new things

today, as i prepared the lesson for yabs, i decided to try a new approach to doing a small group bible study - reverse paraphrasing. as i looked over the text i wanted to reverse, i had to first think about what the text was saying to me, then negate everything. this was much harder than i thought it would be because i don't like to think about God not caring about me or not sheltering me from the storms of life. it made me think about all the things i tend to take for granted in my life and i wondered what kind of hell i would live in without God's protection and provision.

my thoughts then turned to caitlyn and her impending arrival on planet earth. will i be ready for her when she gets here? will she love me because i help feed her and clean her or will she love me because i first loved her? what will she look like or act like or be like? how am i going to pay for her wedding?! maybe i am getting ahead of myself, but she will be here before too long and she will require constant attention...dear God, help me to be the father to caitlyn that you have been to me. amen.

what prepares you for new things in life? are you looking forward at what is coming ahead of you or are you looking behind you at what you have accomplished in the past? if you are doing the latter, watch out - cuz you might run smack into a tree! God does new things in our lives all the time we just have to be on the lookout for them.

"see, i am doing a new thing! now it springs up; do you not perceive it? i am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (isa 43:19).

grace&peace

ps - found this today, thought it was kinda funny!