Trust Quartet sang at a Baptist church not far from my home this past weekend. Since it was close, I chose to drive rather than ride the bus. I met the group at a restaurant to eat before going to the church to set up and rehearse. Arriving at the church on Saturday afternoon, I watched as the bus made a wide turn in the parking lot. Suddenly the bus stopped. Something didn't look quite right. Ahhh ~ it had gotten stuck in the sand.
In case you aren't familiar with living close to the ocean, everything is quite sandy. No, really ~ it's SANDY!! The bus is quite heavy, and the soft sand was no match. Practically down to the axle, the bus was stuck and it wasn't going anywhere!
The pastor of the church called one of the church members who lived nearby and he brought over his back hoe. We watched as the back hoe pulled a little this way then a little more that way. Eventually, the back hoe pulled the bus out of the sandy trap and we were able to unload it and rehearse a bit before bedtime.
I didn't get much sleep Saturday night. I woke up thinking about how the bus got stuck in the sand. David wrote a Psalm similar to that. He wrote (40:1-3) how that God had rescued him from a life mired in the pit of clay. He spoke of how God had set him back on solid footing. God put a new song in his mouth, and as David sang that new song, people would see it and fear, and trust in the LORD.
In our concerts, we sing a song called Sinner Saved By Grace. That is all we are. Although I'm a Christ follower, and desire to imitate Him as closely as I can, I'm human, and I will fail from time to time. I'm not perfect, but thankfully, I am forgiven and seeking to live as close to what Christ desires as I can.
As we sang that song Sunday, I was thanking God for bringing me out of the miry pit of sinfulness. I'm thankful He has set me on solid footing, and following as closely as I can to Him, people can see Him through me. Isn't that what a Christ-follower should desire to do? Lead people by our example and spoken word to the Christ that longs to free them from the pitfalls in their lives?
Do your best today to find some way to communicate Christ's grace, forgiveness, holiness, and purity to someone you know. Then, pray that what you have said to that person will encourage them to seek to be closer to Christ.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tweeting the Twenty-third Psalm
I follow Sheila Walsh, a Christian music artist on Twitter. Earlier today, she tweeted, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength."
If you are at all familiar with Scripture, you probably recognize this as being at least a paraphrase of the first part of the Twenty-third Psalm. Many times, if there is a Scripture passage heard on television, this is it. Or perhaps if you've attended a funeral or graveside service, you've heard the minister read this passage.
Many times as pastors, we (I probably should say, 'I' rather than lump all into my tendencies) tend to not preach from Psalm 23 or John 3:16. There are some passages of Scripture that we may feel "everyone knows." Or maybe we feel like the truths from those Scriptures have been exhausted. Oh, Father forgive us! Nothing could actually be further from the truth!
We all need to be consistently reminded of the precious precept that our God meets our every need. We all need to remember that He guides us to perfect peace. It is He who restores and renews us as we rest in Him.
Enjoy meditating on the truth today that He offers to meet our needs. He brings perfect peace. He restores and renews our strength as we rest in Him.
If you are at all familiar with Scripture, you probably recognize this as being at least a paraphrase of the first part of the Twenty-third Psalm. Many times, if there is a Scripture passage heard on television, this is it. Or perhaps if you've attended a funeral or graveside service, you've heard the minister read this passage.
Many times as pastors, we (I probably should say, 'I' rather than lump all into my tendencies) tend to not preach from Psalm 23 or John 3:16. There are some passages of Scripture that we may feel "everyone knows." Or maybe we feel like the truths from those Scriptures have been exhausted. Oh, Father forgive us! Nothing could actually be further from the truth!
We all need to be consistently reminded of the precious precept that our God meets our every need. We all need to remember that He guides us to perfect peace. It is He who restores and renews us as we rest in Him.
Enjoy meditating on the truth today that He offers to meet our needs. He brings perfect peace. He restores and renews our strength as we rest in Him.
Seventeen Years Ago Today
Do you remember what happened 17 years ago today? Most of the time, I don't. But today is different. Seventeen years ago I drove with my wife to Baptist Hospital in Nashville for the birth of our second daughter.
It doesn't seem possible that its been that long. While I remember some things in particular, there are a few details that I'm sure would require a bit of brain-jogging. (Hey, I just made up a new word!) In fact, I was talking to my wife a few days ago about the early childhood days of our kids. I remember some specific activities very well, but it's hard to remember the lifestyle we had then.
By that I mean, its hard to remember what they did on a consistent basis. Sure, there are some things that stick out in my mind, but not as much as I thought it would be at this stage of life.
In any event, the whole reason for this particular blog post is to say happy birthday to my daughter ~~ Abigail. I hope you enjoy your day! And a little inside note to her . . . "Yes, you are going to school today!"
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