Discipleship

Media Mealtime and Multitasking

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Priority

It came to me today that my efficient manner of layering tasks one over the other is not God’s best for my life. So in my own battle here are a few things that God is helping me to do.

Prioritize- God first in my day. No media till after prayer. The phone is on but I won’t even glance at it till after prayer, morning coffee and breakfast. This might seem like a no brainer but for me it has been a welcome return to those slower starting pre-cell phone days. This little time is the first fruits of our day and should belong first to God.

No Media at Mealtime!

Have you seen families sitting in a restaurant paying good money for food but paying little attention to one another while they text or play games on their cell phones? The scarier part of this is we might be more likely to do this ourselves at home. It is time to liberate mealtime from the dictatorship of media! That includes eating alone. How can we even taste the food if our attention is elsewhere? God gave us a 3 times a day appetite so we would have 3 opportunities a day to give thanks and then enjoy what He has given us!

Mini Media Fasting

The attitude of the 21st century might be summed up by the phrase “No cell phone left behind!” But unless we are the President or an on duty 1st responder, the truth is the world will not miss us for 30 minutes. While I do admire folks who go off grid for a month; I confess that I am not there yet. But half an hour on my morning walk without a cell phone I can do. Maybe for you that might be time at the gym, a visit with a neighbor- (cell phone left behind) or an hour fishing. So why not give these ideas a try this week? You might be amazed at what God can do with just a little bit of our time that we liberate just for Him and His purposes!

This Little Salt of Mine

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You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. Matthew 5:14 ESV

Being the salt of the earth gets a lot less attention than being the light of the world. After all when was the last time you heard anyone singing, “This little salt of mine!”? When people think about the salt of the earth they vaguely picture plain and ordinary folks. On the other hand, when my mother used to say that sailors were using “salty language”; she meant something quite different. Then what exactly is there about salt that Jesus is urging us to understand?

It may help to remember that salt comes up from mines deep in the earth. Its uniqueness is that it is totally different from the soil around it. In the same way, when we became Christians God dug us up by His grace and brought to the surface for a special purpose. His grace has transformed us and so He asks us to let that grace flow through us to transform our own little part of the world. Every day He gives us the opportunity to demonstrate the difference that grace has made in our lives; not to try to fit in and become like everyone else. When Jesus prayed that we would be in the world, but not of it He was asking that His grace would flavor everything and everyone around us. We are on earth for such a short time, so why don’t we start singing, “This little salt of mine; I’m going to shake it out!”

SAM_0311

Three Lessons from Laura

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But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! John 15:7 NLT

My little friend Laura is just 1 1/2 years old. Because Laura is a Down’s Syndrome child some people have few expectations of her abilities but in her special way she has already taught me three of the most important lessons about faith.

As I sat with her at the church picnic she smiled bigger than any of us “normal” folks because she knows that only this moment counts. By her laughter she is pointing the way to the bottomless well of joy just resting in Jesus.

When Laura’s Mom or Dad come to pick her up she wiggles and snuggles deep into their arms. She doesn’t have to work up courage to go because she is confident that she can go anywhere in the world as long as she is with them.

When she waves her arms reaching out for what she needs she is not ashamed. Whether she is asking for her book a kiss or a cookie it is all the same. She is delighted to ask for anything trusting that her parent’s love is the guarantee she will receive.

Thanks Laura for the lessons and thank you Lord for sending her!