Oct 15

What do you want/need/desire?

There is a book by Phillip Keller – A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. I haven’t read it in years, but it made a huge impression on me. To see God as my shepherd and myself as a sheep made this a  very personal relationship – with both of us in proper perspective. God as knowing best, through His love for me with my best interest at heart; me as short-sighted, only looking to have my needs met. The book describes the sheep – their needs, their demeanor, their dependence on the Shepherd.

In a devotion blog this morning, the following jumped off the screen at me – reminded me of My Shepherd and His competence. And His willingness and His longing to give me what I need. He’s waiting for me to accept His good gifts.

There are no healthy desires your Shepherd does not fulfill. Do you need forgiveness? He forgives you. Do you long for love? He loves you. Do you wish not to worry? He gives you peace. Are you afraid? He protects you. Are you confused? He clarifies with godly counsel and with His holy word, the Bible. Are you alone? He walks with you forever.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15).

So, the question is – what do I want? Really… What’s my desire? Do I wish good things for myself – knowing that my Shepherd knows best? If so, then I will yield to His better judgment, His love, His kindness, His grace. I’ll let Him take care of me.

Oct 14

Humor: elephant ride = #fail

Oct 11

Humor and Great Lyrics – Hymns

I grew up with this book; well, not this exact book – mine was blue – and I still have it. It’s all marked up from piano lessons. My repertoire included Mozart, Bach, a little contemporary stuff, but ALWAYS some hymns. I wouldn’t trade the time spent practicing those hymns! (Thanks goes to my parents and my piano teacher for instilling my joy in quietly playing through the hymnal as a time of peace and worship and reflection.)

The Baptist Hymnal was one of the consistencies in my life as a kid. Each Sunday (morning and evening) we would get the ‘song book’ from the pew in front of us and sign along. Sometimes we knew the words by heart and didn’t even look at the book – but we held it anyway, propped on the pew in front of us. We also made up some awesome games using the hymnal – quiet games of course (unless we got silly tickled and then got the evil eye from our parents sitting in the choir loft).

I love hymns! Not so much for the melodies, because some of them are not pretty. Some follow staunch standards of rhythm and chord progression and are so predictable. Yet the words of most hymns are such great examples of praise and worship. My favorite worship sets include some old hymns (at least the lyrics) and some powerful moving melodies that are relatively new. Music and worship – a powerful way to praise Him and to pour out your heart.

The list below is just having a little fun with the title of some hymns (if you call “Pass It On” a hymn???). The message behind these old songs is valid today – sing praise to God for He is holy, reminders that all good things come from Him, and promises of eternity hope.

  • The Dentist’s Hymn: Crown Him with Many Crowns
  • The Weatherman’s Hymn: There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
  • The Contractor’s Hymn: The Church’s One Foundation
  • The Tailor’s Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy
  • The Golfer’s Hymn: There Is a Green Hill Far Away
  • The Politician’s Hymn: Standing on the Promises
  • The Optometrist’s Hymn: Open My Eyes that I May See
  • The IRS Agent’s Hymn: I Surrender All
  • The Gossip’s Hymn: Pass It On
  • The Electrician’s Hymn: Send the Light
  • The Shopper’s Hymn: Sweet By and By
FYI – One song that I can barely sing these days is “Lead on O kinky turtle”; makes me laugh every time.

Oct 10

10.10.10

Sunday, October 10, 2010

101010 (base two (binary)) equals 42 (base ten)

10 (base ten) = 1010 (base two)

Oct 09

Who I am in Christ

“The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ,
the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity!”
(From Victory Over the Darkness , by Dr. Neil Anderson)

The Bible tells me who I am in Christ!
My true identity is revealed looking in God’s Word.

I am ACCEPTED
John 1:12                                I am God’s child.
John 15:15                             I am Christ’s friend.
Romans 5:1                            I have been justified.
1 Corinthians 6:17                I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit with Him.
1 Corinthians 6:20                I have been bought with a price.  I belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27              I am a member of Christ’s body.
Ephesians 1:1                        I am a saint.
Ephesians 1:5                        I have been adopted as God’s child.
Ephesians 2:18                     I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.
Colossians 1:14                    I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 2:10                    I am complete in Christ.

