For Want of a Nail

I read this this morning in the July 2009 edition of the Jews for Jesus Newsletter:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of horseshoe nail.

Reminds me to care for that "nail" in my life!

Isaiah 55 (New International Version)

Invitation to the Thirsty

1 "Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

3 Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.

4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.

5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor."

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD's renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed."

Bitterness is Like Drinking Poison

"Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." Ron McManus

Such a silly thought, and yet, we do it all the time. God help us to forgive those who have wronged us so that we can set down our glasses of poison and live in the fullness of God's forgiveness.

You can do it, you know. God will help you! It's a choice.

The Last Day

Today is the last day of my vacation. It's been a great rest, one I anticipated with zeal, but I'll be happy to be back in the office tomorrow and interacting with the people I serve.

I love the calling God has placed on my life and I'm enriched as a person for my acceptance of it. I seek to fulfill it with all of my being.

I've been reading a book about the Adirondack Region while on vacation. Although it's cloudy here today, I'm still going to enjoy the out-of-doors. Winter's coming!!

Speaking of winter, we had frost in Nova Scotia one of the night we were there. July or January, Canada IS north of the border!

Time with a Friend

I really enjoyed reconnecting with my friend, Richard, last evening. We're like brothers and meeting at Tim's for coffee and talk was great. I also got to see their new home.

Hard to imagine that there is a Friend who sticks even closer than a brother - amazing.

Memories abound as I drive the area and reminisce about earlier times when God was building a church for His glory and people eagerly loved others into His kingdom. New life in a church makes all the difference in how a ministry operates. When you don't have it, you're just playing games with yourself as church people, pretending that you matter. Holy clubs are irrelevant clubs unless new members are being added by faith!

Naomi has an apartment inspection today so I need to get to helping her.

Sunny in Halifax today!!!

Twitterer

Yes, I'm a Twitter bug, too: adirondackexplo is me, too.

An Interesting Wednesday Sighting

Today we just spent time together as a family. We visited my daughter's worksite and met some of the residents/patients, toured the old stomping grounds where we used to live, visited a Christian bookstore where friends have their business, visited the Public Botanical Gardens, and then had supper with great friends.

At supper, I saw a man enter, have supper, and leave. We made eye contact. It was not until he was almost out of the restaurant that I realized it was the former Premier of Nova Scotia, recently defeated in provincial elections. He was once at the zenith of his political career; now he was just being Dad to his young son. I bet his boy was happy Dad was out of government!

Kingdoms rise and fall while family support us and our best values. I choose family!