Courtney and I scored tickets to the Carolina Hurricanes game tonight! We are going with the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce, compliments of Progress Energy. We have “luxury suite” tickets! We have VIP parking, and the luxury box will probably have all the food we can eat! Lucky for us! Go Canes!
(Fondue Date Night is an inside joke between Court and I and a reference to an “Everybody Loves Raymond” episode.)
Go to www.iamsecond.com to here the stories of how a few people came to be followers of Jesus. I’ve only listened to one so far – by Stephen Baldwin. Pretty cool.
I have written on multiple occasions about the “Indeed” devotional guide that we give away at our church. I have used all kinds of devotionals over the years: My Utmost for His Highest (still read it), Our Daily Bread, Morning and Evening, etc. All of these are fine, and i highly recommend Utmost. But, I’m constantly amazed at how I am challenged by Indeed. Here is a couple of excerpts from today’s reading entitled “Humility” (I’ll boldface all of Indeed and other comments in plain text will be mine:
“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14
This scripture verse is taken from the story of the Pharisee and tax collector. The Pharisee came boldly and proudly before God – confident of his own righteousness. The tax collector, stood afar, averted his eyes, and came humbly in prayer to God. Jesus says the tax collector went away justified. Then he says the above verse. We easily become self-focused, wanting to become good in order to represent God well. Have we forgotten? God is already represented well by Jesus…The self-ward heart doesn’t get it. It can’t be transparent about its weaknesses and failures because it is too busy masking them…The Godward soul can relax and proclaim: “God’s doing His wonderful work in the wreck that is me.”
Both perspectives come from good intentions. But deep in the heart of man is a reluctance to enhance God’s reputation at the expense of our own. We don’t want to own up to our weaknesses, failures, brokenness, and sin. We want to demonstrate God’s grace in our respectable lives…Acknowledging your ultimate dependence and need isn’t always easy. It will require an honesty before Him and an honest testimony before the world. Will that reflect well on you? Probably not, but it will reflect incredibly well on Him.
Anyway…may we all humble ourselves before God and others. I am a law breaker, worthy of the clink. I am a sinner, in need of a Saviour. I don’t represent God very well. But He is already well represented in His Son. May He use me in my weakness to reflect Him to a world in need of Him.
Pick up a copy of Indeed this Sunday!
Please click the link below to see the obituary for Kristi. It gives the details for the upcoming celebration of her life scheduled for Tuesday, February 17th. Thanks for your continued prayers for her family and friends during this time.
This morning, shortly after 8am, Kristi Winters Walker went into the presence of God. We are saddened to have her spirit depart from here. We grieve for the loss of her husband, children, parents, other family, and friends. But with assurance, we know that she is in the glorious presence of God. Please continue to pray for her family. God bless all of you who have been praying and supporting them through this battle.
McDonald’s fundraising total for Kristi Winters Walker is up to $25,467 now. Awesome. Keep praying.
The devotional reading this morning from the “Indeed” devotional magazine referenced the scripture Isaiah 43:1-7. What amazingly encouraging words that God gave to his people Israel, which I believe hold true for God’s church today: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. ” God wants his people to know that because we are His, we have no need to fear. Never mind the storms of life – raging, rising waters; a trial of fire – He will be with us. We will not be overcome. We will not get burned. We are His. What amazing confidence we can have for our present and our future as we learn to believe, accept and trust in the promises of God. Below is the rest of Isaiah 43:1-7. I would encourage you to read it and then pick up your Bible and read the next 2-3 chapters of Isaiah as well. And pick up an “Indeed” devotional at church on Sunday!
1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“ Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
That’s right – $23,800+ was raised for the Walker family in their battle against cancer through the McDonald’s fundraiser! It was so great to go by the McDonald’s and see cars everywhere, police managing traffic, standing room only inside the building, etc. Thanks for everyone who was able to participate in this cause! Keep praying for Kristi.
We’ve been studying the Bible book of 2nd Peter in my “connection group” so far in 2009. A lot of the content has been about truth and error, discerning truth, avoiding false teachers, how do we know the Bible is true, etc. As a result, I’ve been able to recommend to the group a few websites that they may find helpful in answering tough questions. A couple of them are already listed in the links on this blog as “Answers to Tough Questions.” Also, add to your list www.probe.org and check out www.Peterkreeft.com as well.
On a slightly different note, I’ve noticed a lot of people using the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible lately. I was curious as to its origin and how accurate and what type of translation it is/was. Sometimes I’ve found it helpful, and other times I’ve found it to be a little inaccurate compared to what I see other translations saying. Also, there are two version of it already, with fairly substantial differences in many verses, which is frustrating.
Anyway…you can learn more about the NLT at www.newlivingtranslation.com and I particularly like their little chart on the differences in translations at this link.
Thanks to everyone who continues to pray for Kristi and her family. She has been in the hospital a lot lately and needs us to pray all the more. Tomorrow is an opportunity for us to help Kristi and her family financially. Between 11am and 11pm tomorrow (Feb. 5), the Lake Pine McDonalds is going to contribute half of it’s sales to the Walker family. Also, there will be someone at the McDonalds to receive donations. This MCDonalds is located on Highway 64 in Apex. I hope you can stop by and eat and make a contribution.
MikeWindley.com 