Building with small stones: Day 14

Alphabet praise, part 1. For each letter of the alphabet from A-M, complete one of these sentences:
>God, I thank You for _____.
>My God is _____.
>Jesus _____ my life.
>The Spirit is growing _____ in me.
>I surrender my _____ to You, Lord.
>Be Thou my _____.
To make it more challenging, try to stay away from words in the Bible or commonly used in church.

For me: My God is...

My God is aware of everything going on in my life.
My God is brewing coffee for me before I wake up. (That's poetic expression coming from Chris Rice's song, Smelling Coffee.)
My God is carving daily a new me, and using difficulties and sorrows to make some of the most beautiful cuts.
My God is determined to see me through, and have others see Him through me.
My God is exquisitely beautiful, and the source of all other beauty.
My God is full of wisdom, grace, and truth.
My God is gigantic--next to Him, the slime monster is like a teeny little cornflake! (early Veggie Tales reference)
My God is hard to comprehend, but easy to know.
My God is intense--Beth Moore said He's "the bossiest thing." (one of the best stories ever--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtk5WgzZcYA)
My God is juggling all the stars and planets, all the nations and kingdoms, and you and me--without ever dropping one.
My God is Killing My Old Man. (Petra, 1981)
My God is looking into the parts of me that I can't yet see.
My God is making me more the me He made me to be.

Building with small stones: Day 13

Confession time: What's something you are proud of? Is it your financial success? Your physical fitness? Your home or car or job? Your grades in school? Your sense of style? Whatever it is, write a paragraph on the theme of being more humble in this area.

For me: I'm proud of my reasoning. My intellectual ability to analyze an argument logically, and use language specifically and effectively. I can think of at least three reasons not to be so proud of this strength. First, I can take no credit for having a logical mind. As Chris Rice says in The Face of Christ, "See you had no choice which day you would be born
Or the color of your skin, or what planet you'd be on
Would your mind be strong, would your eyes be blue or brown
Whether daddy would be rich, or if momma stuck around at all" I didn't choose my gene pool, or to be born in a country with free public school, or to have white skin which gave me an advantage in that school system, or to have a dad who could pay for college. Not to discount the work that I (and everyone else with a college degree) had to do to graduate, but the opportunity itself was a gift that not everybody gets. Second, the reasoning abilities I have could be gone in a second. One stray bullet, one stray blood clot, one stray lightning bolt, and I could be looking at a life with much less ability to think, or articulate, or both. Third, the abilities I have, I have not always used well. I have hurt my wife by arguing to win. I have been unkind (most recently in a debate on facebook these last few days in the comments on Small Stones day...10, I think it was). So, to recap, I can't take credit for any ability to reason, every moment that I retain that ability is a gift, and I have misused that ability on multiple occasions. So yes, a little more humility in this area would be in order. God help me.

Building with small stones: Day 12

Choose any article, online or hard copy, and take time to read the entire thing, beginning to end, word for word, thinking about the content, and refusing to "click away" before you are done.

For me: I chose the first article I saw at www.desiringgod.org, entitled "What the Devil Doesn't Want You to Know," by Jon Bloom. I had to choose whether to hover over the Bible references, whether that would equate to clicking away. I decided since the verse just popped up and then went away, and since it caused me to focus MORE on the content of the article, rather than just glossing over the Bible references, that I would read each Scripture as an integral part of the article. The article is about the greatest commandment (to love God), how it sets us free to obey God's other commands, how God's grace applies Christ's obedience to the greatest command to our account, and how life marked by love is a foretaste of Heaven in the here and now. And how the Devil doesn't want us to understand any of that.

Building with small stones: Day 11

What is a verse or passage of Scripture that you are currently unable to make sense of?

For me: Matthew 12:39, Matthew 16:4, Luke 12:29, and Mark 8:12. In each of these, Jesus says people are evil to seek a sign, and He won't give them one (except the sign of Jonah). But Jesus did signs and wonders all over the place! So I don't understand what He's saying in these verses at all...but I intend to dig deeper and see what I can find!

Building with small stones: Day 10

What books, besides the Bible, have shaped who you are and how you think? Which one do you need to go back and reread soon?

For me: Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby. I have gone through this again recently with our Wednesday night group, and it was just as challenging as ever. The Purpose Driven Church, by Rick Warren. Brothers, We Are not Professionals, by John Piper. The Contemplative Pastor, by Eugene Peterson. Celebration of Discipline, by Richard J. Foster. That last one is probably the next one for me to reread.

Building with small stones: Day 9

Confession time: what's a time you blamed someone else wrongly? Bonus points for apologizing to them if you haven't already.

