(Cliffhanger...what a great movie! Love me some Sly Stallone on the mountaintop!)
Scripture: Ps 37:1-42; Habakkuk 3:1-18; Philippians 3:12-21; John 17:1-8
Scripture standout: Ps 37: "3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Habakkuk 3: "2 LORD, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD.
Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known;"
I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD.
Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known;"
His Deed/The Day: So maybe I mentioned this last week. I just wrapped up an interview with a really motivated young teacher from Andrew Jackson High School. Jackson has lots of challenges, but people like this teacher were working hard to turn things around. As we were walking to our cars, I asked her if she needed anything. I told her if she saw any opportunities for me to help, I was in.
She said yes.
Then she got all excited and said, yes again! Clasping her hands together she explained how she needed a 22-book classroom set of The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy. Gulp! I had hives finding the right words to express that what I was actually offering was something free — like speaking to her class. Or maybe buying pencils or copy paper. Worse yet, I might have even been attempting some sort of free ask. The worst.
I shut up and just nodded — giving myself a mental kick in the pants.
Today's deed was to begin researching how the hell I was going to find an affordable 22-book set for this deserving classroom. Amazon sells them used for $.50 a piece, with $3.99 shipping — for each book. Needless to say, I am still searching for options. That was today's deed, in addition to some low-hanging Facebook birthday fruit.
A little lesson: don't make empty offers, because someone may take you up on it. And that's fine if you're willing to make good on it! Just takes a little research and planning on the back end.
Deedsclosure: I dwell on all the junk on my to-do list each day. I constantly consider my own challenges. Sometimes, I think, "Man, I have some problems!" But so does everybody else! Who doesn't wake up each morning and groan? There are neighbors, friends, family and co-workers standing at the bottom of much bigger mountains than I face each day. Daily deeding requires taking your eyes off your own mountain and looking around to see how you can help somebody else on their climb.
She said yes.
Then she got all excited and said, yes again! Clasping her hands together she explained how she needed a 22-book classroom set of The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy. Gulp! I had hives finding the right words to express that what I was actually offering was something free — like speaking to her class. Or maybe buying pencils or copy paper. Worse yet, I might have even been attempting some sort of free ask. The worst.
I shut up and just nodded — giving myself a mental kick in the pants.
Today's deed was to begin researching how the hell I was going to find an affordable 22-book set for this deserving classroom. Amazon sells them used for $.50 a piece, with $3.99 shipping — for each book. Needless to say, I am still searching for options. That was today's deed, in addition to some low-hanging Facebook birthday fruit.
A little lesson: don't make empty offers, because someone may take you up on it. And that's fine if you're willing to make good on it! Just takes a little research and planning on the back end.
Deedsclosure: I dwell on all the junk on my to-do list each day. I constantly consider my own challenges. Sometimes, I think, "Man, I have some problems!" But so does everybody else! Who doesn't wake up each morning and groan? There are neighbors, friends, family and co-workers standing at the bottom of much bigger mountains than I face each day. Daily deeding requires taking your eyes off your own mountain and looking around to see how you can help somebody else on their climb.
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