If you are not currently living in the DFW area you're likely not aware of the streak of consecutive days of over 100 degree weather we've been blessed (okay, more like challenged) to experience. This heat wave has only added insult to injury as we are in the midst of a serious drought. Our lakes are drying up, our city governments are putting all their residents on extreme water conservation schedules and our plants and yards are showing the effects of the heat. These are some hard days in Dallas.
Plant life isn't the only thing stressed by the hot weather. Record consumptions of energy have been reported recently in the DFW area as air conditioners attempt to offset the oppressive heat.
Last weekend our neighborhood had several "brown outs" (the power dips enough that all the lights go "brown" and irritatingly enough, it is just enough drop in power to make it necessary to reset all the electric clocks!) as a result of the extreme heat and record power consumption. There must have been six or seven "brown outs" through the course of only a couple days last weekend. As the power would begin to drop, it was evident that some other source of power was kicking in to take up the slack. The lights would dim... stay that way for a second or two and then power right back up again.
After several of these occurrences, I really began to appreciate the benefit of being "on the grid." Apparently numerous power companies are networked throughout the country and when one particular area's power is threatened, another member of "the grid" kicks in and takes up the slack. Though our power interruptions were irritating, I was thankful we weren't knocked completely out. It is amazing how quickly a large house in the humid South can heat up on 100+ days. Some friends recently went out of town for a few days and inadvertently left their air conditioners off. When they returned, they found their upstairs thermometer reading 99 degrees! That was nearly as hot as it was outside!
All this power grid stuff got me to thinking about how dependent I am on my brothers and sisters in Christ. God has blessed me with some amazing Christian friends. Specifically, some of the Christian men God has placed in my life in the last year or so have blessed my life in ways I could never imagine. We are a band of brothers who not only look out for one another, but hold each other accountable to the life God calls us to live in Christ Jesus. Grace runs deep, and the levels of trust we share are unlike anything I've ever known before. There is true spiritual power in the grid of brothers with whom I'm blessed to live and learn.
God has designed the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:11-31 for more info) to be like a power grid. None of us are to live our faith independently, but rather we all lean on each other for support, strength and understanding. Judgment belongs to the Lord, offering God's support and strength is something we share with our Creator. What an amazing experience to share God's power with fellow believers! The lights don't have to stay dim long!
I'll confess there have been times I've tried to live my life "off the grid." Either from the pride of thinking I could pull my own spiritual weight along or from fear of judgment and rejection, there have been times I've tried to maintain spiritual power on my own. The result: eventually the electricity goes out and nothing runs like it is supposed to. The effects are much more irritating and frustrating than having to simply reset your clocks. There is a considerable amount of spiritual repair that is involved in getting the "power" back on again. What can take only months to turn off, can take years to get turned back on again. Spiritual power is something to protect, not neglect or abuse.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all "on the grid" and when the stress of life is upon us, we need to send a signal to our trusted grid members that we need some backup and help. Yes, we may "brown out" for a short period of time, but we don't have to watch all the power shut down leaving us sitting completely in the dark.
If your system is being stressed today don't move off the grid, more closer to it. I encourage you to rely on the grid and take the help God has supplied through those believers who are close to you and really do care.
Plant life isn't the only thing stressed by the hot weather. Record consumptions of energy have been reported recently in the DFW area as air conditioners attempt to offset the oppressive heat.
Last weekend our neighborhood had several "brown outs" (the power dips enough that all the lights go "brown" and irritatingly enough, it is just enough drop in power to make it necessary to reset all the electric clocks!) as a result of the extreme heat and record power consumption. There must have been six or seven "brown outs" through the course of only a couple days last weekend. As the power would begin to drop, it was evident that some other source of power was kicking in to take up the slack. The lights would dim... stay that way for a second or two and then power right back up again.
After several of these occurrences, I really began to appreciate the benefit of being "on the grid." Apparently numerous power companies are networked throughout the country and when one particular area's power is threatened, another member of "the grid" kicks in and takes up the slack. Though our power interruptions were irritating, I was thankful we weren't knocked completely out. It is amazing how quickly a large house in the humid South can heat up on 100+ days. Some friends recently went out of town for a few days and inadvertently left their air conditioners off. When they returned, they found their upstairs thermometer reading 99 degrees! That was nearly as hot as it was outside!
All this power grid stuff got me to thinking about how dependent I am on my brothers and sisters in Christ. God has blessed me with some amazing Christian friends. Specifically, some of the Christian men God has placed in my life in the last year or so have blessed my life in ways I could never imagine. We are a band of brothers who not only look out for one another, but hold each other accountable to the life God calls us to live in Christ Jesus. Grace runs deep, and the levels of trust we share are unlike anything I've ever known before. There is true spiritual power in the grid of brothers with whom I'm blessed to live and learn.
God has designed the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:11-31 for more info) to be like a power grid. None of us are to live our faith independently, but rather we all lean on each other for support, strength and understanding. Judgment belongs to the Lord, offering God's support and strength is something we share with our Creator. What an amazing experience to share God's power with fellow believers! The lights don't have to stay dim long!
I'll confess there have been times I've tried to live my life "off the grid." Either from the pride of thinking I could pull my own spiritual weight along or from fear of judgment and rejection, there have been times I've tried to maintain spiritual power on my own. The result: eventually the electricity goes out and nothing runs like it is supposed to. The effects are much more irritating and frustrating than having to simply reset your clocks. There is a considerable amount of spiritual repair that is involved in getting the "power" back on again. What can take only months to turn off, can take years to get turned back on again. Spiritual power is something to protect, not neglect or abuse.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all "on the grid" and when the stress of life is upon us, we need to send a signal to our trusted grid members that we need some backup and help. Yes, we may "brown out" for a short period of time, but we don't have to watch all the power shut down leaving us sitting completely in the dark.
If your system is being stressed today don't move off the grid, more closer to it. I encourage you to rely on the grid and take the help God has supplied through those believers who are close to you and really do care.
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