By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Do you stand out in the crowd?  The very thought of such a thing scares many of us to death.  Others live for the moment when they are the center of attention at any gathering.  Landmarks like the Statue of Liberty or the Washington Monument or the La Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower), as seen here, all stand out in their respective landscapes.

For example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris can be seen from many parts of the city during the daytime.  Then at night, it is lit up, blinking on the hour, and can again be seen from all around.  It is indeed something to experience.

In a very similar way, the Statue of Liberty is pointing proudly toward a land of freedom, and the Washington Monument stands proudly as a reminder of one great leader in particular.

 

As a Christian, we should stand out the crowd – in a good way, of course.  The world is full of those who are looking for someone to act as a light or a guide in this world, leading them to something or SomeONE much greater than they.

 

So how’s that for a challenge this week?!  BE the Eiffel Tower!  BE the Statue of Liberty!  BE the Washington Monument!  Stand out as a Christian in your world, shining the Light and pointing others toward Him.

 

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

As a very young child, I was taught to appreciate nature and God’s creations all around me.  I’ve always been a lover of flowers, and I’m thrilled when my yard blooms each year.  But another thing I also learned a long time ago is that there will be no flowers if there is no rain.  These beautiful red roses would never bloom in my yard again if we never had another rain.

I realize many of you have had plenty of rain lately.  We, however, have not — that is until now.  Yesterday’s “gully-washer” was nothing compared to the one we have experienced over the last 2 or 3 hours this morning.

The old familiar hymn says, “There shall be showers of blessing; This is the promise of love!”  Every rain drop is a blessing from above.  Every shower is yet another fulfilled promise from God that He will take care of your everything!

The chorus of that same hymn reads, “Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need;  Mercy-drops round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.”

One drop would do, but Lord we pray for showers today and in the week ahead.  Bless us so that we may be a blessing to You and to all those around us.

Thanking God through the rains, this is….

Just a thought.

 

By Brad Campbell –

I believe I’ve told you before that I sometimes have the feeling that I’m being watched.  This feeling doesn’t frighten me, but it sometimes makes me wonder why in the world anyone would find me worthy of watching.

Recently I had heard some rustling and chirping on the porch just outside my office window.  I went around the corner to look out the door and then stood and watched two or three little birds flying about, apparently looking for breakfast.  In fact, one little fat chirping fellow sitting near my fern had just caught a flying insect of some kind and was singing his own praises while holding breakfast in his beak.

But it was then that I realized I wasn’t the only one doing the watching.  The rustling I had heard was nearer to me than the birds I had just seen around the fern, so as I backed up and allowed my bifocals to refocus on what was right in front of me, I saw this little fellow in the picture.  He had been rummaging in my wife’s wreath and was staring at me through the window.  He even thought me worth watching enough that I had time to go get my phone and come back to take his picture.

Why do I tell you all that?  My main thought is this.  Be careful how nosey you get when checking out the world around you this week.  You are being watched by those much closer to you than you realize.  Their eyes are wide open, you are in their sight, and however you respond, especially as a Christian, could make or break their spirit.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Hi all.  Just a thought to help start your week.

This week, we celebrate our great Nation’s independence.  I dare say that the vast majority of Americans will never fully understand just exactly the sacrifices that have taken place and continue to take place in order to make this a free nation.

My photo this week is a little dark, but it is a night time view of our United States Capitol building.  In the darkness of the night, you can see the lights glowing.  That majestic place has always been a symbol of the freedom and liberty we as Americans enjoy.  Yet, we are the same Americans who cast even more darkness upon the place.

Regardless of your political leanings, surely you recognize the fact that our Nation and our leaders are all under attack – brutal, godless, vicious attack.  Satan is alive and well.  But guess what?!  God is too!!  And He will always remain the only reason why we continue to see the light amidst the darkness.

As you celebrate this week, I beg of you – whoever you are, whomever you voted for, wherever you stand – to pray for our Nation’s leaders.  They need the prayers.  We need the prayers.

And hear me well — Don’t you dare stand and sing God Bless America until you first take a knee and pray for America!

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Yes, I sent you a picture of a skunk last week.  Well, here is another picture of two of the fuzzy little creatures.  Don’t they look cute?

Let me tell you, looks can be deceiving.  These critters stink, and it doesn’t seem to bother them at all.  For over a week now, my neighbor and I have chased these animals around our properties.  They roam around, looking cute and cuddly.  Then, just about the time we all head to bed, it’s almost as if NASA has dropped a massive stink bomb on our little hill.

Why do I tell all this?  Well, even with their odor, I’ve gotten some really neat pictures.  And one day last week, I stepped out into the gravel driveway and picked up a handful of rocks to begin tossing underneath our car to try and run off the one little black-and-white creature that seemed to be enjoying that shady spot.  As I bent over the pick up the gravel, I glanced to my left, and around the corner of the house walked a large beautiful red fox!

If but for just a moment, it and I stopped and stared at each other.  Then, before I had time to react, the fox trotted off and out of sight.  I forgot about the skunk and dropped my rocks to go tell my wife what I had just seen.

The stinking creature was still there, but for now, it was no longer my focus.  The “stinks” that the week ahead may bring your way do not have to be your focus.  Think on that.  And thank God that just about the time the stink could very well become more than you can stand, He sends a beautiful distraction your way to remind you that life has much more beauty than stink.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

We were quite entertained the other afternoon while watching this little fellow and his three siblings scampering about.  They were all equally as fuzzy, cute, and adorable.  Oblivious to our noses pressed against the windows, they went about their snooping around, bug eating, and chewing on the bottom of my grill cover!  We enjoyed watching them, partly because we have never seen one near our house.

But, we were safe inside.  That’s what made it enjoyable.  They were skunks after all.  Their furry little bodies have the potential to make the biggest of men and animal moan and wretch in disgust from their foul odor.

Isn’t life just like that?  We press our noses to the glass at the first sign of something new.  It may look cute and furry, and there may be more just like it out there.  However, therein is the great potential to make us miserable.

I’m not telling us to be wary of everything cute.  We would miss quite a few blessings that way.  But be careful.  While one end of that experience (skunk) has the little bright eyes and pointy nose, the other end can cause quite a stink — which will linger for days!

Be aware of the possible stinks, but enjoy the fuzzies this week.  Life isn’t always cut and dry.  It’s not always just black and white.  Oh, wait.  Maybe it is!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Memorial Day – a day set aside to remember and thank those who have served, and in many cases given their lives, in order that we might enjoy the freedoms we have.

Whatever your plans, take time, even if briefly so, to remember the reason you have this holiday to enjoy with your family and friends.  There were many family members and friends who had to die along the way.  This small informal memorial was left on Omaha Beach in Normandy.  One lone cross, representing a life that gave all.

May your eyes be drawn to the one lone rugged cross, upon which One life gave His all in order for you to enjoy the ultimate freedom in Him.

May your day and your holiday week ahead be blessed.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

How do you get around?  Do you use a private car?  Bus?  Train?  Maybe a bicycle is all you need.  Whatever the mode of transportation, most of us make use of at least one on a daily basis.

This particular carriage has recently been part of an exhibit at the History Museum of Mobile, Alabama.  You can tell by looking at the carriage that it was once a very nice way to travel!  The posted information for the exhibit reads, “Rockaway or Brougham Carriage.  John S. Atwater and Sons, a popular 19th century carriage manufacturer for the wealthy planters in northern Mississippi and Alabama, built this carriage.  It once served as the State Carriage of Gainesville, AL.”

I thought this was particularly interesting because the quaint little town of Gainesville, located in the county in which I live, was once the third largest town in the state.  It was also the home of Alabama’s first native-born Governor John A. Winston.  Perhaps he once rode in this carriage – or at least a similar one!

Too many times we look back at the past and think that the good times have already come and gone, never to be ours again.  But the mistake we Christians make is that our best times are yet to come!  When the day comes that my Heavenly Father transports me Home, the beauty of this grand old carriage will pale greatly in comparison to the way He will transport me!

Getting ready for a fabulous ride!  Come along!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

As we sat at an outdoor dinner table on San Antonio’s Riverwalk not too long ago, I noticed something high up in a nearby tree.  That was not unusual, as there were many birds and squirrels all around.  But the bird I saw was very large and seemed to be watching everything below.

Out came the trusty old camera so I could zoom in and take a picture.  Only then did I realize that the big old owl that was watching us and everyone else around us was indeed plastic – a fake.  It had looked so real sitting high up in the trees.

This week, just a warning for each of us.  Take time to focus on the ones around you.  Don’t waste too much time worried about what the fake ones think or do.  It doesn’t matter.

And, also a challenge for us.  Don’t be the fake one.  Take a genuine interest in those nearby.  Offer a hand, a kind word, a smile.  Show God’s love in a genuine way.  There are entirely too many fakes in today’s world.  Folks need to see God’s people being real, being intentional, and taking an interest in the world!

 

Just a thought.