Dog Days of Summer

The dog days of summer are usually the hottest six weeks of the year. They normally begin toward the end of July and sometimes stretch all the way to September.

Who knew we would get them this early?

Yes, it is hot. Very hot. Steamy hot. Did I mention it was hot?

The AC at our house—and what I am hearing from lots of others is we are not alone—cannot keep up. I am thankful for ceiling fans and stand up fans. The air they circulate makes things a bunch more comfortable.

Life is often like the dog days of summer. Before we know it, it can heat up on us—stress, bills, sickness, temptation, and outright sin can make for a stretch of time that is not just uncomfortable, but downright miserable.

Long ago, Moses gave us the cooling solution.

Exodus 20:8-11, ⁸“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

You may have heard folks say because we worship and live under a new covenant this particular command from the Ten Commandments is not valid for today.

Speaking with a bad fake French accent let me say: Aw kontrair, mes amis. (To those of you who are not highly educated south Mississippians like myself, that’s French for to the contrary my friends) J

While we live under a new covenant, the principles of the old have not passed away. The principle of the Sabbath day commandment is quite simple: Seek rest with God.

In the dog days of summer when the heat of life is wearing you down, seek rest with God.

Let Him be the answer—you’ll not find a better one!

Matthew 11:28-30, ²⁸“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Be cool. Really.

Les, Jr.

Shine, Jesus, Shine!

After a week at camp, I am back at home firmly immersed in the chaos of my life!

Maybe chaos is a little bit dramatic, but how else do you explain four kids (ok, only three are at home but one is a three year old!!!), two dogs, two cats, and the excitement of being a minister in an amazing, growing church?

Chaos it is, but a wonderful chaos of astounding blessings and opportunities!

However, sometimes the craziness does get to me.

Sometimes the messiness of my own life conspires to rob me of peace and joy.

Sometimes I really feel the need for Jesus to shine in my life.

Obviously the need is always there. I need more of Jesus in my life each and every day.

As a preacher, I have long been enamored with the idea that as Christians—as the body of Christ–we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Just a couple of years ago that was the premise of a beautiful new song by Casting Crowns, If We Are The Body.

In Philippians 2, Paul talks about having the same attitude as Jesus. In verse 14, he tells us to quit complaining. In verses 15-16, he urges us to shine like stars as we hold out the word of life.

Shine, Jesus, Shine!

Obviously in my life and yours, we need Jesus to shine.

And just as obviously, we need to be reflecting Jesus as we shine ourselves.

For some of us, the best way we can begin the life of shining Jesus is by learning how not to spend so much time complaining, being miserable, and making others miserable as well.

Don’t complain. Shine.

Sounds like words to live by!

Les, Jr.

Generators, Gas, and Deodorant!

Take a look at the title of this post and you might wonder what in the world those three things could possibly have in common…

But let me tell you… those three are precious indeed!

It is now June in South Mississippi and that means hurricane preparation. And as I do every year since Katrina, this morning I got out my generator—donated by some wonderful family from the National park Church of Christ in Hot Springs, AR in the first few days after the hurricane hit—and made sure she would crank.

On top of that, I will start buying a little bit of gas here and there to begin a hurricane stockpile of five gallon containers in order to be ready if the worst should occur. At the end of the season, if otherwise unused, I’ll use it in our vehicles.

Now all that sounds kind of normal for this part of the country, but in the aftermath of Katrina, I have developed some strange little idiosyncrasies.

You can laugh. I frequently laugh at myself about them—however; I have made no effort to rid myself of these idiosyncrasies and don’t even plan on trying.

Weirdness #1: I buy deodorant whether I need it or not.

Seriously. If I get down to one container I have to go to the store. That very day. It cannot wait. I will not be caught by a hurricane and run out of deodorant. Yeah I know…

Katrina did some permanent damage to my head but that little weirdness is healthier than some folks I know!

Weirdness #2: I cannot stand for my car to get below three quarters of a tank of gas. Really.

I mean I cannot stand it—it drives me crazy—or least lots crazier than I am by my own omission. I will have gas in my car. I will have a full tank. I don’t mind pumping $2.87 in order to fill it back up.

I hope you are laughing. I am.

I know it sounds whacky and it is. But in the days and weeks after hurricane Katrina we had food and water and ice, but we came perilously close to not having deodorant and gas. If it wasn’t for family, friends, and churches that brought supplies and sometimes even took orders, we would have certainly run out.

We survived the storm. We continue to survive the recovery—but it’s not over yet.

I, like many others, have learned to appreciate the small stuff. I am thankful that God has made it easy for me to have gas and deodorant. May it ever be so!

Happy hurricane season!

Les, Jr.

Alive With Christ/ Saddle Up Your Horses!

Ephesians 2:1-10,

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

I love this passage of scripture!

The idea that in all my brokenness and sin, God has already raised me up with Christ and seated with Him is compelling indeed.

Why we don’t get this and live this is somewhat of a mystery to me.

On the other hand, I think Steven Curtis Chapman understands. In his song The Great Adventure, he says:

Saddle up your horses we’ve got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace
Let’s follow our leader into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other – this is The Great Adventure

Come on get ready for the ride of your life
Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind
And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored
This is what we were created for…

In the movie Broken Arrow, the character played by John Travolta has a simple line I’d like to borrow to describe this song: Ain’t it cool?

And if we are made alive in Christ, isn’t it time to saddle up our horses and blaze a trail? Why not start now?

How about you, ready to ride?

Ain’t it cool?

Les, Jr.