Psalm 63:3
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
It is love that separates us from the world, and identifies us with Christ
I’m recovering from the post “I spent more than 5 hours in an airplane” cold. You know, the one you get after breathing 250 other people’s recycled air. But in any case, as I get back into the swing of my weekly routine, I felt the need for some spiritual encouragement this morning, and went immediately to the Psalms.
There, while reading, I came across this verse, and I immediately began to sing. You see, this verse in Psalm 63 is a line from a worship son called Kindness by Chris Tomlin. I recognized this right away, and just broke into song (probably good that you all weren’t here with me!).
Then I began to ponder the reality of that verse and just openly meditate on it out-loud:
Lord, I love my life. My life allows me to know things, and grow, and serve and to love my wife and family, to be someone that can think, act, make decisions. My life, if lived as you have lead me, can influence other people and bring them alongside you as well. My life is important to me for many reasons. I freely admit that some of them are self serving, but I try desperately to live my life in such a way that the things that I love do not become more important than the things that YOU love. My life is what makes me a child of God. My life is mine to…..
…And then it hit me…
My life isn’t mine at all. It’s Christ’s who not only created it, but bought it and redeemed it with a price. It is THAT that makes His lovingkindness so important, better than life actually.
His love really is what sustains us. No matter what we do, where we are in life or in our walk, His love is the sustaining factor of our lives. Without it, we falter and fail. Love is the key to Christianity. Love drove Jesus to voluntarily give up His life for the likes of you an me. Love drives us today, compelled by the Spirit, to do what is right, rather than what is wrong. It is love that separates us from the world, and identifies us with Christ. Who IS love, and the total picture of God Himself. Love IS better than life, because love gives life. And the love we have from Jesus allows us to gives that life to others as well.
27 January 2009
09 January 2009
Lord of Glory
James 2:1 (Part-I)
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
Jesus has many names. Savior, The Christ, Messiah, Son of God, Prince of Peace, and we can go on and on. But have you ever considered, the Lord of Glory?
In this context the word glory is defined as, “of the state of blessedness into which believers are to enter hereafter through being brought into the likeness of Christ.[1]” The Lord of Glory is the one that rules over access to this hereafter of eternity. In this case it is literally the One. This is not the only place where this message can be found. Rom 8:18, 21; Phl 3:21 (RV, "the body of His glory"); 1Pe 5:1, 10; Rev 21:11; all have things to say on this subject. The musical group Third Day does a song called “King of Glory”, and this is almost certainly the reason.
All glory is His. He dispenses it as He sees fit. But one thing that we must not forget is that He has promised us that if we choose to accept Him as our Savior, that this glory is guaranteed to us! A promise is a promise.
Especially after the Christmas season, we see Jesus so much as the man. Being born to a sinful woman, laid in a manger, worshipped and yet despised. We think of His childhood, and the time He spent teaching in the Temple when he was only 12 years old. We also think of Him as the deity that dies on the cross for us. Making the perfect atoning sacrifice for you and I. We then see Him in our minds eye as the risen lamb, showing His scars and body of flesh to the disciples. But do we look upon this great friend, this man who loves us greater than any living human ever could, as the Judge? As the man who controls ‘glory’?
The Lord of Glory deserves our love, this is for sure. But perhaps our love is best shown to Him by revering Him for the Glory that He owns and controls. Honor and respect are perhaps the greatest flattery one can bestow upon another. Honoring and respecting Jesus includes making Him first in our life, our decision making, obeying His commands and following His example. The Lord of Glory is also the Lord of the Promise. He not only deserves our respect, He has earned it.
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
Jesus has many names. Savior, The Christ, Messiah, Son of God, Prince of Peace, and we can go on and on. But have you ever considered, the Lord of Glory?
In this context the word glory is defined as, “of the state of blessedness into which believers are to enter hereafter through being brought into the likeness of Christ.[1]” The Lord of Glory is the one that rules over access to this hereafter of eternity. In this case it is literally the One. This is not the only place where this message can be found. Rom 8:18, 21; Phl 3:21 (RV, "the body of His glory"); 1Pe 5:1, 10; Rev 21:11; all have things to say on this subject. The musical group Third Day does a song called “King of Glory”, and this is almost certainly the reason.
