I Must Confess, I Have Been Less Than Filled With A Spirit Of Courage Of Late...

In the last few months I have struggled with certain circumstances surrounding me, my family, and my place in God’s ministry.  To put the struggles in my life into perspective, I have learned to turn to Scripture.  And though there is so much contained in its pages, I particularly lean on (and sometimes read over and over again) the fourth chapter of Philippians.  It is a personal source of encouragement, and my reminder that faith is the only thing that can allow me peace in the hard times.  It speaks to my desires and their lower place of importance to my faithfulness.  It speaks to my firmly held belief that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  But it also speaks with clarity when my situations seem murky.  It literally shifts my heart to a place that begins to align my desires with God’s.  It gives me clarity and renewed purpose.

When Paul says that he has learned to be abased and to abound, I have always taken this to mean simply that he could live with or without material things.  But in a society that looked upon poverty with disdain, to be abased was more than to be simply poor or lacking… it was to be dishonored, or degraded.  (Paul uses another word to describe being in need at the end of the verse, so I don’t think the use of “abased” was accidental.)  For Paul, there was an element of his service to Christ that allowed him to find peace even when he was being abased.  The realization that Paul’s sole source of joy was the Christ… that his sole fount of peace was the Spirit of God… that his only discernible strength was in God’s presence… for me speaks volumes about my own need to center myself in that all-encompassing faith.

At the end of the day, I am simply trying to live faithfully in my call to help others do the same

I Have To Confess, I Need To Diet...

06-13-2014

1 Corinthians 4: 8 - “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (NKJV)

In an age where every frustrated and frustrating thought is conceived, typed and shared with... sometimes very little thought or effort and considerably large audiences through social media, it is easy to consume an almost unending diet of negativity if we aren’t careful. People are often extravagant when sharing their nonsense, or fear, or anger, or ignorance and frustration. And as the old adage says, “we are what we eat.” That applies to spiritual food too. Just remember that the spiritual diet also feeds your emotional and physical needs.

Be careful what you feed your soul. The wrong diet can lead to spiritual and emotional “flabbiness” and dis-ease. However if we instead feast on the things that are true, noble, just, pure, and virtuous, we fuel ourselves for positive action and choice. So eat, drink, and be merry… just make sure it’s good food that leads to life and health.

In Christ’s love,

Chris

I Have To Confess, I Love Alison Krauss...

05-23-2014

2 Chronicles 20: 21-22 – “And when he [Jehosaphat] had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

‘Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.’

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”

I’ve often told my wife, “I could listen to Alison Krauss sing names from the phone book.” Her voice is just that beautiful to me. But I have to admit that as angelic as that voice is, if she were to only sing with one note, eventually it would become more of an irritation than a joy. That instrument was created with both range and depth that are meant to be used fully.

If I Had A Hammer...

05-26-2014

When Jesus tells his disciples that they will do greater works than He did in John’s 14th chapter (v. 12); it is not because they are more potent than he is, but because they are formidable tools in His powerful hand. Having spent time with and being taught and shaped by the very hand of the Master, they are an extension of His own arm… wielded with efficiency and power that only a master craftsm...an can achieve.

A hammer will never be able to tell about all the wonderful things that it has built. Even if it could talk, all it would be able to tell us would be about the person who used it to accomplish the work that was done. It was only used in the ways that the carpenter chose to use it. It couldn’t get up and spontaneously produce anything… but with a skilled hand guiding it, oh the beauty that it got to be used in building.

Our faith should be (or at the least, be beginning to be) growing to a point that we aren’t dependent upon an outcome that we desire to continue believing that God is Sovereign.

I Must Confess To My Own Occasional Idolatry...

05-25-2014

Exodus 20:3 - “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Many of us are well aware that money, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol, food, power, popularity, or any number of things can become idols in our lives. But have we realized that in being consumed by angst, fear, anger and worry over illness, or joblessness, or social ills, or any number of difficulties or problems that they can become idols... as well? They become a priority for us. They take up our energy. They move us away from relationship with God because they can consume our attention almost completely.

