Another day, another dollar...

I got to re-seat a toilet today. Ever done that? Have you ever seen what a wax ring looks like after having been under a toilet for several years? (did you know that your toilet sits upon a wax ring to keep it from leaking on your floor when you flush?) They aren't pretty. However they are amazingly good at what they are designed to do. They fill every available space around the drain of a toilet and keep the water from going places it shouldn't. Even after all these years this ring wasn't leaking (there were other problems that required the replacing of the ring.)

How good are you at what you do? It is amazing to me how much more enjoyable a task is if you are good at it. One of the first times I spent any time with Kathy's family after we got married, they taught me to play pitch (a card game.) I was partnered with her dad, and I had no idea what I was doing. we got beat pretty bad, and I thought I'd rather not play that game anymore. However it is a favorite at their house so I had to suck it up and keep at it. While I am in no way an expert, I have come to understand the game and enjoy playing now. There's something to be said for practice.

I've been working on memorizing the book of Ephesians, I think I mentioned that awhile back. Today I finished with chapter one. It's been an engaging exercise and I am slowly coming to recognize some of the benefits of memorizing. Saying these verses over and over kind-of drills them into your head. You might not pay real close attention to the message at first while your trying to get them down, but eventually you start to grasp the words you are repeating. Did you know how obsessed Ephesians 1 is with the grace of God? It's like the writer was trying to pound it into someones head and they weren't quite getting it. Yet as you read these words, your realize, why shouldn't we be obsessed with God's grace? How else are we supposed to get through day by day when we know how much we mess up without a clear picture of God's grace firmly planted in our minds. Living like we are forgiven sinners who have been blessed by God's grace doesn't come easily, it's a practiced thing.(here's the tie in with the beginning) I want to be good at it...

I know this is getting long so I will stop for now. After this final admonition...go read Ephesians 1, and thank God for the grace that He freely lavished upon us in the One He Loves...

Songs I've been thinking about...

Do you ever hear a song that just works itself into your brain and makes you think? I know there are songs like "this is the song that never ends..." that get stuck in your head and just keep rotating around in there, but i'm talking about songs that get in your head and do more than just float around. Songs that start your brain going on an idea and  make you think about life, love, or other mysteries.

Matthew West has a song on his new album called "My Own Little World", Brandon Heath released a song this past year called "Give Me Your Eyes" and I am sure there are others out there in this vein. The basic concept in the songs is that we as Christians often don't live out our faith. Why is that do you think? I recently read a conversation where a gentleman said that he thinks the Jesus of the Bible is simply another "myth/legend" created by man to help us govern ourselves. He went on to say that he had chosen not to believe in Christianity because it was so inconsistent. Do we really live what we say we believe? Do we even really know what we believe?

I think the inconsistence in the Christian faith comes from a couple of different problems. First, I don't think we truly know what we believe... 
⁹ How can a young person stay on the path of purity? 
   By living according to your word.
¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart;
   do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
   that I might not sin against you.
¹² Praise be to you, LORD;
   teach me your decrees.
¹³ With my lips I recount
   all the laws that come from your mouth. Psalm 119:9-13

I've spoken before about my conviction that I have not worked to hide God's word in my heart, and I am starting to remedy that slowly. But truly, how many Christians have truly studied the Bible and based their worldview and lifestyle upon its words? If we were to judge based solely upon the "fruits" of their lives, many of us have missed something here. How can we truly know and believe something that we haven't studied and accepted? 

Secondly, I think there are many times that we have studied something in the Word and we simply choose to ignore it. I mean does God really want us to place Him first in our lives? Before family, work, hobbies, food, sleep, etc... In this command that is found several times in Scripture, we find ourselves lacking true conviction (myself included). I don't place God first in my life everyday. I might want to think I do, and sometimes I might even accomplish getting Him up there pretty close, but the way I spend my time, money, and energy are a testament to the fact that there are other things that often come before God in my heart and mind.

I know that I could spend way more time talking about this, and that I've barely scratched the surface of all there is to discuss here, but it is after midnight and I am tired. Here's the song by Matthew West...you should check it out...I hope it gets stuck in your head and makes you think a bit...