I thought I would just make a list of things that I am thankful for. In no particular order...
1. Sarah - she simply amazes me. And she is God's perfect gift for me.
2. maturity - as displayed by my eleven-year old son as he interacts with others and make decisions. You are learning well, Jace, even when it's not always pleasant to do so.
3. ingenuity - as displayed by my girls (ages nine and six) as they 'choose' to help me with a project that will elongate their wake time just a bit. I wonder where they got that craftiness from?
4. one year - William turned one over the weekend. Amazing how many blessings can be wrapped up in one nearly-bald little fellow.
5. neighbors who can fix vehicles - where would I be without them? (Other than NOT in my truck scooting around town). Thanks, Jeff!
6. Pilgrim's Ford Academy - OK, so I am a bit biased as the principal. But I love the freedom to take a little break from the normal math/history/reading/language/etc routine (though much of that will continue to some degree) to focus on grandparent-relationship building and a special 'Young Peacemaker' unit to train on 'responding to conflict God's way'.
7. examples like Samuel in scripture - think this guy wasn't something else? Check out what he did in 1 Samuel 15:33! And be sure to read the context as portrayed in all of chapter 15. Um...obedience = good, disobedience = bad!
8. Grace Community Church in Mooresville, NC - I've never been more pleased with what God is doing among us! My brothers and sisters there abound in His mercy and grace...and in sharing it with others!
9. the lack of quality TV - This is not a comment on the programming (have already alluded that in previous posts) but on the reception that our physical set gets. No cable/dish/etc for us. And I am genuinely grateful for I fear the amount of time I could easily waste were it otherwise.
10. the ongoing pilgrimage - we (Sarah and I) have always gone about life as if we are pilgrims on a journey (as I suppose we actually are). We have indeed 'set our heart(s) on pilgrimage' as the psalmist says. New adventures have led to much learning and growing. These are good things for an old guy like me!
Ever grateful,
Larry
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
How Un-American of me!
In order to pursue a new job opportunity that has come my way (now doing some recruiting...if you know anybody looking for a change in work scenery - or just SOME work scenery, go here for job info!, I have jumped into the social networking fray a bit. Facebook (Bower Family) we've done for a while. LinkedIn (Larry Bower) is gaining some momentum. And now Twitter (LarryBower). I have semi-connected with more people in the last few weeks than I probably have previously in 'real life' for decades. And I'm not sure how I feel about it all.
On the one hand, I have met and been exposed to some fascinating people. It is thrilling to connect with like-minded people in far-off places who I would never have met otherwise. But a part of me feels very much out of place. While I, and most of my e-colleagues, use these tools as a means to a productive end, there are certainly those who would appear to 'live' on these sites. Are they just extremely gifted and can accomplish much there and then move on to other endeavors? I'm sure many are. But some of the subject matter and lack of depth and...
Which leads to my current beef with our society and my not fitting in with it. I have seen some patterns develop over time on these sites. It goes something like this: a noticeable lack of activity followed by an obvious flurry of updates regarding the topic of...insert popular TV program here (American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, House, 24, etc). I chose to list these because they happen to be shows THAT I HAVE NEVER ONCE WATCHED!!! Sorry if that entitles me to status as lead-dweeb or something. But I must admit that I can't get over the amount of attention that is given to these and other like fare.
All right, I'm better now. Got that off my chest. Now don't get me started on the awkward similarity of updates/posts from those who very publicly proclaim Christ-followership and those who don't!
OK, time for me to go and confess...
On the one hand, I have met and been exposed to some fascinating people. It is thrilling to connect with like-minded people in far-off places who I would never have met otherwise. But a part of me feels very much out of place. While I, and most of my e-colleagues, use these tools as a means to a productive end, there are certainly those who would appear to 'live' on these sites. Are they just extremely gifted and can accomplish much there and then move on to other endeavors? I'm sure many are. But some of the subject matter and lack of depth and...
Which leads to my current beef with our society and my not fitting in with it. I have seen some patterns develop over time on these sites. It goes something like this: a noticeable lack of activity followed by an obvious flurry of updates regarding the topic of...insert popular TV program here (American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, House, 24, etc). I chose to list these because they happen to be shows THAT I HAVE NEVER ONCE WATCHED!!! Sorry if that entitles me to status as lead-dweeb or something. But I must admit that I can't get over the amount of attention that is given to these and other like fare.
All right, I'm better now. Got that off my chest. Now don't get me started on the awkward similarity of updates/posts from those who very publicly proclaim Christ-followership and those who don't!
OK, time for me to go and confess...
