Something for Today

Today’s clip from the Bible and then a classic song:

1 John 2: 15-17:    15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

This was something I needed to read today.  Maybe you did too.

Now, the song.  From 1986, this is the classic Christian band the 77’s:

Lyrics:

Well, I feel
Like I have to feel
Something good all of the time
With most of life I cannot deal
But a good feeling I can feel
Even though it may not be real
And if a person, place or thing can deliver
I will quiver with delight
But will it last me for all my life
Or just one more lonely night

The lust, the flesh
The eyes
And the pride of life
Drain the life
Right out of me

Well, I see something and I want it
Bam! Right now!
No questions asked
Don’t worry how much it costs me now or later
I want it and I want it fast
I’ll go to any length
Sacrifice all that I already have
And all that I might get
Just to get
Something more that I don’t need
And Lord, please don’t ask me what for

The lust, the flesh
The eyes
And the pride of life
Drain the life
Right out of me

And I love when folks
Look right at me
And what I’m doing
Or have done
And lay it on about
How groovy I am
And that I’m looking grand
And every single word
Makes me think I’ll live forever
Never knowing that they probably
Won’t remember what they said tomorrow
Tomorrow I could be dead

The lust, the flesh
The eyes
And the pride of life
Drain the life
Right out of me

© 1986 Fools Of The World, LTD. (ASCAP)

Man of High Esteem

I have been Reading Through the Bible in One Year over the past year and a half and should be done in the next few months.  If you are wondering, yes, it has taken me more than a year to read through the bible.  However, my preference is to actually read through the Bible consistently, I don’t really care how long it takes me.  I think sometimes people start that process, miss a day and then a week later miss a couple of days and then give up because they are behind.  It took me six years to finish college too.  But I did finish and thankfully no one has ever asked my GPA during a job interview.

I am currently reading through Daniel and I have just been amazed at his life and how much I really haven’t picked up on his life before.  Take this passage for instance:

4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris, 5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. 6 His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult.

So, Daniel had been mourning for Israel, fasting and praying for 3 weeks and this angel stands before him.  (This angel didn’t look like a Precious Moments angel.)  And this is part of what the angel says to Daniel:

10 Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia…

There is so much in those verses that just fascinate me.  The first is that an angel who’s face had the appearance of lightning and who’s eyes were like flaming torches calls Daniel a man of high esteem.  Now, that’s impressive.  Its one thing for me to honor someone but for an angel to honor a man is incredible to me.

The other thing is his response about Daniel’s prayer.  That his prayers were heard and the angel was sent but the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” was withstanding him for 21 days until Michael came to help him.

There is so much my brain cannot fathom and that is definitely one of them.

How many times have my prayers been fought against? 

Are my prayers even worthy of a battle?

How can I live my life where angels hold me in high regard?  I think the key to this is in verse 12 where the angel says that Daniel had humbled himself before God.

Who Is An Expert?

During the halftime show of last week’s AFC playoff game prior to the Arizona Cardinals playing the Panthers, they asked the panel of experts including Dan Marino and Bill Cowher (sorry I can’t remember who the other guys were) who would win the upcoming game. 

All of them predicted the Panthers would soundly defeat the Cards. 

All of them were wrong.

I just can’t get the picture of the split screen showing each of their smiling, smug (well, maybe smug isn’t fair) faces along with the Panthers’ logo out of my head.  Not one of them thought the Cards had a chance of winning even if the Panther’s all had to run from their homes to the game in a blizzard.  I mean, it made sense, they were playing the Arizona Cardinals.  It was the conventional way to go.  And, they were just so confident!  I just can’t get their confidence out of my head.

It made me wonder who I listen to for advice.  Who are my experts?  It also made me wonder if I have ever squashed anyone’s ideas if they looked to me for expert advice. 

Have you ever said, “Nope, can’t be done!” or “You won’t succeed if you do that!”

In the Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner’s son tells him that when he grows up he wants to be a basketball star.  Chris Gardner starts to tell his son all the reasons that probably won’t happen.  When he realizes what he’s done, he says:

Hey!  Don’t ever let somebody tell you You can’t do something.  Not even me (his father).  All right?  You got a dream… You gotta protect it.  People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it.  If you want somethin’, go get it.  Period.

“You gotta protect it.”  Now, that’s advice from an expert I can appreciate.

By the way, I’ll be out of town until Friday.  I hope to catch up with the few of you that will read this when I return.

Request for Prayer

I wanted to pass on a request for anyone reading this to pray for my friends Jim & Robbin in the Phoenix area. 

I found out yesterday that their home was destroyed by fire on Saturday.

The only other thing I know is they and their 6 kids are ok. 

I know they are part of a very strong church and have a good extended family and friends.  But, they still need our prayers.

Thank you for praying for them.

UPDATE:  The home was not completely destroyed.  I received an e-mail from Jim that said:

It was confined to the Master bedroom, that’s completely gutted,
but the door was closed, so the rest of the house just has smoke damage.

It will be a 3-5 months to get back into it with the work that needs to be done.

So, that is the update.  Please still pray for them as they are without a home and most likely most of their things.

If You Need a Reason

In honor of the Arizona Cardinals not only making the playoffs but winning their first playoff game in my lifetime, here is an article from AZCentral about Kurt Warner’s faith.