All glory is His. He dispenses it as He sees fit. But one thing that we must not forget is that He has promised us that if we choose to accept Him as our Savior, that this glory is guaranteed to us! A promise is a promise.
Especially after the Christmas season, we see Jesus so much as the man. Being born to a sinful woman, laid in a manger, worshipped and yet despised. We think of His childhood, and the time He spent teaching in the Temple when he was only 12 years old. We also think of Him as the deity that dies on the cross for us. Making the perfect atoning sacrifice for you and I. We then see Him in our minds eye as the risen lamb, showing His scars and body of flesh to the disciples. But do we look upon this great friend, this man who loves us greater than any living human ever could, as the Judge? As the man who controls ‘glory’?
The Lord of Glory deserves our love, this is for sure. But perhaps our love is best shown to Him by revering Him for the Glory that He owns and controls. Honor and respect are perhaps the greatest flattery one can bestow upon another. Honoring and respecting Jesus includes making Him first in our life, our decision making, obeying His commands and following His example. The Lord of Glory is also the Lord of the Promise. He not only deserves our respect, He has earned it.
Partiality Revealed
James 2:1 (Part-II)
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
As a young high-schooler I often found myself in defense of those kids in the school that seemed to always get picked on. It’s not like I was a sucker for the hard-luck case necessarily, but for those kids who were slow minded, poor, or for what ever reason just did not fit in with the world of the average school kid, it seemed like I was always there to defend them.
I was thinking about this the other day, and it came to me after reading this passage and applying it to that situation that there was a reason for it. It’s not that I was just in the right place at the right time so often. And at the time, I was not a believer, so it was not like these were known spirit lead incidents; but their was an innate drive to defend these other kids. I was not looking for it, and nothing was really leading me in a vigilantly-style attack against the bullies, so why did it seem to happen so often then? It was simply that I saw so many of these incidents because my heart allowed me to, when so many others were blind to it.
I have always been a right is right, wrong is wrong kinda guy. Ask my wife, to a fault probably, I do not have any gray areas, although grace and mercy through the Spirit seem to me making a great deal of what used to be black and white a little more gray. I knew then that it was wrong to treat others in such a way. Back then though, my thought patterns only allowed me to see that because right was right, and wrong was wrong; everyone should be treated equally. But to look back now, with Spiritual hindsight and the grace of God’s mercy shading those visions, I now understand fully why it was right to feel like I did, and still do today.
Who are we, any of us, to treat others in any way, shape, form or fashion, less than ourselves, when we ourselves are, in the words of my good friend and mentor Justin Alfred, “less than the wart on the backside of a hog!”? In view of Christ, and His perfection we are all equal; equally poor and equally low. We are equally sinners and equally destined for hell if we do not seek Jesus and the salvation that He alone can provide as the Lord of Grace.
You see, as Christians, there are some things in our lives, that if we are sincerely dedicated to Jesus, that we have no choice but to do a certain way. This is one of those things. Kindness, love, grace, mercy, and in dealing with this specific verse, equality. Don’t feel badly if you did not overnight after accepting the Lord, become the model in this area. Be comforted to know that this is something that Paul recognized and grew in through time. He began his ministry as the least of the Apostles, and ended it as the chief of all sinners. When we, in humility, recognize who we are in Christ, defending those who need it, will come more naturally. Our vision will show us inequities, and our hearts ache when we do not see it. Having been captured by Christ, reaching out to others, showing no partiality, should become our way of life.
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
As a young high-schooler I often found myself in defense of those kids in the school that seemed to always get picked on. It’s not like I was a sucker for the hard-luck case necessarily, but for those kids who were slow minded, poor, or for what ever reason just did not fit in with the world of the average school kid, it seemed like I was always there to defend them.
I was thinking about this the other day, and it came to me after reading this passage and applying it to that situation that there was a reason for it. It’s not that I was just in the right place at the right time so often. And at the time, I was not a believer, so it was not like these were known spirit lead incidents; but their was an innate drive to defend these other kids. I was not looking for it, and nothing was really leading me in a vigilantly-style attack against the bullies, so why did it seem to happen so often then? It was simply that I saw so many of these incidents because my heart allowed me to, when so many others were blind to it.