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Surprised by Sovereignty
OK, so I'm reading through the book of 1 Samuel now during my mornings. Now, I like history as much as the next guy, but I must admit that it can sometimes be a challenge to to be reading scripture lately and expect something, um, spiritually significant and relevant. I can be in awe of Hannah, Samuel and the God they serve. I can learn lessons of what NOT to do from those pesky Philistines and those frustrating Israelites. (Hmmm, remind you of anybody you know, Larry?!) I can even witness to the power of the words spoken and realized ("Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?" 1 Sam 6:20; "We have sinned against the Lord" 1 Sam 7:6; "Thus far the Lord has helped us." 1 Sam 7:12). But chapter nine 'wow'ed me this morning.
When Israel asks Samuel for a king 'like all the nations', there are many biblical subplots that this activity feeds. I will limit myself (or at least I intend to) to a peek at God's beauty and power that jumped out from the pages of scripture and into the thoughts that fueled my day. I was reading along about Saul and his servant on their donkey-rescue mission. In true Old Testament form, we are given insight to varied details, some of which seem a bit much. It's like listening to a long-winded speaker that prompts me to want to speed them up a bit to GET TO THE POINT! For 'bottom right column' folk like me, the details can be a challenge at times. So instead of 'Saul and his servant met up with Samuel and were told that he had a special message for them', we are taken on a 'baker's dozen plus' journey through the specifics of donkey whereabouts, understanding parental concern, the going rate for words from the local seer, and the pre-mapquest method of getting where you want to go with the help of the water-fetching crowd. Then verse fifteen reminded me that these very particulars were part of the song of God's sovereignty that was being played out.
"Now a day before Saul's coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, 'About this time tomorrow...'"
God had a plan. Imagine the rest of scripture without this episode. No Saul as king. No David contrasted with Saul and becoming the greatest king in Israel's history. No prophetic word proclaiming that a messiah would come from the line of that same David to save the sins of God's people. No New Testament. OK, maybe I'm reading a bit much into this, but the point is that huge things in the future get a little bit of a start right here with this unique meeting between Saul and Samuel. And it took lost donkeys, a shekel portion in the hand of a forward-thinking servant, and the brave admonishment from a young woman to 'hurry up and get to the high place!'
I would imagine that your day was like mine. Why does the truck have trouble starting again? What am I going to do about that situation at work? OK, I see what I need, but how do I get it? These, um, details are part of our daily existence (hey, donkeys just get lost...it's what they do). But could it be that God is orchestrating something beautiful behind it all?
Take courage. The 'verse fifteen' of your life will happen when it is sovereignly decided to be revealed. In fact, it's happening right now.
When Israel asks Samuel for a king 'like all the nations', there are many biblical subplots that this activity feeds. I will limit myself (or at least I intend to) to a peek at God's beauty and power that jumped out from the pages of scripture and into the thoughts that fueled my day. I was reading along about Saul and his servant on their donkey-rescue mission. In true Old Testament form, we are given insight to varied details, some of which seem a bit much. It's like listening to a long-winded speaker that prompts me to want to speed them up a bit to GET TO THE POINT! For 'bottom right column' folk like me, the details can be a challenge at times. So instead of 'Saul and his servant met up with Samuel and were told that he had a special message for them', we are taken on a 'baker's dozen plus' journey through the specifics of donkey whereabouts, understanding parental concern, the going rate for words from the local seer, and the pre-mapquest method of getting where you want to go with the help of the water-fetching crowd. Then verse fifteen reminded me that these very particulars were part of the song of God's sovereignty that was being played out.
"Now a day before Saul's coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, 'About this time tomorrow...'"
God had a plan. Imagine the rest of scripture without this episode. No Saul as king. No David contrasted with Saul and becoming the greatest king in Israel's history. No prophetic word proclaiming that a messiah would come from the line of that same David to save the sins of God's people. No New Testament. OK, maybe I'm reading a bit much into this, but the point is that huge things in the future get a little bit of a start right here with this unique meeting between Saul and Samuel. And it took lost donkeys, a shekel portion in the hand of a forward-thinking servant, and the brave admonishment from a young woman to 'hurry up and get to the high place!'
I would imagine that your day was like mine. Why does the truck have trouble starting again? What am I going to do about that situation at work? OK, I see what I need, but how do I get it? These, um, details are part of our daily existence (hey, donkeys just get lost...it's what they do). But could it be that God is orchestrating something beautiful behind it all?
Take courage. The 'verse fifteen' of your life will happen when it is sovereignly decided to be revealed. In fact, it's happening right now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
