Walking on Troubled Water

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Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home.  After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.  Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land.  He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves.  About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.  He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost.  They were all terrified when they saw him.  But Jesus spoke to them at once.  “Don’t be afraid,” he said.  “Take courage!  I am here!”  Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped.  They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves.  Their hearts were too hard to take it in.  Mark 6:45-52^(NLT)

When I put myself in the boat with the disciples, and it’s 3:00 AM, and the storm is about to swamp our little boat, AND with all our scurrying around to keep the boat from sinking, suddenly there’s a guy strolling around ON the water as calm as your neighbor out walking the dog…well, it’s just a little weird, thank you!

But if that first sighting was weird, what came next had to have made every disciple wonder if maybe they need to see a psychiatrist.  It turned out to be Jesus, and their master simply says, chill out, I’m here.  And then he climbs in the boat and the wind stops; they’re safe, all is well, and they hardly notice it because their minds are reeling from having seen a man walking across the water.  (Mind you, this is well before hover boards!).

Mark reminds us that the reason the disciples were so confused is because their minds were still reeling from the previous day when Jesus fed a crowd of many thousands with just a boy’s lunch. 

The explanation Mark tacks-on about why the disciples had such a hard time getting their minds around what just happened was a severe case of weak faith, due to hardened hearts.  Mark was in a position to judge this; it’s difficult to admit hard-heart syndrome, but this apostle’s truthful assessment of his own heart, and that of his brothers in the boat, makes sense, because it happens to all of us.  Let’s face it, when troubled waters threaten, we all do the same things:

1.      We worry – the disciples couldn’t help remembering all those other times those familiar, unfriendly waters had threatened life and limb.  We all have our troubled waters.  We worry, and…

2.      We waffle – the men in the boat were doing what they knew to do, struggling against the waves.  Just the day before they had witnessed the miracle of Jesus caring for the crowd, multiplying fish and loaves to feed them.  And now, it was back to life as usual.  And that’s the issue with waffling; the miracle was to teach all of us that Jesus wants us to look to Him much more than struggle with waves!  We worry, waffle, and…

3.      We wonder – the disciples didn’t know what to think because they were wondering HOW Jesus could do that…calm the waves of an angry sea just by showing up.  They had their eyes on the miracle instead of the Master.

Our hearts can be either hard, or receptive.  The key ingredient is a mind trained to look past the circumstances to the heart of the One behind the circumstances.  It’s not so much WHAT is happening to you; it’s more a matter of WHO is driving what’s happening to you. 

The mere fact that Mark opens his own life for our inspection, that we might see a heart that had not yet fully-trusted Christ, should speak loudly to what must be done.  If you’re going to follow Jesus, there must be a surrender of the heart…fully.  Just this week I heard it (again) in a sermon that the Lord requires our commitment to Him if we would be His disciples.  And the only kind of commitment that is genuine is 100%.[2]  Lacking that, we will always wind up worrying, waffling, and wondering what happened.

For You Today

As you walk through this day, if the water gets more than a little troubled, remember Jesus will walk on it – or anything else He needs to – to come to you.  So, don’t worry, waffle, or wonder; it’s not the waves He’s watching, it’s you!  Return the look; keep your eyes on Him.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] Paul Leland, Bishop, Western NC, United Methodist Church, Annual Conference sermon, 6/24/18 (my paraphrase of the Bishop’s remarks)

When You Need a Friend

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Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David.  But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, told him what his father was planning.  “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields.  I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”  The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him.  “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said.  “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could.  Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result?  You were certainly happy about it then.  Why should you murder an innocent man like David?  There is no reason for it at all!”  So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”  Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened.  Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.  1 Samuel 19:1-7^(NLT)

The proof of Jonathan’s friendship with David is found primarily in the fact that he had everything to lose by helping David, and virtually nothing to gain.  Jonathan was the king’s son, and therefore heir-apparent to the throne of Israel.  It was a dangerous game to play, helping David, when the king wanted him dead.  But Jonathan not only loved his friend David, he was bound by integrity to do the right thing.  Many years later David’s son, Solomon (perhaps remembering his father’s friend, Jonathan) would write:

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. 

