A great article

A friend posted this article on Facebook this morning.  It's a great story of how one church made choices that made a difference.  I encourage you to read it.  You can link to it here.

Thankful, Day 7

Today I'm thankful for grace.

It's a simple word.  In culture it has kindness attached to it, care for others, deference for another person's need.  But in the bible grace is rich with meaning.  It speaks of God's dealings with us.  In grace he has forgiven what we have done and given what we don't deserve or could ever earn.  Terms that are used to describe it are unmerited, free, abundant, undeserved.  It's God's great gifts given to us when we least deserved them.  

Today I'm most thankful for grace and the way God have extended it to even a sinner like me.

Thankful, Day 6

Today I'm thankful for peace.

When all around us it seems the world, our world, is falling apart we can have peace.  It's a peace that comes in the midst of difficult days and especially because of difficult days.  

Jesus described it in this way,

"I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So, don't be troubled by what happens or afraid of what might happen."  -Jesus

Peace.  It's a strange thing.  It feels like the eye of a storm.  All around is chaos and destruction, but in the eye of the storm is calm and peace.  

In a world today with the winds of storm all around I am thankful for the peace that comes from faith in God's care and provision.

Today I'm thankful for peace.

The unshakable Kingdom

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” -Heb 12

This morning, as I read these words from the author of Hebrews, I am once more reminded that the only unshakable kingdom is not a kingdom of this world.  We all long for stability, peace, calm, common purpose, leadership we can trust, and a kingdom that will last, but honestly it's not here, not part of life on this planet.  

The kingdom that will never be shaken is the kingdom of God established by King Jesus.  This unshakable kingdom will shake out all other kingdoms of the world and one day all will see the only kingdom left will be God's unshakable kingdom. The only king, Jesus.  

So, be thankful today, if you have trusted Christ, that although the kingdom you live in may be shaking, the unshakable kingdom is the country of your citizenship.  Be thankful and worship God who has prepared for us a kingdom that will not be shaken by the whims of men or angels.  A kingdom that will not be rocked by scandal or fraud.  A kingdom where peace and righteousness reigns.  A kingdom that will never be shaken.  

As a citizen of that kingdom and the one I reside in now I long for the eternal kingdom and the king who is soon to come and shake all the kingdoms of man.  In that day the unshakable kingdom will be the only one.  Jesus will be the only king.  Come, King Jesus, establish here your unshakable kingdom.  
  

Thankful, Day 5

Today I'm thankful I can be thankful.  

Sounds redundant doesn't it?  It is in a way, but I'm thankful that I can give thanks to God and know that he hears.  My thanks verbalize my trust in him and express my thanks for all he has done and is doing in my life.  

I'm thankful I have a reason to say thanks, to tell God how grateful I am for what he has done.  What a joy to be able to say "thank you" to the one who made me and loves me.

Today I'm thankful.

The election

I'm predicting that at the end of the day tomorrow God will still be seated on His throne and fully in charge of the Universe.  All is well, enjoy your day tomorrow and don't fret about who wins a little thing like the presidential election.  Here is a brief commentary on all of this from one of the greatest kings in history,

"At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.

His dominion is an eternal dominion;

    his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the peoples of the earth

    are regarded as nothing.

He does as he pleases

    with the powers of heaven

    and the peoples of the earth.

No one can hold back his hand

    or say to him: “What have you done?”  -Daniel 4

Thankful, Day 4

Today I'm thankful for rest.  

And, to celebrate my thankfulness for God's great gift....I'm going to rest.

Isn't God amazing that even in rest we can experience his provision?  

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty." -Psalm 91

Today I'm thankful for rest.

Thankful, Day 3

Today I'm thankful for laughter.  What a blessing God has given us to be able laugh, to be able to smile.  Humor, laughter and the noises that come with it lift our spirits and often quiet our fears.  Laughter is one of God's wonderful gifts we don't celebrate enough.

I first discovered humor when I spent time with my grandfather, Harold Mead.  He loved a good laugh, a prank, a practical joke.  He was a farmer in Iowa as I grew up.  I remember him with cigar in hand, big brim straw hat on his bald head and a twinkle in his eye.  He loved laughter.  My brother and I learned to appreciate humor from our times with him.  My brother has inherited his spirit of mirth and carries it on in his life.

There is nothing better in life than a laugh, a smile, the joy of celebration as we share a funny story or a practical joke.  In it all I see the heart of God and his joy in us.  He made us to laugh.  He made our faces so it's easier to smile than to frown.  God made us with the need and desire to laugh.  There is nothing more therapeutic to the soul than laughter.

Today I'm thankful for laughter.

Thankful, Day 2

Today I'm thankful for pain.

More than four years ago I fell (my own fault) and crushed my heel.  What followed  was surgery, months of recovery and ongoing pain with each step I take.  Now, without realizing it, I walk with  a slight limp.  Pain does that.  

I'm thankful for pain.  Because of it I know how wonderful it is when it's absent.  Because of it I know when something isn't right.  Because of pain I'm more aware of my mortality.  Pain is God's warning system that always gets my attention.  Pain is a "thorn in the flesh" but it's also a gift that moves me to prayer, to trust, to growth in faith.

James wrote these words to describe the work of pain in our lives, 

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." -James 1

Pain has become a close friend and constant companion.  It draws me to prayer, to trust in God, to growth I never imagined I could experience.  If you can avoid it I do recommend it, but if pain becomes your companion use it as an opportunity to grow in faith.

Today I'm thankful for pain.

Thankful, Day 1

It's two weeks to Thanksgiving.  A great time to focus on God's blessings and provision.  Many immediately think of things, but I would like to focus these two weeks on the more permanent, but often intangible stuff of life.  I won't talk about material things in these two weeks because that would mean there are some who might read these words and think they are not blessed because they don't have _______ or ______.  So, let's talk about what we can all celebrate and give thanks for.  Let's talk about what's really important!

