20 years together - Wow!

Two decades ago Cindy and I thought we had love figured out. Rose petals flew and we began THE adventure ... and God has been good and gracious beyond our dreams. We spent the last couple days at a B & B overlooking the harbor where our reception was held. We laughed about 500 people jammed into a $300 reception hall, the church pot-luck style dinner, and how naive we were. If you were there, thanks. If you weren't, thanks for being here now. Here are some photos.

Fresh Bread

It so easy for me to worry about the future, wondering if I’ll have the spiritual, emotional, or material resources I might need. It is then Jesus’ prayer becomes so instructive.

“Give us today our daily bread,” Matt 6.11.

But how come this bread delivery apparently never lasts more than a day?

I believe it is because God only promises to provide for the next step in our journey. He never promises bread for next week, or next month. Only for the next step. God doesn’t want us to store up a warehouse full of blessings and then not have to turn to Him for another couple years. Instead He wants us to trust him for new reserves every day.

I’ve been thinking about how committed God is to this principle:

· In the Old Testament wilderness, God provided Manna for His people – but only one day at a time. They woke every morning dependent.

· In Matthew 10, Jesus comforted His disciples saying if they were persecuted, in that very moment, God would give them the words to say. No words ahead of time, so don’t rehearse them.

· In Philippians, as Paul faced an uncertain future, he was confident that whatever he faced, God would give him sufficient courage at that time. Courage is only earmarked for the time it is needed.

In other words, when you get there, so will the resources. That’s why it’s daily bread.

Starting upstream

When we go camping in Yosemite, we have a favorite spot to park our tent trailer because of the creek running close by. Just a small creek. It’s a trickle of water, really.

But if you follow the creek upstream you will find that it branches off the Merced River which is usually gushing. Follow it further and you get to Mist Trail which takes you to the thundering Vernal Falls. Beyond that you'll reach the Emerald Pools fed by the amazing reserves of high elevation alpine snow.

It occurs to me, that if I compare that water flow to the dialog God invites us to have with Him, I usually start my prayers at the creek. I start my prayers where I live, where I camp, where I dip my feet. I usually start with my concerns and send them upstream to God. Then I sometimes try to maneuver my prayers in such a way as to get God’s attention, maybe even impress Him with my ability to navigate up falls.

How different it would be to start my prayers upstream where the flow begins. When I start there it becomes altogether different. When I start there, it's as if God’s will, like fresh mountain water, gushes down into the lowlands of my life. I think that is what Jesus had in mind when He taught us to pray: Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

Headed to a Marriage Conference

I'm making a quick trip to Bakersfield to teach at a marriage conference over the next couple days. It's just Friday and Saturday; I'll be back to preach on Sunday. thought I'd try out a few of the things I intend to say on you.

Some key points about communication:

• Good communication takes humility. We must let go of the need to be right and embrace doing right.
• Check what you hear. Don't assume you understand the question or the comment the first time -- take time to clarify what is behind the comment or question.
• Listen for feelings as well as facts.
• Learn to express what you desire. It gives your spouse the ability to be successful at loving you.
  

What about you? What have you learned about good communication?