Finishing the Journey Together -- Hebrews 12

I was blessed to be 1 of 95 men from our local church who awoke this morning overlooking Ocracoke Island's Silver Lake.

We are now engaged in our 3rd session of Worship and the Word and our Scripture focus for today is being unpacked by our yearly retreat "rabbi" Brian Charette. Here's the passage:

"Since we are surrounded by so many examples ⌊of faith⌋, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up. We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God. Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don’t become tired and give up." (Hebrews 12:1-3 GWT)

"How you finish can veto the way you start." -- Brian Charette 

Let's us finish the journey -- together.

Grateful

On The Horizon: Keepers of the Light #20

Just on the horizon, yes, in a matter of days, a large group of men from our church family will once again accompany me on our Keepers of the Light retreat along the Atlantic Ocean. Hard to believe, but 2014 marks our 20th gathering.

This morning, our retreat "rabbi", Brian, and I, have been firming up the foundational themes and charting out the spiritual direction of our three-day adventure. I thought you might be encouraged by each of the three session directions now written on "the board":

Session #1: "Peace in the Storm"
Session #2: "Light in the Darkness"
Session #3: "Finishing The Journey Together"

Your prayers are appreciated. Pray for our peace to increase, for His light to be rekindled among and within and beyond us, and that our hearts will be set at complete unity that we might endure faithfully until the end. Amen.    

Grateful

"The End is What's Important."

Comments in this newsfeed from the 2012 Olympic Games in London caught my full attention:

Usain Bolt is back. Racing against a star-studded field in which every qualifier ran faster than 10 seconds in the semifinal, Bolt (from Jamacia) successfully defended his 2008 gold medal in the 100 meters by setting a new Olympic record of 9.63 seconds. "I executed, and that's the key," Bolt told reporters after celebrating his fourth career gold medal with a victory lap. "I stopped worrying about the start. The end is what's important."

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
-- Mathew 24:13 (NLT)

Let us finish the race focused on Jesus.
Grateful

Spread the Sail...

Today I share just three words from Isaiah 33:23 (NKJV):

Spread the sail...

My paraphrase? It's now time to leave the harbor and to raise our sails high, so that we might immediately catch the upper currents of God's wind-strength, thereby allowing Him to ultimately bring Philippians 1:6 up to full speed in our lives.

Philippians 1:6 (MSG) -- There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

Lord, let today be the day that I sense full recovery from the past, overflowing celebration for the present, and cloudless vision for the future. Be Thou my Vision, Jesus. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Being Confident

This morning at our local church's weekly Men's Dawn Patrol Prayer Time and 20/20 Bible Study, my heart as a daddy was tenderly touched and my spiritual eyesight was enhanced as I listened to my 23-year-old son read aloud one of his daddy's life verses:

Philippians 1:6 (NIV) -- ...being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 (MSG) -- There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful