Well this is my last post..on the site. I am moving over to here. I am sure that some will get annoyed at this, but I believe that the new site will allow me to do some more things and it allow more interaction. If you would be kind enough to click over there and add me to your readers or whatever you do to visit, I would totally appreciate that.
I will leave this site running for a few days and then it will be shut down. Thank you.
Drip Jesus,
Michael
I have an amazing ability to lose my keys. This is something that I have always done. At our house we have the sterotypical key-holding-thingy that we can hang our keys on, but I guess mine just get up and walk away in the middle of the night. It always seems like when I lose them, my wife is sleeping and I have to wake her up to help me find them. I have found them in all sorts of places: the refrigerator, my door, my sock drawer, and even in the sink. They are nearly alwasy misplaced.
There is an estimated 10 billion stars in the sky. That’s just mind boggeling to think of. The amazing thing is that God knows them all by name and none of them is missing. How awesome is that?
I come across so many people who feel insignificant. They don’t feel like they are important. They feel like God does not care. They feel like God didn’t put them up on that key-holding-thingy. Here’s the thing: God knows who you are and he cares for you more than you can fathom. You are not misplaced like a set of keys.
Take comfort that the creator of the universe will not and has not ever misplaced you. You are way too valuable for Him to do that.
Here’s an old post that I thought you may enjoy:
Thursday evening I received something that completely caught me off guard in the best sort of way. I received a card from someone (not going to name him because I know he probably doesn’t want any recognition) that had a hand written note inside. I am not sure why, but Thursday had been a difficult day and when I got the letter it totally changed everything. My day had been brightened.
This made me think: how often do we go the extra mile to do something kind for someone? Seriously, I cannot remember the last time I took the time to handwrite anything. (Most of the time, I send a text or an email)
We all love to be loved and appreciated. So today, I encourage to take the time to write someone a letter or maybe call them on the phone. Doing this one simple act may be the one thing that brightens their day.
It may seem small to you, but to the person on the receiving end, it may be huge.
I have been debating whether or not to share this for about a month now. I decided that it was something that definitely needs addressed. I recently read Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff and loved it. Jonathan Acuff has a ridiculously funny way at looking at things that we Christians do. I seriously laughed so hard at times that I cried and literally read some of the chapters aloud to my wife who laughed as well.
I would recommend the book, but what I want to discuss was my experience purchasing it. When I went to purchase it, I could not find it on the shelf, so I asked an employee if they could help me find it. She goes over to her computer and looks it up and says, “Oh, it’s not a spiritual book and it won’t edify.” I told her that was cool and I STILL wanted it. I then began to share with her that it’s okay if we laugh. I told her that we can STILL be a good Christian and laugh and some of the silly things we do. (There is an article in the book about the side hug, which Christians invented)
What concerns me is this: What if it had been someone who was a new Christian? What if it had been someone who gets easily offended? I know that she meant well, but someone else may have been hurt deeply.
Seriously, it’s okay to laugh.
Jim Forman is the lead pastor at Sedley Baptist in Virginia. Jim is, I think, the first person to ever read my blog and has come to be a great friend. You can find him daily On the Brink of Something Large where he writes about his thoughts on leadership, pastoring, and his daily walk. You can also follow him on twitter @jim4man.
I would like to thank Michael for asking me to step in today and guest post. It is an honor and a privileged to be able to share on The Perkins Blog.
Have you ever had a zit? Maybe you call them pimples. I am sure you have at least had one in your life or maybe two. Well, I was luckier than most because I had an over abundance of them in my life. I just did not have the little black or white head zits though, I had mammoth ones. At the age of about 14, I had probably the worst case of acne any of you have seen or it would have rivaled the worse you have ever seen. For me, I just did not have acne but I had what the doctor called sever cystic acne. It would be a zit but it would be huge and it would swell up and it looked nasty. I just would not have them one at a time I might I have 20 to 50 of them. When they were gone they would leave a scar. I to this day carry a plethora scars on my face, neck, and back. The acne left what look craters on those areas. As a matter of fact, I had a Drill Sargent during basic training call me Crater the whole time. It was bad news for me on many different levels.
Now you may be wondering why I am tell you all this. Well, when I was a teen boy I hated to look in the mirror. When I looked in the mirror I saw what I looked like and I did not like it at all. I avoided looking in mirrors because I did not want to be reminded of the ugliness that I saw but I never understood how I really looked. As I thought about all this, I began to wonder if that is why some people do not read their Bible. They might read a devotional or something along those lines but not necessarily their Bible. The Bible in James 1:23 tells us this: For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror. What does that mean? Let me share what Adrian Rogers said about this: We glance at the Word of God. Many people even call this glance their “morning devotions.” We open the book, glance, say “I’ve done my duty—a dose a day keeps the devil away,” then we’re on our way. But we’ve not really looked into the Word of God. We snatch a look in the Book. We don’t pause because we don’t really want to see. We’re like a gnat bouncing around from place to place. God doesn’t reveal much truth to people who glance.
I never really understood how I good looked until I got older and the acne was gone with help of medication. We never really get to see ourselves or God by just glancing at the Word. Let me again point you to what Adrian Rogers says about this: Then when we gaze intently into the Word of God, we see the reflection of Jesus Christ. The Bible mirrors Jesus, showing Him to us in His regal glory and splendor. Without that revelation in the mirror of His Word, we cannot know fully know Him or be changed into His likeness.
2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us this truth: we all, with open face beholding as in a glass [mirror] the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
So let me ask you – are you looking in the mirror or are you just taking a quick peek? Do not miss the splendor of Jesus and His glory that is found in the mirror of His Word because of a few zits!
Sharing is polite: 
A while back I mentioned that I had an aunt in Ohio who had been battling cancer for nearly 30 years. On April 19, 2010 she went to see Jesus.
Growing up my aunt and I did not have the best of relationships. Actually we both were pretty mean to each other. She would always come up and tell me to pull my pants up because I looked stupid “sagging” them. (and one time she actually came up behind me and pulled them up) And I would do my best not to talk to her because every time I did, she would say something along those lines.
We moved away from Ohio when I graduated college in 2006 and them moved back in 2007. (crazy, but that’s another story) When I moved back, her health was deteriorating. At the time I worked as a manager at McDonald’s and she would come in daily to hang out with her friends. You would think that the stressed relationship that we had previously would be there, but it was gone. We actually enjoyed each other. There was reconciliation. She told me how proud she was of the man who I had become and that she loved me and we prayed with each other in front of about 100 people at McDonald’s during breakfast. (it was awesome)
I am writing this today so that you may be encouraged. Many people have relationships that have been destroyed and need reconciliation. The problem is they are scared to do anything about it. I am telling you to take that step of faith and reach out to them. You will be rewarded and God will be given glory. If my aunt and I hadn’t done this, I would be torn to pieces today because I would not be given another chance to reconcile.
Do you have any relationships that need restored? If you need prayer for this feel free to leave a comment, I know that I and the community that read this daily would be glad to assist.
Kim, you will be missed. I love you.
I mentioned a few days ago that I have been running a lot lately. Well as it turns out I had not been running near as much as I thought that I had. I had thought that I was running about 3.5 miles around my neighborhood. I have no clue where I got this number from, but I was convinced that this was how far I had run. Well, the other day, my wife and I decided to measure the distance with the odometer in the truck. Come to find out, I had only been running 1.7 miles. This was about half of what I had thought that I was doing. It’s funny to think about now, but at the time I was annoyed.
This really has really challenged me this week. I began to ask myself what other areas of my life have I given myself too much credit for? I wondered about my work. (Am I working hard enough?) I have wondered about my relationship with my wife. (Am I giving her the time that she deserves?) I have wondered about my parenting skills. (Am I as good of a dad that I would like to think I am?) I have wondered about my responsibilities as a Christian. (Am I witnessing to people like I should?)
Have you ever thought you ran further than you actually did? It’s time to hop in the truck and measure everything with the odometer.
Sharing is Polite:
Once a week, I typically have a post that has my favorite links of the week on it. It is called “Totally Didn’t Come Up With This.” This week I thought that I would do something different.
It seems that there is a lot of parody in the blogosphere, which is okay. (not really) My friend Bill wrote about being who you are this week as well as did I.
I love blogging, I suck, but I still love it. My one goal is to encourage and spread Christ’s love. With so many awesome bloggers out there it is easy to say, “I’d love to write like that…I think I will.” There are so many people who I enjoy reading weekly that I have to keep focussed and be original. (who God created me to be)
You know what? I’m okay with that. I am happy being who God created me to be and so should you. So be original, be yourself.
Sharing is polite:
