Just a berry or two

(it's like a milkshake...minus the ice cream of course)

Just a berry or two

For the last couple months I’ve been taking a fruit smoothie on my morning commute, rather than yet another cup of coffee.  The benefits are fairly obvious…several servings of fruit and dairy that I would not otherwise get during the day…and a further reduction of my once prodigious coffee consumption.

Part of the fun is figuring out what fruit we have in the house and how the combinations might taste together.  Frozen strawberries are always a good start with any number of other items thrown in for good measure.  One thing I have learned for certain…it only takes one or two blueberries or blackberries to change the color of the whole concoction in a profound way!

“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” Galatians 5:9

Paul used the illustration above to speak to the danger of untruths or false teaching creeping into the church.  Like yeast in the dough, or berries in a smoothie, a belief or interaction that begins as a small thing can change the nature of an entire community in no time.  The same goes for the story you hear that may or may not be true.  By continuing to spread the gossip along, something that may well be false becomes increasingly accepted as the truth. Use your influence instead to encourage and build others up. Promote positive change and positive outcomes by using the truth!

Thanks for all you do.

Brian

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Volume 7, Number 20

the little things

(little things mean a lot) The little things It’s the little things that I seem to notice. A CEO who eschews the reserved spot to park instead at the far end of the lot.  A worship leader who steps back from the spotlight when someone else is singing or playing a solo.  A senior pastor who sits in the front row, taking notes, when a younger staff person preaches.   Or a manager who takes the time to brush the snow off her teams’ cars while her own warms up.  These small gestures…done largely unconsciously…are a window into the heart of the person.  A humble, serving attitude reflects a deeper commitment to doing what’s right, even when it’s inconvenient. “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10 With his words above, Jesus set the standard that how we handle “the little” extrapolates to our ability to handle “the much”.  If we react anxiously to every perceived problem, how will we handle a full-blown crisis?  If we don’t share bad financial results quickly and transparently will stakeholders trust us when we really need their help? The same applies to our faith.  We ought to give God thanks for the basic gifts of health, happiness and comfort.  These blessings may be small, but our thanks are the least we can offer. Thanks for all you do. Brian <><  Volume 7, Number 19

Great to good

(it's like Coke and New Coke...sort of) 

Great to good

As a musician I enjoy listening to a wide array of musical genres. I especially appreciate groups or artists that are in the top tier of what they do. Sometimes a song that’s been a hit can jump from one style to another and take on a new and interesting life. However, interesting doesn’t always equate to better.  I have commented more than once that a particular Christian group has “the unique ability to take a great song and make it good”. If one had never heard the first recording the assessment might be different.  But when viewed in the context of the original, there is just no comparison.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:19-20

When we view Christ as anything less than the fullness of God we run the risk of making our great God seem like merely a good God.  Putting God in a box that suits only our own needs diminishes the characteristics that might be the very thing those around us are longing for.  Our minds are incapable of fathoming the awesomeness of God…let’s not have our attempt to do so ruin another’s view of the original and amazing work.

Thanks for all you do.

Brian

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Volume 7, Number 18