Independence day

two hundred and thirty six years ago we declared our independence from England and declared that we had become a free nation - because we wanted freedom from a government that was different than what we wanted - that was despotic in a number of ways.  america was set up to be a place where people had freedom and a government was set up to protect those freedoms.  but, in the wisdom of man, which is foolishness before God, government has been growing and those freedoms have been eroding.  fortunately, God's wisdom is never found to be foolish, and never erodes, and those that have a relationship with Him through Christ have freedom that will never erode.  that leaves the question, whom shall i serve.  in the words of Jesus, i will give unto Caesar what is Caesars and unto God what is Gods.  with that said, i'm glad that my ultimate citizenship lies in heaven.

Friday

hey, it's friday.  friday!  wow!  is that cool or what.  friday.  another week has been put in.  another week has come and gone.  another week of work, meetings, and all kinds of stuff.  and now it's friday.  time to play - well at least when we get off work or whatever.  the sad part is that it's another week of our life that is gone.  and quite possibly a week that we have wished away.  you know, i can't wait until friday.  well the waitings over.  but what about monday, tuesday, wednesday, and thursday.  something to think about.  personally, i enjoyed those other days and friday just kind of crept up on me.  why?  because with each day i was blessed by a relationship with God, my wife, and many other people.  which makes life worth living and definitely each day full of joy so that you don't wish your life away.

Lighthouse

one of the things i like best about going to the coast - or any of the great lakes - is that i know i will run into at least one light house, if not more.  i think they are so cool.  you find them at the end of a jetty, on top of a cliff, at the tip of a point that juts out into the water, or on top of a tall hill.  the stand in an upright, strong, and majestic way.  they have a job to do.  or, i should say, they had a job to do.  they kept ships from running aground, which could have been catastrophic for both the ship and its passengers and cargo.  sadly, their use has faded.  but, they are still beautiful, as they stand there in all their majesty.  isn't it wonderful that one lighthouse - that city on the hill - the church has not lost its usefulness.  it is still there to shine forth the light of Christ, keeping people from a catastrophic ending.

Cutting grass

several years ago we bought a house that sits on 0.97 acres.  now, at the time i thought it was really cool.  almost an acre in the city.  but i overlooked something.  that something was the 3/4 acres of grass, some of it on very steep hills that i had to use a push mower to cut as my rider wouldn't pull the hills.  then, i said, i know the answer - landscaping - flatten that thing out.  but, the landscaper had a better idea - a new mower.  a zero turn radius mower that could and would pull the hills.  and it does.  it has the power and cutting grass is fun again.  kind of reminds me of the power we have in Christ and how much fun it is to walk with Him in His power.

ipad

version 1 came and went.  version 2 came and went.  then came version 3.  i could no longer handle the temptation.  i fought.  i mean, i fought hard.  i really did.  but, i finally broke down and gave in.  i bought version 3 - or whatever it is called.  and it feels good.  i mean, it really feels good.  i love it.  it is magnificent.  and it helps me with every aspect of my life.  it's all kind of like Jesus in my life.  i fought and fought and fought against Him.  but, then came the day i took the plunge, and life has never been the same.  i love Him.  He is magnificent.  He helps me with every aspect of my life.

Memorial

today starts a very important weekend, leading to a very important day.  no, i'm not talking about this being the unofficial, official first day of summer - you know, where you get the boats out, you bbq, and you party, mainly celebrating the fact that you don't have to work on monday.  i'm talking about remember what many, many, brave women and men have done to insure that we can role the boats out, bbq, and generally have a great weekend - our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen.  the gave of themselves so that we can give to ourselves.  but, let's stop giving to ourselves for a few moments and remember them - a moment of silence, thanking someone in uniform, or whatever.  and while you're at it, give thanks to our God that has blessed us with a country worth defending.

i'm sitting here at my desk thinking about this morning and listening to the birds chirp out side.  what beautiful music they create as they almost majestically lift up the sun from the horizon.  the robins.  the cardinals.  the doves.  the rest.  i can almost imagine that there is this heavenly conductor conducting some magnificent piece that they are all performing.  and it lifts me up.  just like the worship of the living God that i will participate in in a few short hours.