gratitude

A Different Mindset

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“The prayer of a Christian brother who was in prison for years in Romania during the difficult years of the cold war. He prayed:

‘Lord, I look forward to the great day I see you and your family in heaven. I look forward to seeing the great evangelists standing before you. I look forward to the day I see all the missionaries coming home rejoicing with their sheaves. I look forward to hearing all the great singers of the world praising you. I look forward to seeing the great preachers of the ages standing before you.

“But Lord, I have one special request. When that day comes, allow me to be there in the clothing of a prisoner. I want to praise you throughout eternity in my prisoner’s clothes to always remind me that I was a prisoner for you.'”

Sometimes, it feels like the faith of persecuted people is different than our comfortable brand of Christianity. We tend to deconstruct or quit when our lives get difficult, but these people endured prison and sometimes even death and would not waver. They were committed to the cause, no matter what.

I don’t want to paint with too broad a brush, but I think our comfort may be our biggest culprit. We’ve associated our faith too long with material prosperity and favor. We’ve forgotten what Jesus meant when He said that following Him meant taking up your cross daily.

The people in Jesus’ day knew exactly what that meant. Taking up your cross meant that you were heading toward your death. Crosses weren’t gold-plated symbols of fashion. They were instruments of torture. Jesus was essentially saying what Dietrich Bonhoeffer would later say, “When Christ calls a man [or woman], He bids him [or her] come and die.”

I don’t want to be morbid. I don’t want to come across as looking forward to pain and suffering. I know Jesus said that in this life, we all will have tribulation and trials and trouble. But the good news is that He has overcome, and to the ones who endure, He will grant a crown of victory.

Lord, help us to be followers who will seek obedience over convenience and faithfulness over comfort. Help us to live out your words and be ready to take up our own crosses and follow You, no matter what the cost. Because You died for us, we will live for You. Amen.

Singing in Every Season

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“I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, so the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations” (Isaiah 61:10-11, The Message).

If you stop and think about it, you have way more reasons to sing from a heart of gratitude than to complain. Just like it takes more muscles to frown than to smile, it takes more effort to see the glass as half empty. Especially when you’re God’s child.

If you’ve truly been born again, how can you not help from singing? How can you not help but be thankful? How can you not see that the blessings far outweigh the bad, more so when you consider the future that awaits every saint.

Besides, there are so many commands and admonitions to sing and to praise all through out the Bible. Note that it does not say that you have to have an operatic voice to sing praises. You don’t even have to be able to carry a tune in a bucket. The Bible says to make a joyful noise, even if you sound like an orchestra of scorched cats and dogs.

Even if singing is absolutely not your thing, you can still express thanksgiving and gratitude toward God in any number of ways. I do think it helps to express your thanks out loud in some way, even if it’s only you in the room. But whatever you do, make sure you err on the side of joy rather than gloom.

Another Day, Another Psalm

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“You’re all I want in heaven!
    You’re all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
    God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
    Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.
But I’m in the very presence of God—
    oh, how refreshing it is!
I’ve made Lord God my home.
    God, I’m telling the world what you do!” (Psalm 73:25-28, The Message).

It struck me that one thing David did very well was to express gratitude for the goodness of God. Sure, he was vocal about some of the hardships he went through. He was very honest about his own struggles. But never forget that a large part of the Psalms is David singing God’s praises.

I think if believers were as loud about God’s goodness as we are about what’s wrong with everything, people might be more inclined to listen to what we have to say. As my old pastor used to say all the time, Christians are more known for what we’re against than what we’re for.

Worship is a way of expressing gratitude. It’s giving God His breath back, as I heard it put recently. That means we acknowledge that everything we are and everything we own, including the very breath in our lungs, comes from God. When we give thanks, we’re saying that God is God, and we’re not. We’re declaring our dependence on God that He will continue to be good to us.

I think expressing praise builds our faith muscles. When we verbalize our gratitude, we are testifying to God’s faithfulness and giving the most effective sermon anyone could ever hear. People can argue our politics, our theology, and our doctrines all day long, but they can never refute the genuine testimony of someone who has seen and experienced the goodness of God.

Lord, open our mouths to declare Your praises all day long as Your servant David did so long ago. Help us to be as faithful to share You with others as You were faithful to share with us by revealing Yourself to us and give us all things pertaining to life and godliness, Amen.

Saturday Randomness

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It’s been a little while since I did a random post of random thoughts and such. I couldn’t think of anything better, so here we are with a little stream of consciousness.

