Archive for January, 2008
Updated Feed
January 31st, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Site News...
Just a quick note… I’ve updated my feeds using a new plugin to redirect everything through Feedburner. I believe the change will be transparent to everyone, but no guarantees. If you have problems with viewing my site through your feed reader, please let me know!
Bible in a Year — Anyone Interested?
January 28th, 2008 | 5 Comments | Posted in » Bible in a Year, Devotions / Bible Studies, My Life
I don’t know about all of you, but I struggle with my daily quiet time… specifically, time reading the Bible. I’m better about prayer, simply because I can do that during my commute to (or from) work each day.
Recently, I’ve been feeling more and more convicted about righting that issue. Given that I’ve also felt that I ought to blog more regularly to share whatever God lays on my heart, coupling the two seems pretty logical.
So… I’m opening an invitation to anyone interested in participating. Starting next Sunday, February 3rd, I’m going to embark on the yearly Bible reading plan found here. I hope to share a few thoughts every day from the reading, so the deal is this… agree to read along each day on the same Scripture, then blog about a couple thoughts you had in response to the Scripture passage that day. If you’re not a blogger, but just read along? You can still participate by commenting on any of the blogs that do. I would also ask that participating bloggers link to each other initially, and again from time to time throughout the year.
Anyone interested?
Reason to Rejoice
January 27th, 2008 | 4 Comments | Posted in » Church Stuff..., My Life, Prayer Requests
I don’t know about you, but often times Sunday church services are rather routine. Not so today.
Shane Sanderson (from Southside Youth Outreach) preached a powerful gospel message today at Missouri Valley, and several people came to saving faith in Christ! I was privileged to have the opportunity to lead two boys (Tanner and Tucker) in this decision.
Talk about reason to rejoice!
It was an exciting day at the Valley for sure.
I would like to ask each of you to pray for Tanner and Tucker, specifically that today’s decision will be followed up in the coming weeks and months by growth in their faith, baptism as an outward public symbol of that faith, and a life marked by real commitment to following Jesus.
I Triple Dog Dare You!
January 26th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News..., Just For Fun...
A scene from the movie “A Christmas Story” became reality yesterday morning when not only one, but two Indiana fourth-graders got their tongues stuck to a flagpole.
It’s not clear if the local fire department was called to rescue the boys. Neither has word been forthcoming on whether whatever friends that put the two up to it have confessed to doing so. We do know, however, that those who did it know their blame, and we’re sure that the guilt they feel is far worse than any punishment that they might receive.
New Bloggers…
January 25th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Worth Reading
Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been helping my friends Tom and Jodi Brager get started on their own adventures into the blogging world. I’m happy to announce that their sites are now up and running.
Tom’s site is called “Rooted Seed”, originating from a couple of the parables that Jesus shared with us (primarily the parable of the sower, but also his teachings regarding the vine and the branches). Check it out here:
Jodi’s site is a part of the Southside Youth Outreach website (which, itself, is under development), and is entitled “Jodi’s Journal”. Jodi has an incredible heart for reaching students, and intends her site to be an extension of her ministry through Southside Youth Outreach. Check it out here:
We’ve got a bit of training to do yet with them on administration of their sites (you bloggers will understand that completely… it’s not the easiest thing in the world), but we’ll get there soon, and hopefully they’ll be regularly sharing their thoughts and lives with us through their blogs in the near future.
Anyway, here’s the deal… hop on over to their sites and welcome them to blog-land!
God-Given Plans and Ideas… for Sale?
January 23rd, 2008 | 7 Comments | Posted in » Church Stuff..., Worth Reading
I don’t know about you, but I’ve purchased and read quite a bit of Christian literature and resources over the years… Bible studies, devotionals, books designed to encourage and challenge me in my faith, church growth literature, small group literature… pretty much the whole gamut of stuff that’s available.
I’ve often wondered, if God is granting these authors all of these wonderful thoughts to share with the world, why in the world are they selling them for profit? Shouldn’t they be made freely available so that all can benefit from the wisdom, knowledge, or direction God is providing?
