Encouragment

The Lord brings encouragement in many different places. Have you ever experienced that? Sometimes I think we believe it has to be through believers or from the bible. The truth is God can use anything to encourage his people and at times it can come from the most unlikely place. I was encouraged today by someone who called me to express love and concern who doesn’t know and love the Lord. It was a sweet/bitter moment. Sweet in that I felt encouraged, bitter in that I felt sorrow for their choice to reject the truth of Jesus Christ. My hope is those of us who call themselves Christ followers will continue to be testimonies of the God who loves, guides, transforms and saves.

Promises

There have been many times in my life where I wished I could find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Partly because I enjoy nice things and enjoy the idea of enough money to take care of my needs. Then I realize I've taken my eyes off of the rainbow. It's beautiful, simple, and complex at the same time. It's a reminder to me of all that is true, beautiful, and virtuous. It's also a reminder to me of the promise of a God who is concerned with us and desires to see become all we were intended to be. Are you living in that promise?

Beautiful Sounds

Have you ever encountered beautiful sounds? Like that of a symphony or single violin. It could be the playful laughter of three children or one baby giggling. Where do they come from? Why do the sounds touch us? How are we so connected to them? These beautiful sounds remind us we part of something bigger than we can imagine. When we hear something beautiful we distinguish it from all others by calling it "heavenly" or "extraordinary". The beautiful sounds in our life remind us of a transcendence we cannot comprehend, calling us, lulling us to sleep at night, comforting us in the midst of chaos. What are the beautiful sounds in your life?

Thats My King

This video says it all.

Eating The Apple Core

About a year ago my son asked me for an apple, so I gave him one. He took and began eating it, and it was interesting to watch him because he had no ordered way of consuming the fruit. He just ate the apple. I walked away for a moment to clean up another area of the kitchen we were in, and when I walked back over to my son a few minutes later he had began eating the apple core. Everything in me at the time wanted to stop him and let him know he was eating it wrong and then it struck me. There was nothing wrong with eating the apple core. In fact by eating core he was consuming beneficial nutrients the apple had to offer. So I let him eat it. Its amazing to consider how many times we limit ourselves simply because we dare not do something different. Sure there are necessary limits in life, but I wonder how many times we limit ourselves for no reason at all. There is something freeing in coloring outside the lines, and I believe its important to challenge ourselves from time to time to consider whether or not we are limiting ourselves for no reason at all. My son reminded me of a valuable lesson that day as I watched him eat the apple core. He reminded me to never unnecessarily limit myself to an idea or practice. In fact I stand a good chance at gaining more of an understanding sometimes when I choose to color outside the lines. All this to say when you see me eating an apple, and you watch as I eat the apple core, you’ll know I’m considering if I’m being limited in my thinking or if I’m pushing the boundaries.