Are You Ready for a WEDDING!!!

OK I just got the official NFL schedule for the 2010-11 season.  It is usually an exciting time of planning for the days when the Steelers will be on TV and not be during a church service.  We have to stock up on velvetta cheese and tortilla chips for nachos.  We have to plan what games will be party games.

But now we have to also plan WEDDING GAMES!  My third beautiful daughter is getting married in October to, of all things, a Raven's fan.  I have come to terms with that already and am prepared to be gracious and kind in light of such heretical alliegances.  But in order to secure a date and location for the wedding, they made thier plans BEFORE the NFL announced their schedules.  SO...

You guessed it - October 3rd, Steelers v. Ravens.  Wedding colors, Gold and Purple.  No longer friend of the bride or friend of the groom.  No body paint allowed.  This should be interesting!

Tax Day

OK, I know that was days ago now, but that is just how slow my mind works sometimes!  Anyway, I was reading in Psalm 130 and it made me think of Tax Day.

It started with the first verse, "Lord, I cry out to you because I'm suffering so deeply." That's fairly accurate for Tax Day wouldn't you say?  But that wasn't the end of it.  In verses 3 & 4 David writes,

"Lord, suppose you kept a record of sins.  

Lord, who then wouldn't be found guilty?
But you forgive.
So people have respect for you."

 Doesn't that just sound like the IRS?  They keep records of your income, your family, your charitable giving, your investments, and other stuff (plus your health care before too long.)  They know a lot about you!  I have always known that if I ever do anything wrong I will get caught.  That is exactly what my wife and I have prayed for our kids, too. "God if they do anything wrong be sure they get caught."  So if I were to do anything shady with my income taxes, I would get caught.

Then I think, if the IRS keeps that kind of records, imagine God's!  If God kept a record of sins; ooohhh, that's not a pleasant thought!  You know nothing is going to get lost in the filing.  He knows EVERYTHING.  That is a double edge sword; its a relief that God knows every good thing I have done.  Sometimes other people don't seem to notice that. But its a bit scary to think that He also knows all the other stuff I've done or thought in secret.  He knows all the stuff I should have done but didn't.  That is not a pretty image in my mind.

Some people think that our salvation will be determined by God stacking up all the good stuff we have done and all the bad stuff and then seeing which pile is bigger.  I for one am THRILLED that is not true!  None of us, and certainly not me, would have a "good" stack that could even come close to the pile of sin we have accumulated!

So I love verse 4; "But You forgive!" ( I added the exclamation point cause that is HUGE!)  God forgives!  (insert raucous cheers and shouts of hooray) (throw confetti and bang a drum)  (do something that shows how excited you are because this is bigger than anything you will ever celebrate in your life!)

In His grace, God chooses to forgive every sin I confess to Him.  I don't have to file any papers in triplicate, I don't have to drive to an office hundreds of miles away to explain myself.  The penalty for all my sin has been paid by Jesus.  My debt is stamped, PAID IN FULL.

The more I reflect on that, the better my day gets!  And it works for you, too! Amazing!

Not My Thoughts

These are not my thoughts but God's, they just really jumped off the page at me this morning.

Psalm 128 (TEV)

Happy are those who have reverence for the Lord,
Who live by His commands.
Your work will provide for your needs;
You will be happy and prosperous.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your home,
And your sons will be like young olive trees around your table.
A man who obeys the Lord will surely be blessed like this.
May the Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life!
May you live to see your grandchildren!
Peace be with Israel!

As I read this all I could think of is that God is so good to me in so many ways.  Thank you God for all your blessings. Like David I say, "I will praise the Lord, I won't forget anything He does for me." (Ps. 103:2)

Going Fishing

My good fishing friend is just about finished preparing his boat and he told me the other day that the lakes would be clear soon and that means put the ice fishing gear away and get ready to chase some fish around the lake!

Easter is past and so we can pretty much put Winter behind us and focus on Spring. (I know that WY weather is never that simple, but I still like to think that way!) But before the resurrection story fades from your mind completely take a moment to finish off a few jelly beans and think about the fishing trip that took place shortly after Jesus rose from the dead. In John 21 you can read about what took place.

Jesus had appeared to the disciples to let them know that He had risen from the dead and had sent them to Galilee (Matt. 28:10) and while they were there, Peter thought it would be a good time to fish a little bit. He had a really bad experience in Jerusalem, not only losing his Lord, but also denying that he knew Him three times. No doubt he felt as if he were a much better fisherman than a disciple at that point.

So he and six other disciples took off to wet their nets a bit. They fished all night and didn’t catch a thing. (I can certainly relate to that!) They noticed a man on the shore calling out to them, “Got any fish?” Don’t you hate that question after being skunked?

“NO!” they shouted back and the man called out to them, “Try the other side of the boat!” And probably in a might-as-well sort of effort they cast the nets one more time. Suddenly they had more fish than they could handle! The disciples flashed back to another time they had a catch like that and realized it must be Jesus on shore. Peter, the impulsive one, jumped in and swam while the others brought the boats and the catch to shore.

Jesus had a fire going and some fish and bread cooking for them all. What an amazing reunion that must have been! But for Peter the best was still to come. Jesus pulled him aside and asked him “Peter, do you love me?” Jesus asked him three times – the same number of times Peter had denied he even knew Jesus. And when Peter answered, “Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus gave Peter a job to do, “Take care of my sheep.” referring to His followers. It was a “guy thing” – a way to let Peter know that Jesus had forgiven him and trusted him to be a disciple. The Bible never really says, but I wonder if that was the last time Peter ever went fishing? Jesus let him know that he was as good a disciple as he had ever been a fisherman.

This fishing trip reminds me that failing doesn’t make us failures it just makes us experienced. Especially when we take our failures to Jesus. He is anxious to forgive and restore us and use us for His glory. Don’t think that you have to give up following Jesus when you fail. If you confess your sins, He is faithful to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)