I obviously don’t know Kurt Warner personally and cannot vouch for his faith in Jesus.  However, his life points to a long standing relationship with Christ that must be very difficult to live out in his environment.

I applaud him for his example and wish there were more men like him in both the public eye as well as the community.

Read the comments at the bottom of the article.  My favorite is the one that says that he’d like to figure out where his family eats.  You have to read the article to get that, but I thought it was pretty funny.

Go Cardinals!  More importantly though, keep going Kurt!

Glorious Video by Ever Stays Red – MySpace Video

This is one of my favorite worship songs:

Lyrics:

I can feel the way you are and I want more
Like a warm summer rain or the quiet after a storm
rain down on me your glory, Lord
Let my heart know the wonders of your ways
Cause I remember being lost and alone
But before you know, I find myself with hope
Hope to dream of endless fields
with waves of green and be taken away
I’m taken away with you
As I look up at the sky on this glorious night
I can sense you here with me

Oh, I couldn’t count the times I’ve allowed this sky
to remind me that you are glorious
God, you are glorious
It seems every single day I’m amazed
at the way this world reveals your love
I couldn’t ever find the words
to explain the ways in which you are glorious
God, you are glorious

And daily I will let my life be a tribute
to the ways in which you are glorious
I wanna live in you
I wanna breathe in you
I wanna be all the things you’ve called me to
I wanna stay in you
Put my faith in you
I wanna let my life reside in you
Let glory rain down on me
As I look up at the sky on this glorious night
I can sense you here with me

Oh, I couldn’t count the times I’ve allowed this sky
to remind me that you are glorious
God, you are glorious
And daily I will let my life be a tribute
to the ways in which you are glorious

How Long Does It Take to Grow Roots?

Jeremiah 17: 7,8 says:

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord .

8 “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.

When I read verse 7 this morning, I had heard people say “trust in the Lord” and “my trust is the Lord”.  But, I had never really thought about those 2 statements being a little different. 

When you say “My trust is the Lord” it means that God is all there is.  My trust should not be in God and food, shelter, clothing, health, relationships, etc… but God alone.  Not what He provides, but Him.

I have always had God and other stuff, never just God.  It made me think this morning where my trust truly is.

Next, I wonder how long it takes to grow deep roots because I don’t want to fear when the heat comes or be anxious in a year of drought.

No matter what I experience – prosperity or destitution, companionship or lonliness, etc…  I want to be able to say “My trust is the Lord”

(By the way, I copied these verses from YouVersion.  It is a great tool for reading the Bible and also being able to organize your thoughts and being able to connect with others.  Check it out when you get a chance.)

Financial Resolutions

I saw this article  titled “9 Retirement Resolutions for 2009″ this morning on the AZCentral website.  I think it has some good financial planning suggestions that would benefit anyone looking to better prepare themselves for the future.

Many of these suggestions are principles covered by Dave Ramsey, financial genius, that I’ve posted about before. 

One of the items on the list in the article is to reduce spending by as much as 15%.  That may seem like  a pretty difficult thing to do.  I think it might be easier than you think. 

According to Dave Ramsey’s website, you spend 12 – 18% more when you use a credit card instead of cash.  His explanation is that you “feel” the money leaving your hand when you use cash and it makes you think a little more about what you buy or put in the cart.  Here’s another example:  I’ve gone to the fast food joint without cash to buy some food.  When I go to choose what I want, I will spend more with the debit card than I would with cash because I don’t want such a small transaction to keep track of.   I also might get a bigger lunch or a drink because I’m not limited to only what’s in my wallet. 

Why do you think credit card companies give away frequent flyer miles and such when you make purchases?  Its not just because of the interest, they know you will spend more with a piece of plastic than actually having to count out the money.

We’ve lived without a credit card for close to 6 years now and I have not missed it for one day – even when I’ve had to rent a car or stay at a hotel.  I have not been denied any purchases.

There might also be some big purchases I make this year that I could find out a more creative way to make the purchase.  Such as buying used or taking a little extra time to find the right deal.  Have you ever asked for a discount at a store for someting that wasn’t marked down?  Many stores will give you 10% off without even a fight.

There are other good principles in the article too and I encourage you to read it.

Do you think it would be realistic for you to reduce your spending by 10 to 15%?

A White Christmas in the Desert – A Day Late

My wife and I went to go see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (a strange movie) on Friday afternoon.  When the movie got out, we walked out to see real snow falling – from the sky. 

I went outside when we got home and watched it fall.  It was just beautiful and peaceful to watch.  It stopped a couple hours later without any sticking.  It must have started back up because I went outside a few hours later and there was about a half an inch on the ground.  It was a nice treat for me.  The snow is gone today but its still cold.

I wonder if Al Gore drove through town and brought a bunch of cold weather with him.

You people who read this in other parts of the country or world that get plenty of snow, I’m sure you think I’m crazy to love the snow.

Free Download

I just ran across this free download from The Violet Burning’s website.  It is an entire Christmas album called Divine 2008 and I’m listening to it as I write this and its very good.  And its free – no strings.   I don’t know how long it will be up for download, so jump on it. 

This would be a great addition to your Christmas collection for parties and such.

If you’re not familiar with The Violet Burning, they are one of my favorite bands.  I named my blog after one of their songs.  Michael Pritzl is extremely talented and creative.  You can hear a good sample of their music here.  Also, you may have heard Invitacion Fountain as a worship song: