I Chronicles 16:23-36

I came across this passage in my devotional time with the Lord today. A timely word for where He has me right now:

I Chronicles 16:23-26

23 Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

24 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

25 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.

26 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!

27 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.

28 O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.

29 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.

30 Let all the earth tremble before him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.

31 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

32 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!

33 Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise, for the Lord is coming to judge the earth.

34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

35 Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.”

36 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting!

Tony Dungy's Thoughts on Steve McNair

Tony Dungy, a strong Christian and respected former coach of the Indianapolis Colts, offers some thoughtful insight on the recent tragedy involving former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. I recently discovered Coach Dungy's blog and have enjoyed his perspective on life, family, football and mentoring. About the McNair situation, Dungy has this to say:

"What went wrong? Right now we can only guess, but perhaps time will answer some of the questions. There is going to be a tendency to say, “We should remember the good things Steve did and not focus on the negative.” And we should remember all the great things he did on the field for the Titans and in the Nashville community. We also shouldn’t focus on the information that has come out in the last few days in a purely judgmental way. But I think it would be a mistake to just ignore the more disturbing parts of the McNair story.

I think the best thing we could do is try to learn from it. In my mind, the lesson is that no matter how successful we are, no matter how many good things we do in life, we are all susceptible to temptation and bad choices. And one bad choice can ruin your life; just as it appears to have happened to Steve McNair, it can happen to me.

As a Christian, I believe in the Bible, and it talks a lot about temptations and also about the consequences of sin and bad choices. Christians aren’t immune from those temptations or consequences. It appears that Steve McNair made a bad decision as a married man, just as Governor Sanford of South Carolina did, going down a disastrous path with another woman. Those relationships could have started out very innocently, and maybe even with good intentions in mind. However, at some point, both men had to make decisions on the direction those relationships would take, and both men apparently made the wrong choice. Unfortunately, those decisions will have terrible consequences for them and their families."

You can read Dungy's complete post here.

Chris Restuccia: A Life Well Lived

In the early morning hours yesterday, July 6th, my friend, Chris Restuccia, left this earth and entered into the arms of Jesus. Chris had fought a courageous battle with cancer and is now at peace and is free from all his earthly body limited him to.

Chris leaves behind his children, Hannah and Joshua, and his wife, Jo, a tremendous woman who has shown a remarkable degree of strength, faith and courage throughout the course of Chris's treatments and as his health declined in recent months.

Although I'm thankful that Chris is now pain-free and is in the presence of our Lord, it is still hard to believe that he is gone. I will miss our times together and our lengthy conversations about theology, ecclesiology, stewardship, politics, football and the ministry that God had called each of us to. As a couple of the only white guys working with The Impact Movement, Chris and I have shared a unique bond for well over a decade. He was a confidant, an accountability partner and a close co-laborer. Mostly, he was just my friend. I will miss him dearly.

Like many of the people I have the privilege of working with, Chris was not a man that went into the Christian ministry because he had limited career options. In fact, I'm quite certain that he would have been a very successful businessman as a result of the keen entrepreneurial spirit he possessed. Unlike so many others, he chose to pursue the calling that God had placed on his life instead of running after the accumulation of wealth and material items. Jesus Christ had dramatically changed Chris's life and he wanted to invest his life in helping to introduce others to Christ.

There are some that would say that instead of being a missionary that he should have made millions and given that to God's work. But Chris followed what God told him and not what the world would dictate. God blessed him with a wonderful wife and children and gave him the privilege of seeing others' lives transformed by the power of the gospel of Jesus. He is now receiving his reward for a life well-lived. I'm thankful that I can call him friend.