"Serves" Up!

"Cowabunga, Dude!" "Gnarly!" "Hang ten." "Surf's up!" These among hundreds others (see here) are terms from the surfing community. I am totally out of my element when it comes to the surfer scene! This 'community' of people have an understanding that those on the outside would probably just think they are crazy. One thing is for sure, they are adamant about their lifestyle and becoming good at surfing. They come from all walks of life. One of the main parts of being successful is their ability to go back out and conquer the waves that come their way.

Maybe not everyone can surf - I don't know that I could. However, turn the word around to "serve"...that brings us to this week's quote...

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Serving is one of those areas in life some people resist to dive into, but once they're in, they enjoy. Like that pool that seems a bit too cool to the touch of the toe. You don't want to get in, but you jump in and once you're in, it's exhilarating! Though it is a bad illustration, based on the context, I have to think of the funny scene of the movie "Vacation" where "Clark" jumps in to the hotel pool (If you've seen it you are probably laughing).

If you've had opportunities to serve, you know how "gnarly" it can be. When you're finished, and you're asked how it went, you may respond with "It, like, totally rocked, dude!" And you're looking for the next time you get to ride the waves!

Look out into the ocean of life and see what waves you can ride...keep in mind, "'serves' up!"

Monday Mentionings: Built for God Before Self - Nehemiah 6:15-7:4

Happy Labor Day!

I hope you all are having/did have a great day! It is good to have those three-day weekends from time to time.

With the opportunity to play softball next week coming up quickly, I enjoyed getting re-familiar with the game of softball Sunday evening with Shawn, Heather, Aubrey, & Shawn's friend, Adam. I have a feeling I am going to be getting re-familiar with sore muscles come Monday morning! :) We had a lot of fun and I am looking forward to playing with the Dale Christian Church next Sunday!

The wall that Nehemiah started is now built. All that witnessed or heard about the wall knew that it was because of God that it was completed. As we live our lives, may people see that our lives are "built by God" too! Here are a couple of other applications to use for this lesson...

1. What is a characteristic in you that people would have no problem identifying as being "built" by God? In other words, what do you do different than others to show that God is a priority in your life? i.e. your prayer life, handling your temper, encouragement, etc.
2. When was the last time you suffered a defeat? Did you praise God, then? If not, do it now. We must remember that we still serve God and praise Him in our victories AND our defeats! (From "Facing the Giants")
3. God before self. Easy to say, tough to put into action. What is an area where you've been struggling to put this into practice? Pray that God would help you prioritize things. Keep this verse in mind...“and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” - Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

May you be blessed to have the easy road in serving Him with no roadblocks to prevent that service! May you be ever saying something like this...“I don’t know how I’m going to serve you today or what you are going to put on my plate, but no matter what, I’m standing in the circle that says, ‘I’m serving You, Lord.’”

Have a God-strengthened, Jesus-oozing, and Spirit-led week!

Looking for surprises ~