Thoughts for Day 2.

Day two of my new blog and fortunately the well of my ramblings is not dry! :p

Please keep Ryan in your prayers. Tonight his family made the decision to put down one of their dogs. She's been really sick for a few months now, and recently she hardly eats or walks around. Abbi is their favorite dog, and not very old, so it's going to be hard for awhile.

Last night I was trying to unwind and go to sleep, and I started thinking about Psalm 23. I was quoting it to myself, and got the part where it says, "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." I've been trying to train myself to stop and think about the deeper meaning of really familiar verses, instead of just thinking about them out of habit. What does a rod and a staff mean? Well, they're instruments of direction, and instruction, and protection. A shepherd uses a rod for scaring or beating away predators. So, that verse means that Jesus can defend me against my enemies; be they harmful people or harmful circumstances, or spiritual influences I can't see. The staff is something the shepherd uses on the sheep. If they wander away from the path he picks out for them, he uses the staff to literally pull them back into the right away. I bet having a wooden staff hook around your neck and pull you somewhere you don't want to go doesn't feel good! But it's for the sheep's benefit. The lessons and the situations that hurt me but drive me back to Jesus' arms are His staff in my life. It's good to really think through what a certain verse means and the impact its message has in my life. I've had Psalm 23 memorized for most of my life and never really thought about the importance of the rod and the staff.

Today I had the privilege of spending time with some of the students and staff from the City on the Hill conference last summer. We reunited to rake leaves, grill hot dogs and smores, and talk about what we've been up to since July. The staff met separately to talk through our vision for next summer and put some promotion plans in motion, plus talk about an opportunity that has come our way. Some circumstances and provision have come to pass that will make the conference grow in a huge way. I won't go into details now, but today I saw the beginnings of a dream unfolding and turning into reality! I have never seen that before for a project I was so personally invested in, and the excitement and joy it produces is almost too great to express! Due to that, plus a day spent in beautiful surroundings with beautiful people, I am very contented and joyful. :)

Got Perspective?

I observed the great american pasttime of Black Friday for the first time today- but no, I didn't shop. My parent's church, Trinity Assembly, has a coffee and doughnut ministry for BF morning and I decided to tag along. We went to a Best Buy and a Wal-mart and gave away doughtnuts and hot coffee to over 800 people. I had a blast! I woke up at 2am to be at the church by 3, and we wrapped up around 6am. I enjoyed people's reactions to a free and random act of kindness.

But I do want to sound off about something that really disgusted me today. They are people out there who seriously need to get some perspective. I am all for shopping and finding good deals! But I'm a firm believer in moderation and I also believe everything should be done with an attitude of kindness for those around you. So when at the White Marsh Wal-mart this morning our church group was witness to a fist fight and an arrest, all because of a place in line, I found it quite ridiculous! People are in line to purchase material goods that will probably not even be remembered by next Christmas, and they think it's worth beating each other up for? I just heard of an even worse situation. At another Wal-mart this morning a crowd of people stampeded a pregnant woman and she lost her baby...I can barely register the horror of that. I assume everyone would agree when I say the sale of the century is not worth someone's life?!

Sorry my first entry isn't very cheerful. But that's my thought for the day. Keep everything in perspective!