Mark 6:31
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
Sorry for the absence! I've been frantically preparing for a journey that will begin on Sunday. My friends (Mark and Tom) and my dad (Dick) and I are heading to an island in Lake Superior (Isle Royale National Park) for a 5-day backpacking trip. This will be a time of adventure, a time of spiritual renewal, and (believe it or not) a time of rest.
I will return around May 17th and hope to start posting to this blog soon after my return. Please pray that our trip will be safe and that we will find spiritual renewal and some rest.
Blessings!
Lon
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Monday, May 05, 2008
"Happy Birthday", by Rachel Smith
Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask!
My birthday is coming up in May (so is Lon’s) and as a result I have been trying to think of what I might ask for this year. I believe that people are God’s presents to us. Not just on our birthdays or at Christmas, but every day.
If you think about it, people are a lot like presents. Each gift is unique and all carefully chosen by the giver. Each gift is intended to bring us joy or to help us in some way. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to receive a new shower door for Christmas one year, but we sure needed it! There are several people that God gives me that are truly a joy. I love un-wrapping every detail of their lives when we meet for coffee or run into each other at the store.
Then, there are others that require assembly and patience. Their packages aren’t nearly as pretty, but with some work those gifts have turned out to be dependable and necessary in my life.
I have also been given a gift or two that I’m not entirely sure what it’s for. I keep those gifts too. I feel I have to. Then, after about a year of not knowing what I would ever do with said item, it goes to the garage sale or the garbage. Ironically some of those same items are the ones I end up needing and wishing I had. I wonder how many of God’s presents we discard thinking we have no use for them.
All people are gifts to us from the great Giver of all good things. Who will you unwrap today?
Happy Birthday, Lon.
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask!
My birthday is coming up in May (so is Lon’s) and as a result I have been trying to think of what I might ask for this year. I believe that people are God’s presents to us. Not just on our birthdays or at Christmas, but every day.
If you think about it, people are a lot like presents. Each gift is unique and all carefully chosen by the giver. Each gift is intended to bring us joy or to help us in some way. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to receive a new shower door for Christmas one year, but we sure needed it! There are several people that God gives me that are truly a joy. I love un-wrapping every detail of their lives when we meet for coffee or run into each other at the store.
Then, there are others that require assembly and patience. Their packages aren’t nearly as pretty, but with some work those gifts have turned out to be dependable and necessary in my life.
I have also been given a gift or two that I’m not entirely sure what it’s for. I keep those gifts too. I feel I have to. Then, after about a year of not knowing what I would ever do with said item, it goes to the garage sale or the garbage. Ironically some of those same items are the ones I end up needing and wishing I had. I wonder how many of God’s presents we discard thinking we have no use for them.
All people are gifts to us from the great Giver of all good things. Who will you unwrap today?
Happy Birthday, Lon.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Forgotten Gifts
Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
One of the (many) stumbling blocks in my walk with the Lord has to do with the gifts that He gives me. He gives me some amazing gifts! The problem begins when I forget the fact that He gave them to me!
Here's an example. The Lord blessed me with a pretty amazing gift of discernment. However, when I turn that focus on others in the form of judgment...then we've got trouble!
The antidote to misuse of God's gifts is to keep in mind the Giver. It's hard to abuse a gift when our eyes are focused on God!
Praise God for all His gifts!
Lon
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
One of the (many) stumbling blocks in my walk with the Lord has to do with the gifts that He gives me. He gives me some amazing gifts! The problem begins when I forget the fact that He gave them to me!
Here's an example. The Lord blessed me with a pretty amazing gift of discernment. However, when I turn that focus on others in the form of judgment...then we've got trouble!
The antidote to misuse of God's gifts is to keep in mind the Giver. It's hard to abuse a gift when our eyes are focused on God!
Praise God for all His gifts!
Lon
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