Thoughts From My Reading Today

24The people refused to enter the pleasant land,

for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.

25Instead, they grumbled in their tents

and refused to obey the Lord.

I read this passage from Psalm 106 this morning and started wondering how many pleasant lands I have missed because I won't believe God's promise to love and care for me.  I have crazy low self-esteem, and am continually trying to hold that up to the truth of God's Word and to remember that I am His creation, purchased by the blood of Jesus, because God loved me. I am His son.  Because I have struggled to believe His promises at times, I have not been bold and courageous in decisions, nor have I walked through some doors to some great opportunities.

I just wanted to encourage you today, whatever day it is and whoever you are, to believe and hope in the love of God.  Know that you are His and he wants good for you!  He wants to take you to "pleasant lands".

Avatar

My friend Ted and I went to the 10:30 showing of Avatar last night. I found out, after I got there, that it was the 3D version. This was my first time seeing anything 3D in the theater. I was hoping to lose my 3D virginity to something better, but oh well.

I'm writing today to share my epiphany from the movie last night. At one point in the film, one of the main characters is going through a manhood, rites of passage, type of thing with the alien people. The confirmation was a beautiful sight to see. After he had gone through the motions and proved himself worthy, the entire tribe came together, and placing their hands on each other's shoulders made this huge community that let him know he was now one of them.

I had this great vision in my mind where after someone comes to know Christ, or if someone starts hanging out with our tribe and decides to be committed, they stand in the middle of the celebration center and the entire Body forms a community around them, dedicating themselves once again to being the Body...committed to caring, loving, supporting, spurring on, bearing with, praying for, and honoring one another. How the world's perception of the Church and Jesus Christ would change if we would be committed to loving one another and committed to being the Body controlled by our head, Jesus Christ.

Thanks Avatar for giving me my first "in theater" 3D experience and for showing me a great picture of how the Church could be.