If you are like me chances are you love spring time. There is just something about this time of year with all the wild flowers blooming, tree leaves popping out everywhere, and with every change of wind direction there is something new to sneeze about. Just the other day I was sitting on a bench in a shaded patio area and just happened to look down to notice a caterpillar creeping and crawling across the sidewalk. It was taking what seemed to be forever for this little green creature to make its way to wherever its destination was. As I watched for a moment this thought popped into my head, I wonder if he is thinking, ‘If only I could fly?’
When caterpillars come into the world it has to creep and crawl in order to get from place to place. It is a difficult life and the dangers are everywhere around them. They can be snatched up by a bird or some big footed human could come along and integrate the caterpillar with the sidewalk. The thing about it is this, even though the caterpillar has to endure creeping and crawling, it was born to fly. At a certain time in the life of a caterpillar it will build a cocoon type covering around itself and during this time it is transformed into a butterfly and it becomes able to do what it was created to do – FLY!
That’s the way life is, you are born into a set of circumstances which may or may not be enjoyable or ideal, but it is the life in which you were born. You may have been born into a wealthy family or a very poor family. The variables of life circumstances are as deep as they are wide. Regardless of you how or where you came into this world you need to know one thing, you were born to fly, and you were created for something much greater than this world.
God never promised any one that life on the earth would be easy. As a matter of fact he tells us that life will be challenging as well as full of blessings. He also tells you and me that there is a life beyond this world that is perfect and it is the place you and I were created to live.
So if you are struggling through life right now and if life just doesn’t seem to be fair, hang on…. help is on the way. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave over 2000 years ago so that you and I could spend eternity in the place for which we were created to live. Praise God for His loving grace and mercy. Praise Jesus for His loving sacrifice. Now get out there and spread your wings … you were born to fly!
Love God. Go Love Others.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Storms
If you live in North Texas you most likely got to experience some part of a huge thunderstorm at your house. It was quite a storm that came across our area and it affected parts of our community differently. Some people were hit with high winds, hail, thunder, lightening and a ton of rain. Others just experienced the rain and thunder storm and still others mostly got a lot of thunder and very little rain. That is the way storms are most of the time, they pass through an area or region and depending on where you live you might get hit pretty hard or you might just barely notice that a storm had passed through your area.
As we all know, it rains on the just and the unjust. It also hails on the just and the unjust, and damage to personal property happens to the just and the unjust. That is just the way life is. On the flip side, the sun shines on the just and the unjust, flowers bloom for the just and unjust, birds sing for the just the unjust. This is just the way life is.
None of us can forecast the future and know exactly what is going to happen in your life. You may have a life time of storms or you may have a life time of sunshine and fair skies. Regardless of what come your way you are called to live out your faith to the glory of God. In sunshine or rain, good times or bad times, health or illness, fortune or poverty you and I are called to glorify God in all things and at all times.
In order to do that you and I must have a tremendous amount of focus and faith in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. You and I must keep our eyes and all of our attention on the one and only who can help us through the storms of life and can also helps us keep our focus during the times of our life when we have no struggles or difficulties.
May I suggest to you to make it a point every day to spend time focusing on Jesus and your walk with him. Early in the day before you set out on your daily journey take some time to focus on the fact that you are a child of the King and you have been born into a spiritual family and the Father of that family expects you to live out your faith in real and dynamic ways daily. You and I are to have extraordinary lives of faith, service, love and compassion as we experience the grace, mercy and love that come from the Father.
You and I are a part of a loving family of faith who is called to lift up and minister to the broken world around us. In order for you and me to do that affectively we must devote ourselves to being centered in Jesus Christ and we must devote ourselves to seeking out opportunities to serve each other and the community in which we live.
God has blessed you in amazing ways – now go share that with the world.
Love God. Go Love Others.
As we all know, it rains on the just and the unjust. It also hails on the just and the unjust, and damage to personal property happens to the just and the unjust. That is just the way life is. On the flip side, the sun shines on the just and the unjust, flowers bloom for the just and unjust, birds sing for the just the unjust. This is just the way life is.
None of us can forecast the future and know exactly what is going to happen in your life. You may have a life time of storms or you may have a life time of sunshine and fair skies. Regardless of what come your way you are called to live out your faith to the glory of God. In sunshine or rain, good times or bad times, health or illness, fortune or poverty you and I are called to glorify God in all things and at all times.
In order to do that you and I must have a tremendous amount of focus and faith in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. You and I must keep our eyes and all of our attention on the one and only who can help us through the storms of life and can also helps us keep our focus during the times of our life when we have no struggles or difficulties.
