The atrocities of the oil spill in the Gulf are outrageous. The reality of the aftermath is far worse than the news reports show on TV. Wildlife has taken a major hit as well as the businesses that line the coastal vacation destination. Agriculture has been bruised as the ports that help distribute products are vulnerable to curtailed operations. Many families who have sunk every last penny into their livelihoods, as well as borrowed ones, have considered moving elsewhere to make a fresh start. It is a terrible disaster that will take years from which to recover.

Even after this horrendous human error, life will find its way back to normality. It always will. I know it may seem insensitive to even attempt to make the point here. But, I believe that we will one day see the sun rise over a renewed Gulf. The seafood industry, tourism, wildlife, the export infrastructure, etc., will return. The earth and its eco-system is resilient. We have witnessed untold disasters that have, over time, recovered. I understand that there are opposing economic and ecological philosophies here. The term “scarcity” is found as an important topic of discussion with both disciplines. Scarcity refers to limited natural resources verses consumption. The fear is that without intervention, these resources eventually become extinct. The secular view is that the concept of a creator/sustain-er is absent from the maintenance of the earth’s resources. In other words, it’s completely up to mankind to manage these resources or the earth will be in peril. The other view is that God is at the center of His creation and has provided a sturdy system of rebuilding when there is an ecological imbalance. This is much like how the body maintains a balance in itself, called homeostasis.

I am a proponent of being ecologically responsible. I also have faith that my God holds the world, mankind and the heavens in the palm of His hand. I trust that the measures we take as good stewards of the earth and it’s resources are in harmony with His command in Genesis–to populate the earth and care for it. I also believe that God is ultimately in control and that, in His power, the earth keeps turning.

All right, I’ve heard enough complaining about the heat. The temperature is dancing around 100 degrees. Yesterday, the “feels like” temp was 117. I heard the hottest day on record in North America was 134 degrees in Death Valley, CA, on my birthday in 1913. I don’t think middle Tennessee will get that high, but I swear it feels close.

Seasons are here for a purpose. California, my home state, only has two seasons: great and not-so-great. Tennessee has four distinct seasons and it’s one of the true pleasures of living here. We always have something to look forward to as the weather changes. It being August, the fall is right around the corner. Oakland comes to play our beloved Titans on September 12th. I can’t wait! The leaves change, I bring out the long sleeves–and best of all, I get to retire the lawn mower until spring.

Then the cold comes. And, after Christmas, the long-haul of January through March helps us look forward to the warmth again. What would life be like without change–without ups and downs, without the straight and the curved roads of life? I imagine it would be like eating the same thing everyday for every meal. Even my favorite food would be a bore after a while.

The variety of seasons generate in me a hope for tomorrow. I have always tried to enjoy the season that is upon me. I like to get all I can out of it because the weather’s gonna change soon. Life is like that: enjoy family, togetherness, food, friends, music and just plain-ol’ living because we are not promised tomorrow. I will live today as if it’s my my last. I will go out there in the stifling heat, count to ten, and then race right back into the cool comfort of my home and look forward to fall.

The last thing I want to do with my spare time is paint a room. Probably because I am terrible at it, even though I come from a family of house painters (my grandfather, uncle, brother and cousin have all been professional painters/ wallpaper hangers at one time). I am better off buying the paint and letting someone else apply it. You’d think I would have learned the art of painting after working with my brother for a few days back in the late 70s. But, no. I get more paint on myself than on the walls.

I have learned something cool from Brenda that has made the dreaded search for paint a fun challenge. I go the area in the paint department that I call the “ooops paint” aisle. This is where someone erred in choosing a color, texture, etc., and have returned their mistake to the store to be re-sold for a very deep discounted price. If it’s a good day, there is a color, or something close to what I had in mind, sitting there that I can snag for next to nothing. For the two trips I made last week to the derelict ooops paint aisle, I came away only spending $5 per gallon on $35 paint. I feel proud about the purchase. Then I spend the “big” money on tape, brushes, pan inserts, rollers, etc. Why purchase those items every time you paint, you ask? Well, I am so excited to be finished with a room that I fail to rinse the brushes and they all turn to stone in the corner of my garage. I have a graveyard of items from the hardware store that die a terrible death in that way.

