Four Generations

I was so fortunate to be able to celebrate Mother's Day with my Mom (mother of 3), my wife (mother of 2), my daughter (mother of 1), and my daughter-in-law (mother of 3).  None of the boys made it into this photo, but Mother's Day is all about the girls.  I cannot imagine a more encouraging, loving, fun group of girls to spend the day with.  Thanks for all you do every day to make my life rich.

Something else in the water...

I posted a link to this video last year, but I thought of it again today as I was writing the blog for my lakefront real estate business, SpotOnTheLake.com.  I never paid much attention to country music until I was introduced to Carrie Underwood on American Idol.  I know country music die hards will sneer at that, but it is a fact for me.  I now listen to country music in the car second only to worship music.  I love that Carrie's spirit seems to be as immense as her talent. She is not ashamed to release songs like the hit "something in the water", which talks about the change in her that happened after accepting Jesus and being baptized.    I wish more celebrities would be this bold about their faith.  (Note: A good friend let me know that the music video was choreographed by Travis Wall, of "So you think you can dance" fame.)

Lost At Sea

I am reading CS Lewis's Mere Christianity again.  Lewis is my favorite Christian author.  He has an unbelievable ability to take a complex idea and paint a picture of the idea with words.  One section of the book is on Christian behavior.  He talks about categories of behaviors and describes the categories this way.  Imagine a fleet of ships on a mission.  In order for the mission to be successful, the ships must travel in formation so as not to run into each other.  Also, each ship needs to be in proper running order so as not to break down.   Some behaviors have to do with not harming someone else.  Other behaviors have to do with taking care of yourself.   You must have both for a successful mission.  But there is a third thing over and above these two.  The ships must be headed for the correct destination.  The ships can operate perfectly, and in perfect formation, but if their destination is New York and they end up in Miami, their mission is a failure.  What is your destination?

Look Who's Blooming

My mom and dad grew up in southwest Virginia in the towns of Wytheville and Big Stone Gap.   The major industry in this area is/was coal mining and while neither of them was directly employed by the coal industry, they had many friends and family that were.   Coal mining jobs have continued to fall away as industry and government continue to look for cleaner sources of energy.  That has left the area with a high rate of joblessness.  I saw this inspiring article about Michael Bloomberg's philanthropic organization which gave $3m to organizations that will help with job training in the area.  Bloomberg Philanthropies has donated $5b (yes, with a b) to other causes in these areas:  public health, arts and culture, the environment, education and government innovation.  I don't know much about Mike Bloomberg, but I sure like what I discovered this morning.  It is inspiring to see someone using their success to help others.

The Word

John 1:1 states:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God."  I have read the verse many times and had assumed that the Word referred to The Bible.  I have often heard the bible referred to as God's word in church.  It only took me a few mouse clicks to see my misunderstanding.  The original Greek word for "Word" is "Logos".  Logos had multiple meanings at the time John was written.  To the Jews, Logos was sometimes used as another name for God.  To the Greeks, Logos meant the power that puts sense into the world and keeps it in order. John thoughtfully used a word with multiple meanings to introduce Jesus as the Son of God to any that would read it.  The Word is Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity.  He was with God and He was God.  I am grateful to David Guzik for his thoughtful help with this and to my pastor for introducing me to Mr. Guzik.  For more in depth study, you can meet him here.

Who Am I Working For?

Last night, in our Connect Group meeting, there was good conversation about the things that distract us from our yearning to know God more.  Social media, television, recreation were some of the top offenders.  These are all true for me, but I feel like my work is probably my biggest distractor.  It gets the majority of my attention during the day.  Paul offers me encouragement in his letter to the Colossians.  "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."  Work as if you are working for the Lord.  I fall short of that every day, but knowing that I can work hard for my clients, as if I were working for the Lord, gives me something to strive for.

Fanning The Flame

Timothy was a third generation follower of Christ and the pastor of the church in Ephesus.  In Paul's second letter to his close friend, he encourages him in his faith.  "Fan into flame the gift of God...For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."  With much of the world-view of Christians looking like spineless people ready to be walked over, I love that Paul reminds Timothy (and all of us) that with a little work, we can fan the glowing embers into a roaring fire that will provide light and warmth to those around us.