It was a drizzly morning today here in Alpine where Google Earth tells me our home is at exactly 1899 feet elevation. As I stood looking out at the leaves lying on the bank behind the pool ( wondering who would rake them and if they would blow away on their own) I thought of how many thousands of mornings I have been alive. It is a big number. And then I started to think about how many thousands of mornings I will remain alive. Of course I don't know that figure but I am certain it will be a lesser number than the other one.
Too much to get my head around. But a thousand mornings is not. I can grasp that number. It equates to a bit less than three years. Three years. A thousand mornings.
What can be lived in those thousand mornings? What can be seen that I have never really ever seen before? What caring and love can I show to those whom I do so love that I have not been showing? What can I hear from the God of the universe that I have never heard before? (I wonder if I can actually exercise 80% of the next thousand mornings?!)
Tomorrow in this life is promised to no man. Yet that very statement puts me on notice to be present to each of the thousand mornings in front of me.
How will you spend your next one thousand mornings?
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Christ Bell
I received this over the holidays and found it to be such a reminder of who I am in Christ. I hope it reminds you or interests you as well, since who I am in Him is available to any one who chooses Him!
Christ Bell
THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be sepa rated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are!?
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace..'
Numbers 6:24-26
Christ Bell
THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be sepa rated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are!?
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace..'
Numbers 6:24-26
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year New Prayer
I have always struggled with New Year’s. A holiday that others welcome with sighs of release from the past year and with hopes held high for the new is a day from which my knee jerk is to pull back. Soundly pull back. Pull back as in OMGosh….what now?....pull back.
I know my reaction’s source. When I was running real estate offices, the New Year signaled that now we had to do it all over again: beat last year’s figures for sales, listings, and recruits and perform anew, clueless about what the economy would bring. I was much happier staying in the past year where we had proven ourselves and where we had laurels upon which to perch. The familiar knot in my stomach would ultimately motivate me to strive but initially all it did was hurt and I did not like it.
Now I pastor a church and I do not have the business concerns I had as a broker. Still there is the thought of new challenges. In 2009, how does the Lord desire to work through me to grow His kingdom, to reach those who either do not know Him or who do not attend church? What will the Lord have us do as we seek to disciple those who call East Valley their church home?
My approach is a lot different in ministry than it was in business. I would bring the concerns I had to the Lord in prayer then but it was pretty much a solo event. Large business settings are not usually supportive of group prayer. Now at the church the first week of the year is dedicated to the Lord, and as a body we bring all the concerns and thoughts in seven evenings crying out to Him. Quite a difference
I still pull back on New Year’s. But only to press forward into the Lord. It is a blessing to no longer have the knot in my stomach.
Phil 4:13
I know my reaction’s source. When I was running real estate offices, the New Year signaled that now we had to do it all over again: beat last year’s figures for sales, listings, and recruits and perform anew, clueless about what the economy would bring. I was much happier staying in the past year where we had proven ourselves and where we had laurels upon which to perch. The familiar knot in my stomach would ultimately motivate me to strive but initially all it did was hurt and I did not like it.
Now I pastor a church and I do not have the business concerns I had as a broker. Still there is the thought of new challenges. In 2009, how does the Lord desire to work through me to grow His kingdom, to reach those who either do not know Him or who do not attend church? What will the Lord have us do as we seek to disciple those who call East Valley their church home?
My approach is a lot different in ministry than it was in business. I would bring the concerns I had to the Lord in prayer then but it was pretty much a solo event. Large business settings are not usually supportive of group prayer. Now at the church the first week of the year is dedicated to the Lord, and as a body we bring all the concerns and thoughts in seven evenings crying out to Him. Quite a difference
I still pull back on New Year’s. But only to press forward into the Lord. It is a blessing to no longer have the knot in my stomach.
Phil 4:13
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