So last night I heard something I thought was really great. "God is more concerned with our being than our doing." This is in the context of glorifying God. 1 Cor 6:19-20 says "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body."
Sometimes it is hard to figure out what the best thing to do is. We are limited creatures, and we have limited resources. We must decide the best way to use what we have. Should I give my money to help the homeless, buy my kid a new toy, support missions? These are tough issues, but what is really important is where your heart is. Don't be concerned so much with what to do, but why you do it. When you go to work, it is to glorify God, but I reason that I go to work to get money. What I do at work is greatly affected by why I think I'm there. It is true in other areas. The internal heart issues effect what you do externally. So if I can internally focus on glorifying God and loving Him and my neighbor, then I will make the right decisions.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Outdoors
This January has seemed pretty warm to me. I don't know about anyone else, but I really want to be outside more and more.
I have less desire to play video games and more desire to go camping, hiking, biking, or even just go out for a walk. Speaking of walking, I went for a nice walk to Wal-mart with the kids. I received some pretty good looks. I had Katie in a stroller, and David in the baby backpack. I can understand this looking pretty humorous. But we had a good time. I wasn't able to fit all the groceries I needed, but I was able to get most of them on the stroller.
A challenging song that I have been thinking of recently is "What if I Give All" by Ray Boltz.
My struggle with this is I'm not sure where planning fits in. We have a few thousand dollars just sitting around waiting to replace our air conditioning system because it is so old. Does God want me to give that money instead of just letting it sit? What about projects I'm thinking of doing? I'm thinking of building a third car garage onto the house, would it be better to abandon my wishes (Luke 9:23) ? Probably. I guess I shouldn't mess with that project. We really do have so much stuff around here, and I'm betting anyone reading this could say the same.
I'm thinking I need to take a good look at my possession and try to eliminate all the clutter. I could sell it and give the money away.
For those who are interested you need to have Luke 9:62 memorized today.
And Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62
Corrections:
But Jesus said to him - not bad, just the "And" should be "But".
I have less desire to play video games and more desire to go camping, hiking, biking, or even just go out for a walk. Speaking of walking, I went for a nice walk to Wal-mart with the kids. I received some pretty good looks. I had Katie in a stroller, and David in the baby backpack. I can understand this looking pretty humorous. But we had a good time. I wasn't able to fit all the groceries I needed, but I was able to get most of them on the stroller.
A challenging song that I have been thinking of recently is "What if I Give All" by Ray Boltz.
My struggle with this is I'm not sure where planning fits in. We have a few thousand dollars just sitting around waiting to replace our air conditioning system because it is so old. Does God want me to give that money instead of just letting it sit? What about projects I'm thinking of doing? I'm thinking of building a third car garage onto the house, would it be better to abandon my wishes (Luke 9:23) ? Probably. I guess I shouldn't mess with that project. We really do have so much stuff around here, and I'm betting anyone reading this could say the same.
I'm thinking I need to take a good look at my possession and try to eliminate all the clutter. I could sell it and give the money away.
For those who are interested you need to have Luke 9:62 memorized today.
And Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62
Corrections:
But Jesus said to him - not bad, just the "And" should be "But".
Friday, January 16, 2009
DFL assignment 2
So the first memory verse was Luke 9:23-24
And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and come after me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it." - Luke 9:23-24
The new memory verse is Luke 9:62
But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9:62
What do these verses say about being a disciple?
What does it mean to deny yourself?
Is this a standard we need to meet?
If so, do we measure up?
What is required of a disciple?
What is the cost?
These are just some questions we discussed in the class, so have fun trying to wrap your mind around this.
And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and come after me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it." - Luke 9:23-24
The new memory verse is Luke 9:62
But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9:62
What do these verses say about being a disciple?
What does it mean to deny yourself?
Is this a standard we need to meet?
If so, do we measure up?
What is required of a disciple?
What is the cost?
These are just some questions we discussed in the class, so have fun trying to wrap your mind around this.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Random ramblings
Well, I biked in this morning. It was a struggle to bike or not. I have some work for a class tonight and I haven't done it all. Hopefully I can finish before the class after work. It is amazing how little time it feels like I have. I'm not sure how others have time for things. I don't work out, I don't watch TV. I think the kids just keep me busy.
Here is my week:
Sunday is church and clean house or do other choirs/projects
Monday evening I spend with friends, it is pretty much my day off from the kids. Though I help with feeding dinner and David is always interesting in whatever game we play, so he usually sits on my lap. So maybe not my day off, but Julie sure tries to make it that way, David just won't have any of that.
Tuesday evening is date night, but we are thinking of switching this with Thursday so Julie can do some exercise program at church.