Worship (as opposed to the understanding of just being Sunday morning services) is an act that is meant to be continual and deserves all of our energy and responsiveness. If we are exerting most or all of our drive to focusing on a problem, personally or societally; then we are effectively making that single problem a “little g” god in our lives because we are expending more vitality dealing with it than communing with and trusting God. We have placed it on a pedestal in the center of our full view. We become idolatrous in that moment.

I am a prideful man in so many ways. I can even manage to be proud of how humble I can be. (If you look irony up in the dictionary, there’s probably a picture of that next to it.)

I Must Confess, The Wells I Dig Can Be Shallow...

04-20-2014

Ephesians 2: 8-10 – “⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God —  ⁹ not the result of works, so that no one may boast.  ¹⁰ For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

I suppose that I should begin my thoughts with a disclaimer:

It seems that from the beginning, people of faith in their very sincere desire to please God, have missed the mark by confusing the things of man’s “successes” with what God considers to be true accomplishment.  (i.e. Cain’s sacrifice, Adam and Eve’s desire to be as smart as God, etc.)  So we are not alone in our current “misguidedness”. 

[End disclaimer.]

To elaborate a little further, Abraham built altars as we know from Genesis.  Where he encountered God, he made an altar to signify the exchange.  Then he would dig wells as he needed water for his family and herds while tarrying there.  Isaac saw this and would later re-dig those wells with disastrous result; even though he followed Abraham’s “formula” when doing it.  He thought that the wells were the accomplishments, when in fact it was the faithfulness to worship (follow God’s leading) that brought God’s favor to him.  (A lesson that Isaac finally learned we find in Chap 26 and v. 25)

In our modern contexts we often mistake the buildings in which we gather for the blessing of God.  Our parents and grandparents worked and sacrificed to build them and have left us a legacy not unlike Abraham’s legacy for Isaac.  And like Isaac, we have misunderstood the truth of these gifts.

I Have To Confess, I Believe ANYTHING Is Possible...

04-20-2014

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 Here is the glorious news Christians... in rising and walking out of the tomb (His resurrection), the Christ has eliminated our impossible! What is left, however improbable (our resurrection, salvation, eternal life, healing, and wholeness) must be the truth. Faith doesn't make the things of God easy, just possible.

 "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty." 2 Peter 1: 16 (NRSV)

Thoughts On Unity

03-26-2014

Ephesians 4: 15-16 - "But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love." (NRSV)

In the context of verses 7-16, these two pull into a focus the progression of life together in the body of Christ.  As children grow sometimes they experience what we call growing pains; joints and muscles that hurt as bodies change and prepare to take on more stresses put on them by more and more adult activity.  And though only legs may hurt, the whole child is affected by the sensation.  Every fiber, sinew, and tissue has specific purpose that supports the function of every other part of the body and is connected intricately.  Each part of the body belongs to the others if you will.

So what happens to the body of Christ when it sometimes experiences pain born in change and growth?  Is it a cause for division and disunity?  Unlike the human body that might endure the pain because a leg can’t just cease to be a part of the body; members of the Church sometimes think that we shouldn’t have to suffer with, or perhaps more accurately because of, the other parts of the body.  I think that sometimes this happens because we forget that each part of the Body belongs to the other.  Healing and peace can’t take place as long as we continue to forget that.

Each part of the body when it is working properly under the head, Christ, “promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”  God creates and gifts with purpose, “the whole body joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped” to function in a specific way.  Growing pains will happen, but amputation shouldn’t be the first resort. 

Whatever part of the body you were made and gifted to be, always remember that you weren’t meant to do it alone.  You belong to the other parts of the Body, and they to you.  Make covenant to grow together even when it is painful… the result is a body that is stronger when the pain has passed.

I Must Confess, I Don't Know Why Mean People Are Mean...

03-24-2014

There was a campaign a few years back complete with a movie, bumper stickers, t-shirts, and decals that declared with much popularity that “Mean People Suck!”

While I think we can all agree that this is true, how often have we sought to find out what makes mean people mean? Are people mean or nice just by chance?

 Emotional pain is often more difficult to bear than physical pain. It can go unnoticed easily… it is hidden with less difficulty… but is often more painful than its physical counterpart. Most people have no trouble sharing that their back is aching; however, it is embarrassing to admit when your heart is breaking. That kind of pain can become debilitating if not dealt with and, just like a broken bone that is not set correctly, the heart can be left deformed.

