I Learned Something Today & Had Fun While Learning It...

Today, church was just fun. It was just fun! I don't know what the difference was. I think I'm just learning to go with the flow without stressing. Like, Tee needed a ride today & usually it hecka bugs me when people wait for the last minute to ask for a ride. Now I'll be late, but I just said, yeah, sure, its cool. And I wasn't stressed :)

On the way to pick up Tee, I asked if Squeeks wanted a ride to his church too. He said yeah, so we got all loaded up. I dropped him off at the corner. We're even more late, and... I wasn't stressed :)

Driving down the freeway with Tee - still late - we're talking, chillin, laughing. And guess what I wasn't? Stressed :)

Finally at church. Sound check is kind of going on, where's Ant - he's teaching class? gotta help Tara, BJ is no where to be found, and it's all good. We didn't get in a good practice yesterday for the band, but, hey, I just went with it, and I had so much fun! I mean, Manny is a musical genius. The transition from Still into From the Inside Out was so good, I had fun doing it. I was smiling alot during worship today & just went with the flow, even though I mostly didn't know what I was doing... and I wasn't stressed :)

Well, the moral of the story - what I learned today - is really quite a basic thing to know mentally, but for me, much more difficult to apply practically: Why stress over things that, as of right now, cannot be changed? Someone's gotta pick up Tee - that's not gonna change, so why stress? BJ's not here yet - can't do anything to change that, so why stress? Worship team didn't get to practice - well, we ain't gettin one right now, so why stress? Life is much more fun sans stressing, and today was a lesson well learned. I had a lot of fun.

A Beautiful Spirit = A Giving Spirit

As Jesus looked up, he saw some rich people putting their gifts into the Temple money box. Then he saw a poor widow putting two smaller copper coins into the box. He said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people."

- Luke 21:1-3

This story encourages me every time I read it. Even if I don't have much to give, what I DO give cheerfully, He will bless and honor! This story reminds me of a family I saw on Extreme Home Makeover (which, by the way, always makes me cry for days!). They live in Oahu, and they have an organization that helps the community and the families & children in it. They didn't have much at all for themselves - their house was falling apart & about to fall into a river. The parents could barely make ends meet for their kids, and yet these are the very people running a shelter, a day care - giving to others incessantly. 

How beautiful is the spirit of those who give unselfishly and unceasingly. Although they cannot give monetarily, they give something of much more value: they give of their spirit, and they do it with love. (1 Corinthians 13:1 - without love, we do nothing but make loud noise - it accomplishes nothing.)

How much more valuable is the poor person's offering of $1.00 - all they have, than the rich person's offering of $1.00 - the least of their many possessions?

Fresh Manna

Well, I just woke up, oddly enough. Its 5:00 AM on the dot, and if any of you all know me, Im NOT naturally a morning person...

The spiritual warfare is strong. Well, since I'm up, I'll read today's journal:

- Luke 5:2 - even though there was chaos & people all around him, Jesus still saw the boats. He still sees YOU. No detail is too minute for Him.

- 5:3 - God will use whatever He sees that you have to offer: a boat, a dollar, a hand.

- 5:4 - They had to move the location of the boat - to "deep water" - in order to see change. Realize this did not require simply pressing a button, or just by chance catching the wind at the right time to whisk them away... Taking that boat back out to sea was a laborious process - one we know they had JUST completed, as the boats sat at harbor.

- 5:5 - Are you that quick to do what He says? Peter didn't even know Jesus or His character yet, but he STILL was that quick to obey. "Sounds weird, but if You say to do it then... OK, of course I will."

- 5:8 - You know you're in the true presence of God when people begin to confess, unprompted, of their own volition.

- 5:11 - They left it all to follow Jesus. This was right after they got that HUGE catch - the catch of their lives - the right time to turn a profit. Please realize then, that following Jesus cost them the largest profit-making day of their lives. People are always willing to follow a God they cannot see when things are hard - there is no fish, no profit, no where to stay. Are you willing to follow Him when times ARE good? When you have what you need, when you are provided for? These 3 men became the closest to men to Jesus - His best friends and disciples... Follow Him in the bad times, but follow more closely in the good. 

- 5:16 - Jesus knew the importance of corem deo with His Father - remaining face to face. Even when people were screaming His Name & He was the biggest celebrity (which He WAS!) He would still make sure to steal away & find His secret place. How much more important is it then for me to do the same?

Lord, help me to consider these things today as I go about my schedule. Interrupt my day and show me where You want me to go; what You want me to do. I love that song that says, "Where You go, I go; What You say, I say." Let that be my anthem today. I love You and I know You have Your hand & Your protection over my body and mind. With You by my side there is no such thing as failure.