I have always been a right is right, wrong is wrong kinda guy. Ask my wife, to a fault probably, I do not have any gray areas, although grace and mercy through the Spirit seem to me making a great deal of what used to be black and white a little more gray. I knew then that it was wrong to treat others in such a way. Back then though, my thought patterns only allowed me to see that because right was right, and wrong was wrong; everyone should be treated equally. But to look back now, with Spiritual hindsight and the grace of God’s mercy shading those visions, I now understand fully why it was right to feel like I did, and still do today.
Who are we, any of us, to treat others in any way, shape, form or fashion, less than ourselves, when we ourselves are, in the words of my good friend and mentor Justin Alfred, “less than the wart on the backside of a hog!”? In view of Christ, and His perfection we are all equal; equally poor and equally low. We are equally sinners and equally destined for hell if we do not seek Jesus and the salvation that He alone can provide as the Lord of Grace.
You see, as Christians, there are some things in our lives, that if we are sincerely dedicated to Jesus, that we have no choice but to do a certain way. This is one of those things. Kindness, love, grace, mercy, and in dealing with this specific verse, equality. Don’t feel badly if you did not overnight after accepting the Lord, become the model in this area. Be comforted to know that this is something that Paul recognized and grew in through time. He began his ministry as the least of the Apostles, and ended it as the chief of all sinners. When we, in humility, recognize who we are in Christ, defending those who need it, will come more naturally. Our vision will show us inequities, and our hearts ache when we do not see it. Having been captured by Christ, reaching out to others, showing no partiality, should become our way of life.
06 January 2009
Jesus in the Mirror
JAMES 1:23-25
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
As the Lord leads me through the book of James with my family, He is so faithful to share with me new truths of Himself and new (to me) ways to be blessed by His Word.
We have heard often, and have been encouraged by many, including Pastor Chuck Smith not to be just hearers of the word, but doers of the word. This of course is very sound advise, and not something hard to understand - especially someone whom the Holy Spirit has convicted about doing more, or just being more diligent or more effective in what you are doing in the name of the Lord. Being a doer of the word is what James goes on to tell us is living out our faith, as faith without works is dead. But what I have found to be very helpful in allowing me to be more effective in the application of my faith is simply this: Remembering who I am, who Christ is, and where I fit in that equation.
When we look into the mirror, we need to see Jesus. What I mean by that is not that we perfectly reflect Jesus just as He was the perfect image of the Father, hardly possible, and more laughable than anything. But what I do mean is something that I can possibly better explain by sharing a story from my adolescence.
In Jr. High school back in western PA, I began to hang around with the wrong crowd. This group of kids, being a product of the late 70’s and early 80’s were categorized as ‘freaks’. In those days, you were a freak or a jock. Freaks were generalized as the delinquents. Drug takers, trouble makers and just plain “bad”. Jocks were generalized as clean cut, athletic, cheerleader-dating leaders of the community. I was neither, I was a farmer. But because we were relatively poor, I my dress categorized me as a freak, because the jocks looked and dressed a lot nicer than I was able. To make a long story short, one day I got into some trouble and tossed a cafeteria table down a flight of stairs during lunch just to hear the noise. Plus, it made me look ‘cool’ to all the freaks and the guys I was hanging out with at school. Well, I got caught, and in the process of explaining all of this to my Dad while sitting on a freshly warmed behind, my Dad shared this bit of wisdom. He told me, “Act as if I was always standing right beside you, and you’ll never get into trouble again.”
Dad was right. If we act as if the authority in our life is standing with us, if we live our lives looking into the mirror of our faith seeing Jesus as the authority, we will act differently.
And while Dad was so right in concept, the reality is so often different. The very next week, I got suspended from school for getting into a ‘fight’. The reality was that is was just a good friend of mine who put me in an innocent headlock and was giving me a Dutch-rub when the teacher walked in. We both received a three day suspension. BUT, if I had been acting as if my Dad were standing right there with me, and I projected that I lived my life like my Dad was always standing beside me, not only would I not have allowed my friend to give me the Dutch-rub, but my friend would not have done it, because I would have portrayed myself in such a fashion letting everyone know that I live a life bound under the authority of my Dad. In doing so, in my presence you would have seen my Dad. My actions would have been consistent as if my Dad were right there – and everyone would have known that. When you live a pious, humble life, people will see that – and respect that.