I Must Confess, I Used To Be Fearless...

03-23-2014

Acts 20: 32 – “And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified”

My mother tells me that when I was a very young man and we moved to Bay City, TX, we hadn’t been there two weeks before people she didn’t know were coming up and calling me by name and speaking with me.  I knew them, and they knew me.  Apparently, I didn’t know that I was supposed to be afraid of new things and people.  I was just happy to be making friends, and it never occurred to me that I should be cautious of strangers.  I think that maybe there was an element of my fearlessness that was due to my parents’ ability to make me believe that they would always keep me safe. 

Can just being sweet be pleasing to God?

02-22-2014

I wonder if a pleasant demeanor in and of itself is something that praises God whether or not there is active verbal preaching going on.  When Jesus was making His point to the disciples in Luke’s 12^th chapter about worry, He pointed to some wildflowers, lilies in most translations, and used them as an illustration of what beauty is. (v. 27)  

They didn’t toil.  They weren’t useful for food.  The lilies couldn’t be made into clothing or shelter.  They weren’t like their counterparts in the cultivated gardens and fields in the area.  And yet in this instance, just because they were beautiful, Jesus chose them over say… corn to teach a lesson.  Sometimes being nice or pleasant, not preaching or cajoling,

I Must Confess, I Have Chased Shadows...

03-25-2014

John 8: 12 -  Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

The interesting thing about Jesus' proclamation is this; in order to follow the light you have to be facing it… turned towards it as you move closer to it.  If a person turns from the light and faces the shadow... if they chase the shadow… they will never catch it, and the darkness will eventually consume them.  But, as they face and move closer to the light, the shadows that chase them grow smaller and will never overtake them.

Live in the light today.

Are Christians warriors, or field labor?

03-24-2014

Luke 10: 2 – “Then He said to them, ‘The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”

There is no denying that there is a battle waging for the souls of men and women. The word tells us as much. But the New Testament also tells us that Jesus has already proclaimed victory over sin and death. The outcome has already been determined in eternal and Heavenly terms. So why do we who believe that the war is won feel the need to continue to beat our plowshares into swords? It’s time to return to the fields and begin to reap the harvest. It is time to trust the Master who sends us into the fields.

 Luke 10: 19-20 – “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Our main task in missions isn’t fighting Satan; he has no authority over us anyway. Our task is carrying out the Lord’s will. Jesus will handle the conflicts and clashes. What we are tasked with is reaching the lost.

Grace and Peace be with you today.

I Have To Confess, I Have Ridden The Pine More Often Than I Should Have...

02-20-2014

"Football consists of 22 men on the field desperately in need of a rest, and 60,000 in the stands desperately in need of exercise." - Author unknown

Worship isn't a spectator sport, it is meant to be participatory.  So today I encourage you to "get in the game" and get some spiritual exercise! 

It's been said that 20% of the people in churches do 80% of the work... I'm not sure how accurate those numbers are, but just pretending they’re right; perhaps we have more spectators than “athletes”?  In global terms, that would mean that out of the 2.1 BILLION estimated Christians, only 420 million are engaged in actively worshiping God by sharing their gifts and lives with God’s people in mission and ministry.  It’s God’s will that that percentage be much higher… like say, 100%. 

John 4:23 – “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”  (NKJV)

Spectator or worshiper, which will you be today?

Let’s worship together… for the Father is seeking you for just that purpose.  May God bless and keep you today!

I Must Confess, I'm Pretty Foolish In My Wisdom...

02-04-2014

1 Corinthians 1: 25 -- "For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength."

When many in this world experience betrayal, wisdom dictates that they should shut out the betrayer.  We show how strong we are by proving that we can live without them!  As children who have sinned against God, our own definition of wisdom dictates that we should be cast out of existence with all of God’s strength.  Aren’t we blessed that Jesus, who doesn’t need us to begin with, is “foolish” enough to love us; and is “weak” enough that He doesn’t want to live without us, even though He surely can.

