It’s Sunday, meaning that for the third week in a row, we were unable to hold services together, at church.
I recorded another video message that folks can view at home, but it’s not the same as meeting together, singing together… praying together. Still though… thankful for technology that makes it possible.
Besides being thankful for technology, here are…
Today’s #3GoodThings
- “Mein Getuige” (Dutch for “best man”): Today is a friend’s birthday… not just any friend, my best man. Bart & I first met in 1995 in Dronten Holland. He was assistant director for the Continental Singers and I had just arrived to spend the next two months touring with them through French-speaking Europe. That was also the summer I met Liz. Bart & I became good friends and when it came time for us to marry, I wanted my best man to be someone who knew both Liz & I, so Bart was a logical choice. 25 years later, since that first meeting, we have been able to maintain the friendship and we were able to do a Skype call today. Very cool. I’m thankful for friendships which, despite time & distance, remain in tact.
- Debt-free: With all that’s going on, it occurred to me that we are blessed to be debt-free: no mortgage, no car-loan and virtually no credit-card debt (it’s generally paid off monthly). This means that we aren’t feeling the same financial & mental pressure as some. Don’t get me wrong… we’re far from living the high life, awash in cash, but the totality our fixed monthly expenses are likely lower than the average family of five. In this context, that’s definitely a #GoodThing
- Joshua 3.3-4: 3 …When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 4 … that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
This was the passage that my message centered on yesterday.
Israel was about to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land. After 40 years wandering in the desert, they were about to go some place entirely new… a place they’d never been before. That resonated with me because we, as this generation of a global society, are in a place we’ve never been before.
Q: What instructions did they receive?
A: As you move forward, keep the ark of the covenant out in front of you.
Q: What did the ark represent?
- It represented the covenant relationship between them and God (In times of trouble / uncertainty… prioritize your relationship with the Lord).
- It contained the tablets of stone… the word of God (In times of trouble / uncertainty… rely on the Word of God… it will give you strength).
- It contained the pot of manna & Aaron’s rod that budded (Proof of God’s ability to do the miraculous).
We’re in times of trouble & uncertainty. Can I humble remind you to pay particular attention to your relationship with the Lord, his Word and his ability to do what would otherwise be inexplicable? These things will give you more strength than 24-7 news, social media or lengthy chit-chat in worried tones.
None of this has taken the Lord by surprise, so who better to help us see our way through it with faith and stability despite the trouble and uncertainty.
Thanks for stopping by.
God bless you richly today!
Looking for some good reading while your other activities are limited?
Grampa’s journal, that I published, comes in paperback or Kindle.
It’s one small way to help support us
AIM Long 