Aiming for Positive
It's not always easy. Watch for giveaway news!
Hey thanks for taking a moment to spend with me, I do appreciate it. This is just a check-in post for the week, so I hope you have a cup of your favorite coffee nearby.
JUST AHEAD IN THIS POST:
Positivity
A Birthday
What I’m teaching these days
GriefShare
A Poll
What I’m reading
Announcement
If you’re like me, there is so much going on in the world right now that is somewhat overwhelming. I want to keep those things in prayer for sure. I do not want to stay focused on them hour by hour, though. The 24-hour news cycle is a source of unrest and anxiety for me. Not only can’t I keep up with all of it, I can’t do much of anything about any of it. So in my online interactions I’ve been veering toward the positive, comforting, humorous, and enjoyable aspects. I became a part of a group that mostly posts pictures of coffee, cabins, and Scriptures and seeing those kinds of images has been more encouraging. So I started making some of my own and I’ll share some of them in this post!
Some are with photos I’ve taken, some with some photos offered free on the net. I hope you enjoy them. Feel free to use them in your own social media if you like, but I do not have any expectations of that.
A BIRTHDAY. Monday is my son’s birthday. John Robert Dobbs (1989-2008) was a great son and we still miss him. He would have been 34 on the 23rd. We have many precious memories of our boy. You can read some about him HERE. I read a quote recently that says, “God never sees His children die; He simply sees them coming home.” I like the thought of that, and at the same time, I recognize that God does see the pain of loss in a family. It’s hard to say anything about grief that covers the whole picture. His birthday is a reminder of the blessing we had for 18 years.
TEACHING. Today, I preached from 2 Samuel 6, the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and the surprising death of Uzzah (Notes and Video Link to today's Sermon HERE). I will continue teaching Wednesday nights on ‘Great Nights of the Bible’. This week we are moving into the New Testament with some well-known nights in the life of Jesus. I’m going to have some time off at the end of the week and our Associate Minister, Daniel Kirkendall will be preaching in my place.
GriefShare. This week I will conclude a season of GriefShare group meetings. It has been a good group and the new set of videos are exceptionally well done. This is a good experience for me and I hope it is also for the group that meets to talk about some of the most painful situations in life. This was a great group and I enjoyed getting to know them.
Monday I am privileged to speak at a funeral - the mother of one of our church members. Although a time of loss is a time of sadness, the promise of Christ is that death is a transition into a new realm of God’s blessings. I’m grateful for the devoted Christian life this sweet sister lived, and I’m hurting with the family who will miss her so much.
I’m looking forward to a few days in Arkansas with my wife, Maggy, at the end of the week. We are actually going to a place that doesn’t offer much to do, and I’m looking forward to rest, serenity, reading, and maybe sneak in some photography. Spending this time with my wife is something I appreciate.
I ordered a copy of N. T. Wright’s new revision of his translation of the New Testament called The New Testament for Everyone (third edition). I’m looking forward to spending some time with that. As I see it, N. T. Wright is our generation’s C. S. Lewis. Don’t try to prove me wrong.
ONE WAY TO BLESS SOMEONE! One Facebook group that I started several years ago continues to bless others. It is called Love in the Mail. We started off with one name, one card, one dollar per week. As members joined in, we had a long list of people who needed encouragement, so many weeks we have two names, two cards, and include one dollar in each mailing. That means someone who needs a lift should get 40+ cards in the mail within a week. If you are on Facebook and would like to be a part of this group, FRIEND ME and I’ll add you! That’s a positive thing I’m so glad to see continue over a long period of time.
FINALLY, AN ANNOUNCEMENT! October 24th is my Substack 1st Anniversary! Expect a post that day with some thoughts on that. I expect to offer a couple of giveaways and will tell you how to enter for those. My daughter introduced me to Substack and I’m so grateful. I managed my blog for years, but it was wearying me with all the behind-the-scenes stuff to do. Substack makes it easy and I’ve enjoyed the community associated with it so much! So I do plan to celebrate! More details on that Tuesday!
If you’re still reading, thank you so much. I appreciate your time and hope the images are encouraging to you. Enjoying checking in with you. October is not going to be with us much longer. How is August almost 10 weeks long, and October only a few days?
Have a blessed week. I will give you some info on Tuesday about our giveaway and hope you will participate. It’ll be fun to share the good news with friends and readers! Whatever we are facing in life, we are assured that Hope Remains.
Have a great time just hanging out! And imagine that all your friends are sending you a big box of “GOOD” that when you open it, they just pop out until your room is full of good wishes and good thoughts for you both! :-))
Enjoy your time in beautiful Arkansas! May you find the peace and renewal that you seek. It's so refreshing to get away with your spouse . Away from all the clamor and business of life. Prayers go with you both.