1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to be thankful in ALL things.  
In the last few years of my life, I have come to realized my attitude can be less than impressive sometimes. I don't like that fact, but it's true.  I think it's most true when something doesn't go the way I thought it would or should.  My mom use to call this "bent out of shape". 
I have learned that you can't have a bad attitude and be thankful as the same time.  It's a choice we all have to make and Paul reminds us to be thankful for all things. I heard a pastor proclaim, "All means all and that's All all means".  It's very true, we can be thankful for things that go the way we think, but when something goes sideways, how do we usually respond?   
One personal example in my life is my moms struggle with dementia.  For about 7 years now my sisters and I have watched my moms cognitive health decline, while her physical health is extremely good for a lady of her age.  We have watched her go from struggling with names, to a point that she doesn't know we are anymore.  She has said to me on many occasions in the past few months, "Am I suppose to love you"?   I will say yes mom, and she responds "I thought so"!!!!
How can you be thankful for things like this, because this falls into the "ALL" category.   It's not easy, but it's something we must learn to do.  I have had good and bad days when trying to figure out my gratitude for my moms disease.   For me, I have come to realize that God is in control and as a follower of Christ, I have to trust Him fully.  He knows me best!  I have sad days still, but in those moments I just ask the Lord to remind me of the things about my mom that I am grateful for, and you know what happens?   My attitude changes.
I am thankful my mom is still around, that I can hold her hand, I am thankful that I can still spend time with her and laugh together.  I am also thankful that she knows the lyrics to most gospel hymn I play and we can still SING together.  I choose to be thankful, and in that choosing, God does a work on my heart and mind to change me!

One of my personal goals this year of 2022, has been to become an early riser.  I have always been what one would call a night owl and a morning person, but after reading some leadership books, I decided I wanted to create a better morning routine for me.  
I have a daily alarm that goes off at 5:15, and as a joke, and a trigger to get me going, I usually shout, "Feet on the Floor, Look out the Door" as I get out of bed and look outside.   It's just a personal trigger to help me get up and going.
With our move to North Georgia, and purchasing a home with a screened back porch, this has become my morning oasis.   I grab a cup of coffee and my iPad (yes I am fully digital in my bible reading and journaling).  I may do a post about my process soon.
I find my place in the chair on the back porch and sit in the dark just listening and enjoying the surroundings that can only be detected with your ears.   One amazing thing is my porch faces the East and so as I sit, I begin to see a small sparkle of light begin to come through the trees.   As I sit, think, read, and pray the light becomes more pronounced as time goes by until finally I actually see the sun come up through the trees.
As I ponder, the thought of being the light to the world reminds me that light permeates darkness and darkness cannot keep it out.  I want my life to matter and the best way that can happen is to shine the light of Jesus in all that I do.   People today need the light of the world given to them, because, they trample through darkness in their personal lives each day.  
A smile or a "have a great day' can shed light into the darkest places in someone's life if we will just remember to do it.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5

One of the many questions I receive as the Worship and Music Catalyst is how should one pick songs for congregational singing?   It's a great question and almost always I give this quick and easy answer.
Pick songs that are familiar.  People love to sing what they know.   I often ask someone, how long does it take for the average person in your congregation to learn a song well enough to sing it "by heart".   We all know when a song is so deep in our heart, that we almost don't have to think about it as we offer it in worship to the Lord.    
I read a book one time that mentioned people have to hear a song "17" times before they actually know it well enough to communicate it.   When I am planning worship, I often try to think of songs I know the congregation can sing to the Lord because it comes from the depth of their hearts.   A song they know well.
It's exciting to attend a sporting event, and a popular song starts playing from over 30 years ago.  People stand and instantly engage themselves because of familiarity.   I think it should be the same in church.  Make sure that the majority of your congregational songs are familiar to those who attend on a regular basis.   Help new songs become familiar by repeating and teaching them over and over. 
We love to sing what we know, so do all we can to help as a leader of worship.

It all started back in January of 2021.    I was approached about taking the new position of Music and Worship Catalyst with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.   I wasn't sure what the Lord was doing in my life, so as I prayed, I asked the Lord for clear direction.   I wanted the yes's to be yes, and the no's to be no.    The more I prayed the more peace I had.    I went to my friend and pastor, Dr. John Waters and he asked me to work through 5 things.
1. What does the Bible say about this?
2. What do my godly friends say about it?
3. What does common sense say about it?
4. Have I really prayed about it?
5. Do I have a peace in my heart about it?
After walking through these 5 things, I realized the Lord had another mission for me and my family.   It's been almost 2 months on the job and I can say I know the Lord called me to this new position, but selling a house, finding a new one.   Leaving our friends and trying to figure out Atlanta traffic have been challenges, but God is sure and He has a plan that we will continue to strive for.   God is faithful in all He has ever called me to do, and I know He is with me now!

Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

John 9: 6-7
We all know the story of Jesus healing the blind man and for many years of my life, I would read it and say what a blessing that was to the man who was born blind.  Like I do so many other times, I just read through or over something but today the story struck me differently.
I realized that I was just like that blind man one time and all of us are.  If we know Jesus, there was time we didn’t and so we were blind to his grace and compassion.  Maybe even today, some of us don't realize how blind we really were, or how blind many people we come into contact with each day are.
As I was reading this story like so many times, three things jumped off the page at me and I want to share them with you.

1. When blindness or sin is healed it's usually messy.   Here was Jesus spitting on the ground and mixing his spit with the dirt on the ground.  Imagine all the feet and animals that had walked on that dirt in times past and now someone was taking spittle and mixing it.  Also, the spit and the dirt had to be picked up and rubbed on the eye lids of the blind man.  I wonder what smells came across as the  dirty, grimy glob of mess was being rubbed on his face of this man.  When we are confronted with the sin in our life, many times it's just like that.  Jesus confronts us with our own shortcomings and failures. When he does we see what a smelly, grimy mess we have allowed sin do in our lives.  Confronting blindness this day and confronting the sin in our lives is a mess that we must all endure to be able to see again.
2. I often wonder what Jesus saw in this man.  We know that people around him thought he was born blind because of the sins of his parents.  When you are blind, you can't see things around you much less the things closest to you.  Personal blindness causes all kinds of challenges and struggles in ones life.  I have come to the realization that people around us can see our weakness much quicker than we can see it ourselves.  Jesus was able to see exactly what this man needed.  Of course the man, could have said, you aren't blind, you have no idea what I need, but it was the trust this blind man had for someone who saw something he could never see.   Our hearts are deceitful and we cannot trust them.  We all need people in our lives who can speak into the blind and weak areas of our lives and walk along loving us through it.  Who do you have in your life like that?
3. When Jesus cleanses you, there will always be people who will wonder if really happened.  The crowd could not believe that this man would do all these crazy things and then be healed, but he went to wash in the pool of Siloam.   When he came out seeing, people were still wondering, "Is it true?"  People are always watching us and our lives as followers of Jesus are always in view of others watching us.  One thing I have learned is everyone can be sorry for a moment, but when Jesus truly forgives you, it's something that last forever.   

So I trust that today, you will be like the blind man.  Go back in your mind and remember the time you were blind before Jesus saved you.   For me, I was 12 years old, but I still remember that my wrong didn't bother me and I was a sinner in need of a Savior.  I was blind and I needed someone to make me able to see.

Luke 23:
50 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, 51 but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. 52 He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. 54This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.
 
I was reading this story of Joseph from Arimathea today as I have many times, but today something stood out to me. Why was Joseph concerned so much to go and bury Jesus body?
I think there are three things we can know about him that would prompt him to do something like this.

1. He was good and righteous.
   The Bible reminds us that this man was just a good man.  He had a heart to serve people the best he could with the resources and talents that God had given him.  He knew his spiritual gift and he wanted to use it for the glory of the Lord.   He was on the high council, so we know he was a righteous man, one who was a rule follower.
2. He was observant to the needs of others around him.
   Joseph was one of those men that just made everyone around him feel comfortable because he could see and sense how people were responding to the current situation.  He knew the high council who he was a part of, but yet disagreed on their decision was wrong but he didn’t lash out.  He knew something was different about Jesus and could see that none of his other followers had the desire to take care of his body.   He could look over a situation and know exactly how to respond to everyone around because he put their needs ahead of his own.
3. He wasn’t lazy or stingy.
   When Joseph saw Jesus all alone on the cross, he knew instantly that the body of Jesus needed something to be done with it.  He knew all that would be involved to taking him off the cross and lifting his body to maybe a donkey.  He knew the sweat that it would take to make all of this happen and possibly the pain of using a hammer to take the nails out of the Jesus’ hands and feet and he didn’t’ mind doing it.  He also took his own burial place and gave it away.  I have seen many families torn apart over burial plots, so I know this can be a issue.  Joseph didn’t mind giving up something of his own for someone else. 

I have prayed today that the Lord would help me be a person who can live a good and righteous life, although we know no one is righteous except Jesus Christ.   I also want to always be able to look around the room and discern the needs of others and then I want to be able to do all that is in my being to meet that need even if it cost me something.   Lord, help me be that kind of person.