Today I'm thankful for life!  I'm thankful that God has allowed me to be part of his amazing creation and witness his work around me.  I'm thankful for the life he has given me to enjoy.  Daily there are pains and problems, headaches and backaches, heartaches and forgotten memories, but each day I get to be part of God's amazing creation and live to see his handiwork.  

Today I'm thankful for life.

Decisions

There are decisions to be made.

We each have them.

What to wear, what to eat, where to go, what to do.

Decisions are part of our lives so much that we often don't realize that each decision is based on another and another until we come to some core decisions that are foundational to all we do and think.  These core decisions filter every other decision we make.  

What is a core decision?  What is a foundational decision that would frame and filter all other decisions?  Here are a few questions that each of us ask that help us establish our core decisions, our foundations,

1. Why am I here?  Your belief and decisions about that question will determine a lot about how you decide things today.  For example, imagine your answer is "I'm here to enjoy life."  Then, from that core belief and decision about purpose and destiny, all other decisions are constructed.  Work or play?  If enjoying life is your core decision then play is the only answer.  

Here's another one,

2. Is there a God?  Your answer to that question is a core decision and belief that will determine how you live out your foundational decisions.  If you believe in God then there is someone you must deal with.  If not, then whatever works for you is just fine....it's a decision that builds a foundation for your life and every decision that follows.

Here is a core decision from one of the authors of scripture,

You are my God, and I give thanks to You;

You are my God, I extol You. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalm 118

The author of these words made a core decision, a foundational one, "You are my God" and from that decision, that belief, others followed.  It's clear that his decision to give thanks is a response to an earlier decision of faith. One builds on another.

Often we fail to realize that the decisions of today do not stand alone, they are built on a foundation we may have constructed years ago.  Now we think differently, look at things differently, make decisions differently because of decisions made years in the past.  

Your decisions today never stand alone.  They are built on the past.  That is the very reason we have so many different opinions.  Somehow we have the idea that the issue we are discussing is completely clear to everyone, but each one is working from a series of past decisions that frame the way they look at everything, including the topic you're arguing about right now.  

If you were able to revisit and discover the decisions that brought you to this day what would you find?  Are they the foundations you want to build your life upon?  Maybe it's time to revisit foundational decisions and see if these are truly the decisions you want to define your life.  It might be time for some remodeling.

Don't be afraid...

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

A friend posted this verse on another site this morning.  It's always encouraging to be reminded of truth that touches your life in a moment, truth that resonates with your very soul.  This is one of those verses.  

"Don't be afraid..."  Why not?  And here is God's reason not to fear, "for I am with you."  You are not alone. God himself walks with you to comfort you, protect you, to be with you.  That is the most important thing you will read all day- if you are God's child "he is with you", you are not alone, it's not all on you to win the day, beat away the dragons, defeat the enemy.  God is with you.  

Dwell on those four words for a moment.  How would your day change if you lived like that were true?  It is true by the way.

"Don’t be discouraged..."  Why not? Once more, here is God's reason for this admonition,  "for I am your God."  I don't know about you, but discouragement is one of my plagues.  I fight it off frequently.  I don't think I've ever spent a moment to let this truth sink into me that the reason I shouldn't let discouragement win the day is because God is MY God.  The only God who exists is MY God and the result? I don't have to be discouraged.  

Two admonitions for the day.  Two reasons for the admonitions.  Both are connected to the nature, character and person of God.  In the moments that tempt you to fear or discouragement pause and read this passage.  It's the words of a loving father calming a distraught child.  It's the love of a parent holding the broken one sobbing from pain.  It's the loving hand of the father reaching out to hold my hand and calm me.  It's Father telling me, "It's ok, I'll take care of you."  

God's love and our reality

Fears abound in days like these.

All around me I see trouble, crisis, violence, cultures collapsing, fearful change on a daily basis.  Fear and change is the diet of our day and it only gives us indigestion.  How do we deal with these days?  How do we live with all that is happening around us?  Do we let fear rule us or do we find an oasis in the midst of the storms of world events to find peace?  Where do we find a place of peace in the midst of these hurricanes of fear?

Here it is,

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."  -Romans 8

The hiding place we seek, the relief from the storms of fear we desire is the love of Christ.  It's this passage that gives peace to so many in the midst of the storms of fear, violence and world events.  In the middle of the storms of your days you can (and should) find a place of calm in the love of Christ.  It provides the peace, the calm, the confidence to deal with any reality we might face.  

God's love doesn't promise we will escape the storm, but it gives us  a place of peace and rest, calm and confidence while all around us fear prevails.  Listen to and meditate on these words, they will change your life if you let them- "No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Today, in the midst of your reality, as chaotic and fearful as it might seem, take a moment and step into the love of God, the assurance that he loves you and will care for you no matter what happens around you or even to you.  It will calm your fears, quiet your heart and give you peace in the midst of a world of storms.

Nothing will ever separate me (or you) from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus my Lord.  It's the calm in the storms of my day that I run to when fears and chaos overwhelm me.  

How strange that the solution to all our problems is not world peace, but the love of Christ.  How would your day change if you took a moment away from the storm to rest in his love for you?

Trunk or Treat

Last night we had a great time in our church parking lot with something called "Trunk or Treat".  I had never heard of it before, but it was a great success and a lot of fun.  We had hundreds of beautiful and sugar loaded kids going from car to car to get candy and have fun in a safe environment.  I hope we do it again.  

Happy Birthday!

Today is my sweet wife's birthday!  It's so great to spend these years with such an amazing lady.  Happy Birthday sweetie!