.....Luke 6.22

When was the last time someone hated you? Did you feel blessed or did you feel bad? I am supposed to be glad when someone hates me? What?!!?

A preacher friend of mine is a affirmation/acceptance junkie. He hates it when someone doesn't like a sermon he preaches. He hates conflict and will do pretty much anything to avoid it. He goes out of his way to make sure people are good with him. His sermons are watered down, entertainment speeches that lack anything that would make anyone uncomfortable or feel convicted. He needs everyone to like him (even though he denies that).

But isn't there a part of that in all of us? The need to be liked contaminates our evangelism. Very few people are willing to be hated. People just don't want to risk rejection, ridicule or insult for the Gospel. The Gospel counters our need to be liked, wanted, befriended and accepted. When our gospel is contaminated by the need for acceptance, it gets watered down, it becomes for factual than personal. The Gospel is more than Jesus facts and theological proofs (at least I hope it is). It is more than exegesis, hermeneutics and lectures.

The Gospel is the most personal story of who we are. It is how Jesus moves in us, changes us, and gives us purpose and meaning. The Good News is very personal and vulnerable because, for a Christian, it is the very essence who we are. It is the story of our own personal redemption, the motive for living and the hope for the future. Take the Gospel personally and you risk rejection.

The Gospel is the most intimate discussion we can have. The Spirit moves in our story. God uses our story to convict the listener and confront sin. He uses our story to express His love, mercy and grace. He uses our Gospel to proclaim His Gospel. And the church is dying because many won't even talk about it.

Talk about the Gospel. Let the God use your story to tell his story. What is the Gospel to you? Is it more factual or personal?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The Road Less Travelled

In life, there are so many have tos, shouldn'ts, don'ts, gotta's, normals, averages and need too's, its nice to take the less travelled four wheel drive road away from convention. Here's what we saw when we took a two wheel drive Tahoe up a four-wheel drive road:

I wish you could feel the 50 degree wind whistling through the rocks and wildflowers. It's very refreshing on an August day (when it is 105 degrees in Texas).

The flowers that grow here are like no other anywhere else in the world.

At this altitude, spruce trees only get about 6 foot tall.

Yep, that is snow in August. Yep, we got in a snowball fight. Yep, it was cold.
I encourage you to take the less travelled road....the road that takes you where you didn't even know you needed to be to see things you didn't know existed. It stretches your faith and puts your trust squarely where it needs to be...in the hands of God. Forgive someone who hurt you. Feed a homeless person. Give a generous gift to church or an charity that does good for people. Raise your hands in church. Pray out loud for 6 hours. Do something daring that God is moving you to do. God wants you to take the risk, follow him into adventure. Your faith won't know what hit it...




Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Vision to See


Five years ago, my middle son made an off handed remark that he couldn't see the marker board in front of the classroom. I made an offhanded remark that maybe he needed to go to the nurse and get his eyes checked. So the next day he did just that....and we got a call from the nurse that there were problems with his vision and we needed to take him for a more extensive examination. OK, no problem...his uncle is an ophthalmologist....so we took him for the exam.

Come to find out, he is legally blind. He could barely see shapes and light much less read what was on the board at school. He played baseball and had a pretty good batting average but got struck out alot on balls he should have hit. So he gets his new glasses and says...hey, there's leaves on trees, lawns have blades of grass, look there's cloud's in the sky, and....all the way home he was pointing out things he couldn't see before, reading billboards, etc. He started reading books (by the 1,000's), hitting the baseball, and just noticing things in his world that he couldn't see before.

Yesterday, my youngest son asked him, "Why didn't you tell someone that you couldn't see?" His answer: "Because I didn't know I couldn't see. When you are born not being able to see very well, you don't know you can't see. You think you see like everyone else but really you can't. It's kinda sad. There's probably alot of people out there who can't see but just don't know it."

Isn't that true of us all spiritually? We think we see the world clearly and understand perfectly when Scripture clearly states:

"For now we see obscurely in a mirror,
but then it will be face to face.
Now I know partly; then I will know fully,
Just as God has fully known me.

We all need glasses, even if we think we have perfect spiritual vision. We all are "dumber than a post" even if we think we are "theological Eisteins." When will we understand that we just don't get it...none of us do. We are all fumbling and stumbling towards God. All of us. Only God can give us the vision to see Him clearly...but just wait until heaven...when we can clearly see.

Monday, August 24, 2009

He leads me beside still water

This picture is my entry in the Texas State Fair under the category of "Clouds." The title of the picture is "Clouds on Still Waters." It reminds me of Psalms 23:

Adonai is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He has me lie down in grassy pastures,
he leads me by quiets water,
he restores my inner person.

