Fianlly today...rather tonight, that is, I am EXCITED about the coming of Christmas for the right reason.
I must confess that in the busyness of this time of the year, as a CEO of a retail company, I have let my excitement about the coming of Christmas be too focused on the reason that SALES GO UP! A cell phone under every tree...stockings full of accessories...direcTV and high speed internet for all! Sales, Sales, Sales!!!
Tonight as our Worship band played at Church the words to the song, "Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the King"...as my oldest son came in from college and gave me a long anticipated hug...as I read a Christmas story with my 8 year old...as I stopped and took time to read David Jeremiahs, "The 12 Ways of Christmas" and as I stopped to read my favorite story...the story of the REAL Excitement of Christmas...
7And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:7-11).
A Savior, a Gift from God; A Savior who is Christ; A Savior to Redeem the World; A Savior to give us Hope; A Savior God with us; A Savior...the Good News of Angels...the Good News of Heaven...the Good News from God...the Good News for US!!!
So...let us remember...and let us CELEBRATE the Excitement of Christmas, not in our trinkets or gifts or decorations or lights or Sales or even time with families, but let us celebrate the REAL GOOD NEWS...a Savior, Christ the Lord. It is the only reason that will last...forever.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thanksgiving 2009
Over the past couple of weeks I have been sending out to the APEX team things I am thankful for each day. The list is immense of all the things that we ALL can be thankful for...and I have only touched the surface as I have covered family, Mr. Randal, APEX team, food, shelter, clothes, health, job, Sundays, etc...
On October 3, 1789 George Washington issued the nation's first presidential proclamation in which he called the nation to set aside a day for giving thanks to that "great and glorious Being who is the beneficient author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be...".
President Washington also added the follow words:
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor..."
So, I think the biggest question today on November 25, 2009 is..."AM I THANKFUL?".
If you are reading this, God has given you life, health, eyesight, breath, food, a computer (lol). What would you pay for any one of those items (ok, exclude the computer).
They are invaluable and can't be bought...can't be bartered for...they are GIVEN by the MERCY of God.
I know I can be an Award Winning Critic. I can point out what isn't right, where it needs to improve, what needs to change. Sometimes this is needed to get better...to be the BEST!
I am thankful for Thanksgiving which allows me to focus on all of the many blessings that, as GW said, "is our duty to acknowledge". And...as a follower of Christ, there is so much more of Eternal Significance to be thankful for...heaven, grace, peace, joy, inheritance as an "heir of Christ", and the presence of the One who has given, is giving and will give us all that we have.
What a reason to celebrate this year. Don't miss the moment with busyness, but enjoy this thanksgiving and, above all, "be thankful".
tm
On October 3, 1789 George Washington issued the nation's first presidential proclamation in which he called the nation to set aside a day for giving thanks to that "great and glorious Being who is the beneficient author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be...".
President Washington also added the follow words:
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor..."
So, I think the biggest question today on November 25, 2009 is..."AM I THANKFUL?".
If you are reading this, God has given you life, health, eyesight, breath, food, a computer (lol). What would you pay for any one of those items (ok, exclude the computer).
They are invaluable and can't be bought...can't be bartered for...they are GIVEN by the MERCY of God.
I know I can be an Award Winning Critic. I can point out what isn't right, where it needs to improve, what needs to change. Sometimes this is needed to get better...to be the BEST!
I am thankful for Thanksgiving which allows me to focus on all of the many blessings that, as GW said, "is our duty to acknowledge". And...as a follower of Christ, there is so much more of Eternal Significance to be thankful for...heaven, grace, peace, joy, inheritance as an "heir of Christ", and the presence of the One who has given, is giving and will give us all that we have.
What a reason to celebrate this year. Don't miss the moment with busyness, but enjoy this thanksgiving and, above all, "be thankful".
tm
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
What Happened to October?
Wow...have you ever been SOOOOO busy that you lost a month? Now that I am 40 something I lose lots of stuff? Where are those keys? The other sock (who is that one legged guy that gets in the dryer and steals ONE of each of my socks anyway?). And the remote control...gee, they need a clapper for that thing! Anyway, just looking back at my last blog post from SEPTEMBER and it occurred to me that I "lost" October.
That seems a little more auspicious than a sock or keys or the Power (that's what we call the remote)...to lose a month? Wow. Ok, so I suppose I didn't "lose" it, but it was certainly BUSY! No time for facebook, twitter or blogs. Just the basics man, just the basics.
But hey, October was a family milestone. Our firstborn, Lauren, our "little bitty", turned 21 a couple of weeks ago. Seems like just a little while ago when we were reading books together at bedtime, getting her tucked in just right (it was a ritual requiring perfection), dropping her off at Kindergarten and watching her backpack almost touch the ground, hugs, laughter, piano, and...of course...watching Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster and friends OVER and OVER and OVER!!! It was the best of times...
