Betting on Less Stuff

Jack Hough’s article, “Why More is Less” in this month’s Smart Money magazine quotes a stat, I found very interesting:

"A study published in The Journal of Finance found that over the 35 years ended in 2003, shares of companies with little or negative asset growth in a given year outperformed those with fast asset growth by nearly 20 percentage points in the following year and continued outperforming for five years."

What this means is companies who are increasing their ROI (returns on investment) with less stuff actually are better bets than those who gain in both returns and stuff.

Seems a bit logical, stuff takes time and money to maintain. It drains resources away from the mission of the company when it breaks down or is not functioning correctly.

There also seems to be a general principle here that translates over to the personal balance sheet, and it had me thinking of where I could maximize my ROI – God’s Kingdom. After all, He takes dirty ragamuffins, cleanses them and equips them for service for Him.

Maybe then I should be asking myself this question: are there areas where my earthy ‘assets’ are minimizing His Kingdom ROI?

Tuesday Twilight for His Highest

We had decided that as sisters, our last hurrah prior to my move would be to attend the midnight showing of the newest teen movie, Eclipse. My sister’s infatuation with the series was apparent. She had read all of the books, purchased the previous two movies and signed up to sit through 6 hours of the movies one and two of series that very night. While I found the story line of the novels entertaining, the actual prose left my literary palate dry. But tonight was not about words on a page, tonight was about the love story of the novels coming to life.

We left the theater at 2:30 AM with salt from popcorn on our fingers and me with a plastic taste in my mouth. Why did I still feel hallow after I had witness the resolution of an intense angsty love triangle? I should feel at ease in my post-Hollywood romantic euphoria.

I began to think through what might have affected my affections for a good dramatic story. What had taken the high out of Hollywood’s heroin? In the movie, the characters sacrificed their desires for the health and safety of others. Edward often chose, for good and for bad, to make decisions that would protect Bella both physically and morally. Yet, in the movie, each still yielded an end in other character.

This got me thinking of the passage that had awakened my heart from earlier in the evening. As I had lain down to store up slumber for the night, I reached the part of Oswald Chamber’s biography where he and his Biddy become engaged. Prior to their engagement, Chambers writes to Biddy:

I have nothing to offer you but my love and steady lavish service for Him. I can hear you say: Foxes have holes…but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.

I have His Word, let us both take it, subsequent days will prove His meaning in it – Let us go forth unto Him, without the camp, bearing His reproach. Mark it in your Bible and I will do the same, with the date.

The honesty of Chamber’s love, comes not only as a sacrifice of his affections for what is best for Biddy, but more so for his sacrifice of his affections in obedience to Christ. Here is where a true hero is found: love sought openly before the eyes of God, second to the love of Christ.

But what more could Chambers do for a God who had loved him so as to give His only Son Jesus Christ as a ransom from sin, lifted high on a Cross. True love, the Lamb, is laid upon the altar given over to the steadfast, unchangable, perfect Father. From His Highest who gave His most precious Son us, does He then not deserve our utmost?

Reading through a book with several members of the launch team for "Seed Austin"

Title of Book- "Total Church" -Tim Chester and Steve Timmis

Enjoyed this line by by John Calvin taken from the book....
"Doctrine is not an affair, ' not of the tongue, but of life. It is not apprehended by the understanding and memory alone...but it is received only when it possesses the whole soul, and finds a seat and resting place in the inmost affection of the heart.. It must enter our heart and pass into our daily living, and so transform us into itself that it may not be unfruitful for us..." John Calvin

Forgiveness

Only God can renew relationships...

Relationships that have been broken due to sin, betrayal, lies and just yucky stuff.

Thank you God for renewing an important relationship in my life and changing my heart to love him. Only God could of have done it. Thank you for allowing me to have the relationship that exists between us today.

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Such a great time in Omaha this Weekend- The "Seed Austin" Commissioning Ceremony!

Thank you God for the Coram Deo Church Community. Thank you for the leaders you've raised up, sent out, and now replaced with new leaders!

Single servings

Tonight dreams are to be had on an air mattress in the playroom.

Being single and unencumbered in the ability to serve has really been a blessing today. I see that as we pack three car seats with children, rattles and sippy cups full of milk into the car and head to Walmart. Bananas and Mary Poppins await us.

I would not trade it right now.

Don't you love it when......

You are having a conversation with someone.

All of a sudden it turns to God.

All of a sudden you are in this deep conversation about the Glory of God.

All of a sudden you are proclaiming the gospel to someone.

Then you say to yourself... That was totally all God. I don't know how in the world I could of possibly articulated all of that...

That's one of those moments you see the evidence of God's Grace... the Holy Spirit working inside you and telling you what to say. Then you are reminded that it is not "me" that changes hearts. Only God.

Had this moment last Saturday and God used me to share the gospel. Incredibly humbled.

Even more it happened here as we were watching the sunset!!!!

http://www.oasis-austin.com/

It is Finished

I loved the message of these lyrics that I sang at Reedeemer last Sunday:

It is Finished
James Proctor

Nothing, either great or small - nothing, sinner, no;
Jesus died and paid it all, long, long ago.

When he, from his lofty throne,
Stooped to do and die,
Everything was fully done; hearken to his cry!

It is finished; stand in him complete
He, and he alone, is all you need

"It is finished!" yes, indeed; finished, every jot;
Sinner, this is all you need; tell me, is it not?

Weary, working, burdened one,
Wherefore toil you so?
Cease your doing; all was done, long, long ago.

It is finished; stand in him complete
He, and he alone, is all you need

Till to Jesus' work you cling by simple faith,
"Doing" is a deadly thing - "doing" ends in death.

It is finished; stand in him complete
He, and he alone, is all you need