The guys at the store with the orange vests always see me coming. Maybe it’s my imagination, but they seem to be whispering to one another, “Here comes that musician guy again. I wonder what he’s screwed up this time?” I imagine they jokingly hurry and hide all the cool ooops paint colors and leave the strange ones like fluorescent green or eggplant for me. Whatever the case, we usually settle for one that is “close” …the one whimpering to take him home like a pitiful little puppy in a pet store.

In this economy, I have had to learn to be a “do-it-yourself-er.” Brenda has more faith in me than I do when it comes to fixing stuff. I can write songs, play guitar, sing and lead others in worship, but my skills as a handyman are lame. I will have to say, though, that when the walls are dry, the blue tape is pulled, and that last piece of furniture is scooted back into place, I do a victory march around the room and pump my fists. Even though the lines are a bit crooked and the little dots of spilled paint mock me, I have the warm, satisfied feeling of a completed task. Now, the leaky shower faucet is screaming for my attention…

I have never forwarded a complete piece written by another author, but Greg Laurie’s devotion of July 28, 2010 was so incredibly on the money I want to share it in it’s entirety:

Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
1 John 5:21

Believe it or not, idolatry comes naturally to all of us. Why? Because we must worship, and we will worship. Even as nature abhors a vacuum, so does the human soul. The human soul always will find an object of worship, either on the shelf or on the altar or in the mirror or in heaven. But we will find something to worship, because we are idolaters.

Maybe we don’t give these gods the names they were once given, like Dagon or Baal or Zeus or Thor, but they are gods nonetheless. An idol or false god is anyone or anything that takes the place of God in our lives. And know this: everyone has a god—even atheists.

When someone comes up with their own version of God, that is worshiping a false god as well. Making statements like, “Well, I don’t believe in a God who would. . . .” is creating your own god, and that is idolatry.

The Bible warns us, “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21). But why would we worship an object or a thing or something else instead of the true God? Because in our minds, it gives us control. In his book, Words from the Fire: Hearing the Voice of God in the Ten Commandments, R. Albert Mohler wrote, “Idols imply control—human control. . . . We will devise our own worship because we have devised our own god.”

An idol or false god is whatever you get excited about, whatever you are passionate about. People get excited about a lot of things. They may not call these things their gods, but in effect they are. What is the focus of your life? That, for all practical purposes, is your god.

Greg Laurie
Copyright ©2010 by Harvest Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

How many times have you pulled up into your driveway forgetting how you got there? Have you ever had a conversation with someone, walked away, and couldn’t remember what was said? This isn’t a case of dementia, but one of not paying attention to the “moments” in life. In other words, we are so busy racing from point A to point Z that we fail to enjoy B through Y.

I heard of an experiment conducted by the brilliant violinist, Joshua Bell. He brought his multi-million dollar violin into a DC subway and set up to play, incognito. Joshua is probably one of the top five, if not top three, living violinists in the entire world. The experiment exposes the reality of our modern world as we hurry through life. The Washington post reported:

“7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12 (2007), the middle of the morning rush hour. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by. Almost all of them were on the way to work…Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? … What’s the moral mathematics of the moment?”

A worthy moment is every moment…maybe answering our child’s endless questions, listening to a friend in need, a quiet dinner with our spouse, or doing absolutely nothing.

In today’s world we find our value in what we do. So we are constantly building the foundation for our self-worth–working and earning our way to self-acceptance. We worry about things that probably will never happen. I want to learn to stop, listen, love, taste, pause and reflect, for my days on earth are numbered. Time is fleeting and the opportunities will never return. I want to spend every moment God gives me because He doesn’t give us roll-over minutes like the cell phone companies. I will do all I can to enjoy today and not hurry past the beautiful music that is being made right now.