Unexpectedly Blessed

A few nights ago I did a little search for cheap flights for April. When I need cheering up, this is what I do. I like to dream of new places to explore. And there are so many places.

Well, all the flights to Europe were pricy. All but one.

Stockholm, Sweden was surprisingly affordable. Who would have guessed?

I thought for a little while of the possibility of traveling to Sweden. I quickly scurried the internet for top sights of Stockholm.

Nothing stood out. They have museums, they have city life, many nice restaurants – a typical larger city. But a cheap flight is a cheap flight.

I have often traveled to places by spinning the roulette wheel of cheapest flights on a certain day. Some people throw darts at a map, I let Google Flights lead me to my destination. (Zurich was the cheapest flight 4 years ago and it turned out to be one of my favorite trips…Lisbon was another trip mainly because it was a cheap flight).

Well, I posted on Facebook to get feedback from other people who may have traveled to Sweden to get their viewpoints. Interestingly enough, a handful of people I knew had traveled there and enjoyed it.

But I wasn’t swayed. I went to bed not feeling the need to book the flight. I was at peace with letting this flight pass me by because I was hopeful another one may come and fill it’s place in a few weeks or months.

I woke up with a text from my sister,

Checking my invites. Nope nothing for Sweden.

I rubbed my eyes in shock because I thought she had other vacations already planned and was going to sit this year out from traveling with me.

Lo and behold, she was interested.

Suddenly I remembered, the Nordic countries were on her bucket list.

Instantly, my lackluster feeling ignited to excitement.

I really do not have very many places on my bucket list. I travel mainly because I like to go and experience new places. I may be nervous embarking in a foreign land, but that feeling evaporates when I set foot in my hotel room.

But when I know someone wants to go somewhere, I try and make it happen. I think that gets me more excited about the trip than me going…knowing this is somewhere they really want to go.

So after a few hiccups our flights were booked. So in April I will be heading to Sweden with my two sisters.

After a couple of days of looking at Sweden, I’m starting to find it intriguing.

Reindeer – Check (my sister loves reindeer)

Norway fjords – Check

Snowy landscapes – Check

Possibly seeing the Northern Lights – I’m not holding my breath since it’s past the peak season, but if I get to see them – Check

We have just started looking, but Stockholm may be our starting and ending point, but the Swedish Lapland of the Arctic Circle will most likely be the highlight of the trip.

After a dismal week of hopes dashed, this little unexpected blessing is just what I needed. It’s interesting that even though the three of us are grown, living 3 hours away…we still want to explore the world together.

We survived Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands together…maybe we can knock off Sweden, Norway and Finland with this unexpected adventure.

“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭28‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.28.3.ESV

Or blessed shall we be in Stockholm, and blessed shall we be in the Lapland’s.

Peace

What Are You Thankful For?

I was asked this question this morning and it has brought upon some reflection.

I asked this same question Wednesday night to my group of high school guys. Family was mentioned. Friends was highlighted. People who push you was insightful.

I have a friend who a few years ago started a journal where she would write 5 things she was thankful/grateful for each day. She mentioned how at first it was easy. But then as the days wore on and she didn’t want to repeat anything it got harder.

Harder to find things she was grateful for.

Then she said she started writing everything. Thankful for air. At first she was filling the void, but then she realized she should be thankful for air.

There are so many things we take for granted like the location of earth towards the sun, the tilt of the axis, the gravitational pull of the moon. Things we know, yet overlook because they are so common.

Yet God deserves praise for the common blessings just as He does the individual ones. He deserves us to be thankful for the pollination of bees. Or the way trees and plants receive our carbon dioxide and give us their oxygen.

It’s remarkable how everything has a purpose. No accidents. No, well, there’s no reason for that (except of a higher power.) People use science as a God deterrent, while I find it as a God showcaser.

One thing science may not be able to explain is what I’m thankful for. It may sound strange in the grand aspect of life, but my thankfulness I feel encompasses it all.

Memories.

Yes. I’m thankful for memories.

Just thank about it. Where would you be if you didn’t have them? No fond memories of being with your family at thanksgiving. No loving memories of hanging with your friends when you needed them the most. No appreciative memories of when God was singing over you.

I tell my guys occasionally that God’s greatest invention is the concept of memories.

We have good memories. And we also have bad ones.

But we can use those bad moments in life if we allow them to be used for a greater purpose.

I’m not saying everything that happened was okay to have happened. But I’m saying since it happened, you have two options to let your past control you or learn how to control your past.

One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Psalms. Psalms is full of memories of their past. The good and the bad. The glorious and the tragic. The heartwarming and heartbreaking.

And the remarkable thing about Psalms, each one is used to praise God.

