A Wacky (and Amazing) Week

This has been one heck of a week. Last Thursday (the 17th) we got quite a snow here in Southwest Virginia, in some areas getting up to 4 inches. I had to go to court that day, and because I was told by the court at 4PM the preceding day that, "yes sir, we are having court!" I went down to Abingdon to stay overnight at a Hampton Inn I often frequent.

Sure enough, when I got up, there was 2-3 inches in the parking lot and it was still coming down. I tried calling the courts, no answer, and I watched the news. Many schools were canceling their classes, but no news of any courts canceling. So, I loaded up my car at about 7:30 in the morning and off I went. The roads were just fine until about 20 miles from the courthouse.

Now, mind you, this still was a US Highway, though an alternate route (four lane divided highway), but apparently someone just hadn't gotten around to salting my side of the road (the other side was just fine!). Sure enough, I'm going down a hill at 15, 20 mph tops, and I slid and lost control, ramming my car into a guardrail.

Anyone familiar with Saturns, especially the ones manufactured in the early 2000s knows that they don't dent--they break (because they're made of a type of plastic rather than metal). It was basically cosmetic damage and I am fine (though I got the estimate and YIKES am I glad I have insurance!!)

So I had to pull out of the rut and continue on my way to court--ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THEY DECIDED TO CANCEL COURT ON MY WAY THERE!!!! But apparently I wasn't the only one that didn't get the memo ("Did you get the memo? We're hearing that you're having trouble with your TPS reports" but I digress).

The courtroom was full of people when I got there, several attorneys, both local and otherwise who told me they hadn't heard anything either. So what does the judge do? He decides that since there was a possibility that some announcement went out that court was NOT being held that day, that he would only give judgments, etc where the defendant showed up. And wouldn't you know, none of mine did! But none of mine ever do show, so I continued all my cases to April. FUN.

So all I had to show for my time down there was a beat up car (kinda makes you wish you had one of those t-shirts: "I went to _____ and all I got was a wrecked car!" Or maybe not).

But I was okay and all was well. I made it okay to last weekend and then something happened that my wife and I didn't quite expect.

Stay tuned. :)

Imparting Grace and the Communion of Saints

We had a great small group last night where we talked about the communion of the saints and the importance of being with other Christians in our walk with Christ. We talked about Paul's exhortations at the end of several of his letters to the brothers and sisters at Corinth, Ephesus and Galatia.

Paul encouraged them to show each other love, grace, peace and to agree with one another (one could imply that he would mean as far as the Gospel and charity would allow) and the love and peace of God will be with you.

It's very easy to like someone that you love or already are at peace with--but what about someone who rubs you the wrong way or is mean? And I'm talking about another Christian! The Scriptures tell us that we cannot say that we hate our brother and yet love Christ because that brother that we despise is a part of the Body. This can be so difficult to do and yet we are called to do it.

We often become myopic when looking and judging others for their sin and at th same time forgetting our own struggles and iniquities--"love the sinner, hate the sin" we might be quoted as saying, but does it actually look that way in practice?

Do we "pray" for others by almost gossiping about other Christians struggles and sins? Or do we actively seek their restoration and sanctification by encouraging and praying with them? We as the local body of believers (and as the invisible Body world over and through time) are in this together. We were created for interdependence with one another.

Go and impart grace to one another today, sowing seeds of peace and restoration among the local body of believers and community that you are a part of, so that God may be glorified.

Purgatorio is Back!

I had thought that Marc over at Purgatorio might go on an extended or even permanent hiatus, but I recently heard that Purgatorio is up and running again.

The Divine Vinyl posts are as great as ever. Check 'em out.

(NOTE: for those who don't know about Purgatorio, it's a site that points out humor in evangelicalism, christian culture, etc.--it's great for a chuckle and in some ways an interesting commentary of the state of things)

UPDATE: The "commentary" that I spoke of is VERY evident in his most recent post, a video posted by someone on YouTube, about how that person abandoned the faith. Such a message should encourage us all to be steadfast, and guard our hearts as well as those of the faith that are near to us.

Ringing in 2008

So I stayed up to watch the ball drop last night (and for those who watched ABC, it's a little tough watching Dick Clark, right? But I'm glad he's still plugging on). Then we watched the fireworks from our porch and that was pretty neat.

I always try to convince myself on the eve of a holiday that I have to work the next day. Why do I do this? Because subconsciously my body reacts differently--yesterday morning, not only because I had just gotten back from a road trip to WV but because I had to work, I would have slept until 9 or 9:30 (yes, that's REALLY sleeping in for me). However, I went to bed at about 12:30 this morning and woke up at 7. Phooey.

So I was awake this morning and thinking of the topic of resolutions and whether to make them, and I thought that often it is what expectations we put on ourselves and the type of help that we use to implement them that causes us to fall short.

Making resolutions in general is similar to choosing what diet to use--a person can look at their weight and state that they are going to cut out several things from their diet only to buckle under the pressure because they have tried to do too much too soon. There is also power in numbers--if you have even ONE person who can do it with you, it can make it seem easier since you've got a friend along in the fight.

I've often made mistakes resolving to make grand changes in my personal devotions. I have bought huge commentaries or books that will help me only to fall from that after days or even weeks.

So, with all of this in mind, I will commit (rather than a more grand "resolve") to moving towards certain goals. Resolutions tend to ask for drastic change (not that sometimes drastic change is never called for). I think that looking at making changes more in the way that our own sanctification works in our walk with Christ can lead to them being more lasting and effective.

But such an attitude must be reinforced by others--no man (or woman) is an island, as John Donne penned. We need each other every day. One price of increased individualism is increased loneliness, depression and despair--every one alive today has (or had) a mother and likely uncles/aunts, grandparents, siblings, but we choose to ignore our resources. Even at church, many check in for service and then run out the minute the service is over! The Church is not a gas station for you to fill up with spiritual fuel and head out on your week! It is a buffet of resources and spiritual nourishment designed by God to help us through this life--Christ guaranteed that we would suffer for His name and that this life would NOT be easy. Is He not faithful to provide the means to endure it?

With all that said, I commit to the following (and I fully hope that anyone who reads this blog would ask me how I am doing):

1. To study (not just read) the Bible for 20 minutes each day, finding a consistent time for this and for prayer.

2. To make a concentrated effort to exercise more consistently throughout the week, not just on the weekend.

3. To spend quality time with my wife once a week (that doesn't involve the TV!)

4. To read one book a month.

And that's it. To me, it doesn't do to have a long list of resolutions and it doesn't help me to make drastic changes that set me up for failure. Any Christian should want to read the Bible more than they did a year ago, if they are progressing along in their sanctification, but even they might not be as consistent in it as they will be in 10 years time. Discipline is practiced and developed, not instantly made. I pray that the Spirit will move upon my heart and give me guidance as I work these out on a daily basis and that most of all that these would all be filtered through a desire to glorify God most of all. For as John Piper has said, He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

Happy New Year to all. May God send His blessings upon you this year.