Seed Thought: Gratitude

Even with all the trials of last week, I am grateful.
My son had pneumonia, but responded to treatments quickly and got out of the hospital in about 70 hours.
My wife has a cyst on one ovary that has given her trouble but we discovered that it had shrunk and was likely going to be reabsorbed into her body...without surgery or needles or anything!

I grumbled about some money issues last week, but I hang on to gratitude.
I have a healthy boy again and a beautiful wife who has escaped, for once in her life, the surgeon's knife. And that's saying something after 2006.

Gratitude gets me through the frustrations of this world.
Gratitude is the will of God in all circumstances.
Gratitude keeps me from succumbing to the frustrations.
Gratitude is far better than the alternative...bitterness.

Seed Thought: Holy Moments

Last night was particularly tough for Miles...he had a real bad cough and that made it hard for him to settle down and go to sleep.

To help calm him down, I sang two songs: Agnus Dei and We Fall Down. Both of these use the word "holy" a lot, but it was one of those moments where I realized how holy the moment was.

Here I was, worshipping God, quietly but with intensity, and my son was hearing me worship. And it was blessing him, calming him and giving him peace. Very good father/son time.

It was a holy moment.

I cry "Holy, holy, holy are you, Lord."

Seed Thought: God is working for good

Just a quick "hadn't thought of that before..."

In the New Testament, Paul was often thwarted from visiting the church he wanted to talk to, be with, check on, etc. Most of the time, he was in prison and had to settle for writing a letter.

But because he was in prison and had to write his correspondence down, we have many of our New Testament books!!! Just think, something that frustrated Paul and made it harder on Paul to communicate to his churches, has proven to be a blessing 2000 years later and the blessing just keeps on blessing.

How awesome/scary is it to imagine all the ways God is working for good now and we can't even see it...and we may not ever know it...but it'll bless generations to come until our Lord returns.

Seed Thought: Relationships

It's amazing how frail our relationships are.
One mistake sometimes ruins a relationship for a week, a month, a year.

Also, I can get 9 positive comments about a sermon, but the one negative one stays with me far longer. Often, the negative comments come from those who know me the least.

There is a greater chance of being misunderstood when the relationship isn't strong.

I love marriage because one mistake doesn't ruin the relationship.
I love marriage because 10,000 mistakes don't ruin the relationship.

I love God because he still loves me, even after 1,000,000 mistakes and counting!

Seed Thought: Good and Evil

Saw this from a show Tracey watches...

You would think the San Francisco bridge would be a good thing. It's beautiful architecture, it connects people, making it easier to get from one place to another.

Along comes Satan to pervert what is good...it becomes a suicide diving board.

Evil is just good with a twist.

Seed Thought: Community

Community is harder than self-dependence and isolation.
Community is better than self-dependence and isolation.
Why is something better that's also harder?

Seed Thought: Politics and Faith

Americans want a president who will do their will.
Jesus wants disciples who will do his will.
Worlds collide...