One of my favorite obscure verses in the Bible is Philippians 1:3. Paul simply states, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” It is a simple statement but it is one that has come to have significant meaning for me. Since I was a young minister it is one of the verses that I often write next to my signature if I’m signing a card or something important for someone to keep. I like to think that every person has made some impact on my life and I try to recognize their importance through thanksgiving.

Cross Country is a tough sport. As someone said of Cross Country, “My sport is your sport’s punishment.” It takes a lot out of a person to run three miles as fast as they can with much of it being in places where spectators cannot see you. Sure there are crowds often gathered at the mile markers to let you know how you are doing or strategically placed throughout the crowd, but much of it is tackling hair pin turns, hills, and uneven ground in a wooded area. It is you and the path.

One of the most recognizable phrases in the Bible is found in the first paragraph of God’s Word: 

“In the beginning, Good created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3).

The summer of 2024 is all but in the books. It has been another good one for us here at Highland Park. We have had several of our number get to go on mission trips and even more got to spend time at Maywood Christian Camp. It was followed by an amazing Vacation Bible School and soon after VBS we had people of all ages go and experience the Ark Encounter. Recently our college group went on a retreat and I heard good things from it.

Several weeks ago Travis and I had the opportunity to honor the life of our aunt Debbie who passed away suddenly. They were members at the River Road Church of Christ where her husband regularly led singing. When preparing for the funeral the family sent us a list of songs they found in her Bible. We aren't sure whether they were her favorites or they were the ones she loved for her husband to lead. Regardless they were some great gospel hymns. And so to honor her I took the list and turned it into a poem entitled Debbie's Song. We thought you might enjoy it:

There is a great song by the group Nickel Creek that tells a wonderful but sad story. The song opens with a young boy bringing his mother a gift: Her very own roses grown in her garden. What she immediately notices is that in his desire to give to her, he has been wounded by the thorns that buried themselves into his hands.

We tend to mark milestones in our community by years. If something happened 1

year ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, we mark it as a big event. Anniversaries, birthdays, and

other events are things that tend to be made more important by the year.

That holds true to both good and bad things that have happened in your life.

Word to your mother!

You have likely heard something like “minutes matter” or “every second counts.” You often time hear that phrase when it comes to times of crisis. Whether it is the time it takes to respond to a fire, the time between a major medical event and you arriving at the hospital, or the time it takes to respond to a shooting at an office or school. Most of those scenarios we hope we are never in, but we are taught that every minute...maybe even every second counts.

Remember those New Year’s resolutions you made 113 days ago? I know I don’t, and I'm not really sure that they made it into my mind on January 2nd if I am being honest with you! With us about to close out April and enter into days of sunshine and with no school, let's revisit those resolutions and see what we can accomplish as we come into a new season! What if we take a more modest approach this time, setting the "resolutions" bar at a reasonable height? It just might make a difference. With the right attitude going in, the following five "just for today" resolutions can help us get back on track as we desire to make 2024 the best year yet. These are resolutions that most everyone has a good shot of accomplishing - something that you and your family can live with. As you succeed, you might even end up incorporating some of them into your life and identity.