I’m dog sitting currently for my sister and her family. Well, technically I’m dog sitting, rabbit sitting, fish sitting, and chinchilla sitting. So basically I’m pet sitting. But I like all the critters, so it’s all good.

I had to get a tire patched earlier today. I don’t know why, but I seem to be really good lately at picking up nails in my tires. It’s probably my new spiritual gift. I don’t even have to try. They just automatically gravitate toward my vehicle and latch on.

Also, I’m looking for some speakers to go with my sorta new turntable. The old one is probably DOA, so I’m trying to make the not quite so new one work. If you or someone you know has any idea of a good place to find some for a relatively good price, I’m all eyes and ears.

Also, I’m thankful. The older I get, the more thankful I am. I realize that most of those things I used to take for granted are really the best things in life. Faith, family, friends, food (kidding but not kidding), and so many other things. I’ve learned to quit worrying about what’s missing and start appreciating all that I already have, which is more than enough.

So far, I think I’ve nailed the random part. This one is all over the place, but hopefully in a good way. Plus, I am super tired and in need of a good night’s rest, so hopefully tomorrow will be back to your normally scheduled blog posts and maybe slightly less random.

Thank you for reading. You rock.

It’s Never Too Late

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Anxiety will make you believe that if it doesn’t happen right now, it never will. That goes for whatever you’ve been praying for and dreaming of and wishing for. If you let it, your fears will make you think that you’ve missed it.

But remember God’s ways are not our ways. God’s timing certainly isn’t like ours. If you think you can mess up God’s plan for your life, remember that you are not that powerful. God took into account all of your and my foolish decisions when He set His plan into motion long ago.

Are you praying for that dream job? Keep praying.

Are you praying for marriage? Keep praying.

Are you praying that your wayward children will come to faith in Jesus? Keep praying.

As long as there’s breath in your lungs, it’s never too late. As long as God is on His throne in heaven, it’s never too late.

When anxiety tries to intrude into your thoughts, remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love and power and a sound mind. Remember that peace that passes understanding comes when you make your requests known to God with thanksgiving.

The key is with thanksgiving. You can’t doubt God’s future goodness when you’re focused on all the promises He’s made and kept up until now. Thanksgiving helps you to see God at work in your circumstances.

Give thanks. Keep praying. Don’t give up.

Blessings > Difficult Times

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Perspective is everything. I remember reading somewhere that some people out there would just about kill to have one of your bad days. They’d love to have your bad job or your small house or your simple blessings.

It’s easy to forget that a vast portion of the world’s population doesn’t have access to clean water. Many people have food insecurities. If you have a roof over your head and more than one change of clothes, you are considered wealthy compared to many around the globe.

My old boss used to say that any day without a toe tag is a good day. I agree to a point. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord for those who are in Christ Jesus. That’s not a bad day. The Apostle Paul said it’s good for Him to go away and be in heaven, but it’s also good to stay for the sake of those who need mentoring and discipling.

But I get the gist. To be alive is a gift. We do God a disservice when we take our daily breath for granted or don’t give thanks for waking up every day. We forget that to be still living means that we still have a purpose and our lives still have a meaning.

To be alive means that we’re still called to be disciples who make disciples. We’re still students in the school of Jesus. We still have much to learn and much pruning and chiseling before we look like Jesus.

Times are hard, but don’t let them make you forget your blessings. You can still count them one by one. You can still give thanks for each of them by name.

You Overcame

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Anyone else in here ever get a song stuck in your head? Or are you like me and have a virtual running jukebox in your head with music playing all the time. I mean All. The. Time.

The latest song that’s been playing in my brain is an oldie but a goodie by Jeremy Camp. I remember singing it in church back in the early 2000s. I wish it could make a comeback or that somebody could do a cover. Maybe somewhere some church could have a 2000s worship night.

The lyrics are straight out of the book of Revelation. This song is basically singing scripture, and to my mind, there’s almost nothing better when it comes to worship music than singing the word back to God. Here are the words:

“Seated above, enthroned in the Father’s love
Destined to die, poured out for all mankind
God’s only Son, perfect and spotless one
He never sinned but suffered as if He did

All authority
Every victory is Yours
All authority
Every victory is Yours

Savior
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame

Power in hand speaking the Father’s plan
You’re sending us out, light in this broken land

All authority
Every victory is Yours

Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame, yeah

We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome

We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome

We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome

We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome

Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame, You overcame Jesus
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame

You overcame (You overcame)
Jesus (You overcame)
You overcame (You overcame)
You overcame

Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name (Your name), You overcame
You overcame
Jesus
You overcame” (Jon Egan)

Another Year, Another Devotional

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I’ve had this one a while. If memory serves, I picked it up outside the old library at Union University back in the day. If I had to hazard a guess, it would probably be somewhere around 1994 to 1995. So yeah, it’s been a little while.

