just for a moment...

I have been reading Samuel and 2 Samuel over the past few weeks, and to be honest I just don’t get it. When I finish, will have to go back and start over. If the Lord wants to speak to me through these words I obviously need to listen a little more closely.

My reaction so far: if these books were made into a movie it would be called Boys Will Be Boys. Senseless violence. Petty revenge. Hurtful words. Pillage and take what you want. It’s like The Sopranos on steroids.

And in the midst of all these, you find these words. Nathan’s revelation.

The LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

After a moment of prayer and celebration, David goes on to defeat the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. After all, boys will be boys.

In any case, this passage made me think about Christmas. In the midst of mortgage payments, office politics, competition and ambition, God interjects himself so we can gather for a moment of prayer and celebration. Each year our Lord reminds us that he kept his promise, that a kingdom awaits us, and that we his people will ensure forever.

Now I just hope I don’t run into any Moabites tomorrow.

Peace and joy to you.

Ed G

just wondering...

Are the people who complain that Christians behave one way on Sunday morning and another way the rest of the week…

... also the same people who complain whenever someone says a prayer or brings up faith in a business or secular setting?

soar on wings like eagles

I have a few friends who suffer from chronic depression. Some of these friends are only teenagers… a time of life that is supposed to be carefree and happy. Please join me for a moment of prayer today over at Daily Prayer.

be sharp

As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another.

Every Wednesday, we have a regularly scheduled conference call at work to review the status of a particular project. In a way, this quick update meeting is designed to hold people accountable for their prior follow-ups. So it’s not surprising that there is always a flurry of emails and activities on Tuesday afternoon. No one wants to be unprepared.

Another project I am working on involves a written report every month. We prepare the report well before month end so there will be time to work on any items that somehow slipped through the cracks. In a way, the report holds us accountable.

While reports and meetings work in the business world, when it comes to our journeys with Christ we must rely on one another. Our relationships hold us accountable.

I was reminded of this fact last week when I received an email from my friend TK asking if I was available for lunch.

Now to be clear – there was no hidden agenda in TK’s invitation. This was not a status meeting. No written reports were expected. My guess is that the only expectation would be for some friendly chit chat. And some lunch.

Any yet, this simple lunch invitation led to a series of actions on my part.

You see, I had previously told TK that I was going to reach out to a mutual friend, but the two of us had not yet connected. So I got off my butt, contacted this person and we had coffee this week.

I had also made a commitment to myself to get involved in a community service project this month – so I scheduled that in advance of my lunch as well.

That’s two things that I had been putting off for no good reason—now done. All because a friend sent a simple email inviting me to lunch.

Funny, isn’t it, that we can hold each other accountable without even thinking about it. You just need to invite someone into your life.

our forgotten prayers

It's amazing how easy it is to forget the pain and hurt when it is no longer in your face. Won't you join me today over at Daily Prayer?

giving thanks for the light

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

We swam last night under a star-lit night in what is called the luminous lagoon.

Our local friend Sean had promised that it would be unlike anything we had experienced before and his words held true. This particular lagoon is inhabited by millions of microorganisms called dinoflagellate, which glow whenever the water is disturbed.

Wading in the water, we saw that when you move arm, twitch a finger, kick a leg or simple wiggle a toe, each movement creates a bright glow. From total darkness, movement creates light.

So on this day of thanksgiving, I hope you can join me in the two prayers:

One, that we all can keep our eyes open today to witness the amazing world God has created for us… a world filled with awe, wonder and mystery.

And second, that we can all move beyond the waters of a luminous lagoon to create light right where we are right now – through our words, our deeds, our action and movement – and take away the darkness in someone’s life.

O heavenly Father, we give you praise.
Thank you O Lord for the peace, joy and mysteries of life.
Thank you O Lord for the Word that enables us to become children of the light.

Amen.

just a little bit louder now...

You can join me in prayer today over at Daily Prayer.