spirituality

#notugly

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“For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing. For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Maybe you don’t like the way you look.

Maybe you have a hard time looking at yourself in the mirror or watching yourself in videos or pictures.

Maybe you’ve felt like no one with eyes could ever be attracted to you.

Maybe you’ve thought to yourself, ” If only I could just lose 20 pounds” “If only I had a different face” “If only I were taller”. . . the list goes on.

Can I share something with you?

God loves you just the way you are. He looks at you and says, “Very good.”

In the above mentioned verses, the Apostle Paul says that we are God’s poiema, His workmanship, His finished product, His masterpiece. I really like how The Voice puts it– “heaven’s poetry etched on lives.”

You are not ugly. You are beautiful because God says so. He looks at you and delights in what He sees. And as the old saying goes, God don’t make no junk.

Remember that the next time you don’t like your own reflection. Remember that you are an image-bearer of God, reflecting a part of God that people will only see when they see you.

You may not be a 10 in the world’s eyes, but never forget that to Jesus, you’re to die for.

My Progress Update

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“Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen” (Hebrews 11:1)

For those who are new to this blog or who haven’t been keeping up, I’ve been reading through the Bible in The Voice translation this year. I really like it so far, especially the way it translates Christ as “the Anointed One.” I also like the modern yet faithful wording.

I’ve made it all the way to 2 Peter, which means I don’t have far to go. Just 6 more books. I suppose I’m a bit ahead of schedule. I figure I’ll be done before July 1, the midway point of the year.

I’ll give you a taste of what I’ve been reading lately:

“Blessed is God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! Because He has raised Jesus the Anointed from death, through His great mercy we have been reborn into a living hope— reborn for an eternal inheritance, held in reserve in heaven, that will never fade or fail. Through faith, God’s power is standing watch, protecting you for a salvation that you will see completely at the end of things. You should greatly rejoice in what is waiting for you, even if now for a little while you have to suffer various trials. Suffering tests your faith which is more valuable than gold (remember that gold, although it is perishable, is tested by fire) so that if it is found genuine, you can receive praise, honor, and glory when Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, is revealed at last.

Although you haven’t seen Jesus, you still love Him. Although you don’t yet see Him, you do believe in Him and celebrate with a joy that is glorious and beyond words. You are receiving the salvation of your souls as the result of your faith” (1 Peter 1: 3-9).

I think that says it all.

I

Oops

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I just now realized that I forgot to write my daily blog yesterday. Talk about your delayed reaction. It was something I meant to do, but apparently forgot. The mind is always the first to go.

That is all. Carry about your business.

 

Some Wise Words Written by Someone Else

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This is one of those nights when I couldn’t think of a blessed thing to write about so I am borrowing someone else’s words. In this case, that someone is Frederick Buechner, one of my favorite writers. Here are those words:

“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and the pain of it no less than the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.”

And then there’s this one:

“From the simplest lyric to the most complex novel and densest drama, literature is asking us to pay attention. Pay attention to the frog. Pay attention to the west wind. Pay attention to the boy on the raft, the lady in the tower, the old man on the train. In sum, pay attention to the world and all that dwells therein and thereby learn at last to pay attention to yourself and all that dwells therein. . .

“Literature, painting, music — the most basic lesson that all art teaches us is to stop, look, and listen to life on this planet, including our own lives, as a vastly richer, deeper, more mysterious business than most of the time it ever occurs to us to suspect as we bumble along from day to day on automatic pilot. In a world that for the most part steers clear of the whole idea of holiness, art is one of the few places left where we can speak to each other of holy things. . .

“And when Jesus comes along saying that the greatest command of all is to love God and to love our neighbor, he too is asking us to pay attention. If we are to love God, we must first stop, look, and listen for him in what is happening around us and inside us. If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces, but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see them in.”

 

Time Machines and All That

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rod-taylor-time-machine

I had a mini-marathon of Mad Men Season 6 tonight. Every time I watch that  show, I have a longing to be transported back to the 60’s and all the history that was in the making during those years.

There’s something  about retro and nostalgia that comforts me. Even if it’s from before my time, I’m still drawn to it.

I had an idea for a motel that I think would work. Each room would be completely furnished from whatever was popular and trendy from a particular year or decade. So, there might be a room dedicated to 1965 or to the 50’s. And there wouldn’t be any technology that came after in these rooms.

Maybe that’s a dumb idea, but I’d pay to see that.

Sometimes, I think I’d like to go back and sit and talk with people in my life who have passed on. People like my grandmother and two uncles on my Dad’s side. Both my grandfathers. My childhood friend. People that I at times took for granted and now wish I could spend time with.

This may be me repeating myself yet again, but don’t take those people in your life for granted. Don’t ever assume they know how you feel about them. Nothing brings more regret than unspoken words. People are in your life for a limited time and once they’re gone, you can never retrieve the time or the chances you had with them.

I know that scientifically time machines aren’t possible. But I still like the idea of them. I like reading stories and seeing movies about people who can travel through time. It just appeals to me.

I may not be able to go back in time or into the future, but I can be fully present where I am and not miss the moments God gives me. That’s the best I can do to honor those who are gone from my life.

 

Music, Music, Music

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If you haven’t already figured it out by now,  I love music. As in I have songs playing in my head non-stop all the time. Usually, I have random songs that I find myself inadvertently singing out loud or whistling without even realizing it. That can be embarrassing sometimes.

Whenever I find good music, I like to let people know. I always assume that people will feel the same way when they hear the music I love as I do. Usually not. Not everyone shares my taste in music. Actually, it’s a rare few that like all the same music I do.

But I still like to share what I like.

