Rain

I walk to Starbucks more often than I drive now that my church is two blocks away from the grand shrine to coffee, conversations and wi-fi. This morning as I was walking back, (tall, mild coffee with cream and plentiful sugar in hand), it started to rain. But instead of running or jogging back, I decided to just enjoy getting wet. In other words I figured I'd focus on the "walk" part and not the "getting wet" part.

It reminded me of the days growing up when I and others would look forward to rain because we would play in it. It reminded me of the days as an adult when I have played in the rain with my wife, son and daughter.

Rain is energizing, healing and life-bringing for our earth, and a very present help to allergy sufferers. Whether it is a human body, a tree, a frog, or a flower, rain brings refreshment and renewal.

And I was reminded today that I need to be regularly refreshed, by the word of God, by friendships, by forgiveness, by God's Holy Spirit and by His amazing grace.

The Psalmist reminds us that "God causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses (Psalm 135:7)."

There's a famous quote that's been around for a while and I'm not sure who said it first. It goes something like this: "Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain."

I like that. I like that because there are two responses to rain: running from it or dancing in it.

And so today, as the rain continues to fall outside my window at the church, I wonder, will you embrace the God of the rain and walk with Him through it, to a place of refreshment, hope and new life?

Being Kind

The biblical prophet Micah famously records three things that the Lord requires of us: to do justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

I was thinking about that middle quality, kindness, today.

Proverbs 11:17 reminds us that “a man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.”

And Paul urges his friends in Ephesus to simply “be kind to one another” (Eph. 4:32).

Genuine kindness is a wonderful human quality. We live in a world of violence and competitiveness. Violent words and actions. Competitive feelings and dealings. Kindness is hardly the most frequently experienced gesture.

But when we receive a word or act of genuine kindness, we are truly blessed and encouraged, and our spirits are lifted.

Every person on this planet deserves to be treated with kindness. Friend or enemy. Whatever their color, age, nationality, religion or gender. I am reminded of that especially as we enter the final week before Easter, and I reflect on how Jesus treated EVERY PERSON he encountered.

So here is my challenge and yours: Will you be genuinely kind today? Everyday?

The Priority of Peace

In Colossians 3:15, Paul writes, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”

In Philippians 4:7, Paul reminds the church that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

As Jesus was ending his earthly ministry he told his followers, “My peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 4:27).

Peace. It takes great priority in the scriptures. And so I want to remind you today that whatever you do, whether in word or deed, keep the peace of Jesus in your heart. Pray for it. Think about it. Dwell on it. Live in it.

Because the peace of Jesus is the hope for troubled families. It’s the solution for disgruntled citizens. It’s the remedy for rage and revenge. It’s the source of strength in the midst of sorrow.

When Jesus sent his disciples out to share the good news of life with Jesus, he said “Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. (Matthew 10:11-13).”

Jesus, here, is counseling us to resist the temptation to let other people take away our peace. Don’t let what someone else says or does allow us to be consumed with anger, bitterness, spitefulness or vengefulness. Instead prioritize peace. For the peace of God “will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”

Successfulness versus Fruitfulness

I was reading from the writings of Henri Nouwen yesterday and came across a rather remarkable paragraph. It was so good and challenging and right, that I want to share it with you (with a few of my own thoughts interjected, for better or worse). I pray that God would speak to you and into your exact life situation this week as you reflect on Nouwen's words.

"There is a difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control and respectability. A successful person has the energy [and skill] to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame.

“Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability [and trials and problems and perseverance--see James chapter 1 in the New Testament]….Community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching another's wounds. Let's remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness."

Lists 2011

In 2008 I started what is a fun, annual post for me.

Here are my top five lists from 2011.

Top Five Movies I Saw:

1. The Help

2. The King’s Speech

3. The Next Three Days

4. The Adjustment Bureau

5. The Lincoln Lawyer

Top Five Websites I Visited:

1. Ted.com

2. AJC.com / CNN.com / USATODAY.com

3. Pandora.com

4. CBSsports.com

5. FastCompany.com

Top Five Books I Read:

1. Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman

2. Great By Choice by Jim Collins

3. Jesus through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture by Jaroslav Pelikan

4. The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman

5. Signature in the Cell by Stephen C. Meyer

Top Five Restaurants I Ate At:

1. Subway

2. Sid’s Pizza (for pick-up, not dine-in)

3. California Pizza Kitchen

4. Taco Mac (more for the football than the food)

5. Starbucks (still not a restaurant, but I frequented no eating establishment more often. And my beverage of choice switched from hot chocolate to coffee and/or steam apple juice.)

Top Five Things I'm Really Glad I Spent My Time Doing:

1. Growing my relationship with my wife and children.

2. Being with my church family on Sunday mornings.

3. Tutoring kids at Esther Jackson Elementary School, helping to fund the digging of freshwater wells in Africa, and officiating at weddings at Kimball Hall.

4. Spending time with friends.

5. Reading.

Fifteen Great Memories

1. Attending my son’s basketball games and a little father-son, one-on-one game in a full court gym on Thanksgiving Day in North Carolina. Just the two of us in the entire gym. (And one not-so-great memory: spending time with him at two hospitals for surgery on his broken tibia and fibula in mid-December.)

2. Tucking my daughter in at night and driving her to school every morning, Mon-Fri.

3. Baptizing my daughter in the waters of Lake Lanier on October 22. The water was cold! The day was unforgettably wonderful!

4. The best six months in all the years of my marriage.

5. Our annual summer vacation in Hilton Head. Great again.

6. The Braves game with SteveW (about 250 phone conversations, too), tennis with Chris, Wednesday lunches over backgammon with Carlos, conversations with George and Dianne, and deepening friendships with Susie and Eddie.

7. Talking on the phone with my parents.

8. My 40^th birthday celebration(s).

9. Sunday nights at Taco Mac with friends.

10. Phone conversations with my great Aunt Gracie, who passed away in the Fall at the age of 94…still quick-witted and sharp of mind.

11. Weddings at Kimball Hall.

12. A wonderful, warm and perfect Christmas brunch with my church family at Altobelli’s

13. One new cat, Iris, that unexpectedly resulted in two kittens, three weeks after we got her (we kept one of the two kittens, who Emma named “Snowball.”)

14. Rafting the Ocoee River with McKenzie, Jack, Naum and Ethan.

15. Christmas Morning with my family. The most relaxed and fun I can remember.