Praise God in the moment of blessings. Praise God in the period of desolation. Worship in times of plentiful. Worship in the days of hunger. Thanksgiving in the hours of joy. Thanksgiving in the nights of grief.

My memories can cause me to reflect upon God’s goodness for His continual provision. But my memories also remind me of when God’s provision came when I didn’t think it would.

The beautiful thing about memories is that we have them. So if we have them, we must have passed through that hard period. We must not have died during that pressing. We must not have taken our last breath during that hardship.

Our memories should prove to us that we made it. It may have been a tough trek through the steep mountains, but we made it through that dismal blip in our past.

And if we made it through the past, we can surely make it through whatever comes our way with His help.

This Thanksgiving I hope you can look back in your memories and see the tears you’ve shed through laughter and through pain. I hope you can remember the smiles you showed through the joy and grunting. I hope you can reminisce on the scars you received and were healed from.

Life is all about perspective.

I’m not saying to gloss over and make every memory a warm fuzzy Hallmark movie. Because we all have had some Psycho moments.

I’m just saying to reflect. To think. To consider.

If God wasn’t there, where would you be?

And then see where you are because He pulled you up out of the muck. He picked you up off of your knees. He carried you through the moments you couldn’t walk on your own.

You may not be where you want to be, but I can guarantee you that God hasn’t left you yet either. He’s still with you.

And if my memory serves me right, He will never leave you.

Happy Thanksgiving

Peace

Packing…Why Worry

I spent the evening packing and getting ready for my upcoming trip. (If you want to join along, I will post often of the highlights).

Counting my socks. Packing a couple extra pairs in case it rains. Stuffing multiple sweaters, long sleeved shirts and polos into a carryon suitcase. It seems I pack two weeks worth of cloths just in case.

Yet, I also tell myself if I need something I’ll buy it over there. So I basically do both. I pack a lot and then I bring home extras.

As I’m laying in bed doing a mental checklist of things scrunched into my bags, I can’t help but smile at the good fortune I am blessed with. Blessed beyond measure that I have too many clothes to pack.

When there are people with only the clothes they have on with no extra pairs of socks in case it rains.

How humbling. How spoiled I have become.

I am so blessed.

In a world where war and fighting is a daily grind, where modern day slavery can be hidden behind our neighbors picket fence, where cancer stalks the assumed healthy, and starvation kills thousands of innocent people daily.

It makes my worrisome attitude toward packing seem so minuscule.

If I forget my razor, oh well. I can buy one. It’s not life or death. If I need an umbrella, I should enjoy the spring shower. Some people are praying for the rain. If I get lost, enjoy the detour. Many people don’t have a home or hotel to rest in.

My measly problems shouldn’t even be worried about. Because everything I’m considering can be easily fixed or corrected.

I wish I could say the same for my friends son waiting on test results. Or the single parents working multiple jobs to keep their children fed and warm.

May we all see the forgotten blessings we tend to overlook. May we also see our molehill problems as just that, molehills. May we open our hearts and our eyes to see beyond ourselves. And may we give of ourselves to those that need a little help.

Peace

The Left Hand Ignorance

I’m not talking about the hokey pokey.

At Christmas time it seems that good tidings are all around. We sing about them in the carols, we watch them in holiday movies, we embrace them through greeting card lines and sentimental memories.

It is the season of giving to those in need. It is the time of year we count our blessings a little more often. It is like charity is an aroma in the air like evergreen and cinnamon.

But has our giving that used to come from the heart just become a thing we do because we have leftover blessings?

It is interesting the motives people give to charities. When a natural disaster strikes we hear of the ultra rich giving a million dollars to the hurricane fund, to the flood relief, to the earthquake victims. And it seems they turn their donation into some kind of publicity and advertising for their latest album or movie.

But it’s not just the Hollywood celebrities that fall prey to the luster of their name being headlined in the newspaper for their donation.

How many schools, hospitals, libraries, churches have wings named after their donors. They will be forever remembered (or until renovations are needed) for their wallet size of possibly that one time gift.

But it even goes on in the small scale. It seems like charities broadcast their donors through ads, thanking them for their generous gift as they list everyone’s donation.

Is this what we’ve become?

A society of people using our wealth to bring a little more attention to ourselves? But we don’t pat ourselves on the back anymore. No, we expect someone else to give us the accolade and an encouraging tap.

I wonder what God thinks of the showy charity donations? Would He be wowed with the large dollar amount or would He shake His head?

And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭12:41-44‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We tend to applaud the big donors, but not God. God doesn’t care of the size of the donation. He cares about the meaning behind it. God can do more miracles with a penny from a widow than He will ever do from a millionaires petty cash fund. We humans think we can probably do more with the millions than a measly penny, but God doesn’t.

