BBQ @ The Home For Lemings: Tonight!

Psalm 148 (The Message)

Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven,
praise him from the mountaintops;
Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his warriors,
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, you morning stars;
Praise him, high heaven,
praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—
he spoke the word, and there they were!

He set them in place
from all time to eternity;
He gave his orders,
and that's it!

Praise God from earth,
you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
Fire and hail, snow and ice,
hurricanes obeying his orders;
Mountains and all hills,
apple orchards and cedar forests;
Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
snakes, and birds in flight;
Earth's kings and all races,
leaders and important people,
Robust men and women in their prime,
and yes, graybeards and little children.

Let them praise the name of God—
it's the only Name worth praising.
His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
he's built a monument—his very own people!
Praise from all who love God!
Israel's children, intimate friends of God.
Hallelujah!

Dramamine Recommended

Check this out. It's a floating trampoline. While out walking, I spotted it tied up to a dock. Now you can float and bounce at the same time. And, who knows, if you untie it, you may just be able to float and bounce all the way to Catalina.

Go Fly A Kite

Yesterday, I took a walk along the ocean and saw a guy taking a kite surfing lesson. Not long ago this activity seemed to find itself on a list of things I might like to try. It happened on a windy day when it seemed every kite surfer in the city found their way into the Pacific. I looked out and saw them gliding across the water at terrific speeds. One of them even took flight for a few seconds. That's the thought that thrilled me. Taking flight. Soaring through the air. No limits.

But as I watched a little of the lesson yesterday, I was reminded that there are limits. If the wind ain't blowin', you ain't goin' nowhere. (Pardon the triple negative.) Without wind, their kites will simply fall into the ocean. The wind is the engine. And what an interesting engine it is considering that you can't even see it. But it has power to take you places if you'll let it.

Our life of faith is powered by an invisible God. We are told in 2nd Corinthians 4 to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. My Grandmother used to say "God will pull you through anything if you can just stand the pullin'." That usually brought to my mind a picture of a ragged man at the end of a rope. Maybe like someone who just lost tug of war and got pulled through the mud.

Maybe a better way to think of it is God pulling us up out of an ocean, maybe even an ocean of sorrows, so that we can soar. We'd make things easier on ourselves if we'd stop resisting His pull and just go with the flow.
Many years ago now, a group known as The 2nd Chapter Of Acts had a song that said, "You don't know which way the wind blows. So, how can you plan tomorrow? Jesus knows which way the wind blows. So, give Him your tomorrow." This is a very freeing thought for those who think they can control the wind. You can't. Give up trying. Hold on tight to the One who does. Take flight.

Matthew 8:27 "The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

Supersize Them

This is a picture of some people digging through contributions sent to China after their big earthquake. I got a kick out of this woman's reaction to the size of these jeans. I guess they don't have as many McDonald's over there as we have here.

Have we met?

Getting Past The Comma

Proverbs 13:12 says... "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
I've often heard this scripture quoted -as if the second half of it doesn't exist. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." There's a lot of truth to that statement alone. Having no hope can make one lose heart.

But the second half of the scripture is what keeps me going. "...but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
The Message translation puts it this way..."Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around."
Do you feel like you're living -before or after the comma in that statement? The first half might make you feel like -that is all life has to offer...hopelessness. But you've got to get past the comma.

Amy Grant has a song that says "Life is a curious thing." It talks about a man who was down on his luck, living in poverty. He went to Hollywood, made a movie, and now he's a millionaire. Another verse talks about the girl who was ugly in high school now being on the cover of a Fashion Magazine. It makes me think of the caterpillar turning into the beautiful butterfly. You just never know what tomorrow might hold.
When I was a boy, we went to a gold mine and heard a story of a couple of men who dug for the longest time. We walked down that cave and it was huge. But they lost hope and gave up. Along came some other guys and three feet later they struck gold.
Don't give up.
I love it that Jesus surprised His followers. They thought it was all over. He was dead. But that was just the beginning of the story. God must like to surprise us. We've just got to get past the comma.

We've Started A Choir!

Well, let there be singing. We've started a Choir here at Faith Christian Assembly. Tonight was our very first practice and we had 20 people! I believe we'll get more in short order because a few are out of town that have already told me they want to participate.
Our practices will be in the Garden Room on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, from 4:45 to 5:15PM. To begin, we're tackling some easy and yet beautiful songs that have come from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. I couldn't be more excited about it.
If your schedule is too full to sing, I'd encourage you to re-do your schedule! Sometimes we tend to eliminate the very things that we need the most. Join us!

Psalm 63:5 "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you."

For Sale

Ok...this one's a little bigger. I spotted it and couldn't help but take a picture. As soon as I did the owner walked up and told me it's for sale. If only I could. But I don't know if I'm ready for that much attention driving down the street. I might start feeling like I'm in a parade and have to wave to everybody.