Thursday, October 28, 2021

Spirit Sighting

The Trinity is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith.  The Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Three - but one.  It is something I will not fully understand while on this earth, but I want to try.  It's easier for me to think of the three as separate.  The Father is the Creator.  The Son is Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is the part of God inside each one of us believers.  But last night in our ConnectGroup, we talked about how the Holy Spirit has a bigger role to play than that.  The Holy Spirit came upon the virgin, Mary, to create Jesus in her womb.  The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove at his baptism by John.  The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus as King, Teacher, and Miracle Worker.   The Holy Spirit comforted Jesus as he was tempted by Satan.  The Holy Spirit sustained Jesus after his bodily death on the cross and was the power that resurrected Him from the grave.  So while I have always thought of the Holy Spirit as the person of God that is within me, the Holy Spirit was also in and around Jesus giving Him all He needed to claim the title, Prince of Peace.  As important, since the Holy Spirit dwelled within Jesus, Jesus was able to fully reflect how it should look for the Holy Spirit to dwell within each of us.  While I may not fully understand on this earth, I know God is pleased when we try.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Another Lion King

 

I don't read very much.  I don't read enough.  I want to read more.   But I have posted in the past about my love for C.S. Lewis and his writings.   If I am reading a book by another author, and happen to scan ahead on the page and see those two defining initials, "C.S.", in the text, my attention level is immediately raised.  I know the author has the same affinity that I have for Lewis, and I wonder if what is ahead is something that I have read before or something that might be brand new to me.  Either way, I know it will be good.  The first book I read by C.S. Lewis was "Mere Christianity".  I fell in love with the way he made complex ideas understandable.  I also fell in love with his humor and his humility.  But C.S. Lewis was not just a theologian.  He was also an artist with a vibrant imagination.  His ability to reflect truth through fantasy was a gift like none I have ever seen before.  The most popular of his fantasy writings was "The Chronicles of Narnia" and specifically "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe".  I was excited to see today that a new film about Lewis is being released on November 3rd, "The Most Reluctant Convert".   I look forward to seeing it.  If you are interested in a quick look at C.S. Lewis's life, this article is a good review.

Thursday, October 14, 2021

DIY - with a little help

 

For 20 years, I had a career in Information Technology starting at IBM.   As I think back on that time, I feel like going to work mattered about one day out of five.  It wasn't always one day a week.  Sometimes, I would be working on a project that would keep me busy for a few weeks, but other times, I felt like there was nothing worthwhile to work on.  When I changed careers to real estate 18 years ago, that all changed.  Everything I do now is because I think it is worthwhile.  It's not always easy or fun, but it is something I choose to do because it is important to me.  I wish the same for all of you.  I hope you have work that is meaningful and brings gratification.  I found this story about Brooke Riley who started Re-fabbed.com.  She was in a corporate job that was beating her down.  She had to stop for health reasons.  She started a DIY blog that now has over 800,000 followers on facebook.  Her reliance on her Creator helped her through the transition, and she is faithful to give Him the credit.  Cheers to Brooke and her success.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Pause Button?


In the Fall of 2019, I was browsing upcoming concerts and saw that Lauren Daigle was coming to Atlanta in April of  2020.  I purchased tickets for me and Caroline.   That same month, Lauren was performing one of her newest songs in Wichita, Kansas for the first time ever. Fast forward several months to March of 2020, and we were disappointed that the April concert was being postponed until Fall of 2020, and then again to Spring of 2021 and then again to Fall of 2021.   Caroline and I attended the concert last Thursday night.  It was beautiful.  The highlight of the concert was a "new" song that Lauren first performed in 2019, but didn't release until 2021 - Hold On To Me.   In some ways, it's like the pause button was hit for a year and a half.  In other ways, it's like we have been changed uniquely and permanently.  Listen to Hold On To Me here and hear the rest of the back story here.