Skip to main content

Random Thoughts & Musings 2017 - Act 1

1. I've been gone for a few weeks - Have you missed me?
2. Funny, we celebrate Halloween, move on to Christmas, and forget about Thanksgiving. Not as much celebrating in giving thanks.
3. Thanksgiving is the day before Black Friday if that helps.
4. Nope, not going to discuss politics today.
5. Ok, I'm a little hypocritical. I will say I enjoyed hearing Christmas music on my Sirius XM starting November 1st.
6. The comic book collection now numbers past 20,000 for those of you keeping score.
7. The Bo Jackson tecmo bowl commercials (for Kia) are pretty darn funny and make me feel old.
8. Sometimes, I fall into the trap of feeling that if I fail at something that I am curtailing God's plans for me and those around me. That I am somehow hindering God's plans.
9. My childhood took a huge beating in 2015 and 2016. Carrie Fisher, George Michael, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Gene Wilder, and Prince in 2016. Here's hoping 2017 leaves my childhood alone.
10. We might be missing an attitude of gratitude with God. So, many times, we look more at what we don't have, rather than being thankful for what we have received.
11. That's not saying that we shouldn't pray for our needs or accept when life has you down. However, our entire focus cannot be on what we feel we "lack" in our lives.
12. Dealing lately with the feeling of being apart from God. That He is not hearing or seeing me. Logically, I know that's not true but emotionally can be a different thing.
13. Good sports year in Cleveland. World Championship for the Cavaliers, Calder Cup for the Lake Erie Monsters, Indians making it to game 7 of the World Series, and the Browns... Oh yeah right, the Browns.
14. Do you know someone you can be accountable with? To lay out your dreams and desires. Your hopes and fears. Someone who keeps you from going off the rails?
15. Cancer still and will always suck.
16. Forgot how much I enjoyed the old show "The Wild, Wild West".
17. I have noticed in America that people are more swayed by catchphrases, rather than researching and finding out the information themselves.
18. Kind of a laziness that permeates our society.
19. What's next? Hopefully, a sports podcast.
20. Home groups are important for drawing closer to God, for healing, accountability, spiritual growth, and even some fun.
21. Can someone let me know what makes America great? Why it hasn't been great recently? What time period was it great that we have to go back and make it great again? Never have received an answer to that one. Or, is it just a phrase to make us believe something that wasn't true?
22. Determined that there are actually 12 songs that will get me to dance. Or spasm awkwardly on a dance floor. But if we want to call that dancing, I won't disagree.
23. Just because you receive information that might contradict your worldview does not make it fake. Just as information that affirms your view doesn't make it true. But, denying straight up reality is pretty ridiculous.
24. Whatever became of Supertramp?
25. If 2016 proved anything, it proved relying on man and his abilities might be foolhardy.
26. As I get older, the more I realize that I have a lot to learn.
27. God is in the silences as well as in the loudness.
28. The thing I find funny is how many people get upset over people saying "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas", Starbucks cup decorations, people sitting for the National Anthem, or burning the American flag. Yet, crickets when it comes to homelessness, the poor, racism, abuse, or lead laced water in Flint, Michigan? Why such a difference? Easier to rant over the meaningless in the big picture? Are we afraid that if we were bothered by the things that touch God's heart - we may be called into action?
29. Side note: I am going to strive to do better in 2017 as a follower of God, husband, son, friend, and human being.
30. That being said, I am feeling called to not be afraid of pushback to my words and actions. Still going to be loving to others and treat them kindly - but shouldn't be afraid of calling out wrong or worried that others might not agree.
31. I feel that if we preach what is taught in the Word, we are going to see more resistance from fellow Christians than we will the world. Just a thought.
32. Also, because we have an intimate relationship with God and call ourselves Christians does not mean we are superior to others. We have no right to condescend to others who don't share our beliefs, nor to force our beliefs on others. I never saw Jesus do that in the Bible, so my evangelism will not take a form that contradicts His.
33. "Drain the Swamp", "Make America Great Again", "Build the Wall", and "Lock Her Up". Guess saying stuff like that makes you President. Lot of you are gullible.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Criminals on the Crosses of Calvary

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him 'Don't you fear God' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong' Then he said 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" Luke 23: 39-43 The passage from Good Friday brings a tear to my eye especially what Jesus says. To me, this speaks a lot into where my standing is with Jesus at times and I suspect where a lot of Christians are as well. Are we the first criminal that insults Jesus? Or, are we the second one? It can be argued, like most things, we are both at separate times in our lives. Like the first criminal, we can totally miss who Jesus is and overlook who we are. Also, we can be incredibl...

Hiding Behind Superiority

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get'. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner'" Luke 18: 10-13. Most of us have read or heard this story before. We can all assume that we should not act like the arrogant Pharisee. Thanks God immediately for not being like others, who I assume, he feels are inferior to him. He names names and speaks highly of himself. Feeling the need to proclaim his accomplishments to God. Somehow by stating that, makes him a better person. I'm sure he made sure that the tax collector heard his prayer. We can get a good chuckle as we read this. Thinking to ourselves that we don'...

Five Loaves & Two Fish

Every now and then, God will press something important in my life. Some lesson, perhaps some healing. But, there is one place that God keeps bringing me back to during the last few years. I wander, sometimes God wants to show me something else that's important - but once done, he brings me back here. Where he is - is the passage John 6: 8-9. "Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" I have written about Andrew in the past and how I identify with him. He's a background character for the most part, included in the apostle roll call - but never usually front & center like Peter or Paul. Here in this passage is one of the few times Andrew takes a starring role in the story. We know this story because it is the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand. A story I have known backwards and forwards since I was a small child in ...