He guides me in right paths
for the sake of His own name.
Even if I pass through death dark ravines,
I will fear no disaster, for you are with me;
your rod and staff reassure me.

You prepare a table for me,
even as my enemies watch;
you anoint my head with oil
from an overflowing cup.

Goodness and grace will pursue me
every day of my life;
and I will live in the house of Adonai
for years and years to come.

-The Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Singing Spiritual Songs

Growing up, some of my fondest memories are of my mom singing as she worked. She sang as she cooked, cleaned, hoed the garden, hung clothes on the clothesline and snapped green beans. Sometimes I could recognize the tune but many times I could not. They were always hymns from church or some "God-themed" song. As I think about it, it brings a smile to my face. Not because she had perfect pitch or was vocally trained...far from it. It was because there was something inside her that she shared willingly with those around her.
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Hear the Word of the Lord in Colossians 3.16 ... "Let the Word of the Messiah, in all its richness, live in you....as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts."

Put what God has placed in your heart to music and sing. Don't have a vocally trained voice? I doubt God cares. Put it to use. God has placed the words and music inside you because...get this...Jesus dwells inside you. Sing the psalms. Sing about Jesus. Improvise the words and music and God will bless you in it. Sing what you are grateful for and you will feel it. Sing what Jesus has done for you and it will impact your heart like nothing else.

I did this the other day. I was singing my thankful for my family and the blessings of my life and tears started coming to my eyes. Before long, I was practically weeping and singing because of the gratitude I was feeling. It was a spiritual moment, a time that God allowed me to feel it...more than just saying it rotely in a prayer...it was real.

So try it. Ask God for the words and the tune then utter sing the first few words and notes.... then you can work on singing your prayers. Be prepare to be blessed.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Married 21 Years Today

Twenty one years ago today, I was the happiest man alive. Five months earlier, I had met a woman who had climbed 14,000 foot mountains, loved fly fishing and backpacking in Colorado, and smiled all the time. It was then I married a woman who was beautiful, smart, happy, and delightful. Now 21 years later, I still am the happiest man alive and my wife is still beautiful, smart, happy and delightful. We have three boys that make us proud and God blesses us each and everyday with joy, peace and wisdom. We laugh together, worship God together, and share our lives together.

I hope there's at least another 21 years together.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Top 10 Things to do in Dallas and Fort Worth

1. Catch whatever game is in season (Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars, FC Dallas, Cats, Airhogs, Dallas Diablos {Rugby}). You can also catch a high school football game, if you are here on a Friday night. That will be as exciting as any pro or college game and you can see the stars before they become famous). Texas Motor Speedway is a Texas-sized venue for NASCAR.

2. Eat out at one of the 20,000 restaurants (there are great places to eat everywhere). There are more places to eat per capita than anywhere else in the US. I like Celebration (on Lovers Lane), Macaroni Grill (OK, OK its everywhere, but they have great food), Sonny Bryan's BBQ, The Mansion on Turtle Creek (bring your money and your appetite), Bob's Steak and Chop, Lowry's, iFratelli in Irving, Bruno's Italian in Valley Ranch, Mama's Daughter (Home Cookin'), Via Real in Irving, Reata and Blue Mesa Grill in Ft. Worth.

3. Go to the Great State Fair of Texas and see Big Tex. Everyone in my family is entered in the photography contest...we'll see. But there is so much more to see and eat there.

4. Catch a concert. Most of the big names come through Dallas, especially now that Cowboys Stadium is open (Six Flags Over Jerry). Man, that place is big.

5. Go to church somewhere. Everything is big in Texas including the churches. Try out First Baptist Dallas (Downtown Dallas), Prestonwood (Six Flags Over Jesus), Fellowship.Com, Northwest Bible, or the denomination of your choice....it's all here. I go to Farmer's Branch Church of Christ because it feels like family (and the preaching is pretty good, too).

6. Go shopping. Whether it is clothes, furniture, cars, or a specialty shop...yep, we have it. I am particularly fond of the outlet shopping where you can get alot for just a little.

7. Dallas World Aquarium and The Science Place are great places to hang out with the kids. In Ft. Worth, go the the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the Omni. The Fort Worth and Dallas Zoo are great. And walking around on the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens is unbelievable (especially if you are a gardener).

8. Art is huge in Dallas. Check out the Dallas Museum of Art or Nasher Sculpture Garden. In Fort Worth, try the Kimbell, Amon Carter, or Sid Richardson. You have got to see these. No visit to DFW is complete without seeing the art.

