Who is the most awesome person today? You. That’s right. You.
If you took the time to read this, you rock, my friend. You are purely and simply awesome.
So thank you.
And good night.
Ragamuffin Gospel
Cubs Win! Cubs Win!
I am a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. Admitting that, I also have to confess that I am ecstatic that the Chicago Cubs are back in the World Series for the first time since 1945. That breaks the longest streak not playing in a championship series of any of the teams in any of the four major sports leagues.
I will also confess that when the Cubs went down 2 games to 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, I thought, “Oh well, it was a nice run. Maybe next year.”
But miracles still happen and good things still happen to those who keep waiting expectantly.
That’s my takeaway. Don’t give up and keep believing for your miracle.
Are you single and wanting to get married? Don’t give up.
Are you married and desperately wanting to have children? Don’t give up.
Are you working hard and waiting for that breakthrough in your career? Don’t give up.
Above all, don’t give up on God because He hasn’t given up on you. God’s timing may not line up with yours, but He always comes through at the perfect time.
If God doesn’t give you what you desire, it usually means that He’s got something better in store for you. It also means that He has a much bigger picture in mind than you do that involves a whole lot more than just you.
Above all that is going on in your life, know that God is always good and always does what is best for His children. That’s still true.
It appears that Back to the Future Part II was just a year off in its prognosis of the future. Since this World Series features the aforementioned Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, neither who have won World Series titles since the 50’s, I hope they will have a completely throwback series with both teams wearing vintage uniforms. That would be really cool (in case any of the powers that be are reading this right now).
So keep believing and go Cubs!
Randomness Run Amuck on a Thursday
My cat Lucy got a little exercise. She ran for about 15 seconds straight. While that might not seem like much to most people, consider that she is 16 years old and for her, staying awake is a feat of biblical proportions.
Her three normal modes of existence are 1) getting ready to nap, 2) napping, 3) thinking about waking up from a nap but deciding not to. She really is that old and lazy. I wish I had her life.
In other news, fall has returned. It literally went from summer weather to fall weather in the span of 24 hours. Then again, I still live in Tennessee.
In the world of music, I picked up a couple of CDs by The New Hawaiian Band. It’s Hawaiian music circa 1968 and 1969. Not very exciting or danceable but very good for unwinding at the end of the day and dreaming of the tropics.
My Doctor Who quest has resumed with Series Three. David Tennant is still the Doctor, but Rose is no longer on this plane of existence. Sad. The new girl is good but not quite the same.
I’m still in search of a way to stream the entire history of Doctor Who (or as much as still exists), starting from the very beginning. I even emailed the good folks at BBC America but got a very vague and shadowy response along the lines of “that does not compute. Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!” Oh well.
In the best news of all, tomorrow is Friday. That never fails to make me supremely happy. Not as happy as me with a pumpkin spice beverage but way happier than me having to wake up at 5 am.
I think that wraps up everything I know on this October Thursday evening. More randomness to follow whenever I can’t think of anything else to write about.
The end.
Words to Live By
“As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you: Live a life that is worthy of the calling He has graciously extended to you. Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Tolerate one another in an atmosphere thick with love. Make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created, with peace binding you together. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were all called to pursue one hope. There is one Lord Jesus, one living faith, one ceremonial washing through baptism, and one God—the Father over all who is above all, through all, and in all” (Ephesians 4:1-6, The Voice)
Note: In regard to preserving the unity, it doesn’t say, “make an effort if you feel like it” or “try it if the mood strikes you.” It says “make every effort.”
That means “do everything with in your power so far as it depends on you to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created.
It seems lately, American believers (I can’t speak for any other believers) have done a poor job of fighting for unity rather than fighting with each other and tarnishing the name of Jesus in the process.
Regardless of who wins the election, our allegiance will still be first and foremost to Jesus. It will do us no good if we win the political arguments and lose the relationships with those who desperately need to hear the good news of the gospel.
It gets harder and harder to remember that our real battle isn’t against flesh and blood but against the evil spiritual forces behind the scenes. Maybe what you need to do instead of bashing the politician is pray for them.
Don’t lose friendships over differing political views. That degrades democracy and free thinking (and yes, I completely stole that one from a post I saw on Facebook).
Remember most of all that you gain far more by loving someone well than by winning an argument. Jesus showed the best way of all when He laid down His life for His friends (and for His enemies as well). I’d like to see more of that this election season.
Take Great Joy
“Take great joy in the Eternal! His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!” (Psalm 37:4, VOICE)
That says it all. What ever the deepest longing of your heart is, it will be found in God.
It isn’t money or fame or power, but what we hope they will give that ultimately fulfills that deep desire of the soul.
What we really crave is security, acceptance, validation, unconditional love . . . I could go on and on and I’m sure you could add a few of your own.
All of these originate from and find their ultimate place in the Eternal.
So take great joy. Let your heart rest tonight knowing that you are in the best of hands.
Your Abba won’t cease watching over and caring for you.
Let that thought carry you off to sleep.
That Faith Chapter
“All these I have mentioned died in faith without receiving the full promises, although they saw the fulfillment as though from a distance. These people accepted and confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on this earth because people who speak like this make it plain that they are still seeking a homeland. If this was only a bit of nostalgia for a time and place they left behind, then certainly they might have turned around and returned. But such saints as these look forward to a far better place, a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God because He has prepared a heavenly city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16, The Voice).
I thought about the next blog post as I drove down Concord Road on my way home. I had the windows rolled down, inviting the balmy and breezy night air in as Ray Charles bemoaned in the background. That really has nothing much to do with what follows, but I thought it might enhance my cool hipster factor a bit.
