Go Tell It On The Mountain

Human nature contains an element of desiring to tell news. I remember the flurry of calls early on the morning of September 11, 2001 as we all tried to process the situation. There were the tons of texts after Michael Jackson unexpectedly died in June. I live in a small town where news of local interest is on everyone's lips.

I pray that Christians carry that telling urge into the spiritual realm. There is an element to 'the telling' threaded throughout the Gospel story, from Jesus' humble birth being proclaimed in Luke 2: 17--"When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child," to His glorious resurrection news in Matthew 28:8--"So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples," and finally Jesus' words to all of us in Matthew 28:19-20--"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." May we be encouraged and exhorted by these words...and may we go and tell a hurting and lost world!

Daily Renewal

Life is so cyclical! Whether we grab a bologna sandwich or dine on a gourmet meal, we'll get hungry and need to eat again. No matter if we've gotten the best night of sleep ever, no distractions, perfect bed conditions, sweet dreams....still gotta sleep again! And I've noticed that much of our preparations must center on meeting these basic physical needs....in the planning of events, trips, and activities.

So let's take this to a spiritual level...and I must ask myself, do I hunger and thirst after righteousness and the Word of God on such a regular, routine basis? Do I seek to rest in Him daily? I just get so frustrated with how basic and "down to earth" I always end up being, rather than looking at things from the spiritual point-of-view!

My prayer, Lord, help me starve for Your Word and long for Your rest and comfort....

Price vs. Value

My husband and I have decided to try a new venture. We're now renting a little 4 x 8 space at the local flea market and joining with other "venders" to sell some of our junk/treasure. Before putting any item in the booth, it has to be tagged with our dealer number, a description, and the price. Dealer number, no problem. Description, easy. Price? That's where things get tricky! Things that I really like, I tend to put a higher price on them than maybe they're worth. Conversely, things that might be really valuable I could mark way too low if I don't know much about them. That's turning out to be the hardest part of this whole experience!

As I was struggling to price items this weekend, I started thinking about how in a small-scale way, this is what our world can be like. We put really high price tags on things like power....fame....wealth...importance....beauty. We view other things as worth a lot less--service....love.....humility....kindness. Like the diligent collector who may get a good deal from my booth for $1.00, we need to seek out these more valuable qualities. Priceless.