9. Go to a show at the Bass or CasaManana (in Ft. Worth) or Meyerson or the new Dallas Opera House. Stunning. Spectacular. Unbelievable. WOW. Must see. Really. Catch a Summer Musical out at Fair Park (but still get dressed up).

10. Sundance Square in Fort Worth is a great place to hang out in the evening as is Uptown in Dallas.


Did I leave anything important out?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Spiritual Mentor

The American church lacks men and women who are willing to challenge others to grow and develop their spiritual gifts. Would you agree? I mean a mature, spirit-filled person who is willing to come beside a less mature person and teach them what they need to know about God's power, Jesus' love, dealing with the flesh and sin, teaching others how to discover and develop their Holy Spirit gifts, and take the time to answer the person's questions. What is needed is someone who would give stretching homework and exercises that would bring out your spiritual potential.

We have preachers who preach the Word but where is the one on one mentorship? We have Bible class teachers but who is going to take the time to personally teach the gift of prophesy? Or tongues? Or healing? Who is going to gently challenge and and help them develop spiritually? We have elders (or deacons) who shepherd the flock (put out fires) but do they guide others into a deeper understanding of the Word or take someone through the spiritual paces to develop passion and fire in their hearts for Jesus?

Who pushes you spiritually? If no one, would you be interested in someone who would help you develop your spiritual potential?

Monday, August 17, 2009

He is My Rock


The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress. The Lord is the one constant that can be trusted in troubled times. Economies will come and go but He remains the same. He will answer when I call for help and will be Comfort me when my fears arise. He will calm the storms. He will open up the sea when everything seems hopeless. He is Lord.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

GI Joe

My 12 (soon to turn 13) year old son wanted to see GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra for his birthday next week so we saw it last night. What a surprisingly good movie. Great special effects, good plot line, good movie, lots of implied violence, only a minimal amount of foul language, very little skin or sex...and it was still a really good movie. Both my sons (16 and 12) thought is was the best movie EVER and want to see it again. Even my wife liked it and that is saying alot.

The movie is a good illustration of of good vs. evil, right vs. wrong and even though the bad guy wears white.

If you have a teenage son or liked GI Joe as a kid....you'll like this movie.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Praying to Find my Car Keys

Yesterday, I couldn't find my car keys to save my life. Four of us were looking for them to no avail. I knew I had brought them home (because my truck was in the driveway) but I couldn't remember where I laid them down (I have ADHD to thank for that). Usually it's my wife's fault when I lose things because she staightens up and tidies after I blow through the house and she hides them (actually she puts them where they belong, but still....). But my wife was at work and couldn't be the fall guy (gal) for this one.

So after 45 minutes of looking and not finding them, I prayed about it. I sincerely asked God to help me. So about 3 hours later (when I had given up looking) I found them...on my messy bathroom vanity (which my wife has refused to even think about cleaning because it is...uh...disorganized). So in a way, it is her fault.

So God comes through again, finding something lost in my family. It is humbling. He answers prayer. God is good.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Three Dollars Worth of God

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.
Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,
but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk
or a snooze in the sunshine.
I don’t want enough of God to make me love a black man
or pick beets with a migrant.
I want ecstasy, not transformation.
I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth.
I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack.
I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.

— Wilbur Rees

I read this poem this morning and it blew me away. As I read it, it confronted how I think many in the church view God. Give me the family but not the sacrifice. Give me a place to belong but not so much that I lose myself. Give me enough to sing songs but not so much that I lose myself in the Spirit. Just enough to speak to my fellow Christians in my denomination but not so much that I have to speak to strangers about Jesus or speak in tongues. Help me give enough of my money so I feel good about it but not so much that the church can do something innovative and daring. I want enough so I can sit in an interesting and "well-thought-out Bible class" but not so much that I have to teach that "well-thought-out Bible class."

I guess I want more of Jesus. What would $100, $1000, or $100,000 buy? What would I get if I gave my life to Him? How much of Jesus do you want?

