Above All Else

Okay, I guess it's no big secret that I'm a fan of John Eldredge's books. In fact, I've been re-reading some of them just to be refreshed again. In "Waking The Dead" he reassures the reader that our hearts matter to God. In fact, he goes so far as to say that caring for your heart is an act of spiritual warfare. I'd never really thought of it that way before.

He writes, "The heart that is weak is vulnerable. Are you able to fend off accusation when you are wiped out from a hard week?
...Listen- the first wave of any strike against us is to rob us of the heart to fight it. It always starts that way, with that sense of being too tired or overwhelmed. Heads up- the main assault is coming on the heels of it.
...The strategy of our Enemy in the age we live in now is busyness or drivenness. The deadly scheme is this: keep them running. That way, they'll never take care of their hearts. We'll burn them out and take them out."

So, caring for your heart, the very place where God dwells, becomes vital to our survival of the assault. One of the practical ways we do this is by "unplugging" from all the chaos and drinking in the beauty that is around us. It could be as simple as stopping to smell the roses -or a trip to a National Park. I suppose that's one of the reasons I love Yosemite so much. I'd also recommend Tahiti.

I've known people who actually brag because they've never taken a vacation. I don't believe that's anything to brag about. Your spirit needs to be refreshed. If you're not refreshed, how can you refresh others? If you didn't get away this summer, take a few days in the fall. I even took a vacation in February one year and ended up hiking in the snow on a trail in Yosemite. It was exhilarating. Until I started falling down too much. Then I went back to the lodge for coffee and a cookie and just watched the snow fall. Amazing how something as simple as that strikes a blow against the Enemy's attack on my heart.

Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
Psalm 23:1-3 "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul."

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?