Set Your Mind Above

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I was at Starbucks the other day when this lady came in wearing a shirt that made me do a double take. It said, "Not aspiring to be humble." Wow...it's one thing to be proud out of ignorance. It's another to be proud by choice. 

Without humility, we cannot love. Without humility, we cannot be transformed. Without humility, we are enemies with God and without grace. Aspire to be humble. 

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Have you ever cleaned underneath your couch? You never know what you might find under there. On the surface your sofa looks clean, but when you dig a little deeper and pull it back - there are all kinds of things hiding beneath the surface. 

If we are not careful, this is the way that we can be spiritually in our lives. On the surface we have the appearance of righteousness and godliness, but deep within, unseen, we are anything but that. It's time that we pulled back the cushions and did some deep cleaning in our lives. 

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I started a program called "Reading Buddy" with a local elementary student. It turns out, he is a wonderful reader that just lacks confidence. With some encouragement, he has already grown tremendously, but more than that, we have grown close to each other. 

This is exactly the kind of relationship Paul & Timothy would have, and the kind of relationship Paul expects the older & younger generation to foster together in the church. Sometimes, younger disciples just need some words of encouragement. And in doing so, we will build lasting relationships that close the generational gap. 

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Hurricanes have devastated Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. You absolutely hate to see the destruction and hardship caused to others by these storms. Our prayers go out to all those suffering. 

But even in the midst of so much loss, there has been so much good in response. Christians have banded together to serve others and help those in need. Unity in service have been demonstrated accross the board as together God's people from all over serve those impacted. Sometimes the worst have the potential to bring out the best. 

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Hurricane Helene came through and did some damage to our area, but absolutely nothing compared to other areas of the country. At first, our kids were pretty upset about no power and no tv/internet. But once they learned that that other people were losing their entire homes and communites, that was no longer important. They needed some perspective. 

I think we all do. We can be so entitled, ungrateful, and complain about everything. But if we just gained some perspective, we would learn rather than complain, to be lights, we ought to be grateful. 

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When you become a parent, it's easy to get overstimulated by the end of the day. Constantly being asked questions, touched, etc. Same goes for teachers, btw. I saw a video where a kindergarten teacher was asked a question or had her name said by students to get her attention 627 times! What keeps them from burnout? Why do they do it? Because they love their kids, and love their students. 

It makes you wonder...does God get overstimulated? The short answer is no. Even though his name is envoked millions of times a day, nothing is impossible for God - nor is anything too exhausting. But why does God do it? For the same reasons a parent or teacher would: because he loves his children. So don't be afraid to go to him. Ask. Seek. Knock. 

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This past week, everyone in my family came down with Covid one by one. Everyone, that is, except me. We seemed to be on the upswing, and I prided myself in thinking I had some kind of super immune system to not get sick. I spoke a little too soon, because by the time everyone else had recovered, I was sick. 

Pride comes before a fall. Often we can pride ourselves in thinking we are above some kind of temptation or sin, but that is when we will fall prey to the very things we never thought possible in our lives. Pride is a mocker, first from our heart to others, but then back upon our own heads as we fall headlong into the same traps. Let us have humility, and know that there is no temptation that is not common to humanity. In other words - we are not above anything, if we're not careful, it can happen to us too. 

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Mumuration is an amazing spectacle where birds move in what to the naked eye looks like complete unity. They are capable of doing this because of keen senses that allow them to anticipate the movements of the rest of the flock, and they do not merely look to the bird next to them for cues - but they are in tune with a great number of others all at the same time. 

The body of Christ, if it is to have unity, must work in the same way. We must be in tune with the needs, wants, and work of others. When we are, then we will be able to work and move together as one. 

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We are creatures of habit aren't we? I found myself mindlessly doing a few things this week that made no sense - but I did them anyways simply because I was in the habit of doing them. It was monotonous - harmless, but clearly old habits die hard. 

Well, while these are harmless - if our worship becomes so routine that it is mindless and monotonous - that is dangerous. We must not only be engaged in worship, but have a mind, heart, and will that is equally engaged in worship as well. 

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Welcome back after an extended break from the podcast! It is crazy to think that in just a few short weeks our oldest two kids will be going to school for the first time. It's a big change. But bigger ones will come in the future, because it is our goal to prepare them to leave. While they will always be welcome in our home, we know that one day they will go off to make their own. 

The exact opposite is the case with our walk with our eternal Father. Rather than the goal to be his children leaving, the goal is to bring his children home with him forever. It took a lot of preparation, but through Jesus, we now all have the opportunity to go home. 

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