Life at the beach

Today I was sitting on the beach thinking about my kids. You know it really has been amazing watching these kids grow up in what seems like a very short period of time. Today I am also reminded how very different they all are. Four boys, four totally different mindsets.

Adin (2) feels content to fling sand everywhere and sing to himself, occassionally asking for some more water in his bucket and then destroying whatever was recently built in front of him.

Josh (7) bounces back and forth collecting what he sees as rare and priceless shells that the ocean gives up. Trying his hand at a wave or two but never really getting in above his knees.

Caleb (11) took to boogy boarding like it was his job. He is the calm and cool one who could probably spend all day out on the beach if it was not for the fear of getting too much sun.

Zack (14) never really likes to try new things. At first he sat back and watched us boogy board and it didn't look like he was having much fun. Then all of a sudden he was out there with us. Smiling from ear to ear as he caught small waves moving him just a few feet at a time.

You see, some times we just gotta go out there and do something. We can't ever really enjoy life just sitting there and watching it go by. Too many times we take life and even our own family for granted. Sad!

Life is too short to let it slip away. Take a moment and thank God for what you have in life. Then go out and do something about it.

blessings,

dave

True Friendship

How can we find true friendship in this often phony, temporary world? Genuine friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern, a desire to see one another grow and develop, and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life.

True friendship involves action, doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return, sharing thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism.

True friendship involves relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," yet they never take time to spend time with that "good friend." Friendship takes time. Time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth.

Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on Facebook the next day! Haha

True friendship is biblical. In Genesis 18:17-33, we read about God sharing His intentions with Abraham. Abraham responds by telling God his thoughts and feelings about the situation. God and Abraham are able to do this because they trust and respect each other.

First Samuel 20 focuses on the friendship of David and Jonathan. Because of the true friendship they shared, David survived Saul's assassination attempts and went on to become one of Israel's greatest kings.

God's Word tells us that a friend sticks closer than a brother, and that in order for one to be a friend, one must show themselves friendly (Proverbs 18:24). The question is: what type of friend do you desire to be?

This life has blessed me with several true friendships, relationships that I would truly fight for. If you are a friend who happens by this blog, thank you. Thank you for leaving an imprint on my heart. I am a better person because of you.

Blessings,
dave

My thoughts on the "The Blood and the Body"

I asked for feedback for several reasons. One of those reason is that fact that I think too many Christians live out a faith that they are not sure of. In other words, we tend to live off of what we are told instead of what we truly know. Many times we take other peoples words as truth without ever really having real knowledge of the truth or any valid personal convictions of our own.

Communion is one of those things that we do but have you ever really thought about why we do it? It is required or beneficial? The Lord’s Supper is should be a soul-stirring experience because of the depth of meaning it contains. It was first celebrated during the celebration of the Passover on the eve of His death. This alone should tell you how significant this was to Jesus and His disciples. He instituted a new fellowship meal that we observe to this day. I believe it is an integral part of Christian worship because it causes us to remember our Lord’s death and resurrection and to look for His glorious return in the future.

The Passover was the most sacred feast of the Jewish religious year. It commemorated the final plague on Egypt when the firstborn of the Egyptians died and the Israelites were spared because of the blood of a lamb that was sprinkled on their doorposts. The lamb was then roasted and eaten with unleavened bread. God’s command was that throughout the generations to come the feast would be celebrated. The story is recorded in Exodus 12.

During the Last Supper (a Passover celebration) Jesus took a loaf of bread and gave thanks to God. As He broke it and gave it to His disciples, He said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:19-21). He concluded the feast by singing a hymn (Matthew 26:30), and they went out into the night to the Mount of Olives. It was there that Jesus was betrayed, as predicted, by Judas. The following day He was crucified.

He said that the bread spoke of His body which would be broken. There was not a broken bone, but His body was so badly tortured that it was hardly recognizable (Psalm 22:12-17; Isaiah 53:4-7). The wine was His blood, indicating the terrible death He would soon experience.

He, the perfect Son of God, became the fulfillment of the countless Old Testament prophecies concerning a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53). When He said, “Do this in remembrance of me,” He indicated this was a ceremony that must be continued in the future. It indicated also that the Passover, which required the death of a lamb and looked forward to the coming of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world, was fulfilled in the Lord’s Supper. The New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant when Christ, the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), was sacrificed (Hebrews 8:8-13). The sacrificial system was no longer needed (Hebrews 9:25-28). The Lord’s Supper or Christian Communion is done in remembrance of what Christ did for us and it should be a celebration of what we receive as a result of His sacrifice.

blessings, dave