Priceless Fruit...

...in the form of Crayons.

Yesterday, Erin and I received one of our favorite gifts of all-time: a "family" picture drawn by my 5 year old cousin Anna. It (along with several other smaller pieces of artwork) was folded and stuffed in an envelope. The only words included in the envelope was "Erin, Anna, Bella, and Bernt" written again and again in 5 year old penmanship.

I absolutely love it! We don't have kids yet, but I can only imagine this as a small glimpse of the priceless fruit of parenting. Any Picasso or Van Gough wouldn't compare to how much this small piece means to us.

I've also been shown a very convicting message. Priorities. We haven't seen Anna in over a month. Yes we've been busy, but has our busyness been more important than hanging out with Anna? Apparently so.

Yes work is important. But I need to remember that investing time into a life that God loves is more important. Anna's love for us is priceless fruit. We couldn't buy it. We had to invest time into it. If we can be one more vessel for God's love, what more important thing could we do?

So what am I going to do with this lesson? First off, thank you mom and dad for investing in my life. I'm your fruit. Second, after work today, I'm calling Anna and thanking her for her love in Crayon form and setting up a time to hang out with her again.

Thank you Lord for life's lessons...even the bittersweet ones.

—b


Wednesday, October 25th, 2006/Ezekiel chapters 7-9

GOD'S MESSAGE FOR ME TODAY
'They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their appetite nor can they fill their stomachs, for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling.' —Ezekiel 7:19

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MY LIFE?
It's ironic how the stuff we work so hard for (money) will not save us in our most desparate time of need. But the free gift of salvation from God will save us. So we need to ask ourselves on a daily basis, what's worth more to me, money or God?

Copyright 2006, City Vision / John A. Mayer
You can purchase a copy of the CityView Report here.

BE IN PRAYER FOR:
WITCHCRAFT IN THE TWIN CITIES
There are an estimated 20,000 witches of all types who live in our metro area who meet in 179 different witch covens/groups. Many witches are drawn to the Twin Cities area because of the many lakes and rivers, which have spiritual significance to them.
• Gardnerian Wicca—Windsinger Coven, St. Louis Park