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.

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

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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