Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

This morning I found myself searching for songs to add to my playlist. I have decided I want a list of songs to play while I run. As I've shared before, I don't particularly enjoy running, but we have committed to this 5K at the end of October. Running becomes tolerable when I can blast worship music and simply be with God. I was in search of particular version of a hymn from the 1800's titled "Jesus Paid it All." The Passion conference worship team did a rendition of it 5-6 years ago and I quite enjoy it. Anyway, in the search for the song, I got to reading about the lyrics.  I have always been drawn to the refrain because of it is a reminder of Jesus' incredible gift to us.  It goes: "Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." The images portrayed by the comparison between a crimson stain and white snow are vivid. Dark red stains are the type of stains that just don't come out. Th...

Louisiana is a special place to me. While I am not from there, I feel like it is home. I lived there for my college years and met some of the finest people I have ever met. The southeast Louisiana culture is one that is refreshing. The sense of family and community run deep in the small towns that litter the bayou.  Seeing pictures of the wreckage after Hurricane Ida was difficult. I was hearing from friends when they returned home from evacuation. They stated it looked like a warzone. Their places of work were destroyed and their livelihood is at risk. Schools remain closed and superintendents commit to reopening instead of being closed for the year. Thousands remain without power. September heat in Southeast Louisiana can be stifling to endure without air conditioning. Not being there, it's easy to get on with our routines and to ignore the tragedy God's people are enduring. The news cycle moves on to other affairs and the people left in Ida's wake are ...

Last week our family began to join Julie for her 5:30 am workouts. We have committed to do a 5K together. So, we are doing one of those couch to 5K programs. I absolutely hate running. I know my athletic physique may be state otherwise. However, I do like the way I feel after I workout.  Anyway, today was the start of school for the kids. Even with this they wanted to workout. We decided to help us all get ready for school and work. We'd shower at the YMCA. So, we packed bags with all of our needed supplies. Turns out I forgot a few items. Nothing major, but just enough to throw me out of rhythm. With the new routine, I was seeking the comfort of having what I needed. I wanted to have all of the tools to get the job done. Yet, I didn't have them.  I thought about how this resembles life. God often calls us into something new. Maybe it is a new service opportunity at church or new LifeGroup. Or maybe it is something larger like responding to a calling to t...

My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways, - Proverbs 23:26 The concise message of many of the Proverbs is powerful to me.  The invitation above is simple and to the point yet has significant depth. It is a transactional exchange. We give our hearts and in exchange we delight in His ways.  Seems pretty simple, right? The proverb starts with, "My son…" Simple and easy to glance past to the rest of the Proverb. However, it is significant because children have a special place.  They are dependent on their parents to support their most basic needs.  Food, shelter, clothing are just the tip of the iceberg. Parents provide protection and educate children in the ways of the world. Parents love their children in a very special way. God establishes that bond as He calls out to us and makes no doubts as to our relationship.  We are not only children, but His children.  He asks for not part of our heart, but the whole thing- even that...