A Note From Tom: January 27th, 2012

Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having an awesome and beautiful day! In fact, I hope your day is as amazing as the incredible weather we’ve had the last two days! And I hear we’re gonna have today! I’m predicting bright, crisp, brilliantly and breath-takingly blue skies…just like yesterday and Wednesday! And we can expect gorgeous, sunny skies for the next 24 hours!

“What?! Yesterday was sloppy rainy all dang day!”

Well, I guess. But if you were flying out of McGee-Tyson, headed anywhere, as soon as you hit about 28,000 feet above Big Orange Country, you saw above the clouds, what a glorious, sunshiny day we were really having! It’s just a matter of perspective! If you’re just a “both-feet-firmly-planted-on-the-dirt” kinda dude, you see one thing. But if you see things from an elevated perspective, everything changes! For the sunnier!

“Whatever. And what’s the deal about ‘sunny skies for the next 24 hours’? It’ll be dark by 6:45 tonight!”

Not everywhere! Not in New Zealand and China! While you’re snoozing, they’ll strollin’ or sippin’ tea and chattin’ under sunny rays! So, it’ll be sunny at 28,000 feet-plus somewhere in the world, the whole day! If you had a weather balloon, an oxygen mask, and a heavy jacket, hat, and gloves, and could follow the sun on it’s daily global circuit, you’d know what I’m telling you is true! Bright and sunny for the next twenty four!

Maybe not here, but somewhere!

It’s all about perspective!

And what about the rain that comes? We really need it! Our daffodils are starting to push out of the mulch and they’re gonna look awesome! Thanks to all those drops from heaven! “God has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven!” (Acts 14)

Thanks, Lord! We need it!

And the darkness that comes at the end of the day? What a blessing!

When you’ve had just a cruddy day and nothing is going right and you wish you could just hit reset and start over? You can! That day won’t last forever! In just a few, the sun will set (on it’s way to shine over Australia at 28,000’!), and you get to snuggle in, close your eyes, and wake up to a new morning! A new chance! A fresh day! As it says at the beginning of the Book, “And it was evening and morning…”

Sunshine and rain, light and dark…we need whatever God sends!

Maybe that’s why Philippians 2 14 says, “Do everything without complaining…”

The original Greek for “everything” means… “EVERYTHING!!”

Never complain! About anything! Ever!

“Well, hold on! I’m not perfect!”

Totally! Nobody’s perfect! He’s not asking for perfection! He’s just asking us to never complain! In fact, not being perfect is just the reason I should never complain! I mess up everyday, but my Heavenly Dad NEVER stops loving and caring for me! What do I have to complain about!?

“Well, I’m only human.”

Actually, that ISN’T true! When you know Jesus, you’re more than just human! You have powers from God, Who now lives inside you! You’re different from who you were! You’re different from what others without Him, are! You have super-powers from God!

Early yesterday, I was reading (I remember it was a bright, sunny morning…28,000 ‘ above Nova Scotia…) in 1 Corinthians 3. Those dudes were arguing and bickering. And probably complaining tons! And Paul wrote to tell them to knock it off! “When you do that, you’re acting like plain ol’ humans!” (1 Cor 3.4)

You’re not “plain ol’ humans”!

You’re more!

You have super powers! You have the power to never complain! You have the power to praise by the Holy Spirit!

Because of Jesus, you’re “Praise Boy!” Or “Praise Girl!”

By the way, if you’ve already had a messed up day, that started with complaining and grumping, good news! It’ll be dark soon! And you get to start over in the morning!

By the way, forecast for tomorrow?

Bright and sunny!

Somewhere!