dec 1

Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

luke 14:31-32

the next verse is the critical one. it pulls verses 28-32 together, but we will leave them for tomorrow. today let's think about how practical Jesus is in both these passages.

In verses 28 to 30 he basically says, hey, don't look like a fool, make sure you know what you're getting into before you get into it.

In verses 31-32 he basically says, find out whether you got enough ammo before you start shooting at people. if not, find a way to save your butt.

Not the kind of stuff you would expect to come from Jesus' mouth. But that's Jesus. He doesn't do what you expect...

more tomorrow.

nov 30

Tonight, my wife and I met with a builder. It was an eye opening experience...and brought to mind these words of Jesus:

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

luke 14:28-30

It was humbling to us to see the extent of cost counting that should take place before building something. I am so impulsive. Lord, help me count the cost. What does it even mean to count the cost of faith?

nov 29

I met with my friends Kevin and Stephane tonight. Stephane asked about the line "I believe in the holy catholic church." He's Presbyterian. What's that all about?

Kevin did a great job explaining to him the difference between the Catholic Church and the catholic church. For some reason the small c is the bigger of the two!

The whole time I was just thinking about how thankful I was that we of all backgrounds and denominations are brothers and sisters when Jesus is our king. Amen. Amen.

nov 28

this is a quote from the Presbyterian Mission Prayer Book about my Aunt's church that put on a children's program the last two summers.

"the session knew on paper that it would be impossible for the congregation of shut-ins and elderly persons to do this, but they believed that with God, all things are possible and said yes - a resounding yes. "We have a large fellowship hall and there are hungry children: What is the question?" asked an 88 year old elder. Despite the $10,000 projected cost, they took a leap of faith."

nov 25

Confidence is con ("with") fideo ("faith"). In other words, it is not an alone faith; it is a "faith with" - a faith with God's faith. Your faith and God's faith flow together. You and Christ together have everything necessary.

You have to have faith in His faith. Faith is not merely your holding on to God - it is God holding on to you.

E Stanley Jones

nov 24

Therefore , as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And BE THANKFUL!

Colossians 3:12-15

I love this long list...and I love how it ends. BE THANKFUL. It's like Paul was rereading what he wrote and realized he forgot the most important part. Like putting in that last ingredient to make the soup sizzle. Thankfulness is that ingredient to the recipe of life. It adds the hop to your step, the whistle to your lips, and the twinkle to your eye.

nov 23

As we dive into Thanksgiving...we're going to take a look at a couple of my favorite Thanksgiving verses...here's one.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Anxiety and Thanksgiving do not work well together. Thanksgiving and Anxiety cannot even exist together. One casts out the other. So I'll leave it to you...which one do you choose to live with?

Let the one cast out the other. I promise you, it works.

nov 22

"To be a Christian, then, is to receive God's good gifts and enjoy them the most, need them the least, and give them away the most freely."

What is the Mission of the Church by Deyoung and Gilbert p 179

nov 21

Two Truths to Consider today:

I am more sinful and flawed that I ever dared believe.

I am more accepted and loved than I ever dared hope.

nov 18

People who fight life's battles without fear fight only one enemy - the real thing confronting them. But those who fight with fears inside fight three enemies - the real thing, plus the imaginary things built up by fear, plus the fear itself. Actually, the greatest of these is fear.

E Stanley Jones

nov 17

One morning when Martin Luther was discouraged, his wife appeared in black. When Luther inquired what the mourning meant, she replied, "Haven't you heard? God is dead."

nov 16

Do not worry...

A person who worries says: "I do not trust God; I'll take things in my own hands. God doesn't care, and so He won't do anything - I'll have to worry it through." But faith says, "God does care, and He and I will work it out together. I'll supply the willingness, and He will supply the power. With that combination we can do anything.

E Stanley Jones

nov 15

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

seek first HIS kingdom. so much of my life is doing the business of building my own! a friend and i were talking about this last week. part of our responsibility as Christian leaders (which is all of us) is to help discover and communicate the God narrative of our lives. to answer for ourselves and others this question: what is God doing? that i think in a nutshell is seeking first his kingdom...it is participating on the deeper playing field of the Spirit...it is paying attention to God...it is believing that He is at work...and that He has a place for us if we are willing to join Him.

Nov 14

And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:28-34

each day has enough trouble of its own...ain't that the truth. But how crazy is it that the words came out of the One who created day. I love how realistic Jesus is. He just may be the most real thing there is.

Nov 11

And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:28-34

Seek first his kingdom...

We need to spend some time here. But before we start we need to know this: Jesus always talks about the kingdom as if it already exists. He didn't say, Build first the kingdom. or Establish first the kingdom. or Conquer first the kingdom. He said Seek it. As if, it was already there. You just have to find it.

Nov 10

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

Matthew 6:27

My sister recently wrote a prayer email to her prayer list. It was your ordinary my life and the life of my family is in peril type of emails. The ones we have grown accustomed to.

Then she writes an add on email, which read: And don't worry! You know who you are.

As I read it I found myself going, is she talking about me? To be fully honest, I am related to a long line of worriers. I'm pretty sure she was talking about one of them. But the truth is I worry, too. I worry about her. I worry about a lot of things. But the real truth is, Jesus is right. What does worrying get me? It doesn't add. It only takes away.

Nov 9

And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:28-34

As I think back on my life, you know what I see? Never have I been short of clothing. Clean clothing maybe. But never not at all. Never have I been without food. For a few hours, yes. Not able to eat exactly what I would have liked, yes. But never not at all. That's a lot of day. A lot of days God has provided for me.

First of all, thanks God.

Second of all, help me remember when I lose faith.

Third of all, allow me to help you provide these basic needs to my brothers and sisters in the world.

Amen

Nov 8

Do not worry...

Worry seeps into my life in those moments I feel out of control. (Many moments feel this way). The worry comes in when I lose confidence in these moments that things might not go the way I'd like them to go. The lack of confidence is due partly from experiences from the past, partly from my lack of faith in the one who knows the future.

Both these things - the past, the future - are not what God would want me to focus upon. And so, and now, before we get to my lack of faith, today, I will pause and let the past remain in the past, the future remain in the future, while I remain in the future. Amen.

Nov 7

Do not worry...

This is from an excerpt Dr. Wayne D. Dyer. I think it's appropriate when you think about how "in the present" Jesus was.

What is worry? I define it this way: Worry is the act of becoming immobilized in the present moment as a result of things that are going, or are not going, to happen in the future.

The key words here are "present moment." Worry, then, is a technique you have created in order to use up the "now" moments of your life, rather than choosing to use these precious, present moments living a fully functioning, happy life.

Everything that has ever happened to you did not happen in the past—it happened in the present moment. And everything that will ever happen to you will not occur in the future—it will take place in the "now" as well. So every moment you elect to spend in worry is your way of using up your "nows" by not being fully present in your life.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Eliminate-Worry-From-Your-Life-Wayne-Dyer#ixzz1cyUVHTnk

Nov 4

And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:28-34

we'll unpack this next week...

Nov 3

I was reminded of how great these verses are tonight:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you nor much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single how to his life?

Matthew 6:25-27

Nov 1 & 2

This is worth two days of pondering...

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/525347