I just want to be the guy who says yes.
I want to say yes to the character and call of God. I want to so live my life that His faithfulness shines like the morning sun. I want other people to have confidence in Him because of what they see in me.
I want to say yes to a better tomorrow. I want to charge into the future with expectancy and imagination. I want to tip my hat to the things that make us afraid, then kick the hell out of fears that paralyze us. I want to embrace a freer, more joyful horizon for myself and my world, then take as many people as I can in that direction. [click to continue…]
Woke up this morning thinking about Ethel and Velma. These two ladies, who shared the same last name, lived together. Velma had been married to Ethel’s brother, who had died sometime earlier. Ethel never married. So in their latter years, these two sisters-in-law shared a house, along with a lot of family love and memories.
And quite a love for God.
Whenever I would go see them, it always felt like holy ground. It was that classic case of going to be a blessing and winding up leaving with the greater blessing. Each was in her own way a marvelous encourager, and each in her own way a hell-stopping intercessor.
As time and age took their toll, eventually death came calling, and Ethel answered the door. I went by to see Velma, who had encouraged me so many times, to try to be an encouragement to her. While I was there, someone else came by, and I’ll never forget Velma’s first words to them. In her beautiful Southern drawl, Velma asked rhetorically, “What we gonna do without Ethel?” [click to continue…]
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)
Because of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ,
Through the glory of the God the Father,
I have been raised from the dead.
Today the trajectory of my life is full of anticipation, discovery, awakening and opportunity. [click to continue…]
Behold a sower went forth again to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the well-worn path. Knowing the vulnerability of the seed to the birds, the sower broke the hardened ground to enable the seed to grow. The birds came to search for food and found nothing there.
Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil. Knowing the vulnerability of the plant to the scorching sun, the sower dug out the rocks to deepen the roots. The seeds sprang up, but only when the roots went down. And when the sun had risen, the deep roots nourished the plant with life and strength.
Others fell among the thorns. Knowing the vulnerability of the plant to be choked and fruitless because of the thorns, the sower diligently weeded the field.
And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. Knowing the potential of the seed to multiply, the sower ruthlessly pruned the plant to make it even more fruitful.
He who has ears, let him hear. [click to continue…]
(But I’ll Bet You Haven’t)
It was a harsh and hostile time, filled with great uncertainty. Public favor seemed to rock back and forth. One minute they were praised and celebrated, and the next they were vilified. A generation earlier a ragtag cast of characters had electrified the world with the testimony that Jesus Christ, who had been crucified outside Jerusalem, had risen from the dead and was alive to this day.
But what started in a supernatural flurry of worship and wonder soon turned ugly. [click to continue…]
This photo from December 2013 – People scatter rose pedals during an interfaith graveside memorial service.in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Suppose you were hosting an event for a crowd north of 1,400 people. Where would you have it?
That’s a pretty serious venue. Unless your name is something like Biltmore, you can probably scratch the back yard or dining room off the list. But hey, your local hotel ballroom may fit the bill. Depending on the nature of the event, a few church houses or large theaters or auditoriums would work.
When was the last time you were part of a crowd that big? I was there a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve got to tell you, it was noticeable. Parking was a bit of a challenge. The venue was a little crowded. The energy was palpable. Lots of noise and excitement.
And no, I’m not referring to a Black Friday sale at Walmart.
But I want to tell you about a different kind of assembly. One where 1,430 people came together and hardly anyone noticed. Parking wasn’t a problem. Noise wasn’t an issue. In fact, all was deathly(!) quiet, at a venue that was shockingly small.
The location: a mass grave. [click to continue…]
This just in… Thanksgiving is staging a comeback. After several years of retail retreat from Black Friday, creeping into stores opening sometime on Thanksgiving Day, retailers seem to have gotten the message either from employees or the public. More and more are again choosing to close on Turkey Day.
Oh. I mean Thanksgiving.
But this isn’t about retail habits or family traditions. In fact, it isn’t about holidays – American or otherwise – at all.
It’s about giving thanks. [click to continue…]
Suppertime. And it’s quite a little dinner party there in Bethany. All twelve disciples of Jesus are there, as is Jesus Himself, for whom the dinner was made.
Curiously enough, Lazarus – the friend of Jesus who never uttered a recorded word – is there, too. And this is after his four-day journey to the pit.
Martha is there, of course, being Martha, and making things happen.
And in comes Mary. She’s carrying an alabaster box. With all the movement and conversation as people recline at a Middle Eastern dinner table, I doubt very many people notice her at first. But that’s OK. Mary wasn’t interested in being noticed. She was interested in something – and Someone – much greater.
That said, no one could escape the fragrance that filled the room. It penetrated everything, everyone, everywhere.
Is that nard?
Nard it is.
That’s expensive stuff. To say nothing of the now-broken box that carried it.
Where is that coming from? [click to continue…]
A Celebration of the nearness and faithfulness of a God who reveals Himself by His names.
(Try reading this out loud, perhaps with a partner.)
We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks,
For Your name is near… And Your nearness is our good.
I AM THAT I AM.
And we give You thanks.
I always have been and always will be.
And we give You thanks.
I need no one to define Me, or remake me in their image.
And You are near.
I reveal Myself unceasingly.
And Your nearness is our good.
I am faithful and true in My covenant love.
So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture
Will give thanks to You forever.
+++++++
We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks,
For Your name is near… And Your nearness is our good.
I am Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord Your Banner. [click to continue…]
by admin on June 19, 2016
in Esteem, Insight, Leadership, Life Currency, Love, LV Stories, Prayers, Time, Turning Points, Uncategorized, Words
This post is part of a series of posts celebrating Father’s Day titled, “That Time My Kids Hacked My Blog.” To read more, click here.
Dear Dad,
You may not remember the day that I learned to ride a bicycle, but I do. We were living in Fayette, Alabama and all of my friends had already figured out how to ride and graduated to ten speeds. After spending several weeks trying to figure out how, I had resigned to give up.
I am not sure how long it was, in my mind it seems like it was years but I am sure it was only a few weeks, that Mom brought up the topic at dinner. I remember telling her that I couldn’t do it. While I am sure mom said something encouraging it was your response that made a lasting impact. You said, “Yes you can…let’s go.” Then you stood up and the two of was walked downstairs into the basement took the training wheels off my bike and went to the driveway. The next hour I fell several times but each time I did you picked me up, told me I was okay, and encouraged me to try again. It wasn’t long before I figured out how to balance and pedal. Up to that point in my life I am not sure I had ever felt so accomplished and to this day I still love riding a bike.
That day you taught me how to ride, but what I didn’t know at the time was that you were also teaching me how to live life. Time and time again I have seen you act in a similar manner. [click to continue…]