Observe your face in the mirror, and I pray you see Jesus working to show Himself to you. I pray that the understanding of who you are in Jesus causes you introspection upon your actions lifestyle so that reflect Jesus as your governing authority. And above all, I pray that when we leave our mirrors, that we always remember the vision of Jesus in our lives. This vision of one that loves you enough to die for you is one that should compel us to be doers of the word, and thereby be blessed.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
As the Lord leads me through the book of James with my family, He is so faithful to share with me new truths of Himself and new (to me) ways to be blessed by His Word.
We have heard often, and have been encouraged by many, including Pastor Chuck Smith not to be just hearers of the word, but doers of the word. This of course is very sound advise, and not something hard to understand - especially someone whom the Holy Spirit has convicted about doing more, or just being more diligent or more effective in what you are doing in the name of the Lord. Being a doer of the word is what James goes on to tell us is living out our faith, as faith without works is dead. But what I have found to be very helpful in allowing me to be more effective in the application of my faith is simply this: Remembering who I am, who Christ is, and where I fit in that equation.
When we look into the mirror, we need to see Jesus. What I mean by that is not that we perfectly reflect Jesus just as He was the perfect image of the Father, hardly possible, and more laughable than anything. But what I do mean is something that I can possibly better explain by sharing a story from my adolescence.
In Jr. High school back in western PA, I began to hang around with the wrong crowd. This group of kids, being a product of the late 70’s and early 80’s were categorized as ‘freaks’. In those days, you were a freak or a jock. Freaks were generalized as the delinquents. Drug takers, trouble makers and just plain “bad”. Jocks were generalized as clean cut, athletic, cheerleader-dating leaders of the community. I was neither, I was a farmer. But because we were relatively poor, I my dress categorized me as a freak, because the jocks looked and dressed a lot nicer than I was able. To make a long story short, one day I got into some trouble and tossed a cafeteria table down a flight of stairs during lunch just to hear the noise. Plus, it made me look ‘cool’ to all the freaks and the guys I was hanging out with at school. Well, I got caught, and in the process of explaining all of this to my Dad while sitting on a freshly warmed behind, my Dad shared this bit of wisdom. He told me, “Act as if I was always standing right beside you, and you’ll never get into trouble again.”
Dad was right. If we act as if the authority in our life is standing with us, if we live our lives looking into the mirror of our faith seeing Jesus as the authority, we will act differently.
And while Dad was so right in concept, the reality is so often different. The very next week, I got suspended from school for getting into a ‘fight’. The reality was that is was just a good friend of mine who put me in an innocent headlock and was giving me a Dutch-rub when the teacher walked in. We both received a three day suspension. BUT, if I had been acting as if my Dad were standing right there with me, and I projected that I lived my life like my Dad was always standing beside me, not only would I not have allowed my friend to give me the Dutch-rub, but my friend would not have done it, because I would have portrayed myself in such a fashion letting everyone know that I live a life bound under the authority of my Dad. In doing so, in my presence you would have seen my Dad. My actions would have been consistent as if my Dad were right there – and everyone would have known that. When you live a pious, humble life, people will see that – and respect that.
Observe your face in the mirror, and I pray you see Jesus working to show Himself to you. I pray that the understanding of who you are in Jesus causes you introspection upon your actions lifestyle so that reflect Jesus as your governing authority. And above all, I pray that when we leave our mirrors, that we always remember the vision of Jesus in our lives. This vision of one that loves you enough to die for you is one that should compel us to be doers of the word, and thereby be blessed.
16 December 2008
Eye Guiding
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
A sister in the church shared the verse above with me yesterday. I have been intrigued by it ever since. God spoke to her through this verse, and I guess it’s now my turn.
To me that verse is so telling of how our relationship should be with Jesus. Yes, He can lead us in so many ways:
- We follow Him because we recognize his voice
- We follow Him because He sets the example
- We follow Him because He instructs us
But this verse takes it deeper. It tells us that He will guide us with His eyes.
Having owned and hunted with dogs for a good part of my younger days, I would equate God training us, like we train dogs. Voice commands work great, and that’s how you start training a dog. Teach your pup the basics. Don’t give him too much 9information too soon, or too fast. Give him just enough training to build confidence in you as a leader.
