This morning I am sitting in front of the computer, after a round of golf that was verya verage at best, pondering the message for this week. The lessons have to do with the issue of forgivness andhow there are times in our lives we would prefer that God would not forgive people, because we don't want to forgive them either.
This side of human nature is not a pretty one. There are times when we like to hold onto our grudges, onto our pains, because we think that they give us power over others. If they hurt us, we may think, then the right think for me to do is hurt them back.
Luckily, this is not God's view. God is so concerned with his relationship with us that he is willing to look past all of the ways we may have hurt him in the past in order to have a healthy relationship with us now and in the future.
He also desires for us to have helathy relationships with others, and this means moving past the pains of the past so that we can grow in our love of others.
So today, I offer a challenge. Take some time and think of some of the strained relationships in your life. What is a healthy way for both you and the other person that you can move forward in your relationship? What needs to take place in order that you can forgive that person and grow in your love of them? Then try to put your thoughts into action.
May you be blessed with loving and caring relationships in your life.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Getting Ready
Yesterday was another trip to the doctor, and we set up everything for the arrival of the new one. We are only 11 days away from welcoming thi little one into the world, and there is a lot we need to do before that happens.
So we have made sure that the room is ready, the crib is up, diapers are ordered (yes, we get them online nowadays and get a nice little discount too), and have Sierra practicing her singing so that she can sing Wheels on the Bus when it comes home.
There are always so many things to do, so much to get ready for when you are preparing for a big event in life. And as I continue to put clothes into the dresser and make sure we have enough burp rags, I keep thinking of more and more things that need to be done.
Getting ready is a full time job.
Throughout our lives there are so many things that we need to get ready for. We need to get ready in the morning, get ready for a meal, get ready for a meeting, and the list goes on and on. But how are we at getting ready for the spiritual side of life?
This seems to be one area in life that we let slide. we have so many other things on our mind, so much more to get ready for, that the spiritual side doesn't always get the attention we need.
But getting ready for the spiritual part of life is needed too. For me, this means going to a place where I will not be distrubed for a while - like the prayer room in the church or closing my door in the office - home doesn't work well with a 3-year-old:)
It also means having the right matierials with me - Bible, pen, paper, and whatever devotional I am working with at the time.
Sometimes I also prepare by having a candle lit, burning some incense, or playing music - depending on my mood at the time.
When these preparations are in place, when I have gotten ready, I notice that the time I spend with God is more fruitful in the end.
So may you be blessed by getting ready for your time with God. May you experience his presence in a profound way, and may you see the face of Christ today.
So we have made sure that the room is ready, the crib is up, diapers are ordered (yes, we get them online nowadays and get a nice little discount too), and have Sierra practicing her singing so that she can sing Wheels on the Bus when it comes home.
There are always so many things to do, so much to get ready for when you are preparing for a big event in life. And as I continue to put clothes into the dresser and make sure we have enough burp rags, I keep thinking of more and more things that need to be done.
Getting ready is a full time job.
Throughout our lives there are so many things that we need to get ready for. We need to get ready in the morning, get ready for a meal, get ready for a meeting, and the list goes on and on. But how are we at getting ready for the spiritual side of life?
This seems to be one area in life that we let slide. we have so many other things on our mind, so much more to get ready for, that the spiritual side doesn't always get the attention we need.
But getting ready for the spiritual part of life is needed too. For me, this means going to a place where I will not be distrubed for a while - like the prayer room in the church or closing my door in the office - home doesn't work well with a 3-year-old:)
It also means having the right matierials with me - Bible, pen, paper, and whatever devotional I am working with at the time.
Sometimes I also prepare by having a candle lit, burning some incense, or playing music - depending on my mood at the time.
When these preparations are in place, when I have gotten ready, I notice that the time I spend with God is more fruitful in the end.
So may you be blessed by getting ready for your time with God. May you experience his presence in a profound way, and may you see the face of Christ today.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Time
It has been a while since I posted, and I could come up with plenty of excuses, but the heart of it is time. It takes time to do so many things, and there are days when I just run out of time - and I bet I am not the only one who does so.
We are two weeks away from the new baby coming, and so time is becoming increasingly shorter. The room is pretty much ready - with the exception of me sorting through some papers that have sat in the office for years - and Sierra is pumped to be a big sister. But there is still a ton to do around the house, at the office, and in my own life.
