Warming up: I wish there were some profound story behind the name of the blog "Just Thinking"; but there isn't. The blog was just a place to think out loud. I'll warn you up front, it's a scary place inside my head. I want this to be a place to share thoughts and devotions about the awesome God we serve. If this blog were limited to my mind and education, it would be brief and adequate for nothing. But if God is the focal point, then there are no limits; He is eternal and infinite in every way. This is beyond our comprehension, but God rewards us when pursue a deep understanding of Him.
I wish the picture of the 'Just Thinking' ape had some profound meaning, but it doesn't. It's silly. I guess for me it reminds me that my best, of and by myself, is useless and goofy. But with Christ at the center, there are no limits. I don't take myself too seriously, thus the thinking ape, but I take God very serious.
In case you didn't know, or hadn't noticed, the CCS website has been completely revised; new look, colors and content. In this renewal process there has been much opportunity to review and reflect. I wrote a bunch of blog articles 2008 and 2009. I'm still amazed at the number of people that read them and find them useful (it really is encouraging when I get emails from you). From the beginning I was stunned at the people all over the world that were willing to read something I wrote. So, getting back to writing some blogs was a one of my goals. So here I am wondering what to write. I went back and read the first article I wrote back in 2008 and frankly it applies to the blog restart with minor edits.
The Restart: God is amazing. Not that many years ago I was often criticized for not speaking loud enough or not speaking at all. Most of the time I try to live by the old adage, "It's better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." This has worked for me for many years. I am comfortable with silence. But in the last few years God has changed me. I realize I have something to say. God has given me a fire and a passion for reading and study. God gets all the credit for it also - I take none for myself. But He has given me something to say. So here I am writing a Blog. Weird, huh? So when I say something meaningful and profound you'll know it came from God. When you think I'm a fool (somewhere along the line, you will); have mercy on me, I have opened my mouth and removed all doubt.
But there is hope for fools like me. God says he can use people just like me - a fool. God can use each and every one of us. He has called you (Yup, don't you hate it when someone tells you that?). He has called you to a purpose. Sometimes that call or purpose is uncomfortable. For some, like Saul, you are knocked down by a bright light and your life is instantly changed forever. For others, like me, he has taken me down a road that at this moment in time leads me here. He has given me words to write that I hope will encourage and inform you. Maybe something might slip in there once in a while to make you think. What has God called you to?
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