beatitudes

our sermon series at church and current discussion topic for our community group is the beatitudes. they come at the beginning of the power packed "sermon on the mount" and are really quite revolutionary.

the first is: blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

if you grew up in church, you naturally change the way you pronounce the word "blessed" to give it 2 syllables: bless-id. am i the only one who feels less holy by saying "blessed" as one syllable? :)

poor in spirit is the epitome of humility. it's beaten down. when you're that low, you truly understand your need for God.

it's all about what's in your heart. if you're humble and understand your nothingness, your sinful nature, your lack of control, then you open yourself to a God-driven life.

if you're confident and feel capable in your own abilities, then that is your blessing. you've got it as good as you're going to get it.

now there's nothing wrong with confidence and happiness and success, but it's about your heart and your recognition of where those wonderful things have come from. when you're beaten down and poor in spirit, you rely on God, and therefore are able to receive all the blessings that come with a Christ-filled life.

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day 4: a song that makes you sad (youtube's "embed" link isn't showing up, so you'll have to click on it the old fashioned way.)

mindy smith - one moment more
she wrote this song about her mom who had just died of cancer. i was dating a girl whose mom had died of cancer when i got into mindy smith so it really hit hard then.