Soakin' Up Life . . . at a 100 MPH!

***CONFESSION ALERT**** - Sometimes I think that my relationship with God is about me.   Whew!  Glad to get that off my chest.  But, think about it, don't we tend to tell people that WE need to become more like Christ?  We teach that God loves ME !  Isn't that why we celebrate Christmas. . .the birth of our redeemer sent by God for US ?  And at times I've bought into it. Don't get me wrong.  I thoroughly believe God loves us more than any of His creations and wants to have a personal relationship with each of us.  I believe that I am to strive to  be more like Jesus everyday and should be a reflection of His presence and the transformation taking place in my life.  But stay with me. In reading John 1 , John the Baptist - Jesus' kinfolk - unapologetically claims that it's not about him.  WHAT?!   Yeah,  you read it right.  It's wasn't about John.  It was about his cousin, Jesus.  John said, " I am...

It's that time of the year in the northwest.  The time when days begin to get extremely short and the skies are covered with clouds and drips it's prevailing dampness upon us.  This will happen day in and day out until the end of May or into June.  But today is different.  The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and spirits across the northwest are lifted!  I tend to say that if I can see Mt. Hood in the morning, then it's going to be a good day - so the summers are filled with good days. The falls and winters. . .not so much. As I was appreciating the glow of fresh sunshine, I thought, isn't it always sunny?   I mean, it's not like the sun went somewhere or took the day off just because the clouds rolled in.  Right?  It's not like it didn't rise and won't set at the end of the day.  It's more like the clouds are playing a prevent defense and are preventing us from seeing and experiencing the sun. It's kinda the same with God, isn't it? ...