Today is my birthday. I want to thank all my facebook friends for their birthday greetings.
The reason fir this post is due to a comment I heard from a co-worker yesterday regarding birthdays. He made the statement that a birthday just means you're one year closer to being dead.
How is that one goes from counting down the days to our birthdays (and half-birthdays) as children to dreading them as a reminder of our mortality? Personally, I love birthdays, and not just mine. I enjoy celebrating with friends and family the day of their birth. This past April, my wife and I attended a birthday party with a theme based upon one of my favorite shows, "The Office." Every year, our kids telll us what kind of birthday party they want, usually a comic book hero or action character for the boys and princesses and Barbie for my daughter.
How do I view today? I view it like any other day. Today is a gift from God. I need to make the most of it. As the psalmist said " This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (118:24, ESV)
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to everyone. As many of you are off spending time with family and wrapping the last of the gifts, don't forget to take some time to reflect. This is the day we celebrate God taking on human form. The one whom the prophet Isaiah saw and as a result pronounced a curse upon himself came to earth as a baby. The same Yahweh who declared to Moses that no man may see and live, came to earth.
Let us also remember that Jesus was born to die. The same prophet declared this baby would one day be beaten, abused, and ultimately put to death to pay the penalty for our sin.
In our celebration, let us remember that Jesus, the God-man, lives!
Let us also remember that Jesus was born to die. The same prophet declared this baby would one day be beaten, abused, and ultimately put to death to pay the penalty for our sin.
In our celebration, let us remember that Jesus, the God-man, lives!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thoughts on Losing a Pet
We woke up this morning to see our dog Ella had escaped from her cage and was hit by a car overnight. I used to wonder how in the world people could mourn of the loss of a pet. I mean it was only a dumb animal, right? I get it now.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Sometimes I Think of Abraham...
The title for this post comes from "Sometimes By Step" by the late great Rich Mullins. A short while ago, I was reading about Abraham in Courageous Faith by Ed Hindson. Jews, Muslims, and Christians all point to Abraham as the father of their faith. We cannot deny the importance of Abraham in history.
As much as Abraham is to be admired figure, i can't help noticing how God tells what a screw-up he was. He was promised a son, so he and his wife, Sarah work it out to give him a son through Hagar. While it seemed to be the perfect solution to Abraham's heir problem, it opened up a can of worms, as Ishmael's descendants, the Arabs, have a radical hatred for the descendants of Isaac, a son later born though Sarah.
In order to save his own skin, Abraham told Sarah to lie twice about being his wife.
Example of faith? Father of the faithful? Why is this screw-up heralded as a great example? Maybe to show the rest of us screw-ups that it doesn't take perfection to honor God. Sometimes it takes believing that God is who He said He is, and He will do what He said He will do.
As much as Abraham is to be admired figure, i can't help noticing how God tells what a screw-up he was. He was promised a son, so he and his wife, Sarah work it out to give him a son through Hagar. While it seemed to be the perfect solution to Abraham's heir problem, it opened up a can of worms, as Ishmael's descendants, the Arabs, have a radical hatred for the descendants of Isaac, a son later born though Sarah.
In order to save his own skin, Abraham told Sarah to lie twice about being his wife.
Example of faith? Father of the faithful? Why is this screw-up heralded as a great example? Maybe to show the rest of us screw-ups that it doesn't take perfection to honor God. Sometimes it takes believing that God is who He said He is, and He will do what He said He will do.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
When To Slow Down
When I woke up this morning, I had a sharp pain in my left shoulder. It was so bad that when I attempted to get a coffe cup out of the cupboard with my righ hand, the pain got worse on my left shoulder. Throughout the day, I had to do everything slower than I'm used to doing it. walking, turning in my chair, eating lunch all had to be done much more slowly and deliberately today.
For those of you who know me, I don't do too much slowly. I'm usually a charge-ahead, get-up-and-go type of person. While it still hurts, I am learning the benefits of slowing down. Slowing down allows you to really hear others, because you are actually listening. In Ps 46:10, God reminds us through the psalmist to "be still, and know I am God" (ESV). When you take the time to slow down, you are able to hear what God is telling through His Word, through circumstances, and through His people.
Am I enjoying the pain i my neck? No, but I was able to get a taste of learning to slow down, and listen
For those of you who know me, I don't do too much slowly. I'm usually a charge-ahead, get-up-and-go type of person. While it still hurts, I am learning the benefits of slowing down. Slowing down allows you to really hear others, because you are actually listening. In Ps 46:10, God reminds us through the psalmist to "be still, and know I am God" (ESV). When you take the time to slow down, you are able to hear what God is telling through His Word, through circumstances, and through His people.
Am I enjoying the pain i my neck? No, but I was able to get a taste of learning to slow down, and listen
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