Friday Week 5

Lao Tzu, the ancient mystic Chinese philosopher (how's that for a title), said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Jesus, Son of God King of kings Lord of Lords savior of the world (how's that for a title), said: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move." Matthew 17:20

Dickie Graham, teacher wrestling coach dad husband and my friend (how's that), told me once: "The way you move mountains is a single step. Every step you take toward the mountain, the mountain gets smaller. You keep stepping and eventually that mountain that was before you will be behind you. Mustard seed faith is the faith of a single step."

Move a mountain today. Take a step of faith.

Thursday Week 5

say the following phrase ten times.

Jesus I belong to you.

Wednesday Week 5

This was my favorite song when I studied in Kenya. It is called "Ameniona." He sees me.

Nitamwimbia Bwana

Kwa kuwa yeye ameniona

I will sing to the Lord

for he has seen me.

God sees you.

When no one else does. When no one else cares. When no one understands.

He does. He cares. He understands. He sees you.

Tuesday Week 5

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven...

"...when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret...

"...when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen, who sees what is done in secret...

"...when you fast...wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Do something with Jesus today - do something for him - do something that only he will know about. See what happens.

Monday Week 5

You may have seen this painting before: Return of the Prodigal Son, by Rembrandt. It was re- popularized by Henri Nouwen's beautiful book on the topic.

You may be less familiar with this version of the prodigal by Rembrandt.

Dressing it up. Feeling it up. Drinking it up. Living it up. There is so much lostness in the young man's eyes...I do not know how Rembrandt did it.

This is the man the Father loved. He loves you, too.

"God demonstrated his love for you in this: while you were still sinning, Christ died for you." Romans 5:8 (NSRV....ned's slightly revised version)

by the way, the second painting is a self-portrait.

Friday Week 4

I spent some time yesterday evening thinking about where I saw, felt, smelled, tasted, and heard God yesterday...it was difficult...it took some time...I was still thinking about it this morning...

Smell was easy...we went to the fair. Funnel Cakes are of the Lord.

I tasted the Lord when for some reason I was led to this food booth and impulsively bought a lemonade...it was heavenly...but the God moment happened when I allowed my daughter to take a sip (she normally does not like lemonade). She drank the whole thing! She turned to me halfway through and said: "Daddy, this is the goodest lemonade in the whole world!" ...perhaps the God moment occurred when I let her finish. (The lemonade was darn good).

I heard yesterday when Charlie from China called. I have been praying for him and trying to get back in contact with him for months but had lost his information. He found me! He and his girlfriend are coming to visit in two weeks!

Then, I saw this picture...and I think that is when I remember feeling the Lord. Could he, yes, he could, he does, the Lord! He delights in me (and YOU!) even more than this! Even more than I delight in Dave Dave, my son.

Thursday Week 4

---submitted by Robert: thanks!

So what would happen if I looked for (and even if I found) God in my monday morning meeting, or my lunch with coworkers, or my checkout at Lowes. Sure, I can see the majesty of Creation in a sunset, or a mountain, but what about the not-so-beautiful parts of my day? This keeps bringing me back to, among other things, the way I treat other people. Not only to their faces, but also how do I regard them in my heart and in my conversation?

"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'
-Matthew 25:40-46

How many times have we made fun of the guy who's annoying us in the next cubicle, or held hatred in our heart for the manager who is making our work lives tough? I know I do and have. But God didn't just come to save the cool people. He didn't just come to save people who the world deems worthy. If he could have only saved that jerky guy on the marketing team, he would have been on the cross anyways. Jesus loved that guy. And so should we.

Let's find God in the details of our day. And let's love on those that our wicked hearts tell us are not worthy of our love.