New Article on “First Impressions Count”

I am sorry about the little blogging break I’ve taken recently.  Things here have been quite busy, but until I get my thoughts sorted out, I have an article in the October 2009 issue of Missions Mosaic.  You can find the article about making a good impression while on a missions trip on page five of that issue.

Enjoy!

 

All the Good Things

Last night, Chris and I attended Magnificent Monday at Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort, Kentucky.  We had lots of reasons for going – the pastor of BRBC, Hershael York, was one of Chris’ professors and has become a good friend.  The preacher for the evening was Don Whitney, another seminary professor and friend.

And the musical guest for the evening was Andy Gullahorn, a friend of mine from my earliest days of college at Belmont University.

Dr. Whitney is a fantastic preacher.  I always love hearing what the Lord is saying through him, and last night was no exception.  He is really great at taking difficult theological concepts and helping the average person in the pew (like myself) understand what the Word is saying to us.

Last night he preached on Romans 8:31 – What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?

Because of the things that Paul mentions in the verses leading up to this one, we who are in Christ can know that God is for us – that everything He brings into our lives, even the difficult things, are ultimately for our good and for His glory.

We know that the Holy Spirit prays for us when we don’t know what to pray.  We know that God chooses to love us, even though we sin and violate His perfect law.  We know that even in our sin He has made a way for us to have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

And because of all of these things, we can know that God is for us and not against us.  Isn’t that a wonderful, comforting thought?  Even in the difficult days of life, which will come to everyone, God is still for us.  He is refining us, making us holy and fit vessels for His service.

At the conclusion of the service, Andy sang the title song from his wife’s most recent album – Jill Phillip’s All the Good Things.  The song was a perfect summation of the message.  Go buy the album so you can listen to it for yourself.

Every once in a while the world stops spinning enough
That I can take a step back and get the picture
I see the twists and the turns, I see the patterns they form
I see how perfect they are and I remember

All the good things
All the good things
All the good things you’ve done for me

Though the feeling is real I know it’s fleeting to feel
One day I’ll forget you are here and start to wonder
In that season of doubt, You’ll still be showering me
With blessings I can’t see, that can’t be numbered

All the good things
All the good things
All the good things You’ve done for me

Forgive me for my shortsighted look at this world
Where you keep proving that you know what you’re doing

If I could see like you do with your perspective view
The fires I’m walking through would look much different
I’d see those difficult days for who they made me become
And I would count them among

All the good things

 

A Short Break

As much as I hate to do this, I must take a short break from blogging every day.  Christmas preparations are too much for me, so … I will continue to post on Thursdays at the Cafe, but you may not hear much out of me during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

In the meantime, please read my friends who are listed to the right.  And who knows?  Maybe one day this month I’ll have an extra burst of inspiration!

 

Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and other strange innovations

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the phenomenon of social networking sites.  My college roommate and I recently remembered getting our first e-mail addresses while we were students at Belmont University.  Now, I think that e-mail addresses are assigned along with a social security number when a baby leaves the hospital!

Every day it seems as if I discover some new networking site that someone else is using, and that always begs the question, “Do I need to do this?  Am I going to be left out/get behind if I don’t get involved now?”

As a writer, I make money by spending time on the computer.  I could spend the entire day on Facebook, but I choose not to because that would not be a productive use of my time.

So, I want to ask you, dear reader:  How do you feel about these so-called networking sites?  Do you participate?  Which ones have you found to be useful?  Do you find that they suck up all of your time, or are you able to use them responsibly?

It’s an interesting world in which we live, my friends.  There once was a time when all employers had to worry about wasting company time was computer solitaire…

 

On “A Fine Close Weave”

If you haven’t seen the PBS mini-series Cranford, you’ve missed out.  Set in the mid-19th century, this comedy of manners written by Elizabeth Gaskell ranks right up there with all of the Jane Austen novels that have suddenly become so popular.

The cast is marvelous, including one of my favorite British actresses, Judi Dench, whose character has the closing line: “Such a fine, close weave.”

While Matty Jenkyns is literally speaking about the material of Sophy Hutton’s wedding dress, we know that she is also talking about the friendships among the residents of the town.

That’s the appeal of Cranford – regardless of the foibles of its citizens, there is a certain bond among them, a special kinship.

And that’s the way our relationships should be in the body of Christ.  We should be so intertwined with each other that we create a beautiful “fine close weave.”

This is my hope for this blog, that those who may read it will discover the joy of friendship, the way God intends.