Greetings Lifers,
On behalf of myself, I’d like to congratulate the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays on winning the wild-card playoff spot last night in “defies description” fashion, and while I am at it, I’d like to thank God for trusting me and the other Christ followers who root for the Team That Shall Not Be Mentioned with the trial we now face (the one where we try to comprehend what just happened to our team). I cling to James 1:2-4 and consider it all joy to be facing this test of my baseball allegiances and sensibilities – I trust that He will lead us into perseverance and make us mature, lacking nothing.
All spiritualizing aside, was that not the craziest night of baseball ever?
So now for something completely different – I watched a squirrel navigate a parking lot the other day from my perch inside the Subway I was sitting in. A funny creature, the squirrel – I watched for what had to be 2-3 minutes and took in these observations:
- Squirrels don’t blink. Like not at all. Their big brown eyes are constantly open.
- They pretty much move in 3-4 step bursts – hop, hop, hop, stop, sniff, pan the scene, repeat. Cautious critters, they are (Yoda sentence there).
- The varmint I was watching (wanna call him Rocky, after the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show? Sounds good to me...) stopped over a man hole cover that had some water pooled on its top. I witnessed my first ever squirrel drink, and even that was done wide-eyed and cautious.
I know – you’re reading and wondering about squirrel talk – where is this all heading? How about here – what can you and I learn from Rocky? As I saw him bug-eyed and 4-hopping through the parking lot, it occurred to me just how careless I can be as I go through life. And no, I'm not merely talking about parking lots. Spiritually speaking, I think victory over flesh and sin comes to those who are carefully navigating the potential pitfalls each one of us face. What I’m saying is that we could all stand to be a bit more perspicacious (SAT word) - vigilance is a Christian's best defense against mess.
So, are you in a situation in life that could lead you away from the righteousness of God? Does the place you work in or the people who work there have like tractor-beam powers over you and you're making right choices? Do you have that old sin pattern that gets triggered when you're in certain environments? Take a page from the Rocky playbook – eyes open, head on a swivel, 4-hopping through the potential mess-makers of life. What did Peter tell his readers about our adversary?
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
All spiritualizing aside, was that not the craziest night of baseball ever?
So now for something completely different – I watched a squirrel navigate a parking lot the other day from my perch inside the Subway I was sitting in. A funny creature, the squirrel – I watched for what had to be 2-3 minutes and took in these observations:
- Squirrels don’t blink. Like not at all. Their big brown eyes are constantly open.
- They pretty much move in 3-4 step bursts – hop, hop, hop, stop, sniff, pan the scene, repeat. Cautious critters, they are (Yoda sentence there).
- The varmint I was watching (wanna call him Rocky, after the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show? Sounds good to me...) stopped over a man hole cover that had some water pooled on its top. I witnessed my first ever squirrel drink, and even that was done wide-eyed and cautious.
I know – you’re reading and wondering about squirrel talk – where is this all heading? How about here – what can you and I learn from Rocky? As I saw him bug-eyed and 4-hopping through the parking lot, it occurred to me just how careless I can be as I go through life. And no, I'm not merely talking about parking lots. Spiritually speaking, I think victory over flesh and sin comes to those who are carefully navigating the potential pitfalls each one of us face. What I’m saying is that we could all stand to be a bit more perspicacious (SAT word) - vigilance is a Christian's best defense against mess.
So, are you in a situation in life that could lead you away from the righteousness of God? Does the place you work in or the people who work there have like tractor-beam powers over you and you're making right choices? Do you have that old sin pattern that gets triggered when you're in certain environments? Take a page from the Rocky playbook – eyes open, head on a swivel, 4-hopping through the potential mess-makers of life. What did Peter tell his readers about our adversary?
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Y’all are careful in the parking lot, you hear? See you this weekend.
Peace,
Mark
Everyone welcome – we need you!!
Any amount of time you can be here will be appreciated. Meet in the back of the Worship Center
Handy items to bring with you:
Wheelbarrow
Shovel
Garden gloves
Lawn Chair
Water Bottle
At the INFOdesk this week:
- Welcome to the Nursery class – Oct 9 | after the 11:30 am service
- Bloodmobile – Oct 9 | after services in the Cry Room
- Bay Life Kids Drama Clinic – Oct 9 | 1:30 pm in the
Student Center - Kids First Step Class – Oct 16 | 10 am in Rm 606
- Welcome Lunch – Oct 16 | 1 pm in the loft register at the INFOdesk
- Worship Night & Artist Forum – Oct 16 | 7 pm in the
Worship Center - Christmas Event Drama Auditions – Oct 22 | 9 am in the
Worship Center
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