Excellent Day

Played disc golf with a couple of my former students. They are awesome guys. I laugh a lot when I hang out with them, especially when I watch them play disc golf. They love God and inspire me to love God too. I've watched these guys grow up since they were kinda young. I've seen them grow in their love for God and it has been a joy to see.

It was an awesome day. Sunny, not very humid (its been like a sauna lately), incredible day. I haven't played disc golf in awhile so I was a bit rusty but I still finished par.

Came home and made arrangements with my car insurance company to get the settlement check from my car accident. Looks like I'll have a fair down payment toward another car.

In the evening I went to a picnic with the Juniors (and their families) that I meet with each week in a Christian support group that we call "men's group." The picnic was great. The families are wonderfully supportive. It rained very hard so we had to move inside. We had a great meeting. We laugh a lot. Humor is a wonderful gift.


"Those who put their trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, that cannot be shaken, that stands forever (Psalm 125:1)."

Cars break, people let us down, we don't get the job we wanted, we don't make the team, we don't impress people we really wanted to impress, we don't make enough money, we don't have enough time to get everything completed, we don't know how to love well, we miscommunicate important ideas to others, our health fails us, relationships are sometimes difficult, loved ones die or leave us, wars and rumors of wars frighten us, the economy worries us, and sometimes nothing seems to work as planned.

I remember when I took a job with an unexpected pay cut. That first year I occasionally found my cubboards and fridge empty. There were times when I literally had no food in the house. I took the job because I believed God wanted me to take it. Why would God want me to take a job that would not allow me to take care of my basic necessities? God used that year to do amazing things in my life. He put me in a place where I was free to be myself and to grow. I may not have had any money, but I was very rich nonetheless. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone that I was not making enough money to pay for necessities such as food. One morning, I woke up, got ready for work, opened the door and three bags of groceries were left on my doorstep. The bags were not filled with cheap no-name brand, "poor people's food." The bag had quality steaks, ice cream, and other good stuff. It even had a cool Sports Illustrated magazine in it.

A few years later my car broke down and needed to be replaced. I had no money. God provided a car anyways. Not long after, it broke down. Within six months, I went through 4 vehicles. At first it was frustrating to stress over the loss of the first two vehicles. When God provided the third vehicle I started to have fun with it. God gives us this day, our daily bread. In other words, our Heavenly Father provides for His children.

God has provided in many different ways over the years. I am learning to trust Him. And I am shaken less and less each time something goes wrong. My confidence in God is growing.

Please consider praying with me:

God is our shield and defender. Let us put our trust in Him, as we pray:

O God, those who put their trust in you cannot be shaken: strengthen in faith those who are afraid. Open the eyes of faith to see your presence. Guard the hearts of the young and the uncertain. Drive the false gods from the temples of our hearts. Let those who have died live on in your peace. May the Lord guard our going and coming both now and forever. Amen.