Proverbs 17:17^(NLT)

“Always loyal” is the key to friendship.  Now, that doesn’t mean always patting you on the back or being ready to follow you down an ethically-questionable pathway.  Loyalty does always mean being truthful, and to be depended upon to stand with you in the hard times and rejoice with you in the triumphs of life. 

I believe if David had in mind a coup d'état to overthrow King Saul, this story would have had a very different ending; Jonathan might have let David sink!  David may have been Jonathan’s dearest friend, but Saul was his father and the king.  When loyalties collide, friendship must take second place to truth and doing the right thing. 

Solomon also wrote:  It is wrong to punish the godly for being good…. Proverbs 17:26^(NLT)

For You Today

It’s an easy thing to imagine what you’d like a friend to be in your life…loyal, courageous, funny, helpful, strong, supportive.  All this and more roll quickly off our brain’s must have list for friends.  But we should also consider our friendship effort we give to others.  If you’ve got a Jonathan in your life, treasure the gift, and thank God.  And while you’re at it, ask God for the wisdom, generosity and faithfulness to BE a Jonathan to your friends.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Squirrel Theology

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Monday, June 25, 2018

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  Then we will no longer be immature like children.  We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.  We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Ephesians 4:11-14^(NLT)

There was a pastor who had earned his doctorate in seminary, and was well-known for his doctrinal sermons, taking the exposition of Scripture through the great life-giving themes of salvation, baptism, the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ incarnation, and so-on.  He had just been extended the invitation to serve as pastor by the elders of a very evangelistic congregation. 

Not everyone on the elder board was in total agreement, however.  One cantankerous old-timer was overheard in the parking lot expressing his dismay over the decision to call this seminary-trained preacher:  I just ain’t sure this-un’s the preacher fer us; I don’t want none o’ that doctor-in-all preachin’.  Jus’ gimmie some Bible is all!  If’n I get sick I’ll a-go see me a doctor. 

It’s not easy to get past hard-headedness.  Perhaps the seminary word would be obtuse! 

Another stumbling block to understanding and communication is squirrel-headedness.  A few weeks ago, I was travelling to church on a Sunday morning and, in the space of a mile or so, I had to swerve twice to miss squirrels. 

One thing is certain – you can never be certain about which way a squirrel will turn…left, right, forward, back, or zig-zag like a gnat in a fire storm; the only thing you can count on is that it won’t be boring!

I once counselled someone who had the squirrel thing down pat.  She would ask me a question; I would answer with a suggestion as to how the Scriptural approach would take some time, but be better in the long run, and she would leave all smiles, determined that her life was going to change.  The next week she would be in shambles because she had tried to do the Biblical thing (for six minutes) and become disillusioned at how it didn’t work.  Zig, zag, left, right, forward one step, backwards two!

Grrrr.

Pastors do not know everything, whether they’ve been to seminary, or if they fell off the turnip truck one morning, bumped their head, and took it as a sign to go into the ministry that day. 

But one thing is true – when God gives a gift is isn’t lacking; pastors, may I say, are no exception.  And when it comes to the Scriptural principles we find in the church’s doctrines, a pastor worth any Biblical salt at all will show you the parallel between what Scripture says, and what’s going on in your life.  And it would pay to give it more than six minutes of try-out time.  Barring that, you could be in danger of squirrel theology, bouncing in the wind from this acorn of teaching to that twig of promise, without a shred of doctrinal reality.

For You Today

If God gave you a pastor who teaches sound doctrine, thank God, and keep measuring his or her teaching by Scripture. 

If you have a pastor that makes you wonder if the Bible has anything certain, true, and life-building to say about the way to live your life, maybe the nut has fallen a little too far from the tree!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

When Two Become One

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Friday, June 22, 2018

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper who is just right for him.”  So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky.  He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.  He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals.  But still there was no helper just right for him.  So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep.  While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening.  Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.  “At last!” the man exclaimed.  “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!  She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”  This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.  Genesis 2:18-24^(NLT)

This is a picture of our dear friends John and Anne, who recently celebrated their 54^th wedding anniversary.  Anne writes a blog and shared this photo from when they took their wedding vows.  Let’s hear how it went from Anne:

54 years ago photographers did not take pictures during a wedding ceremony. We posed as if we were exchanging rings.  All of a sudden, Pastor Gross (yes, that was his name!) exclaimed, “I hope the book won't show in that shot.  I had it open to Burial of the Dead.”

