Today has been a great day. The weather here is just gorgeous. Just like the Fall weather that you dream of when you are burning up hot in Summer...or freezing half-to-death in winter...or sneezing the daylights out of yourself in the Spring when everything is blooming.
It's beautiful.
The leaves haven't started changing, but the weather is crisp and cool in the mornings and evenings...and we have had bright, blue skies during the days. I hope it stays like this for weeks. WEEKS, I tell you.
We had SS and church this morning. Our choir sang a song called "Thou, O Lord," and it is based on Psalm 3:3, "For Thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter of my head." It is so beautiful. I guess because there have been times...actually, it's most of the time...when I have needed God as my shield; and times when I have totally trusted that He is my shield, because I was in a battle I couldn't fight by myself. And there have also been times, a few times, when my head has been "down" for one reason or another...and HE is the one who has lifted my head. I was overwhelmed with the TRUTH in God's Word as our choir sang this song this morning.
Apparently, that sentiment was not felt by EVERYONE in the church, because Holly said that a woman came up to another praise team member after we sang it, and said, "well, THAT was AWFUL!"
Oh really now?
Our associate minister spoke this morning on a passage from 2 Timothy. His first illustration was on "strength" and it went along with the first verse that states, "be strong in the faith." He talked about a friend of his who is very strong...how his friend works out and trains nearly every day. He said that other day, his friend did 600 push-ups. Now, you would think that Joshua...being that he's a Power Lifter, and being that he is all about fitness and health...would've been super impressed with this stat. 600 push-ups? AREYOUKIDDINGME?
Joshua just sniffed and whispered, "well, THAT'S a little much."
Then, toward the end of the sermon, the minister talked about competing as an athlete (verse 5). He talked about the fact that he had many medals at his house. He is a runner, and he talked about how he values and appreciates some of his medals more than others...depending on how many were in the race, and how hard the race was to run, and how hard he had trained for the race. He tried to tie it all in to working for a purpose, and being in a constant state of "training" as a Christian...how we need to practice sharing our faith and living out our faith, so that when we are put into certain situations, our "training" will kick in and we will be able to represent the Gospel well.
Joshua didn't hear any of that last part. He just heard the minister say that he had a lot of medals. Joshua leaned over to me and whispered, "I bet I have more medals than him," and he folded his arms and stuck his lip out proudly.
And then he wrote on the top of his sermon notes, "at least I got to go to Nationals (for Special Olympics) and represent the state of Arkansas as a senior in high school in 2006."
We just never know what Joshua is gonna get out of a sermon!
"The Lord's servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient...." 2 Timothy 2:24
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