I’ve wrestled with that question many times, wondering what I would do should God lead me to write some sort of book, study guide, or devotional. Would I make it freely available online, or would I publish it for purchase (if I knew how to go about doing so)?
If you’ve ever pondered that question, I’d encourage you to check out Les Puryear’s post over at sbc IMPACT!. He raises that question and others, and I would anticipate there being some excellent dialogue on the matter.
You May Have Won This Car!
January 22nd, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » My Life
Ever get one of those advertisements in the mail from a car dealer, indicating that the enclosed key may just be the key that starts a brand new car on their lot? The claim, of course, is that you can come in, try the key, and possibly drive off the lot in a shiny new vehicle. Further, just for coming, the ad promises some sort of valuable prize… at minimum an MP3 player (advertised with an iPod picture, of course), the maximum being a large amount of cash.
Well, I got one of those ads… so I went.
I won.
Had you going there for a second, right?
I didn’t really think so.
The point of this post? Just a little rant. I don’t know how car dealers get away with that kind of advertising, nor do I understand why anyone would want to subject themselves to the stuff you have to go through when you respond. You see… I’m now speaking from first-hand experience. We received one such ad recently, and my five-year-old son saw the attached key. Now if you know anything about Jeffrey, you’ll know he’s nuts about cars. Absolutely loves them… talks about them almost non-stop.
Naturally, when he saw the key, he wanted to know what it was for and if he could have it. I explained what the ad said to him, and of course he HAD to go find out if we won (despite every explanation I could give him about how this stuff works). Since we need to go to the dealership to have our vehicle serviced anyway, I reluctantly agreed.
Man were we in for a fun experience (or not).
I won’t go into a whole lot of details, but suffice it to say that you don’t want to respond to one of those ads. To try the key, you’ll get ambushed by several salesmen… you’ll get to supply all sorts of financial details you’re not interested in sharing… you’ll get to explain not only to the salesmen that you’re not interested in trading in your vehicle and buying something off their lot, but to their manager as well (who’ll use every type of pressure technique they know)… and after maybe 15 minutes of nonsense (and that’s if you’re clearly there just for the sake of your kid!), you’ll get to find out the key doesn’t work. Oh, and you’ll get your guaranteed prize… remember that MP3 player? You just won’t get it on the spot… you’ll get a coupon for some cheap toy that you’ll have to pay an exorbitant amount just to have shipped to you.
Of course, I knew better than to go, but I love my son… which brings me to the worst part of this.
Remember that key? That thing was more precious than gold to Jeffrey for the past couple of days… he was so excited that he’d get to try to start a car with it, he could hardly contain himself.
Now? It’s bent… it was so cheaply made that the very act of trying it in the lock damaged it.
Jeffrey left with nothing but disappointment tonight. That bent key won’t even start his Cozy Coupe anymore.
Small Beginnings…
January 21st, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Just a few quick thoughts tonight before bed, all arising from our Sunday School lesson yesterday.
First, a couple Scriptures, both from the New Living Translation.
Zechariah 4:10
10Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.
Matthew 13:31-32
31Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”
I don’t know about you, but often times when God has laid things on my heart to do, the task has seemed so large that I haven’t really known where to begin. It’s not necessarily even that the task itself is necessarily huge, but sometimes simply because I see that the task has huge potential. Either way, I often find myself a bit overwhelmed… finding it hard to eat the proverbial entire elephant.
What to do?
Too often, I simply put off the task for a while, trying to figure out not only how to get my arms around the entire thing, but how to swallow the whole thing in one ginormous bite. The result? You’ve probably already guessed… I either become tired and frustrated with the amount of chewing required, and eventually spit it out in failure, or, in some cases… I struggle through to the end to find success. It’s not a futile effort ALL of the time, thankfully!
So what am I getting at? Certainly not that mode of attack for tackling God-given tasks.
Check out Matthew 13:31-32 and Zechariah 4:10 and be encouraged.
For God to be pleased, we don’t have to do everything all at once! Sometimes, we just have to start the work, tackling small items, bit by bit. We don’t have to do BIG things for God to be pleased. Moreso… often the little things in which we are faithful grow into something far bigger than we’d ever imagine!