Just to be clear… forgiving and loving someone who seeks to harm you is not the same as continuing to be a party to their abuse.  Only that once you are free of their physical or emotional torment, you find the strength to let go of the hatred and anger that are nothing but poison to your own soul, and find freedom to live without the burden that those chains impose.

When someone harms you, it may seem pretty foolish to forgive them… absurd to try to trust them again… and “clinically” insane to love them anyway.  I pray that you are able to find wisdom in the “foolishness” of the Christ, and that you find strength in His “weakness”.  It turns out they’re both tied to the same thing… loving. 

I Must Confess, I Often Carry A Machete When I Should Be Carrying Water Jars...

01-29-2014

"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." - C.S. Lewis

In the earliest act of creation, the Bible tells us that God separated earth from the heavens, and that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Gen 1:2 NKJV)  God saw that life needed water for continued growth and health.  Without it, living things wither and die.  The same is true of our spiritual life and growth.  Without the life giving power of God’s flowing Spirit pouring into and nourishing us, our spiritual landscape becomes dry and cracked; unable to be fertile soil in which seeds of life can take deep root and grow.  When that happens, we wither and die. 

“What Is Love? Baby Don’t Hurt Me. Don’t Hurt Me, No More.” Haddaway - 1993

01-22-2014

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.  We love because he first loved us.”  (1 John 4: 18-19 NRSV)

Now that I have many of you bobbing your heads to the side as you are reading this (admit it, if you were an SNL fan in the 90s you were at least tempted to bounce your head a little), I wanted to take a moment to share a few thoughts I have had lately regarding an ancient and continuing problem within the human condition... the problem of "love".

I have often seen social media posts and quotes that say things like “I’ve given up on wasting time worrying about people who don’t like me” or “I’m only going to expend energy loving the people who love me.”  (I’m paraphrasing here of course.)  And while I understand the underlying principle, I have to say I disagree with the idea that Love is a transaction.  That doesn’t mean that I advocate staying in abusive relationships, nor do I encourage being taken advantage of as a standard operating procedure (that isn't a very loving expression on the part of others either).  But I find that if we treat love as a commodity to be counted, countered, withheld, traded, or accumulated, we take away its immeasurable quality and value.

14 Things That Christians Should Be Seeking In 2014…

12-31-2013

In the old hymn, taken from the scriptures, Christians are told “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”  As we turn the calendar pages tomorrow and begin a new year, I thought I would offer some thoughts on what it might mean to seek the Kingdom in the New Year…

1. Seek to know God more through searching the Scriptures.
2. Seek to know spiritual health by intentionally seeking balance through a prayer life that strengthens you for physical living.
3. Seek to know your neighbors more through intentional fellowship and interaction.
4. Seek to know patience for dealing with difficult people and situations in your life by remembering God’s patience when dealing with your difficult behaviors and the situations you have created.

I Must Confess, I Want A "Get Out of Jail Free" Card...

12-22-2013

Did Jesus forgive sin, or excuse it?  Is there a difference?

There seems, at least to me, to be a movement within some Christian circles to soften Jesus’ stance on sin.  And I have to confess… I’ve done it too when I thought someone needed to hear the hope that there is forgiveness for any sin except for blasphemy of the Spirit, and I’m even willing to bet that so long as that’s not a person’s last act in this world, there’s a chance that God forgives that too (but that is a personally held hope, not a scripturally proven belief).  I want people to know that God is a God of love and forgiveness… of mercy and grace.  And I want more and more people to come and be a part of that community born of grace… but do we cheapen grace by saying, “It’s okay!  Anything you’re currently doing is fine!  God forgives!” and leave it at that?

God indeed forgives, and Jesus is certainly proof of that.  As we know, he hung out with the dregs of his society… consorted with tax collectors, thieves, and prostitutes… wouldn’t stone a woman caught in adultery… made wine at a party (and it was the good stuff)… He didn’t seem to “hate on” his disciples if they were less that 100% in line with “tradition” or the “man-made” rules; but should all of this evidence lead us to believe that Jesus was “okay” with sin?

