Penny for your Thoughts

Some homeboy sits across the table from his wife, his eyes fixed, staring off into space.   In a sweet voice his wife wants to know what it is that is bothering him.  What would cause him to sit in this lovely restaurant and, while waiting on their food, be so distracted as to not enter into a deep, relationship-enriching conversation?  If she could see in the depths of his mind, what would she see?
Well, little does she know, that at this particular moment he is just staring off to space.  If the thinking mind is a work of art, his brain, at the time, is a blank canvas. 
There are times when we are not thinking about anything (or is that just me?).  Just sitting.   However, when we are thinking, lets think about the right things.   Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.- Philippians 4.8 (www.lifejournal.cc)  Ponder on those matters today...

Pressing On

One of the great things about organized sports or working out with a friend or trainer is the second effort that is put in.  Sometimes when one is not pushing you, you don't push yourself.  Accountability to a coach, friend, or trainer can make you more honest about what you can do, when you don't feel like doing anything else.  It is when you stretch yourself and really don't feel like stretching that you accomplish new things. 
The same is true in the Christian life.  If you just settle for Christian mediocrity, you will not grow.  If you rest on previous accomplishments or bemourn previous messups, you will not grow.  The way you grow is to press on.  Paul put it this way- Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.- Philippians 3.13-14 (www.lifejournal.cc)
Forget yesterday and quit worrying about tomorrow.  Stretch yourself today!  Press on today for the glory and the honor of Christ. 

Just Do It!

I am good at buying the gear and being ready but sometimes the planning of the task takes too much time.  Years ago I found a great set of dumbbells (hand weights) that were as impressive as any gym.  I robbed my personal 'kitty' (not my cat, my stash) and purchased them and a bench to go with them.  They look good.  Seldom used but good.  
A few years later a friend talked about going on the Appalachian Trail and walking a tough part that leads to the Southern Terminus in Northern Georgia.  I started walking, bought me a camelback (water tank for your back), some hiking sticks, better shoes and started reading and doing some research on it.  He then blew out his knee in a motorcycle wreck and the whole plan went to pot.  I still want to do it but I ain't used by sticks or my waterpouch yet! 
Recently I bought some new shoes that have a pedometer in them that works with your ipod.  They look cool (even the young people tell me that) and they are cool!  I haven't measured one step yet.  Still in the planning stages. 
We bought bikes last week.  I have rode about a mile over a week.  I am almost ready.  I got the gear.  I am just SUCH a planner......
All that planning is not good for my health, however, let me tell you what is more serious- to not work out your salvation. Paul put it this way in Philippians 2:12-Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (www.lifejournal.cc) Let's not only plan to be good Christians.  Let's not only buy big Bibles and make big plans.  Let's work out our salvation through daily, spiritual exercise- reading God's Word, seeking God's Face, and living out His Will.  It is the greatest health plan, spiritual health plan, you could ever have!

Ought to be Different

You ought to be different!  You should not act, talk, or behave the same as you did before or would without.   If Christ is in you, you ought to be different.  Your motives ought to change.  Your actions ought to change.  Your priorities ought to change.  Your focus ought to change.  However, a lot of folks have a '9/11 kind of faith'.  After 9/11 church attendance soared, mindsets became eternal, focus was more heavenly.  Then the dust settled (literally) and everybody went back to their carnal selves.  Those same 'Christians'  will turn to Him when disease comes, when disaster comes, when difficulty arises, and when it settles, go back to what they are doing.  That is not the Christian life though.  You ought to be different.  Paul put it this way.  - Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.- Philippians 1.27 (www.lifejournal.cc)  Be different!...coming and going...hurting or celebrating...be different!  Stand wiht the Lord through thick and thin....and do it today!

Gird Up!

There is to be a fight today....it is not just today...it is every day.  You are in a spiritual battle.  It is not a clean- line up and shot- kind of battle.  It is guerilla, terrorist warfare.  He is like a lion seeking whom he may devour.  He wants to defeat you, discourage you, and devastate you- all at the same time.  Don't expect today to be any better.  Today is the Lord's Day.  Satan  loves for us to fail to acknowledge the 'set apart' nature of the day.  Don't fall prey to it...or any of his other schemes.  Lean upon the Lord and upon His Word- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. - Ephesians 6.10 (www.lifejournal.cc)

The End of the Matter

Solomon experimented with every luxury and pleasure that one could come across.  He spent the middle years of his life trying to find what was really meaningful in life.  When he got done experiencing everything that he could possibly think of, he came to a conclusion.  His conclusion is recorded in Ecclesiastes 12.13- The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  (www.lifejournal.cc) The real 'find' in life is the Lord.  Seeking Him brings the greatest fulfillment. 

Work on that today!

Cheeseburgers and Deep Regrets

It was in the parking lot of the hamburger hangout that we all went to after the high school football games.  You could get a jumbo chili cheesburger half and half at 10 o'clock at night and celebrate your victory or sob through your loss with all your friends packing the small restaurant and overflowing the parking lot. 

Now for those of you that did not grow up with a Greek, fast food, greasy spoon every two miles (and many times right beside each other), let me explain the menu.  Jumbo is not the size of the sandwich but the fact that it is accompanied by fries and slaw.  Chili speaks of the spoon full of homemade hot dog chili that is spread on top of the cheese of the cheesburger.  Some folks that I know now don't even know hot dogs have chili or they think it comes from a can.  The 'half and half' means you want half french fries and half onion rings for an upcharge. The 10 PM means that if I eat that at this point in my life, I would be up half the night speaking a new proverb: The fool says 'Give me a jumbo half -half', even though he knows in his heart, it is time to go to bed.  Now if you haven't understood the value of such a meal, I want to let you know two items that I always have to eat when I go to visit my parents in my hometown: a Skin's hot dog and a jumbo half and half of some sorts (either chili or no chili cheesburger).  I will save the Skin's explanation for another day.

Back to the parking lot- this particular night two rival high schools had swarmed the same parking lot (a commonality at this particular restaurant) and a fight had broke out.  As you are supposed to do in high school, we ran to see the fight.  Normally it is some pushing and shoving and yelling back and forth.  However, this night it was a dangerous kind of fight.  They were going at it.  The police came, the fight stopped, one guy ran and hid and the other stood and waited.  The wait-er was told to turn around and allow a handcuffing.  He immediately started fighting the policeman.  Others pulled up and he struggled on.  He struggled until a very large policeman came flying in sideways in his car, jumped out, threw the boy down, handcuffed him, picked him up, and threw him in the car.  No playing around.  I watched the face of the 19 year old in the back of that police car go from wanting to take on the world to just wanting to say 'sorry' and to go home.  That change in his look took about 30 seconds.  He was then regretting the last 10 minutes of his life.  When I read Ecclesiastes 7.9      this morning, I thought about the look in that guy's face from 26 years ago.  The passage states-
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,  for anger lodges in the heart of fools. (www.lifejournal.cc)  Even if your anger does not get you arrested, it will still lead you to do some dumb stuff.  Surrender your anger to the Lord today!  Stay out of the parking lot and enjoy the cheeseburger!  And have a great day!