Day 173- A Balancing First

Today is Sunday.  I preached on procrastination this morning and so I don't need to put off doing my blog or that would not be very good. We had a lady that went on a mission trip share a testimony about that experience tonight and some men that went on a men's retreat talked about what they felt like the Lord spoke to them about at the retreat.  This was all encouraging and helpful.  However, none of this was a "first."

I got home tonight after church and needed a "first."  Perhaps, I procrastinated after all.  I would prefer to say I was about my Father's business (can I include the nap in that?).  The family pitched in and offered ideas.  Joel asked about putting ketchup in a glass of water and drinking it. Hannah Grace offered to teach me some jazz/modern dance. This is the problem with procrastinating.

A while back Laura found a used balance beam.  Don't worry about where this is going; it sits on the floor.  That way if you fall off, you only fall about 2 inches. It was decided that I do something on the balance beam. Hannah Grade said she would teach me how to do a shenae turn on the balance beam. Don't worry if you don't know what that is; neither did I. It's some kind of spin where you hold your hands like you are holding a beach ball and then spreading them out.  I did some faint semblance of a shenae turn on the balance beam for my "first."

This was not real easy. First, I had to get to where I could walk down the balance beam. They make those things way too skinny.  That took a few tries.  Then I learned something of a semblance of a shenae turn on the floor.  Then, we moved to the balance beam. I'm pretty sure if the judges had scored my final attempt, I would have scored less than a 10.  If I had made a full 1 and not a .3, I would have been thrilled.  Still, I did it to the satisfaction of my teacher and teacher's assistant.

My teacher

Teacher's assistant

Not quite the finish we were looking for

Almost

Booyah! Or maybe, close enough.

As you might can tell, we had fun tonight.  That's part of what my year of "firsts" is about; having some fun with my family and helping them see that following Jesus is an abundant life.  I heard one guy say that he told his children often that God's plans were too good to miss.  Of course, following Jesus will not always lead you onto a balance beam, but you never know.  We had a lot of serious time talking and learning about the Lord today and it's nice to balance that with some fun and laughter this evening.

I thought about balance tonight.  I think balance is an important word for those who are followers of Jesus.  There are times to seriously dig into God's word and try to understand what God is communicating to us. There is also time to have a blast with your loved ones. There are many places we need to balance.  We need to balance:

• Time in Bible study with time in prayer
• Time spent with Christian friends with time trying to build friendships with non-Christians
• Time spent giving to others with time receiving refreshment ourselves
• Fasting and feasting

Many times heresy will come when someone takes a Bible verse and emphasizes it to the exclusion of the rest of the Bible. We need to interpret verses within the context of the chapter they are in and even within the context of the whole Bible. There needs to be a balance.

Be sure to bring some balance to your life this week. It's healthy to ask the Lord if you need more time spent:
In serious study of the Bible
Laughing with friends
Sharing your faith
Prolonged time of prayer
Resting
Working

Seeking to be balanced in the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Jennifer's testimony of her mission trip to New Orleans
2. Men who shared about their conference at church tonight
3. God does not procrastinate with my prayers