Wednesday evening is the class at church that just started up last week. We have this evening available sometimes to do choirs and other things.
Thursday is Julie's night off, so I am with the kids that evening.
Friday is the weekend. There is actually time available here.
Saturday is time to relax or do projects.
So I'm thinking my blogging is boring, and I may try to put some real content in here. I may make it a good place to post my ramblings on the class I'm taking. It is a very challenging class, so it would be good to blog about I think.
Quick Bike review. About 35 degrees this morning, wore same as yesterday plus bike shorts under athletic pants, the padding was great. Also I wore a my coat shell to protect from the wind with my thinsulate gloves over my thin gloves. My upper body was very hot the last mile. I unzipped the coat shell and took off the thick gloves which helped a lot. The first three miles were very comfy. Oh, I forgot, I wore my ski goggles too which worked really well. Next time I should probably do without the shell at this temp. It was supposed to be mid 20's but wasn't.
Here is my week:
Sunday is church and clean house or do other choirs/projects
Monday evening I spend with friends, it is pretty much my day off from the kids. Though I help with feeding dinner and David is always interesting in whatever game we play, so he usually sits on my lap. So maybe not my day off, but Julie sure tries to make it that way, David just won't have any of that.
Tuesday evening is date night, but we are thinking of switching this with Thursday so Julie can do some exercise program at church.
Wednesday evening is the class at church that just started up last week. We have this evening available sometimes to do choirs and other things.
Thursday is Julie's night off, so I am with the kids that evening.
Friday is the weekend. There is actually time available here.
Saturday is time to relax or do projects.
So I'm thinking my blogging is boring, and I may try to put some real content in here. I may make it a good place to post my ramblings on the class I'm taking. It is a very challenging class, so it would be good to blog about I think.
Quick Bike review. About 35 degrees this morning, wore same as yesterday plus bike shorts under athletic pants, the padding was great. Also I wore a my coat shell to protect from the wind with my thinsulate gloves over my thin gloves. My upper body was very hot the last mile. I unzipped the coat shell and took off the thick gloves which helped a lot. The first three miles were very comfy. Oh, I forgot, I wore my ski goggles too which worked really well. Next time I should probably do without the shell at this temp. It was supposed to be mid 20's but wasn't.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Bike commuting update
Rode to work today. It has been a long time, so it was hard to get up and out so early. Left the house just after 7:00, arrived at work about 7:40. The temperature was about 40 degrees, started at 39, then ended at 41. It was dark for all but the last mile when it was gray.
Clothing:
feet: Polly-pro socks, regular socks, NB tennis shoes - comfortable
legs: new cycling base layer, wind breaker pants with insulation - comfy
torso: long sleeve wicking shirt, yellow long sleeve fleece - comfy
hands: new polar tec gloves - cold
head: borrowed balaclava pulled down to chin, glasses; tried goggles, but that fogged glasses, could have tried goggles no glasses. wind made eyes water, otherwise comfy
Clothing:
feet: Polly-pro socks, regular socks, NB tennis shoes - comfortable
legs: new cycling base layer, wind breaker pants with insulation - comfy
torso: long sleeve wicking shirt, yellow long sleeve fleece - comfy
hands: new polar tec gloves - cold
head: borrowed balaclava pulled down to chin, glasses; tried goggles, but that fogged glasses, could have tried goggles no glasses. wind made eyes water, otherwise comfy
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Time to really go for it
Julie and i got the privileged of being able to be in Discipleship for Leadership. It is a special group at church that will meet once a week for 20 or more weeks. We are very excited. To get in the group your mini-church leader has to recommend you, the elders have to approve you, and all the mini-church leaders get to comment too. So it is pretty exciting to be in it now.
Before we went to the orientation last night we weren't really sure we were ready to do this. It is a big commitment. If you can't make a meeting they try to reschedule it so everyone can be there. You have memory verses to do, and a pretty big assignment (recommend 30 minutes a day). All of this doesn't sound so bad, but we were late to the first meeting. When we got to church we knew Katie was stinky so we went to change her, but she had a blowout. Some was even in the car seat.... So very nasty.
Well, after going to the orientation we got fired up and want to do this. We are very excited. Now we just pray for focus and endurance. We want to be hot for God, and no longer satisfied with par. The standards we have currently been living with are too low, it is time to learn and live by God's standards.
First task: make 35 observations about what a disciple is, does, the cost, etc, based on Luke 9:23-24. Don't you dare share any observations in the comments, I have to do this myself. I should be done with it tomorrow, so you can share then.
