A day late...

To those of you who were expecting an announcement yesterday regarding the Remember The Milk Giveaway, I am sorry.  There were extenuating circumstances that kept me from being able to update.  I have generated a number and do have a winner.

Random.org Generated the number 145.  

The Winner is Ben Branders.

Ben, I will be contacting you soon.

Thanks everyone for participating.  This won't be the last giveaway I do.

Have a great week.

Colt

Free Membership to Remember the Milk

Thanks to the great people at Remember The Milk, I have a free 1-year membership that I am giving away here on my blog.  

Here are the rules:

• You must comment on this blog with a number between 1 and 250.
• Your comment must be posted before 8:30AM CST on Tuesday, February 17, 2009.
• I will use Random.org to generate the winning number.
• Only one number per person (your first posted number will be used).
• The winner will be determined by the number closest to the number drawn.
• In case of a tie, the number posted first will win.

That's it.  So post away, send your friends, spread the word.

The winner will be posted on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 8:45AM CST

The Cross is Humbling

My spiritual gift is service. I find great joy in taking care of things, people, situations, etc... I often find myself being proud of the way I handle things, even though no one may ever see it.  

When I was in High School and College, I made it my ministry to serve people and be the go to guy when something needed to be done. I enjoyed spending hours with others so that I could help them take care of stuff.  I learned a lot about ministry and production. I got really good at figuring things out in a pinch and making my work seem very invisible.  

That desire to serve has never changed, though now that I am married I see how challenging it is to balance serving others and serving my wife.  Lindy is so encouraging to me and my biggest fan, even when she doesn't always get the time she needs.  This is great for me, because the encouragement really helps to affirm my work.

As I transitioned into Full-Time Ministry, my work became more and more visible, and I have noticed my pride swelling up more (When I had a good project) and being more deflated (When I screwed up).

This past week in our staff meeting, we all shared our favorite verses.  I have decided that I am going to meditate on the list I got from my co-laborers and seek out the riches they find in God's Word.

All of the above thoughts have transpired as I read the first on the list: Philippians 3:8-10.  Paul is writing to the church in Philippi and is sharing all the things for which he could be proud of himself and even why others could be proud of him.  Then, in a short moment he throws a curveball so to speak.  In verse 7 he writes, "But whatever gain I had, I count it as loss for the sake of Christ." He then goes on in verses 8 and on to talk about the thing he has done, and counting them as rubbish or dung in order to be found in Christ.

For me, this has been a gut check.  It has been an opportunity to realize that the good I can accomplish one is only from God, but also that in comparison to the Cross and Christ's Sacrifice it is all nothing.

I will continue to serve Him, work hard for Him, seek out opportunities to serve others and do exactly that which He has called me to do. Though on this day, I will hold high my Savior and realize that it is not about me.

How are you handling the successes in your life?  Are you living in the proper perspectives?