What a beautiful day!

It's Saturday, and it's beautiful.  Not a cloud in the sky, temperatures in the upper 60's, I mean it's a perfect day for just about anything I can imagine doing.  Today I enjoyed a leisurely walk around Lake Ella with Bear, our four year old Yorkie.  I sipped a nice Americano from the Black Dog Cafe while I watched the ducks and turtles in the lake,  and enjoyed lunch with my family outside on the patio back at the house.  As I write, I'm alone on the patio with my Macbook, a hot cup of coffee and I can hear the water running in our small fish pond.  I mean, it's a nice day.

It's not just any Saturday though, it's the day between Jesus' death and resurrection.  Somehow in my mind I couple the two things and I wonder what that day was like all those years ago.  I think I could understand if it was one of those rainy, dark, stay inside all day depressing kind of days.  How fitting that might have been.  Jesus had just been killed, His small band of followers scattered.  What's to celebrate?  Who cares if it rains.

Instead, I choose to believe that it was a day just like today.  I don't know for sure, but I could see how the religious rulers of the day might have enjoyed a bbq and a cold one.  They had just put down this uprising, and were welcoming a return to the status quo.  I think some of the followers of Christ held out hope, while others were just glad it wasn't them in that cave.  I think the sun came out bright on that Saturday, as if God were saying it's ok, everything will be all right.  Yesterday was dark, but tomorrow is a new day.

Just thinking out loud.

      Montenegro                                                                              photo:mine   

"His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.  Rays of light flash from his hands,
  where his awesome power is hidden."   Habakkuk 3:4

Morning Majesty

Grand Cayman                                                                                    photo:mine

           

                                                                         

Leon Volleyball Wins the Regional Semifinal

Leon won in straight sets tonight, 25-17, 25-20, and 25-20, to advance to the Regional Championship Saturday.  Win Saturday, and we advance to the State Championship Tournament next week.  Rebecca has played year round since 7th grade, and has at most 3 matches left.   She has worked incredibly hard, and we couldn't be more proud of her.  I can't believe how fast the time has flown by.

Go Lions!    

United

Pep Rally

Last weekend I attended the Alabama/LSU game in Tuscaloosa, one of the most amazing football games I have ever seen.  The atmosphere was unbelievable.  We arrived Thursday night, two nights before the game.  ESPN's College Gameday was on the scene with thousands (literally) of fans already in town.  I've never seen anything like it.  Everywhere we went were college football fans. Even our favorite breakfast spot, Rama Jama's, was  standing room only.  Which is interesting since it's not really the food that draws the crowds, but that's another blog.  Friday night we attended the Pep Rally outside Bryant-Denny Stadium on the Walk of Champions, and it too was amazing.  A huge crowd, The Million Dollar Band, cheerleaders, former players, even ESPN was cutting into it's regular programming and showing all of us getting pumped up for the game.  Again, it was unlike anything I have ever been a part of.  Sadly, my Blackberry photo above does not begin to really capture the atmosphere.

Recruits on the Bama Sideline
Pregame

Finally, Saturday night arrived and we headed into the Stadium two hours before kick-off.  One hour before kick-off the stadium was full and loud, very, very loud.  It was impressive to say the least.  I was looking at roughly 101,000 football fans, most of them decked out in Crimson and White, a few missed the memo and for some reason came dressed in Purple and Yellow, but since they had a ticket we let them in too.  There were marching bands, cheerleaders, coaches, players and recruits, more recruits than I have ever seen at a football game.  It was unbelievable, and I guess to be expected when the number one and number two rated teams in the nation play each other.  But it's hard for me to imagine how anyone could grasp the enormity of the event watching on television.  As the old expression goes, I guess you had to be there.  I'm really glad I was.

In the last couple of days I've been thinking about things that unite us.  College football is certainly one, at least among teams.  When I attend a college football game, there are many things I know.  I know how to dress, when to stand and cheer and when not to.  I know that in Tuscaloosa I would be lost without a shaker.  I know the words to the cheers, what food I could expect to find, and I really look forward to it by the way.  I know to bring my radio and what station to tune in to for the play by play.  I even know most of the rules of the game.  But what I don't know are many of the people.  I'm guessing in that large crowd, I knew less than forty people.  It doesn't stop me from attending, dressing in my teams color's or standing for hours yelling my head off.  In fact, since I get to do it less than a dozen times a year, it's something I really look forward to.

