Lent
This is just a quick post, at about 2:03 am on Feb 18th I have decided to give up something for Lent. What will be challenging for me with this Lent sacrifice is that I am not giving up a physical thin necessarily, but I am going to work to give up spending my time and money on me. I am still prayerfully considering what this will look like, but I have some ideas.
I will not be spending money to buy food for myself only. Now I could get legalistic with this, but that is not the idea. What I mean is that if I am buying groceries for my family, thats fine. If I go out on a date and we are going to a resturant I will buy food for them and for myself. What this also means is no buying sodas for myself when I am at work, no buying snacks, I need to plan ahead and have food and drinks where I am going of be happy eating and drinking water (yes I know technically its not eating water, unless its ice).
This also means that the new snow pants/jacket I wanted to buy is out the window. The LED flashlight, not for me. New videoo games, even when using RewardZone points so as I am not paying for them, no more. I am committing to not by myself anything for the next 40 days. How will I do, I don’t know. I am however, incredibly excited and scared to see what amazing lessons God has for me in this experience.
Whiter than Snow
Riding in the car with my mom today I was looking out the windows at the snow. Living near Pittsburgh, there is a lot of it out the window to look at. I have piles along my driveway that are at least 3ft tall, and may around my cul-de-sac much larger. But, what I noticed today was the dark, dirty, ugly snow along the side of the road. Not only was it along the edge of the road, but because a plow had been by recently that dirty disgusting snow had been flung into the clean white snow further in. And my mind traveled to
Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
In Psalm 51 David is coming before God and admitting his sin. He is testifying to the fact that he has sinned, and asking God to forgive him and to cleanse him so he might spread God’s message and sing praise once again. I know that a lot of people know this verse, even if they don’t know where to find it (I admittedly knew the verse and the reference to snow, but had to do a search to see where it was in the Bible).
When I thought of this verse and its reference to being washed whiter than snow I thought of the pure, white pristine snow. To bee whiter than that, to be clean and pure before God is an Awesome thought. Then I see this dirty snow, encroaching on t pure white snow. It starts at the edge, just some dirty slush, turning the snow near it a dingy brow. But as time goes by vehicles go by splashing it further and further into the pure white snow. Then a plow drives by with the scoop down and the dirty slush is flung a few feet into the snow. Its dirty brown marks all over what was once pristine white snow.
I saw this and I thought about my own life. How I come before God, acknowledge my sin and struggles. I am reminded that by Christ’s sacrifice I am forgiven and washed clean. I am made whiter than snow. But, if I do not do this continually throughout the day, if I do not take the time to read my Bible, to praise and pray to God throughout the day, I soon become like the snow on the side of the road. I get a dark edge to me, I notice myself becoming more agitated with customers, or annoyed by family members. If I continue like this people continue moving through my life and like the cars they stir up the slush, they splash it on the pure white areas near the edge. I might act on my frustration, treat a customer rudely, or yell at my brother or sister. Eventually some stressor comes along that acts like the plow and just flings the filth further into my life. I watch a show I shouldn’t, I keep looking at a woman and let my mind drift, I become covered in the dirt and grime of the world.
What I took from this thought, this visual expression that came to mind is that I need to daily continually come before the Lord and be cleansed. I need to seek God out and have him wash me as the day goes on. I cannot just be washed once and be clean forever, much like the snow keeps coming here in Pittsburgh, and falling atop the old dirty snow making everything clean and white again, I need to continue to seek out God and have him make me whiter than snow day after day.
Awesome Videos on Failure
I was reading the Forums at 3DayRespawn and found an interesting discussion on what one person precived as a failure. The brotheers at 3DR lifted him up and reminded him through 2 great videos of 2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Blizzard of 2010
I live about 30 min North of Pittsburgh and this past Friday we got dumped on by snow. When my family went to shovel out our cars and our driveway Saturday morning a neighbor went to the center of our cul-de-sac and measured 21.5″ of snow. A great experience came out of this snow storm, and it was all of the neighbors in our cul-de-sac helping each other clear our driveways, and helping to dig out the snow plows that got stuck. It was great watching everyone come together and lend a helping hand, to watch neighbor helping neighbor.
Some pictures form that can be found here
It took three hours to shovel everyone out, and then we got a reprise. An hour later we put the snow blower, and shovels into the back of my dad’s truck and went off to shovel out my brother. We got there and I manned the snow blower to take care of their alleyway and the area in front of their garage. While I was doing this Matt and Dad used the shovels to clear out the path form the garage to the house, and from the house to the front gate. I also used the snow blower to go down their sidewalk. When I got to the end I ran into my brother’s neighbor who thanked me for taking care of that part for him.
My small group has finished reading Forgotten God , we have just started to read through Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
Tedward's Ramblings 