Only God Can Judge Me

Have you heard this term before?  Recently this saying has become very popular in many non-Christian subcultures.  I have seen it spray painted on walls, printed on t-shirts, and most recently tattooed across the chest of one of the youth I work with.  Even though I have not yet had the chance to talk with this teen about the reasoning behind this decision, I can't help but think through some questions as to why this saying has become so popular.

Is it a way of justifying actions?  Is it a way of doing what I want, the way I want, when I want?  Is it just a saying?  Does it even have any meaning to the people who are saying it?  Is it just a fad that will fade with time unlike this young man's tattoo?

To be honest with you, I don't know the reasoning behind the sudden popularity of this saying.  I do know that Jesus is truth and that His teaching in Matthew 7 is something we should not take lightly.  When I saw this tattoo my first reaction was to judge, and I don't know, maybe you're judging right now too.

I think that before we do anything else we need to pray.  Pray for forgiveness so that we will not be hypocrites and for this generation that tends to believe that their own thoughts and actions are more important than their Creator's.

Grace & Peace,

Dave

A High Flying Adventure

It’s been a while since I have felt my nerves at work. My hands were a little sweaty. I recognized that I was breathing a little more shallow than I would normally. What was causing this uneasiness? You might find this a little silly but it was all due to my taking a little ride in a little plane.



Back in July, I was blessed by a friend with the gift of a flight around the city of Toronto in a small plane that he has access to. My friend is both a pilot and a certified flight instructor. Very capable and fully qualified for what we were about to do. As I sat in this little plane or what I would prefer to call the “tin can”, I realized that I was about to put my fate into the hands of this good friend and the equipment he had us sitting in. By the way, so you get the picture, the two of us are jammed in, shoulder to shoulder sitting on what looked like 1950 camper seats. With this said, my number one thought as we taxied out to the run way was p to pray that the Lord would bring me to my family, safe and sound.


To keep this tale short and to the point I must tell you that the take off, flight and landing went off without a hitch. My friend’s flight skills were impeccable and I quickly began to relax and lose all the nervous tension that I had began this adventure with. In other words I found myself trusting him completely and he didn’t let me down.


This little trip caused me to do some thinking about my relationship to God. Way too often I am the one doing the “flying” in my life and putting God in the passenger seat. When I or anyone takes the control we should be very nervous. It’s when we allow God to take the controls of our lives that we can start to truly relax and enjoy this flight we call life.

Psalm 91:1-2

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Blessings in Christ,

Alan

Alone!

Ok...so I just read my blog on "summer slowdown" from July 7 (have you?) and now my summer vacation time has arrived!!

Summer vacation!  Just the words have a nice ring. Through the courtesy of the "post-dated post" option, I'll be away on vacation when this blog is actually posted. Cool!

As I retreat from normal activities for a time, I take comfort in the fact that even Jesus had some mini-vacations along the way: "After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray." (Mark 6:46)  King James says "there he was alone."  Jesus did this several times...I looked them up!

Mountainside...prayer...alone! Sounds like a good strategic plan for at least some of my summertime vacation.  How about you?

Gotta go now?  Remember, I'm on vacation...