Be the Best!

(Isaiah 40: 31)

“...  those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.”

A quote from Olympian Michael Phelps: “You cannot put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get!”

Thought from Bob: As a child growing up I was blessed with being what I now call a YMCA brat. Exposure to their principals of being the best you can be has stayed with me throughout my life. Their triangular LOGO represents Spirit, mind and body; the whole self. Today’s thought is based on exactly that. Let us be the best we can be in spirit, mind and body!

I Yam What I Yam!

I Yam what I yam 

"You made all the delicate,

inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother's womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. ...

Your workmanship is marvelous."

(Psalm 139:13-14, TLB). 

Was Popeye a philosopher? Cartoonists often are. When Popeye was confronted with difficult situations he would state "I yam what I yam?” gulp down his spinach and defend right!

        We are not all Popeyes and we are expected to conform, often to standards below those of our Christian faith and may face difficulties if we do not. In any case it is necessary to understand who we are, what we are and keep the Lord in our daily lives. We need our "spinach".

         In many ways we are continually fighting an image syndrome. Conformity is the word, and clones are the result. Quite often we get flack because we don't fit.

    If there was a right way to be, how would some of the prophets or John the Baptist fit in with the rest of their society? Probably not too well at times.

    The truth is you are you. You are who God created you to be. He wants you to know who you are and understand your unique characteristics. You were created by God and then the mold was broken. No one else is exactly like you.

        You are unique. You are special and it is all right to be you. Don't let others shape you. That is God's task He started with you, he will finish with you and he will be with you. He is our spinach. 

He really does want you to be you. 

Thought for the Day: Let us search for the person that God wants us to be so that we may serve him better. 

Prayer: Heavenly father, as we travel through our weekly chores, we need to see a way to help You. We often lose track of your plan. Sometimes we are too busy and do not understand it. This week we pray that each of us may find a better way to serve You and make life better for everyone.

Amen.

 

Independance Day

Because this has become an international site, note that this is written for America's Independence day, July 4th. However, the ten commandments are the key to world peace!

Good News Independence Day

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

(Galatians 5:1)

            Independence is what makes America great and our many freedoms make this a great place to live. Our constitution is based on our ability to self govern. Below is what James Madison, our fourth President, had to say about our system.

"We have staked the whole of all our political Institutions upon the capacity of mankind for Self-Government, the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

Pray about where we were then and where we are now.

Thought for Today: Today let’s celebrate our independence by obeying the Lord’s commandments.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, our country celebrates its independence. Our freedoms are based on your laws and our abilities to obey them. Today we pray for spiritual growth, honesty, integrity and ethics.

Amen

The Dalia Lama

 “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

(Matthew 6 vs. 27)           

            June and I have been blessed with the ability to enjoy our lives; both the pitfalls and the pleasures. We strongly believe that somehow the Lord has been involved in our lives and lead us to enjoy the simple pleasures. We both believe that the ability to put the events of our life into perspective is our greatest blessing through our faith.

            Several weeks ago a “Good News buddy” forwarded this to me. I believe that this is not describing a person of faith but is right on for those that have not developed a spiritual lifestyle. 

            The Dalai Lama when asked about what surprised him most about humanity answered

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.

Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health.

And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;

the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;

he lives like he is never going to die and he dies having never really lived.”          

Thought for Today: Who in our circle of friends resembles the Dalai Lama’s description? It could be family, neighbor, friend or even someone in our church. Today let’s think about that and find a way to share our faith with them.

Prayer for Today:  Dear Lord, today let us pray for those who have not included Christ in their lives; those who are spiritually weak, worried about physical rather than Godly issues. We pray for them and ask you for a way to help, a way to share and a way to contribute to their spiritual growth.

Amen

Somebody

Thought for Today: Today with God’s help, let us be winners no matter which way our battles turn out! We have the parts and the image to be winners. Enjoy. 

Two short quotes from Pastor Mike Miller, my spiritual mentor and friend! 

First!

“Everybody is Somebody-including you and me.”  

Second! 

“…My theology and values are centered on the conviction that because we are created in the image of God, each of us is valued and has deep within us the potential to reflect the goodness and beauty of our Creator….” 

“For it was you who formed my inward parts;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

(Psalm 139 vs. 13 & 14)

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we give thanks for who and what we are; your image here on earth.

Life Goals

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;

life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

(Luke 12 vs. 15)

            In our democratic society we are encouraged to compete in the workplace and elsewhere. In the 50’s there was the term “Keeping up with the Jones’s.” In the 90’s that seemed to become “Leave the Jones’s behind.”  The two car family of the 60’s became the two home, four cars and a boat family of the new millennium. It is easy to understand why attendance and giving in church declined; no one has any time or money left!

            This is not meant to be a stewardship message asking for more. It is meant as a caution and designed to provoke thought. One of my blessings was being raised in a household with two cars and two homes. When we moved to Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes and 10 million lake homes, we said no way. You see, I grew up maintaining two homes with my dad and did not want to ever do that again!

            In confession June and I did have too much stuff and too many things. We downsized in 2006 and have not finished yet!

            Jesus is clear in his message as reported by Luke. Life is about spiritual growth, love within the community, helping others, being comfortable in your own skin etc. Happiness has nothing to do with stuff or things.

Thought for Today: Today let us think about what we need to get through the day and contemplate what we want. Let’s try to understand the differences.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, today we are blessed and live in a great society. We ask forgiveness for our participation in the blatant consumption encouraged in our world. We pray that as we move forward we experience the blessing of learning what our real needs are and experience the true abundance of your love.

Amen

The Answer !

“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh

but are in the realm of the Spirit,

if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.

(Romans 8 verse 9) 

            We certainly do not feel filled with the spirit every day. (or at least I don’t!) Quite often when I sit down to write these messages there seems to be a writer’s block. To me that says that my spirit may need more coffee or better perhaps, a prayer. Often it is both.

            With our busy schedules today it is easy to jump out of bed and get into our daily activities without thinking about our spirit. I guess that is normal but it may not lead to a peaceful lifestyle. It is the way we achieve our material objectives.

            We are however given grace through our faith and we cannot escape it. The message is clear that when we feel empty or down and out, the solution is through the Spirit that lives in us. All we need to do is slow down and let it take over. 

Thought for Today: Today when we feel stressed and overloaded let’s remember Paul’s words above. Let’s take a break! 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and father, we often cannot feel the spirit that we know is within us. Today we pray that when we are too busy and too stressed out that we will remember You are the answer.

Amen