Last night Gayle and I had a great dinner at Steve and Vicki's house. It's always fun to hang out with them and the two "perfect children": Autumn and H. David. Steve and I went to Menards to pickup a part for his monster lawn mower and while we were there, I noticed a few of those "lawn ornaments". Maybe you've seen them. Maybe some of you even have one in your front yard. What's up with those things?! They look like a shiny glass bowling ball on a pedestal. The sign advertising these for sale - as if they expect people to actually buy this trash - said that these lawn decorations are for "gazing". Give me one good reason to gaze at a glass ball that's sitting in your yard on top of a pedestal. I don't get it. I believe these glass balls are equipped with hidden antennas that allow extraterrestials to eavesdrop on us. Don't fall for this ploy. If you need to put one of these gazing balls in your yard, at least protect all of us by enclosing it in a lead sleeve. Thanks!

Many of you have been wondering about my blog name. Well, here's the scoop. I heard a speaker, Ray Vander Laan, talk about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and his disciples. A disciple during the time of Christ would do life - full on - with his Rabbi.
First the disciple would approach the Rabbi and ask him if he could be his disciple, the decision was completely up to the Rabbi. Jesus Christ flipped that practice upside-down when He asked the disciples to follow Him. It was then, their choice to follow or not. When they chose to follow, they were committing each day to walking so close to their Master that they would get dusty from the dry powdery dirt that His sandals would stir up as He walked. The only way they would get dusty was by being very close to Him.

Getting dusty....staying dusty is the desire of my heart. I want to walk so close to the Master that I'm getting unmistakably covered in the dust of His sandals. When people see me and do life close to me, it's my desire that they too would say: "Dave's dusty".

Today I spent some time working on our Ministry Strategic Plan. I'm convinced that all too often, I complicate the ministries of the church. I've committed this day to do everything in my power to keep it simple and to the point....not to allow myself to get bogged down in the details. This is difficult for a guy like me with an analytical personality! I invite your prayers and value them as work toward a simpler form of ministry.

Scripture for the day: "This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for these I delight," declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24

Questions:
1. Who/What am I boasting about? Why?
2. How have I grown in my understanding and knowledge of God in the last month?

I invite your feedback, thoughts and comments.

In my quiet time today I spent some time in Ephesians 5. The very first 2 verses got my attention in a hurry: "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

As I reflected on Paul's words to the Ephesians, my mind connected with similar words he wrote to the Roman Church in Romans 12:1-2. Questions:
1. How am I imitating God day-to-day? Can others see Him in me?
2. In what ways is my life reflecting the love of Christ to others? Do people I connect with each day, experience God's love through me? How?
3. How is my life right now, aligned with the words "fragrant offering and living sacrifice to God?"

Upon asking myself these questions and then responding, I have once again realized how far I fall short of God's glory. I also realize that I can only attain what Christ has called me to, in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14).

This is my first entry. Happy independence day. Long live the queen.
D2