I am SECURE
Romans 8:1,2                        I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28                         I am assured that all things work together for good.
Romans 8: 31-34                 I am free from any condemning charges against me.
Romans 8:35-39                  I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1: 21-22       I have been established anointed and sealed by God.
Philippians 1:6                     I am sure the good work God as begun in me will be perfected.
Philippians 3:20                   I am a citizen of heaven.
Colossians 3:3                      I am hidden with Christ in God.
2 Timothy 1:7                       I am given a spirit of power, love and a sound mind.
Hebrews 4:16                       I can find grace and mercy in time of need.
1 John 5:18                           I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am SIGNIFICANT
Matthew 5:13, 14               I am the salt and light of the earth.
John 15:1,5                          I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life.
John 15:16                           I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
Acts 1:8                                 I am a personal witness of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:16            I am God’s temple.
2 Corinthians 5, 17-21    I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
2 Corinthians 6:1              I am God’s coworker (see 1 Corinthians 3:9)
Ephesians 2:6                    I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10                 I am God’s workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12                 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13               I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Oct 08

desperate for water

Isaiah 41:17-20 The Message

The poor and homeless are desperate for water,
 their tongues parched and no water to be found.
 But I’m there to be found, I’m there for them,
 and I, God of Israel, will not leave them thirsty.
 I’ll open up rivers for them on the barren hills,
 spout fountains in the valleys.
 I’ll turn the baked-clay badlands into a cool pond,
 the waterless waste into splashing creeks.
 I’ll plant the red cedar in that treeless wasteland,
 also acacia, myrtle, and olive.
 I’ll place the cypress in the desert,
 with plenty of oaks and pines.
 Everyone will see this. No one can miss it—
 unavoidable, indisputable evidence
 That I, God, personally did this.

Why is clean water important?

  • The human body is 50 -70% water. It needs a regular supply for good health. Most people could only go a few days without dehydration.
  • Cooking requires water: clean water = non-contaminated food
  • The container must be clean for water to stay pure.

Who is doing something to provide clean water to those in need?

  • Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience “living water”—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst.
  • Water Missions International‘s vision is that no person should perish for want of safe drinking water or an opportunity to hear the “Living Water” message.
  • charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
  • Operation Blessing is supplying clean drinking water to thousands through the construction of more than 2,000 wells and cisterns each year.
  • World Water Day – The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).

Oct 08

It’s Fall, Y’all!!!

Oct 07

silent date?

I saw a couple in a restaurant over the weekend. This young couple sat at a booth across from each other – and they weren’t talking or even looking at each other. Their food had not arrived, but they were both sitting with phones in hand – texting or surfing or emailing or playing a game or something – in silence. This silence went on for at least 5 minutes!

Now I know that I’ve done this plenty of times, but it does border on being rude to check your messages during a meal or conversation with someone. It shows a lack of focus and conveys that you’re looking for or expecting something more important to come along.

So… What does God think when I come to worship but I’m thinking about work stuff? Or when I pray and get distracted by other people or even my own tangential thoughts? Or when I choose to surf the Internet or the TV channels instead of reading His word?

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE to be comfortable enough to be silent with someone. It’s a sense of peace and contentment between two people that can’t be contrived, but comes from relationship and experiences shared.

But to be silent from lack of or misplaced focus? What kind of relationship is that? And it’s not honoring to the other person.

One of the songs coming up this Sunday morning is a great song of reflection on the holiness of God and our attitudes and motivation toward Him. It’s ‘Clear the Stage’ – here a link to YouTube and a few of the words:

Anything I put before my God is an idol.
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol.
Anything I can’t stop thinking of is an idol.
Anything that I give all my love is an idol.
We must not worship something that’s not even worth it.
Clear the stage and make some space for the one who deserves it.
Cause I can sing all I want to.
Yes I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong,
worship is more than a song.

Exodus 20:3-5 The Message
No other gods, only me.  No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am God, your God, and I’m a most jealous God.

Mark 12:30 The Message
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Matthew 6:33 The Message
Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Amos 5:10-15,21-24  (The Message).
People hate this kind of talk.
 Raw truth is never popular.
 But here it is, bluntly spoken:
 Because you run roughshod over the poor
and take the bread right out of their mouths,
You’re never going to move into
the luxury homes you have built.
You’re never going to drink wine
from the expensive vineyards you’ve planted.
I know precisely the extent of your violations,
the enormity of your sins. Appalling!
You bully right-living people,
taking bribes right and left and kicking the poor when they’re down.
 Justice is a lost cause. Evil is epidemic.
 Decent people throw up their hands.
 Protest and rebuke are useless,
 a waste of breath.
Seek good and not evil—and live!
You talk about God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
being your best friend.
Well, live like it, and maybe it will happen.
then work it out in the public square.
Maybe God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
will notice your remnant and be gracious.
 “I can’t stand your religious meetings.
I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want justice—oceans of it.
I want fairness—rivers of it.
That’s what I want. That’s all I want.

