Butterfly World

Michele and I took her daughter, Presley, to Butterfly World today in Coconut Creek, Florida. While it was nice, it was not worth $25 for our admission. Presley loved seeing the 'Flutterflies' and was enjoying feeding the birds until one decided she was much sweeter to nibble on than the food she was feeding it.



















The weather was beautiful while we were in the park, but as soon as we got on the road this is what we drove home in.

We Bow Down

We bow down
And we worship You Lord
We bow down
And we worship You Lord
We bow down
And we worship You Lord
King of all kings You will be

We bow down
And we crown You the King
We bow down
And we crown You the King
We bow down
And we crown You the King
King of all kings You will be

You are Lord of creation
And Lord of my life
Lord of the land and the sea
You were Lord of the heavens
Before there was time
Lord of all lords You will be

You are King of creation
And King of the heavens
Before there was time

And King of all kings You will be

We sang this song today during worship and then this evening our worship pastor preached on surrendering to God. What a beautiful day of worship. I've been thinking about what it means to surrender to God and his will.

Someone told about a man who went to a country store to find that Bob, the clerk that normally waited on him, was not there. After purchasing his items, the man asked the manager about Bob. The manager told him that Bob had been fired. "Who took his place? the man inquired. The manager replied, "Bob didn't leave no place."

When we die, we aren't going to leave a place either. Our human nature is self-absorbed and we simply can't imagine a world where we are not present. If surrendering to God does one thing it increases the realization that we aren't that important. We realize that God doesn't need our help. He was doing just fine before he created us and he will continue to do fine long after we have died. God does as he pleases, without our help. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways; we are finite, and he is infinite, we are sojourners, he is eternal. It helps to remember these things as we surrender to God.

Another story is told about a man, Jim, who visited the church every day at noon. The pastor's study was positioned in a place where he could see Jim coming each day. After several months, the pastor began to wonder what Jim was doing and he decided to ask. He stopped Jim on his way out of the church and said, "Jim, I've been watching you come to this church ever day at noon and to be honest, I've wondered what you were doing." "Nothing big, Pastor." replied Jim. "I just come and stand in front of the cross and say, 'Jesus, it's Jim.' A couple of weeks later while the pastor was on vacation, Jim was in a car accident and was taken to the hospital. When the pastor returned he went to the hospital to see Jim. As soon as the pastor walked in the hospital he noticed that something was different- the switchboard operator was kinder, the nurses were more thoughtful and the doctors actually took time to stop and talk. Not understanding what was happening the pastor asked a nurse who was member of his church about the difference he noticed. She said, "You are right. It's Jim. Since he has been here, things have been different." The pastor went on to visit Jim and asked him what he had done to cause the change. "It's not me," Jim said. "Every day at noon, Jesus comes and stands at the foot of my bed and says, "Jim, it's Jesus." When we surrender to God, our agenda fades. Instead a life surrendered to God simply tells God that it has come and that whatever his plan is, it is fine.

There is coming a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But oh the joy of willing bowing the knee and confessing with our mouths prior to that day! Surrender, hang on and watch what he does.

Take off the Mask

I am the next to the youngest of five children, by the time my younger brother and I came along our oldest brother and sister were not living at home and if they were it wasn't long before they moved out. I recall a particular Sunday morning where everything that could go wrong, went wrong. It was total chaos and my dad was not a happy man. As we pulled in the parking lot of the church my mom turned to him and said, "You may want to reach up under the seat and get your sack." Dad replied, "What ___________ sack are you talking about, I don't need a sack." To which my mom sarcastically said, "Sure you do, it's the one you keep your religion in."

Over the years I have thought about that incident and frankly I've needed the blunt honesty of my mother on numerous occasions. In Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus was giving the scribes and Pharisees a serious tongue lashing. These scribes and Pharisees were good about putting on a masquerade. Too often, I find myself doing just as they did. Especially when I'm around brothers and sisters in Christ. It is so easy to keep the outside real nice and pretty but just like Jesus could see right through the religious types of his day, He also sees right through my masquerade.

Not only does God see right through us, the world often sees right through us as well. I don’t think that it bothers the world that we sin. I think it bothers the world that we act like we don’t. We are often indifferent or angry throughout the week or even on our way to church or a church function. When our “church friends” aren’t watching, we may be struggling spiritually causing us to fall short. On the other hand, we may be wailing about others, gossiping, mean, just plain sinful without even a care. But as soon as we pull up and exit our vehicle we put on those smiles like the homecoming queen in the parade. On Sunday we are a Saint, on Monday we ain’t. No wonder it’s so hard to teach the word to those who need it most, when we put on a masquerade for the entire world to see.

