Merry Christmas

Two young boys were spending the night at their grandparents the week before Christmas. At bedtime, the two boys knelt beside their beds to say their prayers when the youngest one began praying at the top of his lungs. "I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE..." "I PRAY FOR A NEW NINTENDO..." "I PRAY FOR A NEW IPOD..." His older brother leaned over and nudged the younger brother and said, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn't deaf." To which the little brother replied, "No, but Grandma is!" From: cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and warm holiday season. God blesses us each day with both grace and opportunities. His grace is overwhelming in that the gift of salvation is given with such abundance and love. Each day we are reminded of our sin and weakness, and yet if we look to Him we also see His mercy and providence. The opportunities are also abundant, each day we meet people that need to be loved, encouraged, helped, and forgiven. When we meet these people we are given an opportunity to share the love and grace that has been given to us. Take the opportunity and share in the ministry of God’s grace. It is truly a gift to be loved by God. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

ps.  I will be in Florida for Christmas enjoying the hollidays the way they were intended; with palm trees and sunny weather!

salt and grace

When it comes to snack foods, there is nothing more undesirable to me than unsalted peanuts. Really, who likes them anyway? I know they cause high blood pressure and other health issues, but seriously salt is a wonderful thing!

“5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6 NIV
What does it mean to have conversation seasoned with salt? In the 21st century it is a weird thing to say.
Jesus said we are the salt of the earth. That is also a weird thing to say. But in the 1st century it made sense.

In the Bible salt has several different meanings. In Number 18:19, salt represents promise, the commitment between man and God. It also represents purity, goodness, and flavor. We also know that in ancient times salt was used as a preservative, it would help food last longer.
Words like grace and salt used in the same verse made sense to the early Christians at Collosse. First century people saw both words as transforming words. Salt changes bland food into food that is desirable and tasty. Grace by definition was the changing of ordinary things into things that are beautiful and extraordinary. So when the early Christians read Colossians 4, they knew what Paul was calling them to do, that their words should be transforming, turning this bland, loveless, and graceless world into a world filled with God’s love, grace, and hope.
It is as simple as saying “these peanuts needs some salt”, we can also say “this world needs Christians that transform the people and community around them.” So today I am going to commit to speaking words that encourage grace, to highlight God’s love working in my life, so that the people around me can learn about God’s wonderful love and grace.

Happy Independence Day

July 4, 1776 was over 230 years ago, but the events of that day impact what we are doing right now. In the declaration of Independence these words were written:

“We think it is obvious...That all men are created equal. That they have a god given rights, that no one can take away including LIFE, LIBERTY and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

No part of the Declaration of Independence is more right than those words. Only God gives life, freedom, and the blessing of true happiness. Over 230 years ago those words were written to declare independence from oppression, however those words also declare a dependence upon God. Whether it is overcoming oppressive regimes or sin; freedom can only be found in a relationship with God. Today as we celebrate our independence as a nation, do not forget to celebrate our dependence upon the God who gives us real freedom and the blessing of His love and grace. May God bless you this 4th of July.