Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

There is a company out there that can give you all of the information about a used car before you buy it. You can see if it has been in an accident and how often it was serviced. They will even identify the locations where the car was purchased. It seems you can see just about everything from this report. Some car dealerships proudly boast that they only sell cars that are accident free. I'm not sure what they do with the used cars that have been in an accident. It's hard to believe that a car that was broken on the outside then repaired would not be acceptable. They clearly take cars that were and may still be broken on the inside.  This Christmas I find myself thankful that it doesn't work the same with God as it does with cars. Whether we are broken on the inside, outside, or both God accepts us. I'll take it a step further, He pursues us and goes to great lengths to be near to us. He sent his only son to live as we live, face temptations as we do...

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...