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 ...

Calling Jesus our Lord is so common in Christianity (for obvious reasons), but do you ever really think about what that means? To be honest, it's quite difficult, because we don't really have "lords" around that we regularly submit to. Here's a good verse, though, that illustrates what it means to have Christ as Lord: Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 1 Peter 3:13-15 To me this says that it's easy to make mankind our lord, as we fear others and their opinions. But making Christ Lord means we remember that He's the one we have to give account to, and He's the one we ultimately answer to. This is a game-changer, as we can walk about in freedom,...

Lately, I've been sucked into the habit of after-lunch chocolate. It's been a long-lasting battle for me, with plenty of successes and failures over the years, but when you just ate some garlicky left-over spaghetti for lunch, chocolate seems to be the perfect thing to cleanse that palette. But too much of this and those cheeks start to chub, so I often vow to stop heading for the M&M's and/or cookies after lunch. Day 1 might be a victory, but by Day 2 the walk by my neighboring cubicle and its renowned candy stash is too hard to pass up. By Day 2.5 I've caved and feel like a failure, citing the old palette cleanse as a viable excuse. But tomorrow is a new day! So after a morning pep talk, the battle begins again...okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but we've all been there to some degree. And so I think this is a good illustration for the fight of our lives, described by Paul in Romans: We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold a...