Stop and Reflect

I just finished teaching a lesson to a # of 8th grade students on a retreat about stopping long enough to reflect on the past and plan for the future. To NOT repeat the mistakes of the past and be all that God has intended us to be in the future. To work our salvation with fear and trembling, to build on the foundation of Christ with Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones. I need to stop more and be silent and reflect.

One Dimensional Salvation

I have recently been challenged with how one-dimensional I tend to see and therefore share Salvation. I have been taught to see salvations mainly in terms of a legal transaction. It is about me and the debt I have owed and what God has done to pardon freely that debt through Jesus. All of this is true and good, not just good but amazing.

But, that is not the whole story. Salvation in Jesus is so much more! It is God ransoming back the entire universe. God saving me to make me into what He originally intended at the creation of me. Redeeming me and making me whole in all of life, NOW! Not just after this life. God is working in and on me now, right now, even as I type and this is salvation. It is not about me and my eternal state, as much as it is about joining God and His ransoming back of the entire universe. Joining the empire of God and His amazing work in this world.

Lord, forgive me for missing this so often in the past and continuing these thoughts of shallowness as I have taught many others. Please, continue to grow my so limited view or YOU!

Those Darn Canadians!!

I did the Ski Mag Reader Resort Survey this year and entered in the Sweepstakes for the ski trip for two. On the "Official Rules" letter they sent with the entry form there is something REALLY FUNNY!

In the paragraph explaining how the drawing will be conducted is this sentence:

"Canadian winner will be required to correctly answer, unaided, a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question in order to receive the prize."

"If a train was heading from Boston to Denver at ...
And another Heades from Denver to Boston at...
OK 30 Seconds, GO!"

Man I am glad I'm not Canadian! I stink at math!

I sent it to Leno for his Headlines bit!

I felt old for a minute

For the first time I can remember I really felt old the other day. Even though I'm NOT! I was at a carnival for our oldest at the Elementary school she will be attending next year. I was looking around at all the people there with their kids playing the games and such. As I people watched (one of the greatest sports ever) I was noticing how old everyone seemed. Then the though accrued to me that I belonged here with all these old people! Freakey!

Just a small taste of what happens at the dreaded mid life crisis. O' it's coming! But not YETTTTT!