January 2011
12 posts
1 tag
Continuing Gratitude
We have so much to be thankful for. I’m working on a list that will essentially be never-ending, I’ll continue it the rest of my life, a list of things God has blessed me with that I’m thankful for. For the full story, see here. Here’s what I’m thankful for today:
- a new beginning with me and church
- amazing friends and their generosity
- snowboarding at Bryce...
4 tags
This Isn't a Lifeboat
I’ve been reading “Searching For God Knows What” by Donald Miller the last 2 weeks. I highly recommend this for anyone and everyone because there’s a big idea in there that is so important to understand.
Miller talks about the lifeboat mentality – that if you’re in a lifeboat with 10 people, it becomes increasingly imperative to prove your importance over the others, or at least over one other...
3 tags
At That Time...
“At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.” - Genesis 4:26
I’ve read this verse many times before, but today it really struck me for the first time. Why AT THAT TIME did things change? Why at that time did they really begin to call on God? Matthew Henry’s commentary suggests that this isn’t to say they already didn’t call upon God, or that they...
3 tags
Idolatry of Self
Ann Voskamp recently wrote a blog post on something that I think bears repeating. She asked the question, why don’t we pray more? Her answer was essentially because we see our agenda, our tasks, and our lives as more important than God. That’s why we won’t stop more throughout a day to just be still and know. God Himself knew that the only way we could really KNOW was to stop,...
1 tag
Thursday Thanks
This isn’t about making a list. It’s about realizing how self-centered I am and how I still fail to realize that all of this is FOR me. It’s all a gift - thousands of gifts. Help me see Lord. Grateful this morning for:
- 2 1/2 year old prayers that are intelligible to us, but not to Him.
- quiet but profound words that come into my life right when I need them.
- a mom who...
2 tags
“The only reason we fail to pray is because we’ve made an idol out of self.”
– Ann Voskamp
3 tags
The Tension of Being Human
“Animals have a physical body but no spirit. An angel is a being with a spirit but without a body. When we deny the spiritual dimension to our existence, we end up living like animals. And when we deny the physical, sexual dimension to our existence, we end up living like angels. And both ways are destructive, because God made us human.”
I’ve been reading Rob Bell’s...
3 tags
“When I respect the image of God in others, I protect the image of God in me.”
– Rob Bell - from “Sex God”
1 tag
Thank You Today
I’m not feeling great today. My yearly bout with strep throat. But even as I drove home to sit in the recliner under a blanket yesterday, I felt gratitude. How many people in the world die from strep or some similar infection every day simply because they don’t have medical treatment readily available like I do? I felt grateful, yet sad at the same time. God continues to expand my...
2 tags
“I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding… than...”
– Charles Swindoll
1 tag
Tuesday Thanks
I am continuing to examine my life for all the things God has blessed me with. The harder I look, the more I see. The more I see, the more I realize His love for me and the better able I am do deal with tough situations in life. Gratitude breeds contentment and peace and those are things I want in life, so I choose to be thankful every day.
I am thankful for:
- ever-changing seasons of life
-...
3 tags
2011: Hustling
I totally buy into the idea of setting the pace of your year in early January. I did that last year and it really helped me stay focused throughout, and I also felt more accomplished at the end of the year. So, here are some things I’ve been going over this week as I personally prepare for 2011.
7 Year End Review Questions:
1. What are the 2-3 themes that personally defined 2010 for me?
...