Well, it has started already. They (and I’m sure you know who I mean by they) are hyping the fact that snow is coming to Middle Tennessee. I’m surprised they haven’t declared a state of emergency. After all, some of that snow might actually stick to the ground.

I’m all for snow. I’m not much of a fan of driving on icy roads, but I like snow. Maybe that’s because I haven’t seen all that much snow in my lifetime compared with those who live further up north than me. I suppose if you see it all the time it gets old– like it does here when it rains for two weeks straight.

But enough with the hype. I’d rather not get my hopes up for snow and/or get my nerves up for having to drive on snowy and potentially icy roads.

I think I know what I’ll do in the face of all the possibilities that exist with the weather. I think I’ll sleep on it.

“When all Christians surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within; when we submit to the saving truth that we reach life only through death, that we come to light only through darkness; when we acknowledge that the grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die, that Jonah must be buried in the whale’s belly, that the alabaster jar of self must be broken if others are to perceive the sweet fragrance of Christ; when we respond to Jesus’s call of ‘Come to me,’ then the limitless power of the Holy Spirit will be unleashed with astonishing force upon the church and the world” (Brennan Manning, The Importance of Being Foolish: How to Think Like Jesus).

How cool would it be if that were to happen? How amazing would it be if all whose who belong to Jesus fully embraced their identities as sons and daughters and chose to live out of the power of the resurrection? What if I actually lived out all the time what I confess to believe?

I can’t imagine, but what comes to mind goes something like “Eye has not seen not ear heard what God has prepared for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

I added yet another coffee mug to my collection today. I wasn’t planning on it, but it spoke to my caffeinated soul in a way that I could not resist. Plus, it’s another excuse to drink more coffee.

I can’t think of anything more appropriate. Yes, I drink coffee because adulting is hard. If I wasn’t forced to wake up every morning at some ungodly hour, I would have no need for that wonderful potion made from magic beans (with lots of creamer and sugar thrown in).

I adult better because there is coffee. Other people appreciate the fact that I drink coffee because it allows me to form sentences and to not forget to wear pants.

So you’re welcome.

I think this speaks for itself.

“Lord, some things look pretty impossible from where we stand right now.
So that’s what we do: we pray for the impossible things, the improbable, implausible, impractical things.
We don’t just pray for the possible — because ours is the God who whispers: “With Me nothing, Nothing, NOTHING is impossible.” 

You are the God who makes the ridiculously impossible into the miraculously possible, the unbelievable into the you-better-believe-it, the never into the now. 
We are the people who pray it tonight: BUT GOD. We pray the impossible prayers — because as long we are with You, *nothing is impossible*” (Ann Voskamp, #HonestPrayers).

I have a friend who is walking through the dark valley of cancer right now, facing a scary surgery in a couple of weeks.

I have another friends who have some concerns about their unborn baby after the latest ultrasound.

I know a couple in my church who are friends with my parents who are watching as their own daughter is in hospice with failing health.

I also have a God who specializes in turning the ridiculously impossible into the miraculously possible. He’s the God for whom what seems impossible to us isn’t even remotely difficult for Him.

That’s the God who hears my prayers tonight and will show up mightily in all these circumstances. This is the God Incarnate who knows the way out of the tomb, over whom death has no power at all.

This is where my hope lies tonight.

I’ve decided I’m starting a new quest. This particular one is to collect retro Memphis jerseys such as the Showboats, Chicks, and Grizzlies (the World Football League version). I also know that Memphis had a few incarnations of a pro basketball team back in the 70s as well as more than a few soccer teams back in the day.

I’ve already hit up my Memphis friends on social media for help in this quest. Ideally, I think it’d be great to find these at thrift shops or consignment stores. In other words, for less than one arm and one leg.

I feel like representing my hometown and its incredible sports legacy through the years. I don’t think Memphis gets the respect it deserves as a sports loving city. And I keep hoping against hope that those NBA Memphis Grizzlies can maybe bring home a championship to the city.

At the very least, Penny Hardaway is making University of Memphis basketball exciting and relevant again. So there’s that.

As much as I love living in Nashville, Memphis will always be the place of my birth and my true hometown.

PS I will be more than willing to pay by whatever means for whatever you find. Just throwing that out there.

Beware the ferocious killer kitten that goes by the alias of Peanut. She’s got these lethal claws and crazed look on her face. You can tell she’s not one to be messed with. She’s a hellion in a fur coat . . . I can’t even keep a straight face.

She doesn’t have a single mean bone in her 12-pound body. She’d rather nap than fight. If an intruder actually broke in, she’d probably hide underneath the bed until he was gone.

Some kind of guard cat she is. But I still kinda like her.

“To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives-the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections-that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for.

Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God” (Henri Nouwen).

The Bible commands us to give thanks in every circumstance. Note that it does not say to give thanks FOR everything but in everything with the confidence that God is able to work even the worst of things for the best.

So there it is. Give thanks on good days and bad, for the happy and the sad, on the best of days and the worst, and everything in between.

Give thanks that the God of the sunshine is also the God of the rain, that the God of the day is also God of the night, that the God in all joy is also God in all sorrow.

Some of you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. My prayer is that you will find God has been with you from the start and will be with you to the end and beyond. So give thanks, not for the valley, but for God in the valley with you.

It’s Friday night, and my brain is fried. This marks the end of the first official 5-day work week in a while.

Right now, as I type these words, I’m laying in bed with some very soothing chamber music playing on my bluetooth portable speaker through Amazon music. It’s very relaxing.

I should probably put more classical music in my mind. Especially at night when I’m needing to unwind.

So far, it’s working. I can feel those remaining tensions and stresses leaving my body, being replaced by calm. Calm is good.

I suppose it’s a little like a Sabbath.

There’s a reason God designed the Sabbath. Not to add more rules and regulations, but to provide much needed rest. No one can go 24/7/365. All of us need down time, quiet, and rest.

Preferably with a little chamber music thrown in.

Can I say that I’m not used to being back in the 5-day work week yet?

I’m particularly fond of that week when I only worked 3 days.

Still, I’m surviving. I’m thankful that I had a job waiting for me at the end of all those vacation days and holidays. I remember not all that long ago when I didn’t.

I’m not saying that I don’t look forward to Friday, but I don’t live from weekend to weekend. At least I try not to.

Here and now is where I want to be, not wasting time wishing for Friday or the next big holiday.

I want to be present in my present and be fully alive in the moment.

Plus getting the occasional sleep-in on Saturday. Those are pretty great, too.