Yankee Stadium

Last night was the final baseball game at Yankee Stadium. There is so much history in that building and it's hard to believe that it will be gone someday soon. I regret not going to see a game there, and it made me think of other places I would like to see one day. So here's a question for you:

What places would you most like to visit?

Back from Vacation

Our annual "pilgrimmage" to Disney World is completed and I am trying to get back in the swing of things. There were great stories and memories created on our vacation, as well as one "teachable moment" I want to share with you.

One of our favorite shows at Disney World is the "Lion King Show" at Animal Kingdom. It is amazing! We got to the very first show on the morning we went and there weren't very many people in the audience. In fact, it was the least amount of people I had ever seen at that show. But the performers put on a great show and gave their best effort despite the small crowd. That really impressed me because, as a speaker, I know it's hard to get pumped up for a small crowd.

So many people live their lives always waiting for the "big" moment or trying to get on the "big" stage. As a result, they miss out on so much that life has to offer. What if we approached each day with the resolve to give it our best effort? Every moment can be a significant, even memorable, moment if we are giving the best of ourselves. So, no matter what you're doing today, give it your best, rejoice in the day you've been given, and "shine like stars".

The Life of the Beloved

In my Bible studies recently I have been struck by the idea of identity. How we see ourselves impacts our decisions, actions, and service to God so much that the apostle Paul is constantly reminding his audiences of who they are in Christ. Henri Nouwen once wrote about what it means to be the "beloved" people of God. In his book Life of the Beloved he writes the following:

Becoming the Beloved means letting the truth of our Belovedness become enfleshed in everything we think, say or do. It entails a long and painful process of appropriation or, better, incarnation. As long as "being the Beloved" is little more than a beautiful thought or lofty idea that hangs above my life to keep me from becoming depressed, nothing really changes. What is required is to become the Beloved in the commonplaces of my daily existence and, bit by bit, to close the gap that exists between what I know myself to be and the countless specific realities of everyday life. Becoming the Beloved is pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am, in fact, thinking of, talking about and doing from hour to hour.

We are the Beloved of God. Let us walk in that reality today.