Overflowing with Thankfulness???

As i was doing my quiet time today I was reading in the book of Colossians. In Chapter 2, verse 6 and 7 Paul is talking about being rooted in our faith and continuing to strengthen that faith. But he goes on to say that we are to overflow with thankfulness. As I was thinking about this, this one small verse really hit me today. I mean i feel like I am rooted in my faith and I believe I work on strengthening that faith. There are times I could do mch better at that I know but I feel like I am a rooted follower of Christ. We all struggle with our walk from time to time and we all struggle from time to time to really get into the word and soak it up. it happens to everyone at diffrent points in our lives. The christian life is a struggle as anyone who professes to follow Christ knows. But it was this next part that kinda called me on the carpet today. We are to overflow with thankfullness. Wow is that hard sometimes. We all know that even in our darkest times we have things things to be thankfull about but sometimes its realy hard in those dark times to overflow with thanksgiving. And it began to make me think. Being thankfull doesnt have to mean overly bubbly does it? Overflowing with thankfullness does have to mean that everything in our lives are going great and that we have to put on a happy face for the world to see but I think it does mean that we have to be able to put things in prespective. I mean we all know life isnt always fair and that life doesnt always make sense. But maybe what Paul is trying to say is this; Life is life and it may not always be great and it may not always be what you want it to be but that as followers of Christ we are called to keep things in prespective. That we should always be able wipe away the clouds and know that through it all we have things God has given us to be thankfull for. Is this easy, heck no. Thats why Im writting about it…it stepped on my toes. But it hit me as important because I think I forget it alot. I have much to be thankful about and showing my thankfulness doesnt have to be a fake smile or acting like all is wel in the world with me. Its being able to keep a prespective on life that all isnt well with me but that God is still God and that He has still given me things to be thankful for.

Peace and Love,

The White-man

Hardrive Hypocrite….yay thats me!!

Well as I sit here today i am still a little peeved. You see someone broke into my office last week and stole my laptop and an external hardrive. The hardrive had all my pics and music and work from college and seminary but it also had Jaimes computer stuff on it to. All her music and all her pics. And it got me thinking. What kind of person steals from a church you know? Remember when you were a kid and doing anything in a church was so much worse than doing it at home. Like when that kid from the down the street would cuss and someone would say….ooooooo you cussed in church..haha Or if someone stole something from a classroom, someone would say……ooooooooo you stole from a church (usually the kid who says that is the same everytime, you know the annoying girl who knew everything…hahaha) But in many ways it kinda shapes our mentality about church. You dont mess with the church. Its sacred or something and its not to be touched. I promise I’m getting somewhere with this.

See I’ve always been one of these people that has said things like. “I hate when people treat the church like some kind of musem.” Or, “I hate when people say you cant do this or that because your in a church but when you take two steps out the door its ok.” We all have heard the verse that says, “where two or three are gathered their I will be also.” So its always drove me crazy those people who act like the church is not to be sneezed in. But as soon as my computer was stolen my immediate reaction was, “that jerk stole from a church!” So after thinking about it. Does that make me a hypocrite? Did it make it worse that he stole from a church? Well of course no. But its what I was thinking. I guess its really easy to be hypocrite in some way isnt it. This is a really strange example of that I know but it was one of those things that made me think. So here it is world I’m a hypocrite. Just wanted to clearify where I stand in this world. And if you see a silver Dell computer or a red Western Digital Hardrive call me. I need to go share Jesus with whoever stole it. (by that I mean hit the person with my Bible……well ok maybe not.)

Peace and Love,

The White-man