Oct 07

use a gmail address? you need to know this…

You can use ONE gmail address – with a little tweak here and there – for multiple purposes.

Did you know that yourname@gmail.com is delivered just like your.name@gmail.com or yourname+specialpurpose@gmail.com or yourname+file13@gmail.com or yourname+spam@gmail.com? Well, it is. Get excited folks! This is good news!!!

What this means is that you can add a dot (*.*) anywhere in yourname and the email will still be delivered. Gmail just ignores the dots.

Ever better news is the ability to append a plus (*+*) sign and any combination of words or numbers after your username. This gives you the ability to filter on these addresses. For donations user yourname+donations@gmail.com and then use an incoming email rule to send them all to one folder. This is a great way to stay organized. If you use yourname+file13@gmail.com as a ‘throwaway’ address, then when you get an email directed to yourname+file13 you can just filter it to the trash. (A throwaway address is when an email address is required, but you don’t really want whatever is being sold or encouraged or propagated. Hence, it’s an email that you don’t really want, so you can just send it to the trash.)

Oct 06

I’m thankful for…

  1. Jesus
  2. My mother
  3. My sister Rita
  4. My brother (in law) Jeff
  5. My nephew Matt
  6. Betsy
  7. my family
  8. the birthday group
  9. Shades Mountain Baptist Church
  10. enough food
  11. clean water
  12. eternal life
  13. grace
  14. friends who care
  15. technology to stay connected
  16. cool weather
  17. electricity that reliable
  18. my job
  19. life and breathe
  20. my pastor Danny Wood
  21. folks serving in Cape Town through Living Hope
  22. Gramma’s
  23. Aunt Doris
  24. music
  25. God’s plan
  26. the ability to play the piano
  27. 8 Gb of RAM
  28. my friend Kelley
  29. Molly & Moe
  30. the privilege to be an American
  31. relationships
  32. living in Birmingham
  33. Higher Ground
  34. Samford University
  35. bosses – past & present
  36. opportunities to travel
  37. another chance
  38. medicine / health care
  39. The Message
  40. Freeset
  41. parents who will adopt
  42. my health
  43. money
  44. choices
  45. free speech
  46. my house
  47. my education
  48. books to read
  49. football games
  50. wonderful reminder smells
  51. Scottsboro
  52. God’s faithfulness
  53. transportation
  54. the beauty of God’s creation
  55. tools – the wheel, levers, machines
  56. innocence
  57. friends around the world
  58. opportunities to serve
  59. God’s sovereignty
  60. order instead of chaos
  61. men of noble character
  62. Gerber daisies
  63. weekends
  64. color
  65. the Lord’s guidance
  66. the privilege of prayer
  67. hope
  68. babies
  69. chocolate
  70. meaningful work
  71. unconditional love
  72. His revelation of Himself
  73. the sky / heavens
  74. God calling me His friend
  75. the ability to think / reason
  76. uniqueness of each person
  77. rules / boundaries
  78. God’s mystery
  79. most animals
  80. heaven
  81. science and math
  82. simple theology that is beyond comprehension
  83. God’s protection
  84. solitude
  85. communication
  86. military servicemen
  87. the beauty of the Earth
  88. joy and peace
  89. harmony among co-workers
  90. the privilege of sharing the Good News
  91. forgiveness
  92. my spiritual mentors
  93. Bible study materials
  94. old friends
  95. laughter
  96. accountability
  97. Holy Spirit
  98. those willing to serve in hard places
  99. history
  100. anticipation

Psalm 111 (The Message)

Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I’ve got—
Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.
God’s works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
Splendor and beauty mark his craft;
His generosity never gives out.
His miracles are his memorial—
This God of Grace, this God of Love.
He gave food to those who fear him,
He remembered to keep his ancient promise.
He proved to his people that he could do what he said:
Hand them the nations on a platter—a gift!
He manufactures truth and justice;
All his products are guaranteed to last—
Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
All that he makes and does is honest and true:
He paid the ransom for his people,
He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
He’s so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
The good life begins in the fear of God—
Do that and you’ll know the blessing of God.
His Hallelujah lasts forever!