Thank God

More from the wide world of sports: I came across an interesting article by sports writer Will Leitch. In the piece he addresses the issue of athletes thanking God for their efforts, in particular Los Angeles Angel Josh Hamilton. I especially appreciated this paragraph from Mr. Leitch:

“Christianity isn’t some peripheral notion of Hamilton’s life; it is his life. When you live a Christian life, everything you do, from showing up to church on Sunday, to going to the grocery store, to pumping gas, to hitting a home run, to striking out, is done for the glory of Christ. Hamilton isn’t thanking Jesus for helping him hit a homer; he is thanking Jesus for everything. From the homers to the strikeouts to the millions of dollars to all the boos.”

You can read the entire article here.

Well Loved

I pray that Jesus’ love for you is so very evident today, that he surrounds you with folks that care for you deeply and appreciate how much you care back. I pray that you have the opportunity and the courage to be real with those that can handle it and that peace and fulfillment occupy your heart and mind.

Brotherhood

I’ve been thinking a lot about my brother today. Also about my brothers in law, who I declare after 20 years, are full on brothers and about my brothers that God’s put in my life. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate each one of you. Every moment of life is intended to be done together and I am so glad I get to do it with you. Thank you.

For Granted

Getting a different perspective on life can be so valuable. It can be as drastic as turning your world upside down or as simple as getting away for awhile.  Either way there is much to be appreciated when getting a new view. Too often familiarity allows us to take things for granted. I don’t want to take anything for granted. There is so much for each of us to be thankful for, even the tiniest of things. It’s good to be home.

Wind

The wind blows in Amarillo pretty much all the time. If you’re not accustomed to it, it makes many things way more difficult. You can’t just put something down and expect it to be there when you turn back around. A life pursuing an intimate relationship with God is like Amarillo, there is always wind but we can get used to it, expect it and even take comfort from it. We can lean in when facing its opposition or make extra progress when it’s at our back. It can also be like our new friend Ken said today, “When it’s a hundred and five you come to appreciate it.”

Even Dirty Diapers?

Yes, even changing diapers is not too small a task for God to join you in; doing it on your own can become a tedious, smelly chore that you would do anything to avoid. But bring God along and it becomes something altogether different. You’ll find yourself happy to have this time with the child. You’ll appreciate the fact that childhood is short and that it won’t be long before you won’t have a baby so completely dependent on you. You’ll gain insight into how much God cares for you and not only puts up with your smelly messes but rejoices to help you change. Dads, this goes for you too.

Overwhelmed

My prayer for you is that you’re overwhelmed by God’s goodness today. No matter the circumstances of your life at the moment that you are able to see and appreciate how He has proven His perfect love for you. I pray for you to be reminded with glimpses from the past, an awareness of His closeness in the present and the peace of trusting Him with your future.

Thankful

There are times when life can be completely overwhelming, we feel like we couldn’t do anything right if our life depended on it, we may be isolated, afraid and full of doubt and the last thing that comes to mind is being thankful. But that’s exactly what we need to do. Even if we can only find one thing to truly be grateful for, it can be the thing that opens the door to hope. With God there is always hope and through hope comes change. Change in our outlook and change in our circumstance.

Omnipresence

Omnipresence or what is sometimes called ubiquity is the fact that God is everywhere at once. This attribute doesn’t really need an explanation but do we understand its implications? Somehow it’s easy for us to grasp that He can be everywhere in the world at one time and still not fully appreciate what that means for us individually. I think God’s favorite use of this trait is that it puts Him there with you and here with me right now. He is never absent from us. We may think we’ve somehow stepped away from Him but that’s not possible. He’s with us always, waiting to be included in all we think and do.