SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

“Ted Engstrom insightfully writes: “Cripple him, and you have a Sir Walter Scott. Lock him in a prison cell, and you have a John Bunyan. Bury him in the snows of Valley Forge, and you have a George Washington. Raise him in abject poverty and you have an Abraham Lincoln. Strike him down with infantile paralysis, and he becomes Franklin Roosevelt. Burn him so severely that the doctors say he'll never walk again, and you have a Glenn Cunningham -- who set the world's one mile record in 1934. Deafen him and you have a Ludwig van Beethoven. Have him or her born black in a society filled with racial discrimination, and you have a Booker T. Washington, a Marian Anderson, a George Washington Carver. Call him a slow learner, "retarded," and write him off as uneducable, and you have an Albert Einstein.” 
― Charles R. Swindoll, The Quest for Character/Improving Your serve/Strengthening Your Grip

PSALM 148-150

4For the Lord takes delight in his people;

he crowns the humble with victory.

5Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor

and sing for joy on their beds. (149:4-5 )

1 CORINTHIANS 11:16-34

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

JOURNAL 

Sitting at a campground this morning at Little River Canyon. It's been a great week and really it's been an incredible past few months. I have seen things unfold in my life that I would never imagined were possible. In many ways I still can't believe it all has happened. Although I can easily get caught up in reasoning how and why, that is really a fruitless activity. The best for me to do is to stay focused on today, being grateful for this moment and seeking to obey God. It doesn't mean that I bury my ability to plan, reason, think etc. It just means that I don't become dependent on that ability over being  thankful and focused on today.

That really is hard because as humans, our ability to project and plan and reason is one of our greatest gifts, yet it also can be a curse if we begin to depend too much on what we hope will happen, rather than living life from the reality of now. Now is the gift, not tomorrow, next week etc. To do so requires incredible discipline...discipline that is far from easy or natural. That lead me to think about the different habits in my life and the reality that the more I do something, the more likely I will be to repeat that behavior. If I am disciplined to following God, then my default behavior will be to do so. However if I am conditioned to going my own way and counting on people and things rather than God...then I will tend to continue...especially when under stress or in difficult situations.

So disciplining myself to practice my faith...no matter the circumstance, is what is required. However it is not a grit and bear it faith but rather we are promised that joy and love are there no matter the earthly circumstances. To have faith means I trust God in all things, in all trials in all victories, in all suffering, in all pleasure. It is to be the one and only constant.

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

MATTHEW 5:3-10