YONDER BREAKS

A friend and I were on a business trip to Lynchburg, Virginia recently, when one of the clients got us free tickets to a year round ski and snowboard mountain called the  Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre.  It's a synthetic material that looks and feels like rigid carpet, developed in the UK by BRITON Engineering Developments, so riders can hone their skills in and out of season. We were both skeptical as to how "carpet boarding" (as we called it) would treat us, but the results were a fun night of unexpected riding. A sprinkler system sprayed mist intermittently to help ride, but it also made you slide out -- the only real criticism I had of the mountain. Liberty University is a non-profit institution, and so they were kind enough to spend some extra funds on this little slice of imitation-wintery fun, with free rentals and admission for students. The general public can enjoy the mountain as well, with nominal charges at $5-7 (per hour) for admission, and $12 e

For some reason I was thinking about this this morning... A lot of times in the bible, God says he desires mercy and justice: Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Proverbs 21:3 "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." Hosea 6:6: "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." It occurred to me this morning that all of this was a set up, or foreshadowing, for the Messiah, and a true example of God's character. God had mercy on us by forgiving our sins, but He is still just, and our sins required payment. The Messiah came and paid for the sins, and thus came this very physical picture of mercy and justice. He exemplified the thing He desires from us. God set the example just like any father should for his children (because we all know "do a

I was reading in Malachi today and some interesting stuff came up that is worth sharing. It starts off pretty heavy, with God responding to accusations from His people that He doesn't love them. He  gives a reason proving His love , but then asks: "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" (1:6a) It seems the Israelites had been offering blind and crippled animals on the altar, instead of their best. God then says, "Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" (1:8b) I started thinking about things in my life where I'm giving God second, third, tenth place...and the truth is that most of what I give God is not my best, and would not be acceptable in other relationships. One of the most basic and practical ways of honoring God is giving Him time, and even with that I know I fail daily. At best, I'll