For me: I remember as a kid, I had joined the Columbia House Record and Tape Club, and I had several tapes already. I left one of them on the back bumper of my mom's car. Of course it got run over. I blamed her for not checking out the back of the car before driving it. Ridiculous, but at the time I wasn't prepared to face my own fault, and I wanted to blame someone.

So, I just called her, and as you might suspect, she had no memory of the incident, but she appreciated my apology, and we had a nice talk. Go thou and do likewise.

Building with small stones: Day 8

Think about two concepts that are similar or related but not identical. Write a paragraph about them. Some suggestions: goodness and righteousness, submission and service, faith and faithfulness, kindness and niceness, meekness and humility, wisdom and prudence, love and grace, joy and contentment, peace and solitude, hope and longsuffering, sovereignty and providence.

For me: I think service and submission can go hand in hand, but don't always have to. Service is performing an act that benefits another. This can be in the context of submission--for instance, doing something for your boss, either requested or unrequested. But it can also be outside of any particular relationship. Spenser Clifton Cardwell once cleared some trash from a busy road, performing an act of service for all the drivers that would come after, though they would never even know of it. Christian submission is placing yourself beneath someone for the purpose of elevating them (not for the purpose of denigrating yourself). So, for instance, the deference you show your boss (such as in how you address him or her, how you comply quickly and with a good attitude when given instructions, and how you show respect even if the atmosphere at the moment is casual) is part of submitting in such a way that you honor the position and authority your boss has in the organization.

Building with small stones: Day 7

Pick a color. Got one? Now think of 7 things that color for which you are grateful.

For me: I'm picking brown, inspired by a poem by Jason Poole back in college.

#1 I am grateful for chocolate. Leslie Cardwell and I usually share some dark chocolate as part of our going-to-bed routine, so now I can't think of chocolate without thinking of her.

#2 I am grateful for coffee. Many mornings and nights it gets me going or keeps me going.

#3 I am grateful for the desk chair that has not fallen apart after a few others did.

#4 I am grateful for my wife's eyes. What they see in me I'll never know.

#5 I am grateful for the incense my daughter Reed Cardwell got me for Christmas (not this year). She got me gold-colored duct tape, an incense set, and motor oil (which my van desperately needed about that time) to echo the gold, frankincense and myrrh of the Bible!

#6 I am grateful for Ritz Crackers. (They are a golden brown, right?) From my wife's amazing poppy seed chicken to the crackers, sausage and cheese we have every year at Christmas, Ritz are loved in our household.

#7 I am grateful for the Family Business card game, which comes in a brown box. Don't feel too warm and fuzzy about the game title; it's about organized crime. But it's a game we have owned and played for years, originally with the same Jason Poole from college and his then-girlfriend-now-wife Heather Poole!

Building with small stones: Day 6.

Who is someone who inspired you today (or recently), and how?

For me: I have two from today. The first was a gentleman who came into CFA today. In the course of conversation, he asked people to guess how old he was. No one came close to his actual age of 70. He said it's because he rides a bike 15 miles all the time. That inspires me to be more active. Leslie and I have been walking together recently, and I want to make sure to keep that going.

The second was a friend who recently had cataract surgery. She said she didn't realize when she was losing sight in the one eye because the other eye was compensating. So essentially, she learned she had a problem and got it fixed within about 8 weeks. She said she lived through the worst of it without even knowing. To me, her attitude and God's blessing were both very encouraging.

Building with small stones: Day 5

Memorize a Bible verse today. Choose any verse, any method. Before bed, recite the verse for someone and tell them why you picked that verse.

For me: Leslie Cardwell, Sydney Cardwell, Macy Cardwell and I are joining with Beth Moore to memorize the book of Galatians. Today I will be adding verse 5 of the first chapter.

Building with small stones: Day 4

Can you remember the last sermon you heard? Really think about it and try to work through the points and what it means for you. If were at The Fort Church @ Eastern Heights with me this Sunday, work on your own summary before reading mine!

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For me: Our pastor started with an illustration about fishing with his son that highlighted that Christ is doing life WITH us. He made the point that pastoring should reflect that, and indeed the lives of all Christians should embody a love that connects us with the lives of others. He pointed out that one man cannot effectively develop deep levels of intimacy with hundreds of people in a church congregation, and so the church is called to help in "shepherding" each other. He challenged us to take three action steps. 1) Be a regular, active participant in the worship life of the church, specifically on Sunday mornings. 2) Take responsibility for our own spiritual growth, specifically in prayer and Bible reading. 3) Be involved in our small group ministry, specifically in the session that is open for signups right now.

Building with small stones: Day 3

Visit topverses.com. Add the month and day of your birthday, and select the verse with that rank. Then work through the verse word by word, expanding each into a sentence. You'll understand what I mean by checking out my example. You may want to combine words as I do with an infinitive below, but I would aim for words more than phrases.

