Son-shine on Your Shoulders

  Good Son-Day!!! It's Fair to Say a Good Time Was Had by All When Taking Control of Your Life Goes Bad Psalm 37:1 Be still in the presence of the  Lord ,  and wait patiently for him to act. Lamentations 3:25  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him True humility manifests itself in the form of patience in God.  Impatience actually is the opposite.  It is a manifestation of a person's arrogance. Quite frankly, impatience is when you are telling God that your timeline, your will, your plan, and what you think is best for your life supersedes and is better than God's timing, will, and plan for you.  The king of Israel was a man who was overly confident in appointment as king and impatient with God.  Let’s examine the folly of his impatience with God. 1 Samuel 10:8   Go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arriv...

  Good Son-Day!!! Jackson’s Twin Cities Meanerings Take Note Last Thursday, I was doing one of my mundane chores by taking out trash.  As I was walking back towards the house I saw this butterfly fluttering around my arborvitae.  I normally am dismissive of these critters. But I sensed something grand about this one due to its size.  At first, I thought it was a sparrow. The wingspan was the size of my hand. With a quiet approach, I was able to get close enough to get a good shot (see image below). Giant Black Swallowtail Butterfly What I witnessed was Homerus swallowtail or Black Swallowtail, which is the largest butterfly species in the Western Hemisphere. The species is endangered and faces a bleak future. Only two small populations of this butterfly remain in their original environment. The old belief out there is when you see a giant swallowtail butterfly you are seeing the grace and free nature of the ineffable human soul.  Other beliefs associated with th...

  Good Son-Day!!! Just a moment’s pause to acknowledge the life of my friend Gary “Bear” Ojala.  A God loving, people loving man who passed recently. Trek to Jay Cooke Authentic Power A little more focus on humility.  At its core, it is about putting others before yourself. It's being open to new ideas, listening to others, yielding to others, acknowledging to others, praising others, apologizing to others, recognizing the value in all the lives God has created. It's also being willing to admit your mistakes and learn from them. A couple weeks ago, the topic was on relational inhibitors with God.  Humility is the exact opposite. It’s a relational enhancer with God.   Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; HE will glorify the humble with victory in life. James 4:10 Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord; and He will lift you up. Humility makes you vulnerable to the response of others.  It is in some respects a type of grace (undeserved,...