Friday, January 23, 2009

Sweetly Broken...

This continues to be one of my favorite songs...not sure why, but I just felt like posting a link to the vid.

Sweetly Broken

Does this speak to you? Let me know...

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Tomorrow...

Just reading that title often brings to mind thoughts of wonder and uncertainty. Unfortunately, if you're like me right now, the word "tomorrow" is even tougher to handle now than ever before. I bring up this word beause I recently re-heard one of my favorite sayings:

"I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow".

I've always liked that, and quite frankly, I'm not even sure of the author. I recently did something that is probably one part strange and one part cheesy (high on the "Velveeta meter" as I say). I printed this saying out and taped it up on the inside of the door that exits to the garage in our house. Why would I do that? Well, if you want to quit reading this right now you can just chalk it up to "he's weird"...but, here's my reasons:

1) That door is often one of the last places I see before going to bed at night. I'm typically locking up, etc and from there its off to bed...either for a good night's sleep, or, if I don't have my hope tied on straight, it could be for a sleepless night...you know worrying about...dare I say..."tomorrow".


2) That door is also how I leave the house every day. As is often the case, when I'm late for work, wondering what awaits me that day.

See, the saying is kinda cool to me in that it's catchy and easy to remember. But what it really points me to is some words from my ultimate boss, found in Matthew 6:25-34.

Check it out here: Matthew 6:25-34

So what I'm ultimately saying here is this...that little piece of paper on the door is really a notch on my "belt of truth" and I'm "putting it on" a few times a day.

So what works for you?

Thursday, January 15, 2009

"Warrior Bugs" part 1

In the movie "A Bug's Life" an ant named Flik goes in search of some tough "warrior bugs" to help defend the ant colony against the evil grasshoppers. What Flik doesnt know is that these warrior bugs are really just some "circus bugs" that have just recently left their gig in the travelling circus.

As we talk about putting on the "Full Armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-20) I've asked each of us whether we want to be "warrior bugs" or "circus bugs" when confronted with the multitude of attacks by Satan that we face on a daily basis. Silly, nonsensical example, I know, but hopefully by now you don't expect much more from me. Regardless, I hope that you'll join me in our quest to become "warrior bugs" for God...and here's how:

The first weapon that we've talked about comes from verse 14...the "Belt of Truth". Just like Roman soldiers back in Paul's day would put on a belt to secure their clothing and weapons, so we as Christians are instructed to put on the truth in our lives. So what is the "belt of truth" and how can it help me?

For my life, the truth is found in the Word of God. You know, that book that may be in the floor board of my car from last Sunday when I went to Church. Well, not if I'm putting on the belt of truth each day. So you ask, "how is the Bible a weapon?" Well, for starters it gives us:

1) Freedom - (John 8:31-32)
2) Power (Hebrews 4:12)
3) Knowledge and Wisdom to withstand temptation(Matthew 4:1-11)

So next time you're frustrated because you feel like you've been "clobbered" by the enemy...take a look around and ask yourself..."now where did I put that belt of truth?"

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Super Bowl Party at our house!!

As part of my attempts to recover from the recent Titans loss, we'll be hosting a Super Bowl party at our house, Sunday Feb 1, at 5pm. Kids are welcome.

Add a comment to this post letting us know if you can attend and what you'd like to bring!

We'll also pass around a sign up sheet next week in class.

Hope you can make it. I may decide to just show a replay of the Titans vs. Steelers game from Dec 21st instead though (just kidding).

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The "Rebar Mailbox"


Last week we talked about a certain mailbox that I have recently seen along a rural road near my home. This mailbox has a protective layer of reinforcement bar (a.k.a. "rebar") used to cover the outer shell of the box.

I can only imagine the owners of this mailbox and the steps and events that may have led them to taking such drastic action. How many times did some thoughtless teenagers (yes, I know I'm generalizing and profiling, but stay with me a minute..) drive by late some night and smash in these people's mailbox with a baseball bat. How many times did the homeowner drive to the store, purchase a new mailbox, perhaps even having to get concrete and set a new post, and spend the day rebuilding what had been torn down? As I have thought about this, I've begun to call this the "enough is enough" mailbox. I see it several times a week as I go by. Thank you Lord.

Isn't this much like our lives as followers of Christ? How many times do we think we are ready to stand firm, only to see Satan swing by and crush us when we least expect it? Seeing this mailbox led me straight to what Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians...Ephesians 6:10-20. Here we are given so much insight into how we can arm ourselves with the "Full Armor of God".

If you read this passage you will note there are several words/phrases where Paul indicates to us that we should take positive, proactive action to equip ourselves to stand against Satan in our lives.

Here are some: be strong, put on, take your stand, stand your ground, stand firm, take up...and, yes...pray.

We'll talk more about the "weapons" that Paul presents to us in this passage, but for now...I ask this:

How well do you equip yourself each day with the full armor of God? Do you face each day knowing you can "stand firm"?

Just like the homeowners of the "rebar mailbox"...when will we say "enough is enough"?

See you soon...