Birthdays are Good Days!!

Guess what? It’s my birthday today. 2 of my favourite birthday quotes are…..

“You know you’re getting old when the candles cost more than the cake!!”

“For my birthday I got a humidifier and a dehumidifier.  I put them in the same room and let them fight it out”

When I was 18, I thought 40 was pretty old.  I remember not long after I started going to church, one of the deacons had a 40th birthday party.  I remember thinking how old that was – 40!!  That was 22 years away.  That seemed a lifetime.  But here I am now – way past 40 and 50 and still motoring on.  You see an old person is someone who is more than 10 years older than you!!

So today, on my birthday, I put up the cards, read the text messages and got reflecting again on my likes and dislikes list.  What am I passionate about and what really sends me into a rant. Despite my age (or perhaps because of it)……

Im still passionate about my family, Christ, the scriptures, the gospel, the gathered church, worship, preaching, truth, communion, believers baptism, small groups, grace, leadership, discipline, good stewardship, relationships, making the most of every opportunity, good holidays, John Grisham, Jaffa cakes, midget gems, steak, chicken, being organised and sport in general (to name but a few!!)

I still don’t like legalism, dishonesty, lack of integrity, inconsistency, deceit, false teaching, bad theology, hypocrisy, immorality, blasphemy, those who tell you ‘how’ to do it when they have never done it themselves, strong winds, freezing rain, liver, spinach, mushrooms and any team except Manchester United!!

I’ve got many things wrong in my life and sometimes allowed wrong emphases and faulty thinking to distort my perspectives and my judgments.  But, by God’s grace, I am still trying to get passionate about the right things.  And as I look back on my years I can say “Ebenezer” – up until now the Lord has helped me.

I read this today...

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”(Psalm 90 v 12).  A good prayer for any day – especially your birthday!