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Top 40 Things to do in Colorado

Here is my list of the top 40 things you can do in Colorado (I tried to keep to 30 but there is just too much to do):

1. Drive to the top of Pikes Peak.
2. Ride the Sky Ride at Royal Gorge
3. Climb Mt. Elbert
4. Eat fruit in Paonia
5. Stand on the North Rim of the Black Canyon
6. Ski Crested Butte, Powderhorn or Telluride
7. Walk into Billings Tunnel (abandoned gold mine outside Salida)
8. Float the Colorado or Arkansas River
9. Drive through Glenwood Canyon
10. Drive through the aspen groves of Kebler Pass (stop at Lost Lake)
11. Visit the Great Sand Dunes National Monument outside Alamosa
12. Fly fish
13. Eat dinner in one of the many restaurants in Crested Butte
14. Go window shopping in Aspen
15. Climb any of the 54 14,000+ mountains
16. Go fourwheeling at St. Elmo or Salida
17. Cherry Days 4th of July Parade in Paonia
18. Take a Jeep Ride in Ouray
19. Stay and Swim at Waunita Hot Springs or Pagosa Hot Springs
20. See the landslide on Slumgullion Pass
21. See the wildflowers above Lake Irwin and Gothic, near Crested Butte
22. Hike up to Devil's Punch Bowl, outside Marble
23. Eat at the Redstone Inn in Redstone
24. Drive across Grand Mesa (and stop for a while at Land's End)
25. Spend a couple of days at Rocky Mountain National Monument
26. Take a tour of the Focus on the Family National Headquaters in Colorado Springs
27. Go see American Basin outside Ouray
28. See the ruins at Mesa Verde
29. Stand in four states at the same time at Four Courners
30. Drive to the top of Mt. Evans (the highest road in America)
31. Drive the loop at Garden of Gods in Colorado Springs
32. Stay at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs
33. Go across McClure Pass from Carbondale to Paonia
34. Drive carefully across Independence Pass from Twin Lakes to Aspen
35. Attend a county fair in any county of your choice
36. Ride the narrow gauge train from Durango to Silverton
37. Drive on the Million Dollar Highway between Silverton and Ouray
38. Eat lunch in downtown Salida (Amica's is good) then stand on the bridge and watch the Arkansas River roll by
39. See the huge monuments at the Colorado National Monument close to Grand Junction
40. Find the closest ghost town and visit the rich heritage of Colorado

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Spiritual Hunger

Which would you rather have: 1) To be able to know the richness and fullness in a relationship with God for five years then lose it and hunger for it for the rest of your life or, 2) Never have a rich relationship with God at all and never have a hunger for it?

Think about it. Which would you choose, if you had to choose one?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Why Do I Sin?

Why do I choose not to follow God? Why do I sin? Paul the Apostle said, "I do the things I don't want to do. The things I know I should do I don't do and I do the thing I shouldn't do." But why? I think part of the answer lies in our rationalizing sin.

There is always a good reason to not follow God. Because sex feels good. Because having a lot of stuff makes me better than others. Because lying keeps me out of trouble. Because gossip gives me power. Because disrespecting others lets me vent frustration. Because jealousy calms my fears of losing what I have. Because stealing takes things from those who have too much (and they probably came by it dishonestly). Because lust means I can dwell on what I can't have. Because pride lets me feel better about myself and protects me from being vulnerable. Because drinking alcohol and doing drugs makes me feel euphoric. Because the leader of our country doesn't deserve respect. Because overeating makes us feels full and complete.

And so we justify our sin and rationalize good reasons for what we do. We want to blame others for our actions, as if that makes it OK. Ultimately, sin puts us in the drivers seat. But when we get caught, we want to blame it others. It certainly can't be my fault.

There is always an excuse for why we sinned. She tempted me. Because they made me feel bad about myself. They made me mad. Because she might be unfaithful. Because they have too much stuff and they flaunt it. Because no one else will look out for me. I was born that way. Because my friends were doing it. Because elected leaders are criminals. Because my mother taught me unhealthy eating habits. Because he hit me first (how many times did I say that as a kid, and how many times my sons use that one).

But we have to take responsibility for our sin before we can turn it over to God. I have to say. "It's me," "It's my problem," "It's my actions" so I can repent and turn it over to God. I have to acknowledge my sin so God can deal with it. I have to confess it. I have to ask for forgiveness. I have to turn back to God and acknowledge that His ways are right and true.

What do you think?

Monday, August 10, 2009

Pictures of Colorado

Here are some shots of Colorado. This picture is taken in Dark Canyon on Anthracite Creek. We hiked what felt like 100 miles...it was only 8 or so but when one is not acclimated to the altitude, it is a little tougher.

Looking up into the aspen trees on Kebler pass







Aspens on Kebler Pass








Waterfall below Billings Tunnel outside Salida.

















These are just four of 500 I took. They make me wonder why I live in Texas. What one will do for the love of a woman....

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Is God Interested in the Small Stuff?