I absolutely love a group called the Court Yard Hounds. It’s basically the Dixie Chicks minus Natalie Maines. But I really like their sound.

I also love, love, love a group called The Thorns. This group consisted of Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge. Their one album is probably in my top 10 favorite albums ever. They have a very Crosby, Stills and Nash vibe.

I really like Jacob Dylan’s solo stuff. As much as I like The Wallflowers, I prefer the solo albums. They are very much reminiscent of his dad’s music. You may have heard of Jacob’s dad. He goes by the name Bob.

Anyway, there’s nothing like the perfect song at the perfect moment to evoke a good feeling and a good mood. It’s like watching a movie where the song really enhances the scene and brings out all the emotion in it.

I’m becoming more and more of a fan of old school music as I get older. By old school, I mean artists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Billie Holiday. That music has a staying power than the newer stuff just doesn’t have. In my opinion.

 

 

Halfway Day

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halfway day

As I’ve stated before, I am so over the whole Wednesday as “hump day” camel thing. It has run its course. The commercials were cute and clever the first 10,000 times I saw them, but they have gotten old, as well as all the other references to them.

So I propose a new moniker for Wednesday. I say we call it Halfway Day, because you’re halfway to the weekend at this point.

Ok, so maybe it won’t catch on, but I like it and I think I’ll use it even if no one else does.

I like it because I am half way to Friday. I am half way to that day that I get to sleep in and not have to fight any morning traffic.

Not that I’m complaining. I really like my job and I really like the people I work with. I do not like having to drive halfway around the world to get to work (which is an exaggeration– it only seems that way).

I’m tired, but it’s a good kind of tired. Not the kind of tired that comes from anxiety over having no money to pay the bills with. The kind of tired that comes after an honest day’s work.

So Happy Half Way Day! May the next two days be even better!

 

 

A Third Letter to a Way Younger Me

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Remember that day you thought was your worst day ever? Remember how you felt like you were having a nervous breakdown? You weren’t. Just for the record.

Remember how you thought you’d made the biggest, most colossal blunder in the history or blunders? You didn’t.

As I learned tonight, the worst day ever can be the beginning of your best day yet to come.

You fin that the dreaded worst case scenario did not come to pass. No one stoned you. No one ostracized you. Nothing was lost that wasn’t replaced eventually by something 10,000 times better.

As Joseph put it, even when the worst got thrown at you, what people meant for evil and harm, God used for good. God took all those rough patches to make you who you are now and to help you start to realize all that God could do in and through you.

Even the worst days end. They are 24 hours long, just like your best days and your so-so days. You didn’t croak or kick any buckets. You are still here and those supposedly insurmountable problems and obstacles aren’t. Just you remember that.

It really is darkest before that proverbial dawn. It does get better and you will eventually wonder why you made such a fuss over it.

As I said before, naps are good. You don’t get a rollover plan on those naps, so take them early and often while you still can.

Awaiting the Storm

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According to the weather people, Nashville is due for a storm tonight. There’s a tornado watch in effect until 1 am. Apparently, the bad stuff isn’t supposed to hit until around 10 pm.

Actually, I don’t mind storms as long as I’m not out driving in one. As long as I’m indoors, I’m good. Away from all the crazy people who can’t drive in perfectly good weather, much less inclement weather.

I used to be afraid of thunder. Specifically, I was afraid of the loud noises of thunder. I guess all kids are afraid of things like that. I outgrew my fear, although I really can’t tell you when that was. I just know that thunder doesn’t bother me anymore.

Everybody goes through storms. Everybody has seasons in their lives that don’t make sense, where the goal is just to survive until the storm passes.

God is in the storm. He’s before and after the storm. His is the voice that bids the winds be still. His is the voice you can count on and cling to when your storm comes.

I still love the analogy of storms and the fear of God. John Piper described the fear of God as being in a storm safe from the dangers but witnessing the power and majesty of it.

The truth is that God can be scary. He is a just God who hates sin. He has every right to punish that sin. But seeing God through eyes of mercy, I see what fear of the Lord means.

He could have nuked me, but He chose to save me instead. He could have let me have every bit of what was coming to me. Instead, He let Jesus have it instead.

So storms aren’t so bad. When you’re saved from the very worst, anything else isn’t nearly as bad.

Turn Around

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2laneroad

I confess. I am a guy and I have a very bad sense of direction. Or as I like to say, I am directionally-impaired.

I don’t know if every guy is supposed to have a map and a compass in his head, but I most assuredly do not. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned the wrong way or just simply gotten lost.

One of the most frustrating things for me is to be going the wrong direction but not be able to find a place to turn around.

I’ve actually gotten mad because there were no places to turn around. In my head, I’m like, “C’mon! Seriously? Not even a driveway?”

I think sometimes people get trapped in relationships or addictions or bad lifestyle choices and can’t find a way to turn around. They want to be going a completely different direction but they feel like they are powerless to do anything but keep going the same direction they’ve been going.

That’s what repentance means. It means a change of mind that leads to a change in your life. It means to stop going one way, do a 180, and go the complete opposite direction. if you get on I-40 West, you’re going to Memphis.

I had a pastor use this illustration (it makes more sense if you know that this pastor is in Nashville): If you get on I-40 West, you’re going to Memphis. Every time. You can say all day long how you want to go to Chattanooga or Knoxville, but if you stay on I-40 West, you’ll end up in Memphis.

I think sometimes you just have to want to change badly enough to make that U-turn. Also, it’s essential to have people in your life who will encourage you and motivate you in your desire for change. Plus, I think without God’s help, no one can truly change. All we do apart from Christ is trade addictions or move from one bad scenario to another.

So what do you want to change in your life? What do you want Jesus to change about you?

Maybe it’s time to turn around.