Had I been drinking coffee at the moment I read that, there would be coffee spray all over my computer screen!  THAT is a classic!  It’s no wonder the only one smiling is the preacher!

As one who has stood on that side of the ceremony I can truly attest to the fact that weddings are something of a hint of foreboding, considering all that follows the ceremony for years (sometimes months in current culture).  All things considered, what with not picking up your socks, squeezing the toothpaste from the wrong end of the tube, and some more substantive issues…the fact that some couples do make it past 50 years is undeniably a gift of the grace of God alone!

I would suggest that one of the reasons many couples who do manage to have a lifelong (till death us do part) marriage is due to strong faith, lived-out, coupled with a learned humility that fosters forgiveness.  You cannot live successfully together with another human being without both!

My theological take on John & Anne’s pastor tweaking a tedious photo session after the ceremony (while all the guests wait interminably at the reception hall) is that he really was conducting a burial of the dead service.  Let’s face it; if you’re going to have a successful marriage you’ve got to bury some things…the most important being selfishness, which is the biggest roadblock to two actually becoming one!

Coupled with burying some things is establishing other living things – a living commitment to Christ and His church, as well as serving others in His name.  John has served in many ways, teaching young ones, and helping the choir director/organist (Anne).  Most pastors would consider themselves blessed to have a couple or two like the Mehrlings!

Congratulations, my friends, on taking burying the dead seriously all these years.  Your commitment to each other, our Lord, your family, and community are an inspiration to us all.

For You Today

Marriage going well?  If it could use a boost, try burying some self, and lifting up your spouse.  Two becoming one takes a lot of lifting!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image & story:  Courtesy of Anne Mehrling  (also current picture of John & Anne near their mountain home in the Blue Ridge of NC)

Flamingled

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Thursday, June 21, 2018

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.  Proverbs 17:22^(NLT)

My daughter Jen and I have a war (of sorts) going on.  It’s been raging for some years now.  It has to do with flamingos.  More than a decade ago I found out that one of the reasons she was glad to move from Florida to North Carolina is flamingos…she despises the little plastic pink ones people put in every Florida front yard.  I made the mistake of agreeing that I wouldn’t ever put one in my yard (but then I don’t like any statues or fake deer, flamingos or Santa blow-up decorations).  On my next birthday, that ruthless daughter gave me a plastic flamingo the size of Chicago.  I retaliated one Sunday morning after they left for church by lining her driveway with about two dozen of the despicable birds. 

I thought that had been the A-Bomb of the bird war, but a few years later I got a present that was wrapped in flamingo paper; inside was two strings of Christmas lights…each light a little pink plastic birdy-thorn in my saddle.  And so, a year ago for her May birthday she got no flamingos…just a regular present.  That was me setting the trap.  Shortly after, with my unsuspecting daughter certain she’d won the war with the Christmas-light flaminglow fiasco, I gave her a coffee mug, complete with a flamingo on the inside…the one you couldn’t see if the mug was full of coffee, but would be staring at you with a big pink eye as you drained the cup.  Ha!  Jen said thanks by getting me a desk paper weight from their Florida vacation….flamingos on a Florida island!

And then there was Father’s Day last week.  We had offered to bring the grilled sausages for the family gathering. 

When we arrived at Jen’s house after church, sausages and buns in hand, we were invited to the kitchen counter buffet, complete with flamingo plates, cups with flamingo-topped swizzle sticks, napkins that invited Let’s Flamingle, and a special pool floatee-thing for my iced tea…a pink flamingo floatee!  The day was a flaming, flamingo, festival!  I told her I had three words for her:  I GIVE UP! 