The “flip-side” of that coin is the place where some in the Kingdom seem to be on permanent “seek and destroy” missions in waging the war against sin.  Now this is something I have also been guilty of in my life; particularly, early in my walk with God.  I suppose that the pendulum swings pretty far in either direction before it starts to move back to the center and then on to the other side again for most of us.  Is it enough to say that God hates sin and leave it at that?

And are we carrying the discussion far enough if we stop there?

I Have To Confess, I Have Sometimes Cultivated the Wrong Orchard...

12-20-2013

In one of those serendipitous convergences of moments in time (or in laymen’s terms, “a funny thing happened on the way to this post”), I have been working on a paper in which I was attempting to search for similarities between writings of both Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Tupac Shakur in an attempt to find a bridge between traditional orthodox Christian views of community and those held within the hip-hop culture.  (it was 19 pages, so I’ll spare you and not post that one…)  While I was engaged in reading for this, the dust up over attempts to remove Christ form Christmas began.  Now the suspension of the Duck Commander has occurred as well; all over a statement of his opinions and his (already open) declaration of his faith and the beliefs that are born in it.  (It’s been a busy Advent season to say the least!)

While I am neither surprised by nor, frankly, shaken by the latest round of conflicts for the soul of humanity, I am a bit surprised at the angry tone of many in this debate.  I have seen many people on social media who have decried the treatment of the Robertson patriarch, or the need to keep Christ where He belongs, and speaking of the need for tolerance to be a two way street.  (A truer statement may not exist…)  The problem is that each time someone declares that God is not hate, God is love, that these statements are largely made using ALL CAPS with extra 4 or 5 exclamation points added for emphasis!!!!!  The text world’s equivalent to screaming.  There seems to be a disconnect in this action for me. 

We find the reason for the season in the expression of God for the world in the presence of Emanuel.  Phil gets that.  And apparently believes in it fully enough to put his “show” (livelihood) where his heart is.  But I have seen no angry statement from any of the family about the situation… maybe we could take a page from the very man we claim is important enough to support through actions like boycotts and petitions and learn to embrace the totality of the faith in the One that also says that the world will despise you for your belief in me, but fear not for I am always with you.  (paraphrasing here of course)

I Must Confess, I Hate Being Sick, But I Appreciated The Gift Today...

12-8-2013

So this morning I was suddenly stricken with a sick migraine headache on my way to Eureka for services… and I’m sorry that I didn’t get to finish there today, even if Donny felt it was the best sermon I’ve preached in a while! (I didn’t even get to the sermon.)  But in a strange turn of events as I got home, got my medicine, and got into that still quiet and dark space that one needs to deal with migraines, I was still thinking of the scripture in Matthew 3:2 for some reason.  “…and saying ‘Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’” (NKJV)  

Somewhere in that place between sleep and consciousness I had this thought… John’s proclamation means that Heaven isn’t some distant place beyond the clouds anymore, but it is apparently still out beyond our fears.  If we can get past them we will realize that the Baptizer was right… Heaven is for us to find down here as well.

It’s strange how that thought stuck with me when so many of my transitional dreams/ random thoughts don’t.  But I thought I would share it now just the same.  Pride and fear are two of the biggest hindrances to repentance.  Pride says “I don’t need to repent.”  Fear says, “I’ll have to give up too much if I do.”  Advent is all about the reminder that in Emanuel, we can know that God is not as distant as we once thought.  And in conquering our fear and repenting of the sins in our lives (in whatever form they may take) we can begin to experience Heaven down here while participating in ushering it into the rest of creation.  Not far out beyond your fear Heaven is waiting for you today.  Repent and enter in…

I Must Confess, I'm Guilty of A Holiday "Crime"...

12-2-2013

Happy Holidays!  There, I said it.  As both a Christian and a Pastor, I have no problems saying Merry Christmas, and I understand the root in the word Christmas is Christ.  He, above all else, is why we celebrate this commemorative season of advent.  It is a high and holy time of year for we who believe the truth of God’s breaking into creation in a very specific and pointed way.  But I also have no real problem saying Happy Holidays either.  There are those who push for this designation in an attempt to somehow “de-religion” or “un-church” the celebration.  For some it is a realization that there are also other religious celebrations that are observed in the same period of time in a calendar year.  The irony is that if one were to do a little research into the origins of the word holiday they may be surprised…

