I have come to understand, in a more complete way, the phrase"one day at a time". The reality is that we only get one day at a time. The hopes of yesterday are gone and we have no guarantee of tomorrow. So, today is all we have.

What do we do with the day we have been given? For some it's lived like every other day they have had. Getting up, getting ready for work, making another dollar, spending it on whatever they wish and think they will do it again tomorrow with no regard to the fact that tomorrow may never come. I don't want to live this way and yet I sometimes forget and fall into the same routine and mindless pattern of just going through the motions of working, sleeping, eating, watching TV, etc.

The way I want to live is to consciously understand that each day is a gift from God, a day to bring Him glory in how I work, spend time with family, interact with members of the community, drive my car, what I watch and listen too. All I have for certain is today and even in that, the day is uncertain as to how it will go. So, in reality, not only is it a day to day situation but truly a moment by moment existence.

When our hope is in the Lord, there is peace and not fear. I don't fear the future of this day or the days to come. My hope is securely upon the One who is Sovereign. This, I believe, is the realization of living one day at a time. We understand the importance of each day and thus don't take it or the things in our lives for granted. We value the day, family, opportunities to do good and bring God glory.

Another Adventure

As I wrote in my last post about Kara beginning high school and what milestone that is for us there is also another event happening in my life. After years of wanting to begin my masters degree, I am finally beginning it. This is my first week of "class". This masters degree will be a totally online degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) in Kansas City, MO. It already has proven to be a challenge in reading. There is a bunch to read.

I am really looking forward to completing this degree and gaining the benefit of knowledge and understanding from studying and reading the Bible and things related to it.

Sorry for the short post but in the words of one of my favorite people, Forest Gump "that's all I have to say about that".

The Beginning of the End

Today me and my family embark on a journey that will no doubt be exciting yet we have no way of knowing how it will all trun out. The future is uncertain, we have no idea as to exactly how things will go and yet we cannot stop time. Each day reveals a little more of what is coming and yet it is only in looking back do we have a more complete understanding of what has happened.

Today our youngest daughter began high school. The next four years will be filled with new experiences and joys. They also might be filled with difficulty and challenges. The reality is that every day is like the first day of high school, we never know for sure what will take place.

Like Forrest Gump's mama always said "Forrest, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Unless they have the diagram under the lid, then technically you would know what you were going to get by following the diagram but maybe in Forrest's day they didn't have that diagram...excuse me, I digress.

I am excited for her and pray the Lord will bless her, make His face shine upon her and bless her. I also pray this for my family.

When Kara graduates in 2014, I will be 48 years old and hopefully done with my masters in theological studies and will have some more grand kids. Jude will be almost 5 years old.

The future is full of promise and hope but I really don't know what is going to happen. So in the midst of my optimism, I set my heart on the Lord, who is the one who sees eternity past, present and future. He is my Rock, my sure foundation. He is my life.

I hope today that no matter what you are facing or thinking about, you will place your hope and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and rest in Him. He will take care of us and provide for all we need and in the midst of it all, will bless us according to His riches in heaven. Only may we be found faithful and obedient to His will and word.

This past Saturday I did a 52 mile bike ride. The only problem was that it was supposed to be a 64 mile bike ride. So, why did I come up short? I came up short because I didn't have enough nourishment and time.

On Saturday mornings, my friend Mark and I and sometimes his wife Beth, ride bikes together. We often don't know where we are going until we meet up. This past Saturday, it was just Mark and me. We decided to head to Lindsborg, which is 19 miles away. I have made that trip many times so it was no big deal. We arrived in Lindsborg in good time. It was then I discovered that I had forgotten my debit card and I only had $6 in my jersey. This usually is not a problem except we decided to ride another 11 miles before we made the turn to come home. Mistake one is that I did not have the funds to buy enough food to keep my strength up. Oh, and the wind came up out of the NNE, which made it even more difficult to ride home.

Mistake two was that I thought I had most of the day to ride. When I stopped back in Lindsborg, on the way home, I had a text from Shelly that we were to be at Amanda's by 12 noon, it was 10:48 and I had 19 miles to go fighting a head wind all the way. Well, I tried but failed and Shelly had to come and pick me up 12 miles from town.

Here are some lessons I learned:

1. Be prepared, always be prepared. Even when you don't think you will need whatever it is that you might need, take it anyway.

2. Better to have more and not need it than not enough and wish you had it.

3. Know your limitations. When I discovered I didn't have the needed funds for food, I should have headed back home and not gone the extra 22 miles.

4. Make sure you have the time. If you don't have it, don't do it.

I hope that you will take what I have learned and benefit from my mistakes. In the future, I will more readily count the cost and to my best to have whatever I need to finish the course. Sounds like a spiritual lesson could be hiding in and amongst there! Maybe next time I will write about that.

Take care!