grateful for the people

The last few days I have been spending time with my brothers. It was a little more than one year ago that our dad passed away, and that fact has been something we have all dealt with in different ways.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

The conversations have been so good. Sharing memories. Talking about family. Remembering some special times. Looking at how things have changed around our home town. Talking about the challenges of life, growing older and the like. This really has been a packed few days.

Yesterday I got to be a some time with my best friend from my high school days. It was so good to reconnect, to share stories and to remember. This friend is involved in ministry and has made a great impact on so many lives. He and I were discipled by some great people.

One of the things we talked about most was how we each encouraged one another through the early days of our walk with God. It was good to talk about those times and how those times have shaped who we are and what we do. Blessed. We really are.

I love thinking back on the people. With my brothers and my friend we have brought us the names of people we might have not thought about in years. We swapped stories, funny and memorable ones, that meant a lot to each of us.

We needed this time. I needed this time.

I miss my dad, and I am so grateful to have a family and friends who have made my life so much fuller and richer. It is important to slow down from time to time, to think back, to heal some and to thank God for all He has done.

But it is not over. God is still working. These guys and others have helped me become who I am today. They have been around when things were hard. We really do need people around us who care about who we are and who we are becoming.

I am grateful for the people God has placed in my life.

Romans 15:32 NLT

Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.

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One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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