The next step as you build a relationship with your dog, and you get closer to one another, you can begin using hand signals. This is a scenario where we train by showing recognizable signs. We keep training using words (perhaps a still small voice) along with the hand signals or signs, and eventually, as the dog grows in knowledge and understanding, all that is required is the hand signal. The dog looks in the general direction of the trainer for advice and direction, the trainer shows the way, and the dog follows.
But only in the best teams or partners of dog and man, can the trainer command the dog with his eyes! The trainer looks in a direction, and the dog runs in that direction. The trainer looks another way, and the dog sits or stays. Here’s the rub; You only get to that point after two things happen:
- The dog absolutely trusts the trainer, and trusts that the trainers signals never change, he’s always the same.
- Secondly, because the dog is always looking into the eyes of the trainer because that’s the only place where the commands come from that bring any reward.
We must always be looking at Jesus. Look Him right in the eyes, trust Him, know His voice, know that He will always react the same way and always command the same way, and that will never change. His expression will say it all. If we look Jesus in the eyes, if in our life we are staring in His face, we will know immediately if we have made the right move, or if He wants us to take a different path. But to accomplish this, we have to remain fixed on the Trainer, on the One who loves us, and the One from whom the only reward that matters comes.
15 December 2008
Humbled (again...)
II Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God...
This weekend has been a cold one. We woke this Sunday morning to dusty snow covered icy roads and chilling child in the low 20’s. None the less, God provided safe travel for all, and a day and message that spoke to all of our hearts.
We spend our time in the Word studying the Holy Spirit, and reviewing scripture that defines who He is as a person, within the Trinity, His office and works, and role for/in us today. Despite the cold, and some people not being able to make it, we had a wonderful time together in fellowship. The service ended, and we all went our own ways, a little more slowly than usual, and attended to the rest of our daily activities, which for our family included some time playing in the snow for the kids, getting ready for the week of homeschooling for Mom, and for me, building a fire and just relaxing and staying warm.
Round about 9:30 or so, after our hanging of the nightly figure on our advent calendar that we all enjoy so much, and the kids have trotted off to bed, there is a ring at the door bell. It’s dark, it’s about 20 degrees outside, the wind is blowing and the doorbell is ringing. This is unusual for us.
In exchange for a reduced rent, I work part time for the sportsmen’s club that owns the house we live in. Part of the work I do is manage the rentals in the RV hooks ups that we occasionally make available to folks outside the club. With the dogs barking like crazy, I open the front door to find one of the RV guests seeking some assistance. Long story short, his RV is not operating correctly, and he is having trouble generating heat, and getting his electrical supply to function properly. We talked for a while, he regaled me stories of his bad luck and plans gone awry, paid me for a couple more weeks stay, and off into the cold night he went. I felt compassion for the man, but there was really nothing that I could do for him to fix his RV.
Later on, as I was tucking myself in for a nights rest, the initial chill of the cold sheets had me instantly thanking God for the warm home in which I am able to live, and for my warm wife (except for her bone-chilling feet) who helps keep me toasty at night. And then I realized something: When the door bell rang that night and I went to talk to our RV guest on the porch, he was all bundled up in his coats, gloves, and a Seattle Seahawk (poor feela) knit cap, it was obvious he was cold. And yet there I was, standing on the front porch in shorts and a t-shirt, with him looking in our big picture window at the roaring fire in the fire place, and knowing that I was warm as a bug in a rug. I felt ashamed, and yet so very blessed.
God is such a great provider. While I know for a fact that I’m the guy (along with my son Wyatt) that cut the firewood that was blazing in the fireplace, I am also wise enough to know that God is the provider. I may not live in a mansion, and I may not drive a Cadillac and have the nicest clothes in town, but God has provided all my needs. My children sleep dry and warm at night, I ate a steak for dinner. God ha provided for all my needs, and will continue to do so. My sufficiency IS from God, and I am so blessed to have it.
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God...
This weekend has been a cold one. We woke this Sunday morning to dusty snow covered icy roads and chilling child in the low 20’s. None the less, God provided safe travel for all, and a day and message that spoke to all of our hearts.
