Our first born, Joe Carter Ezell, is celebrating his 48th birthday today. Carter is wearing the red cap in the picture above. Congratulations and best wishes for this day and the years to come. I am pleased and honored that you are my son. I love you.
I both appreciate and am challenged by this quote from Eugene Peterson which was cited in a blog post I read this morning:
. . . Do we do it in Jesus’ way or do we do it the Wal-Mart way? Spirituality is not about ends or benefits or things; it’s about means. It’s about how you do this. How do you live in reality?
So, how do you help all these people? The needs are huge. Well, you do it the way Jesus did it. You do it one at a time. You can’t do gospel work, kingdom work in an impersonal way.
We live in the Trinity. Everything we do has to be in the context of the Trinity, which means personally, relationally. The minute you start doing things impersonally, functionally, mass oriented, you deny the gospel. Yet that’s all we do.
Today is a special day. Wilmore is having “Christmas on Main”, Meredith is dancing in a Holiday Revue and The Nutcracker. We a have a beautiful snow that us blanketing everything. Auburn is playing for the SEC football championship and a berth in the BCS championship game. Kentucky is playing North Carolina. But all of that pales into insignificance because today is son Clark’s 47th birthday.
Happy Birthday! Clark.
I attended a Sunday class at First Alliance Church recently. We were asked to write “our story” in 100 words or less. This is what I wrote:
My Story
Learn the rules. Keep the rules. If you fail, ask forgiveness. Then you will please God and earn his love. Work hard and God will bless your life and hopefully you will go to heaven.
I signed up.
I was knowledgeable but I did not know God. My life did not embody godly qualities that knowing God produces. Convicted by the Spirit and humbled by God’s continual intervention,
I resigned.
Ironically, we awoke to a white Friday this “Black Friday”. It is refreshingly cold this morning.
Thanksgiving day was special. As I enjoyed family and friends and food the blessings of my life came into sharp relief. I was made aware of small things that are too easily overlooked. I am grateful.