Daily Buffet » love

A Borrowed Thought

Jason — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:49:29 +0000

I have to admit, my mind is a little distracted today, and even though it’s Lip’s Appreciation Day, my lips are sort of silent. ( But it does make me wonder how one would celebrate Lip’s Appreciation Day?)

And so, this morning, just a simple verse pulled from the verse of the day on Bible Gateway’s front page. The words reminded me of someone, and seemed right to share with you.

^12-14So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Colossians 3:12 The Message (MSG)

A Valentine’s Poem

Jason — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:51:11 +0000

A little familiar poem for today:

1 Corinthians 13

¹ I may speak in different languages of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. ² I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. ³I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing if I do not have love. ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.⁵ Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. ⁶ Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. ⁷ Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.

⁸ Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will stop. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will come to an end.⁹ The reason is that our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect.¹⁰ But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end.¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways.¹² It is the same with us. Now we see a dim reflection, as if we were looking into a mirror, but then we shall see clearly. Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me.¹³ So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

New Century Version (NCV)

So, what are you going to do with this great thing?

My Other Tractor

Jason — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:29:48 +0000

(oh just a quick note – this is the 600th post of the Daily Buffet. That’s pretty cool. Just thought you might want to know. )

I saw this bumper sticker on a car yesterday. I wish I was able to take a picture, but since I was following the vehicle, it was hard to get out my camera and drive at the same time. The sticker said:

My other tractor is my neighbors.

It the end it was just an advertisement for Tractor Supply’s neighbor day, but boy, it sure made me pause for a while, trying to figure out the meaning.

And then it hit me!

Oh, I have my tractor that I take care of and then I take care of my neighbors tractor as well. Just like it was my own. Hm.. interesting message– one that sound’s sort of familiar.

The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Mark 12:31 NLT

4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others Philippians 2:4 NKJ

Are you taking care of your neighbor’s tractor?

Love wins!

Jason — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:26 +0000

Can you believe it’s February?

<3 The month of Love <3!!

yeah, whatever, but I did see this great t-shirt design earlier this week, and I thought it was just groovy. It’s entitled Love Conquers All.

Which we know is absolutely correct.

As we kick off the month with the weird number of days, remember, that Love does conquer all. ( that’s not the man-made, Valentiney sort of love, that, the God is Love sort of dying of the cross for you sort of love!)

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 New International Version (NIV)

It’s No SOPA Day

Jason — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:52:47 +0000

Today it the day the internet protests against new proposed legislation called SOPA or PIPA which seeks to fight against online pirating by creating potentially censorship like laws.

Not much of the internet likes it, and today you will see many of your favorite web sites “go dark” to protest. The Daily Buffet is also participating in this blackout from 8-8 today.

It’s not that I am for online pirating, but I think the internet is a great free speech zone. Plus who knows when someone may find my message offensive or unlikable and censor me?

Of course, if that were to happen, the message of love and dying to self and glorifying the Christ would still continue. Remember this:

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” ⁴⁰ But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

But, I really don’t want the rocks to do my job for me!

Then there this about the power of principalities

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

( well after I write that, I am not sure how applicable it is, but hey, it’s always good to remember that nothing, not even internet censorship can separate us from the love Christ has for us!

Oh, and there is another reason I protest today. Take a moment to remember all those people out there in other countries who would love even the chance to protest about free speech. They still put the message of the Christ out there, and the risk their lives every time they do it.

Enjoy the day! Hope you can make it without some of your favorite sites!

Love Another

Jason — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:43:10 +0000

As we approach the holiday weekend, spend a little time of the reason for our celebration – peace, hope and love. And don’t forget the example that Christ-followers try to base there lives on.

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4 7-12

All Day Chin Wag

Jason — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:21:33 +0000

My morning was captured by an all day chin wag and that has goe\t me away from the good old internet! It’s pretty amazing that I survived to the lunch break. Speaking of lunch, I can’t believe that yesterday was National Bolongna Day and I didn’t write about that. What a miss. And today happens to be Greasy Food Day or something like that. It definitely must be lunch time as I right this.

Anyway, I have still been thinking about that good old Samaritan and they way he impacted others. That and a quote I read last week while I was busy doing nothing.

Love is the effort and desire to make someone else everything they were created to be.

To me that is a profound defintion of love, and one that you should stop and think about today. This defintely would be on the mind of the samaritan as he addressed that dude on the road. And more importantly can be very broadly applied to all of the relationships that you have. Just think about that quote and the way you interact with you co workers, children, spouse and enemies!!!

Hm, seems like Philipians 2:

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

40 + 500 = more wood, less arrows

Jason — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:46:54 +0000

I saw this phrase on a Google article a few months ago. It was stuck in the middle of an announcement from Google labs about a change in their direction. To describe their change they said they were”putting more wood behind fewer arrows.” I have spent time since then trying to figure out what that really means. I think it means something about placing more time and energy on less things, but I am still looking for someone you can fully explain this metaphor to me!

But anyway, today I will roll with it, as I roll through a very significant milestone age wise and post the Buffet’s 500th post. And today, I am thinking that I want(need) to put more wood behind fewer arrows and really really focus in on the important things in life.

As you now, there is one certain thing about birthdays – they keep coming, until they don’t. And there is no going back – only going forward. I sorta of sit in the middle of life today, strengthened by my past, but faced with the heavy realization that I don’t have as many days to waste as I had when I was 15. I have referenced these few verses many times in the last few months, but they seem best to help describe the arrows that I (we) should put my(our) wood behind. Not those of career advancement, not those of accumulation, not those of entertainment, but these.

⁸But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,

what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously. Micah 6:8 The Message (MSG)

and then this one about number our days

^12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well!
Teach us to live wisely and well!
Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
Surprise us with love at daybreak;
then we’ll skip and dance all the day long.
Make up for the bad times with some good times;
we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
Let your servants see what you’re best at—
the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
confirming the work that we do.
Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do! Psalm 90:12 The Message (MSG)

It’s very similar to what my father use to say to his sports teams – “Go out, have fun, do the right things and winning will take care of itself.” If we focus on love, mercy and humility, those other things will take care of themselves.Those are the arrows I want to focus my self on.

So today I am putting more wood behind fewer arrows, I am numbering these days, and I am looking forward to what life as a mature person actually is.!!!!!

And as Coach Gundy says “I’m a man, I’m 40!”

May the Fourth Be With You

Jason — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:54:34 +0000

The power is back to my house, and I feel like I have just discovered a secret power as I have been reacquainted with all of my electric gadgets and gizmos. Sort of fitting that that happens when it’s Star Wars Day! That’s right - May The Fourth Be With You!

That’s a pretty cool parting salutation, up there with ‘Shalom’, and it reminds me of the way Paul ended lots of his letters to the first century churches.

²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. (Philippians 4:23, New International Version, ©2011)

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen. (Galatians 6:18, New International Version, ©2011)

¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14, New International Version, ©2011)

So, today, remember the story of the Jedi’s and where their power come from – and have fun with your friends bestowing that salutation on them. But also, be thankful for the electric power that you enjoy in your home, and spend a moment considering how the grace of Christ and the love of God will power you if you allow it to be with your spirit!

Setting The Pegs

Jason — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:42:18 +0000

It’s Tuesday in the holy week and Jesus spends his last day teaching in the temple. He covers a variety of topics throughout his teaching on this day – from giving to forgiving. He also presents a summary of the whole law in two easy thoughts.

And how more can I add to words of the Master himsel5. Just think how he was trying in his last teaching sessions to convince others about the basic principles of thier lives!

^34-36When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”

^37-40Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” (Matthew 22:34-40, The Message)