I was reading in the book of Daniel, chapter 6 (Bible - O.T.). This chapter tells the story of Daniel being thrown into the lions den. Daniel did nothing wrong yet he was punished by others who perceived Daniel as a threat. It was a scandalous thing that was done with the intent of getting rid of the threat - Daniel. After remaining in the lions den overnight Daniel was removed, and verse 23 states, "no wound was found on him."
This raises an interesting thought in me... how can I prevent what others do from wounding me? I listened to stories today from people whose lives were turned upside down because of the words and actions of others. Their wounds remain infected by hate and unforgivness. When you look at Daniel's life you will see that God was the one that protected him from being wounded. Daniel's relationship with God was so firmly established that he did not worry about what others did to him. His relationship with God did not prevent attacks, but it did protect against being wounded.
My time at the Community Connect event went very well. It was God's timing as I had the opportunity to speak with various community leaders, as well as be there for those that needed a listening ear.

Yesterday I read from the book of Isaiah (chapter 40) and was reminded that God is present in my life... all around me. This becomes important to me, especially when based on my circumstances of life, I feel alone. The Christian hymn of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" speaks of the support we have from God. When we cry out to God and when we complain God hears, and he does not grow tired or weary of hearing from us. No one understands like my Jesus.

Today I have the opportunity to work with the community of Livingston Co. and provide services to the homeless and others in need. This is all being done through a coalition of local government and non-profit agencies. It's called Community Connect. I'll share more about my experience at a later time...

My devotional reading took me to Psalm 51 today. This is a psalm of King David when the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. I'm convinced that if anyone ever says they absolutely have no regrets in life... well, they're lying! The regrets in my own life have come from me either doing or saying the wrong thing,... or me NOT doing/saying the right thing. There is a difference here. The 'NOT doing/saying the right thing' encompasses all those times I knew what the right thing was, but failed to do it. And there have been those times that I've done the wrong thing, and then knew the right thing to do to correct the wrong... and not done it (confusing isn't it!). Seems to me that I fail to NOT do/say the right thing more than I do the wrong thing.

Here's a couple of examples of those I observed today that DID do/say the right thing: I picked up a friend from the airport today returning from a business trip to the Middle East. He told me of his experience with a taxi driver while there who was word bashing Christians. Without much thought he tells the driver that he's a Christian and that he did not appreciate what was being said.
I also spent some time today with a couple that gave nearly their entire day to make sure someone they knew got the medical attention they needed. They sacrificed in order to do the right thing.

These are just a couple of instances... I observed many more examples of people doing/saying the right thing. If you ever find yourself with a regret for doing the wrong thing, or NOT the right thing... read Psalm 51 and see how David made right the wrong with God.

My reading took me through Job 38-42 in the Bible. It causes me to stop and proclaim, "What a mighty God I serve." My son, Christian, stopped me this morning in my mad rush out of the house with a huge and kiss... sometimes I'm not certain I know how to respond to such undeserved love. It causes me to have to deal with my pride... will I allow myself to be loved? To be shown such love leaves me with only two responses: acceptance or rejection. Both require an action of my will... both place me in a position of loss. I will either lose my defenses that allows love to be received, or I will lose the opportunity.
Please don't lose the opportunity! How have I responded to God's huge and kiss today?

Welcome to inside my head...
Last Sunday I was made aware of how important communication is with members of our Crossroads Congregation. I have been involved with a lot of community organizations over the past few months, but there are only a few aware of the good things that are happening compared to the rest of the Congregation. Every so often I'll tend to slip in what I've experienced through a sermon on Sunday morning, but I'm learning that many more would like to know what's happening and what I'm thinking... especially if this will directly affect you as a member of Crossroads.

Throughout the week I will attempt to post a brief message of an experience or thought. On Sunday we'll work to have a print out of the weekly blog to insert into the bulletin for those that do not have Internet access.