Why do we put on these masquerades? Obviously it is what Satan wants. The saddest part is we are at the one place where honesty should be encouraged, where our shortcomings ought to be accepted, a place where we can say without fear or judgment, “I am struggling, I hurt, or I need help.” More often than not the opposite happens. For example, consider this conversation that happens every week. These people may be hurting or struggling but you would never know it.

“How are you doing Sue?”

(Good, always well.)

“Good. It’s great to see you.”

Sadly, this is a frequent occurrence and the majority of us have enough on our plates without having to deal or even care about someone else’s problems. So we put on the smile and give the ceremonious reply.

As soon as Sue walks off we breathe a sigh of relief, hoping that she didn’t see the act and thankful that she didn’t dump any of her problems on us. I’m not saying we have to share all our problems with everyone. Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong with being transparent with our brothers and sisters if things aren’t just dandy. All of us struggle. The biggest problem is that the world has convinced us that something is wrong with us if we are hurting or if we are in need. We tell ourselves that we must be doing something wrong spiritually if we are struggling. The fact that God created us with a desire to be together tells me that part of his plan is for us to be helped by other members of His body. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Unfortunately, many of us sit in the pew every week but would never dream of being transparent within the church. We may have tried being transparent at one time, only to be burnt by gossip or harsh judgment. So we decide that it is good for us to be here but it isn’t safe. We’ve heard brothers and sisters (and yes even our pastors) that we view as “strong Christians” look down or criticize a “weaker Christian” that may have had a different viewpoint on things. Romans 14:1-15 explains how these situations should be handled. All too often we judge as if we have no shortcomings or that our way is the only way. While some judging is required we need to avoid harsh criticism and fault-finding (Matthew 7:1-6).

It can be painful being transparent. There is so much more available to us in the body of Christ if we can overcome our fear and drop the act. It can only bless the body if they see the love of Jesus pouring out on those that may be struggling instead of just seeing the same old act. If we really believe that as a body we are to care for another and bear one another’s burdens, we need to drop the act, stop the judgment and pursue being transparent with one another. It’s not an act, so let’s close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade!

Where's the Crowbar?

Don't you just hate it when a speck of dust gets into one of your eyes and causes extreme discomfort? It's particularly irritating when you can feel that speck there but you just can't seem to get it out! You keep rubbing the eye until the eyeball becomes all red, and voila!, now you have a puffy eye that you can't see out of.

I've had more of those episodes than I can count. Unfortunately, all the tricks. . . you know them - blinking your eye fast, using a cotton swab to move the speck to the corner of your eye, rubbing it, washing it out with eye wash - didn't help. Why? Because the specks I get in my eyes are more like logs. Sounds painful doesn't?

Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. - Luke 6:41-42

A speck is irritating, but imagine how it feels to have a log in your eye. Ouch! But how did that log get there to begin with? It got there because I was feeling some sort of perverse pleasure from identifying and pointing out faults in others, while not seeing my own. It is so much easier to discover the faults of others that are so bothersome, but I'm realizing that those very traits I find so bothersome in others are my own bad habits and weaknesses. Yet I don't want to discuss my faults.

Instead it is much easier to magnify the faults of others while finding excuses or justifications for my own. Perhaps this is because I experience satisfaction by classifying my own faults as much more serious when found in others. By seeing myself in the shadow of someone else's faults, I feel better and am not so concerned about the relative insignificance of my own.

I don't think anyone can see well with that big, puffy, and red eye, much less spot a speck in anyone's eye. I guess that is why our Lord said that whosoever does not first take the log out of his own eye is a hypocrite, and might I add, a big one at that. Not to mention that if I have a log in my eye and chose to ignore it, then I am willfully choosing to bear with the discomfort and pain that the lodged log brings.

All of this brings to mind another thought - I should treat the sin in my life as a speck in the eye, when even a small speck of it is enough to bring irritation, I should hate sin so much that even such a tiny speck will be enough to cause me discomfort and give me an overpowering desire to remove it.

Thankfully, for our physical eyes, there are products like the eyewash to flush out the speck and bring relief. As for the sins in my life and the log in my eye, I can, and should, count daily on God's Word to help identify and wash them out.

Same Ole Same Ole

Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts
(Psalm 90:12)

Sometimes we can get engrossed with work, family, church and friends. At those times it is easy to just go through the motions and feel like your life is just one big to do list.

