I don’t like getting political in my blog…in fact I don’t think I ever have, but since we are here today about to make history, I thought it prudent to bring up politics. President Barack Obama. Two years ago did anyone honestly believe we’d be saying that? I know I didn’t. Heck, I didn’t really even know anything about him. Now we flash forward to today and we as a nation are about to make history. And you know what? I for one am thrilled. President Obama brings something different to the office of President of the United States and after the past forty years…that can’t be a bad thing. No, I didn’t vote for President Obama, but I can tell you this, he’s my President and I stand behind him. So Chavez…you and me…we’ve got some beef.
I was talking to a friend back in October about how important this election was for the nation. For the first time ever we had a legitimate chance at seeing a woman be the President and/or the Vice President. In addition to that milestone, we had Barack Obama. I am proud to say that in my lifetime I was able to witness an African American go from small time candidate to legitimate front runner to President. Just the thought of him taking office swells my chest with pride. His story is the American Dream. He overcame adversity that so many people could never imagine and now he is our President. I don’ care what political affiliation, religion, race, color, creed, or gender you are…you have to admit that January 20, 2009 is a special date. I believe seeing him take office instills hope in all Americans that “yes, it is possible to accomplish great things…no matter who you are or where you come from.”
In addition to President Obama overcoming the odds, let’s look at something I consider to be incredibly important…he doesn’t fit into the typical Washington D.C. mold. That’s a great thing! I had my doubts on whether or not he is a uniter, but from the days after the election till today I have seen a man help heal the divisive wounds. He definitely doesn’t fit into the typical D.C. mold. I am already impressed with the way the nation seems to be coming together and he's assembled one heck of a staff. Again, I didn’t vote for him and I am sure I will disagree with his choices at times, but that’s one of the perks of being an American…you don’t have to agree with the President. I can tell you this; however, I will support my President.
I have to say that he has grown on me. It’s because of this that I am challenging myself to be in prayer for him. He will need it. I can’t imagine the pressure and stress of being the President of the United States. I also want to challenge all those who read this blog, be in prayer for our President. In addition to that, be in prayer for our outgoing President. If ever there was a time to pray for this nation now is the time. We have a chance to see peace, unity, and change come to this nation. It is a great time to be alive here in the United States. God bless this nation and God bless each of you.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!
It’s funny how little things stick with you over time. It’s those little things that you see, that seem insignificant at the moment, that tend to have a long lasting impact on you. Of course it could just be how my mind works. I seem to always be looking for little signs here and there. It might be because I have watched one too many episodes of Lost, but I personally believe that’s how God hardwired me. I tend to look at nature, whether it’s a sunrise, rainstorm, or bull moose emerging from an alpine stream, and try to hear and see God in that. I personally believe that God speaks through His creation. Luke 19:40 says this “’I tell you,’ he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’” God uses His creation to speak to us. Whether it’s a talking donkey, and yes…it happened…see Numbers 22:21-41, or rocks crying out, God is all around, working in His creation, talking to us. And that leads me to the point of my rambling. No, a donkey didn’t talk to me, close, but not quite.
About a year ago I was driving up to Dallas from Katy/Houston. I love taking what I lovingly refer to as the “back roads” to get to Dallas. I can’t stand Interstate 45 so I head through the back roads till I get to Highway 6 and take that to I-35 then onward to Dallas, but I digress. My little story comes from an observation I made while on the “back roads.” I was driving on this little two lane farm-to-market road when I saw something profound. On one side of the road there were about ten or so horses moving around in a moderately sized, fenced in area. It wasn’t huge and the horses didn’t seem to have a great deal of room to maneuver about in. On the other side of the road was a lone horse in a fenced in area that seemed to have no end. The lone horse had all the room in the world to gallop, explore, and just enjoy the freedom that the horses across the road did not have. But you see, it wasn’t the size of the horse pen that I noticed, it was what the lone horse was doing that caught my eye. He sat there at the fence along the road, staring at the ten horses across the way. Now let me paint for you the picture of this horse. He stood about as close to the fence as possible so that he might be able to be as close to the other horses as possible. His head was outstretched as far as it could be in an “almost there…almost there” kind of pose. As I continued by I wondered why this horse didn’t just simply turn around and enjoy his freedom. He had all the room in the world to run around. It didn’t click with me until I realized how much I am, how we all are, like this horse.
The lone horse had freedom; he had something the other horses across the way didn’t have. He had room to run around, take a drink from a cool stream, and just be out in the open, but that’s not what he wanted. What he wanted was to be with the other horses. You see the world and the Kingdom of God are similar to this little horse scenario. On one side is the world and all that it has to offer. On the other side are the things of God. How many times have we as Christians been just like that lone horse? We have freedom in Christ and yet we sit at the edge longing to participate in the world. Why? If we would just turn around and look, we would see that the Lord has given us freedom from the world. We are free from the penalty of sin. Let me repeat that, we are free from the penalty of sin. What is the penalty of sin you ask? Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are free in Christ and what a freedom we have. The Lord paid the ransom for our souls on Calvary. That price has been paid, turn around and enjoy the freedom you have in Christ.
Now ideally not only should our goal as Christians be to enjoy the freedom that Christ gave us, but we should also look to bring as many of the other “horses” over into our “pasture.” Heaven is exclusive in the sense that there is only one way to God and that’s through Jesus Christ. John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” While Heaven is exclusive in that sense, the opportunity to get there is for all. And that’s an important thing to remember. We shouldn’t be longing to be of the world. We are set apart and our minds should be on higher things. In addition to that we should also be looking for ways to bring others to the Lord.