Now, it may sound an awful lot like the flamingo war is absolutely the worst example of a cheerful heart medicine.  But that’s exactly what it has been like for me (and I expect for Jen too).  I’m not sure I’ve laughed harder, nor been more joyfully-surprised at the resourceful thoughtfulness it takes to go one-up in this pink bird-slinging contest.

I’m wondering how to get a real flamingo into a bathing suit and have it sit on Jen’s porch writing its memoirs on an iPad.  I wonder…

For You Today

Well, it doesn’t have to be flamingos, exactly…but what connects you with someone in your life that takes a little thought, trouble, and going out of the way to make their day?  If you don’t have that, may I recommend a pink, floatee-thing for their iced tea?  I can let you have one real cheap.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

A Rebellious Servant - Part 2

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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned.  I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.  But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord.”  But Samuel replied, “I will not go back with you!  Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.”  As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore the hem of his robe.  And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you.  And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!”  Then Saul pleaded again, “I know I have sinned.  But please, at least honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel by coming back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God.”  So Samuel finally agreed and went back with him, and Saul worshiped the Lord.  1 Samuel 15:24-31^(NLT)

King Saul had disobeyed the instructions of God, given through the prophet Samuel, to completely destroy the enemy, soldiers, camp, and everything in it.  Saul kept the King (Agag) alive, probably to humiliate him and make Saul look like a regal, conquering king.  It was an ego thing.  In a display of religious pride he didn’t destroy the animals, but appeared as a magnanimous and holy ruler to give the animals to the people to sacrifice as thanksgiving. 

Saul knew how to get the most credit for what God accomplished.  In typically-manipulative fashion Saul had tried to rationalize his behavior as spiritual, only trying to please God’s sinful children; he had only given them what they wanted.  But Samuel saw through Saul’s feeble excuses and lowered the hammer – the kingdom was going to have a new king.  Yesterday we saw the arrogance of King Saul; today we see his humiliation.

Even after admitting that he had sinned, Saul is still bargaining for face-saving.  He asks Samuel to stay with him and go to church so the people can see them together, thinking, perhaps hoping against hope, that somehow it will all be smoothed over, and he will get to keep his crown.

We know that didn’t happen; the crown was eventually taken from Saul and given to the shepherd boy, David, the one who understood what having a Godly heart was all about.  David was not above sinning (we remember Bathsheba), but when it came to being truly repentant, David and Saul were as far apart as East and West.

What lesson do we take away from Saul’s rebelliousness?  Three, I think:

1.      Nobody is above God’s law – we all sin, and there is zero wiggle room.

2.      God will not ignore our sin – we are all accountable, and there is a penalty to be paid for transgression.  That is undeniable, otherwise the cross is God’s mistake.

3.      The right response to conviction is repentance – Saul didn’t repent, he tried to excuse himself off the hot seat, much like many in our culture today refuse to accept responsibility for sinful behavior.  David repented, was forgiven, and lived his life out in fellowship with God.

For You Today

It’s never easy to admit you’ve done wrong, accept responsibility, and to repent by obeying God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.  Never easy…and never wrong.  Saul found that out…the hard way.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

A Rebellious Servant

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Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Then the Lord said to Samuel,  “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.”  Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.  Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul.  Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.”  When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully.  “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!”  “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.  “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted.  “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God.  We have destroyed everything else.”  Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop!  Listen to what the Lord told me last night!”  “What did he tell you?” Saul asked.  And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel?  The Lord has anointed you king of Israel.  And the Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’  Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord?  Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?”  “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted.  “I carried out the mission he gave me.  I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else.  Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”  But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord:  your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?  Listen!  Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.  Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.  So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” 

1 Samuel 15:10-23^(NLT)

I’m not sure which is a more laughable (albeit pitiful) thought, a five-year-old raising his mighty arms as a defiant display of his awesome strength towards the ocean, or a king imagining his way of doing things is better than Jehovah, the One who made him king.  Yet that is what we have in Scripture, shy Saul turned into arrogant King Saul.

No matter how much Saul attempted to rationalize his actions to Samuel, they echo rather hollow against the Lord’s words:  “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.”  