So how do we do everything that needs to be done in the alloted time that we have? Jennifer once used the phrase, we have to distinguish between the important and the emergent. I think she nailed it.
There are so many things that are important to us, and then there are the emergent things that have to get done, no matter what. Having a place for the baby to sleep is emergent, sorting through papers is important, well sometimes at least.
And then there are the things we just want to do - the things that give us joy and empower us. Unfortunately, these are the things that get pushed to the back burner when everything else is piling up, and they are the things that give us teh energy to do everything else.
So now we have three categories - important, emergent, and joyful things. How do we do it all with the limited time we have?
Time management has been written on and spoken about over and over again, and I don't want to rehash everything that has already been said. Instead, I think what we need to do is look at our lives, talk with God, and say - what is it that gives me life and empowers others? What am I passionate about, and how can I live out that passion and still get done what needs to be done? For when we live out our passion, when we use the gifts that God has given us, other things start to fall into place.
So today, may you live out your passions. May you see the joy of life in everything you do. May you see the face of Christ in all you meet. And may the love of God be the center of your time.
We are two weeks away from the new baby coming, and so time is becoming increasingly shorter. The room is pretty much ready - with the exception of me sorting through some papers that have sat in the office for years - and Sierra is pumped to be a big sister. But there is still a ton to do around the house, at the office, and in my own life.
So how do we do everything that needs to be done in the alloted time that we have? Jennifer once used the phrase, we have to distinguish between the important and the emergent. I think she nailed it.
There are so many things that are important to us, and then there are the emergent things that have to get done, no matter what. Having a place for the baby to sleep is emergent, sorting through papers is important, well sometimes at least.
And then there are the things we just want to do - the things that give us joy and empower us. Unfortunately, these are the things that get pushed to the back burner when everything else is piling up, and they are the things that give us teh energy to do everything else.
So now we have three categories - important, emergent, and joyful things. How do we do it all with the limited time we have?
Time management has been written on and spoken about over and over again, and I don't want to rehash everything that has already been said. Instead, I think what we need to do is look at our lives, talk with God, and say - what is it that gives me life and empowers others? What am I passionate about, and how can I live out that passion and still get done what needs to be done? For when we live out our passion, when we use the gifts that God has given us, other things start to fall into place.
So today, may you live out your passions. May you see the joy of life in everything you do. May you see the face of Christ in all you meet. And may the love of God be the center of your time.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Off-line
This week the computers at work have been off-line - and I have come to see how much i depend on that conncetion. I need it to download confirmation info, work of stewardship stuff, and a host of other connections. So, I have had to come to the house to do some of the work that I normally do at the office, and it doesn't seem to work as well.
Isn't it amazing how one little thing can throw off our schedule and how we normally live our lives?
This week is the big prep week for the fall programs. W are busy getting everything ready, and the time on the computer is needed to accomplish a variety of tasks. But since it has not been available, I have done a lot of extra leg work, and gone to doing things differently then I have in previous years. In the big picture, this is a good thing, as frustrating as it may be from time to time, but it has gotten me to think out of the box on a number of different projects.
And sometimes that is what we need to do - try a normal task in a different way in order to get a new, and sometimes exciting, result. it can be a challenge, but challenges are made to be faced, and we start to see new blessings with new ideas.
I still want the internet back, and get back to doing things in an easier, more comfortable way, but the challenge is good. So today, may you see possibilities in face of adversity, and look at challenges with the eyes of blessing.
Isn't it amazing how one little thing can throw off our schedule and how we normally live our lives?
This week is the big prep week for the fall programs. W are busy getting everything ready, and the time on the computer is needed to accomplish a variety of tasks. But since it has not been available, I have done a lot of extra leg work, and gone to doing things differently then I have in previous years. In the big picture, this is a good thing, as frustrating as it may be from time to time, but it has gotten me to think out of the box on a number of different projects.
And sometimes that is what we need to do - try a normal task in a different way in order to get a new, and sometimes exciting, result. it can be a challenge, but challenges are made to be faced, and we start to see new blessings with new ideas.
I still want the internet back, and get back to doing things in an easier, more comfortable way, but the challenge is good. So today, may you see possibilities in face of adversity, and look at challenges with the eyes of blessing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)