Unworthy Servants . . .

 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” - Luke 17-7-10

Walker has promised to teach me to play guitar . . . .

We will start with some simple worship, cords etc. But the real reason . . . someday:
(That's going to me right at about 15 seconds)



Oh yeah, I would like to add this non-Dyk version to the voting for the Pabama! CD.

A Prayer to the Holy God

A Prayer to the Holy God
 
Holy are you,
God beyond all names,
Life before all being.

Holy are you,
greater than our best thought,
deeper than our most profound experience,
closer than our next breath.

Holy are you,
high above the universe,
accompanied by angel song and eternity.

We cannot tell you what you do not know,
we cannot flatter you with what we do not understand,
we cannot say what you have not given us the power to utter.

But in the mystery of your kindness,
sometimes we feel summoned and
sometimes we stumble into that holy ground
where earth vibrates with heaven,
and the hardest heart softens
and the most resistant will bends,
and the soul long dumb or dormant cries glory.

Lord meet us here...

Validation

You... You guys are awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

Crawling or Flying

Here is a quote from Forgotten God by Francis Chan-

"Years ago, when a random thought came into my head, I decided to share it with my wife. "Have you ever wondered what caterpillars think about? I asked. Not surprisingly, she said, "No." I then proceeded to tell her about the confusion I imagined a caterpillar must experience. For all its caterpillar life, it crawls around a small patch of dirt and up and down a few plants. Then one day it takes a nap. A long nap. And then, what in the world must go through its head when it wakes up to discover it can fly? What happened to its dirty, plump little worm body? What does it think when it sees its tiny new body and gorgeous wings?

As believers, we ought to experience this same kind of astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should be stunned in disbelief over becoming a "new creation" with the Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we should be thrilled over our Spirit-empowered ability to live differently and faithfully.

Francis goes on to say…

I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want to live like I know that is true. I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly.

How about you?

What is your present state in this life? Are you crawling around viewing life from a caterpillars perspective, wondering what your purpose is or maybe asking God if there's more to life than dirt and leaves? Or could it be that you're in the butterfly, changing and transforming into this beautiful new creation, where you'll soon be pushing yourself out and discovering that YOU CAN FLY!

National High-Five Day

Happy High-Five Day!

http://www.stayclassy.org/events/11th-annual-national-high-five-day/e9118

Misinterpreting Life

A little something from the book that started the kayak trips .... (relevant simply because we have one coming soon)

Most of us have been misinterpreting life and what God is doing for a long time. "I think I'm just trying to get God to make my life work easier," a client of mine confessed, but he could have been speaking for most of us. We're asking the wrong questions. Most of us are asking, "God, why did you let this happen to me?" Or, "God, why won't you just ________" (fill in the blank-help me succeed, get my kids to straighten out, fix my marriage-you know what you've been whining about).
But to enter into a journey of initiation with God requires a new set of questions: What are you trying to teach me here? What issues in my heart are you trying to raise through this? What is it you want me to see? What are you asking me to let go of ? In truth, God has been trying to initiate you for a long time. What is in the way is how you've mishandled your wound and the life you've constructed as a result.

Wild at Heart
Get Some Nuts!

Inspiration

In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Far from being a long-distance runner, Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped." ... So starts the story of Team Hoyt - www.teamhoyt.com

Fast forward to today, April 16, 2012:
Dick Hoyt and his son Rick will be running their 30th consecutive Boston Marathon this year. Like each one before, Rick will be confined to a wheel chair because of cerebral palsy, pushed by his 71-year-old father.

What's your Tune?

I'd like to assemble a playlist and then a CD of "Pabama-ish" songs. This would be in addition to the classic CD with multiple versions of the classic A-Team Television Theme. (the wife does get a little tired of that one; sometimes....). This new CD would be songs that reflect our goal and or "man-ing up" to our responsibilities. I have a few songs already; but I'd like this to be a collection of music that comes from several different people. The songs can be secular or Christian, vocal or instrumental. They don't have to be a 100% perfect fit;
Any suggestions?

The bigness of the giants

Ever struggle with everything in front of you?

"Every day of your life, you have a choice:
You can focus on the bigness of the giants that stand before you, or ...
You can focus on the bigness of the one, true God who is pouring his strength into you."

Rick Warren

What is "Pabama" to me?

John 17:17-23

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Sanctify them by^[a] the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.¹⁹ For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

    ²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Footnotes:

The Quest Bible ask these questions that further tell what is "Pabama" to me:

How does God sanctify those who follow Jesus? (17: 17-19)

When Jesus prayed that believers would be sanctified, he was praying that they would be set apart and made righteous by the word of God. In one sense that has already happened: believers are made righteous the moment they place their faith in Jesus. In another sense, however, they enter the "process" of sanctification, growing in obedience and holiness.

What's the connection between unity and evangelism? (17: 21-23)

Jesus wants all believers to be united in love and grace, just as the Father and Son are one. God desires for the world to see tangible expressions of this unity. As Christians demonstrate God's love in concrete ways, people will encounter God's revelation that Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's love.

In final thought here:

Father and Son are one, and Pabama we are joined as one! Glory be to God!

Good Friday ...

'You will never grow a close relationship with God by just attending church once a week or even having a daily quiet time. Friendship with God is built by sharing all your life experiences with him.'

What?

http://www.purposedriven.com/blogs/dailyhope/index.html?contentid=10446