Categories
God Holidays

Lent Begins

It’s Ash Wednesday, and hence the first day of the Lenten season. It caught a lot of people by surprise today because it’s only the 6TH of February. Why so early you may ask ?

It’s because we have a very early Easter this year. Easter Sunday falls on Sunday March 23RD 2008. It’s the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the 21ST of March. A full moon actually occurs precisely on the 21ST of March this year, so this year’s Easter Sunday falls on the 2ND earliest possible calendar date. The last time Easter Sunday fell on the 22ND of March (the earliest possible calendar date) – 1818 !  The next time it happens – 2285 !

Easter Sunday can occur as late as April 25TH. That would push Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent forward to March 10TH. In just 3 years – 2011 – Easter Sunday will fall on the 2ND latest possible calendar date – April 24TH. Blame it on the Moon !

Don’t forget that this is a leap year. Yes we have a February 29TH this year. It falls on a Friday.

Categories
God

Life Pointe Church Sunday Morning Tossed Salad

1.  If the movie theatre were a giant desktop computer system then Pastor Travis is the Windows XP shortcut to get in to it. He arrives, he disappears for a moment or two, and then he reappears in the main lobby to open the door for the rest of us.

2.  The ‘Kids Life’ registration desk has some fresh new competition with the new-and-improved Information & Sales tables that are now (un)officially known as the ‘Life Pointe Church Visitor Center & Gift Shop’. We sported an exciting new look and vibe this week, and it’s just the start of some more wonderful changes that shall be coming soon.

3.  The maroon LPC ‘CHURCH ROCKS !‘ tee-shirts continue to multiply all throughout the main lobby and within the Sunday morning services. It’s the fashion statement of the season. You’ve just gotta get one if you don’t already have one. Come and visit us at the LPC Gift Shop for a good deal !

4.  We now know that the next message series that starts next Sunday morning is entitled ‘(un)christian’ – subtitled ‘confessions of a recovering hypocrite’. It could be controversial. It could be radical. But Jesus was both of these. We need to refocus and return to what Jesus was all about. We’re inviting 60,000+ households – our neighbours all across South Miami-Dade County – to experience this message with us. Save some room for our new visitors. Let’s welcome them to our church with open arms.

5.  Dr. Grant McClung was our special guest speaker this morning, and he spoke powerfully and wisely with us about being counter-cultural and living a conduct that is worthy, differently, carefully, with Love, and in Light. President Ronald W. Reagan told Mr. Gorbachev to ‘tear down this wall’ back during the Summer Of 1987. Jesus Christ destroyed the walls in our lives and directed us to live differently and change the world for the better.

Ephesians 2:14 (New Living Translation, 2ND Edition):
For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

Categories
Animals God Health Life

The Major’s Walk-A-Thon

Sky: Mostly Cloudy
Temperature: 67°F
Relative Humidity: 94%
Winds: Calm
Barometric Pressure: 30.22 Rising

My thoughts:

1.  It was back to basics this morning (after last Saturday morning’s walk around Monkey Jungle) – my 25-minute / 1.3-mile walk clockwise around the perimeter of my neighbourhood.

2.  As I walked the beat I thought about the symbolic walk that I have taken to get to this glorious point in my Life. A new believer that I met last night at my Life Group fellowship asked me why did I turn to God when I did. I told her quite bluntly that I was tired of sitting at home and being a mannequin. I wanted something more as I entered my 40s. I’ll be sharing more with her if she continues on with our Life Group through the next 3 months. For the first time in my Life I am truly happy. It is no longer fake happiness. It is genuine. I now realize that although I may be alone at times I will never ever be lonely again. He is always with me.

3.  After everyone else went home I lingered around at J.T. and Anne’s home last night for another two hours. I had a great time sharing just a small portion of my unhappy past life with the two of them. The me of yesteryear would have never even considered the thought of sharing my Life with anyone else. God is truly amazing. He has given me a new Life. One of my favourite verses in the Bible is 1 Peter 1:23 (NLT): ‘For you have been born again, but not to a Life that will quickly end. Your new Life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.’

4.  Back to the physical walk of this morning and two dogs on a leash did not appreciate my presence as I walked by them. That’s fine. I didn’t care too much for them either. The ducks and the chickens were out and about in abundance this morning. They stayed away from me. I stayed away from them. One time I was chased by an angry duck. I’m sort of scared of them now. I used to have nightmares about them. ‘When Good Ducks Go Bad’ – next on FOX !

5.  I may have little to no upper-body strength but I am truly proud of my strong legs. If I were a professional athlete (in another life) then I could possibly be a field goal kicker on a football team – or maybe a soccer player. How about a kickboxer ?  Nah I’m going too far now. I’ll just leave it at that.

Categories
God Philosophy

The Fortune Cookie Message Of The Week Club

OK club members – It’s that time again to mull over another interesting message that I received within my fortune cookie as part of my delicious Chinese Food Lunch today … but first if it’s Sunday it is “Meet The Press”.

‘You will take a chance on something in the near future.’

Let me tell you something here. If I’m not taking chances then I’m not taking risks. If I’m not taking risks then I’m not progressing forward and seizing those moments. I’m not making an impact. I’m not “Chasing Daylight”. God did not want us to be mundane mannequins. He wanted us to live. Jesus Christ died for us so that we could live. To be mundane is to be dying. I’m not about being mundane anymore. I have awoken. I’m on a journey. Moving forward. Taking chances.