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It’s official High School Graduation season has begun. So I have some words that Iwould like to share. They are not completely my words, but words from John Wesley. The founder of the Methodist Movement. Wesley had three simple rules that he dedicated his life towards. 

The 3 Simple Rules they are called. 

Do No Harm. 
Do Good. 
Stay in Love with God. 

They are simple in wording, but not simple in application, but they are important and as you embark on the next part of your journey I pray that no matter where you find yourself that you do these things. 

I pray that you laugh uncontrollably, play with your food, take leaps of faith, put your whole self in, let go of your worries, flip out, let your hair down, and wipe out. We pray that you will feel alive as you take a joy ride, but above all else I pray for two things. 

• “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can. -John Wesley
• As you do this always BE who you are, SEE what you have, and DO what matters to God. 

Now we (the church community you are a part of) are sending you into the world wherever it may lead you. You are Christs representatives so I leave you with this final word. 

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)

This week Texas all over the place received a lot of rain, if you didn’t already know. At one point it was 4 inches of rain an hour. That’s ridiculous. It has been terrible to see the images of people displaced in Houston, Wimberly and around the southern part of the state and they have been on my mind a lot this week. If you have a moment today I would encourage spending some time in prayer for them. Also be in prayer for many people that were evacuated (850 homes) in the Palo Pinto area because they had to drain some of that water as well. 

Lots of people are displaced all over Texas. 

So if you have a home that you go to tonight be thankful, but also pray for those without. 

  
No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I don’t call you servants any longer, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you. You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you could go and produce fruit and so that your fruit could last. As a result, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. I give you these commandments so that you can love each other. (‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭13-17‬ CEB)
Today is a very important day as an American, it is a somber day for many, but in that somberness there is also joy. Christ our savior knew that in order to give what He most desired to give there must be sacrifice. The old way must be severed and for that to happen he woud do the ultimate sacrifice, lay down his life for his friends. 
Today in its somberness we are abundantly thankful for that have made tthe ultimate sacrifice so that we can do we do. 

Think for a moment what it would be like to not have the freedom and opportunity to worship God on Sundays, without the sacrifice of the many that have served America that would null in void. Today be thankful for what you have because of the sacrifice of many. They have given us so much. If you know someone in the military, thank them, because they know that if asked they will lay down their life, and yet that doesn’t detur them from serving in the way they do. 

To all that have or are currently serving I thank you and to those that have made the ultimate sarcrifice I cannot thank you enough for the love you have shown the many. You teach us what love is truly about. 

Finally I thank you and praise you God for being the originator, innovator, and creator of that love.  

  

In Christianty God is not a static thing – not even a person – but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost like a drama.
– C.S. Lewis

http://dvo.me/gRq2kopuxm

Today at the house my wife, Amy and I are having a garage sale, so for the last couple of weeks we have sorting through our garage and seeing what we have and figuring out what we need. We have said many things, but today I am thinking about one word. 

Stuff. 

So today I am ponderinng why in the world do we have so much stuff? What do we really need? 

I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul said: 

But even beyond that, I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for him, but what I lost I think of as sewer trash, so that I might gain Christ (‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬ CEB)

Everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. As disciplines we see what we need through the lens of Christ Jesus. He is more than we could ever ask for. It’s no wonder Paul wrote this, but when you have Christ, things begin to become less attractive, because through Christ we have more than we thought possible. 

What do I need? 

I need Jesus. Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, just give me Jesus.