We spend our time in the Word studying the Holy Spirit, and reviewing scripture that defines who He is as a person, within the Trinity, His office and works, and role for/in us today. Despite the cold, and some people not being able to make it, we had a wonderful time together in fellowship. The service ended, and we all went our own ways, a little more slowly than usual, and attended to the rest of our daily activities, which for our family included some time playing in the snow for the kids, getting ready for the week of homeschooling for Mom, and for me, building a fire and just relaxing and staying warm.
Round about 9:30 or so, after our hanging of the nightly figure on our advent calendar that we all enjoy so much, and the kids have trotted off to bed, there is a ring at the door bell. It’s dark, it’s about 20 degrees outside, the wind is blowing and the doorbell is ringing. This is unusual for us.
In exchange for a reduced rent, I work part time for the sportsmen’s club that owns the house we live in. Part of the work I do is manage the rentals in the RV hooks ups that we occasionally make available to folks outside the club. With the dogs barking like crazy, I open the front door to find one of the RV guests seeking some assistance. Long story short, his RV is not operating correctly, and he is having trouble generating heat, and getting his electrical supply to function properly. We talked for a while, he regaled me stories of his bad luck and plans gone awry, paid me for a couple more weeks stay, and off into the cold night he went. I felt compassion for the man, but there was really nothing that I could do for him to fix his RV.
Later on, as I was tucking myself in for a nights rest, the initial chill of the cold sheets had me instantly thanking God for the warm home in which I am able to live, and for my warm wife (except for her bone-chilling feet) who helps keep me toasty at night. And then I realized something: When the door bell rang that night and I went to talk to our RV guest on the porch, he was all bundled up in his coats, gloves, and a Seattle Seahawk (poor feela) knit cap, it was obvious he was cold. And yet there I was, standing on the front porch in shorts and a t-shirt, with him looking in our big picture window at the roaring fire in the fire place, and knowing that I was warm as a bug in a rug. I felt ashamed, and yet so very blessed.
God is such a great provider. While I know for a fact that I’m the guy (along with my son Wyatt) that cut the firewood that was blazing in the fireplace, I am also wise enough to know that God is the provider. I may not live in a mansion, and I may not drive a Cadillac and have the nicest clothes in town, but God has provided all my needs. My children sleep dry and warm at night, I ate a steak for dinner. God ha provided for all my needs, and will continue to do so. My sufficiency IS from God, and I am so blessed to have it.
01 December 2008
Thanksgiving Thanks
Even in our lowest lows and wowest wows, we have much to be thankful for. I know this post comes after Thanksgiving and the Christmas Season has officially begun, but there is as much to be thankful for in review, as there is hope in anticipation of Christmas Day.
We could spend much time discussing family holidays, and how they can be feared and loved at the same time. We all look have forward to them so much, and then remembered that time that old Uncle Billy did that thing that he does and just ruined everything. We all seem to have that Uncle Billy or cousin or newphew or in-law of some sort that somehow always figures into the finished product of our holiday memories in a bad way. Sometimes it is a different person every holiday, and sometimes it is rare. But most, if not all of us, have experienced the Holiday Horror at least one time in our lives. But that is not my story. Holiday Horror is not the title to this post, it is Thanksgiving Thanks. Here's why:
The food was great, the company was great, the kids got along, the adults got along, and it just felt like we were all truly grateful, and that Jesus was at the center. We may not have seen Him, but Jesus came to dinner. For that, I am so thankful.
We could spend much time discussing family holidays, and how they can be feared and loved at the same time. We all look have forward to them so much, and then remembered that time that old Uncle Billy did that thing that he does and just ruined everything. We all seem to have that Uncle Billy or cousin or newphew or in-law of some sort that somehow always figures into the finished product of our holiday memories in a bad way. Sometimes it is a different person every holiday, and sometimes it is rare. But most, if not all of us, have experienced the Holiday Horror at least one time in our lives. But that is not my story. Holiday Horror is not the title to this post, it is Thanksgiving Thanks. Here's why:
The food was great, the company was great, the kids got along, the adults got along, and it just felt like we were all truly grateful, and that Jesus was at the center. We may not have seen Him, but Jesus came to dinner. For that, I am so thankful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)