For me: September 4. 9+4=13. Verse 13 is John 1:12.
YET His own people did not receive Him, YET He made other provision.
TO God gave TO me what was rejected by others.
ALL God receives ALL who place their faith in Him!
WHO This is personal for those WHO trust in Him.
DID There was a moment in time when I DID begin my walk of faith.
RECEIVE We must not merely believe about Him, but RECEIVE Him through faith.
HIM Jesus is the only name by which we may be saved--by believing in HIM.
TO God gives permanently the new birth TO us.
THOSE I am one of THOSE!
WHO Everyone I meet is someone WHO needs to hear this.
BELIEVED When I BELIEVED, God changed my life.
IN We place our trust IN Him; we don't just get to know about Him.
HIS HIS name is the most beautiful, the most wonderful, the most powerful.
NAME His NAME represents everything about Who He is.
HE He, not I, am responsible for my salvation.
GAVE He GAVE a gift that cost Him much, but I may freely receive.
THE The right to be His is THE only salvation.
RIGHT No matter what you've done or where you come from, if you believe in Jesus, He gives you the RIGHT to be His, and no one can take that away.
TO BECOME At the point of salvation, we BECOME something we were not before, and will never stop being in the future.
CHILDREN We who follow Christ are God's CHILDREN, born by Him, loved by Him, cared for by Him.
OF We are OF God, having our source in Him, belonging to Him, and bearing the nature of Him.
GOD There is only one GOD, in whom we live and move and have our being.

Building with small stones: Day 2

Remember a story from your childhood. Think about why you still carry this story. What does this story say about God, or about you, or about truth?

For me: The first time I ever went to a swimming pool I was very young, probably not yet in school. But Sesame Street and Electric Company had taught me to read, and so I was able to read the long list of rules on the fence before going in the dressing room to change. Even so, I hurried, and came back out before anyone else. (My mother was speaking outside the fence with the woman who had invited our family to swim with theirs at their community pool.) I immediately ignored the very FIRST rule, which was not to go into the pool by yourself. I had never swum before, but I walked to the pool. I walked to the deep end of the pool. I got up on the diving board at the deep end of the pool. And jumped in. The women outside heard the splash, but each assumed the other had children who were capable swimmers. I was in trouble. I was going to die. It took a moment, but my mother and the other lady realized through their conversation that they were wrong about swimming children, and they rushed inside the fence. My mother jumped in fully clothed and pulled me out. I was fine, not even any need for cpr or anything like that. But I did think after how stupid I had been. Of course to jump in, that goes without saying, but once I was in the water, my childish reasoning told me, I was either going to sink or float. If I floated, no problem. If I sank, I had merely to walk along the bottom to the ladder and climb up. Of course, as an adult I have since recognized that's not the way it works. But I've never forgotten the story.

I probably still carry this story because the event was so traumatic, or at least DRAmatic. I think it has a lot to say to me. First, as James says, it's not enough to KNOW the rules if you don't DO the rules. Second, pride (in being able to read, in this case) can be dangerous. Third, it happens all the time that people can enter something that they can't exit. Fourth, God, like my mother, saved me when I couldn't save myself. Fifth, Jesus, like my mother, chose to jump in the water (the incarnation) with me to pull me out. Sixth, many may reason as I did, that with a better perspective and different actions they can save themselves, but that's not the way the world, or sin, works. Seventh, when you've been saved, really saved, you will never forget it, and you will tell about it often.

Building with small stones: Day 1

Walk through 7 spaces in your home, and touch one thing in each room for which you are grateful.

For me:
Kitchen: the refrigerator--Something is wrong with it, maybe the seals; water collects in it. But it still keeps food cold, and people all over the world don't have that simple option available to them.
Laundry room: the washer--We used to not have adequate water pressure, and the thing wouldn't work. Now that our landlord took care of the water pressure issue, we don't have to go to the laundromat, and for that I am grateful.
Living room: the piano--A gift from a piano teacher, it has made music an even greater part of my daughters' lives.
Library (what we call the small coat-room type space between the foyer and the living room where we keep lots of books and games): the Monopoly game--I anticipate our family will be playing this afternoon.
Foyer: Stratosphere--a magic trick that Macy Cardwell was able to perform for our Family Theatre show in November.
Dining room: the dining room table--from my Grandparents' home, it has been stained, broken and repaired, and now...as our children have begun to move out on their own, it has had a leaf removed. It is a bittersweet representation of the story of our lives.
Bedroom: the bedspread--It is spread out on the bed, the "made" bed. Only recently have Leslie Cardwell and I started making the bed when we get up, and it has become a surprisingly sweet moment on those days, like today, when we get to do it together.