Love Your Neighbor

I was sitting in panera reading and uploading this weeks sermon and started thinking about how we are commanded to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. I started thinking about it because I was thinking about the disciples.

We just started a sermon series through the book of Acts this weekend. I was thinking about how 12 guys were literally, physically close to Jesus. They lived the dream. I mean, how many of us have wanted to be there on the boat when Jesus comes walking out of the darkness... on the water. Who wouldn't want to see 5000 men plus wives and children feast on 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread (and then find baskets full of leftovers). Obviously that's not even mentioning dead people coming back to life and the healing of countless others. The disciples saw it all. They literally saw God. They walked with Him and learned from Him.

But one of them never got it. Can you imagine? I can't. I just don't get it.

Anyway, Judas is what is blowing me away with the "love your neighbor" command. Jesus knew that Judas would betray him (John 6:64, John 13:11). I have a hard enough time loving people who are good to me. Jesus loved this guy day in and day out and all the while knew that Judas would sell Him out.

Lord, help me to love. I don't even know if I understand what the word means.

A better place

Shawna and I are away for a few days. 5 days, actually. It has been wonderful to spend time with each other with no interuptions. We are spending our days in Asheville, NC. It is beautiful.

I love Columbus. Believe me, I really love it. But this is a better place. I can't even count how many unbelieveble sites we've seen since we got here yesterday evening.

Today, we drove to Chimney Rock. It's where they filmed "The Last of the Mohicans." Here are a few pictures of our trip. A few are from the drive to Chimney Rock and 2 are during the hike. Once there (and I should say, once we had seen more beauty than I've seen in a few years combined), we hiked up to Chimney Rock, then up higher and around to the top of Hickory Nut Falls.

God gave us incredible weather. It was sandwiched between rain and storms last night and this afternoon. We considered not even going due to it being overcast and the weather people threatening of possible severe storms today. But we forged ahead and as we approached the park the clouds gave way and we enjoyed sunny weather for the entire hike.

Would have liked to have had the boys a few times... we saw some lizards and a snake that was sun bathing right next to the path we were on. I'm convincing myself it wasn't poisonous.

You're going to have to come sometime to see for yourself. If you do... get fit first. That hike was a killer on the way up!

Isaiah 26:3-4

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Lord, please help. Keep my mind to be stayed on You. Somehow. Let me trust in You, forever. You are an everlasting rock!