Merriam-Webster offers these definitions:

hol·i·day noun \ˈhä-lə-ˌdā, British usually ˈhä-lə-dē\

: a special day of celebration : a day when most people do not have to work

Full Definition of HOLIDAY

1 :  holy day

2 :  a day on which one is exempt from work; specifically :  a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event (italics added)

3 chiefly British :  vacation —often used in the phrase on holiday —often used in plural

4 :  a period of exemption or relief <corporations enjoying a tax holiday>

Beyond that in the explanation of the origin of the word it says, “Middle English, from Old English hāligdæg, from hālig holy +dæg day.  First Known Use: before 12th century

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holiday)

So in saying “Happy Holidays” we are actually wishing people several happy, Holy - Days… days that are exempt from work, and in commemoration of this specific event.  (I submit that is an example of Sabbath)  I suppose that it is appropriate then, that even in the attempted avoidance of “overt religiosity”, people find a lack of ability to remove Holiness from the equation. 

So to my friends who are worried about the attempt to remove Christ from Christmas… rest easy.  To paraphrase an old adage, “You can take the Christmas out of the greeting, but you can’t take the Holy out of the holiday.”  Christ’s promise is this, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.  Amen”  (Matt 28: 20b NKJV)  Culturally neutral words can’t change that.  Love in truth and in deed this year and make the celebration Holy in all the ways you can by loving the same people the Savior did.

I Have To Confess, Life Is A Sweet Gift!

November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!  And to my Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah! It is my prayer that you are blessed in many special ways today and every day. 

As I sit here typing, my wife is working with her mother to fashion a feast that we can share at table later today.  The aromas have already started the “rumblies” in my tummy to churning.  The sound of joy filled conversation is mixed in with noises of mixers and oven timers and coffee pots percolating.  And I am reminded of the passage in Psalm 26:8, “O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.”

Surely these moments, where the sweet song of life lived together is sung, are the place where the Lord’s glory abides.  It is these moments where loving as God does can become easier.  I suppose that we have managed to convince ourselves that loving like God does is hard… that it requires some Spiritual muscle that we don’t have.  But in giving thanks I am reminded that love isn’t a straining moral obligation, but a gift.  Love made the cross of Calvary salvific, not the torture and pain.  And in love you find the dwelling place of God.

I am thankful for each of you my friends and family who have shown me love and encouragement and guidance through the years.  I am thankful for the controlled chaos of Thanksgiving meals being prepared and shared.  And above all else, I am most thankful for a love that began before time, and that has no end…   

I Have to Confess, I Am A Glass Is Half Full Kind Of Person...

November 23, 2013

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”  --  John F Kennedy

This weekend we mark the 50^th anniversary of an event that shook American notions of stability and prominence.  The assassination of an American President.  And just like that fateful day, we are less than a week from a very American Holiday, Thanksgiving.  I wonder as I see and hear unrest on so many newscasts over this political opinion or that, “Have we come very far in this country?”  Dialogue seems to be drowned out by demagoguery on both sides, and there seems to be little interest in actually seeking for solutions to difference of viewpoints.  I don’t share these thoughts because of a sense that all is lost, but rather because I know that it isn’t.  Just as 50 years ago families and communities found renewed reason to be thankful for the good things in life as they were reminded of its fragile nature; we have good reason to identify and give thanks for that which is good in our lives… and that can be a catalyst for real renewal and change in our lives, communities, and nation.

When we begin to have thankful hearts we can realize that just like a magnet tied to a string and dragged through a yard begins to attract metallic objects that we might not notice with the naked eye, our hearts begin to find in every hour, some “new” blessing that we may have missed before.  From this surprising “wealth” of blessing then, we can find a reason to give into others’ needs from a place of abundance that we never knew we had.  And in the end, it isn’t what we say about our blessings that matters, but how we use them that becomes the measure of our thankfulness.  An ungrateful heart never feels that it has as much as it deserves… a grateful heart can’t contain the joy it feels in the knowledge that it has more than it will ever need. 

Galatians 6: 8-9 says, “If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.  So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.”  Sow seeds of gratitude, and God’s word says you’ll reap an eternal harvest.  Now, what are you going to do with the yield?