New Day

   It’s all in the perspective, it’s a new day or it’s another day. The words are different, and the meanings are different as well. So, which is it? Technically, they are both correct. However, I like to think that a new day is really the more correct of the two. Why?

   Another day is just one more, an addition to a string of previous days. It is an attitude that assumes that each day will continue on pretty much as the previous one. There is a hint that there isn’t change coming and that instead it is a string of monotony. How boring! A new day on the other hand implies that there is something different, a gift. It is not an assumed thing that will be received, but a gift.
   I like to think that this day is a new day. It is different than the day before. Yes, some things will probably be similar. My schedule may be fairly set. However, there is something new about each day. A sunrise is unique, watching the water make waves on the Mississippi River, seeing the kids make their way to school. Trees grow, green up, turn beautiful colors for fall, and then shed their leaves for the winter. Flowers come to life, bloom, and then turn to seed. I just saw my first wooly worm of the fall, a new thing on a new day. It’s the small things that often set these days apart. But, each day is a gift. It is something unique, something precious.
   Our decisions need to reflect this mentality and abandon the another day thought. What would our world look like if we did so? Too big of a question? Okay, how about our homes. What would our homes look like if we reflected this mentality? Would we be quicker to pull out the camera and capture the memories, quicker to laugh over the spilled milk and juice rather than fuss? Would we plan days with great expectation and excitement, knowing that it would be different than the day before? Would we treat each other as if our new day with them was a gift?
   Have a great new day!

One Thing to Say on the Stage

The concert is going on, and the lead singer comes out father on the stage…. “I’ve just got one thing to say.” And generally there is some inane statement that comes out after that. What if you had a moment on stage, something to announce to thousands of people at one time, what would you say?
Standing on the stage, what would you talk about, share? If you could leave one thought or impression with these people, what would it be? With some people, you may only have a moment of interaction, one moment on the stage in life. What will you say, will you impact that life?

Thank you
                                                                             God loves you
                               Good morning
                                                                                                                                      How are you
                                                                                                              Can I help
                Will you help
                                                                    This is beautiful
                                                                                                                    You are amazing
Grace
                                                 Peace
                                                                                                   Hope
                                Joy
                                                                                                                                     Love
Can I pray for you
                                                                   Will you pray for me
                                        Believe

Dirty Knees

Silence may be good for the soul, but so is some sunshine on my back and dirt under my fingernails. My back was just on fire today, sitting at work I would squirm from one side to another. Finally I gave up and dispersed with the chair choosing work by standing instead. Coming home, I was looking forward to getting into the yard and weeding.

Weeding as a help for a sore back? Yes, in this case – I knew that what I really needed was the movement of my back stretching as I bent for weeds, reaching for roots deeply rooted. Dandelions, sticky weeds, clovers, grasses – they all came out of the ground and were tossed behind me. My knees grew red as I kneeled on the grass and dirt. Breathing deeply, I smelled dirt, sweat, and grasses.
Dirty knees are good for me, and not just to stretch out my back. Dirty knees mean that I am recognizing and working on removing weeds. Sometimes, I can’t pull them out with my hands. Their roots go deep and I may need a shovel. There are times in life when I need to pull out roots of weeds. By myself, sometimes I can break them off and at least make it a bit prettier. But, the weeds just grow back. I need a shovel, I need the Master Gardening skills of Jesus to come and get rid of my weeds. Digging carefully around the plants he has planted, he removes the weeds and burrs. It is much easier to recognize and get rid of weeds when I’m down and getting my knees dirty.

New Day or Another Day

A discussion was at work the other day, is it a new day or just another day? We weren’t really debating whether or not the time continuum would continue in its present schedule. This was no discussion of relativity or quantum physics. It was all about the mind-set of a new or another day. A new day being a fresh start and a new beginning for each of us. While on the other hand, another day would be just another day, stuck in some cycle.

Some days are most definitely another days while others are new days. It comes down to the mind set and approach I make each morning, before I even get out of bed. Stopping to pray, before my day begins helps tremendously for that day to be a new and not just another day. After all, “this is the day that the Lord has made!”

Broken Hallelujah

There is a song I ran across recently, well maybe listened across would be a better description. I saw the title when looking for new songs by a favorite artist of mine, Mandisa. I saw the title, Broken Hallelujah, and had to investigate the words.

“With my love and my sadness Yet I trust in this moment
I come before You Lord You’re with me somehow
My heart’s in a thousand pieces And You’ve always been faithful
Maybe even more So Lord even now

When all that I can sing
Is a broken hallelujah
When my only offering
Is shattered praise
Still a song of adoration
Will rise up from these ruins
I will worship You and give You thanks
Even when my only praise
Is a broken hallelujah

Oh Father, You have given How could I doubt Your goodness
Much more than I deserve Your wisdom, Your grace
And I have felt Your hand of blessing So Lord hear my heart
On me at every turn In this painful place

Chorus

Hallelujah
I lift my voice
Your Spirit moves
I raise my hands
I reach for You

Chorus”

I love the words in this song! It is easy to praise when things are going well, when the sun is right and life is good. It is not so easy when days are dark, the rain is pouring down on my head. But, what I love the most about this song is the reminder that the Lord is still good, He is still wise, He is still mercy and grace. My day yesterday was a good one. I accomplished a lot at work, had some nice time with family, spoke to a friend. I spent time with God, I spent time taking care of myself. It was an easy day to praise. Tomorrow may not be so good. It may be a hard day, a day when I just wish I were able to go back to bed and start over. How good it is to know even then that God is still there and still good. And when the ruins are there, stones toppled and dust coating the ground, destruction around. But, God is able to repair and rebuild. And when He does – His architecture is perfect. The design isn’t ours, but His! And therefore, it is completely perfect. So, no matter where the day leads, I choose to let God plan the design and I choose to praise Him regardless.