Also, memorize Luke 9:23-24 which isn't that hard, because I used to have it memorized, so it comes back quickly.
Discipleship
Luke 9:23-24
And He said to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it."
Luke 9:23-24
That was my version, let's see how I did.
And He was saying to them all, ---not too bad, present tense and I used past
"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me. -----need a comma after himself, and no comma after daily
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it." -----pretty good, forgot to capitalize My
Overall I think I did well. I would encourage anyone reading this to start memorizing scripture, it is actually pretty fun. Now if you really want a challenge, you can also make 35 observations about discipleship on the passage.
Before we went to the orientation last night we weren't really sure we were ready to do this. It is a big commitment. If you can't make a meeting they try to reschedule it so everyone can be there. You have memory verses to do, and a pretty big assignment (recommend 30 minutes a day). All of this doesn't sound so bad, but we were late to the first meeting. When we got to church we knew Katie was stinky so we went to change her, but she had a blowout. Some was even in the car seat.... So very nasty.
Well, after going to the orientation we got fired up and want to do this. We are very excited. Now we just pray for focus and endurance. We want to be hot for God, and no longer satisfied with par. The standards we have currently been living with are too low, it is time to learn and live by God's standards.
First task: make 35 observations about what a disciple is, does, the cost, etc, based on Luke 9:23-24. Don't you dare share any observations in the comments, I have to do this myself. I should be done with it tomorrow, so you can share then.
Also, memorize Luke 9:23-24 which isn't that hard, because I used to have it memorized, so it comes back quickly.
Discipleship
Luke 9:23-24
And He said to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it."
Luke 9:23-24
That was my version, let's see how I did.
And He was saying to them all, ---not too bad, present tense and I used past
"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me. -----need a comma after himself, and no comma after daily
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it." -----pretty good, forgot to capitalize My
Overall I think I did well. I would encourage anyone reading this to start memorizing scripture, it is actually pretty fun. Now if you really want a challenge, you can also make 35 observations about discipleship on the passage.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Going Around Sick
Is it terribly rude and inconsiderate to go to work with a cold? I thought I was getting over it, but I still blow my nose and have a sore throat. It started last Thursday, so it has almost been a week, and I have worked Monday and Tuesday. I hope I haven't gotten anyone sick. But should I take off work? I'm still able to get work done, I just don't want to make everyone sick. I don't have a whole lot of interaction with others, so I would hope this limits any exposure.
The reason I go to work is that I have been off so long, well that was the reason, but now that I have gone to work I feel I continue to show up so I don't have to spend vacation days.
On a slightly different note, we have a leadership orientation class at church this evening and I really want to go to that, even though we are thinking we might not do the class this go around since we are so busy with the kids. Would it still be worth going to if we are possibly contagious?
The reason I go to work is that I have been off so long, well that was the reason, but now that I have gone to work I feel I continue to show up so I don't have to spend vacation days.
On a slightly different note, we have a leadership orientation class at church this evening and I really want to go to that, even though we are thinking we might not do the class this go around since we are so busy with the kids. Would it still be worth going to if we are possibly contagious?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Lord of the Sabbath
Reading Luke chapter 6 this morning. The sabbath was very legalistic for the scribes and the Pharisees. They would challenge Jesus when he would perform miracles on the day.
The Sabbath is to be a day of rest, and we are told to remember it. Well, I usually do projects or other work like clean the house on Saturday. I don't really see this as honoring to God. So I'm struggling a bit to apply and be obedient to God's word. Any suggestions? Do I need to just do it and stop doing so much work on Saturday and make the projects more occasional. I probably have time for Saturday to truly be a day of rest. I guess I should look more up on the Sabbath and try to really understand it. Comments on this would be appreciated.
Memory Verses:
Rom 12:1 is memorized, so now it is time to get John 14:21. So on Wednesday we should switch to the next weeks verses, 2 Tim 3:16 (which I pretty much already have), and Joshua 1:8 which sure sounds familiar.
The Sabbath is to be a day of rest, and we are told to remember it. Well, I usually do projects or other work like clean the house on Saturday. I don't really see this as honoring to God. So I'm struggling a bit to apply and be obedient to God's word. Any suggestions? Do I need to just do it and stop doing so much work on Saturday and make the projects more occasional. I probably have time for Saturday to truly be a day of rest. I guess I should look more up on the Sabbath and try to really understand it. Comments on this would be appreciated.
Memory Verses:
Rom 12:1 is memorized, so now it is time to get John 14:21. So on Wednesday we should switch to the next weeks verses, 2 Tim 3:16 (which I pretty much already have), and Joshua 1:8 which sure sounds familiar.
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