Here goes.
God is not ashamed of you. That’s the takeaway from tonight’s Kairos.
In Hebrews 11, there’s a long list of heroes of the faith. By faith, they conquered their circumstances and clung to faith in God in the midst of overwhelming odds.
Just about every one of them also had a major blunder or two on their resumes. We’re talking about adultery, drunkenness, lying, and the like.
Yet they’re heroes.
The longer I live, the more convinced I am that the real heroes are the ones who persevere and keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter what. They readily acknowledge their weaknesses and grab hold of God with everything they’ve got.
God is never ashamed of anyone who reaches out to Him in faith. God will never despise anyone who calls out to Him in the midst of a great despair.
It’s not about great deeds of heroism but small acts of kindness and faithfulness over a lifetime that leave a legacy. It’s the determination to keep going in spite of repeated failures and mistakes.
Ultimately, it’s much more about God keeping His promises to us than it is about us keeping our promises to Him.
God is not ashamed of you. The end.
Choose Your Own Adventure
I used to love a series of books called Choose Your Own Adventure. In these books, you went from completely passive reader to active participant in your own story. Well, sort of. You’d come to a decision on page 13. You come to a hallway with a creepy door at the end of it. If you proceed down the hall and enter the creepy room, turn to page 26. If you decide to be a weenie and stay at the end of the hall, turn to page 14.
Whenever I’m at Goodwill or any other used bookstore, I always look for any of the books in this series. So far, no luck.
Life is like that.
So many of us see the days in a week as merely exercises in existence, something to get through until the weekend arrives. Then we look back at our lives and wonder why they seem for the most part to be empty and vacuous.
What if you viewed each day of your life as a brand new adventure? Not in the sense of zoning out of reality and living in a fantasy world, but seeing the challenges and obstacles as opportunities to grow and learn.
Each day you get to choose to be a passive observer or an active participant in your own life. You can mark time until 5 pm, or you can see even the most menial of tasks as holy and sacred as unto the Lord and see everything as an spiritual act of worship (see Romans 12:1-2). That’s the choice you get each morning.
So what will you do with this great and amazing gift called life? If life is the grand play and you may contribute a verse (as Walt Whitman and Robin Williams put it), what will your verse be?
“I’m going to live my life inspired
Look for the holy in the common place
Open the windows and feel all that’s honest and real until I’m truly amazed
I’m going to feel all my emotions
I’m going to look you in the eyes
I’m going to listen and hear until it’s finally clear and it changes our lives
There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real
And I just showed up for my own life
And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright” (Sara Groves).
Another Sunday Come and Gone
It was a very pleasant Sunday. No, it wasn’t what I think of as an idyllic Autumn day in October, but it was good enough for me.
The fact that I woke up this morning trumps a lot of little negatives. Being alive makes every day a great one. Waking up each day is a privilege and a gift that too many take for granted until you lose someone close to you.
Today, I was in charge of the slides for the worship songs and sermon notes for The Church at Avenue South. I’m always nervous when it’s my turn, but I always get through it. I try to make it my spiritual act of worship and hope that I will do a good enough job so that no one will notice. That means that the service goes smoothly, in case you’re wondering.
I love to sit at the back and hear so many voices joined in collective worship. It’s one of the most beautiful sounds that rises like incense in the ears of Almighty God.
Blessings are found by those who are paying attention and not constantly looking down at their smart phones. It all starts with the right perspective.
So it was a good Sunday. Was it a little warmer than I like it for October? Perhaps. Still, it’s a lot better than sweating through 95 degree heat with ridiculous humidity. See? It’s all a matter of perspective.
I’m still hoping for more crisp days with temps in the mid-60’s. I can’t wait for opportunities to wear flannel and stand in front of bonfires with hot dogs and s’mores. Still, I take what I can get as long as God gives me more days to be alive.
Hey, even Mondays can be good if you have the right outlook.
Something Completely Borrowed
I’ve loved this story ever since I first read it a few years back and thought I’d share it with you in its entirety:
“Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room’s only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.’
Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. ‘Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .'”
My Prayer at 11:08 PM on a Friday Night
“I thank God for most this
amazing
day; for the leaping greenly
spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;
and for everything
which is natural, which is
infinite, which is yes” (e. e. cummings)
On this Friday, I give thanks for the following:
- Fridays, which have never gotten old, even when I was unemployed. I can’t remember when Friday didn’t make me extremely happy.
- Another overcast Autumn day to remind me of why I love fall.
- An oversized mug of hot chocolate from The Well to remind me of why I love hot chocolate. Or anything at all from The Well. Or just hanging out at The Well in general.
- Geriatric cats that still curl up in my lap and fall asleep there (well, just the one geriatric cat named Lucy who would probably kill me in my sleep if she ever found out that I referred to her as geriatric).
- Doctor Who (particularly the episodes with David Tennant and Billie Piper). I’m late to the party, but I’m now officially a fan. And I still at some point would like to watch all the existing episodes, starting at the very beginning. Put that on my bucket list.
- Netflix on my iPad, which is way cooler than the portable TV I used to tote around back in the day when I thought I was the cat’s pajamas (again, don’t tell my cat Lucy I said that).
- A comfortable bed at the end of a long day.
- Not having to set the alarm for 5 am for tomorrow morning.
- God’s grace at the end of the day and God’s new mercies for the beginning of the next new day.
So what did we learn today? Gratitude still pays dividends. That and it’s a really good thing my cat Lucy doesn’t read my blog posts.
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