Even David had the feeling of doing the same ole same ole, for a while. He grew up as a shepherd - I can't imagine that being a very exciting job. As he sat alone on a hillside watching sheep he had to stay focused on the sheep and not let his mind wander. His job was to watch out for predators but much of his time was spent watching these dumb fluffy animals eat and sleep.

There are times when there is no thrill, just the daily routine of common tasks. Yet routine is God's way of saving us between our times of inspiration. We can't expect God to always give us His thrilling minutes, but we have to learn to live in the daily grind by the power of God. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things- to be holy among selfish people and to be holy in the greediness of the world - this is not learned in five minutes.

Everything we do matters to God. In each detail of our lives, we can either ignore God or glorify Him.

Rather than waking up tomorrow morning with the mindset of just getting through the day, wake up and ask yourself, "What can I do today that will have eternal significance?" Deliberately blending your desire to glorify and serve God into every detail of your life adds purpose and significance to each day, each conversation, each task on your to do list, and each thought.

Make David's prayer from Psalm 39:4-7 your prayer: "LORD, make me to know my end
and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. "Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. "Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.

Getting away from the feeling that life should be more than just the same ole same ole is not easy, but through God's power you can have a different perspective. Now where did I put that to do list, I need to tear it up!

The Habit of Rising to the Occasion

That you may know what is the hope of His calling. . . Ephesians 1:18

Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body. Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.

You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must "work out your own salvation" which God has worked in you already.

-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Bugs, Flowers and Beauty

It's All a Journey

David has completed yet another semester in his journey to attain his AA. His grades for the Spring semester came out last week and I failed to brag on his diligent work. He finished the Spring semester with a 3.66 grade point average (Woo-Hoo)!

He will be taking a break from school this summer but will continue to work at the hospital. We have two trips planned as a family this summer and his time off has been approved for both! After the summer he will resume his educational journey and will complete his AA in 2010.

Just the Bread

"Preachers should give out bread, not the bread factory"

This was a quote a pastor friend of mine posted recently. I wasn't sure what he meant until he explained it like this. . .

It means that we do not give our people every bit our our 10-20 hours of our sermon preparation, but to prepare in such a way that our people are able to digest it and not overload them to where they miss it all. Give them the product of your study.

Now it makes sense to me.

Where is Your Investment?

Every year on Mother's Day I find myself wondering if Proverbs 31:28 is true of how my children view me. As I've thought on how I'm doing as a mother this weekend other thoughts have come to mind. One in particular is "what am I investing in?" What have I been investing in the real world, the kingdom of God?

While I have legitimate responsibilities in this life that keep me occupied, I easily become bogged down in the here and now. Yet, I waste opportunities to invest in eternal treasures. Other than God Himself, only two things are mentioned in Scripture that last forever: the Word of God and the souls of humans. Jesus calls us to involve ourselves in these two areas. No real investment in them will spoil, these are the things that Jesus refers to as the food that lasts forever. So I've asked myself who or what am I investing myself in?

Jesus clearly gives instructions in answering these questions. "Don't work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life" (John 6:27). Our lives should be focused on eternity. God created us to bear fruit that lasts (John 15:16). When we invest our invest our lives in anything else, we fall short of the purpose we were created for and miss the joy of kingdom fruitfulness. So today I encourage myself and others to work for food that endures.

National Day of Prayer

Today is National Day of Prayer. Millions will unite in prayer from coast to coast. This year's theme is Prayer. . . America's Hope based on Psalm 33:22 which says, "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." If you are not planning on attending a National Day of Prayer event in your area, take time today to lift up our government, our military, the media, businesses, education, churches, and families before the throne of God.

It's Not Death

This song was played during the video tribute at Brian's memorial service last week. A beautiful song that Brian loved.

It is not death to die
to leave this weary road
and join the saints who dwell on high
who've found their home with God
It is not death to close the eyes
long dimmed by tears
and wake in joy before Your throne
delivered from our fears

Chorus
Jesus conquering the grave
Your precious blood has pow'r to save
Those who trust in You
will in Your mercy find
That it is not death to die

It is not death to fling
aside this earthly dust
and rise with strong and noble wing
to live among the just
It is not death to hear
the key unlock the door
that sets us free from mortal years
to praise You forevermore

Too Much Time

This guy has way too much time on his hands.

Black & White

Color photos have their merit, but there is just something amazing about black and white photos that convey a strong sense of drama, timelessness and mystique.