The importance of "daily" bread

Let me be transparent with you: one of the tendencies that I battle against is the temptation to look too far ahead in the future.  I can tell you from personal experience, if you do this, you will inevitably get weighed down with anxiety, stress, and uncertainty.  The reason for this, of course, is because the future is unknown.  The future is filled with question marks.  Can you relate with me on this one?  What is the remedy for this?  Jesus gives us the answer.

In Luke 11, the disciples present Jesus with this request: “Lord, teach us to pray” (verse 2).  He proceeds to give them a sample prayer that has been come to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer.”  In verse 3 He says, “Give us day by day our daily bread” (verse 3).  In Matthew 6, Jesus slips in the same model prayer in His Sermon on the Mount discourse.  There He says, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).  I prefer that rendering as that’s how I’ve said it in prayer over the years.

Of course, when Jesus says “bread” He means more than just food.  That’s certainly included.  But it’s anything related to the necessities of life; such as physical strength, protection in a lethal world, spiritual reinforcement from the Lord, and financial provision.  I can’t overemphasize how important this “daily bread” notion is for me, specifically since my dad passed away, although not exclusively.  I’ve found that it is vital to focus on living life in daily increments.  I often say that it's “one day at a time."  Thank God He set life up in this way.  Otherwise, I’m not sure we would be able to function.  I know I couldn’t.

I have a caution at this point.  Living in one day increments does not mean that you don’t plan.  If there’s a blizzard forecasted, you have to plan accordingly.  If you are a student and you have an important test later on in the week, make sure you study, and get plenty of sleep the night before the big event.  “One day at a time” doesn’t mean that you allow yourself to get blindsided because you are so focused on living in the day.  Obviously you have to plan.

I liken this to a football team’s schedule.  I don’t know about you but I can’t imagine Coach Bill Belichick (or Dan Quinn or whatever coach you wish to insert) saying to the media, “I know we have the Texans coming up on Sunday, but honestly, I’m really thinking about how we have that big game next week against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football.  And there’s that divisional game on the road after that.”  No matter how important those games may be their mantra is always to take it “one game at a time.”  In the same way, you can’t live tomorrow yet, you have to live today.  Jesus put it this way: “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

Kevin

Super Bowl 51

It’s become a tradition that I enjoy in this blog to annually make my prediction as to which team I think will win the Super Bowl.  This year it’s the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons.  This is a difficult prediction because these two teams look to be very evenly matched from everything that I’ve gathered.  Both teams don’t beat themselves.  For example, they each were among the best in the NFL in least amount of turnovers.  The Falcons offense is great, but that Patriot offense is very good too; and don’t underestimate either of those defenses, either.  It’s very intriguing to ponder.

 

Initially, when I thought about this match-up, I gave the advantage to the Patriots, because of their experience.  Certainly experience can equate to a victory (last year’s Super Bowl is proof of that).  But a newcomer to the Super Bowl doesn’t necessarily mean that they will lose.  Recently, the Seattle Seahawks beat the veteran Denver Broncos.  A few years before that game, the New Orleans Saints beat the veteran Indianapolis Colts.

“So who are you picking, Kevin?”  You may be asking.  I’m going to pick the Atlanta Falcons.  I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if the Patriots win.  But, all year long, the Falcons have had to play the “us against the world” game.  No one – from everything that I’ve seen anyway – is giving the Falcons a chance to win Super Bowl 51.  There have been numerous times when the underdog proves everyone wrong.  I think it will be a close game between two evenly matched teams; it will go down to the wire.  The team that forces the other team to make that critical mistake late in the game will win.  I think that team will be the Falcons.

Kevin

Remembering Mary Tyler Moore

The content for this blog is a little overdue, but I’ve been dealing with a sickness, and then a secondary flu virus.  Anyway, as you may have seen from the title, I wanted to say a few words regarding Mary Tyler Moore; she passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80.

 

Even though I didn’t know Mary personally, her work had an impact on my life.  To begin, she was absolutely fantastic as Laura Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke show.”  This show is iconic.  I still watch it to this day.  I love seeing the devotion that Rob and Laura Petrie had for each other.  Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore shared a special chemistry.  I thought about recounting some of my favorite episodes, but I don’t know how; every episode is so good in its own unique way.  However, I would be remiss if I didn’t emphasize Laura’s crying.  It was a comedic, exaggerated kind of crying; it always makes me smile, even in thinking about it now.  To make something that simple so memorable is a tribute to Mary.

The second part of Mary Tyler Moore’s impact on me is, of course, “The Mary Tyler Moore show."  I’m getting emotional as I think about watching this show with both my mom and my dad.  We would often say that Mary was so good because when she was playing Mary Richards you didn’t think of Laura Petrie (the only exception to this for me was whenever Mary Richards cried).  To be able to pull this feat off is the sign of a good actress.

I was watching a documentary on “The Mary Tyler Moore show” recently in honor of Moore.  They pointed out that Mary Richards rarely lost her temper, but she still voiced her opinion in a quiet, matter-of-fact, way to get her point across; she would say something like, “I don’t think what you just did was very nice.”  Moore said in the documentary that this was an extension of her personality.  I love this tactic.  If only more people followed that same method.

Like “The Dick Van Dyke” show, I could go on and on about “The Mary Tyler Moore show” but let me just wrap it up here by saying that Mary left an enduring legacy.  I will continue to treasure these two series.  I want to wish my condolences to her family and friends.  I know something about loss.  You are never really prepared for a loved one to pass away.  It’s very tough.  Perhaps it will be a small comfort to know that millions of fans are grieving along with you.

Kevin                

My first blog for 2017

Happy New Year, reader!  For the initial blog of 2017, I want to share with you that Joshua 1 has gripped me of late.  The beginning verses of this chapter read, “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide, “Moses my servant is dead.  Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them – to the Israelites” (verses 1-2).

 

You see the context.  The children of Israel are on the brink of entering the Promised Land, but their leader, Moses, had passed away.  So now the baton was about to be passed.  A new leader was going to take on the monumental task of leading the Israelites.  Joshua was going to face the task of being Moses’ successor.  Joshua probably felt an immense weight, pressure, and stress.  I say this because of the words that God communicated to Joshua.  Check out these words:

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.  Be strong and very courageous…Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6-7, 9; italics mine).

God instructed Joshua to “be strong and courageous” multiple times.  God was using repetitious dialogue to emphasize a point.  Yes, Joshua was indeed going to take on a tremendous responsibility, but he needed to face this with courage.  Why?  Because God Himself was going to always be with him.  If you read through the rest of the book of Joshua, you will find that Joshua was successful in the role God called him to do, but it was God who kept His promise; He did some amazing feats throughout Joshua’s time of leadership.

Here’s the thing: you and I are not Joshua.  We are not called to do what Joshua did.  But perhaps God is calling us to do something that we feel inept and inadequate to do.  It would do us a lot of good to hear the word of the Lord: “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  What a word for us as we begin 2017!

Kevin