1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

7Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.

14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

Be Strong, take heart, and let go of those fears and anxieties that control you.

Happy Leap Day!

 ⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7 New International Version (NIV)

I still remember 3 leaps days back when my youngest was arriving.  I so wanted him to be born on February 29.  I mean instead of almost becoming a teenager, he would only be celebrating his third birthday today!  Alas, his mother had other plans.

So what does it mean?

I dunno, I guess it means you get one extra day to find a way to help others and bring glory to your creator this year.  You also get one extra day to focus on your one word for the year, and you get one last-ditch day in February to complete any monthly goals you had for yourself!  Bonus!  Thank you Julius Caesar!

So today I will be glad to have the extra day and I try to make it count.

¹² Teach us to number our days,    that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Ps 90:12 NIV

et tu?

Today, however, is a different story, as my early morning departure for Atlanta has fizzled my creativity a little bit.  But, thinking of creativity, check out this video that was sitting on my Flipboard last evening.  It was sort of odd, just this , no words:

To Do List from Yaniv Fridman on Vimeo.

That’s pretty cool. It’s sort of a challenge to stretch yourself.  Enjoy the day.

²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made.
Let us rejoice and be happy today! Psalm 118:24 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Oh, and just in case you thought it was the last day of February!!! It’s Not!

This morning then, here is a simple part of a fascinating Psalm.

 ¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Today, are who dwelling in the wrong tents?  You are you serving with this one day you have been blessed with?

I have been thinking a lot this week about being present and oddly enough trying to understand God’s presence.  That’s a little deeper theology then this blog usually goes into. ( Not, saying that this is a shallow and touchy feeling blog – but is it?) It was these Psalm that led me there

Psalm 100 (NIV)

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Later in the week, I found this video from one of my favorite contemporary teachers – Francis Chan.  Take a look, i think it’s 4 minutes well spent and is pretty motivating, especially for me this week.

Catalyst Atlanta 2011 | Francis Chan from Catalyst on Vimeo.

The gist of the video – without our God, we can do nothing. Hm, I think having some connection there might just be a good thing.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 English Standard Version (©2001)

Enjoy the weekend! and Stay in his presence.

So, I am off to the pool and then to the old grind stone.  But I will keep remembering the greatness of the glory that I walk in the light of.

⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
¹⁰ With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
¹¹ Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
¹² Blessed are You, O LORD;
Teach me Your statutes.
¹³ With my lips I have told of
All the ordinances of Your mouth.
¹⁴ I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
¹⁵ I will meditate on Your precepts
And regard Your ways.
¹⁶ I shall delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word. Psalm 119:9-16

What are you doing today that will outlive you?

That’s a pretty good motivator – assuming you are leaving a legacy that impacts others in a positive way!

Anyway, think about that today as you go.

¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good;
   seek peace and pursue it.   Psalm 34:14 New International Version (NIV)

So it is with our spirits as well. When we are haughty and self seeking and go about it on our own, bad things may happen. But the Creator says he likes a broken spirit.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51:17 NIV)

Because then he can lift us up. So today embrace your brokenness and let God be the healer!  Then you like my patella tendon, can be on your way to better days!

So let’s get this year going.  Let’s see some risk taking.  Let’s see some transformation.  and most importantly, let’s take advantage of every opportunity that we are given to bring glory to Him!

 “So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 NASB