We went four wheeling in the mountains around Salida, CO on Friday for six hours. WOW! We went through thick aspen and Colorado Blue Spruce groves, clear streams, ghost towns and high mountain passes for a dusty, fun-filled day....that is until we got back to the cabin and my son declared, "Oh no, I can't find my wallet." His wallet contains his learners permit and about $350, money he earned by teaching swimming lessons all summer.

So for about an hour we looked in our SUV, around the cabin and in his wad of disorganized clothes (he doesn't believe in folding clothes before putting them in his suitcase). He grew more and more frustrated, surly and generally unlikable; I get the same way when I lose important things, so I understand. I reminded him that my wife and I had asked him to put at least half his money in my wife's purse for safe keeping (always helpful to hear "Not only did you lose your wallet, but you are are also irresponsible"....I'm losing 'dad points' here, I know).

So I called the ATV rental place (All Seasons Adventures in Salida, CO) and asked them to look on the ATVs we rented and call me back. Nothing. My son was afraid he had dropped it on the 50 or so miles of ATV trails and was thoroughly being cynical concerning the goodness of anyone who found it. So finally I suggested to him to pray for his wallet's safe return (OK, it wasn't a "suggestion" it was more of a edit). He grumbled about that so I took away his cell phone until he sincerely prayed out loud for God to help him. (OK, OK, so probably not the best motivation for prayer at the time but you didn't see the eye rolling that I got). But, surprise, surprise, he prayed a really cool prayer for God to help him find his wallet (and got his phone back).

So we headed back to Texas with a grumpy teenager, trusting that God was going to help answer this prayer. So four hours later, we were driving through Clayton, NM when my cell phone rang. It was the ATV rental place....they had found his wallet with all the money in it. I told my son the news and he whooped like a crazy man and had a smile from ear to ear.

Back home at last from Colorado. Even though it was 45 degrees when we left Colorado and was 86 degrees when we pulled into Irving at 2 am last night....God is cool. What an awesome God we serve, that he would care enough to answer a 16 year old's prayer for a wallet to be found. And by the way, if you are ever in Salida, CO and want to go ATV-ing, call All Season Adventures. They are really nice (and honest) folks.

Monday, August 3, 2009

WWOOF (er)

WWOOF (er). n. Willing Worker On an Organic Farm.

Last night, there came a knock on the door at my mom and dad's farm in Paonia, Colorado. It was Jim. Jim is a college student (UT Austin) who wants to learn how to do organic farming from the best (my dad). He found my parent's farm in the WWOOF (er) Catalog of Organic Farms and just showed up, introduced himself and is ready to work. He pitched his tent beside the farm house and constantly asks what he can do.

So he shows up, works for free for a week or so, then moves on to the next farm. Last night he ate dinner then cleaned off the table and did dishes. This morning, he is tying up raspberry canes, picking peaches, weeding the orchard (which always needs to be done), and basically learning the trade. He is bright, happy and seems to be a great worker.

So here is a new one: WWintCh. n. Willing Worker in the Church.

There are small churches everywhere in the world that need help. They need help with ministry, church repair, maintenance, youth, helping those in need, and encouragement. They need people to show up and say, "What can I do?" Then jump in a start helping. Churches of every denomination need help. They need someone who will "do the dishes" in humble servanthood.

What are you doing to help the church, not just your church? Are you a willing worker? Are you willing to show up and work? The church desperately needs you. If your church doesn't need you, find one that does.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Reflection

I bought a mirror last night, a wedding present for my niece and her husband. It is a big honkin' thing, which I hope they can use somewhere in their house to bring light. Mirrors are interesting because they can only reflect light, not create it. Mirrors in the dark reflect nothing but...well, dark. But hang it where light hits it and makes the space look lighter, brighter and better.

Aubrey and Tyler, my prayer for you is that you will reflect the love of Jesus to one another. God wants to minister to the other using you, and He can only do that if you are willing to do God's work in the other's life. You can not "fix" each other nor can you fulfill each other; only Jesus, through you, can do that. I hope your connection with each other is secondary only to your connection with the Father. If you can do that, God will fill you with an extraordinary love. If you can do that, God will work miracles in your lives. Then, everyone else will be able to see the reflection of Jesus in your lives. Blessings.

Colorado, Here I Come

I will be spending the next week in the mountains of Colorado. My niece is getting married in Colorado Springs so my family and I will be driving up that way. I will be back in a week or so. If you know how to post a picture, leave a comment and I will post some pictures when I get back. I am a self proclaimed techno-tard and need help with all things computer.