Pop The Cork Miami, Another Year Is Safe

I know that this has nothing to do with church planting, but I am a die hard Miami Dolphin fan. After our dismal year and the fact that we could possibly give up our crown as the only undefeated team I was pretty bummed. I have been rooting for any team that played the Patriots all year long. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that the Patriots are an incredible team, with incredible talent. As I was watching the game last night I kept picturing the crew of the ‘72 Dolphins sitting in a suite somewhere all with their blood pressure off the charts. They all had the champagne bottles on chill with hopes of popping them one more time. As the last few minutes of the game began to unfold and the touchdown pass from Eli Manning came, you could sense a sigh of relief for the Dolphin fans. And as the last :01 ticked off the clock, you could almost hear the cork popping off of the bottles.

It might be the only thing that we have this year to celebrate, so live it up!

Filed under: Uncategorized , dolphins, football, giants, miami dolphins, nfl, patriots, perfect, sports, superbowl

Joyful? Did You Say Joyful?

James 1:2-4

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

First of all, many people have written and taught on being joyful in the midst of trials. Many stop on the thought of being joyful, that is where change really begins not ends. The whole purpose of being joyful is to produce a steadfastness in us. We are to be joyful because the trial will make us stronger. We are to be joyful because the trial will produce a testing of our faith (can I get an Amen to that). From the testing of our faith our patience is tried. This is the real struggle of life. Many of us are not patient. I know that I am not. We want everything yesterday and we have no time to wait. So when God puts a trial in our paths that tests our patience we sometimes freak out. But it is in this time of patience that our character is built and our walk with the Lord is strengthened.

James give a warning in this passage of scripture. He state that we are to let our patience have it’s time. He calls is “perfect work” (perfect here means “having reached the end”). Once this happens the Word says that we will be perfect and complete. Now no one is perfect in the world’s sense, but it does mean that we can endure to the end and be made whole in Him. It also means that we will not lack anything as long as our trust is in Him who makes us complete.

We are not perfect, but He is, and when we put our trust in Him, He will see to it that we reach the end.

Filed under: My Journal , Bible, Christ, complete, God, joy, Patience, perfect, Religion, scripture