... there are no ultimate conflicts in God's perfect will. He doesn't call a man to be both a father and a (fill in the blank here) in such a way that those two roles constantly war against each other.
He went on to say:
First I am a person with a responsibility before God. Then I am a partner with a responsibility to my wife. Then I am a parent with a responsibility to my kids. Last, I am a (fill in the blank) ...
I have a tendency to screw these priorities up, these words really hit me tonight.
Wow, 2006 is off and running, time is moving much too fast.
Getting back into good habits after the Christmas and New Year break. Ran on the treadmill this morning again and had a good time of bible study. I was reading James 1, I really like this passage:
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Finally, I was struck by these two questions from here. What kind of influence are we having on others? Do our lives encourage faith in the Savior?
I hope this is clear to those around me, but I resolve to be more intentional this year.
We shared a great Christmas dinner and evening with our small group family last night. The food and the company were great, even played some games. God has blessed us richly indeed. It has been a great journey already after only two months of meeting together.
Looking forward to a restful and productive week. I have been fortunate to get a two week break from work, my company gave us seven working days off, and I added 4 vacation days to that. I don't go back until January 3. Lots to do around here, but nothing that absolutely must be done. Most of all I want to prepare for Christmas and not get caught in the stress of it all as I have done in the past.
Please keep preaying for a men's ministry to rise up at the Journey, we'll be meeting again tomorrow night for prayer.
Here's my girls with Santa. Emily is 8 and Julia is 4. This is shaping up to be a fun Christmas season. I am praying that the stress is minimized and that the enjoyment is maximized. Remembering how God has worked His miracle in sending His son to redeem us certainly helps in keeping the hustle in perspective.
In a separate topic, several of us are meeting tomorrow night to pray about what God intends to do through the men of the Journey Church, and specifically that God will raise a leader to provide the head of this important ministry. Please keep us in your prayers.
Here's my girls with Santa. Emily is 8 and Julia is 4. This is shaping up to be a fun Christmas season. I am praying that the stress is minimized and that the enjoyment is maximized. Remembering how God has worked His miracle in sending His son to redeem us certainly helps in keeping the hustle in perspective.