If you are from NJ… or are even familiar with Bruce Springsteen… you might have thought about his old friend who was a great baseball player… back in high school. He could throw that speed ball by ya… make ya look like a fool.
If none of what I just wrote made any sense to you… you might want to save this email until a little more water has run under the bridge.
I recently read an article about trees. It was always thought that trees grew more and faster, that they were more productive… when they were young.
Turns out… that isn’t exactly true. Trees grow more, and are more productive the older they get.
They top out in height… but their reach continues to expand.
They produce more oxygen. Which is their purpose.
It is easy to think that our best years are behind us. That our glory days are in the past.
That things will never be the way they used to be.
And that is partly right.
Things are meant to be better.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
A man of understanding
It is one thing to understand something… or someone… a situation.. or a problem.
But to be a man of understanding…
That is a spiritual thing.
“a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.” Proverbs 17:27
There are so many things I want to understand. There are so many reasons… biblical reasons.. why I want to be a man of understanding…
“a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” Proverbs 1:5
“a man of understanding hath wisdom.” Proverbs 10:23
“a man of understanding walketh uprightly.” Proverbs 15:21
We are exhorted by the Word of God to “get” understanding. In fact it goes a step further and says, “with all thy getting get understanding.”
With every possible resource… with all of your effort… with all of your energy…
GET.
But to be a man of understanding…
That is a spiritual thing.
“a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.” Proverbs 17:27
There are so many things I want to understand. There are so many reasons… biblical reasons.. why I want to be a man of understanding…
“a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” Proverbs 1:5
“a man of understanding hath wisdom.” Proverbs 10:23
“a man of understanding walketh uprightly.” Proverbs 15:21
We are exhorted by the Word of God to “get” understanding. In fact it goes a step further and says, “with all thy getting get understanding.”
With every possible resource… with all of your effort… with all of your energy…
GET.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Bringing the embers together
Sitting in front of the fireplace, watching as the wood burns… you can learn a lot about the church… and how important it is to make sure we remember to come together as a body...
About what can happen if we do.
As I sat on the couch staring into the fire the embers lie beneath the grate, spread out below the logs that were losing their flames.
Small bits and pieces each glowing that distinct orange.
If you approached the embers you could feel their heat. But there was no flame. No roar of the fire. No light.
That is… until all the embers were gathered together in a pile and the glass doors to the fireplace were opened just enough to let some air in.
Suddenly… a spark. And then a blaze.
The flames danced over the embers and climbed the logs above.
It was beautiful. It lit up the room.
About what can happen if we do.
As I sat on the couch staring into the fire the embers lie beneath the grate, spread out below the logs that were losing their flames.
Small bits and pieces each glowing that distinct orange.
If you approached the embers you could feel their heat. But there was no flame. No roar of the fire. No light.
That is… until all the embers were gathered together in a pile and the glass doors to the fireplace were opened just enough to let some air in.
Suddenly… a spark. And then a blaze.
The flames danced over the embers and climbed the logs above.
It was beautiful. It lit up the room.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
T-20 Torx Driver
It started when the top rack of the dishwasher wasn’t getting any water to it.
Not really being in the position to… or even having the desire to… bring in an appliance guy I did what seemed obvious and when that didn’t work I went on YouTube.
The repair seemed easy enough and nothing that I couldn’t do except for one little potential snag…
the screws I had to remove to get to the problem were “special.” They weren’t the typical Phillips or flat-head screws. In fact, in my limited experience, I had never had to remove one before.
To try to get them off with a standard driver bit would destroy them. It had to be a T-20 Torx bit. (Kudos to those of you who know exactly what that is… I didn’t.)
Wouldn’t you know it… in the set that my wife had gotten me as a gift there it was… a T-20 torx driver bit. That poor, lonely, never-been-used, “special” bit.
But I wouldn’t have been able to do the job without it. No other bit in the case would work.
This was the T-20’s time to shine.
Not really being in the position to… or even having the desire to… bring in an appliance guy I did what seemed obvious and when that didn’t work I went on YouTube.
The repair seemed easy enough and nothing that I couldn’t do except for one little potential snag…
the screws I had to remove to get to the problem were “special.” They weren’t the typical Phillips or flat-head screws. In fact, in my limited experience, I had never had to remove one before.
To try to get them off with a standard driver bit would destroy them. It had to be a T-20 Torx bit. (Kudos to those of you who know exactly what that is… I didn’t.)
Wouldn’t you know it… in the set that my wife had gotten me as a gift there it was… a T-20 torx driver bit. That poor, lonely, never-been-used, “special” bit.
But I wouldn’t have been able to do the job without it. No other bit in the case would work.
This was the T-20’s time to shine.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Case Closed
Sometimes I have God moments that get me psyched. Not just in awe of God… not just excited…
Psyched!
I get pumped up when I get empowered.
And when God put the following on my heart… I felt empowered.
The enemy might bring an accusation against you…
But he has to leave with it too!
Oh yeah! That’s right.
He can say whatever he wants… he can bring ever manner of accusation against us… but you know what?...
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
Condemnation: the act or process of executing judgment against
That means EVEN if it is true…
Psyched!
I get pumped up when I get empowered.
And when God put the following on my heart… I felt empowered.
The enemy might bring an accusation against you…
But he has to leave with it too!
Oh yeah! That’s right.
He can say whatever he wants… he can bring ever manner of accusation against us… but you know what?...
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
Condemnation: the act or process of executing judgment against
That means EVEN if it is true…
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Where were you last night?
I think one question that Nicodemus didn’t want to get from his friends, colleagues, family… or whoever… the day after he met with Jesus after hours was, “Where were you last night?”
He had gone to seek Jesus when and where he felt safe. And in order to do so he must have trusted that Jesus would not have given his little secret away.
“Why don’t you ask Nicodemus… He and I have talked!” was not something that the gospels record Christ saying in any of his subsequent conversations with the Pharisees.
Jesus respected Nick’s privacy.
He treated him as valuable. He listened to him.
He answered him honestly.
Nick didn’t seem the type to falsely deny to encounter. He must have carried the conversation with him wondering if it would ever come up. Had someone asked, he would have to admit it. And with that admission came the risk that he would be an outcast.
He had gone to seek Jesus when and where he felt safe. And in order to do so he must have trusted that Jesus would not have given his little secret away.
“Why don’t you ask Nicodemus… He and I have talked!” was not something that the gospels record Christ saying in any of his subsequent conversations with the Pharisees.
Jesus respected Nick’s privacy.
He treated him as valuable. He listened to him.
He answered him honestly.
Nick didn’t seem the type to falsely deny to encounter. He must have carried the conversation with him wondering if it would ever come up. Had someone asked, he would have to admit it. And with that admission came the risk that he would be an outcast.
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