Rusty

We got some sad news last week.  My wife's brother, Rusty, passed away due to multiple chronic conditions that he had been struggling with for many years.   Some of those conditions were the result of years of alcohol abuse at an early age.   Rusty had been sober for many years thanks to organizations like AA and strong support from friends and family, but the health issues were a lasting reminder of the disease that haunted him.   We were lucky to see friends and family at the funeral that we had not seen for decades.  Everyone remembers Rusty's sense of humor and his infectious laugh.  I remember the day that Rusty visited us and grinned from ear to ear as he water-skied with us.  One of his close friends spoke to Rusty about his faith consistently and assured us that we would see him again one day.  I'm pretty sure I have posted this song in the past, but this is the one that the family elected to play during the memorial service.  Take a few minutes to listen if you can.

Overwhelming Odds

I sometimes feel overwhelmed when I am facing a situation where it seems the odds of succeeding are impossible.  I think, "There is no way that this can work out even if everything proceeds perfectly."  My perspective is largely shaped by my view of the size of my God.  In other words, "My God is not great enough to get me through this."    In my fleeting moments of strength, I remind myself that God is not only almighty, but He is also my Father.   He watches me always.  He watches my struggles.   He watches my sins.  He watches my triumphs.  He watches me always.  He not only watches, but He corrects me when I am wrong, and He cheers me on when I am succeeding.  He yearns for me to call out to Him for help so that he can demonstrate His love for me.  He wants me to pray God-sized prayers, so that when they are answered, I and anyone else who is watching will know that there is no way that could have been accomplished without God in the middle of it.  I pray for the courage to pray those prayers more.

Hear the roar

 

Last night, we had our first ConnectGroup meeting at our house.  We are reading "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day."  The book is inspired by an Old Testament warrior named Benaiah. Benaiah stared down a lion, chased him into a pit, and killed him. In the first chapter, Batterson spent some time talking about two different types of sin - sins of commission and sins of omission.  The church has long focused on sins of commission - the bad things we do that we need to stop doing. The church doesn't talk that much about sins of omission. These are the opportunities that God presents to us that we think we don't have the time or ability to pursue - opportunities missed.  In the next 7 chapters, Batterson is going to talk about 7 of the main obstacles to taking those opportunities and running with them. Let me know if you would like to join in the discussion.