The Plumbline

We have had this discussion before, but I know it is one of the hardest things to do - waiting on something or someone when you just want whatever it is to be "right now".  I don't think God "wired" us to wait with patience - it must be a "learned" thing because it doesn't exactly seem to come naturally!  If I actually ran into someone who really loved to wait, I think I'd either say they were not totally firing on all cylinders or they are deeply more spiritual than I am!  Since the latter may very well be true, I shall not pass judgment, but stand in awe of the one who can actually wait in patient serenity.  So, for the rest of us who don't really enjoy this process of waiting, let me take a few moments to remind US of something we sometimes forget - we WILL wait if we want God's best for our lives.  If we don't, we might just find ourselves bringing a little misery into them unnecessarily - and we all know how much it takes to ...

If you have ever traveled abroad, you know how awesome it feels to just "come home".  The differences you experience when you are in an unfamiliar country range from what you use for transportation, what you eat, to how you communicate.  There are also the differences in dress, living conditions, and weather, just to name a few.  By the end of your "trip", you find yourself settling down into the security and safety of "being home".  When we come to Christ, entering into his family, we find ourselves assuming a new home, much in the way Ruth assumed a new home when she chose to stay with Naomi many years ago (Ruth 1:16-17).  Yet, this "new home country" is not a burden to us because we have pledged our lives to the one whose home it is!    This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You  belong  here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all...

I don't know what you are observing in your area, but as quickly as the Christmas decorations went on half-price sale the day after Christmas, the Valentine stuff was littering the shelves in my local stores!  If that wasn't bad enough, we actually were in a store where Easter stuff was in the very next aisle!  Now, this isn't "plan ahead" crafting stuff, but the candy to fill baskets with, those cheesy cards you give to classmates, and the like.  We used to make jokes about "Halo-Thanks-Mas" - that season when Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas stuff would all just "blend" on the shelves.  Now we have some competition with "Vale-Trick-Ster" for that season when Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter items just stack the shelves! Can anybody else but me see this as just a little too much?  I think in the scheme of things, we have lost touch with the opportunity to share these "special days" with special ...