Now we are at that 21 "adultish" stage (albeit still on the family payroll...grin), where it is cell phone calls, emails, lunches, text messages, brief trips home and PRAYER!!! Quite different for a dad that still thinks of her in much smaller terms. Much joy has Lauren Elisabeth brought into our lives...may God continue to bless her and guide her every step of the way.
Alright enough rambling...time to move to the present, to Thanksgiving...one of my very favorite of times as we get together with families and count the millions of reasons why we are thankful. A tradition we intend to start this year is the "Thanksgiving Tablecloth". Essentially it is a white tablecloth (or any light color will work), where we will each write the things we are thankful for this year. Then, each year we will add to it. Wished we had done it years ago. The list would be LONG!!!
Be thankful!
tm
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Heroes
Several weeks ago, the Sunday class I was leading, and I were walking through the book of Philippians (great read by the way). We got into a discussion about the difference between Celebrities (who we might have called Heroes when we were younger) and real Heroes. We discovered age has altered many things, including our perspective on Heroes.
The events of the last few weeks have led me to continue reflecting on some real, live, in the flesh, Heroes in my life that I have blessed me by "seeing how" they lived their lives.
You know my heroes as a kid were pretty cool....at the risk of dating myself I'll share a couple. One of my early favorites was SUPERMAN (the REAL Superman you know...faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, LOOK...up in the sky...its a bird, its a plane...its SUPERMAN!!!!....yeah, that one), Bob Gibson (still remember riding in the car and listening to that no hitter), Magic Johnson (the early years), Willis Reed (ok, I was a Knicks fan), and certainly I can't leave off the Lone Ranger (who was that masked man??). I dreamed about being a NBA basketball star, so many of those guys were, I thought, my heroes.
Well, a few years have passed...I'm a little older, a little wiser and a little grayer (why can't you get the wiser separate from the grayer...I really didn't want the combo pak). The lure of the NBA dream has long since faded...and besides, I really can't stand tattoos so I wouldn't have a chance. My heroes have transcended upwards, beyond the shallow outward trivialness of my youth, to people that have a "substance" beyond games or the big screen or the pursuits of folly that we sometimes find ourselves consumed by today.
Three weeks or so ago, we celebrated the going home of my Uncle Thurman. Uncle Thurman was a slight man, maybe 130 pounds soaking wet, with a great silver comb over (yep you can picture that can't you...not an imposing picture). But add a never ending infectous smile, a tremendous love for people and a passionate love for God and you get my Uncle Thurman. And, at his memorial service, hundreds and hundreds of people whose lives he had touched passed by...each changed by this man...each who would testify that Uncle Thurman was the "real deal". As one man said, "he went to the hardest and most difficult and just kept on loving them".
The week after was another celebration, not of the passing of a saint, but of the continuing life of a saint as we celebrated Grandpa Jack's 93rd birthday. As a little Baptist country preacher of 70+ years (and counting), his eye is dimmer, his steps are more feeble and his 5'6" frame is challenged each day to do the daily basics of life. But, the love of the Lord, the Word, family, and people still burns brightly...and his life is a testimony of service. Not service in great crusades or grand stadium events, but in little mission start ups, in homes, in hospitals, beside those who had lost loved ones, beside those who were struggling, beside those who just needed a word of encouragement. Always there, always pointing people in the Way.
This last weekend marked the 50th anniversary of my Mom and Dad. A Mom and Dad who have showed me what it means to be true to each other, to serve God faithfully, to do the right things in life, to cherish the things that are REALLY important. My Dad's favorite verse in the Bible has always been (long before you saw it at Lifeway) Joshua 24:15, "as for me and my house we will serve the LORD". And contrary to alot of folks that just put Joshua 24:15 on the mantle, they lived it...every day...every week.
I think that today, mixed in with the gray hairs, I have truly found my Real Heroes. Heroes...each of them...not overnight, not flash in the pan, not receiving great accolades or notoriety in this world...but "laying up treasures in Heaven", and providing life long examples for "future generations".
May we be Heroes such as these.
Blessed to be a blessing,
Tim
The events of the last few weeks have led me to continue reflecting on some real, live, in the flesh, Heroes in my life that I have blessed me by "seeing how" they lived their lives.
You know my heroes as a kid were pretty cool....at the risk of dating myself I'll share a couple. One of my early favorites was SUPERMAN (the REAL Superman you know...faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, LOOK...up in the sky...its a bird, its a plane...its SUPERMAN!!!!....yeah, that one), Bob Gibson (still remember riding in the car and listening to that no hitter), Magic Johnson (the early years), Willis Reed (ok, I was a Knicks fan), and certainly I can't leave off the Lone Ranger (who was that masked man??). I dreamed about being a NBA basketball star, so many of those guys were, I thought, my heroes.
