Can you imagine a pre-bronze age carpenter wanted to join two pieces of lumber together? Boring holes and inserting wooden dowels or stakes was a daunting task, I am sure. Then along came the discovery of heating iron ore to metal. Shaping of metal soon took hold and the nail was birthed. The invention of this simple design provided for ever-expanding advances – think about it, you are surrounded by nails in your house, office, the chair you sit in and even the bridges you drive over.
However as common as nails are today, this hasn’t always been the case. For instance, the early pioneers of America often burnt their homes to the ground when they moved in order to obtain the nails used within. Nails were nearly priceless to the early settlers.
Even as priceless as the nails were to the early Americans, there were nails that were worth much, much more. The nails I refer to are nearly 2000 years old – the nails used on Jesus when he was hung on the cross. These nails, driven through flesh and blood, hung the Incarnate at Golgotha until His last breath passed. Three days later, our Lord Jesus Christ overcame the death that the nails helped to obtain and thus our sins were washed away.
During this Holy Week, I hope you will focus on the grace of God through our Lord Jesus. Happy Easter, He is risen!
Josh
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
2011-04-03 -- Take time to live
Don’t let life get in the way of living.
I think we all struggle at times to balance our lives: we juggle work, leisure, family, church, etc. to accommodate schedules. I’m guilty of this – maybe more so than most! Sometimes we must really look deep inside ourselves and the activities that we have planned and analyze whether or not certain events are really worth the stress that comes with be “booked up”.
I really started thinking about this this past weekend as I was sitting around the nursing home with my family as we were spending time with my granddad. Despite the situation and the reasoning for us gathering together, it was nice to take time and just be with loved ones. I, for once, was not stressing about the next thing I had to plan or worrying about getting chores done or fixing this-or-that, rather I sat quietly with granddad, prayed with him, read the bible to him, sat outside on the porch with family, held my baby nephew, watched Barrett play, and just relaxed.
I think we all too often overlook the simple pleasures in life while worrying about schedules, deadlines, and worldly things. I know what some of you are thinking, “Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black?” Sure. Nevertheless, there is still a lesson to be learned here. None of us know when life is going to take a sudden change. While we can’t ever really be fully prepared for a drastic change to come our way, we can live, I mean really live, a life that rewarding, fulfilling, and without remorse. Don’t run through life without living, my friends. Sometimes things can wait.
Josh
I think we all struggle at times to balance our lives: we juggle work, leisure, family, church, etc. to accommodate schedules. I’m guilty of this – maybe more so than most! Sometimes we must really look deep inside ourselves and the activities that we have planned and analyze whether or not certain events are really worth the stress that comes with be “booked up”.
I really started thinking about this this past weekend as I was sitting around the nursing home with my family as we were spending time with my granddad. Despite the situation and the reasoning for us gathering together, it was nice to take time and just be with loved ones. I, for once, was not stressing about the next thing I had to plan or worrying about getting chores done or fixing this-or-that, rather I sat quietly with granddad, prayed with him, read the bible to him, sat outside on the porch with family, held my baby nephew, watched Barrett play, and just relaxed.
I think we all too often overlook the simple pleasures in life while worrying about schedules, deadlines, and worldly things. I know what some of you are thinking, “Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black?” Sure. Nevertheless, there is still a lesson to be learned here. None of us know when life is going to take a sudden change. While we can’t ever really be fully prepared for a drastic change to come our way, we can live, I mean really live, a life that rewarding, fulfilling, and without remorse. Don’t run through life without living, my friends. Sometimes things can wait.
Josh
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