This Day....

"Eighty-four thousand heartbeats. One thousand four hundred and forty minutes. A complete rotation of the earth. A circle of the sundial. Two dozen flips of the hourglass. Both a sunrise and a sunset. A brand-spanking-new, unsoiled, untouched, uncharted, and unused day! A gift of twenty-four unlived, unexplored hours.

But here’s what you need to keep in mind. You no longer have yesterday.
It slipped away as you slept. It is gone.
You can’t change, alter, or improve it. The calendar reads left to right, not right to left. You no longer have yesterday. You do not yet have tomorrow. You can’t live tomorrow today. You can’t spend tomorrow’s money, celebrate tomorrow’s achievements, or resolve tomorrow’s riddles.

You have only today.
This is the day the Lord has made. Live in it.
Don’t heavy today with yesterday’s regrets or acidize it with tomorrow’s troubles. We sabotage our day, wiring it for disaster, lugging along yesterday’s troubles, downloading tomorrow’s struggles. Remorse over the past, anxiety over the future. We aren’t giving the day a chance. How can we? What can we do? Here’s my proposal: consult Jesus.
The Ancient of Days has something to say about our days.
He doesn’t use the term day very often in Scripture. But the few times he does use it provide a delightful formula for upgrading each of ours to blue-ribbon status.

Saturate your day in his grace. “I tell you in solemn truth,” replied Jesus, “that this very day you shall be with me in Paradise” -Luke 23:43.

Entrust your day to his oversight.
“Give us day by day our daily bread” -Luke 11:3.

Accept his direction.
“If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me” -Luke 9:23.

Grace. Oversight. Direction. G-O-D"
(Excerpt from Max Lucado's book -"Every Day Deserves a Chance")

Found this as I was reviewing and re-living a conflict from the past...and worrying how tomorrow would play out...I was about to totally miss TODAY.

God, Thank You for all of your direct and pertinent messages.

In His Dust,
DCC

Worship with Libby...

I know someone that can worship, better than anyone else.

Oh, I know, its not a contest in God's eyes.....

but to earthly eyes- she stands head and shoulders above the rest of us.

We all know there are many ways to "show" that we are worshiping.
We kneel, stand, sing, hum, clap, When we “worship” God, there are many different physical ways...bowing down, kneeling, standing up, raising our hands towards God, etc.

However, when you see Libby,
You will not "see" her hands clapping.
You will not "see" her standing up.
You will not "hear" her singing.

However, what you will see.....

is True worship is "choosing to actively glorify God with your life. Worship is, ultimately, about a whole life – heart, mind, soul, and strength – given over to God, for his use, and joyful service:
a life that glorifies God"

“I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6.

Worship, my friends, is not about singing....or standing up....or raising your hands.

God, Thank You for Libby and her example of true worship.

In His Dust,

DCC

Antlers...

It's true...sometimes God doesn't give us the answers we are looking for.

Sometimes all you get is....a spoon and a fork.

May I suggest, we use what we got.

He equips us with exactly what we need.....exactly when we need it

"For the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer."

~1 Peter 3:12

God, Thank You for answering us at all.

In His Dust,
DCC

*Cartoon by Cuyler Black

http://www.inheritthemirth.com/

Coach...

What makes a good coach?

He goes out on to the field with you.

He cheers you on from the sidelines

He is as close as your very shadow.

he will show you exactly which way to goand when you don't understand- he will get even closer.....
and patiently show you again...and again...and again... a good coach is there to listen to your troubles-you can bring your friends to him-
he cares about everything-even about how sooooo very, very, tired you are....when you need to take a break- your coach will be right there....
He has all the time in the world just to...be with you.

Then when you feel like you can't go on....

He will hold your hand, lead you back out and finish the game with you.

He is tall and strong- and can look up ahead to know what is coming....

When the game is over...win or lose it's all good....

because your Daddy is The Coach.

God, Please, teach us to picture you IN the game with us more often....and not coaching from the sidelines.

In His Dust,

DCC

Miners...