The creator of the universe doesn’t need our scraps that we call a treasure. He has all the treasures of the world. He has it all.

He just wants us. All of us. Not bits and pieces of our checkbook or stock portfolio. He deserves much more than what we have.

And God doesn’t want a show. He doesn’t want a flashy, look at me mentality. He wants a genuine heart that gives not to be seen by the world, but seen by only Him.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:1-4 ESV‬‬

May we all give not because it’s Christmas, not because we have some extra money, not to be recognized, not out of guilt. May we give so we can be in communion with the One who gave it all.

God knows the blessings He has given to each one of us. He sees how we squander and waste it. He sees our bad choices and foolish mistakes. He sees our selfish ways and greedy hearts.

Yet He still loves us despite our shortcomings. He loves us so our flaws can be fixed. He loves us so our eyes can be opened. He loves us so we can become His hands and feet to someone who needs His touch.

His love doesn’t cost a thing. But when He gives so much, surely we should want to give it all back to Him. He doesn’t beg for our treasures (since He was the one who ultimately gave it to us to have) but He demonstrated His lovingly sacrifice not just in words, but in actions.

May we learn to give with a pure heart. Give in a way that our next door neighbor, our coworker, our family and friends, our God-loving pew buddy, and even our left hand doesn’t know what we are giving. Give in such a way that it pleases God and God alone.

Peace

The Blessing of a Single Guy

Tonight while I was jogging I replayed the song The Blessing many times. When I first heard the song, I was taken aback because there is a line that I would sing and I couldn’t relate.

May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
Your family and your children
And their children, and their children

I most likely will not have a thousand generations.

For some reason, God hasn’t ignited the notion in my heart to settle down and get married and have kids. I always thought I would, but it just hasn’t happened. (Who knows?)

So when I first sung this song, my heart was a little heavy with the idea of not having a next generation. Not because I want children, but the line in the song is about praying for your children and their children. And I thought, who is my next generation.

Then suddenly, it’s like God knew my heart because he brought up memories and faces of young guys that I have discipled and mentored over the last 15 years.

As I was jogging tonight I started to pray for the next generation in them.

I prayed for the guys who spent the weekend at my house and laid sporadically in my small living room as they played video games til all hours in the night. I prayed for their wives that they have now. I prayed for God to bless them abundantly, not with possessions and good incomes, but they possess a love for God and a contentment in their heart.

I prayed for the guys who I taught weekly on Sunday mornings as I would yell at them to stop running around and just listen to me as other leaders would cycle through like a revolving door annoyed at the immaturity of a group of 7th graders. A group who are now grown adults, living a full life. I see their posts of mission trips, weddings, births and its humbling to think God allowed me just a little time with them.

Just a few weeks ago another one of my guys from years ago texted me for my address…a wedding invitation is coming my way. I prayed for God’s provision and daily grace as he embarks on this new journey with someone by his side.

As I was running with my knee bandaged up, I can laugh now at the moment when my ACL tore as I was jumping around with a group of middle school guys 5 years ago. I pray often for these guys that welcomed me into their lives for 7 years. Now they are in college or joining the workforce. I pray God blesses them with wild dreams they could never dream. Many good memories of laughter and wounds, usually at my expense.

Now, I have a new group of little brothers (I always think of my guys as my little brothers and I’m just here for a brief time to encourage and lift them up). We swim, hike, text, they beat me at video pool, but I can school them at other games. I pray for God to open their hearts.

I used to think that it was my duty to help the next generation.

But really, it is a privilege.

I laugh with some of my older guys and say that if I’m not married when I get older, someone is going to have to take care of me since I won’t have any kids.

So, tonight as I sung the song, I was thinking of my guys. If you’re reading this, you know who you are.

Whether we met on Sunday mornings, or Sunday nights or Monday nights or Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights or hung out on weekends (I later found out that if they invited me, they knew I would pay for their supper…yep, I usually did) I am truly thankful for the memories. And I will always be praying for you and your children and their children.

The Lord bless you
And keep you
Make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you
The Lord turn His
Face toward you
And give you peace

Amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen

May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
Your family and your children
And their children, and their children

May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you, He is with you

In the morning, in the evening
In your coming, and your going
In your weeping, and rejoicing
He is for you, He is for you He is for you, He is for you He is for you, He is for you

He is for you, He is for you

Amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen

I have been blessed. Extremely blessed. They may never know the impact their lives have had on my life. It filled a hole I didn’t know I had. May you always remember God is for you, He is for you.

And if you need anything, I’m always here for you and I’ll always be for you too.

Peace