Friday, July 20, 2007

Going to Get Ice Cream with the Children

Welcome back. You belong here.

I don't eat ice cream, but ice cream is a fun thing to eat especially if you're a child.

Today, I came home from work and took the children to get some ice cream. They looked through the cones and sandwiches, the pop ups and Snickers bars. They had a great time opening and closing the big glass sliding doors, all part of the fun.

That moment in the store, watching them sort through the many choices, made me smile and feel happy inside. It reminds me of moments of joy we all need to experience. Those moments that sometimes escape us but we are all hungry for.

It could be holding your husband's hand while watching a movie, it's writing an email to your sister, it's getting a phone call from a good friend. There are so many moments that are just pure joy but unfortunately we don't get enough of.

We miss those opportunities far too often because we are too busy with every day life. We reach for the beer and the remote, or we get stuck in the grind of the daily night time routine.

To take time to get ice cream is a gift life gives us, and doing so replenishes our soul. It makes us value life, appreciate those we love, and to be thankful for the little joys of life.

After our trip to the store, I was going to take the children home. Instead we drove up to our favorite hill (Signal Hill) and drove down the hill as fast as we could until our stomachs hurt!

Sometimes, when we finally take the time to do that special something, it is okay to take a little longer and fully enjoy the moment. You may just have a good time and feel a tickle inside.

Have a great day.

Into the future,

davidT

Monday, July 16, 2007

Rain Down All Around the World

Welcome back. You belong here.

Thought of the Day - Rain Like a Slip and Slide

Rain is such a beautiful word, we have all experienced it, felt it. In Spanish, a strong rain is called an "aguacero." I remember those hard rains when I was a little boy in Nicaragua. They made me feel a combination of fear (the loud thunder and thick drops) and of laughter (the cool mist, the loud noise on the tin roofs of our house, kids playing in the rain, riding down the dirt rock-filled alleys, like a poor man's boogey board surfing contest. Great memories.

In the Book of Exodus, God told Moses "4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."

Rain down bread.

Funny image, but strong nonetheless. It speaks of "selfless provision." Bread means food, rain means provision, given for us selflessly, after all, no one can control when it rains.

We all have received "selfless provision" haven't we? A phone call from a friend on our birthday, a hug from a father figure during trying times, a song that warms our hearts, a sunny day, children playing on a slip and slide, a dark blue mountain at night.

Rain is all around us. But sometimes drought comes too. Do you need to ask God for rain today? Maybe the drought is near, or it's here right now. Rain is all around you, rain is near. Perhaps you're playing in the rain today, seeing rainbows as water hits the sun. Today, you are experiencing summer. Be thankful, let your smile tell the world you are having a great day.

Seek the rain from Heaven that only God can provide. He is bread, He is rain, He is laughter, He is peace. God, let it rain on us today, all around the world we're singing "rain down."

Have a great day. Into the future,

davidT