New Way to Be Thankful for Our Day

My friend David Rudd shared this with me and I want to share it with you . . .

"I was reading through Daniel this morning, and as I worked through chapter one, I was thinking about all the things the author gave credit to God for:

- "the LORD delivered Jehoiakim...into his hand"
- "God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel"
- "To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding..."

In each of these situations, the author is recognizing that God is active behind the scenes, sovereignly working out his will. It might be a fun activity at the end of the day occasionally to write out a short summary of your day, like this:
- went to church
- dropped off Bailey and Maddie in Coopersville
- cleaned out van
- picked up light-bulbs at Walmart
- helped dad tear out floor
- helped Emma with beam routine
- watched Liam's soccer game on video with him
- went to bed

Then take the same list, and rethink it, finding God's activity in my own life:
- The Lord provided a welcoming community of believers for me.
- God gave my daughter good friends
- God has provided transportation needs for me and my family
- The Lord has given us more money than we need so we can purchase lightbulbs
- God has given Emma and Liam great athletic ability
- The Lord has provided a soft bed in a safe home.

Kind of creates a new perspective on life... and is a great way to prompt thanksgiving."

I am grateful for David's note and believe that our focus on our day would be dramatically different if each of us would adopt this practice!

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation." (Psalm 100:4-5)

Words to Live By

I have been going through boxes of material I had gathered over the years - intending some day to file it away appropriately. As I have sorted through the notes & quotes I was reminded of how I got such a collection. They were things my Dad had shared with me. Some of them were poems, some of them were short little quotes, others were just personal notes of encouragement.

Now that my Dad is gone those words, notes, & quotes are all the more special to me.

As I journeyed down memory lane the thought occurred to me. . . I need to share this with my children. So I decided to start a personal project. I would gather up those notes & quotes and put them into a book form that I could pass on to my 2 children. I am calling it: "Words to Live By".

Here is a sample entry. Hope this encourages you:

"Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever . . .
. . . you can!"
- John Wesley

I thought about this quote on Sunday night as my wife & I watched Oprah's new show, "The Big Give" (ABC). If you have not heard about it, here is a little description: "Oprah's Big Give" the exciting and much-anticipated new primetime series that defies television convention with the bold idea of people competing to give rather than get. In eight one-hour episodes, a diverse, determined and competitive group of ten people are given the challenge of a lifetime — to change the lives of complete strangers in the most creative and dramatic ways. In this intense competition, the contestants criss-cross the country, scrambling to find ways to impact the fates and fortunes of unsuspecting people who are in for the surprise of their lives. Lives will be changed in the blink of an eye as contestants race against time to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences and also give away hundreds of thousands of dollars."

At first, I thought . . . COOL! Rather than selfish people competing to get something, people are actually starting to be selfless and start to give something.

But as I have thought about it over the last 2 days, my mind keeps coming to this question. . . do we really need a reality TV show to do that? What would happen if the Church got serious and stopped trying to compete with the culture & started to actually change people's lives by being the Big Give?

There could be less homeless on the streets, there could be less starvation in our world, families who have lost their jobs could be cared for instead of being referred to the government, the AIDS epidemic could be appropriately addressed. What could happen if the church invested itself into people's lives rather than tried to re-invent itself?

I love what my favorite author, Charles Swindoll, says; "You can change the world. But you change it one person at a time."

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!!!

"Priority One pre-alert; Explosion unknown origin; unknown number injured." Those were the words the dispatcher said as we were put on disaster alert.

As the dispatcher called back, the picture became clearer. A natural gas explosion destroyed the above business, trapping it's victims. 2 local police officers were across the street and rushed over to attempt to rescue it's victims. All the sudden, fire broke out.

My mind was racing as we set up and prepared for the victims. . .what would their injuries be? . . .burns? . . .smoke inhalation? . . .lacerations? . . .head injuries? . . .broken bones? . . .shock?

Here is the miracle. . . all of the victims of this horrible explosion were able to be treated and released with minor injuries. The fact that fire did not precipitate the exlosion enabled these individuals to be rescued with very little injury.

ONLY by the hand of God!

Who says God does not still do miracles today?

God, help me to continue to believe EVEN when I cannot see!

2 Different Men, 2 Different Motivations

It has been awhile since I posted, but in the last 2 days this world has said good-bye to 2 men who were able to inspire and motivate thousands of lives. Both of these men influenced my life in very different ways.

Larry Norman, well-known to be the "Father of Contemporary Christian Music", passed away and is now celebrating eternal life with the ONE he challenged so many here on earth to celebrate and serve. He was a pioneer. He was a man who lived life on purpose. He sought to bring the message of Jesus Christ to this present age by asking, "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" Thousands of lives, including mine, have been touched and transformed by his authentic message and his authentic music.

Myron Cope, Inventor of "The Terrible Towel" and Color Commentator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the visual motivator for fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers when they won 4 Super Bowl victories in the 1970's. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA during those years. And as I look over at the "ORIGINAL Terrible Towel", the visual memories of those glorious days of thousands of fans twirling their yellow and black "Terrible Towels", cheering our team to VICTORY flood my mind.

2 men. 2 different lives. 2 different motivations. As I contemplated their lives and what they brought to my life, it made me think. . . How am I using my life to motivate & inspire others? Then I was reminded of an old saying my father loved to quote:

"Only one life, twill soon be past;

Only what's done for Christ will last."

Stay Hungry. . .Stay Foolish

Interesting commencement address from Steve Jobs (Founder of Apple Computers).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

You are special!

This is very insightful and inspiring. What does the Bible say about, "a child will lead them"? I wish I had this kind of courage as an adult - let alone a child. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

Family Christmas Greeting

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/jl5xrMn3N9yuZhrIqr2PQAof