But I always like to read through a good devotional along with reading through the Bible. This year felt like it needed some Charles H. Spurgeon. It’s an oldie but a goodie complete with King James-style English thrown in for good measure.

But it’s a book with a promise from God for every single day. Sometimes, you and I need that. We need to be reminded of God’s promises over and over again. We need to pray them every chance we get, not because God might have forgotten but because we have. And probably will again at some point.

Reading these old promises of God reminds me that the same God who made and fulfilled all His promises to His people way back when will keep every one toward us. We can rest on His every word and stand assured on the promises of God, as the old hymn says.

I for one am thankful that God is not like me when it comes to keeping those promises. I’d like to say that every time I said I’d pray for someone I kept that promise. Or whenever I said I’d keep in touch that I followed through. I wish.

But God is not like me. That gives me great comfort. What gives me greater comfort is that one day I will be like Him.

Thank You, Lord, that every single one of your Promises to Your people is YES and AMEN in Christ Jesus. That in itself is a promise as sure as the God who made it. Amen.

Cheekwood 2025

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Apparently when I was little I had an obsession with lights. As in one of the first words I ever spoke was “light.” According to local sources, i.e. my mom, I used to go into peoples’ homes uninvited and turn on all their lights. I was a bit odd as a kid.

So you’d understand why I love my annual trek to Cheekwood Estate & Gardens earlier today. It had all the festive lights I could ever hope for. It was festive. You might even say that it was joyful AND triumphant.

I have a few Christmas traditions centered around lights. For some reason, I’m drawn to lights still. Maybe it’s because that the moment a light switches on, the darkness vanishes. Instantly. Darkness cannot abide where light is present.

Jesus called Himself the light of the world. That’s because with Jesus, suddenly you see where you’re going. You’re not wandering around in confusion and darkness anymore. He has come to be the beacon of hope and to show us the way home.

Christmas is all about how the light came into the world and the world didn’t understand or receive it. They rejected it because they preferred the dark because their deeds were evil. But to those who understood, who “got it,” He made them sons and daughters of the living God. No more hopelessly lost in the dark with no way out, we have a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.

I’m thankful every single day that Jesus helps me understand God, the world, others, and myself better. Every day, I’m growing and learning more about who God made me to be and how to fulfill His purposes for me. One day, I and all those who are sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ will be complete and mature.

In the meantime, we have that same light that first entered the world on Christmas morning. It’s our job to let that light shine through us so that others can find their way to God through the same Christ who is God made flesh.

Lord, help each and every one of Your children always be ready to give an answer for the hope and light that we have because of You. May we be disciples who make disciples, and may our legacy be those who will be in heaven because we shared the gift of Your light with others. Amen.

Summer Already?

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Even though it doesn’t officially start for three weeks, I think summer has arrived. That makes a lot of people very happy. That makes a few people sad. That makes me want to stay inside where the air conditioning lives.

I do like summer, but it’s not the same as when I was a kid. Back then, summer meant freedom. It meant no more teachers, no more books, and definitely no dirty teacher looks for three months. That was the best part of the season for me.

Now it just gets super hot for a long time. I still have to go to work every morning. Nothing much changes for me except that traffic gets a little more bearable with schools being out and so many people on vacation.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate all the seasons. Each plays a part in the cycle of life that God designed so long ago. Each has its own value and also helps us appreciate the other seasons a little more.

My favorite is still fall, but I want to learn how to savor summer. I don’t want to waste it by waiting for the next season and not fully appreciating the present one. These days, I try to look at it like I don’t have to go to work but I get to. I understand that each new day is a gift, not an obligation.

Will I still complain about the heat and humidity? Absolutely. That’s what I do in the summer. I sweat and whine and talk about how I can’t wait for fall, but secretly I’m a fan of summer because of the long days and the beautiful sunsets and all the smells of fresh cut grass and growing life that come with the season.

Bring on summer! I’m ready for it!