Summer is Upon Us

My how time flies.  It seems like just yesterday that we were thinking about shoveling and the snow and here we are on the doorstep of summer.  Cookouts, beaches, and the glorious wonder of children without school.  Vacation is truly a wonderful thing, and yet as an adult I am reminded that for parents, summer is often a stressful time as they have to figure out what to do with the kids because work schedules do not allow three month summer breaks.  Going to the beach is good fun because we have to pack up the chairs, make the picnic lunch, remember to buy the sunscreen and all of the other details that a simple day at the beach requires. 

This line of thinking reminds me that sometimes we think of life as summer break.  We want God to give us the fun and the joy of play but we do not want to even think about the work that goes into life.  God holds the whole world in His capable hands and the expectation of 7 billion people is that He is bending to our will rather than orchestrating the most beautiful trip we could imagine.  He is the one who packed the car with everything that we would need to make the journey, and we complain because we don't have one of our toys - nevermind that He packed 5 things that were more fun, we complain about the one thing we want but don't have.  He protects us every moment of every day but we complain in those moments we have to wait for 1 minute for the sunscreen to be applied.  It is as if He is killing our joy because we cant be in the water right NOW!  He packs a beautiful lunch and we envy the guy next to us who is grilling instead of picnicking. 

The analogy goes on, but I think you get the idea.  This summer be reminded that God is faithfully loving us every moment of every day and providing all that we need for life and for godliness in His glorious Word.  He has given us all good things in Christ and provided for an eternal home for us.  Let us not whine on the trip about momentary discomfort, but rejoice in the destination that God has provided for us - an eternal fellowship with Him!

A Series of Jokes

Sometimes it is good to just stop and laugh.  So in light of this revelation, I thought that the blog for the day would be a series of jokes.  I hope that you enjoy!

A Sunday School teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "Why is it so important to be quiet in church?"  After a brief pause, one girl raised her hand and said, "Because people are sleeping?"

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Visiting his grandparents, a small boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out. He picked it up and found that it was an old leaf that had been pressed flat between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," he called out.
      "What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked."
      With astonishment in his voice, the boy answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!"

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After explaining the commandment to honor your father and mother, a Sunday School teacher asked her class if there was a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters.
      One boy, the oldest in his family, immediately answered, "Thou shalt not kill."

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Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calles it a poem, and they give him $25."
      The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $200."
      The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight men to collect all the money!"

I hope that you have a day that is filled with laughter!

Remembering

I was reflecting on the Monday after Mother's Day how we as people tend to remember things only when we have reminders.  We might forget to thank our mothers entirely were it not for a day to remember them.  We might neglect to remember our country's history and the glorious gift of freedom were it not for the celebration on the 4th of July.  And for me personally, I seem to forget anything that is not promptly entered into my phone to remind me of an upcoming event or task.  We are a forgetful people.  I think that this is important to remind ourselves so that we appreciate the times that we are told to remember in the Scriptures.  We are told to remember the Sabbath in Exodus 20:8.  It is interesting that this is precisely one of the things that Israel forgot to do and one of the reasons they went into captivity.  But perhaps most of all is the command to "do this in remembrance of me". (1 Cor 11).  We are to remember at all times the sacrifice that Christ made for us and we have been given an ordinance we are to remember until Christ returns for us.  I wonder though if we think about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ nearly enough.  In my church heritage we do it once a month.  The implication is however that we are to do the remembering a lot more often that.  In fact, when he gave the command to the disciples he used two things present in every meal.  Common things - things they would likely see every time they sat down to eat.  I think this was to remind them to remember - every day - that Jesus died for them. 

Do you remember? 

Unexpected Blessings

Sometimes, life does not go the way that we planned.  People disappoint us, plans fail, things break down.  Sometimes it seems to happen all at once.  Ever had a weekend where multiple things break and nothing seems to go the way that you planned?  A weekend where you feel on your first day back to work that you have been working really hard, but have nothing to show for it but the list of things you still have to do?  I am learning that in the midst of these kinds of days or weeks there are blessings to be found.  The blessing of people coming alongside of you to help you through the struggle.  The blessing of people willing to share their struggles in order to encourage you in yours.  I find it fascinating that in my life I tend to stop counting blessings when I am blessed the most, but when I am struggling, every blessing matters.  Perhaps this is why James tells us in chapter 1 verse 2, "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. . ."  He goes on to describe the process God uses to mature us - using trials to build endurance to make us perfect and complete.  God's plan for your perfection involves the use of difficult circumstances to grow you into the likeness of His Son.  This is one of the great unexpected blessings of being a Christian.  I do not have to despair because even the worst day of my life is being used for the glory of God. 

So the next time you are having a bad day, do not simply try to ignore it and get past it, but give thanks FOR it.  Seek the blessings in the midst of all of the pain and together we can give glory to our great God who helps grow us through the difficulty He allows and even orchestrates for us to face.  To God be the glory, even in our pain. 

A Note to the Students in All of Us

I remember vividly the feeling of being a student in May.  It was though the finish line was just around the corner but suddenly you were saddled with the weight of projects and finals and homework.  All you could see was the glorious goal of sleeping in and doing whatever you wanted for the glorious summer months.  Days upon days of cartoons and sleepovers and forts built and the sheer bliss of being free.  The only thing keeping you there was the requirements placed upon you and you resented school for it!  Your thoughts as of May 1 became of the summer plans and all else seemed to simply drag you back to a reality you wanted no part of. 

May I suggest that this is the experience of many Christians.  We have the joys of eternity before us and we get so caught up with our thoughts of how wonderful it will be that we view the tasks that we have here, however noble, as simply burdens that keep us from being where we really want to be.  This is a faulty view of eternity and a lousy view of what it means to be a Christian.  Like summer, we can appreciate the genuine joy that comes with eternity without neglecting our lives as students here on earth.  God gives us clear instructions that we are to live out our final days on earth in a particular way - namely to bring Him glory as we share His name with the world around us in word and deed. 

We need to change our perspective from a focus on what is coming to a focus on where we are now in the present.  What has God given you as a challenge for today?  In what way can you be more like Jesus today as He changes your behaviors and character.   Who can you serve today?  Who can you love today?  How can you impact those that do not yet know the Savior for the Kingdom of God?  Our assignments are not something that we do because we have nothing better to do, they are the commands of God given us for our joy.  We cannot look past them.  We cannot think of them as simply filler.  We must instead find the joy in the journey of following after Christ and walking in His Spirit.  Today.