Opinion. Observation. Application.
We had lunch today with dear friends who lost their son 7 years ago yesterday. He was in his early thirties and had a little baby. The pain of the loss is real. They know he is with the Lord, but the sense of loss is something they continue to grieve. Life is so temporary. The decisions we make in the temporary have eternal impact. We need to live our lives in the moment, but “in the moment” live out eternity through our attitudes and our decisions.
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
I heard the real life story of the generosity of a business owner toward an employee. Actually it was two employees. These two employees had held down the fort during the down turn of the economy. When things got better the owner sold the business, but the two employees kept their jobs. The owner wanted to bless them with extra. He did the best he could. It was a lot of money. He blessed them good. One of the two was thankful and expressed it. The other guy wanted more and said so. (This level of greed is hard to fully comprehend). Further complicating the dynamic of this story is the thankful one was a non-Christian and the greedy one was not only a Christian but a very involved one. There is much more to the story, but it is highly personal. Suffice it to say, we are all living on bonus time, and greed should not have a single minute of our energy. Thankfulness should!
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
Sitting with a dad concerned about his son’s faith and lifestyle brought me full circle again about how important prayer is in our lives to reset the mechanism with in us that wants to “control” situations. We don’t have near the control over anyone or any thing we think we do. It all belongs to God anyway, so what are we waiting for? Give it to God. Whatever it is, give it to God today!
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
One of my doctors has two different offices. They are about 20 miles from each other in different towns. This doctor used to be a neighbor of ours before moving a couple of times. Since we moved closer to his second office, we decided to try it out. By closer, I mean 5 miles verses 15 miles from the house. I know I shouldn’t be, but I was SHOCKED at how different the office atmosphere was compared to the one I was used to. At first I thought: “I’m just getting old and change is getting harder.” But the truth is, the difference in the office atmosphere is/was real. The people in this second office are not just NOT friendly, they don’t really even look at you. Starting with the person at the front desk, the nurse that checks you in, and the person who checks you out, the atmosphere is so much colder. The only thing the same was the doctor. I suppose I will eventually talk with the doctor about this since I have known him for years, but I was also intrigued the doctor seems to be unaware of the difference. AWARENESS is an important quality in living and relating.
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
Prayer is like an on-going texting thread between God and me all day long. Keeping the Bible close by allows me to hear from God in a clearer, precise, and specific way. Every Bible story, every Bible verse, has a nugget of inspiration that keeps us focused and centered on a divine purpose and direction. We need to also be persistent in our prayers. Wear God out.
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
I had one of those days that was supposed to be lighter, sleep in, take it easier. Instead, up at 4 AM and going until 9 PM. Things don’t always turn out the way things were/are planned. If we yield the day up to God, and it is God’s day, then He will use it HIS WAY–not our way.
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
I call them “Beautifully Awkward Moments” (even wrote a book about them)….where God speaks for you to do something that is awkward and you afraid how people might take it. I was at a Church for an annual visit to preach and the Pastor showed me the new Worship Center they were renovating. It was great work. I asked him how things were going financially with it and he told me that he had $10,000 on his personal credit card hoping the Church would get behind the project. I asked him if he thought the funds were in the bank accounts of the individual of the Church. He said he thought so, because people did what they wanted to do, they just hadn’t seen the need of the Church yet. God spoke to my heart–1. Write a check for $1000 to the Pastor personally to put on his credit card. 2. Challenge the congregation by saying God was speaking to 9 other people to do the same thing. (9 people @ $1000 plus my $1000 = $10,000 the Pastor is carrying on his credit card). The scary part is–you never know how people are going to take a financial challenge because (as Jesus taught) “where your treasure is, your heart will be also.” Most importantly–even if I missed what God wanted or spoke to me–there is still Jesus’ teaching “give and it shall be given unto you.” We are just “carrier pigeons” of his resources while spending our time on this planet in between our birth and death.
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
I had a moment today where I made a bargain with God. I say, “If you help me fix this, I won’t be cocky about fixing it.” After three YouTube videos and some effort, I think it was fixed. I find myself making this deal with God pretty frequently these days after buying a new house. It is only 11 years old, but I find myself taking on projects I haven’t done in quite a while, so it is quite a learning curve for me. I like the arrangement though: God helps me, and I give Him the credit. Somehow, I think, that is how EVERYTHING IS SUPPOSED TO WORK!
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
We all have those “cartoonish” things that happen. “Cartoonish” is defined by those things so silly you would see them in a cartoon. In the case of today, it was car batteries. I had a battery loaded up to take to the car dealership and get it replaced AND the grandchildren loaded up to take them home. Next….THE SUBURBAN WOULDN’T START….dead battery. Both batteries dead at the same time! The difficult moment was our granddaughter had to be home at an exact time to take an online class. The upside is: it gave me a chance to problem solve the issue with the two young grandsons. I tried to teach them the purpose of jump starting a dead battery. So thankful for the third car!
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
We got to spend some unexpected time with Grandchildren today. Because we don’t have the fortune of living very close to many of our grandchildren, times like this are precious to us. Can you enjoy time with these kids and miss the others at the same time? You can, but it is difficult. I find myself thinking of it theologically–“I wonder how God feels”……..He celebrates time with us, but at the same time misses those who are “missing” (theologically speaking–LOST). Thinking in terms of how God must feel, takes the edge off how I feel about the immediate situation. If we are able to think in terms of how God must feel, will work in most every situation emotionally when thinking of your loved ones.
Every day is a Bonus Day!
Much Love,
Marc