It's also convicting.  As a follower of Christ, I'm also united with more people than I can count.  I know many of them, but there are certainly millions I don't.   I often wonder what this place would be like if millions of Christ followers were as passionate about Christ, as myself and the other 100,999 college football fans in Tuscaloosa were about football last Saturday night.  If I haven't lost you already, please don't go now.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving the game of college football.  Also, I know there are many, many followers of Christ that are more passionate about being a follower of Christ than about being a follower of college football.  But for me, certainly my passion of football is often more obvious to a stranger than my passion for Christ.  I'm working on me.  Sometimes it helps me to think out loud.  Thanks for listening.

Mark 12:30-31

New Living Translation (NLT)

³⁰ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’^{[a] 31} The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] No other commandment is greater than these.”

I'll see you on down the path.

Just 'In Time'

Synopsis: When scientists unlock the secret to immortality, time becomes the new currency and one desperate man comes under attack from a mysterious group known only as the "Time Keepers." In the not-too-distant future, scientists have discovered a way to turn off the aging gene. As the threat of overpopulation looms over society, money becomes a thing of the past. Now, assets are measured in time; those with the most time also possess the most power.


I enjoy watching movies, and today I enjoyed this one.  Time becomes the ultimate possession, and in the world created by this movie, it's really all that matters.  Have time, have life.  Run out of time, run out of life.  Far fetched?  Maybe. Then again maybe not.  


I walked out of the theater reminded that everyday matters, and that if you try, you can accomplish a lot in a day.  I also remembered the words recorded in James 4,


¹³ Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” ¹⁴ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. ¹⁵ What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”


I shouldn't have needed a reminder, but I appreciated it just the same. I am not guaranteed another minute, much less another day.  I don't have a digital clock on my arm counting down to my death, but I shouldn't need one either.  


My prayer is that I make every moment count, that I love God and people as if today is my last.  


I'm going to head on down the path, as long as God allows.  

Good Indeed

Near Glacier Bay Alaska, July 2010                                        photo:mine


God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
                                                           Gen 1:31

People of Light

Victoria, BC  July 2010

This morning my friend Rebecca sent me a verse, as she does every morning at 7:00.  For some  reason todays selection has stuck with me all day.  The verse is Ephesians 5:8-9, and it says " ⁸ For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! ⁹ For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true." 


For some strange reason, I have always collected, sort of stock piled really, flashlights.  Not collected like coins or stamps, I just seem to always need or think I need another flashlight.  I am quite positive that at any given time I can name at least a dozen flashlights from my collection.  Each vehicle, including my bike, my nightstand, my closet, desk, office, stored with my camping gear, my kids rooms, etc, etc, you get the idea.  I have a bunch of them.  Right now one of them sits on the counter in the kitchen, not because I'm so paranoid that I might be more than a few yards from one at any given time, although I think I really am, but because when I last tried to use it, it didn't work.  Not only that, but when I opened it up, I couldn't even get the batteries out.  It seems that they had leaked their acid out, fusing all the batteries together to the inside of the light.  What a pain!  Initially I couldn't figure out how this happened.  The batteries were brand new, I installed them correctly, and I stored the light in a safe place. What could have possibly gone wrong?  Then it occurred to me, batteries were never intended to stored in a safe, comfortable place, they were created to be used.  To provide portable power, in this case for my flashlight.  I actually did the batteries harm by never using them.  Lesson learned.


I appreciate Paul's words in these verses.  As a follower of Christ, I have a light inside me that is meant to be shared.  When it's shared it produces what is good, and right and true.  It was never intended to be stored up in a safe and comfortable place.  Unlike my flashlight, this light will never fail, fade or require fresh batteries.  I'm thankful for my friend, and growth group leader who has had me thinking about the light in my life all day long.  Also for forcing me to deal with my flashlight addiction!  


The path is bright ahead, I'll see you soon.