Think about it. What events in your life have been most meaningful to your walk with Christ?
Odds are, they’re not big items. Maybe it’s simple words or notes of encouragement offered to you by a friend. Maybe it’s those few minutes spent in prayer each morning. Maybe it’s a single Scripture passage God has laid on your heart to remember. You tell me… what has it been in your life?
Little things make a huge difference. Be faithful in tiny tasks or small beginnings, and let God take care of the big stuff.
Sledding Fun!
January 20th, 2008 | 2 Comments | Posted in » My Life, Pictures
Today, we spent a bit of time with one of my favorite winter activities… sledding. While a bit cold outside, we had a blast!
You’ll enjoy the following video (click on the picture below), and the photo gallery from the day.
This is a WPSimpleViewerGallery
Coincidence or Reward?
January 19th, 2008 | 4 Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, My Life
This morning, I’ve got a true story and a quick question. Story first.
Yesterday afternoon, I dropped by Cabela’s in Kansas City to return a gift I’d recently received. It was a fine gift, but simply something I really didn’t need (don’t tell me you’ve never done the same!). Anyway, after returning the gift and receiving store credit, there I was, stuck in Cabela’s… forced to figure out how to spend $118.36 in store credit. Let me tell you… it was a rough task, but somebody had to do it.
I wandered through the store for quite a while, but eventually settled on two items… a new winter coat for Nancy (she had needed one for some time), and a nice replacement fishing reel for me (I had one wear out last summer). The total? About $160, before tax. More than I had on my gift card, for sure, but I had a bit of extra Christmas cash left over, so it was no big deal. I proceeded to checkout… and things got interesting.
After ringing up the items, the cashier gave me my total… about $130. Pleasantly surprised, assuming that something must have been on sale, I paid with my gift card and a bit of cash. The cashier handed me my receipt, and I looked at it to see what was different.
I found myself smack-dab in the middle of a moral dilemna.
You see, the cashier had made a mistake, ringing up the fishing reel twice… missing the coat completely. The error was obviously in my favor. What to do?
It’s amazing what rushes through your mind in that situation.
“WOOHOO! Free money!”
“No one will ever know.”
“What kind of trouble will that cashier get into when they discover she goofed?”
“I can’t just walk out of here without setting this straight… it’s not right.”
“Leaving now would effectively be stealing from the store.”
“God won’t ever let me forget if I take advantage of this situation.”
“How will I ever return Nancy’s coat if it doesn’t fit without a matching receipt?”
Yeah… I had the cartoonish devil on one shoulder, angel on the other thing going on. It felt like several minutes had passed as thoughts flitted back and forth in my head.
I turned back to the cashier.
“Um, miss… I believe you’ve made a mistake ringing this up. I don’t mind paying less for this stuff, but I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
Handing her the receipt, I explained, “See? You rang up the reel twice and missed the coat.”
With a puzzled look on her face (I think she thought I was nuts for asking to pay more for the merchandise), she mentioned something about not knowing how it happened, and she went to get her manager to get the issue straightened out.
So I stood there, in line, with several impatient-looking people lined up behind me.
Several minutes later, the cashier and manager returned. The manager pointed her in the right direction to straighten things out, and after cancelling out the previous transaction, she rang up the coat.
$49.99… 50% off the coat’s tagged price of $99.99.
Now, maybe I was just blind, but there was nothing in the store where I found Nancy’s coat indicating there was any sort of sale… much less a 50% off sale. But there it was… 50% off.
My jaw dropped. 10 minutes earlier I was about to walk out of the store dancing for joy that they’d goofed in my favor. Now, here I was… looking at a correct total that was less than it was when I was all ready to walk out with my dishonest gain.
I must have simply been standing there with a stupid look on my face, as the next thing I know, I hear the cashier say, “Sir? Here’s your receipt and your change.”
The gift card had covered my purchases completely. She handed me my receipt… and two pennies.
Yes… the gift card ended up covering my purchases… with two cents left over.
Coincidence, or right behavior rewarded by a God in control of everything?
I know what I think. How about you?
