This morning I sat down to read, opening to 2 Timothy. I am preparing for a sermon I will preach in a couple of weeks, so I read with extra attentiveness Paul’s words to his friend, Timothy. Read: 2 Timothy 1:1, 12 It strikes me that Paul lived with the end in mind. He was …
The strategic planning exercise we participated in at Ashland University challenged me. I had done the same type of activities in other settings, but our instructor simplified it for us. He suggested the process to get from where we are to where we want to be includes three elements: Daily Diversion: We were challenged to …
There I sat with a colossal mess! Dave came home and I sheepishly told him that I understood if he was upset. There was no blame coming from me if he was. And I led him to the chaotic mess in our backyard. And he loved it! Not the mess so much, but the idea …
A few years ago I attended a conference at Ashland University in Ohio. The presenter gave us a strategic planning exercise to develop our spiritual lives. His first admonition: begin with the end in mind. Soon after we moved into our house, I decided I wanted a fire pit area. Dave was home for lunch …
The focus at our house the last week has been the landscaping. Memorial Day means different things to different people. For some it is graduation, for others a wedding, for others remembering a fallen comrade. For me, it is my deadline to have the landscaping cleaned up and mulched. This spring has been slow in …
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 This is an awesome reminder. Too often I see obedience to Christ as a powerfully difficult job. But in reality, when I am obedient to what God says to my heart, I increase my sensitivity …
I contain the treasure of God in a common clay jar. Troubles come and go, but nothing is here to stay. I fix my gaze on what is eternal rather than temporary. I am a new person because of Christ so I don’t look at myself or others from a human view point. Because of …
We are common vessels containing the brightest treasure. Troubles come but they are passing through. We are new in Christ and cannot be evaluated by human standards. Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 In our government, an ambassador is the highest ranking individual a president can send to a foreign country to be his representative. In the …
Here are my takeaways from reading in 2 Corinthians 4…I am a fragile clay pot containing a great treasure – the glory of God. When I invited Jesus into my life, he filled me with his presence, the Holy Spirit. He shines in my heart. I am priceless because of him. (2 Corinthians 4:7) Troubles …
Today I read a friend’s post on Facebook. It said “We would worry a lot less about what other people think about us if we knew how seldom they do.” What a great word for me to hear! But oh so hard to remember when our feet have landed squarely on the slippery slope of …