For anyone who has ever served in a position of leadership, loyalty from (and to) those who serve with you is such a key issue it is impossible to undervalue its importance.  Anything less than action with complete integrity and fidelity is a betrayal of trust given to one in authority; there is no wiggle room on that.

In reading this passage I could not keep the thought at bay concerning what has been said so often about our current U.S. President, and how he values the loyalty of those who are supposed to serve under his authority.  Indeed, the stories are legion of the President’s wrath when the loyalty of his subordinates falters or is suspect.  And, since the Oval Office is the closest thing we Americans have to a throne room, the comparison isn’t strained here; if you’re going to serve a king, you’d better make certain you can be loyal…or you won’t last a day in that administration. 

But there is a companion thought that jumps into this mélange – the Oval Office is not the highest authority in this land.  Neither is the Congress, nor the people, or any grass-roots movement of the people.  In fact, nowhere in this world, or universe is there any authority higher than the One who sets up rulers…and also takes them down. 

He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.  Daniel 2:21^(NLT)

And so, it would behoove any leader to understand the temporary nature of whatever “power” he or she now holds; it won’t be long – one way or another – before time, circumstances, or death puts that power in someone else’s hands. 

For You Today

So, let’s answer the prophet’s probing, stinging question – what is better, ritually sacrificing all sorts of stuff to appease an angry god…or obedience to a loving God?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

What Counts

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Monday, June 18, 2018

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.  It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not.  What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.  May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.  Galatians 6:14-16^(NLT)

The pictures are separated by a mere 60 years or so, but they’re the same people – a few more wrinkles, but still hanging together.  Had he hung around just a little longer, my dad, Elwood Frederick Brownworth would have been 100 today.

Now, a hundred years is a milestone not many make, but it is less than a static blip on the screen of eternity.  Truth be told, it goes by quickly.  Perhaps the apostle Paul, an old man writing from prison, understood it so well, he never wanted to dwell on incidentals; he wanted to shout out to those he loved to center their lives on what counts.  For Paul, what counted was the transformation of an old creature into a new creation; all the rest was busy time or window dressing. 

Paul had been the young man who was ferociously dedicated to making sure everyone dotted their theological i’s, and crossed their doctrinal t’s.  He persecuted those who went against the ancient Jewish traditions.  He wasn’t expecting it, but on one of his persecution expeditions he met Jesus, and the blinding transformation was so complete, the apostle in training never looked back.

My father was born into a nominally religious Roman Catholic family in 1918; they attended Easter and Christmas services “religiously”.  But, in the late 1930’s he met Cecilia Emilie Schmidt, an aspiring Baptist missionary, and his world was never the same.  She was a seriously committed follower of Jesus, and that got his attention.  Ceal didn’t like Slim at first, but it wasn’t long before God’s plan took over; Slim gave his heart to Jesus, and, like Paul, never looked back.  

They were married in September, 1942 and my big brother, Thom, arrived in July the next year.  Russell showed up nearly four years later.  A few years later the young couple managed to get a no-money-down, finish-it-yourself 4-room, escape from the city house.  They lived and served Christ there the next four decades. 

I’m certain I could write several thousand pages about life lessons learned in the home of Cecilia and Elwood Brownworth.  Many of those lessons have already found their way into these devotional morning musings. 

And that is proof of just how powerful is this witness of Christ when lived in front of your children.  They learn what you live, and I was privy all my growing-up years to a front row seat of that kind of commitment.  It’s what Apostle Paul said counts.  

So, happy birthday in Heaven, Dad, my father, friend, brother, and co-laborer in Christ.  One hundred years is only a drop in the bucket compared to the ocean of God’s eternity.  We’re going to have plenty of time to explore it all someday soon.  

Save me a good seat at the table.  

For You Today  

If you grew up in a home like the one I was privileged to enjoy, take a few moments to thank the Lord for His extreme generosity.  Whatever your training ground, God knew what was needed in your life.  The question is:  are you majoring in what counts for the generation that’s coming behind, and watching you?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Russell Brownworth photos