May I suggest to you to make it a point every day to spend time focusing on Jesus and your walk with him. Early in the day before you set out on your daily journey take some time to focus on the fact that you are a child of the King and you have been born into a spiritual family and the Father of that family expects you to live out your faith in real and dynamic ways daily. You and I are to have extraordinary lives of faith, service, love and compassion as we experience the grace, mercy and love that come from the Father.
You and I are a part of a loving family of faith who is called to lift up and minister to the broken world around us. In order for you and me to do that affectively we must devote ourselves to being centered in Jesus Christ and we must devote ourselves to seeking out opportunities to serve each other and the community in which we live.
God has blessed you in amazing ways – now go share that with the world.
Love God. Go Love Others.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Moving Experience
In just a few weeks my parents will be moving from Canton, Texas to Round Rock, Texas. They will be moving into a Senior Living Apartment which is a lot smaller than the house they live in now. When couples have been married for over sixty years they tend to collect a lot of stuff during that time. Some of the things they have gathered are things that have sentimental value such as the first bedroom set they ever bought, china that belonged to my mother’s mother and my favorite item the knife my dad’s dad used to slaughter hogs. My parents also have some other stuff that does not have the same value as the sentimental belongings. They have things that have been collected over the years from garage sales, estate sales and places like First Monday in Canton. Some of those things are nice, but some just need to be donated or given away.
My wife Mary and I have spent some time trying to help my parents decide what to keep, what to donate and what to just throw away. Deciding what to keep and move has proven to be a challenge. How does someone just get rid of something they have had in their possession for decades? How do you determine to take just what you need in order to set up your house and enjoy your surroundings? Moving is never a fun task and moving to a smaller place that forces you to down size brings a fair amount of stress.
One of the things I am trying to keep in mind is the fact that it is just stuff and even though it may have meaning and memories it is just stuff. Jesus tells you and I to not get attached to the things of this world that gather dust and rust and fall apart. Rather you and I are called to invest in the treasures of the Kingdom of God. The stuff that God values does not gather dust nor does it rust and it is created to last forever.
If you and I will keep that principle in mind as we go through life we will have an easier time when it comes to parting with our “stuff”. Treasure the things that you can take with you any where such as your love for your spouse and your family, the values given to you by your parents and mentors, the faith you have grown into during your daily walk with Jesus, the love that you have for life long friends, the memories you have a warm summer days teaching children or teenagers to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, or the majesty and splendor of a cloudless night in the country when the stars are so bright and so big that you feel as if you are walking with God through the timeless part of eternity, or the evenings around the dinner table with family, good food, good conversation and of course and a good joke that brings uncontrollable laughter. That is the stuff that last forever and that is the stuff that holds the most value and the greatest thing is that stuff is easy to pack.
So go out today and invest in a memory or two that will last a life time and be something that you can take with you regardless of where you live and how big your barn is and along the way remember to make a difference in the lives of all you touch. In short, invest in eternity.
Love God. Go Love Others.
My wife Mary and I have spent some time trying to help my parents decide what to keep, what to donate and what to just throw away. Deciding what to keep and move has proven to be a challenge. How does someone just get rid of something they have had in their possession for decades? How do you determine to take just what you need in order to set up your house and enjoy your surroundings? Moving is never a fun task and moving to a smaller place that forces you to down size brings a fair amount of stress.
One of the things I am trying to keep in mind is the fact that it is just stuff and even though it may have meaning and memories it is just stuff. Jesus tells you and I to not get attached to the things of this world that gather dust and rust and fall apart. Rather you and I are called to invest in the treasures of the Kingdom of God. The stuff that God values does not gather dust nor does it rust and it is created to last forever.
If you and I will keep that principle in mind as we go through life we will have an easier time when it comes to parting with our “stuff”. Treasure the things that you can take with you any where such as your love for your spouse and your family, the values given to you by your parents and mentors, the faith you have grown into during your daily walk with Jesus, the love that you have for life long friends, the memories you have a warm summer days teaching children or teenagers to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, or the majesty and splendor of a cloudless night in the country when the stars are so bright and so big that you feel as if you are walking with God through the timeless part of eternity, or the evenings around the dinner table with family, good food, good conversation and of course and a good joke that brings uncontrollable laughter. That is the stuff that last forever and that is the stuff that holds the most value and the greatest thing is that stuff is easy to pack.
So go out today and invest in a memory or two that will last a life time and be something that you can take with you regardless of where you live and how big your barn is and along the way remember to make a difference in the lives of all you touch. In short, invest in eternity.
Love God. Go Love Others.
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