So we need to not be like this lone horse, longing to be in the world while the freedom in Christ is right behind us. Let us all revel in the freedom that has been freely given to us and invite others to share in the joy of a life lived in Christ. May your life be well lived and may it be lived to serve Him. Praise the Lord for nature, for I know He still speaks to us through His creation.
About a year ago I was driving up to Dallas from Katy/Houston. I love taking what I lovingly refer to as the “back roads” to get to Dallas. I can’t stand Interstate 45 so I head through the back roads till I get to Highway 6 and take that to I-35 then onward to Dallas, but I digress. My little story comes from an observation I made while on the “back roads.” I was driving on this little two lane farm-to-market road when I saw something profound. On one side of the road there were about ten or so horses moving around in a moderately sized, fenced in area. It wasn’t huge and the horses didn’t seem to have a great deal of room to maneuver about in. On the other side of the road was a lone horse in a fenced in area that seemed to have no end. The lone horse had all the room in the world to gallop, explore, and just enjoy the freedom that the horses across the road did not have. But you see, it wasn’t the size of the horse pen that I noticed, it was what the lone horse was doing that caught my eye. He sat there at the fence along the road, staring at the ten horses across the way. Now let me paint for you the picture of this horse. He stood about as close to the fence as possible so that he might be able to be as close to the other horses as possible. His head was outstretched as far as it could be in an “almost there…almost there” kind of pose. As I continued by I wondered why this horse didn’t just simply turn around and enjoy his freedom. He had all the room in the world to run around. It didn’t click with me until I realized how much I am, how we all are, like this horse.
The lone horse had freedom; he had something the other horses across the way didn’t have. He had room to run around, take a drink from a cool stream, and just be out in the open, but that’s not what he wanted. What he wanted was to be with the other horses. You see the world and the Kingdom of God are similar to this little horse scenario. On one side is the world and all that it has to offer. On the other side are the things of God. How many times have we as Christians been just like that lone horse? We have freedom in Christ and yet we sit at the edge longing to participate in the world. Why? If we would just turn around and look, we would see that the Lord has given us freedom from the world. We are free from the penalty of sin. Let me repeat that, we are free from the penalty of sin. What is the penalty of sin you ask? Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are free in Christ and what a freedom we have. The Lord paid the ransom for our souls on Calvary. That price has been paid, turn around and enjoy the freedom you have in Christ.
Now ideally not only should our goal as Christians be to enjoy the freedom that Christ gave us, but we should also look to bring as many of the other “horses” over into our “pasture.” Heaven is exclusive in the sense that there is only one way to God and that’s through Jesus Christ. John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” While Heaven is exclusive in that sense, the opportunity to get there is for all. And that’s an important thing to remember. We shouldn’t be longing to be of the world. We are set apart and our minds should be on higher things. In addition to that we should also be looking for ways to bring others to the Lord.
So we need to not be like this lone horse, longing to be in the world while the freedom in Christ is right behind us. Let us all revel in the freedom that has been freely given to us and invite others to share in the joy of a life lived in Christ. May your life be well lived and may it be lived to serve Him. Praise the Lord for nature, for I know He still speaks to us through His creation.
Friday, January 2, 2009
From a Father to a son
I sat down and prayed on the first morning of 2009 to usher in the New Year. As I sat there and reflected on what has been and what is to come, I felt a stir in me. I have never been one on New Year’s resolutions...and I won't be starting today, but what I did get from my quiet time was a good Father to son "guide" on how to move forward into this New Year. I want to share what God laid on my heart that morning...(this is from God's perspective)
My son,
As you move into a new year, I want you to remember a few things that will greatly improve the quality of your life and those around you.
-Smile more and watch as others follow suit
-Listen more than you speak
-Don't sweat the small things
-Laughter IS the best medicine and it’s contagious
-How you see yourself is how others see you...so see yourself through My eyes
-Patience is more than a virtue...it’s a necessity
-Being late...who cares
-Have fun and seek joy
-Stop and soak up My creation from time to time
-Love more...even if it is risky
-Be a true friend and a good friend
-You're never too old to play tag with your niece
-Dancing in the rain is good for the soul
-Lie down in the grass and stare at the clouds
-Be intentional about your actions...but never intentionally hurt someone
-Don't be too proud to ask for forgiveness
-Be quick to forgive others
-Don’t run away from problems
-Let go of bitterness before it grabs onto you
-Put others ahead of yourself
-Rejoice at the sunrise, for each day is full of new promise
-Don't be afraid of getting hurt or falling down
-Relationships are more important than rules
-Do take time to stop and smell the roses
-Don't let golden opportunities pass you by
-Don't let busy-ness cause you to miss out on a full life
-Never be afraid to shed a tear
-Take care of yourself spiritually, emotionally, and physically
-Times may get tough, but I will be there to guide you...or to carry you
-Take time to serve for it renews your spirit
-Take time out of your day to spend with Me...I cherish that time with you
-Trust in the Me
These things are simple and don't cost you anything, but time. Don't waste the time I have given you, spend it and spend it wisely. And never, EVER forget my son...I love you!
Love,
Your Father
What great advice from a Father to a son. I hope that everyone who reads this sees it not as an impossible task, but instead as a way to really find joy in life. I know I have already started on this and it’s already greatly improved my life. So here’s to a blessed New Year! May this year be your best year yet!
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