Supply And Demand

If you have even the most basic understanding of business, you understand that the price we pay for things is a reflection of supply and demand. Businesses do market research, hold focus groups, and conduct surveys to determine what it is we want. They then decide how much we are willing to pay if the market has different amounts available for purchase. A prime example of supply and demand is what happens year after year when people line up to purchase the newest pair of Jordan's. Nike has done an excellent job of ensuring that quantities are so limited that the supply never exceeds the demand. 

Have you ever wanted to be like Nike? Have you ever had a product that you wanted to distribute? You believed in it because it was both extremely popular, yet rare. Have you wondered about the price that people would be willing to pay if your product was positioned to never exceed the demand?

If you are a Christian, you should be like Nike. You have the love of God to distribute. You and other Christian's belief in God's love makes it popular, however among the general population knowledge of its true power is rare. God's love shown through you should be so appealing that people line up to receive it from you year after year. They should desire it so much that they will give anything, pay any price to receive what you already have. 

Why is it that you are failing to give them what they need? Why are people coming to you for love and receiving a rain check ticket or an out of business sign instead? Why are you not a walking advertisement of God's love? Why are you not conducting research to determine the best way to deliver God's love? When did you last conduct bible study? Bible study is after all nothing more than a focused group designed to acquaint others with the power of God's love. Have you bothered to survey those in need to find out what part of God's word would change their situation right now? Is it that you have mistaken God's love for an ever popular pair of Jordan's, something that is sometimes supplied, but never able to meet the demand?


And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:15

Are You A Peacemaker?

Are you a peacemaker? Do you strive to pursue peace with all men as we are instructed in the bible? We all know that Christians are to be peacemakers. Saying it is easy, but how often do you find yourself putting it in practice? Are you referred to as a mediator, negotiator, or go between? Are you a peacemaker?

Can your presence ease turmoil? Are you soothing, calm, or serene? How often are you called on to unify a broken bond? Is restoration a part of the fabric by which you live your life? Are you a peacemaker?

A peacemaker is someone who brings about peace. It is someone who lives peacefully and pursues peaceful situations as a function of their everyday character. He or she speaks peace, promotes peace, and exudes peace. Peacemakers are happy without logical reason or clearly defined triggers. They know joy and live faith focused lives. Peacemakers refuse to allow themselves to be soil for negativity and discontent. Are you a peacemaker?

Have you found yourself speaking life into the dark places of another's life? Have you been striving to ensure that God's light continues to be what others see shining? Have you removed yourself as the solution and offered God instead? Have you loved in the pathway of hate? Are you a peacemaker?

Peacemakers are humble and eager to be used. Peacemakers are aware that they are at times planters, at times water, but always just a tool that God needs to grow more peacemakers. Peacemakers are easy to spot spirit to spirit, but hard to see through natural eyes that are trained to look for human imperfections. So are you a peacemaker?

Adayinthelife :-)

Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones, But Words...

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..."

John 1:1

Bishop Porter preached a sermon once about how the tongue was a weapon of mass destruction. I recall laughing and nodding in agreement when he first said it. The tongue, this small little organ that we all take for granted could be as powerful as a weapon designed to destroy lives. It was funny in the moment not for its comedic value, but because of its truth. The tongue is indeed a weapon of mass destruction. That is of course if we allow it to be. 

Our tongue is completely controllable. We decide what we say. We decide when and how we say it. We decide if our words will be sweet as honey or as bitter as the juice of a lemon. We decide if the words we say will be restorative and loving or destructive and filled with hate. We decide, but how many of us truly consider the things that we say?

We say things like "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me", but then we go ahead and use words as insults. We use words as canons, missiles, and tanks to destroy those that we have disagreements with, those that we haven't bothered to know, and even those that we swear we love. Where is God in the span of angry words that are said to your daughter, your son, your husband, or your wife? Do we forget to remember that we live by every word that comes from God and that our words should mirror His? His words are truth. His words are a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. How can our words then be weapons of mass destruction? How can they be so different from His if we represent Him? Could it be that our words are so hurtful because we forgot to remember how to speak the words of God?

Adayinthelife :-)

Reuniting Doesn't Always Feel So Good

This past week was very challenging for me. Trying to manage things at work and adjust to life after Lasik. Everyday I reminded myself that things would get better and that everything would be just fine as long as I remembered that I was one day closer to reunion. I know that it is not important to some people, but I had been looking forward to it. I was so excited that I talked about it with the kids at school everyday.

I left on Thursday to make sure that I got there for everything on Friday. I had a mental itinerary, a must do and may do list, and enough excitement for everyone those who were attending and those who were not. I did everything except consider the possibility that I would not attend my reunion.

Yesterday, I was reminded all day long that the best laid plans don't always work out. Flight after flight left without me on it. In the early morning hours, I was hopeful. I went down the must do/may do list and realized all would not be lost if I just got on the next plane to Florida.

It never happened and I ended up on a plane back to Baton Rouge. I was happy to end the 13 hour standoff with Delta, but I was so sad about what happened to my wonderful plans.

When I landed, I received a message from my friend Marcie. She told me how sorry she was that it hadn't worked out. She told me how happy she was that at least I was no longer being held hostage in Atlanta. Then she told me to remember how much I am loved.

I wrote this because the love that she spoke of wasn't just the love of family and friends. The love that she spoke of was the love of God. Throughout the day yesterday Marcie and I talked about the people that I wouldn't see. We talked about not getting to spend the day with my God-daughter, missing the game with friends, and not seeing my dad. We also talked about God and how His love would cover all of the day entailed good or bad.

We talked about how God had a plan, a must do/may do list, and more excitement than all of us combined. What was so interesting about my talks with Marcie was that she led them. She said to me "remember your faith. Know that in all of this God is still working for you. He's going to make this alright."

She even laughed and said "can you believe I am the one that is saying this to you? This is what you've always done for me." I can't believe that I didn't get to see everyone, but I did get to see God. There is a blessing in everything.

Adayinthelife :-)

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

The things that we miss the most are usually those that have been constantly before us for a time. It might be a clothing item that has been your favorite, a trusted friend that you spent time with everyday, or a t.v. show that you have grown accustomed to watching. When any of these things are taken out of the path of your attention, your attachment to them fades until the point that you rarely think of them at all. This reality is why people have such strong reactions when that item, person, or show is initially taken away.

This reality is why we should have no trouble relinquishing our mind's hold on the negative things. Take for example the person who ruined your day. She walked in the room with a bad attitude and even worse news. She placed it in your lap like a child who belonged in the arms of his mother. She lingered long enough to infect you with her dreadful outlook on love and life. The moment she left you should have been the moment that you allowed your attachment to the negative spirit to fade. You didn't. You rehearsed her words. You rehearsed her mannerisms. You rehearsed the news that she placed securely in your lap. You rehearsed so much that the spirit of negativity became your favorite companion.

That was five years ago. She hasn't been in your presence, but the present that she left you that day has stayed at the forefront of your mind. Many times you have wanted to let go of it, but the fear of not having that spirit haunts your mind. You know if you allow yourself to forgive her for the moment, the negativity will die and fade away into the past.

So you continue to split time between asking God to release you and doing your best to let the spirit of negativity remain on your mind. At some point you convince yourself that God would have freed you from it if He wanted you to be released. But how can He free you from the thing that you work so hard to continue to see?

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;

    fix your gaze directly before you.

26 Give careful thought to the[a] paths for your feet

    and be steadfast in all your ways.

27 Do not turn to the right or the left;

    keep your foot from evil.

Proverbs 4:25-27