Well, a few years have passed...I'm a little older, a little wiser and a little grayer (why can't you get the wiser separate from the grayer...I really didn't want the combo pak). The lure of the NBA dream has long since faded...and besides, I really can't stand tattoos so I wouldn't have a chance. My heroes have transcended upwards, beyond the shallow outward trivialness of my youth, to people that have a "substance" beyond games or the big screen or the pursuits of folly that we sometimes find ourselves consumed by today.
Three weeks or so ago, we celebrated the going home of my Uncle Thurman. Uncle Thurman was a slight man, maybe 130 pounds soaking wet, with a great silver comb over (yep you can picture that can't you...not an imposing picture). But add a never ending infectous smile, a tremendous love for people and a passionate love for God and you get my Uncle Thurman. And, at his memorial service, hundreds and hundreds of people whose lives he had touched passed by...each changed by this man...each who would testify that Uncle Thurman was the "real deal". As one man said, "he went to the hardest and most difficult and just kept on loving them".
The week after was another celebration, not of the passing of a saint, but of the continuing life of a saint as we celebrated Grandpa Jack's 93rd birthday. As a little Baptist country preacher of 70+ years (and counting), his eye is dimmer, his steps are more feeble and his 5'6" frame is challenged each day to do the daily basics of life. But, the love of the Lord, the Word, family, and people still burns brightly...and his life is a testimony of service. Not service in great crusades or grand stadium events, but in little mission start ups, in homes, in hospitals, beside those who had lost loved ones, beside those who were struggling, beside those who just needed a word of encouragement. Always there, always pointing people in the Way.
This last weekend marked the 50th anniversary of my Mom and Dad. A Mom and Dad who have showed me what it means to be true to each other, to serve God faithfully, to do the right things in life, to cherish the things that are REALLY important. My Dad's favorite verse in the Bible has always been (long before you saw it at Lifeway) Joshua 24:15, "as for me and my house we will serve the LORD". And contrary to alot of folks that just put Joshua 24:15 on the mantle, they lived it...every day...every week.
I think that today, mixed in with the gray hairs, I have truly found my Real Heroes. Heroes...each of them...not overnight, not flash in the pan, not receiving great accolades or notoriety in this world...but "laying up treasures in Heaven", and providing life long examples for "future generations".
May we be Heroes such as these.
Blessed to be a blessing,
Tim
Friday, September 11, 2009
WHY This Blog?
Ok, so thanks to my wonderfully talented oldest daughter (Lauren), I now have a BLOG. Woo hoo. I guess that makes me a "Blogger" which is better than a "Logger" I guess. As I have thought about this, the first question I had to answer is, "why in the world would you want to have a blog?". Only interesting people like Bro. Matt or Bro. Mark or philosphers have a blog.
Well, to tell you the truth, it first came up when I was talking to our APEX attorney about how to handle prayer requests and religious type stuff for our Company. Of course, I really don't think too much about that...everyone knows APEX is a company that exists only because of God's blessing, and we try to operate it in a way that brings Him honor and glory. But...it started me thinking about being a "Blogger" (what a cool word...since I have reached my 40's I feel like some days I am just "blogging" along...).
Anyway, not sure which direction this will go, but hey...I have started everything I have ever done without really knowing how it will go. Gotta have Faith! So if you have a prayer request, a comment, a word of encouragement or, like I am sure I will be sometimes...just feel like being CRAZY...then throw it on here!
Well, today is 9/11...a day that we all remember. I was reminded this morning of Matthew Henry's quote, "who can tell what the day may bring that begins with a bright morning?" and of the Psalmist words that were memorialized in that great kids song which reminds us that "This is the day that the LORD has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it".
Today is a great day, a day of opportunity no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in because it is a day we have been given...to do GREAT things...or to waste. What shall we do?
Blessed to be a blessing,
Tim
Well, to tell you the truth, it first came up when I was talking to our APEX attorney about how to handle prayer requests and religious type stuff for our Company. Of course, I really don't think too much about that...everyone knows APEX is a company that exists only because of God's blessing, and we try to operate it in a way that brings Him honor and glory. But...it started me thinking about being a "Blogger" (what a cool word...since I have reached my 40's I feel like some days I am just "blogging" along...).
Anyway, not sure which direction this will go, but hey...I have started everything I have ever done without really knowing how it will go. Gotta have Faith! So if you have a prayer request, a comment, a word of encouragement or, like I am sure I will be sometimes...just feel like being CRAZY...then throw it on here!
Well, today is 9/11...a day that we all remember. I was reminded this morning of Matthew Henry's quote, "who can tell what the day may bring that begins with a bright morning?" and of the Psalmist words that were memorialized in that great kids song which reminds us that "This is the day that the LORD has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it".
Today is a great day, a day of opportunity no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in because it is a day we have been given...to do GREAT things...or to waste. What shall we do?
Blessed to be a blessing,
Tim
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