"I was down there with God and the devil- and God won! He brought me up!" -rescued miner.

it's amazing to watch-isn't it.Actually watching people rise from the pit

August 5, 2010....33 men went to work and didn't come home.

they remained in the pit of what must feel like "hell"

October 13, 2010...over 2 months later, rescue workers jumped for joy as the drill pushed through the last inches of a nearly 2,050 foot-long shaft. Live on TV....we all watched...or you caught the news this am.....either way....you saw it....relatives of the miners ran up the side of the hill above the mine waving Chilean flags.

They are, as I type, still being pulled to the surface by a winch inch by inch....one at a time in special capsules just wider than a man's shoulders. It is one of the most complex rescue attempts in mining history.
Some of the men have keepsakes like letters, crucifixes and clothes sent down to them in tubes back to the surface from the tunnel they called “hell.”
When they were found 17 days after the accident, miraculously all still alive, celebrations sprang up across Chile. Rescuers then passed high-energy gels, water and food down the narrow ducts to keep the miners alive.

The video camera showed us the bearded men bare-chested, trying to cope with heat and humidity deep in the very small mine.It gives me claustrophobia thinking about it.

I feel like we are watching a modern day version of Lazarus-

As I watch, and hear more stories, I am reminded of the power of God.

"Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Habakkuk 1:5

God, Thank You for what You have already done, and I am looking forward what is to come.

In His Dust,

DCC

Great Dane....

I see a lady walking her two dogs every day-
she has a Great Dane and a chihuahua.
They are out strolling both before the sun rises and late in the day.
No clue where she lives-

So, after seeing her so many times...I finally asked God if He was saying something-

He said,

"First of all, I always Am.
Second of all, thanks for asking. Go read Joshua 1:9."

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

I felt like He was telling me and all of you...I Am your Great Dane!

Stop treating me like the chihuahua!
What are you so nerved up about? Why the short temper?
The worried brow? Simmer down, I Am with you.I Am Bigger than you know.
I Am Stronger than you give me credit for.

God, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

In His Dust,
DCC

Contrary to Popular Belief...

Churches are taking a hit on TV this week.

Monday night I watched Larry King....It was all about suicides and bullying gay teens. It was heart breaking.

One of the panelists placed some of the blame on church leaders- and their judgmental stance on homosexuality.


Watched Glee last night- it was all about "Grilled Cheesus."
It was funny and entertaining, as usual. However, last night it made me sad.
It was all about questioning the existence of God.
At one point, Kurt said "Churches hate gay people."

While I cannot speak for other churches, I can speak for mine.
We don't hate ANY people.
ANY.
EVER.

At the risk of speaking for God Himself….
I will speak for what I know of Him.

The God I know doesn’t hate anyone. The Christians I know and worship with.....they don’t either.

as a matter of fact....
it's the exact opposite.

At the end of Glee, they sang, “What if God was one of us?”
Well, guess what?

He is.
He was.

God, Thank You for commanding us NOT to judge and to love EVERYONE.

In His Dust,
DCC

Class Reunion...

25 years?

What the heck.....
Where did it go?

What am I missing, in the moments, on the way to my destination.
One of the unique things about Alamo Heights; is the length in years we have connected to each other.

We sat next to each other as we learned to spell, read, writewe practiced adding & subtracting together. We learned to box step and fox trot on Wednesday nights, all in exchange for a Hershey Bar and a trip to Baskins for some Daquiri Ice.
We mastered toilet papering in the dark.
We sat together through Pep Rallies & football games, elections & tryouts....
We scooped poop. (Yeah, you read that right.)

Then, years later; we attended weddings, births & funerals.
We solved all of life's problems until wee hours of the morning at various ranches and local haunts.

We've now learned Facebook & texting together.
This alone, with God's Help, has kept us connected through years & miles.

A close friend and I walked & chatted with Jesus under the same moon- from here to Atlanta before the sun rose this morning.
The very same moon.

God's "night-light" shining down on my walk, was the exact same hanging for her getting kids ready for school in Atlanta.

We must look so small to Him- and yet, we have such a HUGE focus from Him.
All the details of our lives are under his watchful, loving eyes.
Maybe the moon is magnifying us to Him.
Maybe the sun shines through our every move to Him.
He loves us that much. Look up wherever you are....and see.

God, thank You for hours well spent with old friends. May we now spend the same with You.

In His Dust,
DCC